Spicy Bean and Corn burgers with a Mango Salad and Sweet Lime Dressing

How was everyone's holiday weekend? I have to tell you that mine was one of the best! Good wedding, kickass Primus show, and time pent and new friends made in the sun drinking brews and hooping it up. This week will be a bittersweet one for us though, our son starts preschool after being with his Mommy ever since he was born. My husband also has a big interview for the fire department and I find out if I get a job that I really really really want at our local library! So fingers crossed it all goes well! So I thought I would include some things we nade for our little picnic yesterday in today's post! The "burger" recipe was a really good base recipe. Now that I know we can make them and they wont fall apart, I will probably make them a little more spicy next time adding some fressh peppers and more herbs! The salad I found when traveling thru our local grocery store (Schnucks I love you for all the organic options you offer!) and the lady had out samples. She had this recipe for a a mango salad that was soooo good! I didn't realize until after I tasted it, it was made with honey though :( So in my recipe I subbed out agave nectar and it came out yummy! It would be a perfect thing to bring to a summer bbq! Enjoy!


Spicy bean and corn burgers (I can no longer find the original recipe)

1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 8 oz can of sweet corn
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1-2 tablespoon mustard (we left this out b/c my husband hates mustard, but I would have totally put it in)
3/4 cup old fashioned oats

Mince all veggies and saute in a pan using oil or cooking spray until soft, adding the spices at the end and mixng to coat. Meanwhile, rinse and drain beans, then mash with a fork or potato masher. After the veggies are finished, mix with beans and add corn, then oats. Form into about six patties (if you have trouble getting to stick, use a little whole wheat or white flour to help). Preheat the skillet over medium heat and again with cooking spray or oil, fry burgers about 5-7 minutes on each side.

Mango Cucumber Salad with Lime Dressing

2 limes
2 ripe mangos peeled and chopped
6 oz bag of shredded radishes
1 cucumber chopped
3 tablespoons evoo
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Grate 1 tablespoon lime peel (about one lime worth) and whisk in a bowl with the juice of 2 limes. Add agave nectar and olive oil and mix together. Throw in the fruits and veggies and mix to coat. Best served chilled!

I am defintely putting a new camera on my Christmas list!

Friday Brunch-Chocolate Chip Blueberry Vegan Pancakes!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyone has a magical weekend! I've got a pretty good one lined up with a wedding tomorrow (with a very sweet bride whom took time out of her busy wedding week to offer me the vegetarian meal at her wedding!) and Primus on Sunday with the hubby! I really enjoy doing shows with just us, we seem to have the most fun! But today I'm going to share with you a little tradition I have started in this house, breakfast on Fridays! Now I normally do this for dinner and accompany the pancakes with a side like tofu scramble or oven roasted potatoes, but I have something else in the works for dinner tonight, so I decided to whip up these little treats with bluberries and chocolate chips (one of my all time favorite combos) just by themselves. I got this recipe from food.com and rumor has it, it's an 11 year old's recipe! Now this recipe has 121 reviews and almost a perfect 5 star rating. Trust me I was skeptical, but these things are seriously some of the best pancakes I have ever had! I believe the secret ingredient is the baking powder, it causes them to be soooooo fluffy and light. I really don't think you could mess these up! I added some blueberries and ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (that happen to be vegan)! So here is my variation on the recipe and I will link you to the original one so you may change to your liking. Enjoy the holiday!


1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Organic Cane Sugar
2 tablespoons Baking Powder
2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread melted
1 cup Silk Vanilla Soymilk

Add ins-
68 Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Blueberries

preheat skillet or griddle to medium high heat with a little nonstick cooking spray
mix all dry ingredients together. add in milk and melted butter. Scoop out some mixture (I learned to use 1/4 measuring cup to scoop  batter out to make evenly sized pancakes (thanks Happy Herbivore cookbook!) into the skillet. Sprinkle with a little blueberries and chocolate chips. When the pancake begins to bubble, flip of to the other side. Cook until brown (about one minute or so). Repeat until all batter is gone. Makes 6-7 pancakes.

I topped mine with Smart Balance Light spread with flax (also happens to be vegan and I get mine from Wal-Mart or Schnucks) and organic pure maple syrup! You can thank me later!

here is the original recipe and feel free to use whatever add in's that you would like..bananas, nuts, cinnamon, vanilla extract, etc. These are so fast and easy to make, you could make a double batch and freeze some to pop in the toaster at a later date!

http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-vegan-pancakes-132263

A little recap with some Spicy Pasta for Dinner!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was pretty good! I want to share with you some veg related experiences I had this weekend before I get into dinner with the recipe for a spicy pasta sauce courtesy of Miss Natasha!

I went out of town this weekend to Ohio with my mom and grandma for some wedding related matters (for my mom). Now this was my first time traveling as a vegan, so I tried to prepare as much as I could. I hit the road Friday evening with a homemade burrito and apple for dinner so I wouldn't have to stop at any fast food places on the way! I also prepared snacks to take with me on the trip so I could make it (Luna bars, apples, bananas, popcorn, pistachios).

Breakfast was on the road, so fruit and protein bar it was. Lunch was decided upon by my mother and guess where she picked? The Cheesecake Factory! Talk about temptation! I did the best  I could however, and ordered The Incredible Eggplant Sandwhich (which was pretty damn good) sans the cheese, mayo spread (which I forgot to mention to 86 but the waitress was kind enough to leave off knowing my situation!) and asked them to not use butter when toasting the bread. I realize I ran the risk of the bread being made with dairy or eggs, but if you saw whaat I was working with, I did the best I could. When it was time for dessert they both ordered cheesecake and yes I was completely jealous! But I didn't even have one bite or morsel! I just sipped on my Newcastle (joke was on them because that cheesecake wasn't going to get them a buzz!)
The real treat however came that night! We hit up the mall and I was hungry! I made my way to the food court already mentally altering food to try and veganize it the best way possible. Then my eyes fell upon a little place called The Loving Hut. I guess you would call it a vegan form of fast food! Every location has a different menu though, catered towards the area's interest. I got the spring roll dinner that came with fried rice, 3 springs rolls and a bomb salad with spinach, raisins, other fruit and a spicy chile dressing. I would not lie to you, that was some of the best vegan food I have had. I even emailed the company and told them how happy I was (I have never done that). The meal was about 8 bucks, but the portions where huge, and could have easily been shared or saved for leftovers! So shout out to them and here is the link that list their locations, so if you are in the area of one, check it out! http://www.lovinghut.us/

On the way home, I wasn't so lucky. This time they picked a Frisch's Big Boy (they are pretty sympathetic huh?) I got the salad bar; fresh fruit, salad, and some homestyle potatoes. Not the beest selection but you gotta make due. Well by the time I was on my way home, I was starving. I caved and went thru the drive thru at Taco Bell (gasp). I just got a burritio with beans, rice, lettuce, and tomato. I took a chance, as I have heard their beans may not be veggie friendly, but again lemons into lemonade.

One stop at Ikea on the way home landed Judah some cute new bedtime pillows, a stuffed broccoli and stuffed carrot! He is napping with his new friends!

So enough about my trip and let's move on to dinner! Tonight's menu will feature a spicy pasta sauce from the lovely Natasha! I had to do some tweaking, but I will give you both what I used and she uses so you can adjust accordingly. The correct title for the sauce is Scotch Bonnet Pasta Sauce, but you will see why I can't exactly call it that :(

1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (Orange or Yellow Preferred) (I had to sub Serrano peppers, as thats all I could find, so I used a couple of those instead)

 

2 Tomatoes  ( I used about 5 ounces of yellow cherrry tomatoes and abouy 14 oz of organic crushed tomatoes because that is what I had on hand)

 

3+ Cloves of Garlic

 

Scallions

 

1 White/Yellow Onion

 

1 Jar of Tomato Sauce or you can make your own out of scratch (I used Bertolli Organic Tomato Basil)

 

1/2 box of your choice of pasta (I used whole wheat rotoni)

 

Mince all the veggies and boil pasta and set aside. Use a small amount of oil in a small skillet or sauce pan and slow cook your tomatoes. After they have simmered, add pasta sauce keep on low heat. In another pan, use a little more oil and added the remaining diced veggies saute until tender. Add veggies to the simmering sauce (careful not to add excess oil from the veggies if any) and continue to simmer for another fifteen minutes or so, letting everybody to get to know each other in there. Add to pasta!

 

Now she also included a recipe for garlic bread and spicy croutons, but I had trouble finding a loaf of baker's bread that was vegan friendly late last night, so I will save that for another time, but trust me I am going to use it as it sounds so yummy!

 

She also recommened a salad:

 

Two mixed bags. One spring mix and a three mix of Romain lettuce leaves.

 

green olives, tom, carrot strips (the thin ones), croutons, sweet red, orange and yellow peppers, scallions, almond slivers, and if you really want to jazz it up grapes, apples, and cheese if you are on the vegetarian side of the fence (as she is!)

 

I did a salad the consisted of:

 

Organic baby spinach, orange pepper, scallions, carrots,  red onion, cherry tomatoes, and chopped almonds with Anne's Natural Green Goddess dressings!

 

 

 

the sauce brewing!

the salad!

the finished pasta!

they get married :)

 

 

 

This was an awesome meal and the husband, who is not a big marinara type pasta fan loved this so I hope you guys love it too! Here are some pics :)

 

 

 

Just so you don't wonder...

I haven't left you all hanging! I will be back after the weekend, but bridesmaid duty calls this weekend, so out of town I must go. But I have some good things in store for the next couple of weeks! I will be featuring a dinner menu courtsey of one righteous mama! I also am planning to do a recipe I found for a vegan spin on my favorite fast food meal (it won't be very healthy, but I can pretty much guarentee it will be delicious). Can you guess what it is? If you know me, you can probably figure it out ;) I also have peaked my own interest as to just how much this lifestyle is costing me a month, so I have decided to keep a running tab of all my food expenses for a month and see where it lands me! I thought inquiring minds might want to know. I'm gonna touch base on just what people (and myself) think about Evansville, IN landing itself as the most obese metro city in the U.S. (The hubby informed me it was even featured on Leno!) Thanks Lindsey for the heads up on that! I wanna do some research (which in turn I will probably have to purchase hehe) on vegan beauty products so that will be coming up too! Soooooo stay tuned everyone and have a blessed weekend!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate never get old

So I love sweets! A life without sweets wouldn't be worth living. I try to eat pretty healthy most of the time, but you gotta indulge every once and a while. I do make treats often, but usually end up giving them away to friends and co-workers. I try not to give into many, but you atleast gotta have one out of the oven, and one the next day to make sure they set nicely :) I also feel like cookies, muffins, and cakes are a common ground for vegs and non-vegs alike. You entice people into the world of vegan with delicious morsels and say "Hey by the way, that nice little nugget you fell in love with just so happens to be vegan." And they're all like "No way." Then I lure them into trying the more complex stuff. *insert evil laugh here* So here is the recipe from my favorite vegan sweets lady Isa Chandra Mokowitz and her Vegan Cookies cookbook.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows:

Chocolate Dough:
1/2 cup canola oil (I used melted Earth Balance Butter)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablesppons nondairy milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose (I don't use anything but whole wheat flour now, so when baking I use whole wheat pastry flour. It is a little lighter and less dense then regular whole wheat flour)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa powder or more regular unsweetened cocoa powder (that's what I used)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter filling:
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons nondairy milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, syrup, milk, .and vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to form a moist dough

2. In another bowl, make filling by using hand mixer to beat all filling ingredients together. Dough should but moist but firm. (If too wet add a little more powder sugar until dough is right consistency, if too dry add more milk)

3. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with alluminum foil

4. Roll the peanut butter filling into 24 balls. ( I guestimated the size, but if I had to say a little bigger than a teaspoon size. I included a pic of what my balls looked like below. Come to find out later, I used a little less p.b. than the recipe called for. I used 2/3 cups instead of 3/4 cup so your balls might be a little bigger (that's what she said!)

4. Put down some wax paper and scoop out a generous tablespoon of the chocolate dough mixture. Flatten out and place a p.b. ball in the middle. Fold the chocolate dough over the p.b ball and roll in the palm of your hand to form a bigger ball. Repeat for all 24 balls.

5. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart (it will probably only fit a dozen at a time, I baked mine in 2 batches.) Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool five minutes before removing from pan and let cool longer on plate or wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

my peanut butter balls

finished product (I apologize for the glare)

inside the nuggets. the cookbook showed more p.b. in the pic, but the lack of it in mine is probably due to my miscalculations

And for shits and giggles, my husband wanted me to include a pic of his cheeseless pizza although about zero prep went into it.The crust and the sauce were premade. We don't do it often, but you gotta have it easy sometimes

Who loves to read?

I do!!!!!! Even if you don't, maybe you like food? Maybe you wanna get a little education in so when people ask you anything about the vegan lifestyle you won't look like a complete meathead (did I ever mention how witty I can be? ;) Ok well here are some educational reads, as well as some cookbooks I have been exposed to so far. I have made things from all of these cookbooks and really enjoyed them so check it. Feel free to add to the collection

Skinny Bitch-This is my current read. This is one I would probably not recommend for someone who is curious about becoming vegan/vegetarian. I really enjoy the book, but it is a bit harsh and the language is not the best, but of course I like that sort of thing. It has a lot of the same facts as some of the other educational reads, but in a more no nonsense/cut the shit kinda way. Tough love I would say. It breaks down the subjects pretty nicely and there is even a section on pooping!

http://www.skinnybitch.net/

The Kind Diet- I really liked this book. It is a combo educational/cookbook read by Alicia Silverstone (Clueless anyone? Awesome 90's Aerosmith videos?) I liked her tone throughout the whole book, it had some really solid facts, but she spoke to you in a gentle way. I liked her "green" take on things and her environmental stand on the lifestyle as well. Her passion on the subject shines through the pages. Some of the stuff in her cookbook looks awesome. There are some recipes however that looked like an ingredients list from another universe. Maybe there is a little better selection out there in 'ol sunny California, but here in the Ville, things aren't as accessible. Here is a link to her book and her website as well.

http://www.thekindlife.com/about

http://www.amazon.com/Kind-Diet-Simple-Feeling-Losing/dp/1605296449

The China Study-I will warn you this is not the most fun read ever and it is my favorite to read when I need to prepare myself for sleep. The facts and research that went into this book are uncomparable to any other I have found on the market today. This is based on years of research of the health benefits of a plant based lifestyle. I was amazed at the illnesses and disease that could be cured or reversed by living this way. So if you want something to base a good vegan arguement off of, check this one out. (The authors of this book recently made an appearance on the Dr. Oz show featuring a segment about the benefits of being vegan!)

http://www.thechinastudy.com/


The Happy Herbivore- This is the first cookbook I picked up when I started eating this way. The author usues ingredients that are easily found and methods that anyone could do. It also happens to be lowfat and the author answers questions you might have about the recipes on her facebook! She has a blog as well

http://happyherbivore.com/

Vegan with a Vegeance- The author of this cookbook has several cookbooks out, but this happens to be just one I have used. She so far is my favorite in the sweets department! I have loved everything I have made from her and trust me, there isn't much I love more than some awesome baked goods, so I am judgemental when it comes to that! Here is her website, the Post Punk Kitchen.

http://www.theppk.com/

La Dolce Vegan- I really just liked the author of this book! She has kind of the same no nonsense attitude and I appreciate that. I loved her peanut butter cookies and her beans and rice recipe! Here is her website with all of her other cookbooks and some fashion and beauty as well!

http://www.govegan.net/

Vegan on the cheap- Last but certainly not least, is this little gem! I honestly like this recipes the best out of any cookbook I used, and they just so happen to be affordable. This would be really great for a newcomer like myself or someone who maybe wanted to try a few dishes out. They give the average cost per serving and all the ingredients are pretty common! So no more bullshit "I can't afford to be vegan." Do me a favor and add up all the money you spend a month on eating out, fast food, and other groceries like meat and dairy, and then try this lifestyle for a month. Let me know which one wins as the cheapest! And trust me, leftovers are a plenty on this diet, just ask my co-workers (I bring my lunch everyday along with my snacks and I work in a restaurant. If I can do it, so can you)!

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cheap-Recipes-Simple-Strategies/dp/0470472243

What is your favorite cuisine?

Mine without a doubt is Mexican! I love it and could honestly eat it every single day. It also happens to be one of the easiest to whip up. So tonight on the menu is a little rendention of one of my favorites, a fajita quesadilla from a local Mexican restaurant! I followed the base of Whole Foods recipe for their tofu fajitas but tweaked it just a little and this was my creation

1 pound extra firm tofu (drained)
1 onion (I used vidalia)
1 pepper of choice (my were green)
cumin
chili powder
ground red pepper
cayenne
fajita seasoning (I happen to have this on hand, but it's not neccessary and it is really just garlic, salt, pepper, and onion so you could substitute accordingly)
salt
pepper
1 lime
tortillas of your choice (I used Tumaro's Garden Spinach and Vegetables)

toppings (all of which are optional)
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
vegetarian refried beans
guacamole
you could also use vegan sour cream or vegan cheese, although I have yet to try either one.

1. Dice the peppers, onions, and drained tofu. Layer them into a huge bowl and then squeeze one half of the lime juice over it. Now let me explain that in things like this I don't usually measure spices. I lightly coat the top of the dish with each spice. Then mix it up and coat once more (after mixing the first time, add the other squeezed lime juice). You can add and mix as much as you want to suit your tastes. Set the mixture aside.

2. While the mixture is marinating, heat a little oil in your skillet over medium heat. I like about ten minutes. Add mixture and caramelize the veggies and brown tofu about 15 minutes or so. Add to tortilla and fold in half. Put back in the pan and crisp a couple of minutes on both side. Enjoy!

My picture quality isn't the best, put you get the drift

A little afternote: This is only my second time exposed to tofu. I have to be honest, I am getting use to it. I would have rather used black beans, but I had already eaten bean chili earlier, and the better half likes the protien tofu provides. So if someone isn't open to the tofu, you can totally sub out for beans. Just season and cook the veggies the same and cook the beans acoording to directions and mix together afterwords. Now I gotta go, the season finale of Gossip Girl is on (don't judge).

First one!

Alright, so here goes nothing, my first post ever! Please bare with me as I am not too techinically savy and this is my first blog. I am sure I will change things a million times, as I might be the most indecisive person on the planet (I buy and take things back without even a flinch very often). I had the idea to start a blog as I began my journey into veganism. It has only been about a month for me and I know you must be thinking "What does this bitch know about being vegan." Well to tell you the truth not much, that is the whole purpose of this thing. I want to share my journey, learn things, and hopefully maybe get some people involved in making some good choices. So far I have been pretty proud of the things I have made and like many other people, I had no idea that ridding my food of animal products could be so awesome. I won't preach to you and I won't try to get you to come to the darkside. I just want to let people in and see what my transition is like. Share things that I learn. I do have other loves that I am sure to bless these pages with (one of them being the partial title of the blog!) So I hope something good comes of this, whatever that may be and I hope atleast someone out there enjoys the things I create and what I have to give!