Le Botaniste: Not to Miss!
Le Botaniste in Soho (and also on the Upper East Side) looks like an old-fashioned European apothecary with a black and white checkered floor manned by staff wearing white pharmaceutical jackets. But, instead of rows and rows of “drugs” lined up alphabetically on shelves, the “drugs of choice” – plant food in a rainbow of colored Le Creuset round oven pots and perfectly appointed built in bowls – are front and center behind crystal clear glass.
A plant-based food and wine bar that operates under the mantra attributed to Hippocrates “let food be thy medicine…,” Le Botaniste is an exquisite looking cafe that bills itself as 100% botanical, 99% organic, and gluten-free. It’s also 100% delicious. Read more 
Whole Grain Thumbprint Cookies
Whole Grain Thumbprint Cookies are delicious cookies made without butter, eggs, refined sugar, or oil. Yes, these cookies taste surprisingly good because they are made with stellar ingredients (oats, spelt, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut flakes, etc) but in all honesty, if you’re used to buttery sweet cookies, these may not be the cookies for you. My husband, a non-vegan thinks these cookies taste like dirt (his words) but I find them scrumptious – oaty and nutty with a hint of coconut and cinnamon. So, I think it all depends on what you’re used to eating.
The small amount of jam in the center is essential (there’s just something special about a little bit of berry or peach jam in a whole grain cookie). Read more
Walnut Oat Date Crumble
When I started making baked apples with a crumble made of oats, walnuts, dates, almond butter, and cinnamon, I often had leftover crumble that tasted delicious sprinkled over oatmeal, muesli, and cereal. Then I found myself making the crumble in bulk and keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator because I used it so often.
Realizing that I was on to something, I then made variations (i.e. omitted the cinnamon and add dark chocolate chips) and then found myself with two different types of crumble always in my refrigerator, one with a cinnamon emphasis and the other filled with dark chocolate chips. Read more
OWL Bakery in Asheville, NC
Asheville, North Carolina may be known for the Biltmore Estate (the largest privately owned house in the United States) but it’s also the home of OWL Bakery – a European-style bakery that specializes in pastries, handmade breads, salads, quiches, coffee, and teas.
Located in a small white cottage in West Asheville, just a few miles from the city center, OWL Bakery is not a vegan or vegetarian bakery, but a place that welcomes and caters to all types of foodies. What draws everyone to this incredible bakery, is the quality and flavor of the food, which is made using mostly locally grown ingredients. Read more
Sunview Organic Raisins
Big, moist organic jumbo raisins are hard to find. Most organic raisins are small and can be used in most recipes where they will absorb moisture and plump up. But, out of the bag, they almost seem inferior to those big huge raisins preserved with sulfur dioxide that are found on most grocery store shelves. Read more
Maple Nut Brittle
Maple Nut Brittle is a scrumptious dairy-free confection that is super easy to make and hopelessly addicting. Crunchy, slightly sweet, and incredibly delicious, Maple Nut Brittle is made with 9 ingredients:
- macadamia nuts
- pecans
- coconut flakes
- cacao nibs
- maple syrup
- sorghum syrup
- canola oil
- coconut sugar
- salt
Sugarplums
When I was young and first saw The Nutcracker, I was fascinated with the Sugar Plum Fairy who ruled over the Land of Sweets. I remember thinking she had the best job in the world (what could be better than ruling over a Candyland?). Forget about the Prince and Clara, I wanted the Sugar Plum Fairy’s job (until I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then I wanted Willy Wonka’s job but that’s another story).
Although I wasn’t a fan of sugarplums when I was a child (they reminded me of fruitcake), I grew to appreciate how sweet, delicate, and delicious a home-made sugarplum is, especially when I made them myself with the top quality ingredients. Read more
Baked Honey Crisp Apple Crumbles
It’s nearly impossible for me to walk by a pyramid of fresh apples in the grocery store especially if the apples are Honey Crisp – those sweet, tart, super crispy delicious apples that are also great for baking because they retain their shape and don’t turn to mush easily.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy a Honey Crisp Apple is to bake it with a nutty oat filling in the core. These baked apples really do taste like an Apple Crumble Pie but the healthier version. Easy to make, Baked Honey Crisp Apple Crumbles are a perfect mid-afternoon snack or an evening dessert served in front of the fireplace. Read more
Chili Green Quesadillas
Every single day I try to figure out how to get beans and greens into my diet in new and different ways. One morning, I simply took out some of the vegetables (onions, mushrooms and kale) I felt like eating and then sifted through rows of canned beans and decided on kidney beans (which always make me think of chili). I also had a package of whole grain sprouted tortillas so the idea of making Chili Green Quesadillas took over. Read more
The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup by Eat Chic Chocolates
Nearly 100 years in 1928, Harry Burnett (“HB”) Reese created the peanut butter cup – that quintessential combination of chocolate and peanut butter that became one of America’s favorite candy confections. Although the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup will always hold a special place in culinary history, dozens of variations have since been created based on the simple idea of blending chocolate with a nut butter to make the ultimate candy treat.
My personal favorite peanut butter cup is made by Eat Chic Chocolates – a Brooklyn-based company that specializes in handcrafted chocolate filled with house made nut and seed butters. Read more
