You really think I would leave you with only two mystical creature frappuccinos? I know they say three's a crowd but I've got too many cute stuffed animals to feature, so here we are. This one's minty fresh, perfect for cooling down in this warmer weather. Stark white would have been too obvious for a yeti-inspired beverage, so I've opted for a chilling bubblegum pink that really brings out Claudette's eyes. 
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Ingredients
​2 cups ice
1/2 frozen banana
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk 
1/2 cup coconut cream
​2 tablespoons agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 
1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips
natural vegan red or pink food coloring or splash of beet juice (optional)
vegan whipped cream (optional)
​vegan peppermint candies, crushed (optional)
vegan sprinkles (optional)

Directions
Blend together ice, banana, non-dairy milk, coconut cream, agave, vanilla and peppermint extracts, chocolate chips and optional red or pink coloring until delightfully icy and smooth. I used the India Tree Natural Decorating Colors, but a splash of beet juice would also do the trick if you've got some handy.

Pour the delicious mixture into a cup and optionally top with whipped cream, crushed peppermint candies, mini chocolate chips and pink sprinkles. Other fantastical toppings could include mini marshmallows and white chocolate. Yeti or not, here it comes! Enjoy!

After the craze of the elusive Unicorn Frappuccino (and now possibly even the secret-not-so-secret Dragon Frappuccino), the logical next step is obviously a Mermaid Frappuccino! Plus, if you know me at all, you know I am completely obsessed with manatees (AKA real life mermaids). I kept these super refreshing and tropical with pineapple, coconut and key lime, plus spirulina for an added boost of oceanic color. Best of all, I can totally picture some babelicious manatees sipping on these by the poolside.
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Ingredients
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 frozen banana
1 cup ice
3/4 cup coconut milk or cream
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon spirulina or E3Live Blue Majik, plus extra for syrup
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 tablespoon key lime juice (about 2 key limes)
​vegan coconut whipped cream (optional)
​vegan sprinkles (optional)
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Directions
First, make the pineapple key lime drizzle by tossing the 1 cup fresh pineapple with 1 tablespoon key lime juice in the blender until smooth and creamy. Optionally, add a little spirulina or Blue Majik for color. I used a pinch of spirulina to give it a blue green "lime" hue.

For the blue smoothie, blend together 1 cup frozen pineapple with banana, ice, coconut milk (or cream), pineapple juice and 1 teaspoon spirulina. I used Blue Majik for the extra vivid aquamarine color. 

Pour the blue smoothie into a cup, optionally top with coconut whipped cream, then drizzle on the pineapple key lime syrup and optional toppings of choice (I used sparkly blue sprinkles). Lime zest would also be an excellent addition. Now find a nice cozy mangrove and enjoy! 

The Unicorn Frappuccino...the stuff of Instagram legend and childhood dreams. Now that they are no longer available, I figured it was the perfect time to debut my magically veganized recipe for those delicious mythical smoothies. And yes, I totally stole that green straw from my neighborhood Starbucks. It's here, it's queer, get used to it! 🦄💗🦄​💗🦄💗🦄
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Ingredients
3.5 oz pink dragon fruit or pitaya (I used a Pitaya Plus Smoothie Pack)
1/2 cup frozen cherries
3 frozen bananas
1 1/2  cup ice
2 cups coconut milk or almond milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice 
1 teaspoon beetroot powder or beet juice (optional)
5 oz vegan yogurt or coconut cream (I used Kite Hill Blueberry Almond Milk Yogurt)
1 teaspoon E3Live Blue Majik or spirulina, plus extra for topping
1 tablespoon butterfly pea flower tea (optional)
1 fresh mango, pitted 
​vegan coconut whipped cream (optional)
crushed freeze dried strawberries and raspberries (optional)
vegan sprinkles or colored sugar (optional)
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Directions
First, make the divinely sweet & sour mango drizzle by tossing the fresh mango (sans the pit and peel) in a blender with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Next, the creamy vibrant blue swirl. Blend together 1 frozen banana with 1/2 cup ice, 5 oz vegan yogurt or coconut cream, 1 teaspoon E3Live Blue Majik or spirulina and optionally 1 tablespoon butterfly pea flower tea for added color. Set aside.

Now let's mix up that epic delicious pink layer! Blend together 3.5 oz pink dragon fruit or pitaya with 1/2 cup frozen cherries, the remaining 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup ice, 2 cups coconut or almond milk, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and optionally 1 teaspoon beetroot powder for added color and flavor. Mmmmmm!

To assemble, casually drizzle a little of the blue layer on the sides of the cup, then pour in the pink layer until it reaches the brim. Optionally top with some lovely fluffy vegan whipped cream, then sprinkle on majestic toppings of choice! I used crushed freeze dried raspberries and strawberries and a little more of the E3Live Blue Majik powder, plus vegan sprinkles for added sparkle. Enjoy!

Still don't know what to fill your little bunny's basket with? These are just some of the many vegan candy options for Easter! I found these cuties around local shops in NYC like Confectionery!, Haymaker's Corner Store, Orchard Grocer, Riverdel Fine Foods and Sweet and Sara, as well as larger stores like Kroger, Meijer and Target.

For a vegan alternative to the tradition of egg-dying, I love [THIS] idea from Organic Authority for dying vegan marshmallows from Dandies or Sweet & Sara! For more Vegan Easter tips and suggestions, I highly recommend Your Daily Vegan's [GUIDE]! She covers everything you could ever want to know about celebrating a cruelty-free Easter in style.

It's officially strawberry season, which means strawberry rhubarb everything. I decided to put a fun spin on the spring classic, pairing of strawberries and rhubarb with vibrant pink dragon fruit to make a refreshing shake. I found that the dragon fruit works well with the strawberries to subtly sweeten the flavor of the rhubarb. Think of an elevated strawberries n' cream in milkshake form!

Ingredients
1/4 cup rhubarb (about 1 stalk), chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
1 pint vegan vanilla ice cream (I used NadaMoo Vanilla...Ahhh)
1 cup non-dairy milk
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons pink dragon fruit or pitaya 
1/2 cup ice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
vegan whipped cream (optional)

Directions
First, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, "stew" chopped rhubarb with 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon water and (optional) 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Watch over it, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes until the sugar dissolves and the rhubarb becomes soft. Remove from heat and set aside. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding into the blender with the other ingredients.

​Blend together ice cream, milk, strawberries, dragon fruit, ice, vanilla and rhubarb. Optionally, top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

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I stumbled upon a tease photo of a bakery in Detroit making Vernor's Ginger Ale cupcakes, and though I have no idea what they were made with, they looked AMAZING and made me want to come up with my own vegan recipe! You can of course use whatever ginger ale you prefer, but my personal favorite is Vernor's since it has a super unique sweet flavor with notes of vanilla and caramel, and is a nostalgic midwestern staple. (It was created in the mid 1800s by a Detroit pharmacist, making it the oldest surviving ginger ale brand in the United States!) These are by far the BEST vegan cupcakes I've ever had, and topped with the vanilla bean buttercream, the overall flavor palette is reminiscent of a creamy ginger ale ice cream float. 
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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vegan butter
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup ginger ale 
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean (seeds only)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
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Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the wet ingredients (1/2 cup v butter, 1 cup sugar, aquafaba and 1 teaspoon vanilla) until fluffy and thoroughly incorporated. In another bowl, mix together the ginger ale mixture (v sour cream and ginger ale) until fizzily combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredient mixture (flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger and salt). Gradually alternate adding the ginger ale and dry ingredient mixtures into the wet until combined. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner and bake for about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The kitchen should smell like a deliciously fluffy cake batter cloud while they are baking.

In another bowl, cream 1 cup v butter on low speed and gradually add in 3-4 cups powdered sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and and vanilla bean seeds until smooth and creamy. It is so magical watching the vanilla bean seeds perfectly disperse themselves throughout the frosting. If the texture is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of non-dairy milk (or ginger ale if you're feeling adventurous) until it reaches your desired consistency. If you plan on piping on huge bakery-style frosting mounds as pictured, you may want to consider doubling the frosting quantity. When I'm not decorating my cupcakes for pretentious photographs, I honestly prefer just a little frosting schmeared on top. 

​Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then simply spread frosting on with a knife or fancily pipe on frosting with piping bag and large star tip. Enjoy!

My dearest friend Amy has just launched her own line of vegan bath scrubs, and they are absolutely divine! I am so in love with the scrub so far. I have super sensitive skin with eczema so most scrubs tend to irritate and sting, but this one is so gentle while making my skin ridiculously soft at the same time. This one is "Bravery", a Snow White-inspired apple-scented scrub with red rose petals. It smells soooo good -- almost too good because it makes me want to eat it.

The Virtues Collection scrubs are made with natural ingredients like organic sugar, coconut oil and essential oils. They are currently available on her Etsy shop at $15 each. There will be more empowered princess-inspired themes to come, each with their own coordinated scent and flower petals, which totally appeals to the collector in me. I could not be more excited to try them all out! 

Get ready for decadent fudgey vegan brownie heaven! These wonders are "marbled" with sunflower seed butter, an awesome alternative to peanut butter for those with nut allergies. I love keeping these chilled in the refrigerator, even better when topped with vegan ice cream. 

Be sure to check out my friend Brenna's recipe for German Chocolate Brownies on She is Mindful (link)!

Ingredients
​2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax meal + 6 tablespoons water)
​1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup melted vegan butter
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for greasing (I used Iliada Chocolate Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (or nut butter of choice)

Directions
​First, preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flax eggs and applesauce and incorporate both sugars, butter, olive oil and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet until thoroughly combined, then fold in chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula.

Transfer to a greased pan (I used 8" x 8"). Dollop some of the sunflower seed butter randomly on top and swirl in with a knife or toothpick for the marbling effect. Bake for about 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center cleanly (worth the wait). Allow them to cool a bit and firm up before cutting. Enjoy!

Field Roast debuted 10 awesome new products at Expo West this year, including their new much hyped Mac n' Chao and Chili Mac n' Chao. The Field Roast Chao Slices are one of my all time favorite vegan cheeses, so I was so excited to give the Mac a try! I am happy to report they are creamy, buttery, nostalgic (tv dinner style), super convenient (ready from frozen to pop into the oven or microwave), and totally worth the hype.

The Creamy Mac is made with the Original Chao Slices and is truly creamy and cheesy with a very mild flavor. It would be delicious paired with some green veggies on the side or loaded up with whatever creative toppings you like (I'm thinking some veggie bacon and nutritional yeast.) 😋

The Chili Mac is made with vegan Fieldburger chili (YUM) with the Tomato Cayenne Chao Slices. The chili pairs amazingly well with the spicy cheese, and because the chili & beans are SO good it left me wanting more. I can't wait for it to be available in stores!

In the meantime, until you can get your hands on it, there is also an awesome Mac n' Chao recipe on Field Roast's website: ​fieldroast.com/recipe/mac-n-chao-cheese

Waffles, grilled cheese and cornbread come together for the ultimate in comfort food...paired with awesome vegan soup like this one from Fawen (which is also drinkable right from the bottle on-the-go). Of course, the waffles are good on their own, with a savory sauce of choice, or with my personal favorite, maple syrup. 
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Ingredients
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
​1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups v milk
3 tablespoons vegan butter or oil
1x vegan egg substitute (I used Follow Your Heart VeganEgg as directed)
vegan butter for grilled cheese (optional)
vegan cheese slices (optional; I used Tomato Cayenne Chao Slices)
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Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, turmeric, baking powder, sugar, salt) and gradually whisk in wet ingredients (v milk, v butter, v egg). 

Grease a waffle iron and pour about 1/2 cup batter into your waffle iron (depending on the size). Cook until golden brown and cut into fourths.

​Optionally, take the waffles to the next level by giving them the grilled cheese treatment. ​Spread vegan butter on one side of each of the waffle fourths. Heat a skillet to medium, and place one waffle fourth on it, butter side down. Add on the vegan cheese slices and top with the other waffle fourth (butter side up). Once the bottom is nice and golden, flip the special sandwich carefully with a spatula (I recommend finagling it with two to hold it together). Place a lid over the pan for a minute or so to expedite the cheese melting process. ​Once the second slice has also reached grilled cheese stardom, remove the sandwich from the pan and onto a plate of your choosing.

Serve with a vegan soup of choice and enjoy! I love the Broccoli & Cauliflower soup from Fawen, because its turmeric notes pair nicely with the waffle sandwiches, which you might be tempted to dunk in the soup. Go for your dreams!