Go Dairy Free

If you haven't yet heard about this book, you've got to check it out. I was blown away with all of the fantastic information, recipes and resources that are listed between it's covers. The author is Alisa Fleming (from godairyfree.org), and she has definitely succeeded at publishing an amazing compilation of great recipes, from homemade non-dairy cheeses and milks to breakfasts, brunch, smoothies, drinks, dips, puddings, soups, side dishes, salads, sauces, breads and decadent desserts. I think all of the 225 recipes are vegan, with the exception of two (which give vegan substitutions).

In addition to all of the recipes (many contributed by vegan cookbook authors and bloggers such as Bryanna Clark Grogan, Hannah Kaminsky, The Urban Housewife, myself and many others), Alisa also shares detailed information on grocery shopping, calcium-rich foods, health, everyday living (from skincare to supplements) and allergy and vegan-friendly resources.

So if you're looking for a great book to give for the holidays, look no further. You can check it out on Amazon here.

A Fun Homemade Gift

I have always loved making homemade gifts, whether it be bottles of hot chili oil or biscotti or truffles. So I am always on the lookout for fun gift ideas, especially when they can be made out of ingredients from my pantry. Well, I've got a great new one for you. We had a special guest come and film a couple of segments for Everyday Dish. Janice Cox has written some fantastic books on homemade beauty treatments. Although her recipes aren't all plant-based, loads of them are such as her fizzy homemade bath bombs. You've got to give these babies a try! The fun part is that you can customize the scents, colors and shapes to suit your tastes (or those that will be receiving your handmade wares). Janice even said that her daughter shapes them into cupcakes, which you can garnish with sparkly sugar. The possibilities are endless! You can check out the video and recipe here.

(Brian's Puerto Rican Soup with annato oil drizzle)

We also have a new segment up for a Puerto Rican Soup by chef Brian Igarta. It's really good, and just the perfect thing to warm our cold bones this time of year. Oh, and that reminds me, check out this pic of my dog Bruno in the snow yesterday. It looks like this might be a cold winter, so hot fizzy baths and warm soups are just the thing to turn to.

This was Bruno waiting at our back door to be let in. He absolutely loves the snow!

Some Fun News

First up, I have an article in the December issue of Cooking Light Magazine. The piece is on cooking with mulling spices, as well as making your own spice blend. I actually wrote the article a few years ago (about 4, to be exact), so I was surprised to see it as I was flipping through the magazine last week. I glanced at the recipes and thought "boy, those look familiar". Well, no wonder! The recipes are all vegan, with the exception of the rice pudding, where soy or almond milk could easily be substituted.

For the really exciting news, check out the January issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. They included Everyday Dish as one of their Veg 25, hot list of fresh voices, ingenious products and handy resources that make vegetarian life more fulfilling every day. Yay! We're really excited to be included in VT list.