Just like sushi, spring rolls are easy to make and work with a variety of fillings. They can be quite healthy too. Please note the keywords "can be." Deep-frying the delicious rice-paper-wrapped treats will most likely cancel out any health benefits of a vegetable-based filling. That's why I like to eat my rolls uncooked.

Opting for a healthier uncooked, or steamed, spring roll is not only better for you, I think it also focuses more attention on the tasty filling you choose instead of a heavy wrapper. I like to steam a few vegetables, slice up some tofu, and then toss it all in a dash of rice wine vinegar and seasonings before adding to the roll.

Cinco de Mayo is just days away, which means it's time to start planning my menu and testing recipes for a little fiesta. To me, this holiday is meant to be enjoyed on a patio with cocktail in hand. That cocktail has to be a margarita.

I don't mean the neon green, super sweet, overly blended slushy mess. I'm talking about the real deal—no mix, and made from high-quality fresh ingredients. These really are the only requirements. There are a ton of recipes for the "perfect" margarita, all with different ratios of the key ingredients—tequila, orange liqueur, and lime. Some people like a more tart drink and prefer more lime, others like extra orange liqueur, some must have salt on the rim, and others are horrified at the thought of letting salt anywhere near their glass. The point is that there's no right or wrong way to make it as long as you include the basics, so play with the ratios until you find the margarita you like.

My recipe is for a strong and tart beverage, with just a hint of sweetness. You definitely won't be drinking these by the pitcher—or if you do, you won't remember it.

Happy Cinco!

Peanut butter has made addicts out of many—myself included. For me, it's hard to resist eating the creamy and salty spread by the spoonful, by the jarful, on apples, with pretzels, or even mixed with pancake syrup. I think you get the idea.

It's no surprise that a P.B. junkie like me loves indulging in peanut butter cookies. They are often made not with just a hint of peanut butter but with entire cups of the creamy goodness. Some recipes are even flourless and consist of little more than just peanut butter, margarine, and sugar—a P.B. addict's dream come true.

My recipe below does contain flour, but it still has a whole cupful of peanut butter, so the flavor definitely shines through. Also, I always reach for the crunchy kind to add a little extra texture to the cookies.

Enjoy!

Cranberries make many of us think of the holidays, and with their peak season falling from October to about December, it's not surprising that they are most popular during the fall and winter. But with dried cranberries, frozen cranberries, and cranberry juice readily available year-round, you can enjoy the tart little berry anytime. This makes me happy.

We've had a cloudy—and allergy-filled—couple of days here in the South, and I think I'm in need of something warm and comforting with just a hint of sweetness. A chef friend of mine passed this recipe along for "Beef" Strips Over Toasted Pecan and Cranberry Pilaf, and I decided that this is the perfect time to try it.

Two things from my childhood, other than the cranberries, immediately jumped out at me: pecans and wild rice. My mom would make us the best pecan pie every Thanksgiving—which I've tried to replicate, but with little success—and now I think of them every time I eat pecans. I also remember my mom making the boxed wild rice—you know, the one with the seasoning packets included. At the time, it seemed so exotic and fancy! I now buy a whole-grain wild rice blend, minus the seasoning, because with this recipe you add plenty of your own.

The red wine reduction and cranberries in this recipe add just enough sweetness, which is well balanced with the earthiness of the toasted pecans, thyme, and wild rice. The result is flavorful and comforting—just what I need.

Many, myself included, think of panini as just a grilled sandwich with a golden to dark brown color and those perfect little lines across the bread. But grilling isn't necessarily a panini requirement, and you can serve them minus the marks—but I don't know why you'd want to do a thing like that. My favorite part of a panini is the crispy bread and the cute lines.

I also love being able to choose a variety of fillings that are forced to be pressed together into one compact little sandwich. After watching last week's Top Chef and seeing that both teams made some sort of beef dish with a horseradish sauce, I decided I needed to play off those flavors to create my own (vegan) panini.

The meatiness of portobello mushrooms was naturally my first choice, and to add even more flavor I sautéed the strips in a dash of liquid smoke and olive oil. The creaminess—and kick!—of the horseradish sauce was the perfect complement to all the veggies.

Vegan bakeries are popping up all over the country. In many cities, vegans can walk right into what appears to be just your normal bakery, only to find that they can order anything on the menu. I'm obviously insanely jealous because the same is not true in Atlanta (why not?!). Sure, we have coffee shops and Cosmo's that offer vegan baked goods from wholesale bakers, but I need a storefront. I need to walk in the door and see glass cases full of cakes, cookies, and brownies so that I can drool over each. Picking up one brownie covered in plastic wrap off a shelf isn't quite the same as seeing endless, beautiful options.

People who live in D.C. are blessed to have seemingly endless, beautiful options because their city is home to the all-vegan Sticky Fingers Bakery. Yeah, I'm jealous of them too. But at least I can read about the bakery this month on VegCooking.com because we are profiling Ben Adams, the pastry chef from Sticky Fingers Bakery, in our Chef Spotlight. After reading about his training, techniques, and ability to whip up Cinnamon Sticky Buns, Chocolate Love Cake, and I Dream of Cheesecake, you'll be jealous too.

You can read about Ben and Sticky Fingers here.

Salad dressing is one item that is commonly purchased prepackaged, but it's is so easy to make at home that I wish people would give the jarred variety the boot. And not only is homemade dressing easy to make, it's cheaper and tastier too.

The technique is simple: Start by combining vinegar with herbs, fruit, spices, etc., and then slowly drizzle in your oil of choice until well combined. Then season, if needed, and you're done!

Today's recipe for Champagne-Orange Vinaigrette is part one of a two-part post. Tomorrow, I'll feature a light spring salad that will be the perfect base for this vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Yesterday's post featured a light, citrusy vinaigrette made of orange juice and champagne vinegar, and as promised, here's a great salad to pair it with. Yes, the vinaigrette is delicious served over just a bed of field greens, but I like to get a little crazy and do a lot more with it. You should too.

Since it's getting warm outside, I decided to pair the vinaigrette with a few of my favorite ingredients that make me think of spring and summer—hearts of palm and avocados. They are both commonly found in Caribbean cuisine, and that's exactly why I like eating them when it's warm out.

Hearts of palm are literally the hearts of some palm trees. Their flavor is very mild, and their texture is interesting and similar to a marinated artichoke heart. The first time I tried them was at a Cuban restaurant in L.A.; they were used as the filling in empanadas. For at least 10 minutes, I was convinced that the soft white filling was fish, but I was eventually convinced that it was in fact a vegetable that would quickly become one of my favorites.

You can try hearts of palm in fritters, salads, and empanadas, and they might even make a good taco filling. And I wonder how they would taste grilled…

Please let me know if you have any good hearts of palm recipes or prep methods that you'd like to share!

After reading so many great responses to my "You Write the Menu" post—in which I asked all of you to tell me what recipes you'd like to see featured here—I was both eager to get started on my search for the best and completely overwhelmed all at once. With so many great ideas thrown out there, it was impossible to decide on just one, so I'm going to feature a few over the next couple of weeks.

The first is a veganized version of "beef" stroganoff that so many of you requested. I asked a friend, who just happens to be a vegan chef, for help with this one—just to make sure that I don't disappoint. He came back to me with a classic version of the dish that is focused around "beef," mushrooms, and soy sour cream.

This may not be the stroganoff recipe you remember. It's not the stroganoff I remember. My mom made a version that had tomato paste added into the sauce (which is common, as is adding mustard), and I'm pretty sure there were mushrooms no where in sight. This classic stroganoff ignores both of those additions and goes for the full flavor of soy sour cream as the base. Enjoy!

I sometimes overlook the fact that although many recipes on the blog contain ingredients or techniques that are common to me, they aren't necessarily common to everyone. Not every reader knows the difference between tempeh and seitan or braising and blanching, so I've decided to start a new "Word of the Week" series of posts to help define and demystify common vegetarian kitchen terms. This week's word is miso.

Miso is a paste that is typically made from fermented soybeans but may also include grains such as rice or barley. There are many different types of miso, which vary according to the type of grain used, the salt content, the length of fermentation, the place of origin, and more.

Most commonly found brands of miso are labeled by their color, with red, yellow, and white being the most common. Typically, the darker the paste, the stronger and saltier the flavor will be. Miso is wonderful for adding more flavor to soup recipes or just making miso soup, and it adds depth to salad dressings, such as vegan Caesar.

Miso is low in fat but contains many trace minerals and a good bit of protein. You can learn more about miso on Wikipedia or just pick some up at your local grocery store (I've found miso in the health food section of several major chains in my area) and start experimenting!

A few weeks ago, I was approached by a company asking me to review its products. This happens often. I don't always say yes, because the product might be something that is super common or so obscure that no one would be able to find it. But this time, when Match premium meat alternatives contacted me, I was happy to say yes, because its products are billed as the more gourmet faux meats on the market (we'll see about that!) and because of the ability to order them online, making them available to everyone.

The company sent me a sampling of its beef, pork, and chicken alternatives. Each comes frozen—and in rather fancy packaging, I must say. The meat alternatives are sort of in slabs, which is great because you can shape them any way you like instead of being stuck with the usual strips, patties, or crumbles.

The first one I tried was the pork, and I have to admit that I wasn't blown away. It wasn't bad—and honestly I don't even remember what pork tastes like, so maybe it was a good match—but it just wasn't for me. Next I tried the chicken alternative and whipped up Italian breadcrumb-encrusted breasts. They were delicious. Match is soft when cold and then firms when heated, and the resulting texture was a little dense but very satisfying. I also tried the faux chicken coated with the blackened seasoning that I'm currently obsessed with and then pan fried, and it too was wonderful. The taste of the "chicken" was rich but not overly salted like other mock meats.

With the beef alternative sample Match sent me, I tried to ration it out, as if it were the last faux meat on Earth. I tried it as a taco filling, as a mini meatloaf, in a tiny portion of fajitas, and as the base for a Southwest burger (see recipe below). I couldn't get enough of it. Out of the three, it was my favorite—quite unexpectedly—because of the endless options for its use.

I would definitely say that Match lived up to the promise of being one of the premium meat alternatives because of the texture and versatility that is unique to its products. And the meats aren't pre-seasoned, so you really can customize and use them any which way you like! Check out the Match Web site for information on where to buy the products or to order online.

Those of you who read the blog often might already know my other requirement for reviewing a product here (hint, hint), but if you don't, check back tomorrow and you'll find out!

If you saw my post yesterday for the Southwest Veggie Burger and suspected that I would hold a contest for the featured product, Match Meats, well…you were right! Now is your chance to win a sampling of gourmet meat alternatives from Match.

One lucky winner will receive a 1-pound package of each of Match's top-selling vegan meats, including the "beef" I featured in my post yesterday. Just leave a comment below telling me what recipe you would love to use the product in, and the best answer, as determined by me, wins! The contest ends on June 13, and the winner will be notified by June 20. And don't forget that you can order the product on the Match Meats Web site if you're not the chosen one.

And just so you know…by leaving a comment, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy and our terms and conditions. Good luck!

Many northerners have been shocked, and somewhat horrified, to find that many southerners actually love the taste and texture of boiled peanuts. My fiancé is one of them. He says that the texture was the hardest—or rather, softest—thing for him to warm up to. But he, like many, eventually came around. I, on the other hand, was raised on the salty snack by my dad. Boiled peanuts have always been one of his favorite foods and he is one of the few people I know who actually make his own at home, so it was inevitable that I, too, would love them.

During the summer in the South, you can find many stands along the side of the road that offer boiled peanuts by the bag, and they most commonly come in two varieties—plain and Cajun. Plain boiled peanuts are great on their own when cooked very well done and with gobs of salt, but Cajun peanuts are really where it's at.

Boiling the peanuts with Cajun seasoning (I recommend Zatarain's Crab & Shrimp Boil, but you can experiment with others) for hours really infuses the flavor, and the extra red pepper flakes kick up the heat. You can always omit the red pepper if you'd like. The result of the long cook time is a soft peanut with a texture similar to a cooked bean and loaded with spicy Cajun flavor. And with each peanut you crack open, you may find a small amount of the briny, spicy juice inside as special treat.

Agar-agar, also known as kanten, is a flavorless gelling agent that is derived from seaweed. I know the name sounds strange, but try to be open-minded and give it a try, because it's a wonderful way to replace gelatin in many recipes.

Agar can be purchased in flake, powder, or bar form from many health-food stores and Asian markets and from some grocery stores, such as Whole Foods. And if those options don't work for you, just buy it online. To use agar, dissolve it in liquid and then let it set for about an hour—the firming process doesn't even require refrigeration. Also, you can use almost any liquid you'd like, so get creative with it. Just remember that for a firmer gel, add more agar-agar, and for a softer gel, add more liquid. I think you get the idea.

Here's a quick ratio rundown:

•Substitute powdered agar-agar for gelatin using equal amounts.

•1 Tbsp. of agar-agar flakes is equal to 1 tsp. of agar-agar powder.

•Set 2 cups of liquid using 2 tsp. of agar-agar powder, 2 Tbsp. of agar-agar flakes, or one bar.

Looking for ways to use agar? Here's a Web roundup of a few interesting, and one downright weird, recipes:

•Dude, Where's the Stove? shares a recipe for Mom's Kohi Kanten (coffee pudding).

•Tofu for Two uses it to make the filling of a Creamy Lime Pie.

•Why a Vegan? takes the award for weirdest use of agar-agar, in Vegan Jager Bomb Cupcakes.

•Hochiak! uses agar-agar to make a beautiful Dragon Fruit Jelly.

Try one of these recipes, or let me know if you have a better one!

Eggplant season is still about a month away, but I couldn't resist the urge to try my hand at baba ghanoush right now. The creamy Middle Eastern dip usually loses out to hummus when I have a choice between the two, but I'm not quite sure why. Baba ghanoush often has a lighter texture and more depth of flavor than hummus because of the eggplant (and the smokiness that sometime comes with it). So, I decided it's time to break free from the usual and test a recipe for the less common spread.

Baba ghanoush recipes are all very similar, and most revolve around eggplant, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. Some garnish with cumin, some with mint or parsley, and, of course, you can't leave that healthy dose of olive oil off the top of your dip. It's also surprisingly easy to make, and it's surprisingly hard to mess up the flavors. Almost any ratio of the ingredients below will work great, so feel free to tweak it in order to get the baba ghanoush that's right for you. Enjoy!