Vegan Maple Apple Crisp
It definitely feels like fall is here now, and so I had to make an apple crisp with the apples we bought at the orchard recently! Apple crisp is one of the essential fall recipes as far as I am concerned. When I was little, I remember coming home from school many times in the […]
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
At pretty much every restaurant in Minnesota you will find some version or other of creamy wild rice soup, usually with chicken, and everyone claims that theirs is “famous” and the “best”. I tried a few growing up, and I never thought any of them were that great, except for the version that my Mom […]
Gingerbread Granola
The Christmas music everywhere has begun! Not that it is a bad thing, it gets me in the mood for the season, and I have a few songs that I really like. But then there are the over-played ones with 5 different versions of the same song that I hear over and over on the […]
Vegan Pumpkin Pie in a Mug
I love a good pumpkin pie. It is the essential fall dessert, and is actually somewhat healthy compared to many other pies (not that I always care, but I like to get my veggies in sometimes with dessert). I make it in some form every year whether it be mini ones, or a fancy larger […]
Broccoli Almond Apple Slaw
I don’t know why everyone throws all of their broccoli stems away and just keeps the flowrettes, honestly the stems are the most delicious sweet part of the broccoli in my opinion! So, when I was making a big broccoli salad the other day at work and had a lot of stalks bound for the […]
Vegan Banana Bread Granola
Store bought granola has nothing on home made. It is so much fun picking your own flavors and ingredients. Although I have my favorites, I try to switch it up a lot according to what I have on hand and try new things. I always keep a bag of granola in my pantry at all […]
Vegan Raspberry Pistachio “Milk” Chocolate Bars
I have been seeing lots of ads for vegan chocolate bars online that look amazing. But unfortunately I can’t afford to buy them right now, because they are a bit over my budget this month, and the shipping price is pretty high. So, I decided to make my own instead! I actually have some cool […]
Vegan Vanilla Cake
I can’t believe that I started this blog 10 years ago. Although it didn’t really start as a blog. It started out as a way to share my recipes all in one place, somewhere other than just in my Facebook notes. I was experimenting with new recipes all the time, and sharing the good ones. […]
Vegan Banana Hazelnut Chocolate Pancakes
When you get a bunch of free bananas, you make banana goodies. Or freeze them for smoothies, but I already had some in the freezer so I made some banana bread pudding earlier this week, and then these banana hazelnut chocolate chip pancakes this weekend. I guess I am in the mood for brunchy banana […]
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole and Vegan Sweet Potato Maple Cake with McCormick Spices!
This post is sponsored by McCormick® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. There are so many things to be excited about around the holidays! Seeing friends and family you might not normally see the rest of the year because they live far away, the celebrations, and of course the amazing food! […]
Vegan Sweet Potato “Cream Cheese” Muffins
Pumpkin has been getting all the love around here, I am not going to lie, I admit I get a little obsessed in the fall, since I am pumpkin deprived the rest of the year and it is one of my all time favorite things. But you know what else is my favorite thing? Sweet […]
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of pumpkin goodies this year. I like apple treats and Halloween candy too, and I have been making those as well this October, but pumpkin seems to be the favorite. Thank goodness for canned pumpkin though! Back in the day, I used to like to […]
Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake
I made a visit to a local apple orchard a few weekends back, and I still had some apples on hand, so I decided that I had to make something really delicious with them. Pie sounded good, but you know what sounded even better? A cheesecake with the elements of apple pie included. A caramel apple […]
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Granola
Fall is officially here, so I had to make something pumpkin spice. I know everyone makes fun of people that like pumpkin spice and pumpkin spice lattes and whatnot, and while I agree that some things should not be pumpkin spice flavored (like certain savory items), most pumpkin spice is darn delicious and I love […]
Vegan Cinnamon Roll Cake
At work in the deli last week, one of my coworkers decided to bake a cinnamon roll cake for our hot food bar. We don’t usually make desserts for it but it is always nice to swap things up, and a lot of people have a sweet tooth. Plus, who doesn’t like warm cinnamon scented […]
Vegan Maple Pecan Brownie Sundaes
A lot of restaurants have brownie sundaes on their menu. I have seen other people order them, but I have never actually had one of my own. One of the restaurants I went to this year for my Birthday had a brownie sundae that came free if it was your birthday, but it wasn’t vegan […]
Oil Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
I am often asked to create oil free recipes so I have been working on some lately, and one of the first things that I chose to make was chocolate chip cookies. I mean, chocolate chip cookies are pretty standard when it comes to classic recipes. I know they were certainly one of my favorites […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Muffins
Last weekend we took a trip up north to Duluth and we had to stop at a couple of gas stations along the way. I don’t usually pay attention to much in a gas station besides where the bathroom is on a road trip, but while I was in there some giant muffins caught my […]
Lavender Lemonade
It was a sort of gloomy day Wednesday, so when I got home I decided to make myself a fancy drink fit for a hot Summer day and pretend like it was nice outside even though it wasn’t. You would think I would go for hot tea or cocoa or something because it was chilly […]
Vegan Mexican Chocolate Lava Cakes
Since Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, I decided to make something for dessert with a little kick. I had made a Mexican chocolate cake that was really good a few years back with a little bit of cinnamon and chipotle in the batter and that sounded good to make again, but I didn’t feel […]
Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake
I had two leftover beets from another dish I had made and I thought about juicing them because beet juice is amazing and packed with good nutrients, but you know what sounded even better than juice? Cake. Which was the other thing I was thinking of making with that beet. Cake almost always wins when […]
Autumn Apple Fig Salad with Lemon Maple Tahini Dressing
I still haven’t been to an apple orchard yet this year. Maybe next weekend. But I have bought some amazing local apples at the grocery store. The Honeycrisp apples are still my favorite. The local ones are the best though, and taste slightly different than the ones that are flown in from elsewhere. Not only […]
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Pancakes
I am a peanut butter and chocolate fanatic. I even have a round up of 30+ Vegan Chocolate and Peanut Butter Recipes! Growing up, Reese’s peanut butter cups were my all time favorite candy, and now my own home made peanut butter cups are. It is just an irresistible combination! So a few days back […]
Vegan Avocado Brownies
Brownie baking is the perfect activity for your day off. Especially if it has been a particularly stressful, or the weather outside is crappy. I mean, one can not possibly be in a bad mood while baking brownies. The whole process is enjoyable. Eating the last bit of batter leftover in the bowl, taking in […]
Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake
An occasion such as Valentine’s Day, deserves the perfect decadent rich chocolate. So, I decided to make one last weekend. Eric and I celebrated early since the actual holiday is during the work week and I am working. We went for a long walk around Minneapolis in our favorite area, then hit up our favorite […]
Vegan Southwest Shepherd’s Pie Chili
I made my Sweet Potato lasagna the other day, but I have had another sweet potato recipe floating around in my head for a while that I wanted to try out. It is definitely comfort food type weather here, so warming food is needed so badly. I have been wanting to make a sweet potato […]
Cinnamon Sugar Yam Fries with “Cream Cheese” Dipping Sauce
Yam fries are my bacon. As in, I love them so much I can’t stop eating them. We make them at my work, and of course I always have to sample them every time to make sure they are up to par. It is funny because when I was younger I couldn’t have cared less […]
Creamy Garam Masala Noodles
I am a big fan of Thai peanut noodles. They are simple, savory easy to make comfort food. We make them at my work and they sell like hotcakes! But I feel sorry for people who can not experience them because they are allergic to peanut butter. So, I thought why not create something similar […]
Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding
Chia pudding might sound like something for health nuts, but you know what? It is actually similar to a tapioca or rice pudding. I grew up with both of those, they were pretty popular at things like church potlucks or my Grandma’s house, and some were really delicious (like my Grandma’s) and some were just […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Caramel
I took a poll last week on Facebook to see if people preferred chocolate or vanilla and chocolate won by a landslide! I guess I am usually a vanilla girl, my blog is called Fragrant Vanilla Cake after all, but I guess I was surprised that it wasn’t more split down the middle. Chocolate is […]
Vegan Berry Crisp in a Jar
Last Saturday was a beautiful day. The sun was out, it was about 50 degrees in the morning and I ran the Roseville Run for the Roses 5k. Now, 50 degrees might not sound like a nice Summer day to some, but it is perfect for running and I was thankful for the cooler temps for […]
Vegan Spring Carrot and Beet Cake
I don’t get people that don’t like carrot cake. I mean, are they afraid of the veggies so they have never tried it and therefore don’t know how incredibly delicious it is?! I have always loved it, even as a youngster. But then again I have never been afraid of veggies and trying new things. […]
Vegan Chocolate Quinoa Pancakes
I always think it is funny listening to people try to pronounce the word quinoa for the first time. “Qhinwah? Keenohah? Keen-way? I am not sure how to say it…” We have all been there honestly, and it is hard to pronounce for first timers. I first started making it when I started working at […]
Vegan Irish Coffee Layer Cake
Since St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, I decided to make a decadent cake fit for a celebration! Although I had a few different ideas, my Mom gave me the winning one. “You haven’t ever made an Irish coffee cake before, you should make one!” She said. It sounded like a winner to me, so […]
Vegan Peanut Butter Love Cake
If I could eat a whole jar of peanut butter I would. I love the stuff, and I always have since I was a little kid. Reese’s peanut butter cups were something I looked forward to on the holidays where chocolate was included, and peanut butter sandwiches were a staple in my school lunches since […]
Raw Seed and Fruit Energy Bars
At the deli I work in, we make birdseed bars, and they always smell so good to me while baking, and the ingredients smell good, but they are not vegan. They have honey in them, and that may not seem like a big deal to some, but it is to me, because once you learn […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cake
Last week was kind of a stressful one for me. Including my computer breaking and losing most of my photos and everything because the hard drive was toast. There were other things that happened too that I won’t go into but my point is that by the end of the week, I was sooo ready […]
Vegan Pink Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
One of my all time favorite relaxing activities is baking something delicious in the kitchen. So, last Monday I decided to bake some brownies since it was my day off. I haven’t made any in quite a while, so it was about time! I knew I wanted to make something really good, and something chocolate. […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Cake
Fragrant Vanilla Cake has just turned 6 years old! Well, technically it turned 6 on the 5th, but I didn’t have time to make a cake then, so I am celebrating a few extra days late. I am one of those people who waits until the weekend to celebrate my own Birthday when it falls […]
Vegan Turmeric Spice Cake
I love turmeric! Not only is it a beautiful color, but it also has health benefits. I include some in my diet every day, and I notice that when I do I am less sore from my workouts. You may not think something as simple as a spice could do so much, but it really […]
Mexican Chocolate Roasted Chickpeas
I have been wanting to make roasted chickpeas for a long time now. I mean, I eat chickpeas all the time, in the form of hummus or to top my salads off with, or stir into soups. So why not for a snack as well? I admit, I do just eat plain cooked chickpeas with […]
Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Banana pancakes were one of the first vegan recipes I made back in the day. The Summer I was teaching myself to cook, and I had gotten a bunch of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks from the library to page through. I was a pretty new vegetarian with not much cooking experience but I wanted to […]
Pomegranate Rosemary Kombucha
I used to make kombucha all the time, after Eric got me into it a few years back. I would make all sorts of delicious flavors, depending on what fruit was in season, and it was pretty exciting! But then my kombucha making fell by the wayside when I got busy, and other things took […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Roll
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did, spending time with family enjoying good food and relaxing. Despite the freezing rain on Christmas day, it was all in all a good Christmas! This year for my dessert, I decided to make something that was traditional, yet non-traditional at the same time. […]
Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Cake
When I was little, one year I got a chocolate orange in my stocking. If you have had one before, you know what I am talking about, but for those who don’t it is a whole normal sized orange made out of chocolate that you whack on the counter to release the wedges. The type […]
Mini Vegan Sweet Potato Pecan Sweet Rolls
This is the time of the year when I like to spend more time baking delicious things in the kitchen! I still venture outside even though it may be snowy to go for my runs, and it is kind of exhilarating to exercise in the cold air, but coming home to a warm kitchen is […]
Vegan Sweet Potato Cranberry Coffeecake
Most of us have Thanksgiving leftovers, and although you could just continue to eat them as they are and reheat them, it is fun sometimes to create new things with them! Now of course some people just make a giant sandwich and pile it high with all the fixings, but I like to totally reinvent […]
Vegan Italian Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms
From time to time, my Mom brings me veggies and asks me to make something with them for her, or to veganize a classic recipe and I am more than happy to do so! She has been trying to eat more plant based lately, and I am proud of her for that! She brought me […]
Vegan Harvest Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Caramel Filling
I can think of nothing better than making a big chocolate cake after my long run. That is not to say I run for cake, but it just sounds really good. Not immediately after, but like later in the day when I am ready to chill and relax with some cake, wine and my man. […]
Vegan Turtle Doughnuts
There is a café in St. Paul MN, that makes a famous turtle cake. My Mom and I used to go there when I was little, just for the beautiful desserts, which I would admire through the glass, but I would always either buy the turtle cake or cheesecake. It was decadent as all get […]
Mini Vegan Snickers Cheesecakes
When I was little and dressed up and went out for Halloween, to be honest, the dressing up part was my favorite of everything, even over the candy. It was fun to be able to pretend to be someone or something else for a night. My favorite costume was not all that exciting, a black […]
Autumn Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
We have this Summer berry quinoa salad in the deli I work in, and it is super popular. It is a sweet salad with creamy coconut milk, and fresh berries, and I always have said to myself, it would make a good breakfast. And told myself that I would make it at home. Well, Summer […]
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sometimes you have a good week where everything goes right, and sometimes you don’t. What matters is how you deal with it, and whether it makes you a better person, or a worse person. Well, I had one of those not so good weeks, you know where nothing goes the way you planned it, things […]
Vegan Caramel Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Apples get all the love in the fall. But you know who else deserves some love? The pears. If you get a perfectly ripe pear that is sweet, juicy and delicious, it is like dessert. I was never that fond of pears growing up, but that was because the ones I are mostly came in […]
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
I caved. I jumped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon. What can I say? Fall is in the air and I am in the mood for pumpkin and apples. My first baked good, pumpkin cookies. We make pumpkin cookies at my work, and they are always very popular this time of the year. They smell amazing […]
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting
One time I found out Eric threw out some over ripe bananas. “What were you thinking?!” I asked. “You should have given them to me!” I said. I mean, he knows I freeze them for smoothies, and can make some bomb vegan desserts with them (which I always share with him). Not just banana bread, […]
Vegan Mini Caramel Pecan Banana Cream Cheesecakes
I used to have this fabulous banana cream pie recipe that I made quite often when I was in college. It had the most luscious coconut banana cream filling, and sometimes I would even top it off with caramel and pecans for good measure and because it was so good. I always made it in […]
Vegan Blueberry Muffin Cake
Blueberry muffins remind me of lazy Saturday mornings. When I was little, I would beg my Dad to let me help him make them. It wasn’t that difficult…considering we used the ones from a box. My Dad did not inherit my Grandma’s baking skills. But I still loved the muffins anyhow. Especially when still warm […]
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes
I have been in the mood for chocolate chip cookies lately for some reason. Maybe it is the fact that at the deli I work in, my station is next to the baked goods cooling rack and those darn cookies cooling smell sooo good! They are not vegan, so I am never tempted to steal […]
Vegan Toasted Almond Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
So, I ran my first race in a year last weekend. It was actually only my second in 4 years (after previously running about 20 a year), because I took a long time off of running in races after a string of injuries that had me feeling burnt out about it. I have still been […]
Vegan Marionberry Peach Crisp
There was a time in my life that I loved fruit crisps so much that I made them every single weekend for months on end. It may sound weird, but it was something I looked forward to. I do tend to get stuck in ruts sometimes when I really like something (or more so […]
Watermelon Basil Slushie
When I was little, I used to love getting things like Sno Cones, Mr. Mistys at Dairy Queen, and Hawaiian Ices at the fair. They were so refreshing…and so sugary. Just what my 10 year old self loved! I can’t say I have had anything like that in about 15 years, but good memories go […]
Cooling Cucumber Miso Almond Noodles
My Grandpa grows a garden of just cucumbers and tomatoes every Summer, and he always shares a bunch with me. I am extremely grateful for that. They are honestly the best tomatoes and cucumbers I have ever tasted and every time I get one at the store I am disappointed because they don’t measure up […]
Watermelon Cherry Basil Cooler
When I was little, and into sugary popsicles, I could have cared less about watermelon. It was all about the brightly colored freezes, bomb pops and those sorts of things when it came to keeping cool in the Summer. But now as an adult, I have an appreciation for naturally cooling foods. Give me a watermelon […]
Vegan Strawberries and Cream Doughnuts
When I was little I was a big Strawberry Shortcake fan. As in the popular cute kids TV character with her own show. My Grandma had taped the episodes for me and I would watch them over and over again. If you never watched the show, Strawberry Shortcake was the main character and she had […]
Mini Vegan Dark Chocolate Fig Cakes
I get really tired of all of the negativity online. People are so mean to one another, and they think it is ok to say whatever they want just because it pops into their head, and they are not face to face with the person they are saying it to. It is all over, and […]
6 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Fudge Gelato
For most of my life I have been a vanilla girl. It was always vanilla cupcakes over chocolate, vanilla cheesecake over chocolate mousse cake, and vanilla ice cream over chocolate any day. I don’t know if maybe the chocolate was just too intense for me when I had a good sized piece of dessert with […]
Tahini Broccoli Salad
My Mom brought me some broccoli, crasins and tahini, and asked me if I would make her a broccoli salad with it. She was thinking, sort of like a twist on the classic broccoli salad that people make and take to picnics. You know the one, with the bacon, mayo dressing, sunflower seeds, and raisins. The […]
Vegan Galaxy Berry Swirl Ice Cream
I wanted to make a red, white and blue ice cream for the 4th, but I never thought that I would end up with a beautiful galaxy ice cream. Most of the time in my kitchen, recipes sort of go like this. It is an experiment, I am not exactly sure how it will turn […]
Vegan Matcha Mint Chip Ice Cream
There is nothing more refreshing to me than mint lately. My favorite thing to do after a workout or being in the hot sun is to take a bath with peppermint oil, or use my home made peppermint body spray after. It is so cooling and it smells amazing. Another favorite refreshing thing, iced matcha […]
Spicy Ginger Garlic Saurkraut
What many people don’t realize is that keeping your gut healthy is important. If it is not healthy, and does not have enough healthy bacteria in it, you might start to have problems with digestion, get sick more often (because much of your immune system is there), have skin issues, and feel tired among other […]
Vegan German Chocolate Potato Cake
When someone asks me if I can veganize a recipe I am always game. So when a reader asked me a few weeks back if I would make a potato cake, I was excited to do so! I had never actually had a potato cake, so I looked up other recipes to see if I […]
Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
It has been a very long time since I made banana bread. I used to make it often when I was younger. I remember it was one of the first things I attempted to bake at home when I was in middle school. Using my Grandma’s recipe written on a worn out card. Those were […]
5 Ingredient Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
It was really hot and sticky last Monday. I went out for a walk in the afternoon, and when I got home, I felt like I had been dipped into a stinky pond. I took a refreshing bath laced with peppermint oil, and that helped to cool me down, but I also decided that I […]
Vegan Coconut Caramel Cake
My Mom gave me a bag of shredded coconut and asked me to make something delicious with it. I made some macaroons, but I also made the most glorious cake. To begin with, when the idea of making a coconut cake came to mind, I was going to go for a classic coconut layer cake. […]
Raw German Chocolate Macaroons
My Mom gave me a bag of fancy shredded coconut and told me to make something good out of it. I made a cake decorated with it, which will be shared in the near future in case you are interested, but I also decided to make some coconut macaroons. Because she loves coconut macaroons, and […]
Vegan Matcha Chocolate Chip Pancakes
What do you make for dinner on a rainy day when you need a mood booster? Pancakes. At least that is what I made. Colorful pancakes, because those are fun right?! Well, I was just in a matcha sort of mood, so I made matcha chocolate chip pancakes to share with Eric, because he is […]
Spicy Quinoa Veggie Black Bean Salad
I had one really busy day last week where I got home late from work, was feeling stressed and didn’t want to fuss over dinner. A pre-dinner walk with Eric helped, but I was still not in the mood to cook something complicated. It was a warm day so salad sounded awesome. You wouldn’t think I […]
Coconut Matcha Mint Mousse with Berries
I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love a good matcha latte once in a while. I was thinking about how good it is to top off your matcha latte with coconut cream, and I decided that making a coconut matcha mousse was a good idea. I had some fresh berries, and I […]
Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Berry Cake
The best things in life are free. Going for a run and taking in the fresh air. Smelling the lilacs. The sunshine. Taking in the beauty of nature God has created. I have been appreciating all of this lately. Work can be busy and stressful, bills can get expensive, and things don’t always go as […]
5 Ingredient Vegan Salted Caramel Ice Cream
It has been really warm here lately, more like Summer weather than Spring. I think it is mostly the humidity, and it does wonders for plants but it makes me overheated and craving things like ice cream. So, I decided that I needed to make ice cream. I used to make ice cream every week, […]
Vegan German Chocolate Pancakes
Pancakes can be breakfast, dinner or dessert right? Well I think they can. I was thinking more along the lines of dessert when I decided to make German Chocolate Pancakes one night last week to boost my mood. There seemed to be a lot of crabby people everywhere that day. Maybe it was the rainy […]
Vegan PB & J Popcorn
I haven’t eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich since I was in high school, but I still love peanut butter and jelly together…especially in dessert. The truth is I never really liked sandwich bread, and I preferred to eat my peanut butter and jelly on crackers when I was young, or straight out of […]
Creamy Vegan Spring Pasta Primavera
I had made a creamy vegan pasta with some Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan cheese I had bought for Easter dinner. In fact I made it twice that week because it was so good. Since then I made some vegan sharp cheddar cheese of my own, and decided to try that in a recipe. What resulted was […]
Spring Asparagus Slaw
I had leftover asparagus because I ended up buying more than I needed for an Easter pasta dish I made, so I thought I would make another meal with it. I am pretty excited that asparagus is available again, so I don’t mind having it a few times in a row. I had made a […]
Raw Fruit and Seed Energy Hearts
Do you ever have one of those days where you are rushing around so much, and so focused on your work or tasks you are involved in, that you forget about having a snack and realize you are super hungry? Like so hungry your stomach feels like it is eating itself, and you need something […]
Irish Lentil Stew
We make an Irish Stew in the deli I work in, and every time I make it I think of St. Patrick’s Day. Well now St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so I should definitely make it soon! Seems appropriate. Well, I thought I should make my own version of it at home. […]
Raw Vegan Tie Dye Cream Eggs
Easter is fast approaching, and I am in an Easter candy sort of mood. Everything with chocolate so far, because that was always my favorite. I was never a jelly bean or marshmallow Peeps sort of girl. I thought it would be fun to make some candy eggs with color in the middle, so I […]
Vegan Hazelnut Truffle Eggs
Easter is coming up, so I thought it was about time I made some Easter treats. When I was little, I was never a big fan of the jelly beans and Peeps. I was all about the chocolate candies. Reese’s peanut butter eggs were my favorite. I have made my own before in recent years […]