Kathy Hester's Blog, page 75

Vegan Baked Orange Carrot Cake Oatmeal topped with Vanilla Nancy’s Organic Cultured Soy “Icing”

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I’m so excited – I think this is the best oatmeal I have ever made. I’ve made a ton of oatmeal recipes that I’ve fallen in love with, but I think I need this every morning this fall. It really tastes and acts like aVegan Baked Orange Carrot Cake. Granted, the texture is a little denser, but all the flavors – including icing – are there!

Just so you know this post is sponsored by Nancy’s Organic Cultured Soy. That means I was compensated to write it, but just so you know,Nancy’s Organic Cultu...

Mai Tai with Homemade Orgeat Syrup from Shake, Stir, Pour

Photo by Dteve Legato

You all know that I love a good cocktail. Some of my favorite restaurants, including Fiction Kitchen, have dazzling drinks with homemade syrups and infusions.

As soon as I saw Shake, Stir, Pour by Katie Loeb, I asked Quarry to send me a copy to review. It has 50 recipes that are made with fresh fruit, herbs and spices. Many are syrups that can just as easily be made into mocktails if you don’t imbibe.

It’s full offancy cocktails (and mocktails) that you’d pay a fortune f...

Corn Cabbage Soup from The Easy Vegan Cookbook

Photo by Ann Oliverio

I am so excited!The Easy Vegan Cookbooklaunches today. It’s full of easy recipes that you can fit into a busy schedule. It contains nutritional information and has gluten-free, soy-free and oil-free options. You know me, I want everyone to eat well!

Ann Oliverio did a great job on the photography for the book, including this photo for the Corn Cabbage Soup. This is an old favorite and one of my less pageant worthy soups. However, Ann was up for the challenge. She also ad...

Blueberry Scones from Everyday Vegan Eats

Photo by Zsu Dever

Sometimes I over commit myself. I can schedule up a day (month, year…) faster than anyone else that I know. I have a ton of wonderful cookbooks that are towering (and teetering) on my kitchen counter.

I’m doing somefun travel the next 2 months, so now’s the perfect time to start sharing recipes from these great books.

Today we’re starting with Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever. This ws her first cookbook and she has a second one coming out September 15 called Vegan Bowls.

Ev...

15-minute rustic pasta from The Homemade Vegan Pantry

Photo 2015 by Eva Kolenko

2 months agoI gave you a sneak peek into Miyoko Schinner’s new book, The Homemade Vegan Pantry, and shared a recipe for her amazing vegan ribs. I noticed that her 15-minute rustic pasta recipe hadn’t made it to the blog tour yet and I knew I had to let you in on it!

(Disclaimer: I organized the blog tourforThe Homemade Vegan Pantryand received a complimentary copy of the book. However,I was not paid to write this post and all the opinions are truly my own.)

It’s alw...

Veggie Quinoa Drop Biscuit from The Easy Vegan Cookbook

Photo by Ann Oliverio

Another Tuesday andanother recipe from my new book,The Easy Vegan Cookbook, that comes out September 1st! This time it’s the recipe for my Veggie Quinoa Drop Biscuits.

I love making these whenever I have some leftover quinoa. In fact, I make a little extra quinoa just so I can make these biscuits. They even have carrots and greens added in for both color and nutrition.

It takes no time to whip up the batter and there’s absolutely no rolling involved! Just scoop the dough...

Kitchen Basics: Building a Vegan Pantry with Cans, Bottles and Jars

Having a well-stocked vegan pantry means that you can come home and make a meal with little to no fuss. I know that there’s a lot of controversy about cans and BPA, but most products you can buy in bottles or other kinds of shelf-stable packaging.

For last minute meals I love to be able to grab some ready-made beans for burritos or soups. Having a jar of pasta sauce is a meal saver on nights that I can’t do more than boil up some dried pasta.

No matter how organized you are there will be day...

DIY Vanilla Brandy from Artisan Drinks

DIY Vanilla Brandy from Artisan Drinks (photo by Kevin Summers)

I have taken up a new hobby. I started infusing different liquors and it’s addictive. When I saw Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith,I immediately asked the marketing manager to Quarry books to send me a copy.

The photography by Kevin Summers is gorgeous and informative. It has recipes, how-tos and even equipment lists. If you want to learn a new hobby this is the book to get.

It’s filled with non-alcoholic drinks as well as those...

Creole Okra Corn Soup from The Easy Vegan Cookbook

Photo by Ann Oliverio

Here’s another recipe from my new book,The Easy Vegan Cookbook. This is the perfect time of the year to make this Creole Okra Corn Soupwhile there’s stillfresh okra and corn atthe farmers market.

But don’t worry – you can make it in the dead of winter too. It works great with frozen corn and okra. You could even freeze some right now to beat the winter blues!

Make it on the stove-top or cook it all day in your slow cooker. This soup is just full of options.

The Easy Veg...

Kitchen Basics: Building a Vegan Pantry with Dried Beans

Beans are a very important piece to completing a vegan pantry. Today we’ll concentrate on dried beans, but we’ll talk about canned beans a little later on.

If you are used to using canned beans go ahead and give dried beans a go. The common beans like pintos and chickpeas are so much cheaper when you start from dry. My go-to method uses the slow cooker and you can find directions in this Beyond Easy Slow Cooker Beans post.

Typically, I do not soak my beans because I want them to cook all day...