Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: vegan

Showing posts with label vegan. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Here in the Kitchen, we love soup! (In fact, we celebrated it last month when we gathered Around the Kitchen Table and talked about some of our favorites.)

This soup is full of flavor and all the goodness (and vitamins!) of fall vegetables. It’s thick and comforting, and just what the body needs in winter. We loved the chunky texture of soft lentils and veggies, though if you prefer a creamier soup, use a blender or immersion blender before adding the spinach. And it’s great for vegetarians, vegans, and those who eat gluten-free.

Like most of us, I suspect, I don’t usually make my own vegetable stock, buying it in cartons. Those tend to be 32 ounces or 4 cups, so for this, I used one carton and 2 cups of water, not wanting to leave half a box in the fridge. With so many veggies in the mix, I didn’t think we lost any flavor through the substitution.

In my Spice Shop mysteries, Pepper often says smoked paprika may be her favorite spice, “but don’t tell the others.” The generous amount used here adds to the lovely red color of the lentils, and gives a smoky flavor I love. If you’re worried about heat, make sure you’re using smoked sweet paprika; the amount of cumin is enough for flavor without heat.

The lemon adds a bit of brightness, but be careful, as it can quickly overwhelm other flavors. A few drops in each bowl is plenty. The zest is a delight.

Serve with cheesy bread and enjoy!

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing.

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link.

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon grated ginger, fresh or jarred

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

1 cup diced carrot (about 2 carrots, depending on size)

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup diced white or yellow potato (roughly one large)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

4 cups baby spinach

1 lemon zested and cut into wedges

In a stock pot, over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and saute 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, but stopping before the garlic changes color.

Add the onion and celery and sauté an additional 4-5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

Add carrots, paprika, cumin, and salt. Stir well and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the potatoes and lentils, and stir well to coat with the spices.

Pour in 4 cups of stock. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until lentils and potatoes are soft.

Add spinach and remaining 2 cups stock (or water). Cover and cook until spinach is wilted, 3 - 5 minutes. Taste and add additional salt if needed.

Spoon into bowls. Add a quick squeeze of lemon and top with about ½ teaspoon of lemon zest.

Serves 6.

Is it soup weather in your neck of the woods? What are your favorites?

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF!

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills.

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket.

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf.

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Monday, May 11, 2026

Vegan Strawberry-Rose Truffles #recipe and #giveaway Kim Davis

KIM DAVIS: Even though this is posting the day after Mothers' Day, I wanted to wish everyone a happy Mothers' Day, no matter if your children are human or of the fur-or-feather variety!

I set out to make an edible gift for a dear friend of mine who recently turned 88, and landed on Strawberry-Rose Truffles. The color is such a pretty shade, plus the delicate flavor and fragrance of the rose water complements the tart-sweet flavor of the strawberries. I knew it would be something she would enjoy. However, a few years ago, her doctor put her on a dairy-free and gluten-free diet, and having never needed to eat differently, she struggled to accept the changes. She misses the tempting sweets and desserts, so I wanted to give her something to satisfy her sweet tooth. It took me a few tries to figure out how to make a vegan truffle (the crushed strawberries add a bit of crispy bite to the candy) and I finally landed on the recipe below. My husband, who must also eat dairy-free, was more than happy to sample and give feedback on the truffles and by the third round, pronounced these really good and he'd be happy for me to make more for him... I suppose I'll be making a batch for Father's Day 😀

Be sure to scroll all the way down to find out how you can win a copy of
Essentials of Murder!

Vegan Strawberry-Rose Truffles

Ingredients

9 ounces vegan white chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
4 teaspoons rose water
1.5 ounces freeze-dried strawberries
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Crush the strawberries using a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle into a fine powder. There will be some small pieces which is fine. It adds texture to the finished candy. Set aside.

Whisk the coconut oil and rose water together until emulsified. Don’t skip this step, otherwise the white chocolate may seize and become grainy and overly stiff.

Add the white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on 60% power in 20-second intervals. Stir in between each cycle and heat just until barely melted. Do not overheat!

Gently stir in the ground strawberries and coconut oil mixture. Once completely combined, cover with plastic wrap, making sure the entire surface of the white chocolate is covered.

Allow to come to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, then stir. Refrigerate for an additional 5 minutes if the mixture is too soft to roll into balls.

The mixture firms up quickly. If too firm, break into pieces and heat in the microwave at 60% power in 10-second increments until it can easily be scooped.

Using a small tablespoon-sized scoop, form the truffle mixture into balls. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, then roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar until coated.

Serve truffles at room temperature.

Note

If you don’t have to eat vegan, you can make this using regular white chocolate (chips or bars chopped into small pieces).

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF of the recipe!💕

Books available at most online retailers

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Apple

Cupcake Catering Mysteries * Essentials of Murder* Essentials of Death

About the Author:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. She has also written several children’s nature articles published in a variety of magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters or chasing Missy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, working on blogs, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

Click here to sign up here for Kim’s newsletter: Newsletter

Connect with Kim: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Bluesky, Bookbub, Goodreads, TikTok, and website

G I V E A W A Y T I M E !!!

I'm giving away a print copy of Essentials of Murder!

Comment below and include your email (yourname at yourserver dot com) for a chance to win a copy of Essentials of Murder. (Contest ends 11:59pm on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 and is limited to US residents only.)

Readers, do you make edible gifts for friends or family? If so, what is your favorite edible gift to give?

🎁

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

An Out-of-This-World Healthy Snack from Cleo Coyle #vegetarian #vegan

I GIVE YOU THE CABBAGE...

It looks like a big green moon, doesn't it?

Okay, so the Artemis II lunar flyby mission may have influenced my judgement, but this photo does make this dense, leafy, highly nutritious vegetable appear as a celestial body. See the solar warmth on the left and the chilly dark side on the right?

As the subject of a photo, it seems to have its own atmosphere. As the basis for a recipe, it's a smart choice. Cabbage is low in calories, high in fiber, and offers plenty of other health benefits. As for what to do with it...

Today I'm sharing an insanely easy way to enjoy it. So, if you find yourself alone in the kitchen with a cabbage, consider this recipe for a quick, healthy, out-of-this-world snack or side dish...

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

☕ A Recipe Note from Cleo

This is a beautifully simple (and delicious) way to prepare a head of cabbage. The cabbage wedges are roasted in high heat with olive oil. While the outside edges char, the insides become tender and buttery. The first time you make it, I suggest that you use nothing more than a bit of salt so you can really taste the buttery sweetness of those interior wedge leaves.

More seasonings can be added to your liking: e.g., dried garlic and onion flakes, rosemary, dill, caraway seeds, cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. Just go lightly on the seasonings because the roasted cabbage taste is so delicate.

I think a squeeze of lemon before serving is a very nice finish. If you're not a lemon fan, try a drizzle of olive oil or (if you're not a vegan) a bit of grass-fed butter and...

Eat in good health!

~ Cleo

ORDER UP!

To download a free PDF of

this recipe that you can print

save, or share, click here.

Click for the Free Recipe PDF.

🌍 Cleo Coyle's
Out-of-This-World
Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients:

Head of green cabbage
Olive oil

Salt (sea salt will give you nice flavor)
(Optional) Your favorite seasoning mix (suggestions in directions)

Directions:

Step One - The trick to slicing: As you see in my photos, you'll need to slice up the cabbage, but there's a trick to it. You want most of your slices to include the core. The core will help keep the cabbage wedges together in the cooking. I've roasted cabbages in thick, flat slices and also in wedges, and I prefer the wedges. You can experiment with what you like best.

Step Two - Prep with olive oil and very light seasoning: Preheat your oven to 400-degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease a heavy half-sheet pan with olive oil. Place the slices on the pan. Use a brush to coat the tops with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. If you use pepper or any other seasoning (e.g., dried garlic and onion flakes, caraway seeds, rosemary, dill, cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, etc.), do so lightly. When roasted, the cabbage has a delicate, buttery flavor and too much seasoning can overpower it.

Step Three - Roast in your preheated 400-degree F. oven for 30 to 45 minutes (final time will depend on your oven and pan). FLIP the cabbage slices halfway through cooking. I use two forks or a spatula & fork to do this. (Yes, the cabbage wedges will attempt to fall apart on you, but using two fork and a bit of care, you can keep them together.) Your roasted cabbage wedges are done when you see the edges char (turn brownish), as in my photos.