Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I hope you’re staying out of trouble today, lol. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out yesterday’s Fail-Proof Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Buttercream and 20 Weeks pregnancy update posts.
It’s time again for the next installment of Friday FAQs! (You can check out previous weeks’ posts here: Week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4.) Keep those questions coming by leaving blog or social media comments! I love hearing from you guys. Also, a big thanks to those of you who left such great suggestions last week, camping tips and otherwise!
Q1: Hi there—this Endurance Cracker recipe looks amazing! Just wondering what a good substitute for garlic would be (can’t eat garlic as it gives me stomach pains…long-time IBS).
A: Hi Anna, You could simply omit the garlic, or if you still want that extra oomph, try adding a sprinkling of your favourite herb(s), spices, or even a bit of shaved onion. The sky’s the limit when customizing these crackers!
Q2: Hi Angela, I plan on freezing your Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Red Quinoa Soup. The recipe says to wait until just before serving to add the cooked quinoa, beans, and cayenne. Do you think I can throw that in the soup before freezing it? Or should I wait until it thaws and I’m ready to serve?
A: Hi Victoria, Feel free to cook the soup in full, and then freeze. You’ll have a nice, ready-made meal that thaws and reheats beautifully!
Q3: I want the recipe for your wheat grass latte! :) You’ve had it on Snapchat lately and I’m getting jealous. What wheatgrass and matcha do you use?
A: Hey Noël, I’ve had a lot of requests for this recipe to be featured on the blog! Stay tuned because I’m going to feature it soon. As for matcha green tea powder, I use this Do Matcha brand, and as for frozen wheatgrass juice I love Evergreen brand.
Q4: Hello there, I was wondering if you had any issues with storing the kale chips after it has been cooked? Does it get soggy when it’s in a bag for a few hours?
A: Hi Kayla, To be honest, kale chips are best served and eaten right away—they don’t seem to retain their crispiness very well no matter how I’ve stored them. I like to leave the batch on the pan and snack on them throughout the afternoon or evening. If you do store them, you can try reheating leftovers in the oven to crisp them back up. (I would try about 5 to 7 minutes at 300F, then let them crisp up on the pan for a few minutes more.) If you give it a try, I hope that helps!
Q5: Quick question about the new book and your app (I just bought the app): Do you have any plans to provide nutrition info for the recipes in your new book? Also, do you have any plans to add a “search ingredient” feature to the app?
A: Hi Sharon, I’m so happy to let you know that I’ll be providing the nutritional information for the recipes in my new cookbook (the nutritional info will be found on my blog). Regarding the app, you can definitely search by ingredient. Simply tap the search icon (the magnifying glass) at the top of the app and when the search bar pops up, type the ingredient you’re looking for (such as “avocado”). All recipes including avocado will all pop up! It’s quite handy. (Just make sure that your previous search has been cleared.) I hope this helps and thank you so much for your support!
Comments of the week:
“Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I tried making these pumpkin goodies and absolutely loved them! I became vegan about 3 weeks ago in efforts to eat healthier, and the transition has not been easy. Recipes like this have enabled me to make the transition much swifter. Learning how to be vegan has impacted me in both nutrition and personality, as overall I have become happier and more energetic! Sincerely, Janeen”
Janeen, I’m honoured to be a part of your journey! Thanks for sharing your story as I’m sure it’ll inspire many others.
“Hi Angela, I’ve only discovered your website a few months ago, but since then I bought your cookbook, your app, and tried every single recipe that I could. I must say that finding you is life changing. It also encouraged me to go from vegetarian to vegan, by seeing all those amazingly tasty and simple recipes. Even my mother, who hates to cook and is a BIG milk lover, has downloaded your app and tries some of your recipes. Also, all you have shared on your blog, tips and knowledge, helps me to help my dad who has high cholesterol. Thank you for putting so much effort in making those recipes a success. I’m happy to have a talented cook from Ontario (like me). {btw: I bought those Mary’s crackers after I saw you eating some and now I’m ADDICTED! Hummus is my favorite food ever!}”
Hi Anne-Sophie, It means a lot to know that my blog and recipes have played such a positive role in your life! And all the better that your mom and dad are reaping the benefits, too. Thanks for your support and happy cooking!
“Just made these No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookies—while reheating pizza. So easy! And so tasty! This recipe was posted the day my daughter was born. And it’s the first recipe I made. It’ll be a regular for sure. Perfect new mom snack.”
Congrats on your new baby girl, Mary! I’m so glad this easy treat came at the right time. I can’t think of anything better than fudgy chocolate for a new mama. ;)
Living these Friday posts! Didn’t even realize it was Friday the 13th…ha! Have an awesome weekend!!!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying them! I hope you have an awesome weekend too :)
Hi Angela, love these Friday FAQs!
I’d have the following question: I’m so excited for your second cookbook, can’t wait! When is the expected release date? And also, will it contain an ingredient index? I really hope, so as I sorely miss those if a cookbook doesn’t contain them, as they make recipe searching very hard.
Have a lovely weekend :-)
So happy to hear you will be including nutritional info in your next cookbook! I just made your burrito bowls this week and my family and I devoured them.
Hello Angela~ Thanks for keeping the awesome recipes coming! I love your cookbook, as well as your blog, and have tried many of your recipes with fantastic results! Do you have a good recipe for a vanilla cake/cupcakes? We love your chocolate cake and frosting from the cookbook but I need a good vegan vanilla cake to make as well. All the best to you and your family and can’t wait to hear about the new addition after he/she is born. Take care.
Hi Suzanne, Vegan vanilla cake has a bit of a sore spot in my test kitchen! I’ve tried countless vegan vanilla cake recipes (and I mean countless) and they’ve all had a slight gumminess to them. There’s something about using cocoa powder (as in the chocolate cupcakes) that reacts with the baking soda and makes them so light and fluffy. I have not been able to achieve this same result with vanilla cupcakes! I won’t give up though. :)
Thanks so much for the reply Angela! I had a feeling that might be the case because I have also tried a couple recipes of vegan vanilla cake on my own and they weren’t very good. I guess we just have to stick with chocolate- not a problem for my family!! I hope you had a happy birthday!
I made the no bake chocolate fudge cookies last night and we have been devouring them. I was short on maple syrup so I added a bit of brown rice syrup and they turned out great! Thanks again for another awesome recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Alaina! It’s great to hear the brown rice syrup was a successful substitution for the full measure of maple syrup – thanks for sharing. :)
Hi Angela,
I rarely post but have been following your blog since 2010. I absolutely love your Friday Faq’s – what a great idea! I’ve decided to take the leap and start blogging. I also wanted to say that when I read the comment of the week about you not posting as much unfortunately I had to agree. I feel like you really took that comment to heart (or maybe because you are feeling better pregnancy wise) but I am so glad to see pregnancy updates and more posts! I know you are super busy and have a lot going on . I have a 9 month old myself and I get it. I think followers get upset just because we like you so much! I love coming to your blog and reading about what’s going on in your life. Anyway just wanted to say glad you are better and I’m looking forward to continue following your blog! I can’t wait until you come out with an app for android. Thanks for all that you do!
Hi Angela! This is weird contacting my “blog idol” for the first time! How exciting! I do have a question but it isn’t recipe focused, its more of a blogging question. Are those allowed?! After several years of putting off recipe blogging (despite wanting to but being so intimidated by it), I decided to go for it and start my own recipe blog. Your posts are so well written and you do a great job at updating us about your life without sounding arrogant, self centered, or cocky. I feel that every time I write a post I sound the way I just mentioned. Perhaps it just comes naturally to you, but I thought I would ask if you have any tips/suggestions!? Anyways, I’ve been a long time follower of yours (you helped me transition to a vegan lifestyle going on 4 years ago now!) and I wanted your advice! Thanks so much.
We love the Endurance Crackers at our house, too. I make them often with the children in my daycare (give them some Endurance Cracker dough and a rolling pin and they are happy campers for ages!) Adding the seeds to the bowl and taste testing them is a fave part of the activity, too.
Sometimes we shake it up by omitting the garlic and savoury spices and adding a bit of pure maple syrup and cinnamon for a sweet treat, they taste miraculous with the roasted maple cinnamon almobd butter from your book and app! Thank you for these delish recipes :)
I love the idea of mini-posts (bite sized, if you will…sorry, Canadians are horrible with puns!) but I wonder how you will find time and organization with all you are doing! Instagram, snapchat, facebook, app, recipe developing, blog posts…phew…and that’s just work stuff!
Just finished reading Fridays FAQ’s and someone asked about storing Kale Chips, try putting them in a very tightly sealed container (one of those air pump ones are good, sucks the air out) and keep in the fridge. It will stay crispy for a few days at least.
Hi! I’m such a fan of your site. Can you post a link to the recipe of the cover photo (green soup with potato topping – looks SO yummy!) Thank you so much!
Just wanted to add my $0.02 about storing kale chips. I’ve had the best luck with just leaving them out in the open in a bowl or something. Just like baked goods will dry out more quickly if you leave them exposed to the open air, your kale chips will stay drier that way, too.
Hi, Angela! First off, congratulations on the new baby! (I’ve been job and apt hunting – plus I hate my apt so much I usually don’t even cook! – so I just “resurfaced” and saw this!) Second, I made a variation on your spicy lentil soup last week and am happy to report that I have finally made something that came out “soup” instead of lentils and water! Third, the sweet potato soup posted in the Q&A here sounds amazing – and it’s still cool enough in the NY/NJ area to try it! (I almost got a job in Phoenix…almost…so this soup will help with the “cold” reality. ?) I can’t wait to try the other tasty delights you regularly post here. Best wishes!
I store my kale chips in a vacuum sealed container I bought off amazon and I love it. It preserves the crispiness for up to several days to a week (my family eats them all by then! so I haven’t had the chance to see if theyll last loger)
The brand is: Osaka Vacuum Sealed Canister.
heres a link: http://www.amazon.com/Osaka-Canister-Stainless-Container-Tempozan/dp/B01CZ0HBIQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1463260225&sr=1-1&keywords=Osaka+Vacuum+Sealed+Canister.
I just wanted to let you know that I think the new app is just stunning! I’ve been reading your blog for about as long as you’ve been writing it, and have loved being with you on the journey. It’s nice to have a way to give a little back (I haven’t been able to track the cookbook down in Oz yet), but I feel like I’m the one who’s winning here – the app is just so lovely – beautifully shot and easy to navigate. Thanks Angela! All the best with the new cookbook xxx
Thank you so much for the lovely comment, Caitlin! It’s wonderful to hear you’ve been enjoying the app. :)
I have another suggestion for storing kale chips for a short period of time. Use a paper bag instead of a plastic bag and don’t pack them in there too tight. I find the air exposure helps keep them crispy longer.
Thanks, Lindsay! Great suggestion. :)
I couldn’t agree more. Every one of your recipes is life-changing. You craft such unique and delicious recipes out of simple and wholesome ingredients. I love sharing them with my family :)
You are too sweet, Anna! Thank you for the lovely comment.
Happy birthday!! And thanks for featuring my comment, I’m happy you’ve read it! :)
Thanks for the birthday wishes, Anne-Sophie — and the great comment, too! :)
Hi Angela,
I’ve noticed on snapchat a few times that you make your little one chia pancakes for breakfast. I was just wondering if this was a recipe you could share, I have a little one at home too and would love to make her some healthy chia pancakes!
Hope you’re feeling well, congrats on baby #2 and thanks for all you do!
Thanks for the congrats, Quinn! I don’t have a recipe for chia pancakes that I’m ready to share on the blog, but maybe one day. :)
Hi Angela! I was totally ready to make the 10 Spice Vegetable Soup last night when I took a quick look in your cookbook and saw the African Peanut Soup. I got totally sidetracked and made that instead – yum! I suppose by now that is an oldie but goodie. I didn’t have sweet potato so used butternut squash instead. It was the perfect soup for a cold spring day! I love all the flavors!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the AFrican Peanut Soup, Ruth! It’s a fav around here – totally worth being sidetracked for! Haha. I hope, when you give it a try, you like the 10-Spice Vegetable Soup just as much. :)
I’ve made the 10-Spice Vegetable soup a bunch of times and loved it. The last time I made it without the cashews as my daughter was not a fan and it it wonderful that way as well. I love making a big batch of soup or stew on Sunday to have for the week and these are not great choices. Loving the Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup as well – easy and delicious!
Hello,
I’ve just started a new blog called thetastybowl.com and I would really appreciate it if you could let me know what you think of it and maybe even leave a comment in the blog section. Some expert advice is really needed as I am new to this! Thank you, Emily