Everyone has a banana bread recipe. But they’re not my grandmother’s recipe. Hers was the first banana bread I ever tasted, and it spoiled me for any other. It was tender, moist, banana-intense, racy with vanilla, homey, and comforting. As a child, it did not occur to me banana bread could be otherwise. But as…
Rising Up — The World in a Crust of Bread
“The world is all messed up,” observed Martin Luther King Jr. on April 1968, the night before he was assassinated. It’s still messed up. It’s impossible to undo the pain caused by a single act of violence, let alone the waves of terrorism across the globe. But as we honor King on his birthday, we…
Cornbread
This is my go-to cornbread recipe, whether I’m feeding 30 for Thanksgiving, or just my husband and me on a rainy Tuesday night. It’s quick and easy to make, crusty on the top, fluffy inside, buttery-tasting through and through, and vegan, of course. How are you celebrating Thanksgiving? Are you celebrating? Covid has stolen…
Carving Pumpkin, Carving Out Tradition | Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin carving is a tradition worth having and when you are done, you can turn your handiwork into something worth eating. So long soggy pumpkin bread that’s decidedly un-pumpkiny. I’ve figured out how to bake pumpkin into the kind of bread that would make even the scariest Halloween pumpkin smile. This Halloween, like so much…
Vegan Cat Head Biscuits with Spinach and Mushroom Gravy (and no Cats)
Cat head biscuits are a southern staple. They are tall, fluffy and traditionally made with lard–but you won’t find lard in my Vegan Cat Head Biscuits. Instead, we are using chilled vegan butter, and you won’t believe the light and flaky texture. Instead of traditional sausage gravy, I’ve added a plant-based spinach and mushroom gravy….
Life (and Granny Cake) During Wartime: What a Vintage Recipe Can Teach Us About Doing More With Less
Miami is the COVID epicenter now, and everyone’s on edge. It feels a little like wartime. Not all wars are fought on the battlefield. Some are fought — and won — on the home front. So maybe it’s no coincidence that when researching ideas for my conscious cookery series, I came across a vintage wartime…
Calling Forth Morning in America
I originally wrote this Huffington Post piece on the eve of the 2016 election, urging everyone to vote. I even embedded video of Maya Angelou from 1993, reciting her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration. It all seems almost quaint now, with a pandemic, systemic racism called out at last,…
Chilling in the Days of Coronavirus — Freezing Fresh Produce | Conscious Cookery Day 2
Did you know that freezing fresh produce is not only possible but a great way to extend its life? Since COVID-19 took over, it feels a little like life has stopped. It hasn’t. We need to keep going. I mean, just look at your produce. It hasn’t stopped. Fresh fruits and vegetables add brightness, flavor…
My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes: Jamie Schler
I first heard about Jamie Schler a few years ago from culinary colleagues. They spoke of her with a sense of awe — come on, run off to France, fall in love, open a hotel? Who gets to do that? Even her blog Life’s a Feast bespeaks a charmed life. Then this summer, I got…
When Irish Eyes are Crossed
In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day this Sunday, I’m glad to share my recipe for Irish soda bread — a little untraditional, but totally vegan, totally yummy. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I made Irish soda bread. Sort of. When I went from vegetarian from vegan some years back, what I missed and thought…
