Thai Kale Salad and a 2016 life update

My in-laws (yes, in-laws! Officially!) are in town this week, and though we've been busy running around town with them, I finally have some down time this morning. With the new year here I thought it would be a good time to make a blog update, and to share a recipe that's healthy and yummy enough to be worthy of my first blog post of 2016.

As you may have noticed (in-laws, people!), I am now married! We had a ceremony in Maine in early October, and our little hometown couldn't have been a better location. The leaves were changing, the air was crisp, and our friends and families really made the experience a dream for us.

Meyer Lemon Focaccia

Fruity, floral, and intoxicating, the smell of meyer lemons brings back so many memories of my first winter in California. I had never tasted one before, and they were everywhere - so exotic to me, but so common here.

One of my favorite fruits, meyer lemons are a combination of lemons and mandarin oranges. They're exceptionally fragrant, slightly sweeter than a regular lemons but still tart, thin skinned, and very juicy.

Buffalo Tempeh Sushi with Vegan Ranch Dip

The holidays are finally here, and with slightly cooler temperatures in LA (and, finally, some rain!) I'm turning to heartier fare to keep off the (very slight) late autumn chill. Gone are the cucumber rolls of summer. In their place, a much more substantial buffalo tempeh roll, along with a decadent vegan ranch dip. I usually add avocado to this roll but sadly was out this time around. I've included it in the recipe below, because let's face it - literally everything is better with avocado!

My Favorite 5 Ways to Use Orange Blossom Water

My darling neighbor recently gifted me with a bottle of fragrant Orange Blossom Water. I'd never used it before, though I knew that it should be used in very small quantities to impart a delicate floral aroma to dishes. Luckily I stopped my fiance from chugging it straight from the bottle before I had a chance to explain that it was not, in fact, orange flavored water!

I was sipping some iced tea and thought that the orange blossom water could be a nice addition. I added a few drops, and was wowed at the subtle but delicious difference it's delicate flavor made. It turns out, orange blossom water can be incorporated into a lot of things I'm already used to making!

See my 5 favorite ways to use orange blossom water below.

Steamed Artichokes with Vegan Herbed Aioli

Spring is coming to southern California and even in LA, where the seasons barely change, there is something magical about this time of year. 

Flowers seem brighter, the air gets warmer and, of course, the farmer's market starts filling up with the tender greens and bright fruits that hint at the arrival of summer. 

Vegan Persimmon Cake with Meyer Lemon-Blood Orange Marmalade

It's the beginning of citrus season and the end of persimmon season, and after seeing a recipe for an olive oil cake with marmalade on Serious Eats, I knew I had to veganize it!

Vegan "Eggnog" Pancakes

Before I was vegan I was famous (to Nate, at least!) for my fluffy, tender pancakes. I first made them when we lived in a horrible basement studio apartment in a probably haunted building in a shady neighborhood in Boston, but it was our first time with our own kitchen and I developed a lot of my cooking skills there.

After becoming vegan, I wanted to find a pancake recipe that was just as delicious as the one I'd been using for years. During the holidays, I also bought every brand of vegan "Eggnog" I could find. They were all delicious! I decided that vegan "Eggnog" pancakes would be the perfect festive treat for breakfast one weekend.