Category: foodie

A Vegan Guide to New Orleans

* Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. All opinions are my own.

Hello everyone,

Ah, New Orleans. A town full of history, jazz, beignets, gumbo, beans and rice, and…vegan food? I have to admit, while planning my recent trip to The Big Easy, I was left wanting more. I couldn’t find an updated, honest and comprehensive vegan guide to New Orleans. Luckily, the dearth of information doesn’t actually correlate to a lack of vegan-friendly food in the city.

As always, I created a loose itinerary with whatever vegan options I could find—many of which were places that didn’t specifically cater to vegans or vegetarians. When given the option, I will always financially support the cruelty free venture. I am happy to report that while traversing the streets of the French Quarter an beyond, I stumbled upon some of the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants I’ve had the pleasure to eat dine in! Check out my top ten places to visit on your next trip to the Crescent City.

Have you been to New Orleans? What are your favorite places to grab a bite to eat or decadent dessert?

Cheers!

Jocelyn Continue reading “A Vegan Guide to New Orleans” →

Summer Pasta Salad

Hello everyone,

Happy almost summer! One my most often requested recipes by friends and family is my go to Summer Pasta Salad. In fact, a coworker just asked me for my secret ingredients! Well, I decided to give a video recipe a try. How’d I do? A printable text version of the recipe is below. Comment and let me know what your favorite summer side dish is!

Cheers & happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

5 from 1 vote
Print

Summer Pasta Salad

This quick & easy dish will be a hit at your summer picnic!

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pasta salad, side dish, summer side, vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Chill 2 hours
Total Time 17 minutes
Servings 12 people
Author The Vegan Hostess

Ingredients

Pasta Salad

  • 1 box elbow, spiral or other dry pasta
  • 1 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15.5 oz can large olives drained and rinsed
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper diced
  • 1 stalk celery diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 1/2 cup banana pepper rings chopped

Dressing

  • 1 cup italian dressing I like Wishbone Far Free Italian.
  • 1/2 cup liquid from banana pepper ring jar
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Rinse and drain all canned ingredients and set aside.

  2. Chop/ dice all vegetables and set aside.

  3. Combine spices, Italian dressing, and banana pepper juice and set aside.

  4. Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

  5. Combine the vegetables, beans, olives, and pasta. 

  6. Pour the dressing mixture over top and mix well.

  7. Chill for two hours. 

  8. Garnish with your favorite vegan cheese, freshly mined parsley or other herb and enjoy!

 

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October Savings: Fresh produce, Food Should Taste Good, Beyond Meat & More!

Happy October!

I just love the fall. Football. Fall foliage. Pumpkin spice. Bonfire weather. Relaxed atmosphere. I could go on. I also love that, for me and my friends, fall represents potluck season! I’m planning a “Halloween” themed potluck in a few weeks, and since I’m heading back to Poland this weekend, I really needed to get my household shopping in order today. I’m making a graveyard cake which calls for about a thousand ingredients. Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit… Anyway, I put together my October Savings round up with great deals on fresh produce, Food Should Taste Good, Beyond Meat & more!

I also wanted to remind you about the new-ish rewards program I joined−Fetch Rewards (available on both iOS and Android). I’ve already earned $8.00 in rewards for doing nothing more than snapping less than 10 receipts! Not bad for ~4 minutes of work. Join now! If you enter my referral code (BU7GX) and scan a receipt, we’ll each get 1,500 points. That equals $1.50 in rewards just for using my code! The only catch is you must enter the referral code before you scan your first receipt. You can do that when you first sign up for Fetch Rewards or by clicking the “Me” button and entering the code prior to scanning the receipt. Once you scan and send your receipt and it’s accepted, the 1,500 points will automatically be applied to your account.

Cheers and happy savings!

Jocelyn

PS – As always, in case you missed them, check out my top ways to save and other recent savings posts.

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!


  Continue reading “October Savings: Fresh produce, Food Should Taste Good, Beyond Meat & More!” →

August Savings: Follow Your Heart, Hillary’s, Earth Balance & More!

Hello everyone,

How is your August going? Can you believe we’re in the last weeks of summer? I can’t! It seems like just yesterday it was May, and I was traveling across Utah. Now I’m hoping to get in a few more hiking trips and hammock naps before the weather turns.

Today I scoured the internet for the very best deals on vegan-friendly brands. There are quite a few good rebate app + manufacturer coupon matches. Be sure to checkout my full savings round up below! Cheers & happy shopping!

Jocelyn

PS – As always, in case you missed them, check out my top ways to save and other recent savings posts.

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!


  Continue reading “August Savings: Follow Your Heart, Hillary’s, Earth Balance & More!” →

Recipe & Review: Vegan Banana Ricotta Toast

Some of you may have seen an accidental post with the draft version of this content. Obviously, my post was published accidentally, very prematurely. Please check out my actual, full post below. Your tastebuds will thank you.  =)

Hello everyone,

Kite Hill RicottaAvocado toast has become… Let’s just say “a thing.” Admittedly, I love a good avocado toast as much as the next millennial, but recently I had a craving for a sweet, slightly savory breakfast toast. I had just picked up some Kite Hill Ricotta so I thought—why not make a Vegan Banana Ricotta Toast?! I’m so glad I did. It was simple, ascetically pleasing, and delicious!

I love all things banana + peanut butter flavored, but I was never one for savory/ sweet breakfast combos. This recipe has swayed me. Kite Hill’s ricotta is slightly sweet and silky and can be used to replace traditional ricotta in any recipe. I’ve previously used this ‘ricotta’ for stuffed shells, and it works fantastic! Check out my tried and true recipe sure to please the dairy-free non-believers! (Plus, you can save $1.00 on the Kite Hill product of your choice!) Next on my list is to use this as a substitute for mascarpone!

What follows is my ‘all you need to know’ recipe for a delicious Vegan banana Ricotta Toast! I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers & happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a commission or bonus if you click through to make a purchase. Additionally, I received these products free for testing. All opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I personally support. Continue reading “Recipe & Review: Vegan Banana Ricotta Toast” →