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random round-up, or, put what in what?

random round-up, or, put what in what?

Tonight, I decided to bring a totally random round-up. As in, I scrolled up and down the MoFo blogroll haphazardly and found the following awesome blogs. (I skipped a couple that didn’t look like they were actively MoFoing. Is that a verb yet? I digress). And now, without further ado, we have these recent happenings:

First off, a couple of surprise ingredient recipes. You can put GINGER in mac & cheese? Yes, as The Apeman shows you in this here post:

Ginger Mac & Cheese

Next up, from the Totally Veg! blog, a recipe for Raffaello cake, aka, you can put WHITE CHOCOLATE and COCONUT in a cake and it doesn’t explode of fantastic-ness??

Raffaello-ello-ello

God, I love bread recipes, and savory quick breads are the hidden gems. This recipe is entitled : Fresh Bread, 45 Minutes, no yeast. Really. You bet I’ll be making this recipe this week.

Vegan Linda blogs over getting over your fears of trying recipes if they sound difficult or complicated- most often you’ll be rewarded, as she was when she made Crispy Tofu with Sizzling Caper Sauce from Vegan Planet. I love how many capers are crammed into this photo. It’s… entrancing…

Caper? I hardly even know her!

Steamed buns are the world’s perfect food! Can it ever be said enough? The Minor Injuries blog reminds of that fact with this:

Stuffed with bok choy, mushrooms, and nooooooodles

Do you ever do this? Mix chili and pasta? It has got to be one of my favorite comfort foods of all time, and Caffeinated Mama blog does this humble food the justice it deserves:

The best part about making chili- mixing leftovers with pasta the next day

Bankrupt Vegan is a blog that is all about frugality. I love this round-up of coupons, special offers, and free samples compiled in last friday’s post– did someone say a coupon for organic berries? Yes please!

Eve Love à la Montagne gives a tutorial (in French) on vegan beer and wine– what to look for, what to watch out for.

Walnut-crusted tofu, step by step, courtesy of Girl Goes Vegan. I don’t crust my tofu enough, clearly. This is my takeaway message here.

Random? Yes. Delicious? You betcha.

oh…hey there… blogging world…!

oh…hey there… blogging world…!

Hi everyone,

Bazu here, dipping my toes in the blogging waters for the first time in ages. Even though my own blog is on indefinite hiatus, I was thrilled to be asked to be a MoFO rounder-upper again this year.

For my first round-up, I’m showcasing some blogs by new, transitioning, or not-quite- vegans. First up, my friend JessieBea (who for some totally unknown reason left frozen Syracuse for sunny Southern California recently) reviews a great restaurant in the Valley. This is especially near and dear to my heart because my parents live in Van Nuys and I know I’ll be hitting up the Hummus King when I visit them:

hummus and ... omg, is that veg SHWARMA??!

Next, another Southern CA restaurant: OMGosh I’m Vegan posts this, possibly the perfect take-out meal, the Happy Vegan from Tender Greens. You need to hop over to the blog to see the full monty of “tabbouleh, hummus, pasta pearls, faro wheat, young kale and tender greens”.

Damn... perfection in a takeaway container!

If you guys know me, you know that I don’t shy away from controversy. That is why this brownie post from the Not a Rabbit blog so appealed to me- sister isn’t afraid of saying it like it is. And I quote,

“They say that people fall into two groups when it comes to brownies-
1) Those who like cakey brownies
and
2) Those who like fudgy brownies.

At the risk of being controversial, I think there is only one group:

1) Those who like fudgy brownies (known otherwise simply as “Brownies”).”

Sing it! If you like cakey brownies, go eat some chocolate cake. If you like exquisite fudgy brownies, then try her recipe.

yes... yesss... my precious...

Next up, perhaps you need to cut some of that sweetness a bit? Stephanie from Newly Vegan gives a recipe for tofu bacon. Go check it out because if you’re anything like me, this needs to be part of your immediate future:

nom NOM

Whether you’re a new vegan, an old hat, or just a sometimes vegan, sometimes convenience is really nice. I like Gardein. And Deena at Libra Loves reviews a product I’ve never tried, but now clearly need to: Gardein Stuffed Turkey!

'Tis the Season, MoFOs

And finally, since this post is a shout-out to those dabbling in the vegan arts, a reminder of what many of us had to learn the hard way, brought to you by the Healthy Honey, Hungry Hubby blog:

not vegan!

Not all non-dairy creamer is actually non-dairy. I know, right?

Cheers!

tuesday good news day

tuesday good news day

wow! we are really rounding the last corner of VeganMoFo III here! Tuesday will have been the 5th to last day of the month! How are your mofos coming along? If you need a little inspiration, here are some of the coolest posts from mofotown in the last few days…

Mihl, over on Seitan is My Motor, gives us the science behind Speculoos (a.k.a. those quintessential holiday spice cookies so popular in Europe). And then, she kicks it up a notch by using the same spice mixture to make, wait for it, wait for it, SPECULOOS WAFFLES!!

Holy pink alcohol, Batman! Go check out these Pink Russian cocktails over on Scrumpdilly blog:

Life on the Vegan Highway is Good is the name of the blog, and mock tuna is the name of the game – go check it out!

This cake from Mama VeeGee’s Vegan Kitsch-n is kind of absurdly fabulous:

Yes, those are peanut butter cookies you see all up in there.

Woah woah woah. Go here to the Mama kocht vegan blog and enter to win one of these serious-looking chocolate bars!

Finally, the always lovely Elizavegan blog gives us this recipe for Welsh rabbit/rarebit, with nary a rabbit harmed in the process, natch. Perfect cold-weather stick-to-your-ribs comfort food here!

-bazu

Vegan on the Cheap

Vegan on the Cheap

Don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly rolling in money lately, and my cheaper standards, like bread, soup, and sundry boiled dried goods, tend to get a bit monotonous after a while. So when I was reviewing MoFo posts from the last few days, I was particularly keen to find decidedly less spendy food and recipes for inspiration. Kelly at EasyVegan was clearly on the same wavelength, with a Monday Mashup of sixteen inexpensive food ideas harvested from Flickr.

693872037_KHetY-MSoup’s always a nice option for the financially strapped (especially since you can get away with using leftover veg even if it’s at something less than the peak of freshness, make a big pot, and stretch it out over a few days), and there have been quite a few cheap and easy soup ideas lately. Deb at Invisible Voices writes about the harvest moon soup (pictured to the right) made from the first cookbook she purchased. Our own Mo shares a recipe for tofu fried rice noodle soup. Kat, on A Bear’s Fare, has been making borscht. Brittany’s Veg Kitchen has a recipe for one of my favorites, butternut squash soup. And Kip at The Messy Vegetarian Cook has been making chili, which I suppose is in the general soup family.

3719734327_f229c54b1eMaking bread at home saves some serious cash once you get the hang of it. I get all twitchy these days whenever I have to buy a loaf at the store. Amy at tahinitoo has been baking up some rye. Bonnie at Eating with the Rabbits shares a couple ideas for variations on wholewheat loaves, pictured here. And, on a bread-related note, Megan at Down Home Vegan made a variation of what’s also one of my inexpensive staples, a simple pizza crust topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

And finally, if the economy is really getting you down, you can always spend your last few pennies to drown your sorrow with a good beer. And Melissa at Ok, All Together Now! reminds us how to keep those libations vegan…

– H-Dog

Tooooooooosday

Tooooooooosday

I’ll be honest with you, MoFoers: I kind of thought Tuesday might be a bum day to wrap up. I know; it’s judgmental and unfair of me, but I’m an imperfect person. However! I was clearly wrong about Tuesdays, since the MoFoers keep churning out amazing recipes, photos, and writing. Keep it up!

Speaking of amazing, check out this Seitan En Croute from Joni at Just The Food. I’d type more about it, but I’m too busy licking my screen.EnCroute

Rose at Dandelion is taking the tomato-soup-n-grilled-cheeze concept and fancifying it with cheeze croutons and basil. Megan at Down Home Vegan is cooking up some Minnesota Hotdish (including recent vegan culinary craze ingredient: tater tots!) from a family recipe. The Carnal Vegan is cooking up chiogga beets, which I know I’ve always been curious about. They’re pretty!

3986620998_c3a52c8497_o

Over at Happy Vegan Face, Jessy is doing up one of my favorite kinds of things: delicious food from ingredients I probably have in my pantry! In this case, it’s lentil balls, and they look delicious. Claryn from Hell Yeah It’s Vegan whipped up some sparkly, melty, chocolate peppermint cookies that are making me drool as I type. Naomi Rose is killing it with her pumpkin pie recipe (seasonal and delicious!) for The Gluttonous Vegan.

IMGP6748

Bex from How To Feed A Vegan lays some smackdown on “happy” and organic meat by appealing to the olive lover in each of us. Andy from In My Vegan Life takes on a personal cookbook challenge of her own, with delicious results. Finally, The Lazy Smurf’s Guide To Life takes a road trip to the organic farm and comes home to whip up some absolutely stunning gumbo! 4025855333_d028c0564a

Tuesday Treats

Tuesday Treats

I’m cold! I’m tired! I’m cranky! (wah, wah) Today’s round-up is all about stuff I would like to treat myself to RIGHT NOW. Think of it as instant virtual cozy gratification for the mofo.

Carlota, of the Garlic Pepper blog, celebrates Kid’s Day in Brazil with a delicious smoothie and PAÇOCA for dessert. I’ve never had this peanut-y concoction, but it looks awesome and I feel like I need it.

The Geeky White Girl Grows Up blog features these delicious stuffed cabbage beauties. Cabbage = comfort food. The fact that it’s a grandma recipe just makes it even awesomer.

Everyone’s favorite Megatarian, Megan, made many MANY cakes this week, for the occasion of her Nana’s 90th b-day. (I think we have ourselves a theme here!) Here’s just one of them, but you’ll have to hop over to the blog to look at (drool over) all of them.

There is a blog called Vegan Dance if You Want To. The name alone was enough to get me hooked, but then sister had to go and make gnocchi with cilantro pesto??? OH NO SHE DIDN’T! (oh yes she did)

over on the p.h.d.elicious blog, we have a wonderful version of Veganomicon‘s Acorn Squash and Pear Soup with sautéed shiitakes. Why haven’t I made this soup yet? WHY?

Finally, DESSERT! (yes, I know I had the peanut candy appetizer and the cake, er… intermezzo, but this is dessert, I swear!) C’est La Vegan blog brings us this dreamy trifle. Look at it. Admire it. Make it your own. Eat it.

I don’t know about you, but Tuesday’s comfort-y treats certainly have made ME feel better.

-bazu

Monday Roundup: The Ecletic Edition

Monday Roundup: The Ecletic Edition

IMGP6679At first, I thought of doing an autumnal theme for today’s roundup since we’re now in the thick of fall. And of course, when I think of fall, I think of the kiddies going back to school. And when I think of school, I think of learning stuff. So, in a weird stream-of-consciousness way, I arrived at today’s theme: “Stuff you may not have known before, and oh, some posts about autumn too.”

I mean, did you know that the UK has a National Apple Day? Or that Medieval Times will do a vegan option? Or what a kurtos is? Or that the morel is the Minnesota state mushroom?

Did you know that Sweet & Sara has two new flavors of vegan marshmallows? Or that cauliflower comes in an an orange variety? Or that it’s possible to make vegan baked goods from some store-bought mixes? Or that Vegan Essentials sells an accidentally vegan flavor of Doritos?

Do you know what vegan-friendly candies you can give away this Halloween? Or how to grow your own sprouts? Or how to tell the edible sweet variety of chestnut from the toxic horse chestnut? Also, special bonus knowledge for Americans: Yorkshire pudding, not a dessert; and Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on a different day.

I almost forgot the autumnal bits: Tahinitoo and the Gluttonous Vegan (from whence was swiped the cute pumpkin picture above) have both been doing awesome pretty stuff with pumpkins. Mmm, pumpkins…

– H-Dog

putting your mofo where your apple is. or, uh…

putting your mofo where your apple is. or, uh…

We are more than halfway through VeganMoFo (can I hear a WOO?) and I would be remiss, as a Central New York food blogger, if I didn’t do an apple round-up. Here in the arctic tundra (aka Syracuse) apple-picking is an annual ritual, and apples are among the only fresh fruit that we can source locally through the long, dark, cold winter. Plus, you know, apples are awesome. As evidenced by these mofo-ers:

A-K, from Swell Vegan, gives us this raw apple crisp:

Over at MeanSoyBean, we’ve got these autumn apple pancakes going:

A Bear’s Fare gives us farmers market apple fritters (yes, please!)

Lindsay, over at Cooking for a Vegan Lover gives us this apple pie that is just begging us to eat it:

Or, if you want to keep it even simpler, go on to Wannabe A Vegan and check out this baked apple recipe… YUMZ.

Eat some apples, people. I’m serious.

-bazu

Less Loopy Tuesday

Less Loopy Tuesday

Please excuse the lateness of this post; I was out seeing the Pogues and forgot to put it up!

Tuesday continues to be a great day for MoFoers everywhere. Kicking it off, we’ve got Naomi from The Gluttonous Vegan hitting us with some christmas fever! Candy canes are my jam, so I was really excited to see this recipe for vegan candy cane cupcakes! IMGP6508

Keeping with the baking theme, Mihl over at Seitan Is My Motor (whose blog I also rounded up last week, but what can I say? I love it!) made rosinenstuten, a kind of german raisin bread that looks pretty freaking awesome. Jenny over at Herbivore Dinosaur is apparently reading my mind and came up with a recipe for nutmeg cake that will be in my oven within the day because hot damn does it look good. netmegcakewhole

On the savory side of things, we’ve got Raelene from the (really adorable) Coburn Family Website talking about her favorite Bahn Mi recipe. It made my stomach growl looking at the photo, and I realized I haven’t had a Vietnamese sub in a good long while, so… um, thanks, Raelene! I’ll be right over! Amanda/Andy Dufresne from In My Vegan Life talks pinto beans, chili, and gluten-free sweet potato rolls, which I suspect will make a lot of xGFx people really happy.

IMG_1654

In non-food-porn-related posts, Brandon from Vegan Awesome posted a nice little entry about his favorite vegan milks. E and K from A Tale Of Two Vegans tag teamed one of the MoFo surveys that’s been going around lately (with cute, fun-to-read results). Finally, one of my favorite vegan teenage bloggers, Louzilla from Loony Louzilla Lovegood Letters gives us a vegan’s-eye view of the National Equality March in Washington DC this past weekend.

Great work, everyone! Keep it up!

Vegan Mofo International Edition

Vegan Mofo International Edition

Even though ideological cousins of veganism have sprung up at various points in history and throughout the world, the contemporary vegan movement really got its start in the UK and spread most quickly from there to the anglophone bits of North America and Oceania. All of which makes it that much more exciting to see the geographic diversity of the participants in this year’s Vegan Month of Food. Ready for a whirlwind tour of international MoFo blog posts from the the last weekend or so? Here goes…

•Over in South Korea, Mipa of the blog Alien’s Day Out, posted about the various faux meats she discovered in her local grocery store.
•Bonnie, over on Eating with the Rabbits, reviewed the vegan gyros she found in the Netherlands.
Beats, Rhymes, and Cookies, out of Italy, made a first attempt at vegan cinnamon rolls.3990291572_18f710ff98
•Andrea in Mexico City whipped up rajas con crema, and Vegan en Mexico shared a recipe for pasta with balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard.
•Melanie in Austria posted an interview with Melisser of San Francisco’s Sugar Beat Sweets and The Urban Housewife blog.
•The Vegan Animal blog out of South Africa shared a recipe for tomato and green bean curry.
•Over in Germany, Mihl of Seitan is my Motor has started testing Caribbean yumminess for the author of the Vegan in the Sun blog.

Of course, there are a whole lot of other participants from around the world, but it’s not easy keeping up with all you MoFoers. And speaking of not keeping up, I don’t know how I missed this one from last week: Marie, over in the Philippines, posted last Wednesday on her blog How to Become a Vegan Domestic Goddess about a vegan version of a childhood favorite, mais con hielo, pictured above. Yes, polyglots, that’s corn with ice. And it sounds kinda fascinatingly awesome. If it weren’t so chilly here right now, I’d have to give it a try.

– H-Dog