Beanie Brownies

Beanie Brownies

I've posted a recipe for blondies made with garbanzo beans, but I've never posted their parent dessert, the black bean brownie.  Here's the thing with these beauties, the vegan version just isn't as good.  Sorry to all you vegans (I used to be one of you), but these bad boys contain eggs. Why the eggs? [...]

I Dream of Chocolate Smoothie

I Dream of Chocolate Smoothie

Americans seem to go crazy for Thanksgiving.  The turkey, the stuffing, the dinner prayer, the cranberry sauce.  It's really the one day a year when dinner prep takes an entire day. Unfortunately for me, the day when most stuff themselves to bursting, I remain only somewhat satisfied.  The reason being, I do not like Thanksgiving [...]

A San Franciscan Beer Butt Chicken

A San Franciscan Beer Butt Chicken

The best kind of parties are those that involve good company, wine, and a crowded kitchen.  This particular party included all of those with special points in the crowded kitchen division.  Extra credit is given in the good company and wine as well. The bittersweet part is that this party did not take place in [...]

Sweet Potato Kale Enchiladas

Sweet Potato Kale Enchiladas

I was lucky to find a group of college housemates who were just as food obsessed as I am.  We baked bread, we created a full Thanksgiving feast, and we even brewed beer.  This was on top of our hectic senior schedules.  We called ourselves the BlueVic, even inventing an adjective bluevicing. Bluevicing: to engage [...]

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cream Bars (GF, Vegan, semi-raw)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Cream Bars (GF, Vegan, semi-raw)

Oh the glory of being glutinous! The grey days of San Diego fall have rolled in and my desire for sweets and comforts have rolled in with it.  I have a problem making decisions.  I'm that annoying girl who makes the waiter keep coming back, because she can't decide what to order.  The other day [...]

Crazy Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Crazy Cauliflower Crust Pizza

  For some of you this may sound extreme, but prepare to have your mind blown.  Cauliflower is a miracle vegetable that among other things can imitate pizza crust when prepared properly.  Now, I have made a couple of versions of this, and I find that it works better if there is a little flour [...]

Gettin’ Figgy with my Friend-Date Bars

Gettin’ Figgy with my Friend-Date Bars

I could make some self-deprecating comment about the status of my social life since moving back from Italy, but I won't.  All I can say is that, over a year out of college, I am coming to understand the beauty of the friend date. "Friend Date: a situation in which two friends partake in activities [...]

Beanie Blondies!

Beanie Blondies!

Ok, so they are not in the shape of animals and they don't have those fancy little tags you were never supposed to remove, but these are edible.  Better yet, they are soft and chocolatey, the perfect cookie bar.  Even better, they are made with beans!!!! A few of you may have stopped reading at [...]

Zuppa di Pesce or Cioppino?

Zuppa di Pesce or Cioppino?

Zuppa di pesce, cioppino, bouillabaisse, burrida de raya, suquet de peix. They all are in the fish stew genre, but what makes them different? Many Americans believe cioppino to be Italian for its Italian name.  They are wrong, at least partially.  Cioppino is in fact a Californian invention, and San Francisco can take full credit [...]

Cashew Fig Pie or “Cheesecake” sans Cheese

Cashew Fig Pie or “Cheesecake” sans Cheese

Having recently eaten at a raw food restaurant, I was fascinated by the creative dessert options.  It seemed impossible to me to eat anything other than fruit, vegetables, and nuts; which I believe would get boring after about two days, or for the less controlled, five hours. I was awed and inspired by the creativity I [...]