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.

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!

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!

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.

Many of you already know I'm completely obsessed with Gourmet magazine, which is why so many of its recipes show up here. Today's is no exception. I was trolling Epicurious for a summery salad to complement today's beautiful weather, and this couscous salad with raisins, roasted red peppers, pine nuts, and more jumped out at me. I then realized that it is, of course, from Gourmet.

The salad is described as an African-Sicilian hybrid—the couscous is a typical North African ingredient, and the raisins, garlic, olives, capers, peppers, and pine nuts are typical Sicilian ingredients. I've never had the pleasure of visiting Sicily myself, so until then I'll be forced to experience the Italian island through its cuisine.

It was a pleasure to "visit" Sicily through this salad because in addition to the rich flavors from the olives, capers, and garlic, it was easy to make. The salad took no time at all to prepare because very little cooking is required—perfect for these beautiful long days when I'd rather spend more time outside than behind a stove.

I know this recipe looks long, but it really doesn't contain that many ingredients, nor is it all that difficult. Sushi recipes just require a bit of instruction for newbies before they, too, can be rolling up a storm.

The great thing about making sushi at home is that it's easy. It really is—I promise. I know it seems intimidating, but all you have to do is prep your rice and veggies in advance, then start rolling! You can even skip the bamboo mat—which I did in this recipe—and still achieve a tight, well-sealed roll.

And the fun thing about making sushi at home is that you can try any filling you like. The tofu-shiitake-carrot-avocado blend below was used in only a couple of my rolls. I also opted for a teriyaki-eggplant filling, which only required a few minutes in a sauté pan before it was ready to go.

I would love to hear about any unique fillings that you guys like to work with—the weirder, the better.

Spring and summer are the perfect time to load up on healthy salads. Sure, fresh produce is plentiful and there's that whole heat thing that keeps us from craving, oh, let's say, a stew, but I will fess up that just a teeny part of my motivation for leaning toward salads does come from a little thing called a swimsuit.

Getting in shape for the summer and swimsuit season is something I always strive for—and only sometimes accomplish. I find that having a few healthy salads in my menu rotation helps get me in shape faster, and variations of the chickpea salad below show up very often.

I broke out of the "salad must contain lettuce" mind-frame a long time ago, and now I like to center my salads around beans because they are both filling and healthy. You can try salads with chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, or black-eyed peas—they're all delicious. However, it is important to remember that beans have way more calories than iceberg lettuce, so check out that nutritional information on the back of the can if you are trying to slim down. Also, remember that salad is no longer a health food if you top it with an entire bottle (or anywhere close to that amount) of vegan ranch dressing, so use it sparingly!

Whole wheat pasta is one alternative to white pasta, but with more nutrients and more flavor, in my opinion. I know that some people are afraid of trying the denser, grainier, healthier, and browner pasta, but if you don't expect it to taste just like the white stuff, then you'll be one step closer to enjoying it.

Whole wheat pasta should be appreciated for its own unique qualities and paired with appropriate flavors. That's exactly why I chose to couple it with a mushroom "cream" sauce in this easy yet rich dish.

The mushrooms complement the earthiness of the pasta and add the umami flavor essential in any savory dish. The "cream" sauce adds contrast, and then it's finished with parsley and lemon to lighten things up just enough to keep the dish from becoming too heavy and monotonous. Enjoy!

VegCooking is now holding a contest where you can win free copies of Robin Robertson cookbooks, including Vegan Fire & Spice, so I decided to take a few recipes from the book for a little test drive.

One of the best that I tested was the Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets. The recipe calls for boiling the tempeh for 30 minutes, which really helps soften the tempeh and make it slightly less nutty. I must warn that if you've never tried tempeh, you shouldn't expect this to taste like tofu or frozen faux chicken nuggets you buy from the supermarket. Tempeh has a very unique taste that you may need to learn to love.

After boiling, you then brown the tempeh in a skillet until there's a nice golden color on all sides. Next you're supposed to toss the tempeh with the jerk seasoning, but I feared the nuggets might be a little dry for my taste, so I added another tablespoon of oil and then the seasoning. Perfect.

I'll stop giving you the play-by-play of my tempeh nugget experience so that you can head on over to enter the contest. Hurry and enter now because the contest ends on April 30! Good luck!

Do you miss your favorite childhood meal because you're not quite sure how to veganize the recipe? Have you tried a delicious vegan dessert that you're dying to know how to make? Well, now's your chance to have me do the dirty work and find the best recipe for the food you're craving.

That's right, I'm letting you decide one (or more) of my upcoming posts. Just leave a comment below telling me which recipe you want to see on the blog. You can suggest something vegan or not, and I'll figure out the best way to make the recipe sans animal products. I will choose the most intriguing, the most hunger-pain-inducing suggestion and feature it here. Please leave your comment by April 25.

I'm willing to bet my arm that I'll get a few outrageously difficult suggestions as a test, of sorts, but that's OK because it's your chance to write the menu—and I welcome the challenge.

To me, exploring a new farmers' market is like going to Disney World. There are a seemingly endless number of new and exciting things to explore, every twist and turn fills me with childlike excitement, and some of the smells can be just as scary as an adult sporting an oversized mouse costume.

This weekend, I discovered a farmers' market that was predominantly divided between Hispanic and Asian cuisine—with some African, Jamaican, and American food thrown in. I was in complete awe of the freshly made tortillas, packaged and handed to me while still warm. I smelled, poked, and inspected each of the almost 20 different types of tofu offered, including one made in-house. Avoiding their freshly made soy milk was not an option. I purchased a half gallon that has an extremely nutty flavor and complements my morning coffee perfectly.

The true "score" of the trip was the abundance of fresh produce. I was immediately inspired to make grilled vegetable tacos, filled with nopalitos, king oyster mushrooms, and poblanos and, of course, topped off with fresh salsa.

I'll spare you another grilling recipe—for now, anyway—and treat you to the tomatillo salsa recipe I tried out this weekend. Enjoy!