I was away all weekend (and yesterday) in D.C., celebrating my best friend’s birthday. Admittedly, I get nervous anytime I’m “unplugged.” I’m convinced something is going to happen in my absence — and often it does. For example, my domain, like clockwork, chooses to crash when I’m “unavailable” to fix it, or I get coverage on some big website when I’m on vacation.

So really, it should be no surprise that I missed a big Internet “to do” yesterday. I’m …

I really shouldn't accept cookbooks for review anymore. They end up sitting in a pile for weeks, if not months, on end, making me feel guilty. (Sorry publishers!!)

I made the Spicy Black Beans from this book, only I added tomatoes and corn because I didn't have enough black beans (and I thought they sounded like a nice addition). I served the beans over steamed kale and true to the book's title, it came together quickly -- about 7 minutes …

Top 10 Tuesday: Recipes from the Pantry

Every so often I like to "cook from my pantry." My pantry (which you can see in this video) is very small so there's no room for excess. I keep control over the situation by cooking from my pantry--which also helps keep my grocery bill down, too. Plus, pantry meals are great when your fridge looks pretty empty. 

Here are my 10 favorite "pantry meals" :

1. Chickpea …

Friday was my birthday and in a full-circle like fashion, my 28th year closed with my cookbook going off to the printer. Here is the final cover:

I also celebrated my birthday on Saturday with friends...many of whom I met through Happy Herbivore Meetups!

(yes, those are Doritos and yes they are vegan. Healthy? no. Vegan? yes!)

I love cooking seasonally, esp. during the Fall months when so many of my favorite foods to cook with (pumpkins, butternut squash, acorn squash, apples and cranberries) are readily available and inexpensive.

Last week a bag of local apples was just $2 at the grocery store. I couldn't help myself and picked up two overflowing bags. Of course, when Scott saw all of the apples in our cart, he asked if I was planning to make an apple pie. …