It's spring! And for many Minnesota gardens that means the annual supply of fresh rhubarb. Rhubarb is a leafy perennial that holds up well in Minnesota's spring climate and in these parts is often associated with yummy springtime sweet treats. If a pile of rhubarb from your market, your CSA box, or your yard comes into your life and you're not feeling the sugar rush, this recipe is for you!

For a refreshing, savory snack to dip into this summer, read on!

Rhubarb Salsa/Chutney
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Ingredients

These muffins get their name due to two springtime seasonal treats: rhubarb and sour cherries, both which happen to pack a pucker of tartness. Despite the tartness, this recipe calls for only half of the sugar in similar muffin recipes, relying instead on the sweetening power of applesauce and naturally sweet sorghum flour for sweetening.

Ingredients

Sometimes the unthinkable happens and the best Chinese and first veggie-friendly restaurant you visited upon moving to Minneapolis closes (RIP Evergreen). The loss of this place was more than just good eats, but it was my spot for hanging out with my buddy Joe, starting when we lived just blocks from each other and the restaurant and lasting long after we both moved to opposite sides of town until it closed.

Well I continue to suck at blogging/my “webmaster” aka partner who is attending coding camp is a little behind in her free labor. But the good news is not only that (1) my primary employer recently took on a month-long Veganuary initiative, but also (2) I have a great recipe to share as a result!

These chocolate cupcakes are packed with protein and healthy fats. You'd never know that the icing has just 5 simple ingredients!

For the Cupcakes:

This one was pretty random but a sometimes all you have is a bunch of condiments, one fresh herb and a handful of greens in your fridge. You can apparently put together a pretty tasty salad! Here’s what it took:

Ok this one was a little weird. I had a friend who by doctor’s orders had to cut out all kinds of sugar and wheat for an allergy test. Soooo after asking her about 100 questions about what was on- and off-limits, I devised a cake that was sweetened with only fruit. That being said, FRUIT IS SUGAR. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is fibers and gums and water and stuff, but it’s got sugar. The thing is how that sugar is processed in the body blah blah blah.

The last time I tried to make homemade falafel it was not pretty—maybe a rookie mistake but I put those bad boys into a deep fryer and next thing I knew they had disintegrated and I was cleaning up hot cumin scented-oil from every surface of my kitchen.

In times like these, it makes me sad to think about all the time I had invested preparing ingredients, all for it to be ruined in a matter of seconds.

Last week I went to Nashville for a conference as part of my day job. I had no idea that Nashville was such a tourist attraction until I got there. I have been to Eastern Tennessee many times as my partner is a native Knoxvillian. Mid-Tennessee, however, appears to be a whole different ball game. I’ve been informed that it is the bachelorette party capital of the USA, and now having been there, can see that part of its draw is for the “let’s get drunk in the middle of the day” crowd.

Ah… the great Minnesota get together. It’s a complicated place for a vegan to be. My first visit was over 10 years ago and I hated it! From the overwhelmed mommy pigs at the Miracle of Life Center to the random pairings of fried animal things on sticks I just wasn’t super into it. Then something happened: the vegan main dish competition. (Though I can’t give it all the credit – there was amazing seed art and En Vogue this year!)