"vegan" news and stories

I feel about mayonnaise the way some people feel about butter: Everything tastes better with a big blob of the eggy, creamy stuff on it. So this vegan recipe from blogger Elana's Pantry intrigued me. It still has plenty of olive oil and vinegar, but instead of eggs, she uses agave nectar (which comes from the sweet, juicy heart of the agave plant, the source of delicious tequila) and marcona almonds, for thickness and texture.

Can traditional mayonnaise be improved upon? I doubt it. But is this a cool alternative for people who choose not to eat eggs? Absolutely. If you make it, or if you have your own alternative recipes for mayo, let us know in the comments.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

It's as fruity as you want it to be. This sweet-potato salad recipe from vegalicious.org, a good resource for vegans, is loaded with bananas, apples and dried apricots, and has a sweet, citrusy dressing -- which reminds us that the sweet potato isn't fit only to be served plain and baked or, in Thanksgiving fashion, stuck in a casserole and smothered with marshmallows.

One of the most delicious ways to serve sweet potatoes is to roast them, then toss with a lime-cilantro mixture -- a Gourmet recipe that even my sweet-potato-casserole-loving mom asks me to make again and again. For the savory counterpart to the fruity salad above, try a sweet-potato salad recipe heavy on tomatoes, snap peas, onion and celery.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured on Feast Your Eyes.

• Brunch isn't all bloody mary's and mimosas -- an increasing number of bars are offering more cocktail varieties for daylight drinking.
• The cocktail heard around the world: A "rum rebellion" is happening in bars across the country, pink umbrella and all.
• One sister loved the vegan Banana Everything Cookies; the other found them chalky. And that's the way the cookie crumbles. ...
• Sam Sifton describes San Domenico's reincarnation, SD26, as "the restaurant equivalent of a second wife."
• Get in the spirit of the season with plenty of recipes for winter libations.

• Tennessee cooks are putting a Southern spin on dressing (not stuffing, mind you) by adding biscuits, oysters and soda crackers.
• Chef Jake Strang reveals why it's good Thanksgiving manners to put guests to work in the kitchen.
• Crisps, cobblers, slumps and pandowdies provide the perfect fall fruit-dessert solution for crust-averse cooks.
• The paper's monthlong vegan project, in which five staffers stuck to an animal-free diet, reaches a bittersweet end.

Although cranberries usually reign supreme around Thanksgiving, the ruby pomegranate seems to be stealing some of the classic berry's thunder this season -- and understandably so, with its unique tart, fruity edge.

Flickr user Norwichnuts created this vegan Pomegranate Ice Kreme by simply combining two juiced pomegranates, two cups creamer, one cup powdered sugar and an added layer of pomegranate jelly and freezing it in an ice-cream maker. The "kreme" appears remarkably luscious and creamy, despite its vegan preparation. Topping the simple dessert with glazed pecans adds a salty complexity, as well as interesting texture and crunch.

Do you enjoy pomegranate? Have you been integrating it into your holiday cooking? Divulge how you've been using the fruit this season in the comments.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.