Butternut Squash

We're posting one Costume Parade cartoon per weekday as part of Vegan MoFo.  Want to go to the beginning of the Costume Parade? Start with some candy corn!

Our second contestant, Butternut Squash, chose not to squeeze into her tight candy bar costume; rather, she let the vacuum sealer do all the hard work.  Yo go, girl!

Here's a vegan Butterfinger Bar recipe for those of you jonesing for some stick-to-your-molars-fun.

For the slightly less hedonistic in the crowd, you can get your Butternut Squash fix with butternut squash gratin with shallots and cashew cream, butternut squash jambalaya, or butternut squash and mushroom lasagna rolls.

Corn II

This month, we're posting one cartoon per weekday as part of Vegan MoFo.  Be on the lookout for four more treats during the first week of the costume parade!  See you tomorrow!

Our first contestant in the Halloween Costume Parade is Candy Corn.  Her costume shows you that you don't have to choose between your two favorite snacks to deliver an awesome Halloween costume!

[Commotion from the audience.]  Wait, what's that?  Most commercial candy corn is not vegan?  No worries, here is the most popular vegan candy corn recipe on the internet!  And here are some old corn favorites from our Say Anything-themed Corn post.

Sweet Potato

Today's cartoons was inspired by Emily, who is one part sweet potato lover, one part runner, and one part awesome.  Mr. Potato has embraced his inner Richard Simmons today by indulging in some oldies but goodies, including candied sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and sweet potato pie!

GOOD NEWS!  You can expect lots of cartoons next month because we're participating in Vegan MoFo starting Monday, October 1.  Our cartoons will have a seasonal theme: a Halloween costume parade full of silly costume ideas.

What is Vegan MoFo, you ask?  Started in 2007, Vegan Mo(nth of) Fo(od) it is an annual challenge for food bloggers to post vegan food-related content for an entire month, with the goal of posting every weekday in October.  We hope you enjoy the challenge and perhaps pick up a Halloween costume idea along the way!

Acorn Squash

With Acorn Squash's five-day strict dietary regimen, you too can prepare for hibernation.  Here's the plan:

Day 1: Stuff yourself with some quinoa stuffed acorn squash.
Day 2: Indulge in bottomless bowls of roasted acorn squash soup.
Day 3: Fill up on acorn squash whole wheat pasta with poblanos and onions.
Day 4: Stick it to your ribs with roasted acorn squash risotto.
Day 5: Live by these four words: baked acorn squash rings.

Season's Greetings and good luck, Kale Crusaders!

I'm Mr. Squirrel, and I approve of this Acorn.

Long Bean

Long Bean goes by so many quirky names (yardlong bean, bora, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, and Chinese long bean) that it's hard for us to choose just one for going pun-crazy.

Instead, we've decided to focus our attention on Long Bean's flexibility and athleticism.  Mr. Bean's special talents also extend to pickled vegetables with peanut, double cherry almond and long bean salad, long bean stir fry, and long bean rice.  Hot dang!

Date

Yo ho ho! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, lassies and lads! While the majority of Talk Like a Pirate Day festivities are fun, the day is also a somber reminder of a serious pirate issue: the scurvy.

To avoid the scurvy, take me advice today and eat yer dates! Here are 3 ways to up yer date intake:

1. Score some chickpea, carrot and date tajine—the ultimate pirate's booty,
2. While a scallywag walks the plank, take a moment to snack on some coconut-pistachio stuffed dates, and
3. Mix date syrup into yer grog. It helps the rum go down easier.

Always remember, lassies and lads,"Touch me loot, feel me boot!"

Turkey!?

Kale Crusaders Headquarters is shutting down for 2.5 weeks to take a late summer vacation in Turkey!  We look forward to returning in full force starting September 18th.  We'll miss you! xoxoxo

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of some of the Turkish (Veggie) Delights we plan to eat!  Kisir, çiğ köfte, imam bayildi, Turkish crepes (gozleme), and cezerye (Turkish Delight with carrot).

Celery Root

Are you craving a versatile veggie with a mild celery flavor, no tooth-catching strings attached?  Let us introduce you to the Cyrano de Bergerac of the produce world, Celeriac or Celery Root.

A magician in the kitchen, Celery Root has a firm grip on preparing cool salads and comforting soups. From time to time, you can find him whipping up something a bit naughtier, including schnitzel with a side of oven fries.

*Swoon*  What a catch!  Check Celery Root's full profile on:  CeleryHarmony.com

Red Lentil

If a Red Letter Day is a special day, does that make a Red Lentil Day even more special? Yes: especially on a Friday! Mr. Lentil has been saving up for his big day out, and today is the day he's going to make it rain pulses.

And what, you might ask, does one eat on such a special day?  We've got you covered. We suggest Egyptian Red Lentil Soup, Turkish Red Lentil Koftas, Ethiopian Lentils, and All-American(?) Red Lentil Burgers. That's quite the fancy Friday feast! Enjoy!

Mangosteen

Go, Mangosteen, go!  One thing that Mangosteen and Trampolining have in common is that people have heard of them, but few have seen them in full action.

While we don't recommend eating and trampolining, we most certainly think that members of the audience are entitled to a snack for all their hard work.  Consider sipping some mangosteen sorbet or nibbling on a few mini mangosteen "toffee apples."  You can also go the simpler route by indulging in the luscious tropical fruit that's hidden just beneath Mangosteen's thick outer skin.