It's Time...

Well... After four and a half years, and now 30,000+ views, I am coming out of hiding! The "vegan Banksy" is no more! 

"Hey y'all I'm Kaiti, the creator/writer/designer behind Tasty Kaiti's. I never dreamed that people would actually read this blog let alone keep coming back for more!! It has grown to become not only a place for recipes and stories... but now I've got merchandise, videos, and more coming. Please head over to my website: www.tastykaitis.kitchen for more fun stuff that can't be seen here!"

Thank you for all of the support! I can't wait to come up with what's next!! ~Kaiti

Day of the Mushroom

First off... OH MY GOODNESS I JUST HIT 24K VIEWS!!!!! wowowowowow!!!! Thanks y'all!

My goal is to have 27k views in time for my 27th birthday... April 24th I know it's tight but I have faith in my readers. Look around my blog find a recipe you like and then share it with your friends! Know someone who's starting meatless Mondays, trying to eat healthier, etc? Please please PLEASE share my blog! Pin it, Tweet it, Facebook it, YouTube it, whatever you want. 

Moving on. Today's "food holiday" is "The Day of the Mushroom"... which is not to be confused with National Mushroom Day (that happens in October).  Not really sure what the difference is and, to be honest, I don't care. It's just another excuse for me to do more mushroom recipes!!! I love mushrooms. As a vegan/vegetarian, it's just a great meaty alternative in recipes/sandwiches/pasta... Anything! Oh, and don't worry... I've got something BIG planned for National Mushroom Day! Stay tuned and Stay HUNGRY :-) 

Mushrooms are really good for you! Super low in calories, no fat, no gluten, no cholesterol! They've got potassium, vitamin D and are a good source of vitamin B too! So load up your plate with mushrooms! 

This is a short post this time, as it's purpose was to be a gateway to a bunch of mushroom recipes (and recipes that have mushrooms in them) They are all Vegan (obviously), some contain nuts, some are gluten free or can easily be made gluten free and they are all TASTY! :-) 

Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine

Stuffed Mushrooms

Caesar Salad with Grilled Mushrooms#

Grown-up Mac No Cheese*

Mushroom Filling for Ravioli/Tortellini*

Soy-Free Lasagna#

Lo Mein#

No-Crab Rangoon

Drunken Noodles#

Dagwood Sammies

Roasted Vegetable Bisque^

Philly Cheesesteaks

Veggie Pot Pie

Fried Rice#

Pumpkin Cheesecake

It's National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! (gotta love the super specific food holidays hahaha) It is also the day that my blog reached 19,000 Views!!!! Thanks so much to everyone who reads and shares my blog.  Depending on how quickly my view count continues to go up... I have a big surprise that I've been secretly working on that I will announce for either 20K or 25K views!  So Keep Sharing!

Well what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn't give you a recipe for today's "holiday"?!  If you've been following me for a while you may remember that last year's Thanksgiving a debuted a new dessert.  It just so happens that I never posted the recipe (ughhh I'm such a blonde sometimes) annnnd it was a Pumpkin Cheesecake... Are you connecting the dots...???

Today's recipe, in honor of NPCD ...yeah I'm sick of writing it out.... issss:

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust! 

Oh it's so good.  When I made it for the non-vegan family members to try, they all said the same thing... "But this doesn't taste Vegan...!?"  What does that even mean? Why does everyone have this preconceived idea that vegan food is not as good as regular food?  UGH those people bug me... Just TASTE IT! (slight variation of my normal tagline... but it's the same point!!)

Crust:
1 1/2 boxes of Back to Nature Triple Ginger Cookies (Or try making crust with my Gingersnaps!)
5 TBSP Earth Balance Soy-Free Margarine, melted

In a food processor pulse cookies into fine crumbs. 

Add in melted margarine and pulse until it looks like wet sand.

Grease a 9-inch springform pan and pour the crumbs into the pan.  

Press down* and around firmly to create crust on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
*I use a measuring cup to spread and press the crumbs into a crust.

Filling:
2 (8-oz) containers of Daiya Cream Cheese (or your favorite brand non-dairy cream cheese)
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer, until completely combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F for 45 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 10 min.

Remove from the oven and let it sit out at room temperature for an hour.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and serve!

A HUGE THANK YOU for my 15,000 views

I am beyond grateful for all of my viewers! This morning at about 10:30am/EST my blog achieved the greatest milestone I didn't ever think was possible!  Tasty Kaiti's Vegan Blog has hit 15,000 views!

 I started this blog a little over two and a half years ago and never imagined the impact it would have! I have received so many congratulations over Facebook and Twitter... I feel so blessed. 

From the bottom of my heart, I want to say Thank YOU! This blog has served as an outlet for me to do what I love to do despite the hard times I've gone through. 

Cooking has always been my passion, especially cooking to share with other people. And when I can cook something that is a healthy alternative, that anyone will like, and people actually read what I write about my food.... What could get better?
My hopes are that this blog will continue to grow and that my interactions with my readers will continue! That said, please leave comments and/or questions on my facebook page/pictures or the blog page itself. I always respond and would love to hear from you! 

I know I don't alway post often... I'm between jobs and having a hard time coming up with the funds for new ingredients for the recipe ideas I am constantly coming up with... but the fact that you stick around and share the blog with your friends is fantastic.  

If you'd like to help me out, I do have a paypal button where you can donate money, ads are a way for bloggers to make money (though it's not much... I've made $16 in the 2 1/2 years this blog has been running), and I've entered a contest (#0414) on foodfotogallery.com if you search "rainbow" you will see a picture of my rainbow chili, clicking the title of picture counts as a view and the photo with the most views by midnight on April 30, (PST) wins a $25 cash prize.  (It's not much but I promise a new recipe with ingredients bought with the prize money, if I win!)

"Thank you all again for helping me get to this point! I really couldn't do it without you!"

~Kaiti, 

The Owner/Writer of Tasty Kaiti's Vegan Blog

**Special Thanks to my friends at @So_Delicious, #veganfoodchat, #foodiechats, @thefoodduo, @chefsymon, @gardein, @DaiyaFoods, @EarthBalance, @veganchatroom, and all of my followers on twitter and facebook for sharing my blog posts!