Try this hearts of palm vegan crab cakes recipe with Old Bay, corn, and celery. Crispy golden on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside. Crab cakes are one of my favorite late summer dishes. Ever since I went vegan a few years ago, I’ve been on the search for a crab-less alternative that I enjoy just as a much as the original. I’ve come across many variations of vegan crab cakes at restaurants and grocery stores, made of ingredients from soy meat to jackfruit to artichoke hearts. There are many approaches to vegan crab cakes, but my preferred crab substitute is hearts of palm. Harvested f ..read more

Last year, I did a vegan mac and cheese cooking demo at the FINEX Kitchen in Portland. Mac and cheese is my specialty, so it made perfect sense to choose that dish for my first demo at FINEX. This time around, I picked one of my favorite ingredients to work with: tofu. FINEX Kitchen Cooking Demo To celebrate the launch of the brand new FINEX 14 inch double handle cast iron skillet, FINEX has been inviting folks to do cooking demos with the new product. This is the largest FINEX pan in the collection. For years, customers have requested a larger skillet, and FINEX finally made it happen! Tofu i ..read more

When I was a kid, paper thin sheets of seaweed were one of my favorite snacks. In addition to munching on seaweed on its own, I would tear it up and sprinkle it over dishes, from ramen to popcorn. Thanks to Blue Evolution’s product lineup of seaweed products, my love for seaweed has reached a new high. Blue Evolution cultivates and harvests seaweed from sustainable farms along the Pacific Coast, rather than sourcing imported seaweed, to create seaweed infused pasta, organic seaweed popcorn, and kelp puree. The pasta and popcorn are tasty, but I love exploring different ways to use kelp puree ..read more

When I was invited to the FINEX cast iron cookware kitchen to do a cooking demo on Instagram Live, I immediately knew that I wanted to share a vegan mac and cheese recipe. We are lucky that FINEX, one of the finest cast iron cookware brands, is right here in Portland. Mac and cheese is one of my favorite dishes to make, and I love making vegan versions as there are so many different ways you can make a velvety “cheese” sauce from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and dairy-free cheeses. I enjoy seeing the surprise on people’s faces when they discover that you can make a savory and cheesy sauce without ..read more

I partnered with Green Zebra Grocery to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own. On hot summer days, I crave cold smoothies and refreshing salads. But there’s another dish that I absolutely love during the summertime: paella. Paella is a Spanish dish that’s traditionally made with meat and seafood. Full of flavor and color, my version of paella uses Field Roast vegan sausage, smoky paprika, and juicy cherry tomatoes. Finished with fresh parsley and Jacobsen garlic sea salt, this vegan paella recipe is especially delicious when paired with a glass of red wine. I picked up a bott ..read more

I partnered with Green Zebra Grocery to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own. Summertime is burger time! There are plenty of tasty vegan meats on the market, but a special part of my heart will always belong to the original meatless patty: the black black burger. Once you’ve learned how to make your own vegan black bean burgers, you’ll never want a store-bought one again. Thick and hearty, my black bean burgers are made with easy-to-find ingredients: canned black beans, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, cilantro, fresh garlic, and onion. The garlic and onion form the flavor ba ..read more

One thing I don’t order at restaurants is chickpea tuna salad because it’s easy to make and I make a dang good version. Hearty chickpeas, bright lemon, crunch of celery and red onion, and ocean-feel of nori and Old Bay. Chickpeas are so satisfying, and I often have an abundance of them because I frequently use aquafaba (chickpea water) to make vegan cheese and cream sauces. A generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice makes this salad bright and refreshing, while the combination of Old Bay and nori gives it an extra dose of ocean flavor. I love the contrast of crunchy celery and creamy vegan mayo i ..read more

Vegetable platters have long been the meatless option for gatherings and parties. The typical veggie platter involves celery, broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes with hummus or some kind of creamy dip on the side. As much as I enjoy crunching away on colorful crudités, it’s time to breathe new life into the veggie entertaining spread. Let me introduce you to my friend: vegan charcuterie. Nope, not an oxymoron thanks to the abundance of plant-based meat and cheese alternatives available on the market nowadays. Traditionally, charcuterie focuses on meat and cheese with sweet and sour accompanim ..read more

There some foods that taste incredible, but are not the most visually appealing. This vegan mushroom pate is definitely one of those foods. Look at it… it’s a mountain of gray brown stuff. It’s basically a food photographer’s worst nightmare. While I struggled with photos of this recipe, I snacked on so much mushroom pate and crackers in the process because it’s so dang good. I was never a fan of pate back when I was an omnivore. Are there really people out there who get genuinely excited about liver? Wait, never mind… I don’t want to know the answer to that question. But here I am, an eater o ..read more

I’m not sure when it happened, but polenta corn grits have become one of my favorite foods. It’s creamy and comforting, and you can dress up corn grits with different flavors and toppings to suit your fancy for any meal of the day. This vegan polenta corn grits with tempeh, spinach, and tomatoes recipe makes a hearty weekend brunch or a satisfying weeknight dinner. To be honest, I was feeling a little down when I was cooking and shooting this recipe. How much our moods translate to cooking and eating? Can one off or bad day can potentially ruin a specific dish or a dining experience forever? F ..read more