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Sloppy Chicks

Posted in Recipes, tagged chickpeas, dinner, lunch, sandwich, sloppy joes on April 29, 2013| 1 Comment »

I know I’m being annoyingly clique right now but I REALLY wish it wasn’t Monday. I could have used one more day this weekend.

My oh-so-awesome landlord decided that the construction he has been doing the last several week should continue at 7 am on Saturday, my one day to sleep in. I was thrilled to turn over in bed at such an early hour and see a middle aged latino man working outside my window as I slept and he worked on the apartment. Thankfully, my blinds were mostly shut. Mostly.

I was then even more overjoyed to see that our driveway was strewed with wooden boards, discards shingles, tools and machines making it impossible for me to get out until around 4 pm, when they were finish their work and had cleaned up. So much for a fun filled day of errands and shopping

Yes, I was in an excellent mood on Saturday.

Thankfully, I made good use of my Saturday evening by having a few friends over and watching the first few episodes of Games of Throne. I may be kind of addicted! Can we just talk about how infuriating the Lannisters are?! ARGH! Every time Cersei Lannister and her ugly ass, scheming self are on the screen I just want to punch her!

But I digress, a TV viewing party would be incomplete without some good food. I whipped up these vegan-friendly Sloppy Joes and they got thumbs up all around from my non-vegan friends. My friend, Rachel’s boyfriend, had three of them and he definitely isn’t vegan. I consider that a win!

Sloppy Chicks
from Keepin’ It Kind

the original recipe says it makes 4; we used average hot dog bugs and we got 7 servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ red bell pepper, diced
2 15oz cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, diced
¼ cup tomato paste
2 T soy sauce
2 T Sriracha Sauce
1 T Maple Syrup
2 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
salt/pepper to taste
optional toppings: avocado or vegan cheese

4 vegan hamburger or hotdog buns; could also serve it on a baked potato or with lettuce in a wrap

Instructions:

Pour the chickpeas into a bowl. Use a fork to mash them until they are in small chunks/shreds. I like to mash about half the chickpeas and keep half whole for texture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to it’s lowest temperature. Open the buns (if you are using them) and place the halves, cut side up, on the center rack (or on a baking sheet). Let them heat up for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large shallow saucepan over medium heat for about one minute. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add the bell pepper and the chickpeas and sauté for about two minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through and slightly thickened. If it sticks, add a little water to scrape the pan and lower the heat a bit.

Once the buns are warmed and the chickpea mixture is hot, scoop the mixture onto the buns. Serve while hot.

I did spend Sunday eating brunch, working out and soaking up the sunshine so my landlord was not able to destroy my whole weekend. Can I just say, Sunday was beautiful here in Boston! If I could have one wish, it may be that everyday is as beautiful as that day was.

So, any Game of Throne fans? Thoughts? I’m only on season 1 so don’t spoil anything but please, tell me I’m not the only one who wants to punch some of these characters in the face.

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Roasted Veggie Salad with Herb Quinoa Oat Bread

Posted in Recipes, tagged apple cider vinaigrette, asparagus, butternut squash, dinner, quinoa oat bread, roasted vegetables, salad, summer squash, zucchini on April 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This week has been rough. On Tuesday, our dog Ace, died really unexpectantly. The vet thinks it was cancer in his chest. He was still pretty young at 8 and it hit us all really hard. He was a super good dog, even though he was mildly neurotic. He didn’t like red rugs. He had a nightly routine which involved giving his blanky a tour of the house before settling down. And overall, he really didn’t like change. But, don’t we all have quirks? I can’t eat m&ms or skittles without sorting them into groups by color. Is that any less weird then avoiding red rugs? Needless to say, he fit into our family pretty well and it’s been hard losing him.

So, I’ve been trying to stay busy all week. Tuesday night, despite the news, I went to ballet class, swollen red poofy eyes and all. Last night, I went on a bit of a shopping spree with my friend, Rachel. Container store, Lush, Barnes and Noble, fro-yo with soy yogurt AND Whole Foods. It was kind of epic. And perfectly fun and distracting.

Thankfully and completely by coincidence, I managed to get my act together on Sunday evening and make food for the whole week. So, despite my running around and blurred vision, I have still been eating well.

This salad seems like it may be boatloads of work, but you can make everything in advance and it makes several servings so you can have it for lunch or dinner throughout the week. Check out some substitutions all the way at the bottom if you want to save some time.

To roast the zucchini, summer squash and asparagus, I used the new baking sheet my Grandma gave me. Look how much bigger it is compared to my old ones!

Roasted Veggie Salad with Herb Quinoa Oat Bread

Roasted Veggie Salad:

2 small zucchini
2 small summer squash
1 large bunch of asparagus (skinny stalks are the best! But that may be personal preference…)
1/2 butternut squash
baby spinach or arugala (Whichever you prefer. I have had both and both were delicious. I tend to have baby spinach on hand more frequently though because I also use it in smoothies)
coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
pepita seeds

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Dice your butternut squash into cubes and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with coconut oil (I didnt measure but I would estimate 1 TBSP) and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste if you are using.

Dice your zucchini and summer squash. Remove the tough ends from the asparagus and cut into thirds. Put the zucchini, summer squash and asparagus on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with coconut oil (again, around 1TBSP) and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the butternut squash in the oven for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, put the other tray of veggies in.

When the 30 minute are up, remove the veggies from the oven. Veggies can be hot or cold when served, both are delicious so it’s a matter of preference. To serve, place a slice of toasted Herb Quinoa Oat Bread down (recipe below), top with a bed of spinach or arugala, then your roasted veggies, drizzle with apple cider vinaigrette (recipe below) and sprinkle with pepita seeds. Dig in!!

Apple Cider Vinaigrette
from Food Network

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put in a jar, shake it up and serve.

Herb Quinoa Oat Bread
recipe from Edible Perspective
2-3 servings (I cut mine into 6 servings to get me through the week)

1/2c GF oat flour*
3/4c quinoa flour
1/4c almond flour
1c water
1.5T ground chia seeds or ground flax seeds
1.5T coconut oil
1T unsweetened applesauce
1/4t salt
1/4t garlic powder
1t parsley
1t oregano
1t thyme
5-8 grinds of black pepper

Preheat your oven to 375.
Add 1/2T coconut oil to a 9” round/square pan and place in the oven. A cast iron pan works really well. Or line a 9” round/square pan with parchment paper.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Pour in the water, applesauce, and 1T of melted coconut oil.
Stir until just combined and let sit for 5min. Batter should be thick, but pourable after sitting.
While the batter is sitting, place the pan in the oven with 1/2T coconut oil for 5min. Remove from the oven and spread the oil around the sides + bottom of the pan. *If using parchment paper, skip this step.
Pour the batter into the pan, spread to the edges, then shake lightly to even out.
Bake for 38-42min, until the bread is cracked on top, pulled away from the sides, and edges are golden brown. I always bake mine for 40min.
Let cool to fully firm up, then remove from the pan + slice.
Store in a sealed container for 3-4 days.

* notes from Wicked Vegan: Don’t be intimidated by the list of unusual flours. I currently have at least 5 different flours in my pantry, none of which are the ones listed above and I was determined not to buy another. So I made these flours with the oats, quinoa and almonds that I already had. Just put the oats, quinoa and almonds in a food processor or magic bullet, separately, and blend until they have broken down into a flour consistency. The oat flour and quinoa flour were very easy to turn to flour. I had a bit of trouble with the almonds, which resulted in a corn-bread texture to my bread. It was still delicious, it just didn’t look like the pictures from Edible Perspective but I was ok with that.

notes from Edible Perspective: I have found coconut oil to be the best to prevent sticking. Feel free to sub another high-heat safe oil. This recipe would be great as a base for pizza. Remove the bread from the pan, pile on toppings, then bake for 5-10min. Feel free to sub buckwheat, millet, amaranth, or corn flour for the oat or quinoa flour but not the almond meal. You can easily make these gluten free flours at home in your blender or food processor. For GF oat flour, use rolled oats, oat groats, or steel cut oats. Process until turned into a fine flour. You can make almond meal by processing almonds until turned into a soft meal with no almond pieces.

You can roast any veggies that you want for this salad. California Pizza Kitchen has a salad similar to this and they use eggplant. You could also throw in mushrooms, green beans, bell peppers or onions. I really think whatever you like would work in here.

Store bought Naan can be subbed in for the quinoa bread. I had originally bought roasted garlic naan for this recipe but holy crap was that stuff delicious! I ended up eating the four pieces before I even began to make this recipe so I decided that maybe I didn’t need more of that deliciousness in the house! After all, oatmeal with a side of roasted garlic naan for breakfast, soup with roasted garlic naan for lunch and just warm roasted garlic naan dipped in hummus for dinner doesn’t exactly make a well rounded day of food.

Balsamic vinaigrette, bottled or homemade, can be subbed for the apple cider vinaigrette dress.

ok, I promise no more sad stuff tomorrow on WV. I’ll try and bring you some fun Friday Favorites complete with some upbeat music.

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Almond Coconut Granola

Posted in Recipes on April 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

So, I’m typing this on Sunday evening. I’ve painted my figure nails with Butter London nail polish (free of Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP, the three harshest chemicals in nail polish); I just finished up a roasted veggie salad on home made gluten-free flat bread for dinner (recipe to come); I’m working on my vegan blog about homemade granola; aaand, I’m watching the Academy of Country music awards? Yeah… one of these things doesn’t belong. I feel like country music should go with beer swiggin’, not herbal tea sippin’.

I’d like to think Luke Bryant would find my “Blow Raspberries”-painted nails pretty sexy, though…

Anyway, this is my favorite, go-to granola recipes. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand, it goes together super fast and it goes with everything. Enjoy!

Almond Coconut Granola
recipe in Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; found online at Spark Recipes

2 c. rolled oats
1 1/4 c. slivered almonds (you can use whatever almonds you have on hand. I prefer slivered because it provides a nice crunch)
3/4 c. unsweetened coconut (both shredded and flaked will work. I prefer flaked)
1 tsp of sea salt
2 TBSP safflower oil (or other high heat safe oil)
3/4 c. maple syrup
2 TBSP brown rice syrup (if you can’t find this, you can sub in agave or 2 more TBSP of maple syrup)
1 cup of dried cranberries (or any combination of dry you want. I like 1/2 c. dried cranberries and 1/2 c. apple-juice infused dried cherries. I bet pineapples would be tasty, too)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.Toast rolled oats on a baking sheet about 15 minutes, stirring once.

In a large bowl, mix almonds, coconut and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk safflower oil, maple syrup and brown rice syrup.

Once oats are done, add them to the large bowl. Mix dry ingredients.Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Add mixture onto baking sheet and bake for another 20-25 minutes stirring once. The mixture will still be wet when the time is up. You just want to cook it until it’s golden.

After baking, add dry cranberries (or other dried fruit) and mix again.
Allow to cool for about 30 minutes or so.
When cool, break up and store in an air tight container.

Makes about 6 cups or twelve 1/2 cup servings.

Currently, my favorite way to snack on this granola is on fresh apple rings with a little PB2 or Teddy’s all-natural PB. I also like it for breakfast in the morning. I’ll fill a bowl with fruit- right now I’m on a banana and blueberry kick- top it with 1/2c. -3/4c of granola and pour some almond milk over it. I like to think of it as a healthier version of cereal.

PS. Eric Church totally deserved more awards last night! I mean, Come on! Miranda Lambert is still winning awards for that song?

PPS. Last year I didn’t even know who Eric Church and Miranda Lambert were. Who am I?? I think I need to go listen to some rock music now…

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Orange Grapefruit Sorbet

Posted in Recipes on April 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

So, what has happened since I left you at St. Patrick’s Day? Um…

I didn’t die, yeah! But I was insanely sick for about a week. Hence the lack of posts.

Girls had its season finale. Thoughts? I love/hated it. Half of me is like, ‘Aww, Adam!’ because what girl doesn’t want some guy to come and rescue her? Like even just a tiny bit? Come on…you so do! Even if he’s as creepy as Adam. Because nothing says ‘I Love You’ like your ex dumping that prissy new girlfriend of his and sweeping you off your feet…even though it looks like you haven’t showered in a month…and you have a crusty raptured ear drum…and you’ve been wearing that oversized t-sirt and no pants forever…yeah, that storyline was clearly written by a girl. BUT, the other half of me is like, “really, Hannah? Get off your butt and get your crap together. You don’t need a guy!” So yeah, I’m clearly bi-polar on the whole thing. Share your thoughts.

Speaking of season finales, Taylor Swift is set to guest star on New Girl during the season finale. I’m about to explode from excitement! It’s my two biggest girl crushes on one show. Yes. Please!

I got instagram from my phone. I am now addicted. It’s like facebook but better cause you get pictures! I know I’m like 2 years behind on this trend…

I also got Spotify Premium. Best $10 a month purchase ever. I had to get rid of Netflix but being able to listen to any album, ever, anytime I want on my phone is way better then getting a random DVD, forgetting I got a random DVD and then paying $9 a month for 3 months for one DVD that you end up watching and hating. Truth.

What else? Easter happened. I didn’t give you one single Easter recipe. Why you ask? Because Easter usually ain’t my thing. I dont love pastel colors, and jelly beans and scary giant bunny suits. Also, mom cut me off from getting an Easter basket this year. I mean, I’m only 27! Whatevs. I did end up making the worlds cutest baskets though for some friends with homemade goodies. I will share that with you later this week…mostly so I have another chance to lament on how I didn’t get an easter basket this year! Whatevs.

Here is something that has nothing to do with Girls or Spotify or Easter, though. Its Orange Grapefruit Orange Sorbet and it’s so good you’ll want to cry.

Orange Grapefruit Sorbet
modified slightly from How Sweet Eats

4 1/2 cups of fresh squeezed grapefruit (if you can find 100% all natural grapefruit juice, no sugar-added, that is an option)
1 cup of fresh squeeze orange juice (again, all-natural juice can be used)
1 1/2 cup vegan cane sugar

Combine 1 cup of grapefruit juice and all of the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar dissolves, cooking for about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and pour in a large bowl, mixing it with the remaining grapefruit and orange juice. Refrigerate for 25 minutes, or until chilled.

Once chilled, pour the mixture in your ice cream maker and churn according to the directions. I used my mom’s KitchenAid attachment and churned it for 25 minutes. After churning, pour in a container and freeze for 6-8 hours until frozen.

It’s no secret Jessica is one of my favorite bloggers. It’s also no secret that my most favoritest non-vegan treat ever, which I always end up cheating on my vegan diet with, is ice cream. So when I saw that Jessica posted a vegan-friendly frozen treat that could help me break my scandalous affair with ice cream, I died of excitement…and then I waited two months to make it. Fail. Don’t wait two months to make this! This is the best sorbet I’ve had. It’s refreshing and a perfect balance of tart and sweet. And Delicious! I’m telling you, don’t wait to make this!

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Thin Mint Donuts

Posted in Life, Recipes, tagged chocolate, donuts, Friday Favorites, mint, St. Patrick's Day on March 15, 2013| 1 Comment »

I lied my face of when I said I wasn’t doing another Friday Favorites. As I sit here, contemplating how I could possibly top the brilliance of my Veronica Mar’s post, I realized, Oh wait, I don’t have to! I’ll just throw together all my favorites from the week and have that entertain you! Because really, the only thing that is more awesome then me rambling on about the pope, V-Mars and (more) St. Patty’s Day recipes, is Justin Timberlake…dressed as tofu!

Justin Timberlake’s SNL performance, which every vegan blog has posted this week. I don’t care. It’s brilliant!

Chocolove Chocolate bars– namely dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt or dark chocolate coffee. I’ve pretty much given up all desserts since Rachel and I entered this Team Lean Challenge…except this chocolate. It gets me through man…it gets me through…

The Top 16 White People Song Lyrics Statuses and Tweets of All Time by Matt, aka Goose. I went to high school with this kid and have seen him exactly zero times since we graduated but I’m wishing that that wasn’t the case after reading this. It’s hysterical in a ‘oh-crap-I’m-totally-F*ing-guilty-of-this’ sort of way. If you are 20-something-ish or younger and have ever posted lyrics in your AIM away message/Myspace Profile/Facebook status, and your white, you’ve probably posted one of these lyrics. Or if you’re me, 6.5 of them (not that Zac Brown song but definitely two others…crap). I’m apparently super white. Just read it.

from Matt’s blog, The Goosefiles

I can’t NOT post my favorite Dropkick Murphy’s song, Wicked Sensitive Crew, 2 days before St. Patrick’s Day,. “…And we sure ain’t vegan!” It’s ok guys. I still love you.

and last but not least, Sunday brunch with friends! These donuts were made for the ‘donuts and carbs’ brunch we had a few weekends ago. That theme wasn’t intentional but no one cared. The food was excellent.

Are you even seeing all the donuts on that table?! This was my contribution to the brunch:

Thin Mint Donuts

from Cheeky Kitchen;

For the Donuts:

1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup almond milk
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon Earth Balance ‘butter’, melted
1 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons Earth Balanc, melted
1 tablespoon almond milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp of peppermint extract (or more to taste)

In a blender, combine garbanzo beans, almond milk, baking powder, vanilla, white vinegar, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Blend until pureed. Transfer to a large bowl and blend with the melted chocolate chips and flour. Transfer to a large zip-top bag and allow the dough to sit for about 5-10 minutes before snipping the corner of the bag, and piping into donut pans that have been generously sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Be gentle. This is a thick, sticky dough and I definitely popped my the ziploc bag I was using. Trust me, you do not want to have to spoon this dough in. I made such a mess!

Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, or just until the donuts set. Remove and cool for 3-5 minutes before turning your donuts onto a cooling rack.

For the Glaze:

Melt everything in a double boiler and frost the donuts!

Two weekends ago, before donut baking, I would have bet you a million dollars I had two, large, regular donut bans. I would have lost. Apparently, I only own heart shape pans. Nothing screams St. Patty’s day like heart donuts? Just roll with it…

Ok, I think this may be my last St. Patty’s Day post. I was hoping to post one more dessert recipe tomorrow (guinness truffles? Carbomb cupcakes?) but I’m not sure if I will get the chance. Double check on Saturday just in case. If you are celebrating all things irish this weekend, be safe! Don’t drink and drive! That’s illegal. Don’t wander around completely drunk! That’s dangerous. Don’t urinate in public. That’s also illegal, I hear. Don’t drunk text exes! That’s also dangerous…and dumb. Be smart. And may the luck of the irish be with you!

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Beer Bread- 2 ways

Posted in Recipes, tagged beer, booze, bread, Guinness, St. Patrick's Day on March 13, 2013| 2 Comments »

Guinness bread

So…This daylight savings thing is kicking my butt in the worst way! Let’s just say that according to my stove clock, I was TOTALLY on time for work today. I think Arizona was right to boycott this non-sense.

Pumpkinhead Beer Bread

With that said, let’s keep this short and sweet, shall we?

I whipped up this beer bread to go along with the Guinness stew I gave you yesterday. It’s SUPER easy and a thousand times better then Soda Bread, which usually comes with raisins. And you know I don’t do raisin. Plus it has booze!

Bread -raisins+booze=St. Patrick’s Day Awesomeness!

(this math problem was brought to you by an English/Art major.)

So the first recipe I’m giving you I made with Shipyard Pumpkinhead. ummmm, yeah. I still have some leftover from Halloween. I’m hoarding it and drinking like, 1 a month to hold me over until October when it’s released again. Or, let’s be real, August, since halloween/fall crap is pulled out in the summer now.

Pumpkinhead Beer Bread

Beer Bread:
via Rachel Robin’s Nest

3 cups flour
1tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz (1.5 cups) beer

Combine all ingredients and put into a well-greased bread pan. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

That’s it! Crazy, right? No rising, no kneading, no nothin’!

ok, now the second one is for Guinness. You can definitely use Guinness in the recipe above. Rachel said it comes out delicious but I was thinking brown sugar might be tastier with the Guinness. So I gave this recipe a try:

Guinness Beer Bread

via The Black Peppercorn

3 cups flour
½ tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
⅓ cup oats
⅔ cup dark brown sugar
12 oz Guinness (Guinness Extra Stout is supposedly vegan according to Barnivore)
1 tbsp oats
1 tbsp butter (Earth Balance)

Preheat oven at 350F
Grease a loaf pan with the 1 tbsp butter.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, ⅓ cup oats and brown sugar.
Slowly beat in the Guinness into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on the low setting. Do not over mix the batter, but make sure that it is not too lumpy.
Pour the batter in the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the 1 tbsp of oats on top ( I totally forgot this step because I was all, COOK FAST SO I CAN EAT YOU!)
Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Check at 45 minutes just in case the bread is done early.
Place on a cooling rack until at room temperature.

Mine took longer to cook, about 60 minutes.

Guinness Beer Bread

Both of these are delicious, though I think my favorite is the first recipe. This could just be because I adore Pumpkinhead beer above all others, including Guinness. The Pumpkinhead is sweeter so it just makes a super yummy bread. BUT, experiment with your own breads and let me know what beers work.

Guinness Beer Bread

Would you believe I have TWO more, maybe even three, St. Patrick’s Day-themed recipes for you guys?? I’m am all over this holiday!

PS. I’ve had a few requests for an easier search engine for recipes. I’m looking into adding a Recipage tab, which would help organize things a bit. Stay tuned and if you see some weird, pseudo-complete changes going on, hold tight. It means better things are coming =)

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Vegan Guinness Stew

Posted in Recipes, tagged booze, Guinness, soup, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patty's Day, stew on March 12, 2013| 2 Comments »

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Tis the season to eat all the irish food we avoid the rest of the year (cause seriously? the irish just dont have the best food), celebrate our 1/64th bit of irish blood and drink copious amounts of beer until we pass out. Oh, St. Patty’s really brings out the best in people!

With that said, I’m totally jumping on that bandwagon and partaking in all the above. Except maybe the drinking copious amounts of beer. Because holding my liquor is not a trait I inherited from my irish ancestors. Lightweights Representin’!

Anyway, here are a few St. Patty’s day recipes from last year: Irish Cream, Corned Beef and guinness-glazed potatoes. I think I am most looking forward to sauteing up those guinness-glazed potatoes. SO yummy. And here are some recipes that may not be typical St. Patty’s day grub but they fit the theme: green monster smoothy, for a nutritional, green, kick to your morning; spinach artichoke dip, a green appetizer for a more casual get together; vegan irish stew, which I totally forgot I had on the blog!; and how about one more? Beer fries.

Annnd, here is a new one!

Vegan Guinness Stew
from The Curvy Carrot
6ish large servings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
6 small celery stalks, chopped into bite-sized pieces
16 ounces (1 lb) button mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed, and sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 11.2-ounce bottle of Guinness Stout*
4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 lb (about 3-4 large) Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 cups of Vegetable Stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt

*according to Barnivore, Guinness extra stout from North America is vegan.

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat until shimmering.

2. Add the onion, celery, and about 1/4 of the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the flour to the mixture and stir to coat and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Carefully pour the bottle of Guinness over the mixture, and stir to scrape up any browned bits.

5. Add the remaining vegetables and ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

This is super hearty and is perfect served with a thick, warm slice of beer bread. Beer bread you say? Well…you’ll just have to come back tomorrow and get that recipe!

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Friday Favorites and Lemon-Lime Margarita

Posted in Life, Recipes, tagged booze, Candy Crush, drinks, Ed Sheeran, Friday Favorite, Lemon, Lush, margarita, She and Him, Vega protein powder, Veronica Mars on March 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

Let me preface this by saying, I know ALL the best blogs are doing Friday Favorites and Product reviews. I didn’t mean to jump on that bandwagon but I started to post my love for Ed Sheeran and it just kept going! So, here are some things I’m loving on right now. I probably won’t do this again:

1. This video. Seriously, can Ed Sheeran do anything wrong? I’m in love.

2. Lush products. Some of their stuff can be pricey but a ton of it is vegan-friendly and most of their stuff is all-natural or close to it. I have far, far too much stuff from this store but my two favorites are : aqua marina face wash and the buffy bar. You can see the aqua marina below. It’s literally clay wrapped in seaweed. It works SO well, though. I actually ditched Proactive and started using that cleanser with the Tea Tree Toner and Grease lightening (both from Lush) and I like the results much better. As for the Buffy Bar- It exfoliates and moisturizes like nothing else and you can use it in the shower. I’m obsessed.

image from Lush.com. Links to products are listed above

3. Vega chocolate protein powder. I’ve been working out like a fiend lately and this stuff is great for a post-gym protein boost! It’s a protein powder that is plant-based and vegan-friendly. I have a recipe coming next week that includes this stuff and you’re going to love it! (hint hint go buy some hint hint)

I bought these little sample packs at whole foods

4. Candy crush. I’m so addicted. I’m not really a video/smart phone/computer game person. I peaked at Zelda back during the n64 days but i cant stop playing this! Currently, i’m totally stuck on level 33. Send help!

5. Veronica Mars. Sometimes, you just need some spunk and bad-ass attitude in your life and V. Mars delivers! “You under-counted the Sassy!”

6. Ugh, I’m sorry- One more song! She and Him’s new single “I never wanted your love”. I almost posted Carly Rae Jepson’s new single, Tonight I’m Getting Over You, buuuut I decided to spare you.

7. And last but not least, these margaritas. I call them ‘When Life Gives You Lemons’ margaritas. I feel like the past two months, life has been handing me lemons by the cart full. Make lemonade, you say? Please! I’ll add those lemons to tequila instead, thankyouverymuch.

“When Life Gives You Lemons” Margaritas
based off of the How Sweet Eats recipe for margaritas

2 ounces Grand Marnier
1 1/2 ounces tequila
2 ounces lime juice
2 1/2 ounces lemon simple syrup (recipe below)
sugar for the rim (optional)
lemon or lime slices (optional)

Add Grand Marnier, tequila, lime juice and lemon simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake until cold. Serve with sugar rim and lemon or lime slices

Lemon Simple Syrup
based off of Martha Stewart recipe

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
zest from 1 lemon* ( I used fresh meyers lemons. Regular lemons will work, too)
3/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Heat your sugar, water and lemon zest in a small sauce pan until sugar has dissolved. Let simmer for a minute or so to give the sugar water more time to become lemon-y. Remove from heat. Strain the sugar water through a fine sieve to get the lemon zest out. Set aside to cool. Once completely cool, stir in the lemon juice.

*If you don’t have a fine sieve for straining out the zest, you can simply peel the rinds into long strips. This will allow you to pull the rind out with just a fork or slotted spoon. I did this and it worked out fine.

This margarita is delicious. It’s super refreshing and putting the lemon in the simple syrup prevents the whole drink from getting too sour. I think it’s the perfect citrus margarita. If you want more lemon juice, replace the 2 oz of lime juice with 1 oz of lime and 1 oz of lemon. I liked the sweet rim with the sour lemon and lime but salt would work just as well if that’s your thing.

Hit me up with what your obsessed with right now and I’ll check it out. I hope everyone has a great weekend! I’ll be escaping the city life and city drama for a little road trip and mini-getaway 😉

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Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Posted in Recipes, tagged casserole, dinner, lentil, mushroom, St. Patrick's Day, sweet potato on March 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes, it’s Saturday and I’m able to take my time taking awesome pictures for the blog, complete with props and natural sunlight and cute dishes.

Other times, I have been trying to make a dish for two weeks but haven’t found time; had to toss ingredients out at least once because they went bad before I could use them; had to hussle out of the kitchen cause my roommate needed it to make dinner with his friends; had to take pictures in front of old plastic-ed windows in the early morning gray-ness because it’s snowing; and the recipe I’m photographing is really nothing but a pile of orange and brown (albeit delicious) mush.

(Did I use those semi-colons correctly?!?! I think I followed the rules the Oatmeal gave me! oh yeah!)

Can you guess which situation this delightful shephard’s pie recipe falls under?

Despite the fact that it may win the award for the most unpleasant pictures on the site, the recipe is actually really delicious, which is a lot coming from me. Shephard’s pie used to be my one freebie at dinner. You know, you had to eat what Mom makes except for your one freebie meal because she knew you genuinely hated it. Shephard’s pie was my freebie (until I went vegetarian, then I got a special meal each night. Go me!). But since this recipe has exactly none of the ingredients that my mom’s shephard’s pie had, it shouldn’t be a big surprise that I like it better.

Like my potato masher? After I made the Sweet Potato burgers for my parents and it took me a million hours to mash the potatoes with a fork, Mom bought me my very own potato masher. yeah!! lol

This recipe takes the tradition meat, potatoes and veggies (Mom’s always had ground beef, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy) and subs in lentils, mushrooms and sweet potatoes, all things I love! Weirdly enough, when it was cooking though, it definitely smelt like I remember Mom’s did! Maybe I was just psyching myself out…

Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

From thekitchn.com
Makes 6 servings

6 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed*
1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
3/4 cup dry steel cut oats
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, divided ( used baby bellas, the original recipe used creminis)
1 onion, chopped
2 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.

In a medium pot, combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf and salt with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Discard bay leaf and drain mixture into a colander or sieve.

While the lentils and oats are cooking, finely chop half of the mushrooms and set aside. Cut the remaining mushrooms into quarters. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until browned and soft. Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, followed by the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few grinds of black pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel sweet potatoes with your hands and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. (For thicker layers, use a 9×9-inch pan.) Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges.

*Note: The original recipe called for 5 medium sweet potatoes but that didn’t even cover 3/4 of my shephard’s pie in a 9×13 pan. I would suggest buying and roasting 6. Start by mashing 5 and if you need more, mash the 6th. If you end up not using that 6th roasted sweet potato, you can always cube it and add it to a salad or have it it for lunch.

Bonus points for me: Shephard’s Pie is considered an Irish cuisine on wikipedia. Which means that I am over a week early with presenting you with a St. Patty’s Day dinner idea. Just add a Guiness (Extra Stout is vegan according to Barnivore.com) and your done. More St. Patty’s day recipes to come!

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Mocha Almond Butter

Posted in Recipes, tagged chocolate, coconut, coffee, mocha, nut butter, spread on February 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Aaand I’m back! The lack of posts around here has been shameful but I have to confess, I have been working my butt off elsewhere.

As I mentioned before, I’m participating in a work-sponsored competition called Team Lean. It’s led to some new and exciting exercise attempts. So far I have tried boxing (which is awesome if you just want to let out some pent up anger at your ex/boss/friends/whatever), hot yoga (so sore the next day!) and snowboarding (so sore the next day…and the entire week!!). All this experimenting has not only made me realize that I am quite possibly the least graceful person on the planet (I think I spent more time on my ass then on my snowboard) but has also sucked up all the free time I used to use for playing in the kitchen. But it’s paying off. My team is…well, we aren’t winning. We’re like 40 out of 100+ BUT at least we aren’t last! =)

Not only has my general kitchen time been removed but what I am making is nowhere near as exciting as Red Velvet Nutella Rolls or Cookie Dough Truffles. Lots of random fruit and protein powder getting dumped into blenders, lots of veggie salads, not so much with the desserts or sweets.

So, here is another recipe I gave out around Christmas time that I have been meaning to post but have been dragging my feet on.

Mocha Almond Butter
from Edible Perspective
yields ~ 1 1/4 cups

2 cups raw almonds
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder*
1 tablespoon extra virgin unrefined coconut oil, melted (may need more)
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 teaspoons coconut sugar or sucanat (optional)
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 300*F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss the almonds with the maple syrup and 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder, then spread on the baking sheet.
Roast for 10 minutes, turn almonds, then roast for another 10 minutes.
Remove and let cool for 10-12 minutes. You want them to still be warm but not hot.
Scrape almonds from the parchment into your high powdered food processor [at least 10 cup capacity] and turn on.
Let spin, scraping down the sides as needed until it starts to form a thick, doughy texture. 8-10 minutes.
Add in the melted coconut oil and let spin until it is fully smooth and drippy. Scrape the sides as needed. The process will take 12-15 minutes in total.
Add in the 1 teaspoon espresso powder, cocoa powder, and salt and let spin until smooth.
Taste and add 2-3 teaspoons of coconut sugar and/or more salt if desired.
Pour into a jar and let cool to room temperature before sealing. Best kept in the fridge.

*I made several jars of this and experimented with the instant espresso. I used powdered instant coffee which I ground into a fine powder. It was ok but a little bitter. You’ll want to up the sugar. I also tried instant cappuccino, which was lingering in my cabinet from a former recipe but was not dairy-free. It got the most rave reviews, though.

notes: This fits in an 8oz jar with about 1/4 cup leftover. You can sub another oil for coconut if needed. You can sub another sugar for the coconut sugar if desired.

I don’t really love almond butter as a general rule but for some reason, homemade almond butter is so much better then store bought! Especially when you add coffee and chocolate.

Like the cashew butter, you can serve this with fruit (like an apple, strawberries or banana), put it in your oatmeal (swirl in 1TBSP with your hot oatmeal and then top with toasted coconut and pecans. I bet it would be delicious!), slather it on some bread or heck, eat it off a spoon for dessert. I’m not judging!

Off to burn more calories! I’m hoping to post a new margarita recipe soon so I have to go earn that tequila =)

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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

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Roasted Veggie Salad with Herb Quinoa Oat Bread

Almond Coconut Granola

Orange Grapefruit Sorbet

Thin Mint Donuts

Beer Bread- 2 ways

Vegan Guinness Stew

Friday Favorites and Lemon-Lime Margarita

Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Mocha Almond Butter

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