King Oyster Mushroom Vegan Scallops with Cucumber.

Served sizzling hot from the skillet - these King Oyster Mushroom "Scallops" are so much fun. I serve these glistening gems alongside cool crunchy stumps of Persian cucumbers. Fresh pepper. Flat parsley. A dipping bowl of spicy, smoky red harissa on the side.

Serve as a fancy appetizer - or over top a salad or grain dish. Even if you have never tasted real scallops (I never have!) - you'll love making this creative "faux" dish. Mushrooms lovers (and scallop lovers) will get a kick out of these...

Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Frosting.

These vegan Coffee Cake Cinnamon Rolls stuffed with brown sugar walnut filling and slathered in orange cream frosting are the perfect morning or coffee break treat. It may just be impossible to eat one of these with a frown on your face. Seriously. Try it. I might just call these, perky mood rolls...

Pineapple Fried Quinoa. ..In a Boat!

Pineapple Fried Quinoa (in a pineapple boat!) is on my menu today. A bright yellow pineapple and a bag of quinoa was all I needed to inspire me to dream up this tiki chic recipe.

Aloha wishes, South Pacific daydreams, Maui wowie, kowabunga and lets-luau-all-night-long-under-the-glow-of-tiki-torches, just about covers everything that is wrapped into this bowl of pineapple bliss.

These flavors will bring you to the party. Mint. Tahini. Pineapple zing. Sassy and sweet. Shiitakes. Tamari. Pepper. Jalapeno. Simple yet complex. Exotic yet so familiar.

To round out the dish - I added some peppery tofu triangles on top. This way to the Tiki Room! Cue the Hawaiian music..

Smoky Maple Homemade Seitan Sandwich. Stacked.

Chomp into this tall stacked, bold and totally vegan sandwich. My Smoky Maple Seitan Sandwich has thick, juicy layers of homemade peppery mushroom-speckled seitan - sauteed in a splash of liquid smoke, maple syrup and zesty black pepper. The seitan is stacked tall on top of rustic multi grain toast. Add some spicy Dijon, chipotle-infused Vegenaise, sliced red onion, tender avocado and crisp romaine. Slice and serve for total sandwich satisfaction. Share this recipe with all your meat-eater friends and entice them to try vegan!..

Easy Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers! With Avocado.

Crave a veggie burger. One with Panko-crusted edges - infused with tender sweet potato and creamy, rustic white beans. Tall stacked on a toasted grain bun - crisp romaine leaves sprawling out the sides. Lime green avocado. Dijon. Pepper. Zesty onion.

These Sweet Potato Tahini Bean Burgers are super easy to make. Satisfy your burger craving in a flash. And while you are stacking toppings, humming happy burger-eating music, sipping lemonade, ginger ale or iced tea, crunching baked french fries, tater tots or chips - basically feasting however you like - you can laugh at anyone who thinks a "real" burger can't be vegan.

Meatless Monday Inspiration Round-Up 2/20

Today's Meatless Monday Recipe Round-up via my posts over at Babble's Family Kitchen include a cocoa shake, a BBQ tempeh salad, blueberry bread, chia seed oatmeal, a cookbook giveaway, and a vegan tasting menu - Get these recipes and more inspiration for today and the week ahead!..

Fresh Herb Tofu Frittata with harissa, chia and kale.

Green sprigs of fresh dill and parsley dot this warm breakfast plate. Today I'm serving up a new recipe: Fresh Herb Tofu Frittata with chia seeds, kale and spicy harissa. I've been dreaming of making a vegan frittata for a while now and with a fridge filled with fresh herbs (cilantro, dill and parsley) I simply had give a pan-cooked frittata a try.

This warmly served frittata is delicate, light, fluffy. Elegantly spongy in texture. Certainly not as firm as a traditional egg frittata, but I didn't mind at all. The flavors are all there...

This vegan frittata takes some patience and practice, but it's a worthy vegan substitute for frittata lovers. You can serve the frittata warm and soft or chilled - with a firmer quiche-like texture..

Chocolate Swirl Raspberry Cheesecake.

My Chocolate Swirl Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake is a last minute no bake Valentine's Day dessert for you to make your sweetie! Just five base ingredients for this cheesecake make it an easy last minute treat. Desserts don't have to be super fancy - they just have to be made with love. And this easy dessert can be made and chilled ready to serve in just under an hour. Plus these vegan flavors like fresh raspberry, vegan dark chocolate and creamy tofu-based cream cheese are super yummy. Happy Valentine's Day to all!..

Sweet Potato Hummus. Cajun Spiced. Tartine too.

I don't know why I didn't think making Sweet Potato Hummus sooner. It combines two of my most favorite foods: sweet potatoes and hummus!

For this hummus, I add in Cajun spices, rich nutty tahini and even nutritional yeast. The Cajun seasoning gives each bite a bright, warm heat - but not too bold so it doesn't overpower the mild potato and bean flavors. This hummus is soft and savory with hints of bitterness and nuttiness breaking into the sweetness from the golden sweet potato. And really, you can season the base recipe however you'd like. Sweet potato lovers - dive into this recipe!..

Rainbow Sangria, by the glass. And more!

Four awesome things in this post.

1. Recipe for my fun and fabulous Rainbow Sangria by-the-glass.
2. A sneak peek at my photos in the upcoming March+April issue of VegNews Magazine.
3. NYC Vegetarian Food Festival VIP Tickets/Raffle Giveaway.
4. My Photo Portfolio updated.

Fun Friday post headed your way!..

Pink Cauliflower Soup for Valentine's Day

Fluttering through the produce section of Whole Foods on a seemingly ordinary shopping trip, I fell in love with a head of purple cauliflower. Veggie love at first sight. My eyes locked with those buttery florets of purple - hugged by broad green leaves - and a recipe flashed before my eyes. The most pretty in pink soup ever.

Soon I was swooning over this Pink Cauliflower Soup - a perfect starter dish for a romantic Valentine's Day meal at home. ..or eat a big bowl of it all by yourself. This stuff is so cozy-delicious you may not want to share. :)

Make this soup - and even if you don't have "purple" cauliflower I have an alternate recipe route..

Chocolate Epiphany, Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie.

Serve up a chocolate epiphany this Valentine's Day..

Creamy cool.
No bake.
Hint of peanut butter. And coconut.
Melted chocolate.
Silky.
Yummy. Vegan.

The top layer of my chocolate mousse pie is a crack-open coating of melty vegan chocolate, swirled into a heart design to help you woo your desired valentine this Valentine's Day...

Meatless Monday Inspiration. Recipe Round-Up 2/6

Today's Meatless Monday Recipe Round-up via my posts over at Babble's Family Kitchen include a superfood oatmeal, spinach chickpea fritters, coconut rice pudding, pesto sauce - Get these recipes and more inspiration for today and the week ahead!..

Meet The Avo-dilla!

Go cower in the corner Mr. quesadilla - these vibrant green-stuffed Avo-dilla slices don't need cheese - in fact they don't need much at all. Just a few slivers of buttery rich (healthy) avocados to make the flavor sing.

Sweet and salty caramelized tortilla or wrap edges sizzle in a hot pan - serve warm for a snack your lucky guests will swoon over. This is a satisfying (and slightly sinful depending on how much vegan butter you use) go-to snack for all the avocado lovers out there. I know there are a lot of us!

Plus I have a few more last minute vegan Super bowl snacks for you all..

Sunny Pumpkin Seed Guacamole.

When you have an overflowing bowl of glowing, plump, fresh California avocados there is really only one thing to do: make one of my favorite dishes ever.. guacamole!

And today's twist on guacamole is to keep it simple, green and pumpkin seed infused.

My Pumpkin Seed Guacamole is simple enough to let those brilliant avocados shine - yet unique enough to intrigue. This guacamole has a buttery, nutty accent of flavor from adding in rustic bits of pepitas, aka pumpkin seeds.

Good-for-you pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and healthy fats. So load up.

This dip is perfect for your Super Bowl or anti-Super Bowl party. Try this healthy-delicious dip.