Chocolate Puddin'!

Happy Leap Day!

My first try at vegan chocolate pudding didn't work out so well. But, actually, it's not that hard to make a tasty vegan chocolate pudding or mousse. This is a good base recipe that can easily be altered to include different fruit mix-ins, and it's quick too!

Mango Mini Muffins

I LOVE mangoes. Love, love, love them. When I saw this recipe for mango bread, I was totally inspired, since I usually don't do much with mangoes besides just plain eat them. Speaking of which... I have a little mango story. We'll get back to that after the recipe, though.

Tamarind Tofu Bowl

Another great recipe inspired by Vegan Yum Yum! This healthy tofu bowl has a sweet flavor from the tamarind sauce, but is packed full of veggies and balanced by heartiness from the brown rice.

FYI, to satisfy your veggieosity, tamarind is a pod-shaped fruit that's kind of like a cross between a fig, date, and legume (at least in packaging). It's very sweet and can make for good sauce bases and pastes, as in this recipe.

Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites and Stuffed Pretzels

Soft pretzels are hands-down one of my favorite things. I've found two places with THE BEST soft pretzels ever. First: anywhere in Germany; there is nothing as good as a fresh, German soft pretzel- all buttery, salty, perfectly chewy, and delicious. Second: the Carmel Bakery in Carmel, California. I had actually been considering breaking vegan for that Carmel pretzel after my marathon in April, simply because it ends in Carmel, and, well, I will have run an entire 26.2 miles. The thought of walking by that bakery, or never having another German soft pretzel, was just too much to take.... until now.