Chewy vegan peanut butter cookies

I found this amazing recipe online here: Chewy vegan peanut butter cookies. The only thing I changed is I added banana in place of other egg replacers. This turned out great! SOOOO good. You must make some :D You can add in any fruit you like or just do it exactly like the recipe.

Vegan banana bread with walnuts

I adapted a recipe from PETA. This was SO delicious. The only thing I did different was I used a bit of cinnamon and a tiny bit more banana for the recipe. Slice it up while it is warm and put some earth balance on it. Enjoy with a mug of hemp milk.

Here is the recipe I used: Vegan Banana Bread

This milk is delicious! 

Carrots and veggies with black sesame seeds

Tonight my husband made carrots with shallots, garlic, onions and black sesame seeds with sesame oil. It was so delicious. The trick is to cut the carrots very thin.

Recipe

4 large carrots (julienned)
3-4 scallions (chopped)
2 shallots (chopped)
3 1/2 cloves of garlic (or less depending on how garlicky you'd like it)
2 tbs of black sesame seeds
2 tbs of sesame oil

Directions

Heat oil in large pan on medium high heat
Place shallots in for a minute, add the carrots and stir
(Use a bit of water for steaming about half a cup) and cook for 8 minutes as you cook until carrots are tender, add garlic and scallions, cook for another 5 minutes and top with sesame seeds
Add a pinch of sea salt to taste.

Blueberries!

I love berry season. It is coming upon us. I wanted to share a few pics of some of the berry desserts I have made. Here are some links to some great blueberry recipes!

Blueberry Crumble 

Frosted Blueberry Lemon Cake ( I want to make this one with friends soon!)

Fiona Apple show in San Francisco

Last year my husband and friends and I went to see Fiona Apple at the Warfield in San Francisco. She is one of my favorite artists of all time. I love her so much. The show was amazing and I hope to someday see her play again. I got a lovely poster I need to frame. 

New tshirt

Clothing Swaps! Reuse, recycle and shop in your friends closets!

I love recycling and try to do it as often as possible. One of my favorite ways to recycle is having clothing swaps. It is awesome, you can help friends, you get cool clothing for free and they do too plus you are eliminating waste and travel expenses that would be spent on boxes, air flights etc if you ordered online. Not that I never order online. I do! but I try to buy local when possible or have clothing swaps with friends. It is awesome and a fun way to spend time.

Here are a few of the things I plan to swap on my next swap party :D

New makeup review: e.l.f. 100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette

I love it when I find cool makeup on the cruelty free makeup lists. I saw that e.l.f. made the cut and so I went out and got this palette. It was only ten dollars on amazon. I really like the colors so far and find that they go on very smoothly. Are there any vegan makeup brands that any of you use that you can give me tips on? I'd love to find more cool makeup brands! Here is some more info about the brand and it's cruelty free cosmetics I found on the PETA site: E.L.F. cosmetics

Look what came in the mail for me!

I love Veg News and I love their online store. I always find these amazing marshmallows. Dandies are the best ones I have tasted so far. Soooo good and yes they are super yummy in non dairy coa coa!

Book Review: Vegan college cookbook

This is seriously one of my new favorite cook books. Simple and delicious recipes to make. I love this book so much! When I'm on a budget this book is great. I've already made a bunch of recipes from the book and will be posting loads of pics in the future.

One of the many breakfasts from the cookbook. So good!

One of my favorites: Greek week pita :D 

Farmers Market

I try and go to the farmers market every other week or few weeks when I can. Don't forget to support your local farmers. I love farmers markets because I feel shopping at the store can be a bit impersonal at times. I know not everyone always has the time but it is good to get to know farmers, ask questions, sample foods and build a relationship with them. A lot of times people even give me recipes to try. Let them know you are veggie and they are always delighted to help you find the best selection for your palette. 

Vegan comfort food

Every now and then I need some comfort food. I was raised with soy and almond miks so I have never craved cow's mik but if you are transitioning to vegan and giving up milk sometimes it can take a bit to find your favorite substitutes. I would start with almond, and if that isn't your cup of tea you can try soy, hemp and rice milks. Here are some of my favorite vegan comfort foods. What are some of yours?



                                 1. Mashed potatoes, gravy and vegan "sausage"

I know some people say they never crave meat but I have a lot of guy friends that eat meat and they say they have a hard time giving it up when transitioning to vegan and I tell them to start off with vegan sausages. It is very easy to be vegan. It isn't hard and I personally think vegan food tastes so much better and it isn't clogging your arteries! If you know how to marinate faux meats, tofu and other items you won't miss the meat. For vegan sausages there are some really good ones out there and who doesn't love mashed potatoes and gravy? It is simple for us to make vegan gravy. We simply make the base with vegan butter and some veggie broth. I always find that if you add a natural herb to anything it will taste one hundred times better. We grow a lot of wonderful herbs in our garden an we love putting rosemary, dill or sage on our potatoes and faux meats.

2. Vegan holiday nog

I love holiday nog so much. It brings me back to my childhood. My favorite way to have this is either cold in the morning or warm in the evening with a dash of cinnamon on the top. Drink it alone or with your favorite non dairy cookies! Its also way less fat than regular egg nog you find in stores. Safeway and Whole Foods both carry vegan nog. 

3. Pastas

Pastas are wonderful. If you don't do carbs you can have zucchini pasta or rice pasta like friends have made me in the picture. I love eating pasta both ways but at times gluten can feel a bit heavy so it is fun to eat a lighter version. 

4. Wine and Champagne 

Well they aren't foods but they'll do. Some vegans and vegetarians are straight edge and if you are you can make non alcoholic drink mixes that taste very good. I however am not straight edge and enjoy the occasional weekly wine or cocktail. Just make sure you find vegan wines made without fish! Here is a good list: Barnivore 

5. Last but not least: Vegan chocolate chip pancakes! 

This one is important! Chocolate elevates one's mood or at least it elevates mine. Whenever I'm having a bad day I whip up one of these bad boys and I'm good to go. 

Staying at the W hotel in San Francisco

Last year we stayed at the luxurious W hotel in San Francisco it was so beautiful. I would definitely stay again. Later we went to a cafe in Menlo Park and had breakfast of steel cut oats and soy milk before we headed home. The next day we caught a performance of the Nutcracker with friends. So fun! I know it is summer but I can't wait for the holidays to come around again. I miss soy nog and almond cakes :>