Gretch Runs

Happy Tasty Tuesday everyone!  Today I have a special post planned- a vegan Thanksgiving menu.  I've been getting questions lately about what I'm going to eat for Thanksgiving, and to be honest, the possibilities are endless! This weekend I went to a vegan feast that gave me a lot of inspiration for a savory, decadant dinner without any animal products.  Today, I'll be sharing my own menu of what I would make for a vegan Thanksgiving!  I have some appetizers, entree, drinks and dessert.  I hope I can give you some inspiration for your own dinner! Appetizers "Cheese" Plate Who says you can't make a cheese plate that's vegan?! It's time to get creative and make an interesting platter- with a mix of store-bought spreads, yummy crackers, pickles, olives, and crudites. Hummus Black Bean Salad Two of my favorite dips!  Pair with some carrots and tortillas Deviled "Eggs" Your guests will be shocked at how creative and tasty th...

Last week I mentioned that dips were my favorite part of the meal, but stuffing has to be my favorite main/side dish.  I'm not sure if it's because I only get to eat it at Thanksgiving, but I look forward to eating it all year long, and eat A TON during the dinner! I've never actually made stuffing myself, so I decided to test out two different store-bought brands and see which one was the best!  In today's battle of the Store Bought Stuffing, we have Trader Joes vs. Whole Foods.  (To be honest, I also wanted to try the undisputed heavy weight of the Stuffing world- Stove Top, but all non-chicken-flavored was sold out!) Let's get to the battle! Whole Foods 365 Organic Multigrain Stuffing This was a very easy stuffing to make- boil water and olive oil, then mix in croutons.  Let it sit for a few minutes then fluff.  The seasoning was already mixed in with the bread, so this took about 10 minutes from start to finish!  Doesn't get much more simple...

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  Since it's November, I thought it would be fun to dedicate this month to Thanksgiving treats.  Today I'll be starting with my favorite food category- dips.  I don't know about you, but dips are my absolute favorite part of any big meal.  I could make an entire meal out of them! I'll be sharing four different dips- two sweet ones and two savory.  Best of all- they're all vegan! Cookie Dough Dip 6 tablespoons vegan butter, soft 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 splash vanilla 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk 1 pinch salt 1 cup flour 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips Cream together butter and sugar.  Stir in vanilla and milk, then slowly mix in flour and salt.  Once everything is combined, stir in chocolate chips. This is also great with any kind of mix-ins- toffee chips, peanut butter, or oreos! Creamy Dreamy Chocolate Dip 2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight 2 tablespoons cacao powder (I used Hershey's dark)...

Today is the finale of my Thanksgiving series!  If you missed the others, I shared dessert s, drinks , and side dishes .  Now it's time for some appetizers- probably my favorite part of any holiday meal!  Does anyone else fill up on the snacks and little bites before the main course is served?  I swear, I could have a meal just consisting of chips and dip. Today I'll be sharing some delicious appetizer ideas that each call for less than five ingredients, take just a few minutes to assemble, and are bite sized pieces of deliciousness! Traditional Caprese Salad Bites source Ingredients : cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, balsamic glaze Directions :  On a toothpick, skewer a cherry tomato, piece of basil, and mini mozzarella ball.  Serve with a balsamic dipping sauce or glaze.   Rosemary Caprese Salad Bites source Ingredients :  cherry tomatoes, rosemary, mozzarella, balsamic glaze Directions :  Trim the leaves off the...

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope you're all having a great weekend. Today I'll be sharing part 3 of my Thanksgiving series.  I'll be talking about side dishes, and the format of today's post will be a bit different.  I'm going to be sharing one dish that I made, which is actually a combination of two side dishes that I found online.  The first dish is Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash .  The recipe called for dried cranberries, but I only had fresh.  Inspiration struck and I thought of making a cranberry sauce to dress the roasted veggies.  I have to say that the dish turned out amazingly well.  The veggies are nice and crisp from being baked in the oven, and the sauce is a little sweet, a little tart, and completely delicious. I hope you enjoy my side dish creation!  I'll also be sharing a few recipes that are really easy and quick to make, and would be fun side dishes for your Thanksgiving meal!  Make sure you come b...

Welcome to Part 2 of my Thanksgiving Series! (If you missed Part 1 [Desserts], click here !).  Today I'll be talking about something very special- cocktails!  I love trying new drinks at holiday parties, and it's something that I've always struggled with. I want to be that person who can just whip up a delicious cocktail with ease, but my "creations" have always ended up down the drain. Today I'll be sharing five fool-proof cocktails with you.  These seriously are fool-proof because I made them with no problem, and they actually tasted really good.  They don't have any crazy ingredients, so most things you'll either find in your fridge or can easily find in the liquor store.  They all have ingredients that you'll be able to reuse in other cocktails easily, so you're not going to be stuck with a huge bottle of peach gin from a recipe that you tried once and hated (speaking from experience here!).  The recipes are also seasonal, so they tas...

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hardly ever post on the weekend, but I'm going to be starting a series in November to share some Thanksgiving recipes.  I love to experiment in the kitchen, so I thought it would be fun to try out some holiday-themed recipes and pins , and share the result with all of you. Today I'm starting out with desserts, since they're my favorite, and I'll also share side dishes, appetizers, drinks and decorations.  I'm really excited for this series and I hope that you all enjoy it! To kick things off, I'm going to share a dessert that I made for a volunteer appreciation dinner at the Humane Society.  I wanted to make something that's easy to eat and also really tasty.  I also wanted to have options for everyone, so I decided to make mini pies!  Who doesn't love mini food? I chose four different mini pies, and played around with the recipes to make 8 of each kind of pie.  I used Trader Joe's pie crust, and found that one...