Comfort Breakfast Sandwich

Finally I have all the ingredients for this amazing LunchBox Bunch recipe. This has got to be one of my favorite blogs out there, all the recipes have intense flavors and the combinations are always unexpected. Imagine pepper jack cheese and pumpkin? Sounds strange but you will be pleasantly surprised after trying author Kathy Patalsky's Jack-O-Pumpkin breakfast sandwich.

Even though I've rounded up all the basics for the recipe but was still missing a few things so I made a few changes.

• I used whole wheat mini bagels instead of English muffins. Though I think this would be even more spectacular with the muffins. 

• Pumpkin butter: for the optional pumpkin spice, I used a dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and ground cloves (I always do this when a recipe calls for pumpkin spice). Also I used coconut sugar instead of maple syrup, I think it wasn't sweet enough though.
• No mushroom, not a fan.
•  Champs Elysees salad instead of arugula
• Vegan pepper jack cheese instead of vegan Monterrey jack.  

The sandwich was delish. It was like healthy comfort food. I love tailoring recipes, it's difficult to cook if you don't use you imagination!  I enjoyed it with some kiddie blended fruit, I really love kid size snacks, they are healthy and always the right size.

Washed it all down with some very chilled coconut water. Refreshing!

I'm going to use the leftovers to make the Purely Twins' pumpkin pie fudge, my fave raw dessert of the past fall season. 
 

Whenever I make anything with pumpkin I end up singing Kate Nash's Pumpkin Soup, love that song.

Journey through Natural Skincare

This post has taken months to write because finding what works for my skin is a journey, and even though I'm happy with my results so far it is still a continuing process.

After years of dealing with mild acne and oily skin I realized that all these harsh chemicals are not the solution. I tried all the over the counter stuff and got mediocre results. Then I tried proactiv and it worked except for the itchiness around my eyes from the harsh benzyl peroxide. After taking a break from it and trying it again, my eyes just got so swollen I couldn't wear contacts, it was quite comical but mostly just really uncomfortable!

Since this summer I've been using Trader Joe's face wash and products. I started with the all-in-one cleanser and antioxidant face moisturizer. In between cleansing and and moisturizing, my favorite step is my homemade toner. It is equal parts water, jojoba oil, and tea tree oil. It seperates, so I shake it up then squeeze some onto a cotton ball and wipe my face just like regular toner.

By the fall I started using Trader Joe's spa tea tree oil cleanser instead of the all-in-one. It is very concentrated and lasts a few months since you use a little each time. It really gives an amazing deep clean! I continued with the antioxidant face moisturizer and for some time used their tea tree deep cleansing wipes but soon went back to my homemade toner after seeing an increase in breakouts. This natural toner saved me, it's really the best!

After the past few months I wanted to find something that was strong yet natural since I'd only been used natural oils and extracts. Right now I'm loving Alba acne dote scrub. It's all natural and has an active ingredient of salicylic acid derived from willow bark extract so I felt safe trying it. Also a week later my skin hasn't freaked out or swollen up, my pores are smaller, it exfoliates with walnut shell powder (very gentle since it's powdered), and smells heavenly. I'm really happy with it!!

Now I can have a close up! Not wearing foundation. But my skin cooperates in most pictures, in person I can easily spot my scars, slowly working to fade those.

Current routine: 
Morning - Alba acne dote scrub, sometimes I use my homemade toner, then antioxidant moisturizer
Night/After the gym - TJ's spa tea tree oil cleanser, home made toner, then moisturizer

Here are some great sources for ideas on treating acne naturally and with vegan products: 
Top 10 Vegan Beauty Products at Trader Joe's 
Purely Twins skin care journey (they talk about hormones and diet too, which all effect skin, I gained so much advice from reading their website)

Use Your Resources

I cook….a lot. My friends are always saying “you’re always making such delicious food” mostly because it’s so crazy to them that I can get this creative in an average kitchen with only vegan ingredients. I challenge myself to use my resources and take whatever is in my kitchen to make a kick-ass meal! This is probably how I come up with my favorite meals and find the best recipes. I ask myself “what can I make?” when I realize I have too much of a certain ingredient I know will spoil soon or when I just need to add a little morenooch to my life. Google has become my best friend and it’s that exploration that has made being vegan so much fun.

It all started when I realized I had too many ripe avocados. So I made Avocado Chocolate Muffins and Avocado Froyo!

Then I had a serious chocolate craving and a can of black beans that was wasting space in the pantry. And that is when I discovered these Black Bean Brownie Bites, just 100 cals each! 

Then I always want to add nooch to anything I can for its amazing nutritional benefits. So I took some raw almonds and made this amazing Raw Sweet and Tangy Chikn Salad with 2 tablespoons of nooch added to the ingredients…

…and Eggless Egg Salad (UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!)

Last, but not least. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of (quickly spoiling) strawberries packed into the container my mom bought at Costco so I found a great recipe for Strawberry Bread (like Zucchini or Banana bread).

So go explore, the internet is a hotbed for new ideas! I never thought I would enjoy a mock chicken made entirely of almonds or ice cream a la avocado. But it’s that endless appetite (haha) for something new that keeps veganism from being restrictive or boring. 

Are your eyes still hungry? Click here for the rest of my vegan cooking. I post the majority of my pictures on Facebook so that my friends can see how exciting my life is as a vegan foodie ;)

Vegan Buttermilk Flaxseed Pancakes

I’ve been working on this recipe for a while! And finally I’m excited to introduce these deliciously low cal pancakes. I honestly hadn’t had pancakes in maybe a year, never sought them out once I went vegan in the way every vegan searches high and low for the perfect vegan pizza or cupcake. But then I found this quick 5 minute vegan pancake recipe and decided to tweek it (a lot) because the amount of baking powder it called for had enough sodium for days! I also worked on reducing the calories by getting rid of the vegetable oil and reducing total carbs while increasing the fiber content and nutritional value by replacing some of the flour with flaxseed meal. The last big change was making these buttermilk pancakes! Buttermilk is really easy to make and adds a unique flavor to these awesome pancakes. I topped mine with homemade raspberry sauce and Speculoos Cookie Butter from Trader Joe’s!! Way better than traditional maple syrup since it melts on the warm pancakes.

Debbie’s Vegan Buttermilk Flaxseed Pancakes

Tools: frying pan, cooking spray, spatula 

1/2 cup almond milk (or try coconut for something richer!)

1 tbsp cider vinegar (or regular distilled)

1/2 cup minus 2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp flax meal

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/16 tsp salt

In a small bowl mix the almond milk and vinegar to make the buttermilk. Let sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate container. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth with no lumps. Heat and spray your pan and when ready pour the batter in for 3 medium pancakes, or 2 big ones. The trick I was always taught is that when you start to see bubbles in the batter the pancakes are ready to flip! That’s pretty much it, now you have a low calorie, filling breakfast (or lunch… or dinner) with protein, fiber and healthy fats.

Nutrition Details: 284 calories, 6.5g fat (0.1 saturated), 51.8g carbs (5.8g fiber,  7.3g sugar), 8.3g protein

Trend Report: Laser-cut Clothing and Accessories

I am loving the laser-cut trend. It adds a new dimension to any clothing item, accessory, and even food (weird but see below...)!

Laser-cutting adds a new style element to anything. Get creative with laser-cut invites... 

or this amazing clutch...

or if your taste buds need a style boost, laser-cut nori!

If you are a bit edgier, you will love this laser-cut skull design on the back of this:

I love these layered laser-cut dresses

A quick look at Forever 21 (I searched the term "laser" just for you!) or H&M and you will see this trend popping up everywhere!

Photo Credits: I found my inspiration on Pinterest

Helloooo Blog!

And buh-bye Tumblr! I can't even handle this excitement right now, I'm using Blogger finally after a year on Tumblr. Check out my old blog here! I will transfer the posts over later this week but right now I'm focused on my layout, planning future posts, learning everything about the Blogger platform, and juggling real life.

I'm happy to be here, so far I love this new design. It expresses my style so much more since I got to customize the colors (everything should always be pink and green, everything.) and the different gadgets let me organize my blog more efficiently!

Refreshing green juice (refer back to "everything should be pink and green"). Cheers to life! 

Original Recipe: Peanut Cashew Pie Crust

I’ve made Chocolate Covered Katie’s (CCK) Chocolate Fudge Pie twice now. The first time I had a graham cracker crust that I needed to put to use but the second time I craved this chocolaty treat I improvised and made my own crust. I’m glad I did because the ingredients in the pre-made crust scared me a little, there were a few octo-syllabic ones that were probably chemicals. It was an experiment that definitely paid off; my mom has been talking about the pie ever since! CCK does not like pie crust, her recipe is really for chocolate mousse but she put it in a pie filling for her pictures. I, on the other hand, LOVE pie crust, it’s always such a nice crunchy/salty addition to smoother/sweeter fillings of most pies. I got to work thinking of ratios for the ingredients and what I wanted the crust to taste like, resulting in my Peanut Cashew Pie crust, the perfect combo for chocolate. I would recommend this crust with sweet pies that require a precooked crust because I only baked the crust for a few minutes and I cannot vouch for the outcome if it were baked longer with a filling (also peanuts take on a burnt smell so quickly, even when they aren’t burnt). The crust might work a little better without the peanut butter for other recipes, that addition was really just to accompany the chocolate mousse. 

Debbie’s Peanut Cashew Pie Crust

Tools: oven, food processor, spatula, pie tin

1/2 C Flour of Choice (I use unbleached)

2/3 C Raw Cashews

1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal

1 Tbsp Sugar

4 Tbsp Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance)

2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (I use chunky)

1 Tbsp Nondairy Milk (I use almond milk)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Combine flour, cashews, flaxseed meal, and sugar in food processor. Blend until ingredients are fine with no chunks. Add vegan butter and peanut butter to dry mix and pulse until incorporated. I turned the processor off a few times and used a spatula to help things along since the goal is to creates a solid mass. Finally, add the nondairy milk since ingredients will be dry. Turn off the processor and use spatula to ensure the mass of dough is balled up. With clean hands, take the dough mass and press and spread it into the pie tin so that it is in an even layer and covers the entire tin, including the sides . You could probably use a rolling pin and roll out the dough on a clean surface (or plastic wrap), then carefully flip it onto the pie tin, but seriously… that’s a lot of nonsense that can be avoided. Put the crust in the oven for 5-8 minutes, remove and let cool for ten minutes before adding your delicious filling. My crust continued cooling in the fridge in order for the chocolate filling to set so the cooling time can vary based on your needs!

Chocolate Protein Pudding for Breakfast!

Haha soooo this was supposed to be a pancake recipe but when I poured the batter into the skillet, the gooey-ness prevented the middle from cooking, while the outside got a thin crust that stuck to the pan. Oh well, I decided to just try the batter alone and realized it was pretty delicious!

Debbie’s Chocolate Protein Pudding

Tools: food processer

1 banana (sliced)

1 pack silken tofu (mine was 12 oz)

1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (or unflavored/vanilla powder +2 tbsp cocoa powder)

3 tbsp flaxseed meal

1/4 cup almond milk

1 packet stevia (you could add more of your sweetener of choice, like agave, because my protein powder was lightly sweetened)

Put all ingredients in food processor and go! This makes several servings, I eat mine in a small bowl so it will last me 4 days maybe. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator. 

Optional toppings: a few chocolate chips, slivered almonds, whatever floats your boat!

Other variations: add some melted chocolate chips into the mixture for an extra chocolate kick.

Enjoy!

Health and Vanity

I want to highlight this great article from Choosing Raw regarding two images floating around the internet juxtaposing Jillian McKeith (a nutritionist that promotes a healthy, mostly plant based, but not specifically vegan diets) with Nigella Lawson (a chef with a passion for all types of food, including some very rich-looking desserts). I searched some images of Lawson and she does not always look as young as the aformentioned images indicate. Choosing Raw makes a great point in noting that the contrasting image of the two women “is not making claims about how healthy these women are, but rather making statements about who is better and younger looking.” Though incredibly beautiful, make up and “perks” (cosmetic procedures) of the entertainment industry might have been on the Chef Lawson’s side. Additionally, all looks aside, I love the gusto and energy Jillian McKeith puts forward when helping her clients reclaim their lives and health. The fact that some people believe the propaganda put forth in this image demonstrates how much we still hold vanity higher than the importance of internal health.

New Favorites

Yesterday at Shoppers I scanned the aisles looking for new vegan options next to the regular versions of products such as cheese and dairy. This is always my tactic when I’m not in a natural food store. I go through the aisles thinking about what I need and what foods I consider a staple in my diet. This gives me the opportunity to learn what options I have when I am in a new store, and even though it iist never as exciting as walking into a MOM’s or Whole Foods, each store carries different options and I found some new products to take on a test drive. 

The first product I want to highlight is Galaxy Vegan American Slices. I have seen this brand around but every product so far had casein in it and therefore was not vegan, just lactose free. So I was very happy to find their line of vegan cheese slices. I made a grilled cheese with onion and tomato on Ezekiel bread. I thought it was pretty delicious and mimicked the taste and characteristics of cheese well, including its melting abilities. To be honest I still prefer Daiya cheese since it is soy free and there is endless debate surrounding soy’s effects on the endocrine system. Because of the controversy, I save my soy intake for meals where soy dominates the market, i.e. anything with tofu or fake meats, especially when I go out.

On the subject of avoiding soy, one action I took to reduce my soy intake months ago was switching to almond milk. I enjoy the taste so much, I will never go back to soy milk as the staple for my fridge. But yesterday as I went to the dairy aisle I was presented with a case full of different Almond Breeze varieties includingUnsweetened Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend. That combination sounded too novel to ignore and after comparing the nutrition labels to regular Unsweetened Breeze Almondmilk I was excited to try it! It is so delicious and creamy and only 45 calories a cup, five more than regular Almond Breeze, plus calcium and Vitamins E and D. I think the coconut really adds another component and make everything seem so luscious, even if it is just milk and not some sort of decadent dessert. I love making it just that decadent by warming a cup of the milk then adding a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and a stevia packet or teaspoon of sugar. This morning I put it in my oatmeal but that will take a little getting used to because the coconut flavor overpowered the meal. I think if I was eating a cereal that was not as mild as oatmeal, such as plain shredded wheat or anything flavored, it would be a suitable accompaniment. I also think it will be the perfect non-dairy milk for baking since it has such a rich taste.

I wonder what my next dessert will be considering that the only sweet I desire is banana slices with a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter, a few chocolate chips, and a handful of blueberries on the side. Have my taste buds completely changed on me and conquered my sweet tooth perhaps? I almost made a single serving cupcake or cookie but the fruit really hit the spot. Nonetheless tomorrow my goal is to experiment a little and make a homemade cashew crust so I can complete thischocolate mousse pie. Results to follow soon!

Happy Eating!

EatPastry Vegan Cookie Dough

Warm gooey cookies have become a quick and easy treat thanks to break away dough or quick scopes from premixed jars onto a cookie sheet. But an egg and dairy free lifestyle means no more convenient cookie extravaganzas until I discovered THIS: EatPastry cookie dough! And for those of you who aren’t egg free but just love cookie dough, now you have a great alternative that does not have the danger of raw eggs. I actually don’t like raw dough (or at least I thought) until the sales associate at Root’s Market told me I had to try the dough itself. It was delish and now I love both. The dough comes in 5 all natural flavors, including a gluten free. They use mostly certified organic and fair trade ingredients and are working on getting the their full products certified organic but right now are still a small company working towards that top standard. Their story is REALLY sweet (both literally and figuratively), read it here.

Hello Sugar, Goodbye Regret

I want a vita-mix. So I can make this!

 

It’s vegan ricotta cheese from YumUniverse, such an amazing website. It sounds like the perfect addition to veggie lasagna or a sweet treat with some fresh berries. It doesn’t actually need a vita-mix to make it but I think my life would be infinitely better with a blender of that caliber and quality.

In other news, giving up sugar was a great experiment but I’m glad I came to my senses and ended that journey before the 30 day goal. I already eliminated so many unhealthy things by going vegan. I live by the motto “just because it is vegan does not mean it is healthy…specifically if it is dessert” but I eat mainly healthy, unprocessed, often organic food and work out almost daily. So I will have my cake and eat it too because I’m staying active and a small treat occasionally will not negate all my hard work. Also I was a little frustrated that I could not have my beloved ketchup and that something with very few grams of sugar but with the sweet stuff still listed in the ingredients was off limits (especially when it’s Trader Joe’s Latin Style Black Bean Soup…that’s never OK).

I did gain something from the mini-resolution. My tea, oatmeal, and peanut butter are all things that I can enjoy sans sweetener. I add peanut butter to that list because I was shocked it was sweetened and after switching to an unsweetened variety, the brand I used to covet tastes awful with the extra ingredient. 

30 Days without Sugar: Day 2

So I am changing the theme of this blog so that it is a little more personal and not just about food and products I like. I am giving up added sugar (this includes evaporated cane juice, agave, syrups, and strictly limiting 100% fruit juices and stevia) for 30 days because I have some vices that I need to get rid of for now and curtail in the future.

One of them is bars. I love bars! They make a fantastic snack, but seriously, just because they are vegan does not mean you can have 3 of them all at once. That is just a waste of calories and money. The next is hot drinks and smoothies. I took a great raw kale smoothie recipe and over time added a lot more of the sweet ingredients than it originally called for. I also love to make hot green tea with fresh crushed ginger and steaming almond milk or boil a pot of homemade spicy hot chocolate… and add sugar to it all! I try to add only one or two teaspoons of sugar or agave then supplement that with stevia or use stevia alone but that just means i still need everything to be totally sweet. 

I’m really excited for the next 28 days left because so far everything is going well. I feel like I am getting very enlightened because I’m already scanning every product critically and seeing how sugar is everywhere. There is evaporated cane juice in my peanut butter and sugar in my mixed seasoning, ketchup, and pre-seasoned quinoa/rice blend. So basically it is every! Honestly the fact that it is everywhere just creates a wonderful challenge for me to get creative. Tomorrow morning I am making my own jam with strawberries and chia seeds and I found a great smoothie recipe that is packed with protein and fiber. 

I hope this will get me past the weightloss plateau after losing 46 pounds and help clear my skin. Regardless of the actual results, I am just happy to try out this little experiment!

Kale

Kale is king. The rich flavor makes it a serious contender with common staples like spinach. The playing field is further tilted towards this green because it is richer in fiber than other greens, keeping you fuller longer. It is also rich in vitamin A, C, and K, calcium, and beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Kale is amazing in soups, salad, and (my personal favorite) simmered with other veggies. I love to dice up 1 tomatoes, 1/2 a white onions and 4 white mushrooms and saute them in a tablespoon of olive oil plus some spices for a few minutes then add in 3 raw cups of kale for just 5 more minutes. It’s not good to cook the greens too long so that the nutrients are not lost.

The ToneItUp ladies Katrina and Karena have some amazing recipes to further introduce you to this green powerhouse!