2 dozen donuts for $12??? And they’re VEGAN!?!? Umm……yeah. MIGHTY O DONUTS!!!!!! Had the mini donuts here
BRUNCH
Breakfast, lunch or dinner, brunch is the shiznit. The perfect brunch is always a combination of both the savory and the sweet.
Here are some shots of the recent brunches I have made after getting Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch.
First pic is a generic pancake recipe I found and added frozen berries to with my own tofu scramble recipe. The pancakes are ok, but a bit tough and not the best tasting…..
Then my Vegan Brunch cookbook came from Amazon, and behold: Pumpkin pancakes. Seriously, it’s like eating pumpkin pie for breakfast. Mine are fairly mushy because I use to much canned pumpkin (didn’t want to waste the 1/4 cup I had left, so I just added it in) but still delicious
Homemade hash browns and Perfect Pancakes, both from Isa’s Vegan Brunch. The Perfect Pancake recipes, is seriously perfect. Best. Pancakes. Ever. And the hash browns? AWESOME. Super crispy on the outside, and soft on the outside but not mushy like bad frozen hash browns that have the consistency of deep fried mashed potatoes.
TOFU OMELLETES! Sometimes I get tired of plain old tofu scramble! Recipe is again from Vegan Brunch. Isa receommends black salt, which I did not have. The consistency isn’t bad, but there’s just a bit of an aftertaste which I attribute to the garbanzo bean powder (or the silken tofu). I’m hoping to try these again when I get my hands on some black salt.
I also went to Vancouver for a dear friend’s birthday and went to this great restaurant for brunch: The Naam. It’s vegan and non-vegan friendly and I was so excited to see a vegan brunch menu that so closely resembled ‘regular’ brunch (I’m serious about my brunch, people):
I love that it has a breakfast special!
And vegan ‘milk’shakes?!?
So, if you’re ever in Vancouver, head over to West 4th St and go to the Naam!
Tell HauteLook that Fur is NEVER Fashionable!
Please join me in emailing HauteLook to stop selling fur on their website. They will be having a fur sale soon. Fur is cruel, vegetarian or not, most people can agree on that. The sooner we realize that fur is not a fashion trend, but a manifestation of cruelty against animals, the sooner we all regain some of our humanity.
http://www.hautelook.com/content/12719 (link to a preview of the sale)
Happy New Year!
This time last year, I was making my New Year’s resolutions, and number one on that list was to start eating vegan and start this blog. While I haven’t been the best at actually chronicling all that I have learned on my vegan journey, I can honestly say that I have learned more than I thought I would.
For one, I learned that anything covered in stuffing and phyllo pastry will be a sure hit for vegans and non-vegans alike (click here for the faux turkey recipe I used for my Thanksgiving!)
I also learned that I have probably the best group of supportive friends and family ever. While I couldn’t escape a few vegan jokes, all of my friends and family have been supportive and accommodating of my new lifestyle and many have sought to understand what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. And they have blogs too! Check out plummum.tumblr.com, whythefork.tumblr.com, onceuponahoho.tumblr.com and theimportanceofclothingandaccess.tumblr.com
And just to reiterate how awesome they are, here are a few of my awesome birthday/christmas gifts this year!
(the shoes are vegan!)
(actually a gift for my hubby from one of his boot campers)
(vegan chocolate truffles from my hubby)
(from my awesome friend, Anita. Note: I left the book in Victoria, so had to steal the pic off of amazon)
So, in terms of success on my resolution, how have I done? Well, I’ve done better than I thought I would, but there’s still room to succeed. I’d say I’m 99% vegan at home (damn those Costco sized bags of non-vegan chocolate chips!), and maybe 90% vegan when I’m out.
Thanks for all the support; I am truly blessed to have such wonderful and inspiring people in my life. Here’s to 2012, and more vegan recipes, resources, fashion and makeup to come!
Commented on wanting a vegan pair of shoes on my fave fashion blogger’s new post on twitter, and she wrote back wanting some info on vegan shoes!!! Sorry the pic is so small, but you might be able to see how I end the conversation, not-so-subtly suggesting that she should make her own vegan fashion (I thought I heard something about her making her own handbags)!
Hey, if we want things to change, we have to DO something, right? I also tweeted Jeffrey Campbell shoes @JCShoes, but no response. Join the fight, petition your favorite fashion bloggers, favorite designers, to make vegan friendly products!
Someday, I will find a pair of JC Mariel wedges in a vegan friendly format (note: he has made some vegan shoes with converstyle)
ICE CREAM!!!
So here I am, with a bunch of assignments due, so what better way to procrastinate than to write a blog post? It’s World Vegan Day after all, to kick start World Vegan Month, so really, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t post something :).
So, here it is: ICE CREAM!!!! Now, I’ve tried a few non-dairy ice creams, but they’re generally pretty expensive and my local grocery store doesn’t carry very many flavors. Soy ice cream is ok, but so far, my favorite has been made with coconut milk. My ice cream cravings tend to come and go suddenly, so far I haven’t been able to convince my husband to go on any ice cream runs late in the evening to satisfy my cravings so what’s a girl to do? With no ice cream maker (and no where in my condo to put it if I did have one) I was out of luck…..Or was I??
Cruelty free cosmetics!
Check out this link for a list of companies and products that do not condone animal testing, and do not contain animal products. It’s great to see some of my faves like Urban Decay and Mac listed there.
She has makeup tutorials too! Another piece of evidence that you can look and feel great while being vegan :)
Big Fat Taco Salad
Yes, it’s another recipe from Appetite For Reduction. What can I say? Isa Chandra Moskowitz is a vegan genius! I actually made this salad quite a while ago, and I’m just getting to posting it now. The best part is the Guacamame. It’s guacamole but made with edamame beans also to cut down on the fat from the avocados and increase the protein content. Not all fat is bad fat, and avocados are an abundant source of the monounsaturated fat, oleic acid, which might actually help lower cholesterol. It’s also a great source of antioxidants, vitamin E, folate, and vitamin K just to name a few. BUT, that doesn’t mean you should go and eat a whole bucketful of avocados. Fat is still fat, and has lots of calories so it’s important to eat fat in moderate amounts.
That’s where the edamame comes in, and the all important food processor. By blending it all up together, the edamame becomes nice and creamy with the avocado so you don’t have to use as many when you make your guacamole. If you want the recipe, buy the book! But it’s really simple. The salad is just your garden variety (yes, pun intended, because I’m lame like that) romaine lettuce topped with homemade salsa with guacamame on top. Done. And delicious. The guacamame is super easy to make, I just use a bag of the costco edamame beans, and a couple of avocados (I start with maybe 2, then add more if I want it a little creamier), add a ton of garlic, a little red onion if I have it and that’s about it. You can adapt any guacamole recipe to this method if you’re watching your fat intake.
Enjoy!! Your tummy and your heart will thank you :)
Eeek!!! Grad school!!!!
I don’t know what craziness compelled me to do this, but I have started grad school. I’m into week 2 right now and it’s going ok, but looking ahead I can see a TON of work coming my way, so for those of you who don’t know me personally and for those of you who actually care, I will try to post as often as I can, but they may be few and far between. Hopefully this trip through college will help me grow and gain more insight that will translate to my posts. I’m going to be a family nurse practitioner after two years of this insanity so I’m excited about the possibilities! Thanks for reading, and if you want me to keep posting, comment and follow the blog so I have some incentive!!!
Everyone's Jumping on the Vegetarian Train!!!
Check out the link to see Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s video about healthy eating and heart attacks. I think Forks Over Knives did a better job of promoting the vegetarian diet, but considering this is CNN, they did ok. Also, this blog post was done by my wonderful husband, Josh, who is a personal trainer in Kirkland, and also vegan. So for you vegans in the Kirkland area, if you need a personal trainer/nutrition coach, you know who to look for!
Sorry about the shameless plugging, but I believe in my man! Also please like him on Facebook :)
