With Autumn around the corner, we begin combing through our closets searching out those cable knit sweaters and sherpa hats. The morning air shows our breath like small misty clouds, whispering the reality that colder days are on the horizon. The air also has a telling aroma that announces the fall season. Growing up on the East Coast, I remember it well, a warm, spicy scent with woodsy and smokey undertones. My description doesn’t do it justice but if you grew up in the northeast, when someone said the smell of fall is in the air, there’s a sensory understanding that needs no explanation.
Fall has always been my favorite season; a welcomed transition where things move into a more structured schedule that allows me to focus and get into a productive routine.
Now that I live in California… it’s different, more laid back as summer pretty much goes on forever and it’s easy to lose tract of the seasons but there’s nothing like recreating a seasonal dish to jog the memory. Somehow this awakens my awareness that time is passing in these endless summers and I need to appreciate every moment.
Two things that instantly connect me to Autumn are s’mores and a cup of hot soup. This month we’ll make a s’more cookie and a creamy soup made with Beyond Meat’s new Sun Sausage with pineapple and jalapeño. The sausage makes the statement that a bit of summer still lingers in the distance, yet it’s a creamy, hearty soup that warms and soothes the soul on a chilly evening. You’ll thoroughly enjoy making and devouring it.
The s’more cookie is my signature treat. My daughter always loved s’mores, but we got away from making them because we couldn’t find a gluten-free graham cracker option, then I had the idea of using a sugar cookie instead of the graham cracker and the rest of the pieces fell in place. Now it’s a sweet indulgence I make for friends and family birthdays as it always brings a smile to any occasion and it’s easy and quick to whip up.
Today, I’m delighted to share both recipes with you.
Every Substitute I recommend meets my Triple A Standard, which means it’s
- Appetizing 2. Available nationwide 3. Affordable.
If you can’t find the recommended Substitute at your store…Ask.
Sometimes it’s a matter of locating which depts. carry the products
where you shop, it varies store to store.
Asking is legit because stores constantly move their inventory around.
Asking also states customer interest in buying plant-based products.
Stores want your business and are interested in what you Acquire.
If you’re familiar with plant-based products and have found items you love and prefer… and it works for the ingredient in the recipe, feel free to use your product of choice.
Please note that not all plant-based/vegan products are created equal and the ones I have recommended will ensure that you have a culinary experience that is pleasing to the palate.
Let’s get acquainted with the delicious substitutes we’re using for these recipes.
Substitutes are the plant-based products we’ll be using instead of the animal-based products traditionally used. The substitutes listed here are both plant-based and gluten-free.
| BRAND | PRODUCT | WHERE TO FIND IT |
| Sweet Loren’s | Sugar Cookie Dough | Refrigerated section |
| *Justin’s | Dark Chocolate Mini Peanut Butter Cups | Candy or baking section |
| Dandies | Marshmallows | Baking section |
| Beyond Meat | Sun Sausages | Meat or freezer section |
| *Pacific Foods | Low Sodium Vegetable Broth | Soup section |
| *Jovial | Farfalle pasta | Pasta or gluten-free section |
| *Earth Balance | Buttery Spread | Refrigerated section |
| Almond Breeze | Almond Milk (original & unsweetened flavor) | Refrigerated section |
| Bob’s Red Mill | All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour | Baking section |
| Bragg or Kelly’s | Nutritional Yeast | Baking section |
| Violife | just like Parmesan cheese | Refrigerated section |
*Organic product
Did you know:
Plant-based and vegan mean the same thing and are words that are interchangeable.
These products don’t contain anything that comes from an animal. The easiest way to remember it is if it comes from a mother or has a face it’s NOT vegan. All vegan products are derived from plants and this includes vegan meat, eggs, cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, frozen desserts and the lot.
Plant-based/vegan meat is NOT the same as lab grown meat. The two meats are very different from the other. Lab grown meat is created from animal cells grown in a laboratory setting where plant-based meat is made from plants grown from the earth. Vegan eating does NOT include lab created meat but does include plant-based meat which provides a vibrant serving of delicious produce at each sitting.