Fried Oyster Mushrooms: A Southern Comfort Twist Fried oyster mushrooms are a rare ingredient that can transport me anywhere in the world. They’re so simple, yet so full of possibilities. One minute, I’m imagining them in a New Orleans-style Po’ Boy, the next, I’m envisioning them alongside Southern-style chicken and waffles. That’s the beauty of these mushrooms—they’re not bound by just one identity. Who wants to be confined, anyway? I have always been fascinated about mealtime. Perhaps it’s the forever explorer in me. Once a day you can put something on a plate that allows you to think about somewhere…
vegan recipes
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Continue ReadingTartare takes me back to France, and lets be honest… I’m always trying to go back to France. Anyone that tells you France is overrated has a cynical view on the world- a superiority complex that you should run fast and far from. I can’t get enough of the broken down alleyways (yes, I’m talking about alleys again) contrasted with posh arched doorways hanging open. France is one of those places that I don’t have to do anything in, I just need to be there. It’s like a drug, simply being in its presence gives me enough life to keep…
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Continue ReadingPeruvian cuisine is quite possibly my favorite part of South America to fall into. There is a clear European influence along with Incan indigenous roots. For that reason, it collides two of my favorite worlds together. The posh and polished land of European plating, balanced by the rural and rustic bones of indigenous recipes. I have this constant polar pull in my life, where I’m attracted the the fancy chic parts of life, but then there’s this other side of me that needs to be lost on a dirt road driving a motorbike looking for $2 street dishes. There’s a…
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Continue ReadingEvery so often you get a dish that picks you up and takes you away from where you are. For me, it probably happens more often than it should. One minute I’m casually watching what kind of nonsense Jerry and George are getting into on the tv, and suddenly I’m transported seaside to a nordic fishing village overwhelmed by the sound of delicate waves. That is the magic of eating a spread of carrot lox over a fatty open-faced danish sandwich sprinkled in fresh dill. It’s not just eating a sandwich, it’s getting lost on a rickety pier starring out…
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Continue ReadingVegan Spicy Tuna, youuuu say? I do indeed say so. I have a complete adoration for Japanese culture and sushi life. When I decided to life a vegan lifestyle a few years ago, I panicked at the thought of never tasting a spicy tuna again. That all changed as I’m now a frequent regular at the local vegan sushi restaurant (I love this city). The first time I brought my best friend there and fed him a tomato spicy tuna roll- I watched the look on his face shift to complete mystification and glee. That is when I knew I…
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Continue ReadingMaybe food means something different for everyone. For some of us, it’s simply the means to survive and for others the pleasure to life. It’s this beautiful method of communication, to express to people what they mean to me. There’s love in the act of creating something beautiful for someone. Each little dip of chocolate feels like a poem you spend all night pacing the floors about. Honestly… nothing says love like a dang Churro Cheesecake. Serve it Steamy Hot I am over the top excited to share this Mexican Churro Cheesecake recipe with you. One thing I’ve observed about…
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Continue ReadingNorth America is filled with so many amazing sandwiches. Choosing to eliminate or reduce animal products does not mean that you need to miss out on these amazing dishes. I’m a believer that we are consuming the story when we eat things like a Philly Cheesesteak. It’s about waiting in a line wrapped around the building to try one of Jims famous Cheesesteaks while everyone in line debates who has the best in the city. It’s about Jim serving you out of a tiny street side window, the messiest hoagie bun sandwich while you eat it on the street stoop…
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Continue ReadingThere’s something about good food that takes me to another place. Anything that has the ability to transport you out of your body to some special place, hold onto that. That’s the magic. If you’ve never had a kimchi pancake, you’re in for a treat. There are so many directions you can go with these babies, but I chose a fluffy slightly sweet pancake stuffed with kimchi and fresh green onions. Store Bought Kimchi vs. Homemade Kimchi For this recipe, I use a store bought vegan kimchi. A traditional kimchi is going to include fish sauce, luckily it’s 2022 and…
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Continue ReadingThere is a very good chance I danced around my kitchen to Buddy Jewell’s “Sweet Southern Comfort” after tasting these. I’m continuously mystified by foods ability to take me anywhere. And lord, have I been missing the Southern United States for awhile now. There’s nothing quite like sitting at a Georgia brunch on a Sunday morning eating a plate of steaming biscuits and gravy. Once upon a time, I was living on the Florida Georgia state line. I spent my days treating and rehabbing injured Florida Panthers (that’s a story for another time), and my nights diving into deep South…
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Continue ReadingIn my humble opinion, corn is the superior vegetable. Like any typical midwesterner, I grew up next to a corn field and my grandpa was a corn farmer… who’s shocked? What can I say, a corn dish just feels like home. When I first started a plant-based lifestyle, one of my very first dishes I made was corn curry. That first bite of sweet and spicy curry made me stop dead in my tracks and think… I could do this for the rest of my life. That’s what daunting though, right? The idea that something is forever, and what if…
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Continue ReadingOh, Budapest, you whimsical, eerie wonderland. Arriving in Budapest is like stumbling through a rabbit hole and stepping out into a confusing alternate dimension. An electric trance of haunted bliss- if you will. Days in Budapest are meant to dive into the other worldly things. It would be a sin not to spend the day floating through ancient bath houses in hot springs and thermal steam. Granted, you may be floating next to rather large Greek men in a speedos… but that’s just the weirdness that is Budapest. The Perfect Hungarian Meal While in Hungary, head down your nearest…
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Continue ReadingOnce upon a trip, my brother and I packed our things to hit the European road. We ditched our jeans (maybe not Rob) and cars for the whimsy allure of a European wonderland. Rob, who has never not had plan a day in his life, threw his hands in the air and let me take the wheel. Luckily, I had been mapping this continent since middle school. I had journals full of hand written dotted lines connecting cities and prices of train tickets vs bus tickets scribbled in the margins. My way of thinking was different back then. Thinking about…
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Continue ReadingI can’t unknow the magic that is road tripping through Mexico. Truthfully, I have a difficult time sitting still in any one place, so road trips are my love language. I met up with some local friends and we took the pickup truck down the coast of Mexico, stopping at every road side stand in sight, meeting as many people as I could. I fondly recall making friends with an absurd amount of los gatos on this trip, another reason why I always carry animal treats in my purse. Food=love. There is something utterly romantic and captivating about traveling in…
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Continue ReadingVietnam is perhaps my greatest love affair of them all. I spent several months working at a nonprofit just outside of Hanoi. So for a brief moment in time, Hanoi felt like a place I would call home. I fell in love in between almost being ran over by motorbikes in the middle Old Quarters. Skipping the streets on a Sunday morning with an iced Vietnamese coffee (recipe to come) was my literal love language. Every street was not so neatly organized by what it was selling. You had silk street down one row and medical street down another. Maybe…
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Continue ReadingEchoes of “Ciao, Bella” ring in the back of my mind, while I reminisce on memories of taking the European railway around Italy. I spent weeks bouncing from the Italian Rivera villages to the canals of Venice over the ancient ruins of Roma. Walking into a restaurant in Italy, was like walking into your sweet old grandpas house. I vividly recall walking along the Mediterranean, salivating at the smell of fresh pasta and white wine in the air. The owner of the seaside Italian restaurant ushering us in, and delicately placing each dish down like a newborn baby. Italy felt…
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Continue ReadingAll things crab take me back to a late summer boardwalk on the Maryland coast. Once upon a time I had a mini love affair with Maryland. I had just quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe, soon to be embarking on what would become a 15 country hiatus. There was just one problem, my then boyfriend wanted to go “find himself” in Baltimore and climb the corporate ladder as they say. I internally folded at the idea of myself committing to Maryland, but I went anyways. My mind was already mapping out all of Europe in…
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Continue ReadingCreated: March 28, 2021. Revised: February 28, 2025 There’s an energy about Hawaii that feels full circle- rooted in love and respect for the land. I imagine giving it all away to build a little hut just steps from the ocean. I’d spend my days sailing around the island (this is my daydream- don’t ask me how a vet nurse can afford a sailboat!), making friends with the local sea creatures, and feasting on fresh ingredients straight from an acacia bowl. Where Does Poke Originate? Poke is an Asian-American fusion dish at heart. Think of it as a sushi bowl,…
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Continue ReadingWho doesn’t love a good east coast crab cake while they daydream of salt water and boardwalks? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Eating vegan does not mean that we have to give up our favorite dishes from around the world. We simply see the change we want to make and pivot with it. There is this fear, especially when you travel, that you aren’t going to have the full experience of a place if you aren’t consuming exactly how the locals are. I believe that there are so many factors that go into giving you that…