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vegan valentine's day recipes & ideas

2/1/2017

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Happy February! We survived the January blues and now have Valentine's Day or one of America's best Hallmark holidays to look forward to. Let's be honest, if you are in a relationship or just started seeing someone, February 14 is definitely on your mind. 

Did you make a dinner reservation yet? For those of you in the Boston area, True Bistro has a 100% plant-based mouth watering prefix menu option. 

Have you picked out a gift or will you get your main squeeze the traditional roses and chocolate? 

Maybe you plan to skip the lines and overpriced prefix menus and make a romantic dinner at home instead. 

Whatever you decide, if you are Vegan or you are in a relationship with a Vegan, you don't want to be scrambling to figure out exactly what to buy or make. Hershey's Chocolate, Cadbury, and Ghiradelli don't offer (that I know of) Vegan products yet. 

Here are five Vegan Valentine's Day sweet ideas to consider: 

  • No Whey Foods! offers a variety of traditional boxed chocolates but all Vegan! 
  • Vegan Divas on the Upper East Side in NYC provide satisfying red velvet cakes and cupcakes to order or for delivery in the city. 
  • PETA has a great round up of 14 candies all free from dairy products and gelatin. 
  • The Natural Candy Store sells lollipops, mints, hard candy, and a few Vegan chocolates. 
  • Of course Amazon has you covered with more than 500 Vegan chocolate box ideas! You're bound to find one or two that are suitable! 

And for the more creative folks, here are five of the best Vegan meals & desserts to make at home that will wow your partner: 

  • Want to make your night a sizzling one? Try these Spinach and Hominy Enchiladas with Spicy Cashew Cream from Serious Eats.
  • Oh She Glows has you covered in the sweets department. Vegan chocolate cupcakes with salted buttercream anyone? Mmmm. 
  • Vegan Butter company Earth Balance suggests a handful of appetizers, main courses, and desserts to create the perfect romantic dinner. 
  • Allrecipes culled through their best Vegan and Vegetarian dinner recipes for you and your sweetie. 
  • I'll take at least one lava cake and one mint chocolate fudge pie please. Mmm. 

Now that you have a few Vegan sweets and dinner ideas to ponder, don't forget to write a handwritten love note to woo your sweetheart. 
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How to serve a vegan thanksgiving 

11/22/2016

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I love cooking and I love a good challenge. How about create a Vegan Thanksgiving menu and cook all the food for four people solo? Challenge accepted. 

I transitioned from a Vegetarian diet to a Vegan diet in February of this year and honestly haven't looked back. It has been one of the best decisions I've made. And no, I don't really miss cheese. The only thing I do miss is that plant-based cheese alternatives definitely don't melt well, if at all. But as my husband recently pointed out, plants don't melt, so it shouldn't be surprising! 

This will be my first Thanksgiving entirely Vegan and I was asked to create the menu for my parents and husband. At first, it seemed a little daunting, but I did some research and am very happy with the results. Let's just hope it will all taste as good as it sounds! I will admit, there are a few items I am buying from Flour Bakery in Boston to provide a little assistance. 

  • Dinner rolls (Flour Bakery)
  • Roasted Heirloom Squash with Pomegrante Molasses, Pear, Pepitas & Sage (Flour Bakery) 
  • Cranberry Chutney with Orange and Ginger (Flour Bakery)
  • Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup (my own recipe)
  • Green beans with sliced Almonds sauteed in Earth Balance Vegan butter with salt & pepper
  • Pumpkin Muffins (Trade Joe's mix subbing the oil for Apple sauce & Eggs with Neat Egg so it's nearly guilt-free)
  • Autumn Kale Salad (chopped Kale, sliced Apples, dried Cranberries, diced Cucumber, shredded Daiya cheddar cheese, crushed Walnuts)
  • Individual Vegan "Chick'n" Pot Pies inspired by Minimalist Baker. I'll be adding Tofurky lightly seasoned chick'n strips for more texture and protein. 
  • Whipped mashed potatoes using Earth Balance Vegan Butter and unsweetened almond milk (salt & pepper)
  • Pumpkin Pie (Whole Foods) & cupcakes (Georgetown Cupcakes) 
  • I also bought a Gardein holiday roast as a back up in the event the "Chick'n Pot Pies" are a bust. You can pick them up at Whole Foods for $14. 

If this menu doesn't sound creative or exciting, here are more Vegan menus to peruse from other plant-based food bloggers.
  • Bon Appetit  
  • Forks Over Knives
  • Sharon Palmer
  • Minimalist Baker
  • Food & Wine
  • Delish
  • Buzzfeed
  • Oh She Glows
  • New York Times
  • Cooking Light 


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    Thanks for taking the time to explore this healthy & mind conscious food blog. It's a mix of vegetarian/vegan restaurant reviews, health food news, and recipes. I hope you find it interesting and keep coming back for more! 

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