Category: vegan comfort food

The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review

Hello everyone,

Staying warm? Enjoying the snow? I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside I crave comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods is a hearty vegan “burger.” That’s right—a faux meat patty topped with gooey, melty vegan cheese, Heinz ketchup, banana pepper rings, and a dollop of Just Mayo. It always hits the spot! Well, I’ve been hearing buzz about the Impossible Burger for months and months, so I finally decided to find one nearby to give a try. Today I am here to finally provide The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review.  

After years of research and $180 million in funding, the Impossible Burger debuted in the summer of 2016 in NYC at Momofuku Nishi. Now, this restaurant is not a burger joint. It’s an asian fusion restaurant. Possibly an odd place to launch a veggie burger, but it worked! People were lining up hours before the restaurant opened to get a bite of the Impossible Burger.

So why was everyone in a tizzy? Well, the Impossible Burger is a plant-based burger that looks and cooks like ground beef. These qualities are supposed to make it satisfy vegans/ vegetarians and omnivores alike. How does it achieve this? It includes heme—a molecule extracted from fermented yeast that mimics the same molecule that’s found in animal blood. This enables this meatless burger to “bleed” and sear, just like animal-based burgers.

Impossible Burger

Now, these qualities are off-putting for many vegans/ vegetarians, but considering I didn’t cook the burger, I didn’t mind it. The Impossible Burger looks like a medium cooked  regular burger, but so do many other veggie burgers. In fact, I found it to be similar to Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger in both flavor and texture. The Impossible Burger tasted juicy and a bit greasy, with a slightly crispy exterior and soft center. I ate mine topped with pickles, vegan cheese, lettuce and ketchup, and boy, did it hit the spot! Continue reading “The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review” →

Simple Homemade Crusty Bread

Hello everyone,

My partner has been trying out different bread recipes for sometime now. I’m excited to say, he thinks he finally found “the one.” Cory stumbled on this Youtube video from Tasty and decided to give it a try. He ended up making a few changes, including proofing the dough twice instead of once and using a little more water. The result was an amazing—a simple homemade crusty bread with a soft center! I think the result is partially due to the new Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven 5-Qt that we picked up last month.

Side note: I did not want this dutch oven as my kitchen is quite small and it takes up some space, BUT it is so versatile and makes everything taste great—really, anything from sauteed peppers and onions to this bread recipe!

This recipe + Lodge dutch oven made the tastiest homemade bread with just the right outer shell crunch and soft, fluffy center. This bread is perfect for soups, sandwiches or even bread pudding! It’s visually pleasing with a nice golden color and the taste is perfectly yeasty! Watch the video and give our adapted version of the recipe a try!

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Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

PS —Like this recipe? Check out my post on homemade pita bread, too!

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a commission or bonus if you click through to make a purchase.  All opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I personally support.

Continue reading “Simple Homemade Crusty Bread” →

Thanksgiving Dessert Made Easy

Hello everyone,

Who is ready for the holidays? It’s the season for good food, great company, and even more time to relax and do what you love. I’m hosting my family for Thanksgiving again this year, and I can’t wait. I simply love hosting this holiday in particular. Pumpkin is one of my favorite seasonal flavors so I’ll be making three different pumpkin-themed desserts. This is Thanksgiving dessert made easy!

If you’re looking for a simple addition to your current dessert spread, the Vegan Cardamom-spiced Pumpkin Cookies won’t disappoint! Of course, pumpkin roll is always delicious, albeit a bit anxiety inducing trying to avoid those cracks, and who can say no to “cheesecake.”

If you’re looking for an “easy out” to your Thanksgiving dessert preparations, I highly recommend picking up a tub of Eat Pastry cookie dough. You simply scoop out the 100% vegan, non-GMO dough and place golf-ball size dough balls on a baking sheet and drop it in the oven. It’s ridiculously easy and hassle free!

I picked up a tub of the Peanut Butter Chocoloate Chip last week, and it did not disappoint! The cookies were perfectly gooey and sweet—a hit at my latest game night! Why not give one of my tried and true recipes a try, or if you’re going easy on yourself, pick up some Eat Pastry cookie dough.

Cheers & happy holidays!

Jocelyn

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

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake

Hello friends,

My dad loves carrot cake. Every few years for my parents birthdays  … Yes, you read that correctly—my parents were born on the same day two years apart! Anyway, every so often, I surprise them with a homemade carrot cake. This year, I started making the cake, got half way through the recipe, and realized I didn’t have any raisons! A carrot cake without raisons! Can you believe it? Well, it was much too late to head to the store. Or at least, I didn’t want to trek to the 24 hour Giant Eagle. So I started thinking about how to make a carrot cake with a twist. I looked around the cupboard and saw some chocolate chips, pecans and ginger powder. Voila! Why not make a vegan chocolate chip carrot cake?!

I have this saying—good food + good food = good food. It works with basic ingredients as well. The cake was perfectly moist, not too dense, and just sweet enough. It did not disappoint! Both my parents loved it! Why not give this recipe a try the next time you need an ‘inspired’ dessert?

Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

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

Continue reading “Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake” →

Recipe: Thick & Chunky Garden Salsa

Hello everyone,

Over the past week, I’ve been looking for the perfect salsa recipe for canning, and I think I finally found it. I stumbled upon Tim J Turner’s Youtube channel and found a video for, “Canning and Sharing a Thick Salsa Recipe.” I adjusted the recipe a bit, and the result was amazing! It produced a slightly sweet, a tad bit spicy, thick salsa—perfect for your next potluck or date night in. I’m so excited to share this Recipe: Thick & Chunky Garden Salsa.

As you know, I planted a garden this year, and I may gone a bit overboard with tomatoes. I don’t even like tomatoes that much. Luckily, I do love pasta sauce and salsa. What better way to put all those cherry and vine tomatoes to use than to make a bunch of sauces and salsas ahead of time?

Garden Veggies

Chips and salsa is such a feel good party food. It’s perfect for game night, football season, and so many other get togethers. Now I’m ready for fall with eight cans of homemade salsa! It has just the right amount of heat, and it’s a tad bit sweet. That means it will satisfy a variety of food palates! This salsa pairs really well with veggie tacos and simple rice bowls. Impress your friends at your next get together. Bring along some homemade Thick & Chunky Garden Salsa!

Cheers and happy snacking!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a commission or bonus if you click through to make a purchase.  All opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I personally support.

Continue reading “Recipe: Thick & Chunky Garden Salsa” →