10 Vegetarian Soup Recipes To Get You Excited For Cooler Weather featuring chilis, stews, dumpling soup, minestrone, and more!
Here in the Midwest, we are at that point in the year where I’m just so ready for cooler weather and comfort food in the form of easy and flavorful soups. Any else with me? Well here are 12 soups to add to your dinner menu in the coming weeks:
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This Spiced Carrot Soup with Green Tahini Swirl recipe is full of vegetables and topped with green tahini dressing. A perfect soup for cold weather meals.
Happy New Year! Hope you all are having a wonderful 2018 so far. I usually start off the year with a bang here at VV with a plethora of new healthy recipes to get your year going. To be honest thought, things are starting out a bit slow around here while my studio space is in limbo (the floors are getting redone next week so everything is packed in boxes in the basement). I just keep telling myself it’s going to be so great when it’s done and I’m hoping to be back into my weekly routine in the next few weeks once the construction is finished up later this month.
In other news, we are on about week 3 of freezing temperatures that hover in the negatives. I’m all about bundling up and being active in the winter but these temperatures make it hard to be outside for more than a few minutes. Instead of taking winter hikes and exploring our new neighborhood, I’ve been hulled up inside the house downing cups of tea and eating endless soup…like this Spiced Carrot Soup with Green Tahini Swirl!
The green tahini may sound familiar to you and it’s because I just shared it on a pita / egg situation with you last month. I can’t help it…this sauce is just that good. I’ve been making batches of it and then using it for dressing, drizzled on eggs, drizzled into soup, and as a dip for veggies.
The soup itself is a pretty standard pureed carrot soup that I upgraded with extra spices and a ton of toppings. I love how flavorful you can get purreed soup but often times get bored with the silky texture so I usually always like to finish them with a few crunchy vegetables and some sort of seed (or other crunchy addition).
This Spiced Carrot Soup with Green Tahini Swirl recipe is full of vegetables and topped with green tahini dressing. A perfect soup for cold weather meals.
Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in onion, celery, carrots, and a dash of salt and saute for 5-7 minute or until soft.
Add in garlic, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper and saute for another 30 seconds.
Next, add in vegetable broth and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.
Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Stir in the milk and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, while the soup is simmering, In a high speed blender or food processor, blend the tahini, cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, za'atar, salt, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water until creamy and no lumps remain. If it's too thick to drizzle then add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
Scoop soup into serving bowls and swirl with green tahini. Top with chopped carrots, sesame seeds, parsley, green onions, and chili pepper flakes. Serve warm.
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This Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Cardamom Orange Caramel recipe deserves a spot on your cookie tray this holiday season. It’s melt in your mouth buttery and spiked with aromatic cardamom and orange caramel sauce.
Wow – how did we already get to the last VV recipe of the year? It feels just like yesterday I was whipping up this Creamy White Chili and fretting about the political future of our country. So much good has happened this year for me – I released my first cookbook, we bought our first home – but I won’t go into too much detail yet as I usually do a yearly wrap up that is still to come. For now, I need to focus on the fact that Christmas eve is ONE WEEK AWAY! I haven’t even started shopping yet. Yikes!
Have you ever had those Danish shortbread cookies that come in all sort of different shapes in the blue tin? My brother and I always received a tin for Christmas growing up and I remember so vividly fighting over who would get the sugar coated pretzel shaped one because that was our favorite. It makes me smile now because they were all the same cookie but just different shapes but I was so positive as a kid that I didn’t like the round ones, only the pretzel and square ones. Anyway, I bring this up because these taste exactly like those cookies. Well, exactly like those cookies + more because of the citrus-y caramel sauce.
Speaking of this caramel sauce, it’s good. Like lick the spoon and be-careful-you-don’t-eat-it-all-before-you-put-it-on-the-cookies delicious. The cardamom is subtle but compliments the bright citrus and sweet caramel flavors perfectly. It reminds me a bit of nutmeg in the way that most non-bakers might not be able to put their finger on what it is they are tasting but they just know they like it.
Anyhow, hope you have a wonderful holiday season and I’ll probably check in one more time before the end of the with my annual yearly wrap up. Until then, catch me on Instagram because I’m obsessed and post over there daily.
This Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Cardamom Orange Caramel recipe deserves a spot on your cookie tray this holiday season. It's melt in your mouth buttery and spiked with aromatic cardamom and orange caramel sauce.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar. With the stand mixer running on low, add in the vanilla extract and salt. Next, add in the flour slowly and mix until the mixture comes together to one big dough ball.
Place coarse sugar in a shallow dish and set aside.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and use clean hands to shape 1-inch balls. Roll the ball in the coarse sugar until completely coated and transfer the dough balls to the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Use a wine cork or your clean thumb to press a small indentation into each dough ball. Transfer to the freeze and let chill for at least 10 minutes (this will make sure the cookies don't spread too much while baking).
Bake for 14 - 18 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Remove from oven and use the cork to press down on the indent again if it puffed up while baking. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
While the cookies are baking, combine the brown sugar, cardamom, and unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling, continue to cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and orange extract. Set aside.
Pour the caramel sauce into the indents of the cookie and sprinkle with a tiny bit of coarse sea salt.
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This Roasted Grape Crostini with Chevré and Rosemary recipe is the perfect accompaniment to your next cheeseboard or appetizer table. This post was made in collaboration with and sponsored by the generous folks at La Brea Bakery but all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make VV possible.
I’ve had a lot of ‘pinch me’ moments this year. After spending the previous 2 years focusing all of my time writing my book, I knew I wanted to devote this year to traveling and more freelance. When I set that goal last January I could not have even begin to guess the opportunities that were in store for me. Not only did I triple my freelance work this year but I also found excuses to go out to the west coast three times. Excuse me, you want to fly me to a beautiful cabin in the woods with some of my favorite blog friends to cook up a storm for 3 days? Uh DUH!
Last month I had the pleasure of joining some of my favorite blog friends on Fox Island for a weekend shoot which involved cooking, catching up, exploring the nearby towns, a picturesque sea view, and eating so much delicious La Brea Bakery Bread. The weekend revolved around three main meals that we each were in charge of preparing one item for: a cocktail hour, a formal dinner, and an elegant breakfast spread. Krissy and I took charge of the cocktail hour with this Roasted Grape Crostini with Chevré and Rosemary (recipe below!) and a Aubergine Spread. For dinner, Alanna made a Golden Vegetable Chickpea Minestrone, Sasha served a Fall Panzanella with Roasted Squash and Creamy Lemon Pepper Dressing, and Eva finished the evening off with a Apple Bread Pudding with Caramel Drizzle. The next morning we enjoyed Natalie’s Coconut French Toasted with Poached Apples and Pecans and Trisha’s Shashuka with Chevré and Fresh Herbs. Needless to say, we did not go hungry over that weekend.
All of the food shared one common ingredient: . All La Brea Bakery bread begins with a starter from 1989 (the same year I was born! Woah!) and each loaf takes at least 24 hours to make which means more time for complex flavors to develop. We sampled an array of delicious varieties that weekend but the Sesame Semolina Loaf was my favorite. I’m pretty excited knowing that I can even find these loaves in my smallish city because that means even more french toast is in my future!
Now onto this Roasted Grape Crostini with Chevré and Rosemary recipe. I love how effortlessly this appetizer comes together, making it a perfect option when you want to impress your guests but not go to too much trouble. I like to keep the grapes in small clusters, for a striking presentation, and then just let the guests pull off the stems if they wish. Make sure to cut the La Brea Bakery French Baguette into thick slices to allow the flavors to soak into the open, airy crumb of the loaf’s interior.
Scroll below for the recipe and scroll below that for even more photos of the weekend.
This Roasted Grape Crostini with Chevré and Rosemary recipe is the perfect accompaniment to your next cheeseboard or appetizer table.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss grape clusters in olive oil and salt and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle rosemary sprigs around the baking dish.
Roast for 20 minutes or until most of the grapes have blistered but haven't burst.
Arrange La Brea Bakery French Baguette slices in a single layer on a serving dish. Divide the cheese evenly between the slices and top each one with a small grape cluster.
Garnish with orange zest and serve right away.
More photos from the weekend and the other meals:
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This Cranberry Molasses Mulled Wine recipe is perfect for chilly winter evenings or big holiday events. Serve it with a few orange slices and fresh cranberries for a stunning presentation.
First off, I didn’t post yesterday because I was with family but I just want to say that I am so thankful for all of you here! So many of my favorite opportunities would not be possible with VV and VV would not be possible without all of you. You are the best.
And happy BLACK FRIDAY! Did you wake up at 2 AM to wait in line for that new laptop? Oh wait, I’m still living in 2001 – stores open at like 8 PM on Thanksgiving now. Or does everyone just do their Black Friday shopping online these days? I’ll admit that I’m guilty to snagging a few deals today on CB2 and West Elm for our new house (which we are closing on in ONE WEEK! eeeep!).
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This elegant looking Tapenade Tarte Soleil with Pine Nut Marscapone recipe can actually be whipped up in under an hour and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your holiday feast or cocktail party! Please note that this post was sponsored by Alessi Foods. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make VV possible.
A Tarte Soleil what with a helping of Marscapone who? Yeah – that is what your guests are going to say when you whip out this gorgeously delicious appetizer and they stare back in amazement at how sophisticated you have become. This sun-shaped puff pastry star may look super complicated but it can actually be made in under an hour and can even be prepared a few hours ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling the last few minutes before people arrive.
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This Pumpkin Farro Risotto with Roasted Winter Vegetables is a great vegetarian holiday entree option or the perfect dinner for a chilly winter evening.
DISCLAIMER: This post was sponsored by Nuts.com but all opinions are, of course, my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make VV possible.
I’m extra excited about collaborating with Nuts.com today because this post is part of their holiday Local Pantry Donation Program so all of the income I would normally be making from this will be being donated to my local pantry. They were even kind enough to send so much farro that I’ll be able to donate a few bags to my pantry as well! As if Nuts.com wasn’t already on my favorites list (how else do I get my hard to find ingredients in our small Indiana town?), this really wonderful charity initiative definitely put them up there!
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This Roasted Beet Hummus with Hazelnut Oil & Rosemary recipe is a bright snack worthy of serving to guests but simple enough to enjoy with weekday meals.
The gateway into my hummus obsession was the mediocre store bought stuff with bland flavoring (hey there, “roasted garlic”) which I would consumed by the tub in college as a meal along with some warmed up pita bread. The actual amount I consumed in those 4 years in obscenely too much and my over indulgent lead to the point where, even to this day, I can’t help but wince when smelling a certain brand I frequented during those coming-of-age years.
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This homemade Sweet and Savory Vegetarian Potato Grape and Rosemary Pizza Recipe is the perfect meat-free weeknight dinner!
Anyone else beyond excited for spring produce? I feel like a little kid anxiously waiting for their birthday that is still weeks away. The weather feels like spring and my body is begging for a crisp spring salad but my garden is still all soil. I’m trying to give winter it’s one last hurrah while I (not so) patiently wait by incorporating winter ingredients into things that my taste buds just cannot resist, no matter how much they are over winter: pizza, pasta, and well…more pizza. That brings me to this gem I’m sharing today; this Potato Grape and Rosemary pizza skips the heavy tomato sauce for a light rosemary-infused olive oil spread over a crispy crust that is then topped with thinly sliced boiled tomatoes, juicy tart grapes, savory provolone, and salty Parmesan. It’s all garnished with more rosemary, a hint of heat from red pepper flakes, and the tiniest bit of sweet from a drizzle of honey. It has a lot going on all while perfectly balancing the irresistibly addicting sweet and savory flavor we’ve all come to crave (or maybe that’s just me craving it?).
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These Healthy Cardamom Banana Bread Pancakes pack an extra punch of flavor! Perfect for a quick breakfast or lazy brunch any day of the week.
I’ve felt a bit torn lately. To be completely honest, between writing the book, traveling, freelance, keeping up with VV, building a magazine, and working at the music distro, I’ve been really busy the last few years. It hasn’t been the kind of busy I dread or hate but more a sense of feeling in my element and thriving on creating rewarding work. Despite really enjoying all of this, I did start to feel the constant stress of having a huge to-do list in my clenched jaw, my tight shoulders, and my slight weight gain (although I think I could chalk that up to a slowing metabolism as I inch closer and closer to 30). Sometime towards the end of last year, I decided I would finish up some of these projects and not book new ones. I decided to make a goal that come the new year, I would pair down my life to enjoy the “little things”. January came and went in the busy haze that I’ve become use to. But then upon returning from California last month, I’ve began trying this whole “slowing down” and enjoying the little moments.
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These Matcha & Blood Orange Tiramisu Cups are an earthy and citrus twist on the classic! This dessert is layered with creamy matcha custard and orange soaked ladyfingers.
St. Patrick’s Day is next week and I have your green dessert (that doesn’t revolve around green beer) all ready for you! Some people see holidays as an excuse to hang out with friends and drink all day long. My introvert self sees holidays as an excuse to turn up some music and hang out with myself in the kitchen cooking up a festive dish. To each their own, right?
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This Creamy Quinoa and White Bean Risotto with Crispy Brassica Florets is from The First Mess cookbook. This healthy plant-based main dish is chocked full of protein (from the quinoa and white beans) and satisfyingly creamy. A perfect cozy meal for chilly evenings or to serve to for a crowd.
Today’s recipe comes from Laura Wright’s new cookbook, The First Mess cookbook. I should warn you ahead of time that I may get a little fan girl in this post since I’ve been a huge fan of The First Mess since I got into blogging 5+ years ago. Laura has this way of making vibey plant-based recipes so flawlessly accessible that you can’t help but want to try them all. She manages to make these amazing healthy drinks and meals that feel like the perfect balance between something you’d find in a new issue of Bon Appetit and your hippie neighbor’s potion cabinet.
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This Blood Orange Sorbet with Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day or to make after a romantic dinner at home.
Let’s talk about Valentine’s Day! I’m obviously not the super cutesy, deck the house out in pink kind of person (as you can tell by my somewhat normal photos for this post). I do, despite not getting super into the spirit of it, enjoy setting aside an evening to just hang out with Wyatt. After being together for almost seven years, it’s good to have a reminder to spend some romantic time together. For the first few years, we’d cook together on Valentine’s Day. Then it turned into me cooking for him. And now we are at the point where we just get pizza from our favorite place (they make it heart shaped on Valentine’s Day) and make a dessert together. I’ve really learned to love this routine – when I cook every night, taking a break and ordering take-out feels like such a wonderful treat.
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These Healthy Vegetarian Lentil-Walnut Meatballs are the perfect meat-free meal. Serve them with spaghetti and your favorite tomato sauce for a hearty main.
Hiiii! I’ve got ANOTHER veg main for you all today (BOOYAHH – take THAT New Year’s resolution). I’ve been spending a lot of my free time this month cooking up homemade meals (hellooo irresistible chili and addictive tacos), listening to inspirational podcasts while getting my steps in (gotta please that Fitbit), and snuggling under the covers on the couch with my boxer pup and a feel-good novel. What have you been up to to curb the winter blues?
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This Blueberry Citrus Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaf is perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack. It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup and dried blueberries.
Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! You may have noticed that I kept my intro pretty short in the last post and it may not be much here either. It’s not that I don’t like sharing with you guys…there just isn’t too much to report (which is a good thing!). The January lull has set in and I’ve been spending more time reading in bed, taking long walks with podcasts and my boxer pup, and making healthy dinners for Wyatt and myself. All nourishing things that are ideal for cloudy, cold days but not necessarily the most exciting things to write about. All of this is to say that all is well over here despite the silence.
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Creamy Vegetarian White Chili recipe that is cozy and filling (with vegan option). Ideal for healthy weeknight meals or chilly afternoons.
First post of 2017 – woot woot! How are you all feeling? Refreshed? Excited? Or overwhelmed at the thought of all the things you put off at the end of 2016? I’m honestly feeling a little bit of all three. Instead of getting a head start on my taxes and working ahead on freelance projects, I’ve been spending most of my free time researching what to do / eat / see on our west coast trip next month.
I’m headed out to the west for a weekend blog retreat but it seemed silly to fly so far just for two days so Wyatt is going to meet me out there for a week of adventuring afterwards. We’ll be traveling down the coast, starting in SF, making our way through Big Sur, and then eventually ending up in LA. Knowing I want to see the ocean, cliffs, and Redwoods is the easy part – trying to figure out how to cram everything into 48 hours in LA / SF has been the trickier part…
I’m what you would call a bit of an over-planner (and really love it) so I have an Evernote going of our trip that is broken up into 4 hours segments (yup – I’m crazy, I know). Is it too crazy to plan 3 breakfasts in one day? Because the brunch scene in SF seems pretty insane according to Pinterest. Also, got any suggestions for us? Where are the best vegetarian places to eat in SF and LA? Please let me know because I don’t want to miss ANYTHING!
Okay, now back to why you came here – this Creamy Vegetarian White Chili! One of my 2017 goals is to share more vegetarian main recipes with you all and this chili fits the bill. I make this vegetarian chili recipe often in the winter and was honestly starting to fill a bit burnt out on it. Then, the other week, I came across this chicken white chili recipe and just knew I had to develop a veg version. Honestly, I didn’t even know ‘white chili’ was a thing until I saw this recipe! All the amazing flavor and spices of chili + creaminess? Sign me up! And you know what? It didn’t disappoint. Loaded with tons of nutrient-rich veggies, protein-packed beans, and flavorful spices, I can already tell this is going to become a regular in our house.
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This Pumpkin Eggnog Oatmeal recipe is an easy seven-ingredient vegetarian breakfast that takes less than ten minutes to whip up. Perfect for a healthy fall breakfast before work for to serve the whole family during the holidays.
It’s almost Christmas (less than a week away!) and if you are anything like me, it’s probably getting pretty busy in your neck of the woods. Because of that, I’m not sugar coating this recipe post with lots of ingredient photos and long winded stories about the holidays. Today’s recipe is simple and quick to keep you energized for all of your last minute tasks. While frantically running around getting last minute gifts and whipping up Christmas cookies, I seem to have forgot to buy normal everyday groceries. This recipe is the outcome of sourcing my fridge and cabinets to see what I could whip up without adventure out into the 5 degree Midwest cold.
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This simple two-ingredient Cranberry Orange Champagne Mimosa (plus garnish) cocktail is perfect for holiday parties or Christmas morning. Dress it up with an orange slice and candied rosemary or keep it simple with just the juice and champagne.
Ever since I’ve been old enough to drink (almost a decade), it’s been a holiday tradition to wake up on Christmas day to my mom preparing a simple egg bake with lattes and tall glasses of mimosa waiting for us on the counter. We lug everything into the family room with the tree and presents and enjoy while opening gifts.
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These Almond Toffee Shortbread Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie to fill out your cookie tray! Made with a hefty helping of butter, almond meal, and chocolate drizzle, these cookie bars are irresistible.
I’m in full-on unapologetic holiday mode. We put our beautiful tree up last weekend but it looks a bit lacking without any gifts under it. I poked and pryed at all the family members to TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT NOW so I can rush to get the tree filled with gifts. To keep my holiday momentum from deflating while I waited for them to respond, I pulled out the fir scented candle, my big slippers, put on my favorite jazz holiday record, and headed into the kitchen for a weekend of holiday themed baking.
I’ve been really obsessed with digging up family recipes these past few years (mostly because we have few and far between – besides the unspeakable jello mold that I refuse to write about – and I’m looking to change that). We have exactly 3 holiday family cookie recipes: 1 of which was always my favorite growing up and is made with an obscene amount of green food coloring (and basically taste like crunchy butter…in a good way), one of which is a chocolate pizza recipe that my mother always made for our teachers, and the last is these Almond Toffee Shortbread Cookies. My family makes two variations of this cookie recipe: the traditional one has you press the dough out onto a jello roll pan so that the dough is so thin that it crisps up like toffee and has nuts on top. Then there is the thicker shortbread version (which I made here) which yields a softer cookie and gets it’s toffee flavor from the toffee crumble on top. Both are delicious cookies but my loyalty is with the second version.
A vegetarian gift guide with holiday kitchen, home, fashion, and stocking stuffers ideas for the vegetarian in your life.
And here we are again – already at the last month of the year. Seriously, 2016, where in the world did you go? Last year’s vegetarian gift guide focused on cruelty-free brands and shopping locally. I, of course, included some of my favorite cruelty-free (read: doesn’t test on animals) brands again this year (vote with your money!) as well as favorite cookbooks for helping you thrive on a cruelty-free diet and a few favorites from small brands and makers.
In addition to the vegetarian gift guide, I’m so excited to also introduce a GIVEAWAY! It features a ton of the items featured in this guide! I really really appreciate you for following along with VV and want to say thank you in the form of this giveaway! I’m giving over $300 worth of gifts to one lucky reader so make sure to scroll all the way down and enter! And THANK YOU again for being a part of this community. <3
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This recipe for Rainbow Carrots and Chard is a stunningly colorful side dish perfect for the holidays or your next gathering. Colorful carrots and chard stems are blanched and then tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette for a healthy and simple recipe.
This post is part five of a six part series on Hosting a Vegetarian Thanksgiving. Please visit post one for the full menu and tips a hosting your own meat-free holiday.
WOAH, Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! Are you ready? I’m ready! To be completely honest, I’ve already been rocking my Christmas playlists (eeep – don’t tell anyone!). I’m so so so ready to take a little road trip up north to hide out on my childhood couch and catch up on a few novels (in between eating, of course). I do this thing where I get so wrapped up in my head (thank you, election + work + my over growing to-do list) that the only way for me to fully reset is to get out of my environment and travel somewhere. I’m really hoping this trip next week refreshes me in that way (and so does my clenching jaw). Hoping you all have some relaxing plans for next week as well!
Today’s post is all about celebrating the season with a Vegetarian Thanksgiving! Below you’ll find a Vegetarian Thanksgiving menu, vegetarian recipe suggestions, and tips and tricks for how to host your own meat-free dinner.
I am so freaking excited that it is officially November 1st! This means it’s finally socially acceptable for me to begin talking to you about THANKSGIVING (sorry non-US readers as this post will be very helpful for you…)! I’m extra excited this year because I’ve spent the past few weeks working on a Vegetarian Thanksgiving menu for you. Inspired by several tabletop pieces sent to me by Bomisch, a rad home goods store run by a fellow veg head, this SIX part Vegetarian Thanksgiving series will be rolled out over the next three weeks.
