Still not over Halloween, even after my weekend bash, I decided to make more sweets to celebrate today's holiday. It was time for the obligatory cutesy cupcakes, and of course, they had to be chocolate. I used the recipe I posted a few months back, but this time cutting it in half. I must have been high on cupcake goodness when I said that recipe makes only 36 cupcakes. The actual number is a little closer to 48. After baking, the chocolate cupcakes were slowly transformed into ghosts, pumpkins, graveyards, and spider webs—all more cute than creepy.

But the sweets don't end there. People around the country are still stocking up on treats to dish out tonight. I'll be giving out my favorite vegan candy—Now and Laters, Chocolove Chocolate, and Sweet Tarts—because I'm sadly too old to go out and participate in the fun. The last time I went trick-or-treating, my best friend, my sister, and I dressed as Bell Biv DeVoe—I kid you not. Maybe my age is sparing some child from the most frightening Halloween of his life.

Find out more about candy that is surprisingly vegan, and happy Halloween!

All the overachievers of the world are already preparing for their big Thanksgiving dinner—this one's for you guys. I, on the other hand, will probably not walk into a grocery store to start my shopping until the day before. Still unable to shake the procrastination bug.

Those of you who are already preparing and are in the mood for more than just a faux turkey for Thanksgiving—or worse, just a medley of side dishes—stuffed squash is a festive alternative.

The adorable little flower-shaped squash is baked until the flesh is bubbly, browned, and tender. The center is then loaded with a mixture of nuts, herbs, and the oh-so-healthy quinoa. If this filling seems a little too "crunchy" for you, try one of the many other unique holiday entrées in the guide to celebrating a vegetarian holiday.

Chances are, if you're hosting the Thanksgiving feast this year, you'll have at least one friend or family member at your gathering who is vegan or vegetarian. No need to stress over what you could possibly feed these people, because I have put together a little list of the top 10 tips for hosting veg visitors. The easy tips will help you create vegan offerings that go beyond just canned veggies—and will certainly give your vegetarian visitors something to be thankful for.

1. Offer a Veggie Turkey. Faux turkeys, such as Tofurky, Celebration Roast, and Garden Protein's Veggie Turkey, can now be easily found in grocery stores all over the country. Better yet, you can win four free Garden Protein Veggie Turkey breasts here.

2. Stuff This. Vegans, too, love to stuff themselves with stuffing. Load the stuffing with your favorite bread, veggies, and nuts, and use canned vegetable broth to moisten.

3. Veganize the Gravy. Fill the boat with brown gravy, red wine and shallot gravy, or roasted garlic gravy. You can also opt for canned Franco-American mushroom gravy or Hain instant vegan gravy, available in traditional brown or "chicken" flavors. Just add water and simmer.

4. Get the Party Started—with vegan hors d'oeuvres. Find easy recipes for Hot Artichoke Dip, Mushroom Pâté, and Potato-Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms here on VegCooking.com.

5. Bread It and Bake It. Your breads and other baked goodies will be just as yummy when you use egg replacer and soy milk in your favorite recipes.

6. Mash It Up! Nonvegetarian visitors won't even notice if you whip up a batch of potatoes using soy milk and vegan margarine. They'll just be thankful they taste so good.

7. "But…but…What About Butter?" Use soy-based margarine instead. Try Earth Balance Buttery Spread—it's better for you, and it tastes better too.

8. Check the Dressing. Swap Caesar salad for a salad with lemon-tahini, Italian, or balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The dressings can also double as dips for fresh veggies. If you don't have time to start from scratch, pick up bottled Annie's Goddess Dressing or a variety of Newman's Own dressings, including Red Wine Vinegar and Olive Oil.

9. Let Others Do the Dirty Work. Give yourself a break and get your guests involved in your vegan smorgasbord. Ask a few of your guests to prepare a vegan side dish—you could even include simple recipes with invitations you send out.

10. Don't Forget About Dessert! Use soy-based margarine or shortening to create flaky crusts for your holiday fruit pies. Get crazy and go à la mode by topping each slice with vanilla Tofutti or So Delicious nondairy frozen desserts.

If you still need more help, check out vegetarian holiday recipes, vegetarian cooking tips, and Vegetarian 101 for a little extra guidance.

I'm really not trying to bombard you with contests. Seriously. But there are only two days left to enter our veggie turkey giveaway, so you better hurry! If you're the lucky winner, you'll receive—in time for Thanksgiving—four "turkey" breasts that are loaded with rice and cranberries.

Having these little prepackaged wonders delivered to your door will give you more time to get creative with your preparation. My friend Corey recommends baking them, but after I did a little more questioning, she fessed up that they can be deep-fried! Now that's right up my alley.

I have been told that you need to bring the oil to temperature before adding the still-frozen breasts. As they cook, the outside will become crispy and golden brown—an updated version of a Southern classic. I think even Paula Deen would be proud.

If you're not chosen as the contest winner, you can buy the "turkey" at most Whole Foods through January. Let me know how you end up preparing it or if you have creative suggestions for other ways to serve a faux turkey for the holidays.

There is some debate over the correct technique for making risotto. Some say to add your broth all at once, while others say only one ladle at a time. Most recipes say to stir constantly, others say frequently, and some even say to let the risotto simmer untouched for almost 15 minutes. In Bill Buford's book Heat, I think there was even a mention about a technique that involves letting the risotto stick to the pan while cooking.

I interpret the debate to mean that there are fewer ways for me to go wrong when making the dish. Yes, people say that risotto is one meal that is practically ruined if not perfect, but I disagree. I've never met a risotto I didn't like.

The "comfort food that seems fancy" angle that risotto has going for it makes it a perfect candidate for a holiday entrée. Add in a little seasonal pumpkin, ginger, and nutmeg, and your guests won't be able to resist. They will bow down to you—and the risotto.

Check out the vegetarian holiday recipe guide for more ideas on unique Thanksgiving entrées.

Inspired by chef Symon's first victory in the Thanksgiving challenge on Iron Chef America—OK, and the impending holiday—I decided to get started preparing Thursday's meal.

Every year, my family has cranberry sauce in a can, and to that I just have to say, "No, thanks." Something about a gelatinous blob of food falling out of a can and maintaining its shape is unappetizing. So, I decided to take on the task of making the cranberry sauce this year because not only will it taste better, it'll also be very easy to make.

For my Thanksgiving "challenge"—secret ingredient: cranberry—I went with a recipe that is full of extra fruit, like apples and raisins. You can even add cubed pears and a dash of ginger, or just omit all the extras for a simple cranberry sauce.

I'm pretty sure that this recipe isn't fancy enough to put me in line as the "Next Iron Chef" on the Food Network, but at least it will make the mouths and stomachs of my Thanksgiving guests happy.

Around the holidays, new sides of your loved ones' personalities come shining through—and sometimes it can be frightening. My family has revealed this new "stickler for tradition" alter ego, whom I don't think I want to battle.

After seeing the last two posts, and fearing that a pumpkin risotto or fresh cranberry sauce may end up on their table, my family started calling. They just had to ensure that I wouldn't "mess" with their meal and that my dishes would be traditional.

I have taken on the task of green bean casserole this year, which seems easy enough. The classic is a must-have on Thanksgiving and always a hit—along with the stuffing, and the gravy, and the pecan pie, and the cranberry sauce—but back to the casserole.

It really is an oddball dish if you think about it. The original (and still commonly used) recipe involves multiple canned, processed goods, with not a fresh ingredient in sight. It's quite surprising to me that the recipe has survived and thrived since 1955.

Now that I've been warned about tinkering with my family's traditional dishes—well, tinkering too much anyway—I've decided to go with the tried-and-true green bean casserole below. It's only slightly different from the original, and I bet my family will never know.

For more info on holiday recipes—some traditional, and some not—check out the guide to celebrating a vegetarian holiday.

The holiday season will be in full swing with the start of Hanukkah, and I have already started celebrating by participating in my favorite holiday activity—baking.

After researching traditional Jewish recipes and deciding that doughnuts seemed way too challenging for me to start with, I found a challah recipe that seemed slightly more appropriate for my skill level. I'll admit that even though I have mad skillz when preparing certain types of food, Jewish cuisine is unfortunately not one of them, because of a lack of experience.

I found that the challenge of making challah, an often cake-like bread, is not in the mixing or in the rising—which are fairly straightforward and only require time and patience. It's all in the braiding. I couldn't quite master the technique—and can only hope that truth, peace, and justice haven't been compromised.

From certain angles, the loaf still looked lovely, and more importantly, it still tasted delicious. To me, warm, homemade bread is the perfect way to start any holiday celebration, regardless of how it looks.

The joy of the holiday season is partially found in the gifts you give, and that I receive—I kid. Finding the perfect gift for a loved one can bring just as much joy to both parties, but finding the right gift is not always an easy task. I stress endlessly over even the smallest presents I give, and I always tell my friends they can return them before they've even been opened.

If you're shopping for a food-obsessed loved one this year, the gift-giving options are practically endless. There are cookbooks, gadgets, tools, ingredients, experiences, and tastes—any of which could be the perfect gift. I've rounded up a few of the highlights of foodie gifts (aka, gifts I'd like to receive), and whether the person you're shopping for dreams of being the next Rachael Ray, is an at-home gourmet, or just happens to be your favorite food blogger, one of the gifts below will surely please.

•Veganomicon: The most recent cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero can pretty much be considered the bible of vegan cuisine. This is the perfect gift for the vegan at-home chefs out there.

•Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras: For aspiring food bloggers and photographers out there, I consider this to be the mother of all lenses. I don't actually have one, but it's the lens used on SmittenKitchen.com, and just look at the pictures!

•Cooking Gift Set: For the new vegetarians out there, a four-piece cooking set—including books and a DVD—is the perfect sampler pack to get them started with their new diet. This gift set includes an Everyday Dish DVD and three cookbooks: Quick-Fix Vegetarian, Cooking With PETA, and The Compassionate Cook.

•Restaurant Gift Certificates: I'm pretty sure that most people out there would be thrilled to receive a restaurant gift certificate. They're a little cooler than their cousins—the store gift certificate or Visa gift card—and people can't resist free food. With vegetarian restaurants all over the country, it should be easy to find one near your food-lovin' loved one.

•'Olive Oil of the Month' Club: igourmet.com offers an "Extra Virgin Olive Oil of the Month" club, which features oils from all over the world. The cost to you is only $29.99 per month, with shipping included. This gift will certainly please even the snobbiest foodies.

•Vegetarian Cooking Classes: If you have the time and money to go all out, sign your foodie friend up for a vegan cooking class at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Throw in airfare, accommodations, and gift certificates to vegan eateries such as Blossom and Candle 79, and you'll have a gift that's the ultimate food-focused getaway.

•Vita-Mix: Devotees of Vita-Mix would be horrified if you referred to this super machine as simply a blender—it's so much more. Vita-Mix can cook soups in just minutes, and it makes the creamiest sauces around. It's the perfect kitchen tool for health-conscious vegetarians or vegan gourmets.

Potato pancakes, or latkes in Yiddish, are a Hanukkah tradition. And like many foods consumed during the holiday, they are fried or baked in oil—some say a little too much oil. But that's exactly what helps achieve the crunchy golden crust, so I say bring it on.

Traditional latkes are made with white potatoes and onions, but I wanted to spice it up a bit and try my hand at sweet potato latkes flavored with brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon. Other latke recipes I've seen include apple-cinnamon, chickpea, carrot, or even Jerusalem artichoke.

I must warn you that while these latkes taste fantastic (I credit that to the cloves, cinnamon, and oil), they probably won't look too pretty—and the proof is in the pictures. But taste is all that really matters anyway, right?

With Hanukkah soon coming to an end, I thought that one last post to celebrate the holiday would be appropriate. Here are some of the best, or most interesting, vegan Hanukkah recipes the Web has to offer—or at least that I could find. If you know of more, please share!

•Broccoli Trees With Creamy White-Bean Dip: This hummus-like dip is made primarily from silken tofu and puréed white beans and was featured in Gourmet's December 2007 issue (see picture).

•Gefilte "Fish": This one takes the cake for most intriguing recipe on the list, and I found it thanks to Jewish Veg's comprehensive collection of holiday recipes.

• Doughnuts: This recipe is available right here on VegCooking.com. Even though the thought of creating homemade doughnuts frightens me just a tad, I think I might finally have to give this one a try.

•Gingerbread Dreidels: Come on, who can resist a holiday cookie? This cute recipe from Bryanna Clark Grogan's site just had to make the list.

•Broccoli Latkes: I found this recipe on PCRM's site and thought I would include it for those of you who are looking for low-fat, healthy holiday recipes.

•Potato and Carrot Kugel: Jolinda at Vegetarian.About.com offers up this tasty egg-free kugel recipe.

Again, this is just a glimpse at the vegan Hanukkah recipes out there, and if you have vegan Hanukkah recipes of your own, please share them here.

Happy holidays!

By playing it cool over the last couple of weeks, I've been able to hide my obsession with all things Christmas. Christmas music? Love it. Christmas tree? Already decorated. Singing Rudolph doll with a light-up nose? Already in my living room.

Like many adults, the holiday items I love most are those I remember from my childhood, especially the songs and desserts. So, to kick off my holiday baking this year, I blasted the Chipmunks' Christmas song and got out the cookie cutters to make classic sugar cookies.

Of course, I loved making Christmas sugar cookies as a child—it's a canvas you can then eat—but I still love making them as an adult, too, because they're nostalgic and easy. Decorating can be made practically stress-free by buying icing, gels, sprinkles, and candies from your local grocery store instead of trying to make them on your own.

With these reliable recipes that I found for perfect sugar cookies and icing as your base, and with your store-bought decorations, you'll have time just to have fun decorating cookies, not worrying about how they'll taste.

P.S. If you have time, enter one of these (American Apparel or Almost Vegetarian) great contests. And if you are like me and haven't even begun to think about shopping for Christmas presents yet, you can just give the prize as a gift!

My friend Corey shared this story and recipe with me recently, and I've decided to print it here for you, because many of us, myself included, can relate. Enjoy!

The holidays bring sugar cookies, roasted Tofurky, Silk Nog, and relatives. This year, my place will be the epicenter for all holiday festivities. Both families are coming in—and staying with us for more than a week. Sometimes you need a little extra cheer to help them—and you—survive this oh-so-festive season.

My favorite way to add a little "cheer" is to serve them a gorgeous cranberry-ginger martini before dinner with a few very light appetizers. My father-in-law is a little shy of vegan food and sometimes needs coaxing. This cocktail helps ease him into the glorious dinner that will be prepared and ensures everyone finds some common ground: great meal, great cocktail, and enjoyable company.

Just because I'm vegan doesn't mean I'm not mildly obsessed with the Food Network, like many of you out there. Now if only they'd hold a vegan Iron Chef competition, I think my life would be complete.

In the meantime, I can pick and choose which recipes I want to veganize, and today's winner is a rice pudding created by Giada De Laurentiis and featured on the Food Network's vegetarian Christmas menu. (Psst…I'm also featuring another item from the menu in a guest post on Almost Vegetarian sometime before Christmas. I can't tell you which one, but be sure to check it out.)

Rice pudding has long been a traditional holiday dish worldwide. Wikipedia's rice pudding page describes variations of the dish that can be found in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas and gives the history of the dessert. Some of the recipes are already vegan, like the Puerto Rican version, which is made with coconut milk, and the others can be easily veganized.

Giada's recipe is one that fell into the "easily veganized" category, because I only had to substitute the soy milk. Once this creamy pudding started simmering on the stove and the smell of vanilla and orange zest filled the air, I knew that Christmas is almost here—and that I had found the perfect dessert to finish off my holiday meal.

For those of you who loved "The Vegetarian and the Meat-Eater," the guest blog by Almost Vegetarian, I have a special treat in store today. She has agreed to do another guest blog for us! Today's post is part one of her "how to survive the holidays as a new vegetarian" guide, and part two will be featured tomorrow. Enjoy!

The Five Holiday Landmines for the Vegetarian, Part One
By Almost Vegetarian

So, you, vegetarian that you are, have been invited to holiday dinner at the home of a beloved but, alas, meat-eating friend. No worries, right? You can just skip the main dish and load up on all those yummy side vegetable dishes and desserts.

Well, that was my plan. At first. Until it dawned on me that, oh heavens!, there is meat gravy all over the mashed potatoes and the beans were sautéed in chicken stock and that pie is just stuffed with gelatin and…

Okay. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. No worries. We can manage this. And to help us do so, I have come up with the five worst food landmines waiting for every vegetarian this holiday season and ways to avoid them.

This isn't everything that can sabotage you, but this is the worst of it. But if you are still worried, remember, you can never go wrong with a nice refreshing glass of water!

1. Pass the gravy boat.

Odds are, the holiday gravy is made with meat. Giblets, pan drippings, whatever—unless someone says otherwise, I'd just assume there is meat in there. Which means, if it is poured all over those lovely mashed potatoes, you are out of luck.

So what can you do? Well, you have two options.

First, you can ask your host, in advance, that if they are going to serve a meat-based gravy to please serve it on the side. And just a thought: A gravy boat makes such a lovely holiday present (hint, hint, nudge, nudge) to, erm, encourage your host to keep that nasty meat gravy away from those lovely potatoes.

Second, you can offer to bring the gravy. Personally, I go for a nice mushroom gravy. This is so easy—all you have to do is sauté a pound or two of sliced mushrooms with a handful of diced shallots and some fresh thyme for four or five minutes over medium-high heat, stir in a spoonful or two of cornstarch or flour (to thicken your gravy), and then add a good handful of minced dried porcini (for richness) and a cup or two of a good vegetarian red wine and simmer until it thickens. You can make this a day or two in advance.

(Of course, this isn't an issue if you are invited to a Chanukah meal. There, the potatoes are normally served as latkes. If you've never had a latke, then you are in for quite the treat! Latkes are incredibly delicious fried potato pancakes that are never served with gravy. But even at a Chanukah meal, you still have to watch out for the main course, which is likely roast chicken!)

2. Stop the stock!

Those lovely beans your host simmered in turkey stock or tossed with beef stock or sautéed in chicken stock or somehow or other prepared with meat stock are going to be a problem. So ask how they were cooked. And if the beans, or any vegetables, were made with meat stock, then, next year, suggest an alternative, such as vegetable stock, cider, or vegetarian wine.

Of course, if you want to be incredibly elegant, you can always send your host a bottle of vegetarian wine a week or two in advance to help them make dishes you can enjoy too. Personally, I've never known anyone who wasn't delighted, hic, delighted with a good bottle of wine.

To be continued…

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the three remaining tips. In the meantime, check out VegCooking's vegetarian holiday guide for great appetizer, entrée, and dessert recipes!

Yesterday, Almost Vegetarian treated us to part one of her guest post "The Five Holiday Landmines for the Vegetarian," and as promised, now for part two. Enjoy!

The Five Holiday Landmines for the Vegetarian, Part Two
By Almost Vegetarian

3. Stuff this.

Ah, stuffing…how we love you, and what a treacherous little dish you can be.

Treacherous because minced meat can easily hide among the other ingredients. So your only choice is to ask what's in there, as in "That looks gorgeous! What's in it?" If it has meat, then you don't have it.

And treacherous because even if the stuffing is vegetarian, it can be cooked inside the bird. In this case, go for the stuffing cooked outside the bird (you can usually tell the difference—the stuffing cooked outside tends to be drier, with a crispy topping).

4. Goodbye gravity.

If your host serves a Jell-O mold, obviously you are in trouble. Jell-O is, of course, the classic home of gelatin. But what you might not know is that gelatin shows up in all sorts of less predictable places. Like that elegant panna cotta (an Italian pudding). And the blancmange. And the gelee. In fact, odds are that any dessert that seems to defy gravity does so with the help of gelatin.

But it is the desserts that are not so readily identified as a home to gelatin that are a real problem. Because what you might not know is that gelatin can be slipped into everything from flans to tarts.

Once again, ask. "Is it gelatin that gives that its wonderful shape?" If the answer is "yes," then, of course, pass. And reach, instead, for something safe. Like fruit salad. But if you eat dairy and you were thinking of putting a good dollop of whipped cream on top, make sure it is made with pure cream, because the store-bought stuff likely has gelatin too.

5. Lurking lard.

Look at that apple pie! Thank goodness! You know that one does not commonly put gelatin in an apple pie. So you are safe. And you are all ready to dig in when—wait! Here comes super me, and I am about to say the one word you do not want to hear: lard.

Lurking, hidden and unsuspected, in that pie crust may be a big helping of lard. And you do not want to eat that. But here's the tricky part. Unless your host made that pie from scratch, he or she might not even know it's in there.

If it is a store-bought pie, you can probably assume it has lard, so I'd pass. Even if just the pie crust is store bought, it, too, probably has lard and should be avoided.

But even a homemade pie crust could have lard. It depends on the recipe your host used. So you'll just have to ask.

Of course, to be perfectly safe, you might want to reach, instead, for a nice piece of fruit. Your waistline will thank you. Your heart will thank you. And your animal friends will thank you, making this a lovely holiday for all.

Is anyone else in shock that both Christmas and Hanukkah have come and gone, Kwanzaa is here, and the new year is just days away? To save time during the busy—and food-focused—holiday season, I decided to go for a multitasking recipe for today's entry.

Collard greens are a Kwanzaa and New Year's Day staple in many households, especially in the South, and definitely fit the "will work for more than one holiday" requirement. You could make these for Kwanzaa and serve the leftovers on New Year's Day—if there are any.

Serving the soft greens over fried polenta cakes makes the usual side dish more of a main course. And by adding a large helping of vegan Hoppin' John on the side, you'll have a multitasking meal, not just one recipe.

To ring in the new year, I will most likely be on a dance floor surrounded by friends and screaming out my countdown to midnight. But that will only be after I have an early evening cocktail party that focuses on finger foods. I have to do something somewhat sophisticated and adult-like before getting crazy later in the night.

A New Year's Eve party is the perfect time to put out a spread of indulgent appetizers, mini entrées, and desserts all at once. There are no hard rules on the rights and wrongs of what to serve on this holiday, so get crazy with it!

Chow.com offers up ideas on creating a Japanese spread focused on mochi or starters such as curried carrot soup served in cute shot glasses. This is also the time to splurge on the bubbly and on specialty cocktails, such as Food Network's champagne punch. You can try the Triple Threat Twinkies or Mushrooms Rockefeller below, or be creative and create your own finger foods.

The point is to be creative and celebrate the way you want. After an often stressful holiday season jammed full of traditions, it's necessary to let your hair down, celebrate, eat, and drink your way.

Unfortunately, I won't be at any Mardi Gras parades this year. Maybe I'll host my own at-home party by pulling out my stash of beads, plastic cups, and doubloons and then assembling my krewe—two cats and my boyfriend—and yelling "throw me something, mister" at each of them. Maybe not…

I am, however, going to keep with the tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras with a king cake—the brioche-and-cinnamon-roll-like cake that is covered with icing and multicolored sugar and has a plastic baby hidden inside. I know, it sounds kind of crazy, but it's delicious and worth the effort.

You can find multiple sources online that discuss the history of and traditions surrounding the cake, so I'll avoid that here because the recipe is quite long. Enjoy the cake and the party, and laissez les bons temps rouler!

Grab a towel before clicking on the link to the Allison's Gourmet Web site, because the pictures of gourmet desserts are going to make you drool. The boxes of chocolates are just like those my dad gave me for Valentine's Day when I was a little girl—except they're better because they're vegan.

Now is your chance to win the six-piece vegan chocolate assortment of truffles and caramels and the organic vegan peanut-butter cups. Even better, Allison's Gourmet is going to ship them to your door in time for V-Day, so you can give them to that special lady friend or man in your life—or just protest the holiday and eat them all yourself.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment below describing your favorite vegan Valentine's Day food. It can be a candy, a dessert recipe, a decadent savory item—anything goes! The most intriguing comment—as determined by me—wins the prize.

The contest ends February 10 at 12 noon, and the winner (one person will receive both the six-piece assortment and the peanut-butter cups) will be notified immediately.

Don't forget to check out all the delicious offerings at Allison's Gourmet. Good luck!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and many of us are searching for that perfect gift that will surprise and excite. These truffles, with the combination of chocolate and chilies, will do just that.

This super-easy recipe has just a hint of chili powder and a lot of chocolate. Both are known aphrodisiacs and will certainly help with that "excitement" you're seeking. And depending on your threshold for pain, or some might say pleasure, you can kick up the heat by adding more chili powder or using fresh chilies simmered in the "cream."

Nothing guarantees a little nookie like an aphrodisiac-laced meal. And if you've already met your limit for chocolate, why not try another vegan stimulant—truffles. No, I'm not talking about the chocolate dessert, but the tubers that were the "it" ingredient for many years.

Truffles have long been prized because of their rarity and pungent flavor, but they are also known for their power as an aphrodisiac. Some varieties even have a scent that mimics the male pig sex hormone, so there's no denying that they are a food o' love.

White truffle oil is the easiest to find and most affordable variety and is the perfect addition to a creamy risotto. The muskiness goes well with the earthy flavor and chewy texture of the gourmet mushrooms (I recommend oyster) and the creamy consistency from the arborio rice.

Pair this risotto with a little red wine and mood lighting, while Marvin Gaye sings away on the stereo, and you'll be getting it on in no time—or at least you'll wish you were.

Chow.com recently posted a recipe for St. Patty's Day Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes, and immediately I knew that they needed to be veganized because it would allow me to indulge in both my love for dark beer and my love for baking.

The first step in veganizing the cupcakes is to replace the Guinness, which is not vegan-friendly, with another Irish stout or coffee. Next, replace the milk with soy milk and the eggs with Ener-G brand egg replacer. Finally, replace the sour cream with the vegan equivalent, or if you are like me and don't have any on hand, use Vegenaise. I swear this was good and led to super-moist cupcakes that even my brother, who seems to be deathly afraid of all things vegan, approved of.

To get a nice light dusting of cocoa powder, try placing a small amount on a spoon and then blowing it onto the cupcakes. Of course, you don't want to do this if you're baking something you're going to sell or, say, giving the cupcakes to a complete germaphobe, but it is a neat at-home trick.

Enjoy the cupcakes with a strong Irish coffee, and you'll have a buzz, not just from sugar, to last throughout the day.

To celebrate Meatout 2008, I've agreed to do a little guest post on The PETA Files. Be sure to check out the post, which includes my recipe for mock crab cakes served on warm crostini and topped with lemon-dill mayo. You can read the post, on the second best PETA blog, here.

There are a variety of places online where you can order vegan Easter candy, and finding vegan chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, or jelly beans—just like those you remember filling your Easter basket with as a child—is no longer difficult. However, if you're like me and you've waited until the last minute to plan for the sugar fest that often comes with the holiday, finding these goodies won't be quite as easy.

But don't fear! Those of us who tend to procrastinate—or are just super-crafty—can go the homemade route. Below is a recipe for basic chocolate eggs, which you can then manipulate into a variety of designs. Here are a few to try:

•Roll egg-shaped chocolate in chopped nuts.

•If you can find a cute Easter-themed mold, simply fill it with the chocolate and refrigerate.

•Allow the chocolate to cool in a thin layer, then cut out your favorite shape with Easter-themed cookie cutters.

•Decorate egg-shaped chocolate with dyed coconut. I recommend adding a few drops of food coloring to water and then adding your coconut. Allow to soak for a few minutes in the water, then remove and allow to dry completely before using to decorate.

•Use plastic Easter eggs to get your desired shape, scoop out the center, and fill with peanut butter, nuts, or another favorite candy. Close the plastic egg and refrigerate until both sides are firm and have joined together.

•Cover egg-shaped chocolate with holiday color foils or ribbons.

•Cover egg-shaped chocolate with vegan nonpareils or another small vegan candy.

You can shape and decorate the chocolate any way you'd like, so get creative with it! Also, please share if you have any other tips for DIY Easter candy.

Last week I kicked off grilling season with an almost daily use of my new little grill, and this week I've definitely kept up the pace. It's only Thursday, and the grill has already been used three times. I'm pretty sure the neighbors are getting jealous.

Eager to move away from the veggies and frozen burgers that have been gracing the racks, I decided to try out grilled tofu this week. I also decided to throw in a bit of my Cajun heritage by adding a blackened seasoning to the mix.

As I mentioned in last week's post about grilling, tofu works wonderfully with this method of preparation and, in my opinion, achieves its best texture this way—a firm or crunchy crust with a juicy interior. I first soaked the tofu in a soy sauce marinade to add a little more depth to the flavor, and the marinade acted as a way to hold the seasoning onto the tofu. You can use the recipe below for blackened seasoning or buy it already mixed from the store. Either works just fine. I went with a rather light dusting of seasoning—being afraid it might be too spicy for me—but if you really pile it on, you'll be left with a thicker, crunchier crust.

The finished tofu pieces looked a lot like pieces of grilled fish and had a wonderful flavor. Honestly, even I was surprised that it turned out so good. Because of the results, I'll even venture to say that I would serve this to nonvegetarians. Normally I would think long and hard before serving meat-eaters a hunk of tofu, but this preparation made the tofu so yummy that I wouldn't even hesitate.

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!