When I first made this I was looking to create an egg-free (vegan) banana bread in addition to gluten free to serve to our plant-based friend who was coming for brunch. I played around with a Williams-Sonoma recipe and viola, after two tweaked versions (theirs is not gf, df) I was thrilled with the results. I have made it many different ways over the years and it always comes through whatever the occasion may be – school snack, entertaining, gifting, teachers, etc. – my go-to loaf for sure.
Baked or Griddle – Lemon Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce, Two Ways (gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan)
You’re probably wondering why the heck anyone would bake pancakes. I get it. They’re pancakes, they belong on a hot griddle, you’re right. But one morning I got fed up standing over the stove – half asleep – flipping loads of pancakes (we’re a family of six, and five of those humans are guys aka big eaters) so I preheated my oven in a huff after a dozen flips and poured the batter onto baking sheets and the rest was history.
Banana-Blueberry Muffins (gluten free, soy free, vegan)
Don’t let the simplicity of these charming muffins fool you. It’s anything but. Tucked inside are a combination of sweet ripened banana and slightly tart (yet sweet) plump blueberry embedded throughout a moist, delicate crumb. It’s full-on fruit, kissed with some sugar sweetness – what you’d expect from your morning muffin. The hint of ginger and nutmeg in here rounds out the flavors nicely while enhancing the banana and blueberry flavor. My boys love finding one tucked into their lunch boxes.
Poppy Seed Hamantaschen Cookies {gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan}
Purim, the cheeriest of all Jewish holidays, begins at sundown Wednesday night (March 23). It’s when we celebrate the oppression from the evil chief minister of King Ahasuerus in Persia (more on the history here). A holiday dubbed as the “Jewish Mardi Gras”, Purim calls for lots of drinking, eating, dressing in costume and giving of food (usually sweet) gifts to others called Mishloach Manot in Hebrew. And when we celebrate with hamantaschen cookies.
Hearty (Meat-Free) Shepherd’s Pie for St Paddy’s Day {gluten free, dairy free, soy free, vegan}
When I was sixteen I had the best job ever. I worked at a Chinese restaurant delivering food while the radio blasted in my car (okay, Dad’s car), for a few hours a day on the weekends. The tips were the clincher. The people of Glendale (Queens, New York) were very generous tippers (shout out to the wonderful folks of Glendale), making my job that much sweeter; happy to deliver Chinese food with the usual abundance of fortune cookies and duck sauce tucked into their shopping bags.
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Dark Chocolate Truffles
A possible, just maybe, Christmas week scenario: It’s Christmas week and you still have last minute gifts you need to give but you want to make them homemade because you don’t know what your dear ones would like or want because they are more of an acquaintance from work, or your hair dresser, or your super or the mailman (who always makes sure you get your packages from Amazon safely and securely); and who wants to go to the mall and look for parking for an hour when you have too many things to do before Christmas, so you search for a quick and easy food gift that doesn’t look quick and easy and all without baking a single thing because you baked enough cookies and are cookie-ed out. With that, we also need to make it gluten free, dairy free, grain free, nut free and vegan to cover all your allergen bases.
Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Persimmon, Jicama, and Coconut Chips
With Thanksgiving days away, I have been thinking about all the things I’m grateful for. Grateful for my family, friends, health, and you, my cyber friends for keeping my life colorful, constant and memorable – blessings I cherish. And, I don’t care how cheesy this sounds, but I want to say THANK YOU, my dear blog friends! YOU make this little hobby of mine so much fun! Seriously, something that started out as a way to journal new recipes on a new journey of food became more than I would have ever thought.
Cranberry Pear Pie with caramel
Hey there, I’m back with another pie brimming with cranberries and pears!
Cranberries are burst of color in the late fall and could not come at a better time of year. It’s one of my favorite ingredients this time of year. Just when produce is beginning to pale in color, lo and behold, the festive cranberry for cakes, cookies, muffins, jams, dressings, and of course, the iconic sauce on Thanksgiving…and pie…SO good in pie.
Homemade Pumpkin Butter
Pumpkin butter has been my go-to the past week … post run breakfast sandwich with almond butter and pears (as seen here), stirred into oatmeal with some pecans, mixed into coconut yogurt with chia seeds, or shmeared along with jelly or sliced apples for the kids school lunches. By Friday, I realized I’ve made this six times since last year and haven’t shared it with you yet.