You guys, the internet has been flooding with Buffalo recipes for the past week or so and it is making me crave everything spicy. Of course, I kind of did it to myself by sharing my Buffalo Chickpea Nacho recipe and Olives for Dinner’s Sriracha Habanero Buffalo Seitan. Mmm.. To be honest, I’ve had this idea for a long time. My mom got a recipe from one of her friends years ago that was called “Buffalo Chicken Dip”. Basically, this thing was heavy, spicy, creamy and outright addictive.
It has been a long, long time since I’ve had this dip, but I knew that I’d eventually have to veganize it. I even put it in my recipe idea note on my phone! What had immediately come to mind as far as subbing stuff out was to use jackfruit in place of shredded chicken, and for convenience-sake I used some vegan, non-dairy products. The spinach was my attempt to make this dip slightly less overindulgent. Ha!
Of course, if you don’t want to use pre-made products you can make your own vegan cream cheese, vegan ranch and vegan cheddar, just know that the measurements may be different. The reason this dip is so perfect for game day is that it takes about 5 minutes of prep and then 30 minutes of baking. Easy-peasy!
So, if you are into spicy, creamy, Buffalo foods, you should definitely try out this Buffalo Jackfruit Spinach Dip!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that y’all are doing okay now that the holidays are over and most people are returning to work and school. After all of that blogging/giveaway mayhem, I had to take a break and I’m so glad that I did. The holidays were crazy! Working at Whole Foods during the holidays is a special type of hell, so balancing that with visiting friends and family was a bit tiring. I guess when I say break, it was really just from blogging and nothing else. Ha!
Here are some of my highlights from the past couple of weeks:
#TristanLAfoodtour: Where one of my best friends, Tristan, came home from the Army for a bit and we ate many awesome vegan things in LA. Plus, went to the Griffith Observatory and MooShoes!
Anyhow, it’s a little too late for a round-up of 2014’s most popular recipes, so I’ve decided to show everyone some awesome, healthy recipes to start off the year. Here are some of my favorites, including some from awesome guest bloggers! Check them out and be amazed at all of the deliciousness. <3 (Click on the picture to go to the recipe!)
Quinoa Cauliflower Bowl with Almond Sriracha Sauce by Vegan Richa
Banana Cacao Recovery Smoothie
Southwestern Kale Salad
Cream of Asparagus Soup – Keepin’ It Kind
Deconstructed Falafel Bowl – The Vegan Cookbook Aficionado
Now, let me say a little bit about my experience with this pressure cooker. I actually bought a different model from Fagor almost a year ago and have used it once. So, I’m not experienced with these AT ALL. But, was I excited to get another pressure cooker? Hell yeah! Once the Clipso showed up on my doorstep I excitedly opened it and was impressed with the quality of construction. This thing is heavy-duty. Not to mention, the awesome one-handed, latching system that really is a push of a button and that lid is locked on. I flipped through the instructions to make sure I had the basics down as far as cleaning and operating went. Then I started plotting what I was going to make in it.
I was chatting with my good friend Joni about all of the pressure cooker possibilities and how my mind was pretty stuck on grains and beans or maybe winter vegetables and squash. Then she suggested pressure cooker seitan. Say what? That’s brilliant! I went on to look at some tips from The Blissful Chef and Vegan Epicurean on times, and used my Stuffed Seitan Roast recipe with some minor changes. Naturally, I wanted to make it a wow-worthy dish for the holidays, so I thought that a simple and fancy red wine mushroom sauce would be perfect to top it off.
Honestly, I love making seitan because it is so damn easy. The only problem with big roasts is that they can take up to an hour or so to fully cook, and then you may have a slightly drier end result. After making this roast in the pressure cooker in just about 30 minutes, I’m SOLD. Unless I’m making sausages or something smaller, I can see this being the only way I make it from now on. The roast turned out flavorful with a great texture and an even cooking throughout, maybe just a little softer in the center but I liked that about it.
I can’t wait to try out different seitan flavors and applications in my pressure cooker, now! I must mention that there was quite a bit of cooking broth mixture left over in the pressure cooker so I saved it in a container to add to soup bases for more flavor. Wins all over the place!
Check out the recipe below and definitely keep it in mind for your upcoming Christmas dinners. Like I said, a beautiful seitan roast in 30 minutes! Plus, roasting some fingerling potatoes and making the wine sauce while the roast is cooking, works for reducing time spent in the kitchen and it’s all ready at the same time. Speaking of reducing time, the Zabada Kitchen handy is an awesome tool! Reusable, easy to clean and no harsh chemicals needed to aid in washing your dishes and kitchen when you have this thing in your hand. I’ll definitely be buying more of these in the future!
I won’t lie, I’m one of those people. The people that prefer cold brew to nearly any other type of coffee. Okay, that’s kind of a lie, because during the cooler seasons I am ALL about lattes. But, other than that, I’m a cold brew girl. How can you oppose a coffee that’s less acidic, less bitter, and retains freshness and healthy oils for longer? You can’t.
I typically use my 12-cup french press to make cold brew coffee and have been think of different ways to change it up and experiment with the flavors. That’s when I thought, “Hey, self, what if I added fresh mint and cacao nibs to the coffee grounds and make a mint mocha cold brew?” So, that’s what I did! Part of the idea stemmed from when I made Fran Costigan’s recipe for Chocolate Vodka, last year, which soaks cacao nibs in vodka. Spoiler: It’s SO GOOD, and makes great gifts.
Usually, once I am done with the coffee grounds I’ll dump them into my composter. But, after using a couple of great coffee scrubs recently, I thought of going a different route! Remove the mint, dry out the grounds and nibs and mix them up with some essential oil, sugar and more oil and you have an awesome scrub and little to no waste.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t mind being caffeinated while having smoother skin. Or you could be less selfish and give the scrub to a cool friend for the holidays!
And because this post is in the #treatyoself category, I’ll be posting up the instagram giveaway tonight, so keep an eye out for that! You seriously won’t want to miss it.
This is a vegan food blog, run by Jackie Sobon, that covers everything from indulgent desserts, to healthy dinners, and even raw recipes! I also write up restaurant reviews and am sort of a beer snob. You'll find that there is something for everyone, here!
If you would like to contact me about photography jobs, testing out a recipe, review your restaurant or just have a question you'd like me to answer email me at: [email protected]!
Or you could be less selfish and give the scrub to a cool friend for the holidays!
