Vibrant Bites

High Protein Chickpea Pasta & Vegan Pesto

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and the inspiration for this particular simple dish came from a delicious sample I tried yesterday at Costco. This was my first time trying Banza pasta, and I really liked both the taste and the fact that each serving has 25 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber! As a…

travelandrestaurantreviews

Vegetarian Tips for Portugal Travel

A week ago, my husband and I were blessed to spend a week and half traveling in Portugal. We stayed in Lisbon, Sintra, Porto and Algarve (about 2 days in each), and along the way we tried a few vegetarian restaurants. At most Portuguese restaurants that aren’t specifically vegetarian/ vegan, there aren’t that many veggie…

Recipes

Bliss Balls with a Ginger Twist

While I was recently traveling in Portugal with my husband, our dear friends, Sugar and Shwa were house sitting for us and caring of our garden, and not only did they take amazing care of our home, but upon returning I was gifted a massive bag of homemade crystallized ginger. Sugar, also known as Ilana,…

Recipes

Scoping out the Veggie scene in Encinitas

This past weekend my hubby and I went on a quick jaunt to Encinitas for the inaugural half marathon and in gearing up for the race, we fueled up with so much delicious vegan food. For those who will be in the Encinitas area looking for vegan meals and treats, here are a few of…

appetizer

Sriracha Hemp Seed Pesto

Just got back after two amazing, jam-packed days at Expo West, and starting to play around with all the 50+ samples I brought back. As a first timer, I admittedly might have gone a bit overboard and brought back half a bulging suitcase of yummy samples & swag. Will be trying them out over the…

appetizer

Coco Oil Fried Maitake Mushroom topped Hummus

I recently was reading a book on health benefits of mushrooms, and upon reading about Maitakes, I loved learning that these are considered ‘dancing mushrooms’ due to ancient lore that monks stumbled upon maitakes in a forest and were so overjoyed by these beauties that they starting dancing with abandon. I get it. Maitakes can…

appetizer

Love Stack – Sweet potato, rice, avo & crunchy plantain chips

Lately I’ve been playing around with stacking food in cookie cutter molds (will do some heart shaped stuff soon for V day), and today I made a sweet potato, brown & red rice, avocado, hot chili oil and sweet plantain stack that was looks fancy but is really easy to make. It’s also vegan Ingredients…

FoodTrends

SF Winter Fancy Food Show -Favorite Honeys

While I know honey is controversial among hard core vegans, as someone who ascribes to more of a mostly vegan diet and believes in the healing power of honey, I am all for it. My love affair with honey started when I was 21 studying abroad in Santiago, Chile, and living with a dear Chilean…

FoodTrends

SF Winter Fancy Food Show – Favorite Vegan Products

Yesterday I splurged to partake in the Winter Fancy Food Show, a biannual tradeshow where both established and emerging food brands come together to showcase their products, learn about emerging trends, hear from industry leaders and more. Twisting and turning my way through the thousands of food creators, showcasing their creativity incarnated through diverse flavors…

appetizer

Lemony Coconut Fried Brussels Sprouts

Before joining the SF Women’s march yesterday and taking part in a historic outpouring of support in the name of equal rights, inclusivity, kindness, decency, healthcare access and more, I made some vegan comfort food to nourish body & soul both given the somber political environment as well as the continued cold, wet, rainy SF…