Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 29: Falafelogs with Cucumber Relish

Falafelogs with Cucumber Relish from Going Vegan (page 108)

Am I the only one who thinks falafels are the WRONG shape to put in a pita?  Screw tradition and make your falafels into wieners.  I mean, Oktoberfest, am I right?  This recipe is packed full of flavor, is soy free, nut free, and has no added oil or sugar.  If that's your jam, cool!  If not, trust me, this recipe is still yummers.  Come on guys, you think this girl was going to write an oil free, sugar free recipe that didn't pass the Joni-loves-to-add-Earth-Balance-or-Vegenaise-to-everything test?

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 25: Garlic Orange Brussels Sprouts (and a giveaway!)

Garlic Orange Brussells Sprouts from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen (page 125)

Tonight you get two recipes (from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen: 125 Comfort Food Classics, Reinvented with an Ethnic Twist!) for the price of one.  A wonderfully delicious recipe for brussells sprouts that makes a great side dish, plus a kick-ass recipe for Garlic Orange Sauce that tastes great on just about anything...tofu, seitan, brussells sprouts (duh) and works great as a dipping sauce for egg rolls and other finger foods.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 24: Walnut and Currant Vaganzola

Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 90)

Before there was Daiya or Miyoko Schinner's Artisan Vegan Cheese many of us were busy in the kitchen creating our own cheese-like concoctions to spread on crackers.  This recipe is one of those concoctions.  Unlike many home made cheeses that require agar powder, fermentation time, or lots of specialty ingredients...this one is ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes!

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 22: Green Castle Sliders

Green Castle Sliders from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (page 87)

Today's recipe comes from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet: 101 Globally Inspired Vegan Creations Packed with Fresh Flavors and Exciting New Tastes.  It's a testament to the fact that great things come in small packages.  These little sliders are so cute, and they just happen to taste good too.  Dress 'em up any way you want to.

Vegan MoFo, Day 19: Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Cajun Red Beans and Rice Mix form Vegan Food Gifts (page 105)

Today's recipe is from Vegan Food Gifts: More Than 100 Inspired Recipes for Homemade Baked Goods, Preserves, and Other Edible Gifts Everyone Will Love. And while it's true that this jar of goodness makes a yummy gift, it's also true that these types of mixes also make for great pantry staples.

Vegan MoFo VII, Day 17: Curry Tofu and Arugula Salad

Curry Tofu and Arugula Salad from
The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions (page 177)

Man, I don't know about all of you, but where I live we are experiencing a late summer heat wave like we haven't had in YEARS.  Hovering around 104 since Saturday. Sheesh.  You better believe no ovens are getting turned on around here. And if I can help it, no stove either!  This recipe from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: Veganize It! Foolproof Methods for Transforming Any Dish into a Delicious New Vegan Favorite is quick and easy, and requires no cooking.

Vegan Mofo VII, Day 16: Fusion Rice Bowl

Fusion Rice Bowl from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen (page 69)

You guys!  Last night I went to Terry Hope Romero's Authors Worth Celebrating dinner at Mohawk Bend in LA.  So good.  A trio of salads, from her new book Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don't Have to Be Vegan to Love, followed by a luscious Ethiopian Spiced Chocolate Flourless cake from Vegan Eats World: 300 International Recipes for Savoring the Planet.

One of the courses was the Polish Summer Soba Salad, which was a fusion of summer flavors.  I don't really like beets, but this salad was probably my favorite dish of the night...even with the beets! I was cracking up when Terry was talking about it and asked if it was still cool to say "fusion."  I hope so, Terry!  I hope so.

So with fusion on the brain, I thought it appropriate to share today's recipe from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen.  This one is a bowl.  Most of my favorite bowls come in bowl form.  And I am giving y'all a few options for the sauce on this one, too.  Technically, you get 5 different recipes from the book in one post. You're welcome.

Vegan MoFo VII, Day 14: Mexican-Style Dipping Sauce for Corn (and a giveaway!)

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday, is to go to the swap meet.  Are swap meets a thing everywhere, or just in Southern California?  (I think lots of places have them, but they have different names like open air markets, flea markets, bazzars, etc...).  My most favorite swap meet is the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet.  It's full of bargains.  This morning I got 24 pairs of earrings, a pair of shoes, 3 pairs of socks, a set of adorable nail decals, a bag of duritos (a pinwheel shaped fried wheat snack), and the best glass of lemonade I've ever had, for a measley $12.50!

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 12: Kahlua Ice Cream

Kahlua Ice Cream from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 486)

I'm not gonna talk too much about this recipe...because KAHLUA and ICE CREAM!  I you want to make the sundae as shown, you can use THIS recipe for the cake, then top with your favorite chocolate sauce.

Vegan MoFo VII, Day 10: Potato Cheese Soup

Potato Cheeze Soup from Cozy Inside

Cheeze?  Oh, geez.

There was definitely a time when I thought it was super cute to purposely misspell the names of foods that were vegan versions of non-vegan foods, like cheeze and creem.

Yeah. I don't do that anymore.

Spelling it wrong, is like admitting that it's not real food, and vegan food is far from being fake.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 8: Red and White Quinoa Kale Salad

Red, and White Quinoa Kale Salad  from Going Vegan (page 111), photo by Celine Steen

Today's recipe comes from my newest release, Going Vegan: The Complete Guide to Making a Healthy Transition to a Plant-Based Lifestyle, featuring photos by Celine Stten, and written along with my friend, nutrition expert and food scientist, Gerrie Lynn Adams.  Gerrie is "one of those" vegans. One who cooks without added sugar, oil, or salt. Since you know me, you know that is certainly not my way of cooking...or eating. But, Gerrie knows what she's talking about! As a food scientist and nutritionist, Gerrie has taught me so much about how one can cure what ails them through the food choices that they make. And I was honored to be able to teach Gerrie about some of the horrors of factory farming, animal rights, and the effects animal agriculture has on our environment. And that is exactly the point of this book.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 7: Key Lime Coconut Cream Pie

Key Lime Coconut Cream Pie from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen (page 164)

And, the first full week of MoFo comes to an end.  I think that deserves a piece of pie!  With tropical storms looming all around Baja and Southern California, I figured a Key Lime Coconut Cream Pie from Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen: 125 Comfort Food Classics, Reinvented with an Ethnic Twist! would fit the bill nicely.

So many times I have been asked, "Which one of your books do like the most?" and like a good mommy, I reply, "That's like asking me to choose which child I love most."  But, I will let you in on a little secret...it's this one.  This was the first time I did a book that did not utilize ANY store bought substitutions, like mayo, or cream cheese.  Everything in this book is made from scratch, and it is really representative of how I love to cook and eat.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 6: Bloody Mary Mix

Bloody Mary Mix from Vegan Food Gifts (page 173.)  Photo by Celine Steen 

Today's recipe is just in time for a Sunday morning hangover cure.  The Bloody Mary.  And it comes to you in the form of a gift from Vegan Food Gifts: More Than 100 Inspired Recipes for Homemade Baked Goods, Preserves, and Other Edible Gifts Everyone Will Love. A book I wrote to bring my two most favorite things in the world (crafting and cooking) together as one.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 5: Crispy Glazed Cherry Pie Bites

Crispy Glazed Cherry Pie Bites from Hearty Vegan Meals for
Monster Appetites AKA Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food (page 245)

Today's recipe comes to you from a book that is full of "Lip-Smacking, Belly-Filling, Home-Style Recipes guaranteed to Keep Everyone-Even the Meat Eaters-Fantastically Full"  That's right, good old Hearty Vegan, the big book of BIG recipes that everyone who tried any of the recipes from it loved it, but very few people bought it.  Maybe "Monster Appetites" weren't a very good demographic to go after in a vegan cookbook audience?  Maybe it was the lack of pictures on the cover? I don't really know.  What I do know is this book is absolutely full of recipes guaranteed to please the palate. (But, please, use it sparingly, because they will also expand your waistline! Seriously, this book is full of deep fried deliciousness and greasy goodness.)  So we rebranded it.  She got a new name, Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food: More Than 200 Belly-Filling, Lip-Smacking Recipes, and a new cover.  Same recipes inside, she just got a new pretty dress.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 4: Crab Cakes

Today's recipe comes from a book I started writing right after I self published Cozy Inside, called Just the Burgers, you know, because this blog is called Just the Food...  The book was pretty much done...the testers had given me their names and pictures, and I was almost ready to self publish again. 

Hey testers...I finally got to post your pictures!

It was then that I got the call to begin work on 500 Vegan Recipes, and soon after, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, with Celine, so the burger book got put on the back burner. As written, the book was never published.  However, I was able to submit the idea to Fairwinds Press, and they decided they would like to publish it under the new name of The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet: 101 Globally Inspired Vegan Creations Packed with Fresh Flavors and Exciting New Tastes which is quite a mouthful...But I thought it was cute, and we moved forward.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 3: Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup from The COmplete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions (page 213)

Today's recipe comes from a little old book known as The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions: Veganize It! Foolproof Methods for Transforming Any Dish into a Delicious New Vegan Favorite. I say little, because this tome actually is little.  It's the size of your typical paperback novel, and fits easily into a purse or bag, so you can take it with you easily on shopping trips. 

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 2: Yalanchi Dolmas

Yalanchi Dolmas from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 108)

Next up is a recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes: An Amazing Variety of Delicious Recipes, From Chilis and Casseroles to Crumbles, Crisps, and Cookies, my first collaborative effort with Celine Steen and our first book published by Fairwinds Press.  It was the beginning of a wonderful relationship.  I am so lucky to have met and worked with (and continue to work with...) Celine. she is crazy talented in the kitchen, and her photos are absolutely breathtaking...although, unfortunately, none of them appear in this book.

What's up MoFos? Day 1: S#@! on a Shingle from Cozy Inside

That's right, today is day numero uno of what is going to be one amazing Vegan MoFo.  "What is Vegan Mofo" you ask?  It's only the coolest month on the blogosphere all year long.  A month full of vegan food, pictures, inspriation, stories, and recipes from bloggers all over the world.