Holiday Helpers! Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake

Mandarin Orange Bundt Cake
This moist cake is not overly sweet, and therefore, I find it perfectly appropriate to eat for breakfast!

Holiday Helpers! Sweet and Sour Bean Balls

One of my favorite things about the holidays is the food. From appetizers to the main event to dessert to cocktails, I love celebrating with vegan food!

These sweet and sour bean balls are a great appetizer during the cold holiday months. Poke in a toothpick and your ready to go!

Holiday Helpers! Bar Nuts

Bar Nuts! From Vegan Food Gifts (Fairwinds Press)

Bar Nuts
These nuts are pretty addictive. I love them during the holiday season. I try to keep a bowl out on the table whenever I have folks over. If you are a DIY gifter, I recommend making a few batches of these and packing them up in reusable jars with cute ties and tags.

Holiday Helpers! Herb Crusted Coconut Chevre

Herb Crusted Coconut Chevre from Going Vegan (Front and Center: Smoky with Dill, Top: Smoky with Black Pepper, Right: Smoky with Paprika, Chipotle, Parsley and Smoked Salt) With this batch I made mini Chevres and wrapped them individually so that I could give them away to friends at work. I wrapped each chevre in waxed paper.

Every holiday get together deserves a yummy cheese plate! This one is nut-free and uses coconut flour. Get creative with your herbs and spices. I share a few of my favorite combos below, but there is no limit to what you can do here...

Holiday Helpers! Roasted Butternut Squash with Fennel

Check out this super easy, super tasty, super seasonal side dish to add to your holiday table!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Fennel
Such a simple list of ingredients! And when you have great ingredients, it's best

Holiday Helpers! Easy Vegan Cheese Ball

This purty little gal was originally featured in The Complete Guide to Even More Vegan Food Substitutions. (Fairwinds Press, 2015) by me and Celine Steen. But I have been making a variation of this ball since way back in 2006 when we were working on 500 Vegan Recipes. What can I say? I love balls!

Smoky Pub Cheese

Smoky Pub Cheese from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman (Fairwinds Press)

Smoky Pub Cheese
Have you been craving a vegan cheese that isn't made by blending cashews (or other nuts) and then having to wait a week (or more) while it funk-tifies? Yeah, that artisan vegan cheese making is best left to the professionals if you ask me! I like my homemade vegan cheese fast and easy!  And it seriously doesn't get easier than this. If you follow the microwave instructions you could be on the couch binging season 2 of Stranger Things in two minutes!

Eating Vegan on a Budget in a Food Desert Part 2: 7-Elempanadas

"7-Elempanadas" made with only ingredients available at 7-Eleven in North Long Beach.

Welcome to North Long Beach, California.  Northtown (aka Northside, Norf Norf, or Uptown) is a community of 17 diverse and colorful neighborhoods, and filled with about 93,000 diverse and colorful residents.*