Thanksgiving Reflections, 2014 Edition

Thanksgiving 2014 was another great one, and I'm still feeling the glow days later. My parents came up for the second year in a row, and we shared a plant-based Thanksgiving feast that I have been planning for weeks. I shared my menu a few weeks ago, and there were only a few changes since then. In the end it was all vegan, gluten-free (except the rolls), and refined-sugar free (stevia and maple syrup in the pie). Here's how it all turned...

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Autumn Kale Salad

Fall is my favorite produce season - I love picking up persimmons and pomegranates at the farmer's market. This year my Thanksgiving salad mixes those flavors with other autumn staples like pumpkin seeds and cranberries. The result is a tender, crunchy, sweet and savory salad that will give you plenty to be grateful for. Kale salad with quinoa, persimmons, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and a pomegranate vinaigrette Serves 4-ish Ingredients For...

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Throwback Thursday: Last Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only a week away, and I'm getting so excited! I'm in the final planning and prepping stages for this year, and reflecting a bit on how things went the first time around. Hollylujah's original incarnation is still out there, and its only two posts were about last year's Thanksgiving. This post explained my crafty pumpkin place cards, and this post was a roundup of how each recipe turned out. Here are some photos from the...

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My Thanksgiving Menu (first draft, anyway!)

Hello! It's been a while. I've missed blogging, but some other things have been taking up my time. For example, we rescued a bunny in August and she's been the center of my world ever since. She's a sweet, silly, and shy little lop with helicopter ears (one up and one down - the cutest thing ever). We named her Penny Lane, and spoil her rotten. There will probably be some posts about her in the near future, actually. But for now, just look at...

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Cheesy Vegetable Kale Chips

Those delicious cheesy kale chips you can buy at the store are delicious and oh-so-healthy, but at about $5 a bag they are quite an investment. This is a pretty easy batch you can whip up for about half the price, yielding about 3-5 times as many chips. SCORE! (If you want a simpler, faster roasted kale recipe without all of the cheesiness, I gotcha covered too)This recipe is super fleixble. You can make them in the oven or dehydrator, using a...

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5 More Kitchen Tools I Love

I did a post a few weeks ago on 5 of my favorite kitchen gadgets, but I knew I couldn't stop there. Here are 5 more tools I use (and love) in my kitchen: These gorgeous knives: I've had this Farberware Resin 3-Piece Set for over a year now, and still adore it. At the time I just needed a decent, affordable set of knives to hold me over until I could splurge on something more substantial, but they are holding up better than expected. It's...

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Hollylujah! Onion Rings

There's a burger spot in our neighborhood with vegan options, and my boyfriend and I like to go there after an active day, or when we're simply feeling indulgent. I love their vegan and portobello burgers, but their onion rings are the BEST, and probably the reason we go about once a month. They're beer-battered and deep fried and probably not even vegan though, so I've been jonesing to come up with a healthier alternative to make at home. The...

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Recipes of the moment: Jul 24

While I do have some exciting new recipes in the works this week, in between I've been trying some recipes from other bloggers in between. Here are two of recipes I'm trying at the moment: Yesterday I made my first batch of homemade coconut bacon, using this recipe from The Simple Veganista. It tastes eerily like bacon (granted, I haven't had the real thing in at least 5 years, but STILL). It's delicious, and dangerously addictive. Coconut...

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Healthy Pad Thai? YES.

Hello hello! I am back from a wonderful visit in Los Angeles with friends and family. I was anxious to get back to cooking, so I stopped at the store on my way back into town and stocked up on a bunch of fresh ingredients to fill my week with new recipes. Among them was a spaghetti squash and some powdered low-fat peanut butter, both of which were calling me the next day when I was craving pad thai. Pad thai is delicious, but never really considered...

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Lentil Walnut Burgers/Ninja Nuggets

The last few days before a vacation are a great opportunity for creative cooking. As I attempt to empty my fridge and pantry without having to buy more groceries, I always seem to discover or create new recipes that I continue to experiment with when I return. I'm leaving for LA tomorrow, and I've already cleared out most of my perishables (hence the lack of exciting new recipe posts!), so I found myself experimenting with dry ingredients yesterday....

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Graphic: How to cut an avocado (without peeling!)

It's been a busy few days, so most of my meals have been quick and on the run. No new recipes worth posting, but maybe I'll share a roundup of my quick meal staples soon. One of those quick meals was a tomato and avocado salad, which required a quick dicing of this avocado without making a mess. Here's how I do it, with a handy Pinterest-friendly graphic: Start with a sharp knife and a ripe avocado. Slice off the tip and cut the avocado around...

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Marinated Portobello Burgers Recipe

My adventures in creating recipes from farmer's market finds continue... There was a mushroom stand on Sunday with baskets of various mushroom varieties, all marked at $5 a basket. There was only one portobello basket left, and it was mine. I knew right away that they would become burgers, so all that was left was to decide on a marinade. Here's what I came up with... Why I put the lettuce on the bottom, I'll never know. Onward to the r...

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Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Bowl with Tahini Sauce

I was a bit tired last night and trying to come up with a last-minute dinner that could use the leftover zucchini from this pasta, as well as the red pepper and eggplant I got at the farmers market on Sunday. I found this recipe, which I could make with a few substitutions, so I went for it. It is absolutely delicious and I suggest you try it if you enjoy mediterranean flavors. Rather than retype the recipe (maybe I'll update it later,...

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Zucchini Pasta with Walnut Pesto (low-carb and low-calorie)

I had a pretty great Sunday. It started with my first-ever Zumba class and swimming with my good friend Nena (whose awesome Tech blog you can find here, btw). Afterward, there happened to be a farmer's market in the parking lot, so we got some cash and went produce hunting. I scored on a lot of goodies that will be sure to inspire many new recipes this week. Here's my loot: GET IN MAH BELLY Inspired by the unhealthy hummus we found there,...

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Hollylujah Hummus

Hummus, you know I love you. You're the perfect dip and sandwich spread, you are a delicious and easy source of protein, but we've got to talk. You're packed with oil, and everyone knows it. You're not fooling anyone. What we have is beautiful and I don't want it to end, but just hope I can change you, so that I can enjoy you without all of the guilt. Turns out hummus is pretty flexible. Check out this new and improved version of my love, with...

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Roasted Kale Chips Recipe

Kale is one of those vegetables that can do no wrong. It's both nutrient-dense and versatile in recipes. My personal favorite uses are to either steam it and cover it with sauces and stews, or dehydrate/bake it into a crispy chip. Today I'll be sharing a quick and simple way to make a crunchy side dish of kale while you're preparing a meal. All you need is some kale, and any oil/seasonings that you like. This recipe is oven-baked, but stay tuned...

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5 of my most-used kitchen gadgets

The more I cook, the more unique cooking gadgets seem to accumulate in my kitchen. Some have been impulse purchases for which the novelty has worn off over time, and others have become essential tools in my kitchen arsenal. This post will focus on the latter: my favorite kitchen gadgets that I can't live without. My five well-worn gadgets of the day. Mandoline slicer: If you do a lot of chopping and don't have a mandoline slicer yet, take a...

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Chickpea Salad from Adventuresome Kitchen

Happy 4th of July! I hope you're all enjoying a nice relaxing day off with friends and family. I'm headed to a potluck today, and found myself without a recipe last night. I texted some friends in a panic and told them I was thinking about a chickpea salad, and my lovely friend Jessica came to my rescue with this link. It was a miracle! I actually had almost everything on hand, and only needed to run to the store for a few things this morning....

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