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
​

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)
​

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!

Although the concept of making your own homemade dog treats may sound super bougie at first, it can actually be a great money-saving alternative to store-bought treats. Plus, it gives you total control over what ingredients are going into your lovemuffin's belly. You can also totally customize the ingredients and swap applesauce for banana or pumpkin, or oat flour for rice or coconut flour, depending on what you have on hand. My Fluff is OBSESSED with these and even seems to prefer them over his other treats! Be warned, however, that your dog(s) may become magnetized to you and follow you wherever you go (if they don't already).

Ingredients
​3 cups oats or oat flour
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax meal + 6 tablespoons water)
​1 tablespoon molasses 

Directions
​Preheat oven to 350°F. Spin the oats in a blender or food processor until they are finely ground like flour and set aside. Mix together wet ingredients (applesauce, peanut butter, flax eggs and molasses), and gradually add in oat flour. Roll out dough on a sheet of parchment paper and cut out cute shapes of choice. I used these dog bone shaped cutters. Bake for 20-25 minutes until they harden and get slightly golden around the edges. Allow them to cool and serve to that special woof (or woofs) in your life! You can even "frost" them with a little peanut butter for an extra special treat. 🐶​🐾

I finally got my hands on the Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette (#VeganAlert) which called out to me not only with its name, but also with its stunning packaging and endless possibilities. 🔮

The Alchemist Holographic Palette, $32, includes 4 pressed "prismatic" highlighting powders which can be used anywhere on face and body, "literally anywhere you want an extreme iridescent highlight". They give off a stunning glow on their own, but they also dramatically transform over other colors. I decided to try them out over Milk Makeup's Eye Pigments in "Gig" and "All Nighter" as shown in the swatches below. The Milk Eye Pigments are also vegan and cruelty free, and work perfectly as a base for the powders since they set very quickly and stay put. 

This glamorous palette is comparable to the ABH Moonchild Glow Kit and NYX Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powders but unique in its own right, making it a welcome addition to any holographic duo chrome makeup addict's collection.

"Emerald" Green- green white with a gold shift and a hint of pink
"Saphyre" Blue- blue white with a pink shift and cool undertones
"Amethyst" Ultra-Violet- light lavender hue with blue violet shift and cool undertones 
"Opal" Pink- pink beige with a violet shift and a pearly sheen

Something magically delicious happens when you bake dried cereal marshmallows into cookies. They soften and melt scrumptiously into the cookies. I was so excited to find out that the artisanal vegan marshmallow brand Sweet & Sara makes their own amazing classically nostalgic cereal marshmallows!

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
1x vegan egg substitute (I used Follow Your Heart VeganEgg as directed)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cereal marshmallows (I used the ones from Sweet & Sara)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix together butter, vanilla and vegan egg substitute until smooth and fluffy. Incorporate the granulated and brown sugars. Then, gradually mix in the flour, salt and baking soda. Finally, stir in the white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup cereal marshmallows with a spatula.

​Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the remaining 1/4 cup cereal marshmallows into the top of the cookie dough balls. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!

I'm always a fan of anything that involves ice cream, especially when I can drink it with a straw! I love how the matcha not only gives these shakes a fun green color, but also adds a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor that pairs so well with the minty, chocolatey ice cream. These are the perfect refreshing treat for St. Patrick's Day (or anytime of the year)!

Ingredients
1 pint vegan mint ice cream (I used NadaMoo Lotta Mint Chip)
1 cup non-dairy milk
​1/2 cup ice
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon matcha powder 
vegan whipped cream, optional
​vegan chocolate chips, optional

Directions
Blend together ice cream, milk, peppermint and matcha. Optionally, top with whipped cream and chocolate chips. Enjoy!