If you have followed me for any time, you know I rock with jerk seasoning, heavy. This recipe is a great combination of jerk flavor and acidity, while maintaining savory and sweet flavors. While this fried rice calls for shiitake mushrooms, you can also use portabella or oyster mushrooms. Enjoy!

For those that do not already know, I was born in the suburbs of Chicago, so I have a natural affinity for hot dogs and sausages. But now, I only get down with the vegan versions. This sausage seemed like the next progression in my mushroom meat creations. I made a few changes to my chipotle sausage recipe and it’s even better than before. I wanted to see how the sausage would cook with shiitake mushrooms instead of lion's mane, and I am very pleased with the results. I also changed the process to create a more consistent texture when you bite. These sausages came out fire! Check out some grilling hacks I used to make this recipe: Use a smoker box or smoker to infuse flavors like cherry, apple, or hickory wood. Use your marinade throughout all steps. You can use it to marinate the sausage and then again to baste the food while cooking. When you are done cooking, add the sausages back to the remainder of the marinade until you are ready to eat. Spritz water around the food while cooking to keep the sausages juicy until it's time to enjoy.

This Jalapeno Chili Mac & Cheese is so good, we ate this two days in a row. If you don't have the time to make this with my Lion's Mane Mushroom Grounds, feel free to use a store-bought plant-based ground. You can also experiment with walnut meat, if you prefer. I don't know who else used to get down with Hamburger Helper, but I most definitely did. This is one of my favorite childhood meals to recreate vegan. Hope you enjoy!

This recipe started my entire journey with Lion's Mane Mushroom, which has since become a staple ingredient in my kitchen. If you like, you can swap wheat flour for spelt flour. I love the additional nutty, sweet flavor that the spelt flour gives the skrimpz. It also has a great texture after it is fried. If you are interested in trying any of my Lion's Mane recipes, but you aren't sure where to find it, check out your local farmer's markets or specialty grocery stores. You can also grow Lion's Mane Mushroom at home. I recommend using North Spore for grow kits and tips for beginner growers. Enjoy!

Purple sweet potatoes have been in the spotlight since the documentary Blue Zone came out on Netflix this year—an excellent documentary about five different areas where people live longer than other places. One of the Blue Zone areas showed that residents ate a lot of purple sweet potatoes. Lucky for us, purple sweet potatoes pair well with jerk chickpeas! Jerk Chickpeas & Purple Sweet Potatoes is an easy recipe; if you can not find purple sweet potatoes, you can use regular ones or sub with sweet potatoes.

A version of this recipe has been part of my Halloween vibez for the last 3 years. This year, I elevated the recipe by using spelt flour for the pocket crust (I will share that recipe later) and by adding Lion's Mane mushroom (optional) to the sweet potato and black bean duo. This recipe is delicious and fun! Enjoy.