Best of October

October flew by with all the fall things, pumpkin, cooling weather, loads of thunderstorms, rain, grey skies, leaking windows, holidays and events all clubbed together in one weekend (Diwali on 30th and Halloween on 31st), blog and book work and on and on. 

And in the middle of all this we also started fostering. So add some sleepless nights to the mix. I am hoping the over busyness will jar the creative juices that have been stagnating in the last few weeks and also give me that burst of energy. Like many people, I seem to get more productive and creative when I have less time.

Here is what was posted in October. Some Thanksgiving menu options, warming soups, vegan-ized Diwali desserts, fall bakes and more. Images are linked to the recipes. What was your favorite of the month?

Currently watching this.

Listening to this while photography or editing. You can find the song or album on Spotify and other places as well. Some of the visuals on the linked youtube version, even though calming can be disturbing. 

Cookbooks:

Loads of amazing cookbooks are lined up for the fall season. Vegan cookbooks are doing better than regular cookbooks in so many amazing ways!

Aquafaba – The new cookbook by Zsu Dever is an innovative cookbook that takes you through the discovery of bean liquid and its many uses in making macarons, crepes, waffles, marshmallows, vegan cheeses, butter, ice creams, quiches, and more. There are many sweet as well as savory recipes and an entire chapter on delicious ways to use the leftover chickpeas that you might get as a by product of using up all that chickpea liquid! Find the entire Table of contents, some sample recipes on blog tours here.

If you are wondering why you havent seen many aquafaba recipes on the blog, well I cannot stand the noise of the mixer, so whipped recipes are a bit difficult to experiment with. I do use aquafaba in breads etc. 

Other notable and amazing cookbooks – Oh She Glows Everyday by NYT best selling author Angela Liddon. OSG everyday covers everyday vegan recipes to get you started or help transition to a plant based diet. Try the delicious Veggie Burgers, Fusilli Lentil-Mushroom Bolognese, and Ultimate Flourless Brownies.

Isa’s Super fun Times to take the guess work out of the holiday season. Cinnamon Apple Crepes, Cheeseburger Pizza, Biscuits and Gravy, Churro Biscotti, casseroles, finger food, gameday options and more. But My Family would never go Vegan is Kristy’s next installment to help you tackle difficult family situations.Vegan Mexico by Jason Wyrick. Hubbs loved his first book Vegan Tacos, so this might be another one to get hubbs to the kitchen to make Oaxacan Black Beans, Blue Corn Mushrooms Bocoles, Sonoran Machaca Burritos, Sweet Potato Pastelitos, or Tres Leches Cake (this will definitely fall on me to make).

November means shorter days and wanting to inside a cozy (down alternative) comforter and watch simple  happy movies. Holiday movie game on point…  Hello, My name is Doris, and Bollywood : Barfi, Jab we met, Hasee Toh Phasee. And listening to Debbie Macomber books. 

October is also my Birthday month. One of these years, I will get a Birthday celebration like I want.. A bunch of puffy pomeranians giving me loads of kisses!

Some things to ponder about- Here’s how much water and food 7 billion humans consume, compared to just 1.5 billion cows. Every Single Day. And Why beagles are the choice for animal testing.

Coming up in November. Soups, Meals, Cookies, Pies and more. What are you cooking up in November.