Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” — Mahatma Gandhi

This tantalizing recipe is from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Romero, page 228.

Bursting at the seams with fresh cranberries, walnuts, fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and spices, this is just the thing for those chilly winter mornings. You can make this recipe soy-free by substituting your favorite dairy-free milk for the soy milk called for in this recipe. We used creamy, omega-rich hemp milk.

Cranberry Facts: Native Americans used cranberries, fat and ground venison to make a survival cake known as pemmican. They also used the fruit in poultices and fabric dyes.

Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake w/a Blue Bottle Caffè Americano

This recipe is pure genius… truly the most heavenly pound cake to ever grace one’s plate. From Veganomicon, page 254. We sprinkled shredded coconut on top because we’re cukoo for coconuts. We also used rich and creamy coconut milk yogurt, which is the cat’s meow!

Served with a Caffè Americano made from Blue Bottle organic beans, the finest coffee in the land.

As the skull candle reminds us, memento mori, or “remember your mortality” and eat cake while you still can!

Roasted Eggplant & Spinach Muffuletta Sandwiches

This is basically my favorite sandwich recipe ever. 😉 Keith and I love to bring these when we go camping or hiking, they are such a treat in the wilderness or even indoors! This batch went down especially well at California Extreme, the annual vintage arcade and pinball game expo in Santa Clara, CA.  This is a classic New Orleans recipe from the essential cookbook Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moscowitz & Terry Hope Romero, page 100. To compile such a delicious sandwich you first roast slices of eggplant in the oven while you make an olive relish. Then you layer these goodies with roasted red peppers and marinated spinach on slices of bread (we used ciabatta), wrap the sammies up tight in aluminum foil, and press them in the refrigerator overnight until the flavors blend. We added some shredded Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese for good measure. Delicious served hot or cold.

Let’s Go to the Mediterranean! ~ Hummus Platter

Another game day luncheon. Hummus (made using a really tasty recipe from Veganomicon, page 67) with veggies, kalamata olives, dolmas, and pita chips. We always drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on our hummus, and then sprinkle paprika on top. We also use dried chickpeas that we cook at home instead of canned ones to save on packaging and cash money, and to reduce our exposure to the BPA that is in food can linings. For those of you who have never made pita chips, it is so easy! Just preheat your oven to 350°. Then cut your pita breads into little wedges, arrange them on a baking sheet, and pop them into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the chips once halfway through cooking. Allow to cool and then devour! 🙂

Black-Bottom Blondies & Green Tea Ice Cream

Black-Bottom Blondies from My Sweet Vegan. Green Tea Ice Cream from Veganomicon. A tasty flavor combination.