Quick Apple Butter

Hey everyone. Yes I slacked off again. With the holidays creeping up and school stuff getting in the way of fun, I have left you behind. I am sorry! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful! I wanted to share with you a super easy and quick "recipe" for apple butter.

I love apple butter on my toast in the morning around the holidays. So, instead of buying one at the store (which can be pricey) I throw some of my own together. I used to make it with fresh apples, delicious yet time consuming. So now, I grab a jar of organic unsweetened apple sauce and my cinnamon and nutmeg shakers.

The how to...
1 jar of unsweetened apple sauce

1. place on stove top over medium heat (you are try to reduce it down)
2. stir occasionally to prevent burning
3. add cinnamon and nutmeg to your taste. I like a lot of cinnamon and a couple dashes of nutmeg. (yes it is this simple)
4. When you notice that the apple sauce starts to get thick, you are done. 

I do not add sugar to mine bc I like for it to remain on the healthier side. If you need it, add some to taste.

If you are into canning, this would make an awesome holiday gift. Throw a little piece of fabric over the top and some ribbon. Homemade love!!!

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

So I have never made my own crescent rolls before, mainly because I make mine from scratch. My Mom had wanted some for thanksgiving, so I picked up a few packs. I had no idea they were vegan, but after reading the container and a few online sources, more votes were in favor of vegan. [Veganize that old standby, pigs in a blanket, using tofu hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry. (Pepperidge Farm brand puff pastry and Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are vegan.)] <---from the PETA website.

So, as I sat on my couch this morning, my sweet tooth hit me. I grabbed a can, popped it open and spread out the dough.

Here are the steps:

1) Roll out the dough so that it is a rectangle
2) Pinch the seams
3) Melt Earth Balance and brush a layer over the dough
4) Sprinkle enough brown sugar over the butter to cover the dough
5) Sprinkle cinnamon over the brown sugar (use however much you'd like)
6) Roll the dough into a log
7) Cut into 8 rounds (less if you want really thick buns)
8) Place into a greased cake pan
9) Bake at 375* for 10 minutes

They were so good that I didn't need to make an icing for them. I did however, make a maple butter to add on mine when it was hot out the oven. (SO GOOD)

This is a great quick thanksgiving morning breakfast. No sense in slaving over breakfast when you have to slave over a huge vegan dinner!

Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Here is another side dish idea for the big T-day. I have always been a fan of these little miracle cabbages, but my Husband has not. I baked these up one night and begged him to try them. Now, we fight for who gets the bigger portion.

What I do:
Clean the BS, cut off rough ends and cut in half.
Tear off any leaves that do not look healthy and toss them.
Allow to dry for a bit, or towel them off with a clean towel.
Throw them in a large bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. (enough to coat but do not drown them, a Tablespoon or more if you are baking a lot)
Add a few splashes of Balsamic Vinegar. (A little goes a long way. I use about a Tablespoon and a tad more)
Then do the whole...Salt and Pepper to taste thing.

Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy clean up.
Oven at 400*
Bake for 15-20 minutes


Another way I have done it in the past is by omitting the vinegar and using a little bit of fresh squeezed oj.

Or

Leave out both and just use olive oil for the full taste of the brussels sprout!

Raw Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and that means trying to "fit in" once again. I have a few tested and approved recipes that I want to share with those that may not have a complete menu yet. I wanted to make cranberry sauce the other day, but didn't want the insane amount of refined sugar that comes with cooking it stove top. I decided to look online to see how popular raw cranberry sauce is. I got lucky! I modified it a little because I have an attitude problem and can't follow instructions.

This is the direct link http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/cranberrysauce.html

I did not throw in an orange or use water, instead I fresh squeezed about 3/4 of a cup of Tangerine Juice.

Place everything in your blender on the low chop settings. You can add more juice or water depending on how chunky you want it to be. I was worried that it was going to be very tart, but the dates really cut that down. I was really pleased with how it tasted. (and that it was healthy!)

The recipe:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 apple
1 cup dates
1/2-3/4 cup fresh squeezed oj/tangerine juice.

If you are looking for something that is better than the jell that comes from a can, this could be it!

The Loving Hut Philadelphia

Hey Loving Hut fans, I am here to give you a little insiders peak at the Loving Hut on South Street in Philly. I was first introduced to the loving hut when I lived in CA. I used to eat at their Vegetarian House in San Jose, then accidentally walked in to their grand opening of Loving Hut in Palo Alto, CA (it was my lucky day).  I personally love this vegan chain. The people are always super friendly and the food is cheap! (not cheap in a gross way, very yummy in an affordable way!). The menus are different at each location, which is fun because you get to try something new every time you visit a new spot. I have noticed that they always have a stack of Vegan Outreach literature in most of their stores, which is awesome. The Philly store has never said no to me putting info on the table. Just recently I placed a stack of cards and taped a flier to the wall and they were happy about it!

The food...is Gooooood. I have had everything on the menu and the only thing I would never buy again is the vegan burger. Don't even bother trying it. I have had their milkshakes, which will knock your socks off. Oh and they have bubble tea (tapioca tea), which is my fav drink. Everyone raves about the cheesy bread and I really love the spring rolls. You seriously have to stop by and show some love! Any place that is completely vegan needs our patronage!

The pics:

This is on the ceiling <3

The menu board. Mmm fall soup specials!

 

The store front

The details:
742 South Street | Philadelphia, PA 19147

****CASH ONLY****

The Menu:
Fooooooood

Miglet's Gluten Free Bakery, Danville CA

Sorry the posts have been few and far between. I had been on vacation for a week, then played catch up for a week! I went out to CA to visit family, and while there ate at some of my favorite locations. My mother in law introduced me to an awesome bakery. They specialize in cupcakes and are completely gluten free. She was so excited that they had vegan cupcakes that we went there straight from the plane!

It is an adorable store, all pink and pretty. They have cute t-shirts that you can take home and wear with pride. I noticed some of the kids in town were wearing them to school. They had 4 vegan cupcakes for me to choose from. I jumped for joy when I saw that they had red velvet! It was very good. I give it 4 bites and 2 thumbs up! I devoured it, but not before I took a photo!

Mmm vegan red velvet!

The details:

http://www.migletsgf.com/

Enjoy!

Vegan S'mores!

I seriously think MacGyver was a vegan. I say this bc vegans have a way of making anything they want to eat, vegan. Last night I went to a bonfire. What is a bonfire without s'mores right? As a vegan, marshmallows contain gelatin, which is the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. Yum right? So, tonight I grabbed my graham crackers, baking chocolate and (yet again), Suzanne's Ricemallow to the rescue!

Bc the ricemallow is already the consistency of melted marshmallows, I came up with a plan to melt the choc. I used an aluminum foil pie pan, placed one graham cracker on it, placed the chocolate on top of that and placed it over a hot spot on the fire. When the chocolate starts to melt, remove from the fire, dollop on some ricemallow, add the top graham cracker and enjoy! It may sound like a lot of work but I promise you it is not. You don't even have to go hunting around for sticks!

Here is my delicious proof...

I bet if I didn't tell you, you would never know they were vegan!

See you at the next bonfire!

Gene Baur's lecture at Georgian Court University

I finally met him! Gene Baur that is. A man who used to sell vegan hot dogs out of a VW bus at Dead concerts to raise money to help animals. Does it get any cooler than that? Through my journey to veganism, Gene Baur has been one figure that I have always admired. He is the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. I have had the pleasure of visiting the Orland,CA farm and hanging out with some very special calves! (and pigs and turkeys Oh My!) I hope to make it up to the Watkins Glenn, NY farm in the near future.

Gene spoke of animal suffering. A topic that some people are passionate about, others ignorant. He covered factory farming, battery cages, gestation crates, veal, milk, downers and more. In his book,  Farm Sanctuary Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, you can learn the details more in depth. Reading his book motivated me to become more active in helping animals.

Take a minute to look over the Farm Sanctuary website. There are a lot of great resources there. You can visit the farm too. Take your camera and go visit the sweet babies rescued from their death beds. They hold no grudges and look forward to the smiles and snuggles that they get! (you can't help it, they are so stinkin cute!)

Also, with Thanksgiving around the corner, Farm Sanctuary offers you a chance to adopt one of their cutie-pah-tooties! When you adopt a turkey, you get a super sweet photo that you can place at the center of your dinner table (or wherever you want!)  http://www.adoptaturkey.org/

Photos from Georgian Court University and Farm Sanctuary Orland, CA

The man himself!

My favorite animal

This goat loved Steve. Followed his every move <3

The sweetest face!

Excuse me, are you taking my photo? Let me pose for you :)

I love this!

The babies were taken away before the were weaned.

Blossom NYC

Before I had dessert at Lula's, my friends and I dined at the amazing Blossom Restaurant. I say amazing bc, well, by the sounds we all made after our first bites, it was. The spot has an upstairs and downstairs for seating. When we went, the top was reserved for a party, so we dined street level. It was a Sat, we didn't have a reservation and we were starving. The server was awesome enough to squeeze us in to a 45 min spot, allowing only one course. (on a budget that is all we could do anyway!) If you are a vegan, you know the pure excitement of staring down at a menu that you can pick ANYTHING you want from! So, I did! You had me at hickory...Hickory basted tempeh that is, with collard greens, potatoes and a horseradish cream sauce. Oh nom nom. The price for this plate of heaven, $18. (Did I mention this place is organic!!!!) Not bad at all. It was just the right amount of food. My girlfriends chose the lasagna and mushroom rigatoni. All of which I had a bite and were equally amazing. I cannot report on desserts as we quickly packed up and headed to Lula's, but I have no doubt that they quite the treat!

Equivalent to the Bible

The collard greens are peaking out

The gateway to heaven

The details:

Blossom Restaurant

187 9th Avenue (21st/22nd)
Telephone: 212-627-1144

Lula's Sweet Apothecary NYC

If someone said to you, "Would you like pumpkin spice or cake batter soft serve?", what would you say? Well, my answer was..."Twist Please!" That is how my evening went last night. After a day of vegan outreach in Union Square, me and my girls went on a vegan food rampage! We had am amazing dinner (which I will save for the next post) and killer (or nothing really died) desserts.

Lula's Sweet Apothecary is awesome. If you love the retro ice cream parlor atmosphere, welcome home! It is a tiny little spot with 4 stools and a window ledge on the inside, and a cozy wooden bench on the outside. Upon entering heaven, you will spot a book shelf to your left lined with jars full or candy bars (including Rescue Chocolate) and cookies. The menu has gluten free options made from cashews and soy options. They are all about sampling their flavors, which I was nice and only took one sample (the ginger molasses which was out of this world). They have 2 flavors of soft serve which changes. I lucked out and had pumpkin spice and cake batter twist. The staff were super friendly as were the customers. I am in love. I don't think I will ever be able to travel to NYC without stopping here now.

Cookies and Candies Oh My!

Next time, it will be a float for me!

Seriously...

It was kinda like licking the bowl of a pumpkin pie cheese cake <3

Who says vegans can't have BLTs??

There are a lot of fake meat products on the market, but only a few make the cut with me. Before I was vegan I used the morning star bacon, which was pretty gross. My Bff told me that she buys Fakin Bacon, by Lightlife, and after seeing it on the shelf forever, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised! I can eat it on my "bacon and eggs" while Steve eats it as a "B"LT. The good thing about it is that it is only fermented soy beans, nothing to crazily processed. It has 8 grams of PROTEIN (yes vegans get protein!) which makes the man happy. I like it's smokey taste. Win win! Here is a pic of one of our creations. Looks like the real thing (almost!)

Fakin Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Naoynaise (vegan mayo). This is the best quick lunch sammy ever!

Links to the products...

The Bacon-->  http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=tempeh_smokystrips

The Mayo --->  http://www.nasoya.com/products/original-nayonaise/original.html

Cranberry Upside Down Cake!

What normal person has several pounds of locally picked cranberries sitting on their counter (besides Shelly)? I have been eyeballing these babies for a couple of days now, wondering what on earth will I do with them all? I woke up this morning after reading my Urban Vegan cookbook before bed and had the answer! Cranberry Upside Down cake!!

The Recipe:

1/2 cup vegan butter divided in half
3/4 cup brown sugar
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
I Tbsp soy flour  (I don't have that laying around, so I used 1 Tbsp cornstarch)
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon oil or 1 Tbsp lemon zest. (I used lemon extract bc that is all I had)

 First:

Grease 9 inch cake pan
Melt 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar on stove
Pour mixture into oiled cake pan
Arrange cranberries on top

Next:

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soy flour (or cornstarch).
In separate bowl, beat the butter with the extracts and soy milk.

Then:

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients = Batter! (yes, you must eat a finger full)

Finally:

Pour the batter over the cranberries and pop in the over for 40 minutes at 350*

When the cake comes out of the oven, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake pan to prevent sticking. Allow to cool for 30 mins. Flip that baby over on plate of your choice and admire your work!

All washed and ready to go!

Sitting on top of a beautiful butter and brown sugar mixture

Seconds away from the oven

Smells SO good!

Finished product.

Caramel Apple Bake! Oh Nom Nom!

I have a ton of apple sitting in my dining room waiting to be turned into desserts. Today's adventure...the caramel apple bake! I found what sounded to be promising on Chooseveg.com. Anything with the word caramel in it gets me all worked up! Being vegan caramel is something you feared never eating again. Well, this cake is super simple and already half gone!

Here is the direct link to the website... http://www.chooseveg.com/display_recipe.asp?recipe=28

Now I will lay it down for you...

Apple Caramel Bake

3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and chopped 1/2 cups slivered almonds 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup margarine 3/4 cup boiling water 1/2 cup soy milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8"x 8" glass baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, apples, and almonds. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, margarine, and boiling water. Stir until the butter is melted. Add the soy milk to the flour mixture. Stir well then spread into the prepared baking dish. Pour the sugar topping over the batter and bake for 40 minutes.

And now the photos...

Mixing the apples with the dry ingredients.

Pouring in the milk

Nice chunky batter!

I did not have a glass pan so I lined a metal one with foil. Worked great! I coated it with olive oil to prevent sticking!

The butter, water and brown sugar mixture sitting on top.

Fresh out of the oven!

The first piece. Look at all that ooooey gooooey caramel!

I am in <3 with this cake!

Apple Pie!

For those of you that don't know, I have a love for antique things. One group of them happens to be old cookbooks. My mom was the classic 1970's mom without the drugs. Although I grew up in the 80's, the cookbook never changed! Now that I am the one who loves to cook, I got her original "I got this when I made the mistake of getting married" cookbook! Nothing excites me more than seeing the 1968 copyright date and all the oil stains from times ago. I made my apple pie over the weekend from this book and cried tears of joy baking it in my antique Mrs Smith's pie pan. Nothing in the world bakes a pie crust like these pans. My heart skips a beat when I find one at a yard sale. (which happened this weekend!).

I will share with you the pie crust. This recipe makes a top and bottom

2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
5 to 7 Tbsp cold water

Mix salt and flour, cut in shortening, add water slowly to desired consistency.  
Cut dough in half, leaving one side slightly larger for the bottom crust.
Wrap in plastic wrap
Chill until Cold!
Get baking!

Apples from Conte's Farm in Tabernacle, NJ

Go Organic! Avoid the GMO all veg shortenings

Put those scraps to use! A cute apple baked on top!

Lattice work makes a world of difference!

Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

One of my favorite Vegetarian Times issues is the Sept 2009. It inspired me to go out and buy my donut pans. Yesterday I made some of the apple cider donuts. I love these! Nothing makes the house smell better than boiling hot apple cider! I tweaked the recipe a little, bc I like things spicy! I made 1 dozen mini and 4 large with one recipe.

The recipe is as follows:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer (Ener-G) {mixed with 2 Tbsp water)
1/3 cup soy milk
5 Tbsp apple butter or apple sauce
4 Tbsp vegan margarine

Boil the apple cider until it is reduced to 1/3 cup.

While this is boiling, mix all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl

Once mixture is reduced, add margarine, apple sauce, soy milk, and egg replacer.

Mix wet mixture into dry. Pour into prepared donut pans and bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes

When donuts come out and are still hot, toss them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. I put my sugar mixture in a tiny food processor to make the sugar very fine.

Eat and enjoy!

Suzannes Ricemellow Crème....Oh My!

Ok Vegans, here we go! How many of you miss marshmallow fluff??? I know I do! I have a secret to share with you. You ready??? It's called Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme. I have mentioned it for my vegan fruit dip, but now as the season cools down, I have another use to share with you. Make a hot chocolate and top off with a heaping spoon of ricemellow! Simple recipe = Hot choc veganized! Here is the link again

And this is a quick shot of my snack :)
http://www.suzannes-specialties.com/khxc/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=ricemellow

And this is a quick shot of my snack :) I had to go easy on the ricemellow being it was my 3rd helping.

Natural Eye Makeup Remover

Hey Ladies (and some Gents!)

I don't know about you, but I am tired of having raccoon eyes after a night of fabulous eye makeup! I had tried to use only face soap to get the makeup off, but as you know, it can survive a night of blubbering with the girls! I bought the eye makeup removers but was always nervous about how it stung my eyes! I would have bright red eyeballs, but no makeup! So I started thinking natural. I noticed that the makeup remover that I had been using was a mixture of an oil and a chemical. I decided to grab my extra virgin olive oil and see what I could do with that. WOOHOO it works! I drop some on a cotton ball and swipe across my lid, put a little on a q-tip and get my liner off. It does not burn! It even moisturizes :) So give it a try ladies! I have a huge bottle of EVOO that I use for more than just cooking. It is a miracle worker!

Hold a Clothing Swap!

Hey ladies and Gents! So here is a green idea for you. Now that fall is here, go through your closets and weed out those clothes you know you will never wear again. Break out the old boots that you thought you were going to wear last year but never got around to. Get rid of some of those hats, scarves and gloves that you bought bc they were just the right color 2 years ago. (you get the idea!) Bake some vegan cookies and pour the hot apple cider. Invite your styling friends over that you always admire and trade your old goods with their old goods! You will be surprised how many cool items you can get for free! It is a refreshing way to recycle your wardrobe. So get those BFFs together, feed 'em, trade with 'em and be green!

Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles

This recipe comes from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I wanted to make something sweet and spicy tonight so immediately reached for their cookbook. I haven't really tried too many cookies, but the couple that I have are easy and amazing! I definitely recommend picking this book up! The recipe is as follows:

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Dough:
1/2 c. veg oil
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup (not the fake nasty stuff)
3 Tbsp nondairy milk (I used coconut milk)
1 tsp van extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (I used 2 vanilla bc I didn't have choc on hand)
1 2/3 c. flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne


Oven set @ 350* Bake 10-12 mins

Mix the ingredients in order of listing. When you get to flour, sift with the rest of the dries (b.soda, cinn, cayenne)

Roll into balls, roll in sugar mixture.

These spread, so leave a couple inches between each.

Yoga Position of the Day

Ok, I have been trying tons of new things to see what makes me feel energized. I didn't want to do yoga at first bc I already have a few strikes against me (vegan, tall and skinny) and I didn't want to stereotype myself any further. Well, too late! I find that yoga is the one means of exercise that I can get into! I find it powerful and relaxing. My goal with posting yoga positions is to encourage everyone to give it a try, even if it is one position a day! So for today, let's do a nice relaxing one.

I am pulling my inspiration from a box of yoga cards that I had picked up a year ago. They are from Rodney Yee and it is called Yoga the poetry of the body. You can buy them yourself here http://rodneyyeeyogastore.com/0312316275.html His website is also pretty cool with online videos and everything!

Ok, to the move...
Name: Mountain Pose/ Tadasana
Time: 15 seconds to 1 min
Feel: Feel the strength of your legs rooting into the ground-- a visceral connection to the earth. Then, as your legs root downward, feel your supple spine rise up. Broaden your back body as you lift your upper chest, expanding your collarbones into the wings of your arms. Feel the natural curves of your spine--length, width, and depth without rigidity.
My pointer: Remember to relax your shoulders. You will see just how stressed you are when your shoulders keep creeping up to your ears!

Good Luck

Cleaning windows with vinegar and newspaper!

I am sure you have heard from your mother how she had once used newspaper and vinegar to clean her windows. Well, I have tried it and it works. I also just saw a woman in Costa Rica cleaning her storefront windows with newspaper. So this is my green tip of the day!

How is it green you ask??

You get a chance to put those old newspapers to good use.
You don't have to buy/use excessive paper towels.
Using vinegar cuts down on toxic chemicals in your home.
It is Cheaper!!

Here is a link with directions on how to dilute the vinegar (or lemon juice).

http://www.ehow.com/how_2228008_use-vinegar-newspaper-clean-windows.html

So go clean you windows and save some $ and trees!

Benefits of Pink Himalayan Salt

I am copying and pasting from the livestrong website. I wanted everyone to get a chance to learn about pink himalayan salt. I discovered it myself a couple of years ago and this is all I use now. I was amazed by the 84 trace minerals. Plus I have a thing for pink. It looks great in the kitchen!

The info:

[Before the advent of modern-day medicine, people used salts for centuries to heal themselves. Himalayan salt is a pink salt that can be found in the Himalayan Mountains. Dr. Janet Star, alternative health and nutrition expert, states that biophysical research on this pink salt has identified crystals that contain the 84 essential minerals required to sustain human life. Because of this, Himalayan salt can be a natural and chemical-free alternative to traditional table salt. Himalayan salt has no additives and can alleviate the symptoms of a variety of conditions.

Dental Hygiene

Himalayan salt can be used to maintain good oral hygiene. Add some of the salt to water, and let the crystals dissolve. Then use it for a good gargle to stop halitosis. If you have sore and bleeding gums, gargling three to four times a day with a Himalayan salt and water solution can help. An infected tooth can be painful and make your entire body hurt. Using Himalayan salt with water and swishing it around the sore tooth can help draw out the pathogens and kill bacteria and germs.

Acne

Himalayan salt aids in certain disorders of the skin such as acne. It works by drawing out toxins. The toxins that are in the body as well as under the skin can be one of the causes of skin disorders such as acne. Himalayan salt can be purchased in the form of a bar and can be used to wash the face. It can also be dissolved in water and used as a face wash. There are also recipes available online and at health food stores for making facial scrubs that can also assist in the treatment of acne.]

The source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/26690-health-benefits-himalayan-salt/

Some learn more links : http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/pinksalt.php

You can find this in health stores everywhere. Whole Foods carries it ground or in large rocks. Trader Joe's sells it for 1.99 in their spice section.

Give it a try!