Things I'm Loving: January 2013 Edition

It has been a MINUTE since the last time I've done a favorites post. Mainly because it's been a minute since I've tried something new and splurged.

However, I finally broke open my vegan cookbooks and I have been cooking up a storm. Instead of posting them all at once I will post a new one every week starting next week. So stay tuned for that!

I had people from my job come over for lunch and the next day everyone was begging me for the recipes! So you know they're good! Maybe I'll start with a dessert...

But first, here's my humble list of yummy food items I've been loving this month:

These are the BEST potato chips I've tasted in my entire life (and I'm not exaggerating!). A little mom and pop style shop makes these fresh right in front of you. As in you walk into the store and you can see them cutting and frying up the potato chips. They are so flavorful. I can't eat normal, packaged chips ever again.

 

These cookies are easily the best store-bought vegan cookies ever. I mean way better than those vegan cats cookies we used to buy at Trader Jo's when we were in the States. These things are dangerous because there aren't many and the hubby and I can definitely gobble up the entire box in one sitting.

 The last item was a nice cold weather treat. You can only drink tea so much before you start craving something more decadent. I love my green teas, my roobois, white and black teas... but no winter is complete without hot chocolate. Even better is that this hot chocolate is organic and fair-trade so there is no way I feel guilty about drinking it!

I'm also loving my crockpot or slow cooker. I remember awhile back it was on my wish list and I finally got one! 

That's the end of my humble list but do stay tuned for some seriously delicious vegan recipes starting next week!

Wish List: Food Items

I know, this is supposed to be another yummy recipe for you all to try and enjoy. But honestly, for the past couple of weeks I haven't made anything remotely interesting. Just a lot of salad, pasta, couscous, crock pot stuff and smoothies. Things that I love but have already shared.

Even though I haven't made anything new it hasn't come from a lack of want, it comes from a lack of time. There are TONS of ingredients and recipes that I really want to try. 

My husband and I were gifted 3 vegan cookbooks this Christmas. So I feel like I have all the tools, yet things still don't get made.

It's been about 3 months since we started the vegan challenge and it's time to get a little more adventurous.

This week I have a list of things I've been thinking about trying. Hopefully, in the coming weeks (and months), I can scratch some of this stuff off the list!

So here goes:

• "Live" Brownies -- I just subscribed to an interesting youtuber who has been vegan for more than 12 years. In 2011 she took a live (or raw) food challenge and it completely intrigued me. While I will NOT be joining her in this endeavor, there are some recipes I'd like to try. Here's the video that inspired me to read up on it if you're interested.

• Kale -- I've heard it's similar to collard greens but have never used it. I'd also like to make kale chips.
• Raw cocoa powder -- This is one of the ingredients needed to make the "live"(or raw) brownies.
• Almond milk -- I want to try to make my own. I don't have a food processor though so this recipe will have to wait until I get one.
• Vegan cheese sauce -- This is another recipe for the food processor. I have a blender, which only really works for mixing liquids and smoothies and such.
• Dressings -- My vegan cookbook has TONS of different recipes for dressings. We always use the same one in our salads (olive oil and vinegar). So I want to branch out and experiment with some new flavors.
• Brown rice flour -- A tasty sounding vegan gravy is used with this flour. Apparently, it lumps a lot less than whole wheat flour making it a breeze to use. I'm sure it has other uses as well.
• Tofu mayonnaise -- I don't even care for mayo but my husband does so I'd try it for his sake.
• Polenta -- There are so many things you can make with this stuff, including pizza, which I miss!
• Desserts -- We need more of these! 

I know these ingredients are haphazardly thrown together but they were the things that caught my eyes as I skimmed my cookbook. I'm hoping this list will push me to get it together! So stay tuned for more recipes.

Things I'm Loving (November Edition)

Once again we come to the monthly odds and ends that I'm digging. So, enough of the writing already and let's get right to the pictures! 


(In no particular order whatsoever)

It's been a month, on Saturday, since we started the vegan challenge. It has flown by! Things like this soy cheese have definitely helped though. It tastes just like cheese. I probably won't use it to make mac&cheese this Thanksgiving (it is too expensive!). But it's a nice change when I'm craving something cheesy.

Why are these tortilla chips so good? Last week Chema and I went on a junk food binge. It's quite hard to find vegan junk food. But this hit the spot. The right combination of salt, sweet, and crunchy.

This is the best invention ever! I am a crockpot-recipe-making-machine! My favorite thing to make in it so far are beans. The options are limitless: pinto, black bean, black-eyed, kidney, lentils... I made some black-eyed peas with carrots and onions for lunch today.

Another edition to our vegan junk food collection. These things are delish!

For anyone who hates the taste of traditional licorice (like me!) and hates candy that is too sticky (like me!) these are perfect. Nice and soft and chewy and mango-goodness! Seriously, they are addictive.

Chema actually prefers this to soy milk. We've also tried almond milk but I don't like the taste of it with cereal. For smoothies or baked goods it's perfect though. Rice milk has a milder flavor than soy milk.

Oh yes, they taste just like real ice-cream. They are small enough where you are satisfied but don't feel guilty.

This is the best meat imitation I've eaten so far. It tastes just like taco meat.

Since dark chocolate is good for you I don't actually group this with "goodies." Although, I don't exactly binge on it either. (Chema is a different story though.)

This may seem random (I told you this list was in NO order!) but these are life-savers. I'd been walking around the house in uncomfortable flip-flops. With the colder weather I needed a substitute. I got these from Walmart. Cute aren't they?

I finally bought the bottle so I don't have to skip protein treatments. My goal is to give myself one every month. I'm also going to start sitting under the hooded dryer for 20 minutes each week when I do my deep conditioning.

These are an old love.

Again, hard to find vegan goodies, especially cookies! I'm picky with my sweets but I LOVE cookies. These are pretty decent.

So that's that. Honestly, I'm having a lot of fun with this vegan challenge. I'm also trying to buy more certified organic things. I think it's important. Maybe I'll dedicate a blog post in the future with my thoughts on that.

Next month I want try some new/weird fruits and vegetables. I'm fascinated with purple carrots!

What have you been loving this month?

Weekly Recipe: Cabbage and Pinto Bean Stew

This vegan recipe was so delicious! It was so delicious that I completely forgot to take pictures of it and it lasted 3 days! But the following pictures resemble it pretty well.

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I'm extra proud because I created this recipe without performing a google search! Meaning, I created it! There are probably tons of similar recipes out there but none like this one! 

Cabbage and Pinto Bean Stew

1 16 oz. bag dry pinto beans

1 head of cabbage

1 zucchini

1/2 large onion

12 oz asparagus

1 red pepper

1/2 cup to 1 cup baby carrots (cut in half)

1 Tbsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. Italian blend seasoning

2 small bay leaves

black pepper

red pepper flakes

1 tsp. rosemary

a good amount of extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

 a crockpot

Rinse beans carefully then add them to the crockpot. Put in enough water to cover the beans about 2 inches. Add all the spices and the olive oil. Cook on high for 3 hours. Meanwhile chop up all the veggies into medium-large sized pieces. You don't want to dice the veggies because they will turn to mush. Refrigerate until the beans are done. 

Once the beans are done add the veggies. Add enough water to just cover the veggies. Here is also a good time to adjust the seasonings. Cook for 4 more hours on high or until the veggies are soft. When it's completely done add the vinegar. The cornstarch is optional to thicken it a bit. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I LOVE vinegar with cabbage so I added another tablespoon to my dish. But dress it up however you like. This recipe was perfect because there were a lot of vegetables in the fridge that I needed to use up. Plus, I'd been meaning to make some beans for awhile. There are at least 8 packs of beans in my cupboard! But I never have the time, or patience, to cook them. This recipe was perfect for that.

This stew is hearty so you don't need to add anything else to it! It is so good! It's also ridiculously easy to make. Just chop up the veggies and throw them in the crockpot. Then continue with your day. It tastes like a lot of effort was put into it though. It's also incredible healthy. Tons of vitamins and minerals and very low-fat.