Here's my ideal Wigilia dinner: Potato Pancakes, Lentil Golabkis, homemade Kapusta Pierogis, Pumpkin-Cranberry Risotto, and Pomegranate Kale Salad. Don't forget the shot of Wisniowka with dinner. I usually opt to drink red wine on Wigilia, but sometimes my dad brings special Xmas craft brewery beers, like the Anchor Christmas Ale, my fave, and I'll partake in that instead.


I'm a big Xmas cookie-maker, and last year I made seven kinds! My favorite was the Hazelnut Linzertorte cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I usually get my money's worth out of that book around Xmastime.


Here is what I made last year:


Oh look, it's the eggnog cake from last year! I made this one GF, and it didn't really come out well.. I'm not sure why, because I didn't really do anything differently. Bob's Red Mill Changed their packaging, but that's all I can think of!


Yum, another year, another Wigilia. I have pretty much all the same things on my plate this year with the addition of roasted veggies! Even better!


My favorite thing to do with all the Xmas leftovers when I get home, is make a Leftover Sandwich! Probably my smartest idea to date.

 I moved! Alex and I live in Philly now, and a lot has changed since my last post. Things have been extremely hectic, both good and bad, but now we're here and I'm looking forward to building a new life in Philly. We just started exploring our new neighborhood in the past couple days, and it seems ripe with vegan options, and I do plan to eat all the vegan cheesesteaks at all the various locations across the city (and the options are plentiful), and I intend to start with Blackbird because everyone says it's the best. I already ordered (and got delivery!!) from there a few times, but so far haven't tried the cheesesteak, and no, I don't know why not. I ate at V-Street and basically cursed the whole time because it was so good. I am anxiously anticipating my upcoming reservation at Vedge later this month for our first wedding anniversary dinner, and I plan to eat everything on the menu. I will go into debt for this dinner if I have to. It's that good. Plus, I'm dying to give it a chance to remind me that it knocks Dirt Candy on it's ass, because as you remember, Dirt Candy got high marks from us when we went in February. My outfit that night was on point, so I think it makes my memory of our dinner there even fonder, but anyway- we're coming for Vedge and we're going to eat all its tofu and give zero fucks.
So in my new apartment, I was bestowed a new kitchen, place of cooking, plentiful counterspace, a vent(!), and most importantly, baby's first dishwasher. What it lacks in natural light, it makes up for in gorgeous countertops over 2 feet deep, magical cabinet real-estate and enough space for a tiny table, on it's merry way from Amazon. I made this salad in it, my fave salad probably ever, buffalo tempeh with super perfect summer cherry tomatoes, from a Whole Foods I now live dangerously close to, and Terri Ranch, because I obviously wouldn't leave town without grabbing a bottle to bring to the new land of PA.


When we were driving to Philly in a moving truck, I remembered that my favorite beer is from Philly, and we couldn't get it in NYC, so I was super psyched to remember that we could have it again and loudly exclaimed, "YARDS!" and perilously freaked Alex out, who was driving during the very early morning hours in the pouring rain, and made him think we forgot our keys or something. Nope, just remembered about beer. False alarm.



Not a very vibrant photo, but the frosting is colorful too. Again with the bad lighting and unedited photos. Duly noted.


Frosting game needs work. Also I brought my cake frosting turntable back to Massachusetts to leave in my mom's basement and now I want it back! Also, I never make enough frosting! I wanted to write something on the cake, but didn't have enough frosting left and it started melting. More cakes soon, more practice, more better.


I've made a couple things from Isa Does It in my new kitchen, mostly because they are easy and old favorites. This one is Seitan with Broccoli and Pantry BBQ Sauce. It's one of Alex's favorites, which works out well for me because it is so easy.


I want to be blogging more during this transitional phase of my life, in addition to doing more of the things I love to do but hardly found time for when I was in New York. I am looking for jobs, but also taking my time to find the right one, change fields, try new things, meet new people, and use this move as a way to start over and work on changing the things about my life I don't love and fill my life with more things that I do love. Can't wait to see all the new sights, eat all the vegan food (which there is tons of here), and hang with all the Philly vegans and punx alike, so hit me up if you are nearby, passing through or know someone who is.

More soon and with more frequency,
KZ <3

Lemon Zinger Loaf

1/4 package silken tofu
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup lemon zinger tea, steeped and cooled
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup white whole wheate flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons white chia seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 9x5" loaf pan with some oil.
Puree the silken tofu in either a blender or food processor and transfer it into a large mixing bowl, making sure you scrape out as much as possible, not leaving much left in the blender. Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon zinger, lemon juice and whisk together until combined. Sift in the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ginger. Whisk again until combined and pour batter into your prepared loaf pan. Smooth out the top and sprinkle with almonds and chia seeds. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when you insert it into the middle of the loaf with no batter residue. Let cool before taking loaf out of the pan.

 My friend's record company is called Topshelf Records, and for their 1st anniversary party I made them a cake many years ago, and I feel like my cake-making skills have gotten way better since then, so I made another cake in honor of all their recent success. And my birthday, of course.




We went to the Met! I can't believe we hadn't been for years. We went a few years ago, and some guy used this funny pick-up line on me, which began with "Excuse me, are you German?" I quickly diffused the conversation and moved on to another area, then the museum closed, and I couldn't find my friend who I had come with. I eventually spotted her getting cornered by the same guy and so I sort of just pulled her away. She said, "It was the weirdest thing. He asked me if I was German."



Just run to this restaurant. Right now. Sprint, if you must. Or jog. You'll understand once you get there.


This is me, looking one year older than last, terribly distracted from my mid twenties by a bounty of beautiful vegan sushi pieces. And lemonade. Minty, cucumbery lemonade. Spa-like and zen-inducing.


For dinner, we went home and made New England Glam Chowder from the PPK blog. You have GOT to try this recipe, y'all. It is the real deal. No joke. It smells nice and oceanic. Oceanic, like the sea, from the nori, not the airline that fatefully crashed onto the hidden island in LOST. If I did crash on Oceanic flight 815, though, I would def try to eat some of this chowder. It would kill all the bad vibes from the Others, the smoke monster, and all other sorts of enemies with guns or bombs. Tranquility in chowder.

I don't remember if I've ever actually eaten a banana split in my life. I should make a point to. The only difference between this cake and a banana split is that the latter involves, or revolves around ice cream. Mine revolves around cake. Both sound good.


I bought a 9" cake board for my cake, and I was hoping it would be big enough to support my cake so I could lift it into a box. Alas, it wasn't and my cake covered it entirely and the piping ran off the edge of the board. I was not sure how I was going to lift this cake into a box in the first place, but realized it is too tall for both sizes of boxes I have. So I carried it on the turntable. I carried it to the car, somehow protected it from harm during the traffic-laden and bumpy ride there, and walked it up the stairs to her apartment smudge-free! Talent, folks. Talent.


It's 3 layers of banana cake frosted with vanilla buttercream, then circled with a chocolate sauce waterfall, a ring of cherries and a shower of jimmy-style sprinkles.

I went to Florida for vacation and to visit some family. It was very relaxing. I make soft pretzels to relax, so this is a picture of me relaxing.







I also made a pot-o-guac. I put some grilled corn and tomatoes in there too, trying to make it as reminiscent of chili's guacamole as possible. I mean you don't go to chili's and NOT get the guac appetizer. That would be worse than going to a sushi place and not getting sushi. Or like going to bueno y sano and not getting a burrito. Or Stuff Yer Face and not getting a boli. Basically, you don't really have a choice. You should be served this guacamole upon being seated and understand that it is going to be part of your bill.

Many Salad/Smoovie nights have taken place this week. They are a fun June tradition we started a year or two ago. As long as your salad is not bitchy and small, and you have some good stuff in there, a salad can really slam dunk it. A delicious smoovie doesn't hurt it either.

Say you did eat cake for breakfast. Every day. Maybe you'd feel a little more wholesome about it if some normal breakfast staples were tucked into the cake, thus deeming it appropriate for breakfast consumption? Maybe not. But for us cakeaters, we make the cake work to fit our needs, morning, noon and night.


When I first began the tea-cake-making saga, I pictured a black tea cake. I pictured it in my wavey bundtcake pan. Then I pictured an old man's face with a sailor's hat on and a cigar jammed in between his teeth and hanging out the side of his mouth saying, "Black like the Seaaa" in a sort of creepy pirate voice. I guess I have a weird imagination.



It looks more black if I hold it like this...