Sunday, May 30, 2010

Recipes: Green Bean Pasta



To make the usual red-sauce pasta more interesting, I like to add some veggies into my boiling pasta water during just the last couple minutes before the pasta is finished cooking (do not over-cook). Then drain and mix all together. Green beans are always a favorite but you can use broccoli, long, thin, bell pepper slices, or whatever you wish! Experiment.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Fashion: Beauty Parlor


Worked a shift filling in on the Front Desk at Frenchy's Beauty Parlor. They carry Kevin Murphy of Australia (an almost completely vegan, and all-organic hair care line).

vintage clothing swap silver dress $0 | vintage clothing swap silver scarf $0 | unknown, vegan older sister's black shoes $0 | off etsy, vintage aventurine stones black necklace | Vintage Rings silver accessories
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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Dining: Cheer Up Charlies

This Last Thursday was another monthly Austin Vegan Drinks meet up, and this month it was at Cheer Up Charlie's on the East Side. The bar is small, and totally adorable, great outdoor seating, cozy and comfy vibe, and AMAZING FOOD! I ate probably the best mock chicken quesadilla I've ever had (they use Daiya), and it was adorably served with apple slices! It was really hard to choose what to eat though, everything looked so good.

Apparently they also have vegan root and beer floats, fancy coconut drinks (you drink them out of coconuts), vegan chocoates and candies, and yes, AN ALL VEGAN food trailer ("vegan yacht") in the back. I think this is probably my new favorite place in East Austin for foods and hanging out with friends. Check it out!

:::Here's their yelp page as well HERE:::

Fashion: Vegan Cookies and Clothes

I recently attended another Clothing Swap with a bunch of fashionable lady-friends, swapping around old duds, and getting excited over our new-to-us gems. The best form of recycling! At the Clothes party were THESE amazing homemade, Shortbread Cookies- absolutely vegan. I love going places, and meeting new surprise vegans, with new surprise vegan treats. YUM! I need this recipe, they were so buttery and good!

Dining: The Best (Vegan) Burgers in Austin!

My husband and I love the beet-burgers at 24 Diner. The fries= SO good too. Yumm, check it out! Next door to Waterloo Records.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Style: Staying Cool

I love the warm weather that Texas brings us, but staying cool, and protected in the hot sun is important. My favorite vegan-friendly sunscreens and body products are ALBA, sold at most health-food groceries, or you can purchase online.

One of my favorite things to do with my empty dry-oil spray bottles is to use them as a refreshing body-mister.  

All you need: 
Spray Bottle (I like the wide mist of this bottle in particular)
Filtered water
Peppermint oil
A drop of alcohol
(Other added essential oils of your fragrance preference if you like)

Directions: After rinsing out the empty alba bottle (and spraying water through the nozzle to be sure you clean out all the oil first), fill with cold filtered water almost to the top. Add several drops of Peppermint essential oil and a drop of alcohol (i use rubbing alcohol), then shake vigorously. Done.

Store in the fridge for added chill, and when it gets hot just grab your peppermint mist and spray the back of your neck, chest, back of knees, and body for a refreshing mist that continues to feel cooling on your skin even after it dries. I also like to spray on my feet, and between my toes, it really helps me stay feeling cool and refreshed in triple digit summers.

Optional: if you aren't a fan of smelling like candy canes in summer, you can add other essential oils into the mix of your liking (sandalwood, vanilla, lavender, or many others- experiment), so it can double as a light, eco-and vegan-friendly perfume.

Recipes: Healthier Alternative to Ramen

Nissin's Oriental Flavored Top Ramen is vegan, (though NONE of mauchen's flavors are). Though its cheap, its far from being healthy. If you want some ramen, but want something healthier, here's the alternative I go for that takes the same amount of minimal effort to prepare.



All you need: A box of Soba, Buckwheat Noodles (or Asian noodle of choice). Vegan bouillon cubes. Optional: parsley, bragg's, hot sauce, garlic, frozen veggies.

Cook the noodles according to the box, the box pictured says it makes 6 servings (which is 4 servings in my household).  I used half a box and added two cubes when I made enough for me and my husband. Though I didn't do it for this lunch, sometimes I'll add frozen broccoli or veggies into the boiling, cooking noodles. All you need is an all-nighter writing an essay, and some cheap beer to wash it all down and it will feel like college all over again. Enjoy.

Recipes: Magical Artichokes


Easy, Steamed: I put my metal veggie steamer in the bottom of a large pot and fill with just enough water (so metal tray is not submerged). Bring to a boil, set heat to medium/low, add 'chokes. Set timer for 30 minutes, cover. Taste-test leaves, and if they aren't done let steam longer... **be sure the water doesn't boil out, check periodically and add more as needed.

Easy Dipping Sauce: Veganese and Siracha whipped together... So Good! And sometimes I'll even add pepper, parsley, chives, or garlic powder if I want to be fancy.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Recipes: Throw Everything into a Pot Night- Featuring Lentils and Kale.

RECIPE

Threw 2 cups of dry, rinsed green lentils in a large pot with water to cover. + 4 organic potatoes, 1/4 a bag of chopped baby carrots, garlic, one whole onion, four jalapenos, a dash of cumin, braggs liquid aminos, salt and pepper, and sweet bombay yellow curry powder (don't over do it on the curry a little goes a long way.. slowly add more to taste). 2 vegan bouillon cubes. brought to a boil, water covering all ingredients, covered, turned heat to low and set timer for 30 minutes. Tested lentils, and kept cooking till tender. Added 1 head of washed and chopped kale into the pot for last 10 minutes of cooking. Poured over rice, or can eat on its own as a soup. Quick, easy, nutritious! (protein, iron, calcium, and more).

Fashion: Windy-Day Dog Walk


vintage clothing swap white shirt | Ross blue shorts | payless blue shoes | vintage silver necklace | sweet tooth headband, clothin... red accessories
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dining: Pizza Night

We love the Whole Foods Vegan Pizzas! Last night we bought the bell pepper, black olive and onion one, but of course I wanted to be fancier, so I added some spices (parsley, pepper, cayenne), diced garlic, and tomato slices.

Fashion: Spring Sun



Goody Two Shoes green shoes | vintage dark navy blue fl... blue dress | bloomers hair flower purple accessories | gramma's, vintage gold necklace | NAILPOLISH! yellow accessories
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Saturday, May 8, 2010

Recipes: PoTaco Time

Cooking up some black beans and potatoes...

added some soyrizo...



Recipe:
Satueed onions in a large skillet, added thinly sliced and chopped organic potato wedges, med heat
-added bragg's for salt/flavor, and some ground pepper to taste

In another pan, heated up some black beans (canned), added three diced jalapenos (we like spicy), salt pepper to taste... also added some soy rizo for extra flavor and protein.

You can eat both together or separate. Filled locally made spelt tortillas.

Topped with raw, organic bell peppers, cucumbers, spinach leaves, pickled jalapenos, and canned Herdez Salsa. Extra toppings on side as salad.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Recipes: Easy Breakfast

I've been loving my breakfast routine lately... Chai or black tea with rice, soy or almond milk...

fresh berries are also good for dessert... with some vegan yogurt... healthy and tasty!

Recipes: Easy Tamales Dinner

I really need to learn how to make my own tamales. In the meantime, we love buying THESE ones:


Microwaved tamales (package contains six) three at a time. Wrapped three in a paper towel and set to 2 minutes (or whatever the package says). Covered in some canned herdez green spicy salsa, and pickled jalapenos.


There was some left over rice in the fridge, so I sauteed with a can of diced tomatoes to make a quick homemade Spanish rice. Added chili power, and spices to taste. Spinach salad with veggies for full nutrition.

Recipes: Summertime Vegan Burgers

Summer time means BBQ... not just to carnis, but to veggies too... Each year there are more and more pre-made veggie burgers out there that are mighty tasty. Just be sure to stick to the organic brands to avoid ingesting nuerotoxins... article about that HERE. We used organic Boca.

First start the home-fries... pre heat oven to 450, wash and cut potatoes into wedges... and drizzle with EVOO, salt/pepper/parsley/whatever spices you like. Adding diced garlic is also super good. Pop them in and set timer to 25 minutes...



Let the frozen patties defrost while you prep the veggies...


Then sautee patties with onion rounds... flipping occasionally to be sure both sides get nice and brown. Test the potatoes after timer goes off, if not done stir and set for 10 more minutes... once potatoes are done, toast the bread and mix up some hot sauce with your dipping ketchup. Bon Apetite.


Don't forget, cooking is a lot more fun with a big glass of vegan wine :)

Recipes: Homemade Pesto


I've probably posted this before, but its always a favorite... Super quick, and great served cold on sandwiches and cold pasta salads.

I change up my pesto depending on what we have, and flavors I want to add (sun dried tomatoes are great if you have them).

I used pre-packaged gnocchi and this dinner took me less than 20 minutes to make using tons of fresh ingredients.




PESTO:

-Large bunch of Basil (I used 3 small bunches in this batch, the more the merrier)
-1 cup of pine nuts (I store mine in our freezer)
-generous amounts of Olive Oil (about a cup, you can do more or less depending on the consistency you want)
-Salt/Pepper to taste
-Vegan Parmesan Powder to taste
-Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste
-1 cup of Nutritional yeast
-LOTS of garlic (or to taste)
-4 Fresh green jalapenos (if you like spicy)

Blend and you're done. You can add walnuts, onion (don't over do it- remember its going to be raw), parsley, sun dried tomatoes, various vegan cheeses, and or roasted garlic/pine nuts (instead of raw).

To make my pesto batches last longer, I mix a half of jar of tomato sauce in for my pasta dishes. In this case I did it for gnocchi. While I waited for my (salted/oiled) water to boil, I sauteed some onion and garlic for added flavor to my sauce. Garnished with fresh tomatoes.

Recipes: Vegan Sausage Sandwiches

Using Field Roast Chipotle Sausages



And a sandwich wouldn't be complete without chips and salsa... my husband's homemade SUPER spicy habanero salsa (secret recipe). Also served with almonds and carrot juice for added protein/vitamins.

Recipes: Summer, Cold Quinoa Salad

The nights are starting to warm up again, yes! So I thought I would make a cold dish for dinner last night, and it turned out amazing... Cold Quinoa Salad.

Pre-made Quinoa that was chilling in the fridge, added spices, Flax Oil, Vinegar, Vegenase, Braggs...


Chopped a bunch of fresh, raw, crunchy veggies, and coarsely chopped some raw almonds


Mixed all together and DONE! Filling, refreshing, and full of good for you nutrients and vitamins.


RECIPE:


Pre-made Quinoa: I make huge batches so I can pack my husband's lunches for the week...
3 cups of dry Quinoa, 5 cups of water, and 1 small can of diced tomatoes (with chilies) into a rice cooker. EASY. Refrigerate left-overs.

-Spoon out cold quinoa into a large bowl- however much you want to eat/make.

-Mix wet ingredients and spices first.

I grabbed lots of stuff from my fridge and experimented... it turned out great... no measurements, I just eye-balled/added to taste:

-Balsamic Vinegar (about 1/2 a cup)
-Flax Seed Oil (about 1/4 a cup)
-Bragg's Liquid Aminos (super salty, so be careful not to pour too much-less than an 1/8 cup)
-Spicy Brown Mustard (about 2 TBSP)
-Grapeseed Oil Veganese (a large dollop)
-Parsley Flakes (lots, in my opinion you can't overdo parsley)
-Salt/Pepper (fresh ground to taste)
-Cayenne Pepper (if you like spicy)

-Stirred quinoa together until evenly coated/mixed together...
*You can also mix all of the above first, then mix into the quinoa to ensure even distribution.

Chopped the following veggies/ingredients to add:

-Handful of Baby Carrots
-1 Orange Bell Pepper
-2 Med-sized Ripe Tomatoes
-1/4 of a large Cucumber
-Handful of raw Almonds- just what we had, walnuts would also be good.
-Large bunch of fresh Spinach leaves
-1/2 a can of Pineapple (in juice, not in syrup)- you can also add dried cranberries, blueberries, yellow raisins, tangerine segments, and/or apple chunks for your fruit ingredient.


Then Mix and you're done!