Amber Eats Veg Presents: This Vegan Lyfe

This year for FEaster, VegFam really threw down on some grub. One of my favorite little treats (yes, I only have it around once a year) is pesto. I consider pesto such a treat because we aren't overly sweet on the pastas in this family. Don't get me wrong I love the pastas; they rev my engine, but they don't belong in my kitchen.


So here's a short post for all of you who, like me, don't want to eat noodles every night in order to enjoy made-from-scratch pesto. I started with the simple pesto recipe that follows this babbling... I ended up trying all these other ways to enjoy my batch of pesto...those ideas follow just after the simple pesto recipe and this babbling.

Try some of these out next time you've got some pesto just chillin' in the fridge.



Pesto2 c fresh basil 1 c baby spinach 3-4 cloves garlic 1/4 c walnuts 4 oz vegan cream cheese 2 tbsp water 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste Throw all ingredients in to your food processor and let her ri…

You can take the gal out of the South, but you sure can't take the South out of the gal. I do love my Southern roots and the delicious, fatty foods that nourish them.

     Let it be known that vegan doesn't equal healthy. I am recovering junk food addict and dishes like this only come in moderation, or in this case, after a holiday feast.

     I'm not used to having much leftovers in the fridge. VegKid and I make no bones about licking our plates clean, but even after 8 servings of creamed corn were feasted on by all, I was left with a crockpot full of creamed corn. Being a Southern belle and all, my natural reaction was to make corn pudding or casserole. Since VegKid was in like sin, here it goes:


Proceed with caution: this dish is anything, but healthy.

4 c creamed corn
1 c of all-purpose flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
2/3 c sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
Egg replacer, 2 egg equivalent
1/2 c vegan butter, melted
1 c daiya shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 deg…

Any excuse I have to make a feast, I take full advantage of, and holidays are the perfect time to really throw down in the kitch. Don't get me wrong, I love Easter and what it represents but it's always about the food and the time spent with the fam. This Easter, VegKid and I, participated in an egg hunt after Easter Service and immediately went home to throw on our aprons. As you can see above, she loves to help. This is great for me because she likes to do all the stuff I am not so fond of; for instance, she tailed all of the green beans for dinner. AWESOME!

First the appetizer: Chickpea Spinach Tapenade out of The Sexy Vegan. It was more than delicious. 
Second: Grilled Hearts of Palm Salad; also from The Sexy Vegan.
I had some non VegHeads to entertain as well so I through in some (oddly placed) dishes I knew they would find friendly: Creamed Corn (recipe below) and Southern Style Green Beans. The creamed corn was amazing and fattening; a special occasions dish for m…

This dish was inspired by my hetero-life partner, HippieMom. One night while vacationing in Phoenix, HippieMom and I were kicking around ideas for dinner and sweet potato chili fries was tossed in to the mix. Although it didn't make the cut, the idea never really left my head, and thus this super-healthy, uber-delicious ensemble came to fruition.


If you love black beans and want to try something new: click here





4 yams or sweet potatoes
2 oranges
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cans black beans, drained
2 diced tomatoes in juice
Handful of spinach finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 and bake those yams until they are tender.Meanwhile, grate enough orange peel to measure a tablespoon and then juice your oranges.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; saute for around 5 minutes, and then mix in the garlic and spices. Add the beans, tomatoes, and half of the orange juice. Simmer over me…

Every once in a blue moon a life altering event happens, and it changes your entire perspective...this curry is one of those events.

While visiting my hetero-life partner and her family in Phoenix, I learned two things: 1) they had never had curry, and 2) BabyBoy was showing symptoms of the awful syndrome of "picky eating." These shocking discoveries led me to this beautiful and complex tasting (yet simple to assemble) curry, which is baby approved; in fact, I believe he had seconds!

This meal is very high in iron, high in manganese, and high in vitamin A. So what?  Iron helps the blood cells and muscles to carry and hold oxygen and then release it when needed. It's essential to make enzymes, and manganese is a mineral that keeps many of those enzymes working. Vitamin A is needed for normal vision, immunity, growth and reproduction. That's what!

I encourage you to get all up in this, take a bath in it, and put a ring on this curry.

1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp red curry p…