The Hopeful Herbivore

Vegan gravy? Yes, indeed. Growing up, I was addicted to dipping bread in gravy. Of course, it was usually in some canned beef stew; that now reminds me far too much of canned dog food. Seriously, mother. What were you thinking? So, when I went vegetarian, my days of eating gravy were gone.. or so I thought. When planning to cook a vegan Thanksgiving, I started contemplating a vegan gravy. What could have a satisfying, creamy taste that is dip worthy? That my mashed potatoes would love to lay in? I started looking online, and mostly, I found mushroom gravies. Which is fine.. except I hate mushrooms. But you easily could use mushrooms in this instead of onions, if you prefer; or a 50/50 mix even. And don't worry about this being too "oniony." Caramelizing the onions first, makes them more sweet than pungent. Gravy Ingredients: 3 tablespoons of Earth Balance (or vegan margarine) 1 medium yellow onion, cut into strips 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1

  This recipe satisfies every craving; from sweet, to salty, to spicy. It's actually a common food truck snack in Mexico. I know that mangos can be a pain sometimes. Don't worry about making perfect cubes or strips. Any mango shrapnel will work ;) Ingredients: 2 mangos (any kind, yellow pictured) 1 tbsp raw cane sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp chili powder pinch of cayenne juice from 1/2 lime zest from 1/2 lime Begin by placing all dry ingredients into a small bowl. Then add zest from half a lime. Then squeeze juice from lime into a separate bowl or spritzer. Cut mango in half, around the pit. (in a similar fashion to an avocado) Twist to separate both halves. Remove pit. Cut mango into strips, then cut peel away. Again, don't worry if this doesn't go smoothly. Any small chunks or pieces of mango will work. Either spritz lime juice onto mango pieces, or dredge each one in bowl of lime juice. If dredging, place in a colander for a few minutes, or yo

Spring is here. Which means, so are all those allergies. If you've just come to accept that spring (and sometimes fall) will be a constant torture of sneezing, itchy eyes, and sore throat.. perhaps you should consider cutting out dairy. I know, I know. You're shocked that a vegan-endorsing site is suggesting you cut out dairy.. But truly, it could help your allergies. Allow me to explain. I came onto this topic because my husband had severe allergies. Cats, pollen, soybean dust (he grew up farming, and still helps from time to time), etc. Since he's cut out dairy, almost a year ago now, he's had no seasonal/pollen-type allergies. We haven't had the chance to throw him into a room full of cats, but I'll keep you posted. What you may not know (most people don't) is that over 60% of our adult population is actually lactose intolerant . That's because we stop producing lactase (that breaks down lactose) after infancy. Obviously, some are more into