Vibrant Bites

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…

appetizer

Creamy Cauliflower & Kale Soup topped w/ Kale Crunchies

This cold, gusty, rainy weather is perfect for cozying up with good reading, fuzzy blankets and warm, creamy soup. This soul-warming, cauliflower kale soup is 100% vegan, very flavorful and super easy to make. It was also my first time using my Vitamix to make soup, which was fun (would have liked it to get…

Breakfast

Chocolate Mint Granola (Holy Cacao!)

‘Tis the season for chocolate peppermint everything– including granola. The sweet and minty breakfast/ snack is all organic, vegan and loaded with the superfood powers of raw cacao and coconut oil. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1. 2 cups of rolled oats (For this version, I used Trader Joe’s gluten free oats but you can use any that…

dinner

Edamame pasta with spicy almond butter sauce & green veggies

After many failed attempts at making a spicy peanut sauce, I have finally learned how to make a super flavorful one, and have now been making a lot of stirfried noodles with veggies to accompany these sauces. The trick for me was learning to add the right amount of water and balance the sweet and…

smoothie

Magical Mango Cacao Shake

This is a decadent, thick and creamy mango-lassi-like-but-vegan shake! There are only four ingredients so it’s a quick and easy treat. Ingredients: 1. 1./4 cup vanilla soymilk (more if you want to make it a little less thick) 2. 1 cup of frozen mango chunks 3. 1 tablespoon of raw cacao nibs 4. Drizzles of…