Road Trip Trail Mix

Veggie Terrain will be on a short hiatus while JD and CH go on a much-needed vacation. Our trip will take us (on the road) all the way from Chicago to Toronto, Ontario. But don't worry! When we return, I anticipate posting lots of delicious food, wine, and beer pics. Hopefully this quick trail mix post will tide you over until then!

If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that road trips present the perfect opportunity to throw together one of the easiest (and healthiest) snacks you can make: trail mix!

Plus, it's almost impossible to go wrong while making it, which is particularly helpful when you're running around trying to pack your bags at 2am the morning before your trip! (Not that I would know anything about that, mind you!)

Perfect Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes (aka: potato latkes) have held a special place in my heart ever since I first discovered them in a book my grandma gave to me when I was around 10 years old. Oddly enough, the recipe came from a food-based science experiment book, although I just preferred to think of it as a really fun cookbook.

A Vegan Twist on Tapas, Featuring Gazpacho!

Anyone familiar with traditional Spanish tapas can attest to the fact that the phrase "vegan tapas" is almost an oxymoron. Which means, of course, that tapas are exactly what CH was in the mood for on his b-day a few weeks ago! (Not vegan tapas, per se, but I digress...)

As a result, when I decided to make him a delicious spread of vegan tapas for dinner, I felt like I was grasping at straws. So, I kept racking my brain for ideas based upon the food that we encountered in Spain years ago. Unfortunately, that method wasn't exactly fruitful, particularly since all of my "tapas memories" consisted of downing pitchers of sangria while CH enjoyed jamón ibérico and various cheeses. Ick.

Smoothies 101

This post is lovingly dedicated to my dad, who hasn't stopped asking me smoothie-related questions for approximately 6 months. Dad, if the recipe isn't provided here/your query isn't answered in this post... well then, God love ya!

It's that time of year again: the sun is starting to shine and the heat is picking up a bit (every few days, anyway!), which means that cool, fruit- and veggie-filled smoothies are cropping up almost everywhere.

So, what's a thirsty guy/girl to do? Should you succumb to the temptation of Jamba Juice, or even Dunkin' Donuts? Should you give that old 7-11 gas station "smoothie" a try? Should you buy one of those instant-smoothie mixes from your local grocery store? Or, should you take a chance and try making a scrumptious, healthy drink all by yourself?

Cheese-Less Flatbread Pizzas: They're Re-Vegan-Diculous!

So, here's the deal: I was never a big "cheese lover" when it came to pizza (even before becoming vegan). I always hated how the melted cheese got super-stringy, like an obnoxiously long strand of gum or something.

Basically (in my book) too much cheese = too much chewing + too many distractions, which does not make for an enjoyable pizza-eating experience.

That's why I always found it kinda crazy when people would go ballistic about vegans eating cheese-less pizza. ("No cheese, what's the point?" "You're ruining that pizza, ya know!")

Then I realized that all of this disdain had nothing to do with cheese-less pizza generally, but everything to do with BAD cheese-less pizza (and just the idea of cheese-less pizza for some) specifically. I will admit it, eating 2 or 3 terrible cheese-less pizzas will have even a stringy-cheese-hating girl like me reaching for the faux-cheese. Stat!

Vegan Goddess: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau!

I know, I know, it's somewhat unseemly to gush about a person who you don't even know, but I just can't help it...

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is a genius!

(If you don't know who she is by now, stop reading this second and go take a listen to one of her fantastic Food for Thought podcast episodes. Go ahead, I'll wait...)

Cuban Black Beans + Rice

To say it's been a long time since my last post is clearly a gross understatement.

However, instead of trying to catch you up on all of my shenanigans (several cooking classes, a fantastic concert, mild food poisoning, and a brutal non-Swine-Flu-related-cold), I've decided to just stick to the recipe for this post. You see, I have a date with Flight of the Conchords in Milwaukee today, and I don't wanna miss it!

Portland: Part Deux

CH and I recently got back from Portland, OR (it was our second trip there in less than a year!), and I'm pretty sure that Portlanders are doing just about everything right. They have good food, delicious coffee, nice weather, beautiful scenery, laid-back attitudes...

I could go on and on.

However, since my love affair with Portland isn't likely to end anytime soon, I suppose the least I can do is try to share it with all of you!

Spicy Potato Tacos

If these delectable tacos look vaguely familiar, they should. They're modeled after the famously fantastic Crunchy Blue Corn Chickpea Tacos (aside from a few obvious changes).

Since I'm in love with everything potato-related, I figured there was no harm in marrying a few red spuds with some taco seasoning and a shell or two. Turns out, I was right - these tacos are simple, satisfying, and oh-so-scrumptious.

Oscar (or Any!) Night Pretzels

Like many of you, CH and I spent Oscar night basking in the warm glow of the TV and consuming tons of delicious food. And, since we had seen (and loved!) most of the nominated films, we decided to celebrate our excitement regarding the ceremony by preparing one of our favorite snacks: home-made soft pretzels.

Two hours before the show started, we set all of the necessary supplies/ingredients out and got to work.