I cannot believe that next week is Thanksgiving. How?! When?! Can someone please explain this to me?! My new cookbook, The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, was released at the end of last month and I've been busy book-touring and yoga instructing, so things have been absolutely flying by around here! Before we know it, it's going to be CHRISTMAS. But not so fast - for now, we've still got a Thanksgiving dinner to plan for, and I've got you covered. I've rounded up 33 of my best, Thanksgiving-worthy dishes that're totally vegan and good enough to impress your (or my) cranky grandma. Dishes like my Cranberry Apple Walnut Stuffing, Garam Masala Roasted Acorn Squash, and Purple Sweet Potato Pie Bars are sure to please everyone at your table this year!

​I'm thankful for everyone that's on this journey with me: whether you're here because you're vegan, trying to eat a little healthier, or just stumbled across the page this morning - I'm happy you're here. Now, get your stretchy jeans ready and let's get cookin'!

• Winter Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Persimmon, Pomegranate + Cranberry Vinaigrette 
• Lemon + Miso Cranberry Sauce
• Creamy Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes 

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• Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup 
• Homemade Tofurky
• Squash + Celeriac Quinoa Stuffing

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• Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
• Maple Pecan Blondies
• Pear & Almond Tart

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It's official guys - I missed National Donut Day yesterday. Whoops! This week had been so busy, it flew right by me yesterday until late last night as I was scrolling through instagram and realizing a real, round, dole-shaped pattern. And that's when I realized! Now I'm home, late on a Friday night while my husband works, whipping up a batch of baked donuts topped in a sweet, simple glaze so we can celebrate. Because let's be honest - I'll use any excuse to whip up a batch of donuts, but this day makes it a must! Since it's the weekend, it's almost a better time to make donut. You can sleep in, whip up the batter, bake while you face mask and catch up on Netflix, then munch on fresh baked donuts for the rest of the afternoon! That's basically my perfect Saturday, guys. Scroll down for the recipes - and let me know how you plan to spend you Nat'l Donut Day re-do tomorrow. I may just have to make another batch of donuts...🍩 P.S. The beautiful donuts above are from our wedding - read more about that here and here!

Blood Orange Glazed Donuts
Sometimes I'm more of a glaze person than a sugared person, so I whipped up this batch of healthier baked donuts and covered them in sweet, seasonal blood orange glaze and OH, guys! The blood oranges gave the glaze a really lovely pink color and a light citrus taste that is next level when paired with the light cakes texture of the donut itself. Plus, the added flax means you can have two (or three...) instead of just one, because flax makes everything healthier, right? Seriously, these donuts come together from start to finish in about a half an hour and save pretty well for next day consumption, too. Let's bake, babes!

This post is sponsored by So Delicious and all opinions are my own. 

Good morning, guys! We’re off to a slow start over here this morning but have a busy day ahead. A planned yoga photoshoot with my favorite photographer on a trail I’ve never hiked before - should be exciting! But first, we’re slowing it down, enjoying the morning, and making a refreshing morning matcha with my new favorite nut milk. Now before I sell you on why this new crafted nut milk makes my morning matcha taste better, let me tell you why I normally avoid store bought nut milks: they’re packed with weird, unpronounceable ingredients and they taste funny. Not good funny, but a little weird funny. Like whatever the bottle is made of, or whatever weird stabilizers they added to the milk to make it shelf stable. Ick.

Lucky for us, food trends keep driving toward cleaner labels and simpler ingredients, and bigger brands with more influence are catching on, too. We’ve become a society that prefers to know where it’s food comes from - and I LOVE that. Even luckier for us, So Delicious Dairy Free is getting in on the clean label game with their brand new 7-ingredient or less Organic Almondmilk with Cashew! It comes in 3 styles - Original, Vanilla and Unsweetened, and all contain quite literally 7 (or less!) super clean, purposeful ingredients and ZERO carrageenan. To paint you a clearer picture, here’s what’s inside the vanilla: organic almondmilk (filtered water, organic almonds), organic cane sugar, organic cashews, sea salt, gellan gum, real vanilla extract. I mean DANG! It doesn’t get much more pronounceable than that, am I right?! These super simple, clean ingredients mean it needs to be refrigerated to stay fresh, so look for their stylish new designs in the refrigerated milk section of your grocery store.

Find So Delicious Dairy Free NEW Organic Almondmilk with Cashew at stores nationwide - head to their website to find a store locator and sign up to receive exclusive product coupons! And let me know in the comments below what YOUR favorite morning drink to get your day started is - I know I can't be the only matcha fan around here, and I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy it. Thanks friends!

Watch the video below and scroll all the way down for the written recipe and a printable PDF, too. Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments below - would love to hear about your favorite muffin flavor combos!

Expo West came and went this weekend and boy - it was NUTS! I have worked the event with Ozery Bakery as a chef for the last two years, so I haven't had to worry about perusing the halls as a blogger - which is a huge stress reliever. It's hard to make contact with brands and can be overwhelming dealing with the crowds, but I also love seeing all my foodie friends and finding the newest and most exciting plant-based products at the show.

Since I was stuck in my booth most of the weekend, I made it a point to connect with some of my favorite brands when I had time - and Daiya was one of the brands I was most excited to check out. They make comfy, crave-able, totally vegan foods that are also free of dairy, gluten and soy! Now found in over 25,000 grocery stores over the US and Canada, they are leading the charge is making dairy-free cheese accessible to everyone. And I LOVE that! This year they're introducing a bunch of new products that I am super stoked to share with you guys - there's literally something for everyone! A Meatless Meat Lover's Pizza with vegan sausage and pepperoni, Yogurt Duets - creamy yogurts with lids full of sweet and crunchy toppings, Savory Burritos (in four flavors!), plus a few extra goodies I didn't expect to see including cheese sticks and new frozen desserts! 

I made my way all around Daiya's big, bright green booth and had as many samples as I could - they were all so GOOD! Since I can only show you and not share with you (yet!), I wanted to give you a breakdown of all my faves from the show so you know what to expect when they come out. You should start seeing these goodies by summertime!

​Meatless Meat Lover’s Pizza
The first-ever plant-based meat lover’s pizza, Daiya Meatless Meat Lover’s Pizza is a better-for-you, dairy-free pizza crafted with meatless sausage and pepperoni, Daiya’s signature melty shredded cheeze, and zesty sauce atop a newly improved artisan gluten-free crust! Unlike its traditional counterpart, Daiya Meatless Meat Lover’s Pizza is entirely plant-based and free of dairy, gluten and soy, making it a swapworthy alternative for those with dietary restrictions or looking to live a healthier lifestyle. Plus it tastes SUPER good - a little spicy and crunchy, it's the perfect Friday night-in dinner alongside a movie! Perfect with kombucha or a glass of wine.

Yogurt Duets
Daiya Duets are the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy, each containing 5-6 grams of plant-based protein per serving. The clever duel packaging keeps the toppings crisp until joined with the velvety coconut cream yogurt, which only enhances your yogurt-eating experience. Duets come in flavors including Chocolate Coconut, Key Lime Crumble, Cranberry Harvest, and Salted Caramel Crunch. YUM! 

Savory Burritos
Daiya just added savory burritos to its line of plant-based comfort foods, each packing a hearty 8 grams of protein and perfect for late-night snacking, on-the-go lunches or to simply satisfy a burrito craving! The new Daiya Burritos are free of dairy, gluten and soy and come in four varieties: Traditional, Tuscan, Chipotle, and Aztec. I LOVED the flavors in the spicy Santa Fe, but also tried the white bean-filled Tex Mex at the show and it was really great, too. These will definitely be a product we keep the freezer stocked with!

Cheese Sticks 
The are going to be a MAJOR hit with all the Mom's out there! These portable, lunch-friendly snacking sticks are great for kiddos who are dairy-intolerant, allergic, or simply need to eat more plant-based foods. They're an easy swap that taste so good, kids won't miss the old stuff. And they're available in two flavors - mozzarella and cheddar! 

Frozen Desserts
Pretty sure these are also going to be available in 4 flavors! I tried the chocolate coated vanilla bar, but also saw chocolate and expresso ice cream versions with fudge crunch coating on the outside. UPDATE! The official flavors are as follows:

-Chocolate Fudge Crunch—This decadent chocolate dessert bar with a deep fudgy swirl is dipped in rich fair trade dark chocolate and finished with crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds.
-Classic Vanilla Bean— Rich and creamy, this classic vanilla dessert bar is dipped in rich fair trade dark chocolate and finished to perfection with a semisweet chocolate drizzle.
-Salted Caramel Swirl—Rich and velvety smooth, this vanilla dessert bar is swirled with a salted caramel ribbon throughout and dipped in semisweet chocolate and finished with a dark chocolate drizzle.
-Espresso Coffee—Bold and smooth Arabica coffee is blended in a dessert bar, and dipped in rich and velvety fair trade dark chocolate.

These seemed to be the hit around the time I got there, late afternoon after the lunch rush. The perfect dessert - everyone around me agreed! Sweet, satisfying, and dairy-free. Basically a dream! 

For more information about Daiya, please visit www.daiyafoods.com, become a fan on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the release of these awesome new products! And please do let me know when you start seeing them in stores - its always nice to know where they start popping up so I can find them for myself. I found the Meatless Meat Lover's Pizza this very morning in our local Sprouts Market! Keep an eye open this weekend for a post of our other favorite finds from Expo West this year, and make sure to look back on our fave products from 2015 + 2016, too!

This anti-inflammatory, healthy fats-rich smoothie is packed with iron, nutrients and hidden greens - and tastes AMAZING! It's become one of my favorites in the morning - and you'd never know how GOOD it is for you! Get the full recipe below or head to our YouTube page for more. Enjoy!

Anti-Inflammatory Avocado Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups non-dairy milk
1 cup frozen mango
1 frozen banana
1 cup ice
a few drops of vanilla stevia, to taste (optional)

Directions:
Blend it all together in a high speed bender until smooth. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Veestro is a plant-based, organic meal delivery service that offers meal packs, juice cleanses and  dishes a la carte on it's website. We've tried and loved their Wedding Prep pack, which comes with lunch and dinner for 30 days, for either one or two people. We tried just a 5-day version, but it was so nice to have the option of NOT cooking the week of our wedding! All of the meals are clearly labeled, so I was easily able to avoid the dishes with soy, and the offer gluten-free dishes as well. This time of year Veestro is back with an awesome new batch of Limited-Edition Holiday meals available through the end of this year! They have a NEW Turkey Scallopini with Sweet Potato Mash, Cauliflower Milanese with Green Beans, and Herbed Crusted Turk'y with Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce - plus Baked Mac n Cheese Dinner and a slice of Pecan Pie.

The meals are actually quite affordable, about $6-$12 per dish, and a decent sized portion at that. The meals are shipped on dry ice straight from the prep kitchen here in Southern California. I loved that they came frozen because it gives us the option of picking and choosing meals when we're ready to eat them. Most of the meals are baked straight from frozen, literally eliminating any meal prep work. And, all of the packaging was either recyclable or compostable and totally BPA-free.

If you've hung out here for awhile, you know I love making my own Holiday gifts AND things that save me time and money. I'm a girl who loves a good deal! We've made a couple fun Holiday crafts on the site (see our Homemade Cookies in a Jar, Thanksgiving Centerpieces + 2-Ingredient Christmas Ornaments), but today we're talking about infusing your own oils at home, how to use them for yourself and friends, and the incredible new machine that helps you do it more easily than ever before. I'm obsessed! 

When I first heard about the LEVO Oil machine I was totally intrigued; a machine that allowed you to create any custom infused oil, at home, with all the conveniences of a countertop coffee pod maker - but easier, cleaner, and sleeker than any other model on the market. Now maybe you're thinking "What kind of infusions could I possibly make?" And friends - the list is so, so long. As a yoga instructor I see value in this machine beyond food infusions, as a tool to help me create my own custom massage oils for practice and teaching. As someone with a love for cooking, I see unlimited infusion possibilities. Everything from garlic-infused olive oil and vanilla-infused vodka to cannabis-infused coconut oil and cinnamon-infused maple syrup. If you can cook with it, you can infuse it! The machine uses controlled heat and time are used to transfer the flavor, scent, color, and nutrients from a variety of ingredients into the carrier of your choice. The possibilities are nearly endless!

If you've done your own infusions before, you know that process is often time consuming, messy, and often fills your house with whatever smell you're cooking with for DAYS - which can sometimes be fine (think vanilla) and can sometimes be a problem (think marijuana). The old method often involved using a crock pot to keep a low, constant heat for hours or days until the desired infusion was reached. It took too long and was inconsistent. Plus, you had to have a crock pot! Then you were stuck making large batches just to make all of the work worth it, and you still had to strain the cloves or flowers or herbs from your oil once you were done. With the LEVO, it couldn't be easier! When you pull the machine from the box one of the first things you'll notice is just how sleek and counter-friendly the design of this machine is. It's no bigger than your standard Keurig, with a digital, touch-responsive keypad for adjusting everything from the power and lock buttons to the time and temperature of your infusion. The parts are all easily removed and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning, which is always a plus. The machine comes with a a small pod for fitting your infusing item - flower, herb, nut, fruit or root - and a small herb press for packing the herb (what we used) into the pod. Since their release, LEVO has since released a larger, double-sized pod for heavier infusions and a silicon pod press for pressing the last of the oil from your pod post-infusion (both items available on their website).

We've used the LEVO several times now, and the process is incredibly simple. Simply pack the metal mesh pod with your herb of choice - we used marijuana for the infusion in these photos. How much will depend on your personal preference, but for this particular infusion we used 2 grams of Utopia Farms C. Banana Strain Cannabis Flowers infused into 1 cup of Primal Kitchen Extra Virgin Avocado Oil. The flowers contain about 25%-30% THC. This combination means that for every tablespoon of oil, there should be about 36 mg of THC. Good to know if you're dosing! If you're using something like garlic or lavender flowers to infuse, it becomes more about how potent you want the flavor and smell to be and less about dosage.

LEVO Oil has made the infusion process one of ease, and this chef totally approves. I can see endless possibilities for what we'll make with the LEVO, and have plans for lots of homemade Holiday gifts using the machine. We love the people behind the company, who very much believe in knowing what you're putting into your body and supporting consumers so that they can be self-sufficient and successful. Interested in how you can play with the LEVO Oil? Check out their website for more info + to shop their NEW colors! And don't forget - use code GOODSAINT to get $10 off your LEVO infuser!

Want to learn more about cooking with infused oils? Click the link below to download a simple Thanksgiving recipe that'll have you celebrating Danksgiving, instead! (Don't worry - it's a very small dose. And if you like, you can always just make the most delicious garlic-infused butter or ghee instead.) Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay guys, it took me 4 1/2 months BUT our Amsterdam Travel Diary is finally here! After our wedding, we spent the weekend recovering and packing and then left bright and early Tuesday morning for LAX where we boarded our the first leg of our flight to Reykjavic, Iceland and then over to Amsterdam for the first 5 days (technically 4 - we didn't get to our AirBNB until like 10 pm on the first night) of our 14 day honeymoon. When we first stepped off the train we were right downtown, just outside the Amsterdam Centraal Station. The sun was just beginning to set low in the sky - they're on about 20 hours of daylight over there in late June. We found our way to our AirBNB, not far from downtown but worth jumping on the metro. We checked in - our host was awesome and even had warm beer waiting for us - which apparently is how they prefer to drink beer in Europe. I had no idea...and my Dad is a US beer company executive! 😝

Since the sun wasn't due to set until around midnight, we were wide awake when we hit the AirBNB. Plus, we were just SUPER excited to be in Amsterdam! We used the HappyCow app a couple times during our trip to find vegan food, but mostly just used the incredible lost of recommendations you guys sent us on social media. I collected them all on a list and then starred all the places on Google Maps, so that as we were walking around cities I could see how close we were to our recommended places at all time! PRO TIP: You can download maps for offline use on Google Maps, so before our trip I downloaded maps for all of the cities we were visiting (Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and London) and then used them offline and without burning up data overseas while we walked and traveled through the cities. Since your GPS works without needing data, you'll even see where YOU are on the maps. Very convenient!

Because of my soy and dairy allergy and dietary restrictions, we ended up eating a LOT of bread. This was no problem since I LOVE bread, but I did start craving fresh veggies at every meal pretty hard early on into our trip. Luckily for Alex, a baguette a day is literally what he wishes he could eat everyday. Luckily for me, we walked 11 more miles on day two, so I could deal with the bread intake. And of course the freshly baked bread from real neighborhood bakeries was SO much more satisfying than the grocery store crap we have here in the States. That said, we were super excited to find Maoz Vegetarian (last picture in this post), basically the Chipotle of falafel in Europe. It was so convenient and easy to make your own pita pocket stuffed with things you actually liked, and nearly everything was soy-free. Score! 

The 2nd night in town we ventured over to the famed Red Light District, or De Wallen. We found it near the Hash, Marijuana + Hemp Museum, among other coffee shops, boutiques, cheese counters and tourist trinket shops. It sure was something! The dark, thin alleyways were lit up so that you could see them before you arrived. After turning down the alley you are immediately greeted on both sides by matching glass doors, spanning the length of the alleyways. Each has a woman in the window, usually wearing a small amount of lingerie or waggling her finger at you as you pass by. It's kind of crazy to see, but in a country with legal prostitution and brothels, its certainly not out of the ordinary. Rumor has it that the woman are actually generally quite respected and have close relationships with city police. We saw that in action, with friendly ladies chatting up the local police patrolling the area, offering them a drink or letting them in to chat. It was a very professional way of doing things, really, and was wonderful to see the women so in charge of their space and presumably their bodies. As a couple we were smiled at a lot but I think they generally knew we were tourists just talking a look; we did see a few people enter the rooms and quickly shut the door behind them, but for the most part, everyone around were curious tourists, too. We even found a few tobacco-free joints in that area, and enjoyed those for the rest of our stay in the area.  ​

On day four we walked all over the city one last time, hitting up all of the favorite spots we'd accrued over the previous 3 days. We went all the way across town on foot to get to Dophert, a restaurant we'd heard literally rave reviews about. It was pretty good, and a super cute spot - plus the staff was incredibly friendly. That said, like most of the places we visited on our trip, the soy-free options were abysmal, and the portions were pretty small. But Alex really liked his Fried Seitan Sandwich, and we ended up loving walking around that part of the city, so it was totally worth the visit. I even found and made Alex take my picture in front of 'St. Peterhalsteeg' street sign! We finished off our last day walking the canals and stopping by the Vegabond vegan grocer. They didn't have a ton of options for on-the-go eating, but had some great groceries to take back to the AirBNB and a quality selection of kombucha, too. That night we hit up Mezebar Bodrum one more time and crashed hard, and were up early the next day for our train trip to Brussels! Hopefully I'll get it together and have THAT travel diary up next week! 😝 Until then, check out the resources below to help plan your trip, and check out our IG posts from the trip for more on what we ate + saw, and make sure to visit our youtube channel to watch the video recaps of our Amsterdam trip here. Vaarwel!

IG Photo Links:
First Morning
#IAMsterdam
Maoz
​Locals
De Foodhallen

Helpful Sources:
Ask the locals! Seriously - they know.
http://www.veganamsterdam.org
Happycow App