Kathy Hester's Blog, page 85

Carrot Applesauce Cake from Sweet Eats for All

Caramel Chai Cheesecake. photo by Allyson Kramer

Allyson Kramer is letting me share her Carrot Applesauce Cake recipe from her latest book, Sweet Eats for All. Thisbook is jam-packed with 250 recipes all gluten-free and vegan. You can see some of Allyson’s signature photography here and that always makes me get in the mood to bake.

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post and enter to win a copy of your own.

Florentines, photo by Allyson Kramer

Her book is full of a variety of dessert re...

Slow Cooker Potato Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi) Recipe

This is anotherTasteful Selections™sponsored post. I’ve really enjoyed having a stash of their Honey gold and Ruby Sensation potatoes for the past few months. I’ve made stews, soups, roasted potatoes and it was about time I made one of my favorite curries,Slow Cooker Potato Cauliflower Curry, also known asAloo Gobi.

This is a great dish to introduce people to Indian food. It’s mildly flavored and you can even leave out the small amount of chili powder and even kids can enjoy it.

Usually my reci...

A Few of My Favorite Things (and Recipes)

Disclaimer: I did receive some of the products below for free, but all opinions are my own and I was not paid to write this post.

One of my very favorite things in the winter is a pot of hot Earl Grey tea in the morning and a pot of get-ready-for-bed tea in the evening. I love all kinds of tea.

My current2 favorite teasareYogi Bedtime and Lavender Earl Grey. I love the way the lavender flavor compliments the bergamot in Earl Grey. It’s also relaxing so it’s perfect in my evening tea to unwind a...

Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Holiday Shake

Cheryl starts craving a peppermint chocolate chip shake during thisminty, candy cane season. She’s not vegan and she loves this shake. And if Cheryl likes it I think you and even your non-vegan family members will enjoy it too. Best of all it requires no ice cream, just things you already have on hand. You do have candy canes, right? If not, peppermint extract or a handful of mint will work just fine.

Disclosure: TruJoy sent me some candy canes to try and Nu-Naturals gave me a bottle of their...

Vegetable Tangine and Injera from Vegan Without Borders

I am so exited to share theseVegetable Tangine and Injera recipes fromRobin Robertson’s new book, Vegan Without Borders. I’ve always enjoyed Robin’s innovative and comforting recipes. I do think that this is her most spectacular book yet.To say there’s a wide variety of recipes is an understatement.

It’s a hardback book with beautiful full-color photography by Sara Remington throughout, including the one at the top of this post. Not every recipe has a photo, but many of them do. Most of Robin’...

Vegan Orange Marmalade Rolls

Happy Virtual Vegan Potluck! I’m so happy that it’s back. Please make sure to browse through the blogs that are participating. All the recipes are vegan and is linked from appetizers to desserts. My contribution is an easyVegan Orange Marmalade Roll recipe.

I always think I don’t have enough time or energy to make breakfast rolls like this, but honestly they don’t take that much hands on time. You do need some bread dough that has risen once to start out.

When I was in grad school I actually ma...

Vegan Food Gift: Vanilla Mint Vodka

Photo by Celine Steen

Here’s another great DIY vegan holiday gift that there’s still plenty of time to make – Joni Newman’s Vanilla Mint Vodka from her book, Vegan Food Gifts!

I love Joni and like to make my own gifts so this book is a winner! She has canning recipes like Lemon Lavender Curd and if you’re looking for more things to spike your holidays with there’s also ahomemade coffee liquor and vegan Irish creme.

There are dry layered jars that you can gift a nice meal in and they have everyth...

Vegan Holiday Food Gifts: Citrus Rosemary Cookies

I’m not sure how every holiday this year has snuck up on me. I love to celebrate and as an admitted overachiever, I want to make everything from scratch. Unfortunately, my life isn’t built to be Martha Stewart compatible, though I would love a staff of people to help me do all those good things – any volunteers? I’ve let go of some of my unrealistic expectations, but baking some of my ownvegan holiday food gifts is not somethingI’m willing to part with.

Cookies are my default baked good. I avo...

Sloppy Buffalo Beans from The Great Vegan Bean Book

Photo copyrighted by Renee Comet

With the weather getting cooler it’s time to add avegan sloppy Joe to your menu plan. I’ve made sloppy Joes with tempeh, black eyed peas and thisone is made with cooked beans you can grab from the pantry or your freezer.

As you can guess form their title,Sloppy Buffalo Beans,is spicy fromBuffalo hot sauce and chilled off with some homemade vegan ranch dressing. There are also little bits of chunky carrots and celery to add some crunch.

It’s a bonus that these com...

Holiday Food Gifts to Make: Green Earth Orbs

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking for some holiday food giftsto make. They need to be easy to make and delicious to eat. I have a few great recipes to share the next few weeks, so we can get our holiday making done together!

The first recipe in this series is from Emily von Euw’s new book,100 Best Juices, Smoothies and Healthy Snacks. The book would be a great gift all by itself, but you could be super-sweet and make them some of these Green Earth Orbs to go with it.

These are similar to...