The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

Ida

Ida Dolce has been vegan since 2006. With insufficient vegan options available at her college, she decided she had to be in charge of her own food if she wanted to please her taste buds. Along with her academic studies, she read vegan books and watched cooking shows religiously, picking up little tips and tricks of the kitchen as she went. Realizing she had a knack for creating unique flavor profiles, she started experimenting with recipes on her own. She has witnessed veganism evolve over the years, which has added so much to her vast culinary arsenal, and looks forward to seeing (and hopefully creating) more staples in the vegan world.

Got Fruit at Different Stages of Ripeness? Make Fruit Salsa

I love to have fruit around the house, but sometimes I end up with too much fruit to keep up with. Between farmers market season, CSA boxes, and impulse shopping at grocery stores, it’s easy for a ...

Need a New Way to Use Butternut Squash? Try it as a Dip

Butternut squash is synonymous with the autumn season, but it’s actually a year-round vegetable (technically fruit, I know). We all have that favorite butternut squash soup recipe we all love, and ...

Vegan Cooking: Flaky Biscuits

If you’ve read my blogs, you know I love breakfast and brunch. I’m often working weekend mornings, but when I’m not, I love to make a big showy breakfast for my loved ones, and when I’m particularly ...

Key Lime Meringue Tart: A Sweet, Citrusy Vegan Treat

Vegan substituting in dessert is an interesting process. Obviously, substituting dairy has been easy. Need to substitute milk? No problem, there’s almond, soy, or coconut milk. Need to switch out ...

Chipotle Delicata Soup

During the cold months (and here in Chicago, that sadly still includes April), everyone is all about the pumpkin and butternut squash. While those are great, I really get excited about Delicata ...

Birthday Cake Popcorn with Sprinkles

If there is one skill all employees at The Chopping Block will master, it’s how to make perfect stovetop popcorn. If you have ever been to one of our cooking classes or private cooking events, you’ve ...

Ginger Liqueur Part 2: The Results

Oh hey, look, it’s been a month! Through tending to my ginger liqueur this past month, I’d say everything came out pretty well.

Ginger Liqueur Part 1: The Experiment

Every chef instructor’s biography on The Chopping Block's website lists the five ingredients they can’t live without. As a chef assistant, I’ve haven’t had to think about that. That’s a really tough ...

Bath Bombs: Where Body Care Meets Your Kitchen

So many common kitchen staples have great non-culinary uses. Vinegar makes a great cleaning solution. Baking soda is great for polishing flatware. Supposedly vodka makes a good insect repellent. ...

Pumpkin Truffles: A Festive Vegan Fall Confection

It’s fall, which means pumpkin everything… unless of course, you’ve been getting your pumpkin spice fix since late August. Pumpkin is everywhere now, and sometimes it’s good to think beyond pies and ...

Recipes	Ingredients
Cooking Techniques	Cookbooks & Tools
Food News	Local Spots
Travel	Wine
Vegetarian	Gluten-Free
Kids	Baking & Pastry
Boot Camp	Retail

Ida

Recent Posts

Got Fruit at Different Stages of Ripeness? Make Fruit Salsa

Need a New Way to Use Butternut Squash? Try it as a Dip

Vegan Cooking: Flaky Biscuits

Key Lime Meringue Tart: A Sweet, Citrusy Vegan Treat

Chipotle Delicata Soup

Birthday Cake Popcorn with Sprinkles

Ginger Liqueur Part 2: The Results

Ginger Liqueur Part 1: The Experiment

Bath Bombs: Where Body Care Meets Your Kitchen

Pumpkin Truffles: A Festive Vegan Fall Confection

Subscribe to Email Updates

Location

Awards

Recommended on

The Chopping Block accepts