As much as I love chocolate, I tend to gravitate toward fruitier desserts in the summertime. Let me tell you how this seasonal preference might have actually saved my dog’s life (or at least saved her a tummyache). ...
Archives for August 2013
Lemony Avocado Orzo Salad with Lentils
In my opinion, some of the best vegan recipes are ones you don’t even intend to be vegan, but realize after making them that they are. My family wasn’t always semi-vegetarian. When I was about ten or so, we stopped eating beef and pork. To this day, I’m not entirely sure what my parents’ original justification was, whether it was for personal health reasons, environmental concerns, or ...
Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches with Spicy Chipotle-Lime Carrot Slaw
This recipe is another one that I modeled after a favorite sandwich from a café. It’s a great quick lunch or dinner option that packs a ton of flavor in every refreshing yet satisfying bite. I actually prefer the sandwich in its vegetarian form, but I’ve seen it on the menu with sliced chicken as well, which would boost its protein content and keep you full even longer. For the carrot slaw, I ...
Mango Carrot Cake
Since this is the first cake recipe I’m posting, it seems as fitting a time as any to explain the blog name “Put On Your Cake Pants.” ...
Dill Potato Salad
Potato salad is one of my favorite summertime side dishes any-season comfort foods. Its wide adaptability virtually guarantees that everyone can find a version they’ll love—don’t like celery? Skip it. Not crazy about mustard? Leave it out. What I particularly like about this version is that by using small yellow potatoes rather than russets, you get a satisfyingly creamy salad even though there is ...
Blackberry Bran Muffins
Most days, I like my breakfast to be fairly healthy, since well-balanced breakfasts encourage me to be more productive and in a better mood than if I indulge in something really sugary or buttery first thing in the morning (though of course, I still like to have pancakes or coffee cake on the weekends from time to time). I typically have cereal or oatmeal on the weekdays, but at times I find ...
Asian Peanut Noodle Stir-Fry
My brother is allergic to peanuts, so until he was away at college, my family had to avoid cooking with them. During the summer between my junior and senior years in college, when I first genuinely became interested in teaching myself to cook, I came across a recipe for noodles with peanut sauce in one of my dad’s cookbooks. With some tweaking and additions, this quickly became a family favorite ...
Cherry Chipotle Salsa
In July, I visited the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan. In addition to the cherry preserves and pies I had anticipated seeing, I got to sample cherry barbecue sauce (which, incidentally, is a great choice to use in the recipe from my previous post), cherry honey, cherry mustard, and more. All of it was very tasty, but after a couple of days, I was feeling a bit cherried-out. ...
Vegan Barbecue Quinoa Salad with Peaches, Corn, and Tomatoes
I have grown particularly fond of quinoa this summer. It seems like the perfect food for hot and humid weather, since it tastes great served at any temperature, goes well with a myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables, and doesn’t weigh you down like many summertime classics do (think hamburgers or hearty potato salads). This quinoa salad has become one of my favorites. The jalapeños and cilantro ...
Strawberry Sourdough Grilled Cheese
During my sophomore year of college, I developed a ritual of going downtown to a certain café whenever I had to write a paper. I would order their club panini and outline my paper on index cards while I ate. For a whole year, each paper that I outlined while eating a club panini received an A. The one or two times that I didn’t make it downtown to organize my thoughts, I earned a lesser ...