vegreenism.

This is funny.

2011-04-20T09:56:00.002-04:00

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=135548327&m=135548610

bisous.

Breakfast of champions!

2011-02-01T09:38:00.000-05:00

Tofu scramble with Daiya cheese, faux-steak tips, and tomatoes with a little side salad topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

xx
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Shelby thinks you'll love BuyWithMe

2010-12-20T10:06:00.001-05:00

To ensure delivery to your inbox, please add BuyWithMe@email.buywithme.com to your address book or safe sender list.


	Refer friends, Get $10

Shelby wanted us to send you an invitation to join BuyWithMe!

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When you buy your first deal, Shelby will get a $10 credit for hooking you up. Just use this link: http://buywithme.com/ref/PR28N2DH

Good day and good deal,

P.S. Once you sign, up you can spread the love to your family and friends for a $10 credit of your own!

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Bourdain vs. Foer

2010-10-08T08:31:00.000-04:00

Last week Sarah Kramer posted something very interesting that's worth a listen, veg or not. cbcradio hosted a great debate between Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Safran Foer on the great topic: Should we eat meat? Check it out here.

xx

Tiny muffins, awwww!

2010-08-21T23:27:00.001-04:00

Lookit the teeny tiny muffins! Aw so cute!

Sadly they're not real, it's just a comic that my boyfriend sent me. Enjoy anyway! Off to read my FOOD issue of VegNews, woo!

xx

Tofu Scramble makes a comeback!

2010-08-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

I finally came back to my beloved tofu scramble this morning! I
decided to get a little kooky though and toss in some different
ingredients. One in particular is my secret weapon: hummus! It gives a
creamy taste, reminiscent of deviled eggs! (Which I loved) I also
added jarred minced garlic out of laziness - usually I mince up fresh
garlic...but then I reek for at least 24hours!

I've also become obsessed with collard greens. To be honest, I always
thought of them as a southern green, associating it with okra (eww).
Thus, I was scared to even try them! But then one day at Whole Foods I
read a superfoods list and discovered collard greens are more
nutritionally fruitful than kale! Now, I love my kale, but sometimes
it's just too bitter.

I also tossed in some cinnamon, crushed powdered ginger, and thyme,
along with the usual tumeric, cayenne, paprika, mustard, Braggs, red
pepper, and carrots. And just a quick note: remember to press your
tofu a little bit before you brown it in your pan! It helps it brown
faster, and you'll have fluff tofu scramble rather than tofu mush.

The end result? A complex dish of deliciousness! Get thee to a kitchen!

xx

Bloglurvin

2010-08-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin

xx

Faux-rella Caprese

2010-08-07T16:52:00.000-04:00

Deliciousness. Silken tofu, heirloom tomatos, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Tastes like the real thing!

xx
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

MFA on the T!

2010-06-22T10:35:00.001-04:00

Very good point, MFA!! :)

xx

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Eat More to Need Less...ew?

2010-06-15T15:03:00.000-04:00

Scouring the internet for a new vintage poster desktop image, I found this and thought it was quite humorous. Enjoy, vegetarians!

*image courtesy of this blog

I'm having an "I can't believe it's vegan!" moment!

2010-05-04T10:43:00.000-04:00

I realize I'm a total nerd about food. And I really can't express in words how amazing this dressing is (I always had such a crush on Paul Newman anyway).

Newman's Own Poppy Seed Dressing drizzled over freshly sliced avocado, grilled romaine, and arugula

So, please go out and buy it and slather it all over yourself. Or a salad.

Their website even has a great chart that lists food allergies, so you can see which dressings are vegan/vegetarian before you buy! Plus, all of the proceeds go to charity. Makes ya feel good!

xx

Tofu plushie wushie

2010-04-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Upon scouring the blogs I follow this morning, I discovered - to my utter childlike-delight - a DIY knitting project to make your own little tofu plushie babay! I suppose if you knew me you'd know exactly how I'd say that last word, but whatever.

Check out the blog that originally posted it, Bittersweet.

Go put your knitting skills to work!

xx

Recycle Restyle Rethink Refashion

2010-03-15T23:46:00.003-04:00

By now you've heard the amazing news: H&M is introducing their Garden Collection, fabulous pieces of eco-friendliness, such as a dress made of recycled water bottles! March 27th is when these lovies arrive, and I plan on scooping some pieces up! It's so exciting to be able to purchase affordable green clothes, as so many companies sell eco-friendly things like t-shirts for 60 bucks a pop. I'm sorry, but if I can get a plain basic tee for $5, you can bet I'm buying it, even though it's not the friendliest option for the environment. Realistically, it was already made/processed/manufactured, so why let it end up in a landfill? Or wherever unsold clothes go when no one wants them...how I hope they're recycled or donated! (*Although I'm not a fan of this large chain, Walmart has organic cotton tees from Faded Glory - if your local wally-world doesn't have them you can order online, and have it shipped for 97 cents!)

Here's a quick article from NYLON magazine, which I have an online subscription to (better than wasting paper!):

London loves Veg

2010-03-10T21:04:00.000-05:00

Saw this in the Underground in London! Pretty funny.

xx

A Very Vegan Valentine's Day

2010-02-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

This year was completely different than every Vday my boyfriend and I have spent together. This year, we stayed at home (not at a swanky hotel in the city) and cooked! However, Tim cooked me a delicious dinner - I was in charge of dessert, of course - and it was all vegan!

This gluten-free quinoa bread was insanely good! Spread with an olive and roasted red pepper tapenade and of course, Daiya cheese!

Pasta with baby arugula, roasted tomatoes/shallots/garlic, olives, and olive oil

One of my presents - vegan chocolate from The Xocolate Bar

My dessert - vegan pomegranate and raspberry cupcakes!

Oliver and Sydney, the Dwyer Family kitties

It was absolutely delicious. Although, I totally fell asleep after two glasses of wine. Oops.

WasteNot, Want Not...yeah no...WANT for sure!

2010-02-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

So last summer I found these amazing little sandwich 'saks' at SoWa and I seriously need to buy more. Luckily, they have an Etsy shop! The saks have beautiful designs and are even made to take a spin in the dishwasher! Plus they're BPA free...and free of all those other yucky chemicals. They even make snack sized saks along with their sandwich ones! Although I only paid 5 bucks, it's worth the $7.50 they cost now. Do yourself and the environment a favor! And hey, if you live in New England, support your locals! They're from Granby, MA.

xx

Run, don't walk...

2010-02-18T16:46:00.002-05:00

And you'll have to run after 520 calories...but seriously. Get thyself to a Whole Foods and buy Amy's Rice Macaroni with Non-Dairy Cheeze...aka Daiya Cheese! O.M.G. It's incred.

xx

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Superbowlin' and a magical GIVEAWAY from a fellow blogger!

2010-02-17T11:57:00.002-05:00

Because my boyfriend is wonderful, he surprised me with 2 bags of Daiya cheese as an early Valentine's Day present. I was ecstatic and yes, we went through a whole bag in 2 days. I could sit and munch on this cheese as-is all day long! After hardly eating the whole day, I decided to make vegan nachos for the big game, inspired my the mediocre ones we had the night before at The Pulse Cafe (newly opened). I took a pic with my phone so sorry for the shoddy quality. Regardless, I ate a ton, it was so good! Refried beans, Daiya cheese, chopped jalapenos and olives, cilantro, whole wheat tortilla chips, guacamole, and medium salsa. A great game day dinnah! And what a great game, too...I'm so happy the Saints won!

But a quick reference to The Pulse Cafe...it was ok, they've recently opened so they were out of A LOT of stuff. I think, given a few months, this place has a lot of potential. They're Jamaican Jerk Tempeh dish left a lot to be desired and was missing half the sides, but their Eggplant Cutlet Panini was insanely good. I ate half of Tim's! It did make me long for Veggie Planet, though...

In other news, one of the blogs I follow is having a sweet, massive giveaway! Cue pardon my ffrench. It's really easy to enter and the visit will definitely inspire you to be more creative, or even pick back up on some of your hobbies you've lost touch with (like me, with photography)! Plus, Jaelynn has a wonderfully quirky style and strong voice that comes through her writing. Now I'm sure you're asking, what's so green about mentioning this giveaway? Well, Jaelynn has a vintage shop on Etsy, and in her giveaway she's included some of her friends who recycle and upcycle random findings. Now get going and enter!

Nouveau Rustique Pizza

2010-02-16T20:14:00.000-05:00

I just made the BEST desserty pizza dinner EVER! Holy yumm-ness.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza dough
Half of a granny smith apple, sliced into thin pieces (cut off a round slice, then cut into smaller slices)
Cinnamon
Sugar
Pinch of salt
Vegan cheese (I was lucky enough to have some Daiya!)
Chopped hazelnuts

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Stretch out the pizza dough (make sure it's enough for one serving) and place it onto a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Dock the dough (meaning stab it with a fork all over, leaving a 1/2 inch edge all around). Layer on the apple slices. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, however much you can stand. Then sprinkle on a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (put some on the crust - it'll taste divine!). Add the chopped hazelnuts and sprinkle them evenly all over the pizza. Now load on the cheese!

Cook for 15 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle on a teensy bit of salt. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then cut and eat.

It's sweet like a dessert, but still delicious and filling...basically the perfect ending to a rough day!

Bon appetit!

xx

Faux-gan

2010-02-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

I found this hysterical and had to put it up here.

(courtesy of www.nataliedee.com)

In other news, happy 100th post to my vegreenism blog! Hooray!

P.S.: In even more other news, I've created a Tumblr. {shelbshock.tumblr.com}. Enjoy even more of me! ;-)

Better late than never, right?

2010-01-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe I never posted my photos from the Boston Vegetarian Festival!! UGH. Grad school, I blame you. Also snuck in the visit to Peace o' Pie, which occurred on the same day (November 1st).

Well, enjoy the photos, I suppose!

Where's the BVF? Thataway!

Hoards of people...and Tim's face...and an angry Asian man.

Heaven.

Tim creepily eating a piece of said heaven's bounty.

After I told him to stop being a creep...

The wonderful people of So Delicious...who caught me on camera being a spazz saying "Ooh, it's so delicious...oh my god I totally didn't mean that!" Oh, Shelby. Stop with the blonde highlights.

Could it have been a more beautiful day?!

Peace, love, and Boston Vegheads.

Yeah. He seems to think he's funny.

Inside the vegan pizzeria, Peace o' Pie. Once of the owners was being rude to the girl that was helping us, which was really awkward. Stress of opening a new place, I'm guessing? Insert awkward turtle here.

FACT: I now worship Daiya cheese.

Their famous Peanut Butter Maple Sweet Roll...too sickening sweet for me!

Beautiful tree in Cambridge

My new kitty friend...who ignored me.

More Fall foliage in Cambridge

More love (and Timothy)...Sweet Cupcakes in Harvard Sq (they carry vegan cupcakes on Mondays, which I have yet to experience). Look closely...that's Marie Antoinette on the television! Swoon.

P.S.: Happy 100th Post to me! :)

Vaute Couture Tour

2010-01-20T14:49:00.001-05:00

Vaute Couture is having a Sample Sale Tour, and they're coming to Peace o' Pie in Boston! Ohmahgawd! Here's hoping I can make it! Save the date, my Bostonian vegreenies: January 27, 2010. Coats will be BUY ONE GET ONE or 30% OFF ONE! Eeeeee!

What's that? Don't know about Vaute Couture? They're an eco-friendly, fair-trade, vegan company out of Chicago making wonderful tees, coats, and art/jewelery. I posted about her designs briefly last year, too.

Here are some of my favorites:

Love love love.

If you have a cat...

2010-01-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

then you know how it is!

My family's two cats, Midnight and Belle, are total bed whores. My boyfriend sent me this silly comic which totally depicts what my cats do. However, Belle enjoys sleeping completely sideways, a 180 from how a person would sleep on a bed. And Midnight has to be basically on top of you. Oh kitties!

Food Revival

2010-01-20T14:03:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been bored with food. I've also been naughty, eating too much junk food (read: Oreos, Ruffles...oy). Thus, I need to have my very own food revival.

For the past week(ish) I've been trying to eat better by making a veg/fruit juice/smoothie to drink up once a day. I posted about some yummy smoothies recently and I've been changing up the recipes daily, using what I have on hand and also exploring different flavor combos. Today, I tossed together 1/2 cup POM juice, 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, one serving size raspberry coconut milk yogurt (I clearly worship Turtle Mountain's So Delicious), frozen orgo (remember, that's my Shelbtastic term for organic) blueberries, a tablespoon or two of flax meal, one banana, one green apple (chopped), a cup(ish) of raw spinach, and 1/2 a fresh orange + juice squeezed from the bowl of skin (I sliced out the orange, leaving a bowl of the 1/2 of orange). I mixed it up in my blender and quel complex flavors! It tasted delicious. And, as always, I could not taste the spinach at all! Only the delectable fruit.

But here's what I'm getting to: my fellow blogger friend Andria from Veg is Sexy posted a link to a magical blog called Chocolate-Covered Healthy because the queen of this blog is having a giveaway! This is no ordinary giveaway though...it's for a Vitameata Vita-mix Blender! Yes, I almost passed out too. My level of excitement shot through the roof. Since I've been using my mom's Waring Pro blender non-stop lately, this would be perfect! Vitamix is the be-all-end-all of blenders.

I'm also planning on trying out one of Chocolate-Covered Healthy recipes for homemade yogurt. I love my yogurt, but it gets to be so expensive buying the single cups at the store. If I can learn to make my own, why not, right? And like Katie, maybe one day I'll try to make the real yogurt (non-dairy, of course) with live cultures. But the thought kind of weirds me out right now! Stay tuned for a recipe review!

xx

The Goode Family

2010-01-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

By now, vegreenies, you must have heard of the ABC-now-Comedy Central show "The Goode Family." It's about a family who try to be very, very eco-conscious. It was cancelled after one season for low ratings (surprised? I think not), but it was basically the first main-stream show that taught people about veganism/eco-awareness/freegans.

While aimlessly flipping channels the other night I came upon Comedy Central, and low and behold the show was on. I watched, unamused and somewhat disappointed. The annoying chick with the short hair known as Margo, ohmygawd did I want to virtually slap her in the face! Bottom line, I was happy that there were so many interesting green points, but clearly some of it was facetious and negative. Considering I used to love King of the Hill when I was younger (it came on either before or after X-Files...yes, I'm a geek..and a David Duchovny lover), I thought maybe I'd be into this show. Alas, not so much. Regardless, give it a go. I'm sure youtube has videos-a-plenty.

xx

Sweet sweet potatoes

2010-01-18T19:10:00.001-05:00

My best friend Stacey taught me a basic recipe to roast/bake sweet potatoes in the oven during our first semester together at the University of Florida (GO GATORS!!!!), and after more than three years of gobbling up these yummies, I've messed around with the 'recipe'. Tonight I made a delicious veggie burger with a side of corn and one of these sweet potatoes...yum! I've 'bolded' the ingredients/tools to make it easier to read.

All you need is one sweet potato, medium sized is a decent portion. Wash the potato well and dry in a paper towel. Stab the potato with a fork several times all over (to let out steam) and wrap in the paper towel.

At this time preheat the oven to 405 - 425 degrees, depending on the intensity of your oven. I also like mine pretty burnt, so I use 425.

Depending on the size of the potato, put the potato in the microwave for 1min30sec to 1min45sec. Turn the potato over and cook for the same time. This precooks the potato and makes it softer to cut.

Slice off the ends with a knife and discard, and then cut the potato into rounds. Then cut each of the rounds into fours. Toss the pieces of sweet potato onto a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Drizzle over some olive oil and agave nectar (optional). I like to sprinkle on some salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Yum!

Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes, depending on how dark n crispy you like your sweet potatoes. Once they're done, let them cool for a few minutes and then eat!

I serve them with ketchup or homemade honey mustard. Delicious and healthy! Hello beta-carotene, vitamins A and C AND B6, and low-calories! Love it!

You can also cut the sweet potato into thin slices and cook it about the same time, just turn over each stick halfway through cooking so they brown evenly.

Now go and enjoy!

xx

Warm hearty soup

2010-01-14T15:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I finally made vegetable soup. I scoured my [many] cookbooks and found Chunky Corn Chowder in the amazing La Dolce Vegan. I switched it up a little and added slice shiitake mushrooms, baby spinach, cannellini beans, a dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper, half of a tomato, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a splash (a big splash) of red wine, and finally I subbed a sweet potato for the regular potato. It turned out delicious and hearty, perfect for the bitterly cold days we've had here in New England. I highly recommend this delicious soup! Plus it was easy to make and I had nearly every ingredient on hand. Off to eat some more before Psychopathology class tonight!

Pistachio-Pomegranate Sauce?!

2010-01-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today was supposed to be my juice fasting day, the day to cleanse my system of all the japanese food I devoured last night, to refresh my system in time for the Spring semester...which begins tomorrow. I'm pretty anxious about it, as I'm driving in this semester rather than taking the T, and on top of 4 classes I'll be volunteering in the guidance office of my old high school (which I'm actually really excited about!). Anyway, this morning I made a delicious delectable smoothie to start the day; chocolatey, banana-y, strawberry-y, ohsoyummy! I blended up some frozen whole strawberries, one banana, a single-serving cup of chocolate coconut milk yogurt, about a cup of vanilla soy milk, a splash of pomegranate cranberry juice, a dash of cinnamon, about half a tablespoon of flax meal. Smooth and creamy and filling! After about 4 hours I started to get hungry again so I made a green smoothie, this time with about a cup of spinach, one green apple, half a mango, a dash of vanilla soy milk, and a cup or so of orange juice. Also delish! After both juice smoothies I felt so refreshed and energized, and clean!

Unfortunately, I decided I really wanted to eat the last two pieces of agedashi tofu and miso soup, and then that I wanted to attempt to make another recipe from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. I figured considering Tim and I had quite the workout with his Wii Fit last night (yes, I kicked his butt...for the most part) I could afford to eat a little bit of foodage. So, my juice fasting did not last past 4pm...but hey, at least I tried!

But back to 1,000 Vegan Recipes! I made the Tofu with Pistachio Pomegranate Sauce, which sounds really weird and yes, it is really weird. It was also a little bland, but that could be because I didn't have any green onions. I bought the ingredients last week to make this dish and kept forgetting to make it, so the onions went bad. :( Overall though it was different, I'll probably serve it over quinoa for dinner tomorrow night.

Ingredients just about ready!

Lightly browning the tofu...don't mind the decapitated amaryllis bulb!

Reducing the sauce...dodo here forgot to add the pistachios, but luckily I remembered 2 minutes after I started simmering the sauce and added them! Phew.

Soakin up the goodness!

Ready to eat! And store in the fridge till tomorrow.

Looking at the pictures it looks delicious, and I guess it was, I just expected it to be more tangy. Maybe adding less balsamic vinegar and a bit more light brown sugar would make it more flavorful? Or, of course, remembering the green onions.

I decided to finish the day off with hot water, a lemon slice, apple cider vinegar and little bit of maple syrup. Try it! Cleansing and curbs my craving for Ruffles. UGH. How I want to devour those salty crunchy slices of potato goodness!

Goodnight, vegreenies!

Kale Chips!

2010-01-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

Like I promised, here's my itty bitty post on kale chips. I've been d-y-i-n-g to make this since the first day I heard of them! I love kale but clearly I don't eat enough of it (hello near-deficiency of vitamin D). Out of boredom and also creativity (thanks to Radiant Health Inner Wealth), I consulted Google for recipes and finally decided to sit down and make em.

Sadly, I forgot about them in the oven until 2 minutes after my mother said "I smell something burning." Considering she has a truffle-sniffer-outer nose, I should've listened and disregarded the 2 minutes that were left on the oven timer. Regardless, they tasted delicious! So crisp and airy! The only problem was that I was burping up kale-taste for 3 hours after...yuck. Fortunately, the yum outweighs the yuck!

xx

Vegan Yum Yum recipe...that we completely failed.

2010-01-06T19:25:00.000-05:00

Tim bought me (or just for himself?) Lauren Ulm's Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. She's fabulous, her recipes are delicious and creative, and she's from Boston! Yes! We attempted to make the Gnocci with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream, and sadly we completely missed the mark with the gnocci itself. Our poor little potato dumplings of gnocci love turned into balls of mushy shreds of potato.

Tim shredded the 'tatoes

Shredded...too big. :(

The delicious lemon cashew cream sauce...to which I added some agave nectar to add some sweetness.

Me molding the potato shreds into a dough ball...so sticky!

More molding...and over-kneading probably!

Gnocci is beginning to be formed and rollin' in the flour

Forming the logs

Tossing the gnocci in the vinaigrette

Ready to eat!

Too bad the gnocci tasted awful. The good news was I reused the delicious cashew cream sauce over tofu and quinoa...incredible! I pressed some tofu and then browned in a pan, then added some of the cashew cream sauce. This made the tofu reminiscent of breaded chicken (even though I despise chicken!). Very yummy!

Served with thyme and quinoa...yum!

I also think the cashew cream sauce and vinaigrette would taste delicious with pasta, served cold. I guess it wasn't all a failure!

1,000 Vegan Recipes...AKA, the vegan bible.

2010-01-03T21:20:00.004-05:00

Stacey and I - e pluribus unum! (aka, do DC...in the Blizzard of 2009!)

My best friend Stacey got me the incredible, amazing 1,000 Vegan Recipes for Chanukah/Christmas! It's amazing. I made two recipes and one was a major first - tempeh! I've always been scared to try tempeh, but the recipes in this massive wonderful book (aka a vegan bible) sounded delicious! Plus, so many are simple, with ingredients you can find anywhere - including your own pantry.

I decided to make the 'tempeh with maple, mustard, and balsamic glaze' because it sounded the funkiest...and most delicious to my palate. I can't lie: I was so excited to buy tempeh and cook with it. I'm so intimidated by it it's not even funny. The stuff looks funny and seriously, what do you do with it? Tofu is so much more accessible, and so easy to prepare. Little did I know, so is tempeh. The recipe says it makes about 4 servings, but I stretched it out into about five. And guess what? My brother Brandon, who is awesome, actually had 2 servings. He loved it!

Tempeh boiling away

Browning in the pan (yeah, I know...I overcrowded them a lil' bit)

The delicious marinades (I used a spicy brown mustard with horseradish, by the way, instead of plain spicy brown)

Drenched in warm sweet and savory deliciousness

post-cooking in skillet

Drooling yet?

My dinner is served! And for dessert (top right), some agave/maple-glazed pecans!

The marinade had such a delicious flavor and made a great meat substitute. I served it over quinoa and steamed kale. I can't wait to make it again! Like the recipe says, it's a great cold-weather dish. Meaty (minus the cruelty), warm, hearty, yummy!

Like I said earlier, I actually attempted two recipes from my new cookbook of love. The second of course, which was actually the first, was much more familiar to me than the tempeh dish! I decided to make the 'agave-glazed pecans'. AMidst my excitement, however, I forgot to add the vegan butter; so, my nuts were really gooey (hey, get your mind out of the gutter! hehe). I also added maple syrup because I didn't have enough agave nectar...and I also used more raw pecans than the recipe called for because I had a bunch on hand. Brandon (the broski) also thoroughly enjoyed these!

Ingredients ready to go and gettin' warm!

Pecans starting to be coated in the agave and maple glaze

Cooling off on parchment...too bad I waited two seconds - I just had to taste one!

Alright vegreenies, I'm off to watch a movie ('Sunshine Cleaning' on my Instant Netflix Queue!) and relax. More posts soon, I promise! Including my first attempt at kale chips, thanks to this great video by my StumbleUpon Army veg friend Tess (of Radiant Health, Inner Wealth) for inspiring me!

A Happy, Comfy, Vegan Thanksgiving

2009-12-15T17:05:00.000-05:00

Hi! Remember me? I finally decided to sit my tush down and write my Thanksgiving post...mainly because an unforeseen accident created major traffic which prevented me from driving into Boston for my last class tonight. I really enjoy cooking and baking for the holidays, even when realistically it's all only for me to eat! This year, I went a little schizo and decided to prepare 5 different dishes for myself. The day before Thanksgiving, I went to the gym and came home and cooked/baked for 5 whole hours. I must say, this was the tastiest Thanksgiving I've had yet! I'm sure you'll be drooling over the pictures, especially those Autumn Latkes from Veganomicon! Mmm!

Mixing away the faux-cheese filling for the lasagna

Now with spinach! MM!

Up close and personal with vegan lasagna from How It All Vegan

Done!

Prepping for the Autumn Latkes from Veganomicon (the beets look like garnets!)

Shredded it all BY HAND with a hand grater, although it's a heckuvalot easier to use a food processor grater insert! And yes, I successfully grated my hand. My poor Veganomicon is splotched with blood and beet juice.

Fryin' up, swimmin' away! I know, ew, it looks like meat...but it's not!

Delicious heaven - the Cranberry and Apple Crisp from La Dolce Vegan

AHHH tart warm gooey cinnamon-y goodness!

My yummy Maple Pumpkin Spice cupcakes! I also made some Maple Buttahcream Frosting to slather on top. These were a hit with the non-vegans!!

Nom.

I didn't remember to take a photo of it, but I made an AMAZING butternut squash mash (recipe below!)! This was my plate for Thanksgiving, including some white wine, a cupcake, and several helpings of the crisp and the latkes!

My mom being gross, my Aunt Shell wandering, and my Uncle George enjoying his vino! We had our feast at my Aunt and Uncle's hotel nearby, where they're staying while they visit us for a couple of months from NC. I convinced everyone to wear their pajamas for Thanksgiving this year. Success!

And there's Sparticus, my aunt and uncle's kitty! He loves being outside with the birdies. Poor little blind kitty, but he's oh so precious and smart!!

Well, now it's off to dinner at my aunt and uncle's with the little bro. Happy Holidays everyone!

RECIPE for DIVINE ROASTED MAPLE and CRANBERRY BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASH

(perfect for the holiday season!)

Ingredients: one medium butternut squash, dried cranberries, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, olive oil, grade A maple syrup, foil or parchment paper, baking sheet, fork, bowl,

Preheat the oven to about 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Peel a medium sized butternut squash and chop into chunks (honestly, the skin is really great roasted because it caramelizes like candy...but for a mash, I'd peel it)
Spread the squash out evenly onto a lined baking sheet (not a Silpat though, it may get ruined! I used foil, but you can even use parchment paper)
Drizzle some olive oil and maple syrup all over the chunks and toss around with your hands - don't be afraid to get ooey gooey!
Roast for 18 minutes, toss around, and roast for another 5-10 minutes until they're as brown as you like. Also remember that oven temperatures vary!
Once they're done, take them out of the oven to cool for a bit.
When cooled, smash up the squash and add a dash of salt and pepper (to taste), a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Add some dried cranberries and a drizzle of maple syrup and serve! I'd recommend eating it warm, but it's so delicious it's DIVINE room temp or even cold!
Enjoy! Mmm!

From your dinner's point of view

2009-11-23T22:30:00.003-05:00

Today I received an email from the Boston Vegetarian Society that had a lovely poem from Shel Silverstein. I loved his books as a child, as I'm sure everyone did (and still does). It's definitely something to think about when preparing your Thanksgiving menu (which I hope is all vegan!)

Point of View by Shel Silverstein
Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.

Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.

Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
Till I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.

Makes ya think. Also, re member to sponsor a turkey this season!

xx

Smell my face

2009-11-03T23:16:00.000-05:00

Several months ago I caught up with an very good friend over some yerba mate. She mentioned that she had a new obsession with essential oils, and had started using lavender oil mixed in with her daytime and nighttime moisturizer. Seriously - the girl's skin is flawless! Let it be known that she has been on an all-vegan diet for two years now and also exercises daily. That helps quite a bit, too!

About two months ago I decided to splurge on some lavender oil. I wandered through Whole Foods and found Aura Cacia's lavender essential oil, which cost me about 11 dollars. Not too shabby, because it worked wonders on my skin. My skin seems to glow when I use it. I've noticed my skin becoming more even. It even helped my pimples heal faster!

When I was younger, probably around 12 or so, I started using lavender oil as a perfume. The scent also strongly connects me to home and my mom, as it is one of my mom's favorite scents of all time. It can be quite strong if you wear it as a perfume, and sometimes it can burn your skin if you don't mix it with anything.

Like my good friend Lauren, I think essential oils like lavender are such a natural way to keep skin healthy. So many products for your skin have so many chemicals, you wonder what the long-term damage will be on your skin and body. Give it a try: I mix 2-4 drops of lavender oil with my nighttime moisturizer in my palm, mix it all together with my fingers, massage all over my face and neck, and wash it off in the morning.

Added bonus? You'll smell whimsical and calming.

xx

And the winners are...

2009-10-20T09:10:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to my 3 winners!

First, thanks to everyone who entered. You guys are awesome!

Ok now I'll tell you:

Congrats to darlanpaulsmamma, vegissexy, and heliopath! Great job guys. Please email me at shelbykirsch@gmail.com with your address! Look for your Yogavive Apple Chips month-supply in the mail soon! :)

Now off to eat some banana maple oatmeal and finish my Rorschach critique...bah.

xx

The Vegan Hundred

2009-10-14T21:43:00.003-04:00

Copied this from On Cardamom and Cast Iron's blog. The Vegan Hundred! For la Vegan MoFo.

Here are the rules, according to the above blog:

1) Copy this list into your blog or social networking site profile, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment on this post linking to your results.

The Vegan Hundred:

1. Molasses
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Coleslaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle (as long as infused oil counts)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet or Habañero pepper
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc (baked 'em myself!)
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (ew, mint and oatmeal?)
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. Harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless ‘Pixie’ Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

I could add a few, like homemade spicy nuts, sweet n sour tofu, pad thai, tofutti pizza, durian, etc. Yum yum yum! Yes, durian, the smelly fruit that has the most complex flavors! Try it if you can...but be prepared for something that reaches far into the outer limits of the flavor universe.

xx

Yogavive Apple Chips Giveaway!

2009-10-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

Well I kept saying it, and now it's finally upon us: MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

If you read my previous post on delish Yogavive Apple Chips, you'd know that they're super tasty, healthy, and perfect for an on-the-go lifestyle like mine. They're seriously the perfect snack.

Starting today, you can enter to win a one-month's supply of Yogavive Apple Chips! That's 6 boxes! What better month to win an organic, vegan snack than October, the Vegan Month of Food?!

Simply:

1) follow @yogavive on Twitter,
2) follow @vegreenist (me!) on Twitter, and
3) answer one of the questions below.

*If you don't have Twitter but have a Gmail account, please follow my blog. Please also fan Yogavive on Facebook!

I will choose 3 winners who will be contacted when the giveaway ends, and Yogavive will send you your delicious boxes of yummyness!

Here are your choices for questions (answer ONE):

Create a recipe featuring these yummy Yogavive Apple Chips (it can be simple: I made pancakes with the Apple Cinnamon flavor - SO GOOD!)
What's the best yoga pose to eat your Yogavive Apple Chips? Photos are awesome, but no worries if you can't add one.
Brainstorm! Think up a new flavor for Yogavive Apple Chips. They already have Strawberry, Caramel, Apple Cinnamon, Peach, and Original. Go crazy!
Where will you eat your Yogavive Apple Chips?

Post a comment here with your answer, and once I choose the winners I'll announce them here on my blog! All entries must be in by October 17th at 12:00AM. Good luck!

And if you win and like them (which I guarantee you that you will) please request them at your local supermarket!

VeganMoFo & ICM lovin'

2009-10-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

Great interview with Isa Chandra Moskowitz about VeganMoFo! Read away and then go make something delicious and vegan.

VeganMoFo, Bro

Don't take a swig from that SIGG!

2009-10-05T23:38:00.000-04:00

About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted a reusable bottle to carry my water - I was annoyed with water bottles. Why? A) they're wicked expensive, and B) it's not that green a process to recycle them. Plus, I need to make sure I drink a lot of fluid during the day to promote a healthy kidney function (thank you, reflux circa 1987). I remember how cool SIGG's were since they came in different colors and patterns. I wanted to join the elite SIGG club.

But then I did some research, scoured message boards, and found that there was a mysterious layer inside of the bottles, which in time may leach into the liquids you drink. This has now turned into a major problem, as studies show that the lining is NOT BPA-free. So let's say you gave into the hype (hey, I don't blame you, some of those designs were really cool!), and now you don't know what to do with your evil BPA-loving SIGG. Ecorazzi has a quick blurb that will help you!

But back to my reusable bottle expedition. Sometime during my search, I found Kleen Kanteen, which is just stainless steel. No lining. So far, there are no negative connotations with this company, and I hope none ever come about! It may seem weird to drink from stainless steel, but it's much better than aluminum. It's free of BPA, phthalates, lead and other toxins, and it doesn't retain or impart flavors. Score! The photo above is the version I have, which is equivalent to a little more than one liter.

So do what you will with your SIGG, but I'd take a look at Kleen Kanteen. I love mine!

xx

Vegan MoFo Survey

2009-10-05T09:02:00.000-04:00

Quite the delayed post. As so many of you know, this month is the Vegan Month of Food (adoringly known as Vegan MoFo). In the footsteps of a few other bloggers, I decided to take a little survey:

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

I'm a soy girl. I've tried rice, almond, and hemp and never got into them.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

- The Veg News Macaroni n Cheese

- Vegan Lasagna from HIAV

- Something fallish, like pumpkin bread!

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

Sugar and salt...aka kettle corn!

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

My first attempt to make vegan cookies...they never puffed up. They stayed mushy fat blobs and tasted like paste.

5. Favorite pickled item?

Beets, I suppose. Or just plain old pickles.

6. How do you organize your recipes?

I use an old folder from college. On one side are magazine ripouts, and the other is my recipes and ones I've printed from the computer.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

When no one is around I toss leftovers behind our dumpster. But we have a trash and disposal, too. I'm dying to have a compost but I live in a condo and can't have one.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

Sour Patch Watermelons, hummus, and pita bread.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

The tea parties my mom would throw for me and my friends. It was always like a fairy garden party, which I was obssessed with. I had fairies all over my room, as well as gardeny things, like the mirror my mom made me covered with moss.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

Turlte Mountain Purely Decadent Pomegranate Chip

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?

My mini food processor.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

Cinnamon.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?

How It All Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

Raspberry

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

Tofu scramble! My brother loved it. He and my boyfriend also really like teryaki tofu with brown rice or quinoa.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

I really only like tofu, seitan and tempeh are too chewy and strange for me.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

Breakfast! Because that can mean pancakes or cupcakes, in my world. :)

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

Food processor, coffee maker, Klean Kanteen bottle, boxes of tea...

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

Amy's Bean Burrito, Tofutti Pizza, Peas

20. What’s on your grocery list?

Soy milk, Total cereal, Oatmeal, tofu, maple syrup, kale, granny smith apples

21. Favorite grocery store?

I really really miss Ward's in Gainesville, FL.

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Alexis's Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?

GoVegan.net, Green Light Vegan, Cafe VegNews

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

I'm still searching for a chocolate, sadly. Any recommendations?

I can't live without Sour Patch Watermelons or Swedish Fish, both are vegan!

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
A $100+ meal for 2 at Grezzo in Boston. 3 courses of raw goodness!

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?

Tempeh.

Off to make lunch for class, vegreenies!

xx

Quick power snack

2009-10-04T15:54:00.002-04:00

If I skip a meal, I feel naseous and sick for hours. Needless to say, I skipped lunch today sort of by accident. When I got home from all of my errands, I was h u n g r y; but, its nearly 4pm, and I don't want to spoil my dinner. Cut to my fridge: leftover tomato, hummus, bread, mustard, hydroponic bibb lettuce, etc...

NOTE: If you can get your hands on a rosemary bread loaf, do it. It livens up any sandwich! Except, of course, almond butter and jelly...that's a little too out there.

I decided on a quick yummy snack of one of the smaller slices of the rosemary olive bread, smeared with hummus and topped with a slice of tomato. Sprinkle on fresh cracked pepper all over and a dash of salt on the tomato. Delish!

xx

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

A MUST-READ

2009-09-23T23:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm vegan. But I also have an undying love for cheese. It's really really hard for me to live without it (although Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese is my saviour!). Up until recently, I didn't understand my near-addiction to cheese; was it all in my head, or did I really crave/need cheese? Cue the people that really kicked me into vegan gear, Bob and Jenna Torres. I won their book Vegan Freak a couple of years ago through Tastebetter.com (an amazing site, sign up for their emails!) and it became my go-to when I felt a cheese-relapse coming on. Tonight I did some Stumbling and found something I'll need to read over and over again: their Stop Eating Cheese excerpt from their 2nd edition of Vegan Freak. This article will not only open your eyes to the truth about my ex-beloved, but it may just give you that swift kick in the bum you've been sorely needing (without wanting to admit it). And hey you carnivores, read up. It'll make you think twice about having that glass of pus...oops, I mean milk.

Beware, it may gross you out. But hey, doesn't all animal cruelty disgust you?

Stop Eating Cheese

Sesame oil fried tofu

2009-09-23T19:22:00.002-04:00

I'm addicted to tofu. I admit it. Tonight, in desperate need of a fast, easy, and tofu-centered meal, I created this yummy dish.

Ingredients:

Firm tofu, one serving, sliced into bite-sized pieces
Quinoa
Water (for the quinoa)
Sesame oil
Teryaki sauce
Sriracha
Agave nectar

First, drain tofu between two paper towels with weight on top (a cutting board works). This supposedly takes 20min, but I was lazy so I pressed down on it several times and unwrapped it after 8min.

Slice tofu and prepare quinoa (measure it out) and measure water.

Heat a small pan on medium heat; once it's hot, add about 2 tbsp sesame oil. Gently add the slices of tofu, and allow to brown on one side. This varies from stovetop to stovetop, but it took about 10 min on one side, 10 on the other. I also added too much sesame oil and had to drain some out mid-cooking.

Remember to make your quinoa! That usually takes 10 min on a slow simmer.

In small bowl, add a tbsp of teryaki sauce, a smidge of Sriracha, and another tbsp or so of agave. Mix together (you can use a fork).

Drain the tofu, once browned, on a plate with a paper towel over it. Toss the tofu into the sauce mixture so that each piece gets coated. Then add the quinoa and smoosh it all around!

Voila! Fast yummy food.

xx

Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry

I like to oat oat oat opples and banonos...

2009-09-19T18:23:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted about this, but I've been having major trouble trying to find a suitable on-the-go snack that's healthy, vegan, and tasty. I started graduate school last week and I have an hour and 30 minute commute into Boston via driving and the T. I make my lunch at home, as my classes are in the afternoon, but after several hours of class and no food, I'm starving and all I can think of is hitting the vending machine for some potato chips. Classic junk food vegan snackage! But then I remember how guilty I feel after eating it - there's no nutritional value in a bag of chips, and it's loaded with salt (sodium), fat, and carbs. A black hole of grease.

A month or two ago, I found my salvation. Yogavive is a company based in California, and they are the makers of my new must-eat-now snack, Yogavive Apple Chips! (NOTE: I actually found them via Twitter and then began stalking them on Facebook). Apples are one of the best snacks you can munch on; they keep you full (from the superb amount of fiber in the skin), taste delish, and become a favorite pasttime in the fall (apple picking is sononmous with fall in my house!). I'm not much of a dessert person, but when I get hungry later in the evening, I reach for an apple, and bibbity-bobbity-boo, I'm totally satisfied! But here's my problem: I can't cram an apple into my bookbag without taking it out all cut up and bruised, like it was just in a fight with Mike Tyson.

Enter Yogavive Apple Chips. With 5 incredible flavors (original, cinnamon, caramel, peach, and strawberry), you can't go wrong - and neither did Yogavive. Each flavor is simple and pure! My favorite has to be the apple cinnamon, probably because it's fall. The strawberry is also delicious. I thought the peach flavor might be a little bit 'out there' before tasting, but it turned out to be really yummy. My brother, a non-vegan meat-lover, wanted to try them too, so I gave him the peach bag. His reaction? "Wow. This is bomb." Oh, 15-year-old brothers.

These snackies are made of 100% organic Fuji Apples, baked into lovely bite-sized pieces. No fat and only 35 calories. Yes, even the Caramel apple chips. No, I'm not lying. Yogavive is just that brilliant. They even went as far as to reduce your carbon footprint with their sourcing operations. The apples are grown in China's Shanxi Province on a mountain range, where the orchards are regularly tested for sulfides by Ecocert (a French company...swoon!). To avoid pesky flying bugs getting the juicy apples, they hang UV lamps and gourds filled with sugar water. I love the use of gourds, because it's a natural recycling of what mother nature providess us, instead of using a chemically-made plastic bug-zapper (which takes a ton of energy to create, I'm sure).

I realize I'm gushing over Yogavive, but I really appreciate the lengths they've gone to to ensure the process of creating Yogavive Apple Chips is as eco-friendly and green as possible. Plus I'm a snack-whore, and these take the {vegan cup}cake. Other than a snack, I think these apple chips would taste great crumbled into vanilla soy yogurt or maybe, if it's possible, as a crunchy coating for a sweet tofu dish.

Alright vegreenies, time to go eat dinner! Go out and buy some Yogavive Apple Chips for dessert!

xx

The Vegan Food Pyramid

2009-09-19T17:43:00.000-04:00

Stumbled Upon this site and found it quite helpful. Considering the real Food Pyramid is obsolete in my life, this one is pretty helpful. The only problem I have with this Vegan Food Pyramid is that the protein portion seems so small, and I could eat tofu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And I snack on almonds like it's my job.

Love love love the bottom of the food pyramid. Why yes, I will eat my fruit and veggies liberally! Nom nom.

Now if only there was a section on the necessity of tea...

xx

Wen-duhs

2009-09-16T22:37:00.002-04:00

Today was a really rough day, but suffice it to say everything is now fine. I decided after all the stress and missing two meals, I could splurge on something fast and half-healthy (aka, fattening, go-to comfort food!). I'm a Wendy's girl, or at least used to be; venturing to Wendy's on a half-day or weekend with my friends was always a trip that we looked forward to with excitement and anticipation! I remember lots of good talks there especially with my friend Tim J., a really good guy.

But anyway, tonight I dropped in to my town's Wendy's after Googling and finding out they serve veggie burgers. I asked the woman taking my order if they carried veggie burgers, and she said yes, and I asked if they were made with eggs. She made a funny face, half-smiled, and said no. So I order one, a medium fry (judge away, I desperately needed my Wendy's fries!), and a small drink.

I was in a rush, so once I got into the car I opened my burger to find...no burger. Just two buns, ketchup, 2 onion slices, 2 pickle slices, lettuce, and a tomato slice. I should've known, especially when the receipt said "Burger - NO BEEF PATTIE"...which I thought was a pattie.. not made of beef...not NO pattie altogether!! Oy.

xx

Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Aw, nuts!

2009-09-03T09:22:00.003-04:00

If you're a freak like me, you absolutely loathe styrofoam and feel like it's a death wish anytime you have to touch it...or be in it's presence. Ok, maybe not. But seriously, it's a volatile chemical that should not be produced anymore! Grr.

My mom had received a box in the mail which included hundreds of those annoying, static-clinging peanuts. You know, white and crunchy seemingly innocent pieces of styrofoam. My mother, the woman who for nearly 20 years was a vegetarian (sadly no longer) and who mainly buys antiques and thrift store items (shops at stores for new clothes, though), had the brilliant idea to reunse the packing peanuts as a 'stopper' in her planter.

As there was a hole in the bottom of this planter, I piled in as many peanuts as possible to prevent the soil from leaking into the ground. I then put in soil and planted the flowers... ...et voila! Beautiful and recycled. I did do a bit of Googling though, to make sure it was alright to use styrofoam in this situation and couldn't come up with anything. I'm so happy that those peanuts are now being used for something, instead of sitting in a landfill for thousands of years!

Pretty, right? These are great perrenials. They should last through the harsh winters - according to the Farmer's Almanac we're going to have it pretty cold again this winter! Bah, humbug!

Lunch

2009-08-26T13:25:00.001-04:00

Yum! Here's what I'm about to devour: a whole grain bread sandwich with sliced green tomato, cucumber, grilled red pepper, basil, peels of one red carrot, and hummus. Mmm!

xx

Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Grazie Grezzo

2009-08-25T09:03:00.008-04:00

Since I've hopped back on the vegan mobile, I've noticed my cravings for certain things (like cheese) really bring me down. I'm in that phase (which is absurd to some) where I feel like I'm depriving myself of good tasty foods. So in an unknown effort my boyfriend boosted my morale by bringing me to my beloved Grezzo on Saturday night. Our bill was incredibly high to say the least, but we noshed on 3 courses and when we left I felt more full than a pregnant whale.

The menus are encased in slabs of plastic.My Grezzo kombucha mojito, so tasty, and Timothy got the Lynchburg Lemonade - both delicious and refreshing!My appetizer was incredible. The California Maki roll: quinoa "krab" salad, cucumber, avocado and spicy mayonnaise. It tasted somewhat fishy like real sushi, and thus I was blissfully satisfied!Tim's appetizer, the greek pizzetta. The garlicy 'cheese' was so flavorful, almost better than real cheese, to me! With baby spinach, cured olives, tomato, red onion and baby lettuce salad. The Land and Sea, made up of locally harvested maitake, yellow oyster, black trumpet, hedgehog and honshimeji mushrooms with smooth lemon ricotta, dulse and Maine coast kelp. Super tasty, but the flavor did get overwhelming towards the end.Tim ordered the Meditteranean Style Pressed "Lasagna". Made with 'summer squash, zucchini, tomato, spianch and creamy shiitake ricotta with petite herb salad.' It was ginormous! He ate most of it, although I didn't try it - I unfortunately had had a bad tummy ache for 24hrs and although I devoured a ton at Grezzo, my tummy did not let up!

And this is what heaven looks like. The Coconut Meringue: 'light and airy free standing whipped mousse with blackberry and thai basil salsa, sassafras syrup.' You'd be surprised at how well the basil melds with the blackberry flavors. This was truly incredible and I could have eaten 100 plates of this meringue! On the side around the plate is a sweet agave nectar sprinkled with hemp seeds.Yes, this is also what heaven looks like. The rich brownie sundae with house-made gelato, chocolate truffle sauce, brazil nut 'crumble'. So rich you'd think it was the real thing.

I also ordered an amazing hot tea with lemon, ginger, mint, and goji berries (I think that was all). It soothed my soul to the very core! All in all it was again an incredible 2-hour feast of raw food from the masterminds Alissa Cohen and her Exec Chef Leah J. Dubois. I honestly urge everyone, vegan, vegetarian, raw, or not, to save up some extra cash and splurge at this fine quaint restaurant!

NOTE: Reservations are really necessary, and tables are sat at 5, 7, or 9 pm for dinner. Also, parking is very tough to find in the North End, but at the end of Prince St. there is a parking garage which is reasonably priced (if one could call it that). I also recommend to eat light all day, and drink lots of water. That way your body is prepared to take on the vast yummyness! And prepare to sit a while. This resto is quite Euro, allowing guests to have a leisurely dinner, imploring you to savor each flavor and eat slowly.

Also, if you have any nut allergies, let them know! Their cheeses are made with nuts.

Time to drive to Whole Foods for some food shopping and a delish vegan lunch! Have you had the sweet 'n sour tofu yet? It's incredible. So is the sesame tofu, and of course my standby, the pad thai. Drool.

Greenspeak

2009-08-19T09:22:00.004-04:00

Here's a reason for me to still like Sprint: an eco-friendly, 80%-recycled material cell phone, the Reclaim. 40% of it is made from corn!! If you're new to Sprint you can get it for $49.99 after a rebate. Pretty sweet.

xx

This post should be by my bestest Tyler...

2009-08-18T16:00:00.005-04:00

...but I'll give her the credit for it and write away!

So my best friend that I met in college (GO GATORS!) is attending grad school in Paris. Yes, Paris, France, via Columbia University, people! She's brilliant (and beautiful, to boot!)! She has been emailing me showing me all the wonderful necessities she's been buying for her excursion and although I enjoy living vicariously through her shopping purchases, I'm itching to buy something she recently recommended to me.

By now we all know about TOMS shoes (created by the very sexy Blake) thanks to those silly AT&T commercials. Stylish, simple shoes that actually 'do good'. Like mon amie Tyler said, "it's guilt-free shopping! (almost!)", since with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Tyler noticed on the site that TOMS actually makes vegan shoes! ::excitement ensues:: Unfortunately as of right now, this chick is not too crazy over the selection for women (the Village Quote is cool but also sad, read it), so hopefully some new styles will launch soon. What makes them vegan?

Recycled Texture Twill Upper
Soft Faux Suede Insole
Recycled Rubber Blend Sole

No moo-cows or calves or any animal harmed in the process. Also, one of my idols/heroes Natalie Portman supports this company.

How neat though - shoes for a good cause created in good thought in a green, eco-life-friendly way! Love it.

My lip gloss be poppin'

2009-08-09T10:26:00.005-04:00

My name is Shelby, and I'm addicted to lip gloss. And lipstick. But for the purposes of this blog post, we'll stick with my new favorite lip gloss.

Perhaps it has to do with my new obsession with cherries, but back in June on my birthday I purchased Korres cherry lip gloss in Light Purple (#23) from Sephora in the Pru{dential}. Korres is cruelty-free, does not test on animals, and uses green products. This lipgloss is also paraben free, mineral oil free, silicone free, propylene glycol free, and ethanolamine free (which Wikipedia states is "a toxic, flammable, corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid with an odor similar to that of ammonia"...no thank you!). The color is, in my opinion, one that should flatter every lady's lips. A pale pinkish-purple with a bit of shimmer, but a high-gloss sheen (thanks to cherry oil) that can sometimes be offensive to significant others (my boyfriend is somewhat turned-off by the uber-glossiness), this lip gloss looks like you've drenched your lips in some juicy pink fruit. If you're fair like me, it's probably a good idea to at least line your top lids and add some mascara to avoid looking washed out.

I read somewhere women swallow nine pounds of lip gloss in a year. Yeck. Thus, it's time to incorporate some green, cruelty-free lip laquers into your life. Start with Korres, please!

Upon googling "cerises", I found this French video. Figured I'd add it since it's French and about cherry season!

xx

Nantucket bucket (not really...but hey, it rhymes!)

2009-07-17T21:54:00.003-04:00

At a wonderful English store on Nantucket my mom and I discovered this perfect lunchbox tin. So French, non? It reminds me of vintage French towels or bathing suit stripes. I've been searching for a vintage lunchbox to use as an actual lunchbox. At $48 it was a tad expensive, but I've never seen these colors or style, and it was in perfect condition on the inside and outside with minor rust.

xx

Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a vegan life for me!

2009-07-17T20:37:00.003-04:00

Vegan pirates?! I may have to start watching Animal Planet's new show, Whale Wars! There's a boat called the Steve Irwin (aww) from the Sea Shepard Conservation Society that is actually vegan! Click here for the article.

Also, this article was on Care2, a great green living site, lists some memory boosters. I for one have 'mind farts' and have noticed my memory has weakened. Lately I've been trying to do more mindful actions during the day, to lower my stress and keep me relaxed and, well, mindful. For example, instead of turning on the TV, I organize my magazines, makeup, or books, clean around the house, go for a walk with my iPod, read a book (right now I'm in the middle of Same Soul, Many Bodies by Brian L. Weiss - it's amazing. I recommend to EVERYONE his book Many Lives, Many Masters), or paint/craft. I haven't noticed any changes, but I definitely feel better when I'm in touch with myself. Doesn't everyone? I'd love to get back into meditation, but I feel like I never have any private time. And if I did it at night, I'd probably fall asleep! I know what you're saying, I'm just making excuses. Maybe now that I've finally attempted to eat healthier again and visit the gym 3 times a week, I'll get back into yoga and/or meditation. Whine whine whine.

I'm exhausted. I have my book waiting for me on my cozy cotton bed, and I believe it's screaming my name. Night loves!

xx

POMlove Cupcakes + Newspaper vases

2009-07-12T20:40:00.006-04:00

New creation! Using the basic Sexy Low-fat Vegan cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, I substituted POM juice for the soy milk in the recipe, as well as for the vegan buttahcream frosting. I read in my Babycakes NYC that you could add pomegranate juice to make frosting pink, and I was dying to try it since most food colorings aren't vegan. What's odd is that the cupcakes turned blueish-green? Very strange. But they tasted delish! I actually ate the leftover frosting as a snack for the past 3 days...whoops.
Oh drool.

I still haven't messed around with cupcake recipes, but I have some ideas.

Finally papier-mâchéd a glass sparkling juice bottle and a vanilla extract bottle to paint and use as vases. I saw the craft in ReadyMade and decided it could be fun to make with pretty bottles. It's a majorly messy project but fun! I really like the look of the newspaper black and white on the bottles, so I may not paint over it. Mais comme cheap and green and fun! :)
All you need is some newspaper cut into strips, glue, water, and nicely-shaped bottles. Mix 2 parts glue to one part water and dip the strips into the mixture. Drape over the bottle, covering any exposed areas. Fold over some strips into the mouth of the bottle. If you need to you can do two layers, but one will suffice for sturdy glass bottles. Let dry in-between layers. If you want to paint them, prime the bottles, paint with an acrylic paint, and then coat with a clear water-based polyurethane. Googled the craft and found the link to the article in the digital magazine. I'm thinkin' these could make nice gifts! Or just nice decorations for a mantle or bedside table. :)

Time to shower, Nantucket with the mumsy tomorrow!

xx

Quick and easy meal, snack, or side-dish

2009-07-06T14:38:00.005-04:00

For the 4th of July I decided to pull a 'clean out the fridge' ingredient meal, and created something so delicious and simple, you must make it!
Ingredients:

green Italian squash
2 carrots
Yellow pepper
2 stalks celery
Some firm tofu, cubed
1 clove garlic
Liquid Braggs (tsp or so)
Honey
Horseradish spicy whole grain mustard (tsp or so)
Apple cider vinegar(1 tbsp)
Olive oil (1 tbsp)

Wash the veggies and using a vegetable peeler, peel your squash and carrots. Julienne (aka slice in thin strips) a chunk of the yellow pepper and then cut into smaller bite-sized chunks. Slice the celery into small 'U'-shaped strips (aka, slice with knife perpendicular to celery stalk). Add the tofu cubes and toss together with [clean!] hands.

I also created a divine dressing to drizzle over the veggies. In a jar or small container that has a lid, I shake up the garlic, horseradish whole grain mustard, some apple cider vinegar, braggs, and a little squeeze of honey. Shake it up and then drizzle it all over! It's delicious, no lie. A non-vegan/vegetarian, my boyfriend's friend Matt, actually tried this dish and appeared to like it! I've also fed him some of my vegan cupcakes, which he has also enjoyed. Yup, I'm spreading vegan awareness through incredibly tasty nourriture.
I made another side of one cucumber, sliced and drizzled with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and then later some of the above dressing. Light, crunchy, tasty! Bonus? I ate healthy and felt full afterwards.

xx

Bohomag

2009-07-06T09:33:00.007-04:00

Discovered this magazine last year when their first issue came out and immediately fell in love. It's an eco chic magazine full of great fashion, tips for green living, and many other trinkets a girl can use. They have a regular website but also a blog. It's a nice conscious magazine. I love the feel of the paper, too.

Through their website I also found this site, which features different magazines that used recycled paper, and you can buy just one issue.

Off to weed the garden and attempt to plant my peony bush! They're my absolute favorite flower. Sigh.

[the background of my blackberry, pic of area downstairs à ma maison]

Green with fashion

2009-07-05T22:22:00.003-04:00

Classy. Sexy. Vegan. Green. Fair-trade. Vaute Couture. Although at the moment I cannot afford, I drooled over these clothes. Parfait.

Also, for those who don't know, I was pro-Leanne from day one of last season's Project Runway. Although that pretty indie lady has been under the radar, here's a new interview with her from NYLON, a magazine that although can sometimes be sceney-bopper, definitely has some goodies in it. (Here's the original link, just in case)

Before Project Runway took its long and mourned hiatus, it crowned one last Bravo winner, 26-year-old Leanne Marshall. The Portland native wooed and wowed judges like Tim Gunn and Michael Kors thanks to her girly-but-structured dresses, and a commitment to eco-friendly fabrics in her final collection.
This season, Leanne launches her first full range with Bluefly.com (a perk of her prize package), and sits down with us for some oh-my-god what-is-Kenleigh-really-like chitchat (her answer? "Um... very talented").

We don't hear much about Portland in the fashion world...
I moved from Portland to New York six months ago. Now I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Do you still bike? One of my favorite parts of the show was when you made Tim Gunn go cycling with you?
I wish! I had to give up my bike! Plus I’m too scared to ride here, the other bikers are crazy. I actually got hit by a biker today on my way to the studio!

Has your style changed since the show?
It’s always evolving, but now that you throw in manufacturing and production – I’m not making the clothes by hand anymore – and it’s gotten more sophisticated. But part of that comes from being in New York, my own style has gotten that way, too.
You really stood out for your commitment to eco-friendly materials. Have you been able to hang onto that now that you're working with bigger clothing factories?
I'm trying! I intend to do everything domestically… There are so many people here who need jobs, and we should invest in jobs here! Not only does it reduce our carbon footprint but it can also make such a difference in the American economy!

You sound like Obama in Prada.
Yeah, I’ll save the world through cocktail dresses.

You could, actually...
Right? And the sustainable thing is not just a trend. People shouldn’t have to say it’s organic, sustainable cotton like that’s some kind of novelty. All cotton should be organic cotton! I feel that responsibility as a designer, and right now, I’m about halfway there. Eventually my goal is to make absolutely everything out of eco-friendly and sustainable materials, and have it all done in the US.

So you always wanted to be a designer.
Always.

Did you always want to be on TV?
God no! I’m a behind the scenes person tweaking models. I actually got to New York just before the show and thought, “Oh shit, what am I getting into?” And the whole experience was mind-boggling. But I said to myself, “I can suck it up. I want to win and I will do whatever I have to. I just really needed that $100,000!”

Did you worry about your image on TV? And how the producers would edit you?
I couldn’t think about that. I mean, now… I watched each episode once, with my friends, and I cannot watch them ever again. I’m like, “Oh my god, why did I say that?!” But I couldn’t think about that at the time, I just really had to win.
What's it like now that people feel like they know you, just from watching TV?
Having a stranger come up to me and say, "I love your clothes," that’s a big deal. That’s like having a fan girl. But when people are like, next to me in an elevator and they start whispering, “That’s the girl from Project Runway,” I’m like, “Are you kidding?! I’m stating right here! Stop whispering about me!”

We always ask people the worst advice they've ever gotten.
"Just get a job where you have insurance!" That was terrible advice. Thanks, Mom!

Obviously you didn't listen.
I quit my job to be a fulltime designer without telling my mom – I actually didn’t tell her until just before the show started. I called her and said, “Hey, mom? So, I need to tell you something… and by the way, I’m going to be on TV.”
--FARAN KRENTCIL

A new way to chill

2009-07-05T21:52:00.001-04:00

New candy from Sour Patch, an amazing company out of Canada that makes those yummy candies including Swedish Fish (which are all vegan!). These are just too weird to me though! They almost taste like medicine with menthol...very weird. The lemon was yummy, but...bizarre. Oh well, 'A' for effort, SP!

xx

Sent on the Now Network from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Go forth and enter!

2009-07-05T19:26:00.001-04:00

Enter to win a Yogaworks yoga mat + The Sakroots Pax eco yoga bag!

Good luck!

xx

Sweet Tweets

2009-07-01T10:13:00.005-04:00

Follow on Twitter!

Image via CrunchBase

The Honest Kitchen (she makes organic raw pet food! Brilliant.)
Food Fight! Grocery (they have a great website, too)
The Daily Vegan
Deepak Chopra (need I say more?)
Treehugger
Try Vegan PDX (out of Portland, Oregon)
Isa Chandra Moskowitz (all hail!)
Follow the Vegan ('we're following the [vegan] wherever he may go')
Vegan Treats (yes please!)
Gene Baur (because I met him and he's a wonderful man with a wonderful cause, Farm Sanctuary)
Vegan Baking
Your Daily Vegan (wonderful lady with great information on everything vegan)
Vegan Diet (more great info)
Sarah Kramer (because without her guidance I could never be vegan! Plus she's funny and sweet and smart, and has great tats)
VegNews Magazine (my monthly lovah)
Danny Seo (green aficionado)
Yoga Journal
ASPCA
Mercy For Animals

Tweet away!

xx

I'm thinkin...

2009-07-01T09:21:00.001-04:00

I need these. Stat.

xx

My favorites at the moment...

2009-06-30T22:48:00.004-04:00

Right now I can't live without:

AHAVA Mud Exfoliator for all skin types: buh-bye blackheads! Not tested on animals. Not sure on all ingredients, most are vegan.
Mario Bedescu Drying Lotion: works magic on pimples overnight! Vegan ingredients, not tested on animals.
L'Oreal Everpure Smooth Deep Control Masque: smells yummy (rosemary mint) and smoothed my frizzies without grease or weighing it down. Plus, the label says "100% Vegan-Not tested on animals, no animal byproducts." Sweet!
Badger Lip and Body Balm in Chai Rose: Cerified organic, local (NH!), and vegan! Plus it smells yummy, like a fresh mug of chai tea. And keeps my lips smooth and supah silky.

Cupcake experiment like it's mah jab!

2009-06-29T15:24:00.004-04:00

Cupcake experiment number two was successful and tasty! Using Yogi Tea Green Tea Goji Berry I infused soy milk and prepared the Sexy Low-fat Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.
I've never infused anything or made tea cupcakes before, but I decided to warm the milk up on low-medium heat so that it just started to simmer, then added 4 tea bags (maybe use 5, the flavor is very 'quiet' in the cupcakes) and took it off of the heat to sit for about 10 minutes. After the milk was cooled I followed the recipe and baked the cupcakes.
Taking a cue from Ina Garten and Martha Stewart, I like to know what I'm eating, or what's in it. I made a pale green frosting and topped each cupcake with a few goji berries. Moist and delicious and healthy! Well, somewhat healthy. I want to try using different teas and also mess with several recipes for cupcakes to actually invent my own. I really want to open that bakery within the next few years! Fingers crossed!

xx

Quick tidbit...

2009-06-23T21:19:00.005-04:00

Saw "The Proposal" the other night. Yes, I'm that girl that constantly quotes "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail", so clearly I love a good chick flick. This movie was actually really great, funny and charming, and mmm Ryan Reynolds. Just wanted to let you all know that in the movie there's a part where Sandra Bullock asks Ryan Reynolds, her assistant, to make sure she gets a vegan meal on her flight, unlike the last time "when they actually gave it to a vegan". There's also a really sweet scene where Sandra is holding a cup with shrimp cocktail in it, but her character doesn't eat fish. She wanders outside onto a balcony or dock and tosses the shrimp into the ocean and quietly says "be free, be free!" I thought it was precious and too funny. Yay veganism in the masses! Now go see the movie, please!

xx.

Candy Cupcakes

2009-06-21T15:53:00.004-04:00

In the past few weeks, in the midst of my obsession with baking cupcakes, I realized I would love to open a bakery. But not just any bakery - a bakery that offers vegan cupcakes and regular cupcakes, but here's the kicker: it'll be part thrift/antique store too! Vintage clothes, jewelry, local artists can showcase their work and goods...yes. Brilliant, Shelby. I'm not sure where I'll open the store, or when, or if I'll ever be able to, but it's a major dream of mine. I might sit and scour business schools and beg smart people to go into business with me. I'm so not money-savvy.

Moving on...so today I created a new cupcake. Based on the Sexy Lowfat Vegan Cupcakes out of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I split the batter in half and added Swedish Fish to one portion, and Sour Patch Kids to the other. Now, this could have gone south very easily, and I was initially worried that it would change the consistancy of the cupcakes or that the candy would bcome toxic when heated at a high temp, but I've eaten two an I'm still kickin'! The cupcakes taste exactly the same and are still moist and delicious.

For some reason the cupcakes with the SPK candies (the 6 closest to camera) turned out lighter than the cupcakes with the SF in them, as you can see.

Oh delicious holiness. Bow down to Candy Cupcakes. Hmm...Candy Swedish Kid Cupcakes? Call me crazy but that sounds offensive...maybe not...hmm...I think Candy Cupcakes is it.

Note to self: Next time, maybe add the candies into the cupcakes, alternating between spoonfuls of batter and candy.

xx.

GRU

2009-06-18T17:08:00.005-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Just got my Vegetarian Times July/August issue, hooray! In this issue's "carrot & stick", the city of my Alma Matter, Gainesville, FL received a carrot! Why?

For becoming the first US city to adopt a feed-in-tariff program to promote green power. Under FIT, solar panel owners sell the electricity they generate back to the grid at a fixed, above market price - in this case, 32 cents per kilowatt-hour - guaranteed for the next 20 years.

Nice job, GRU (Gainesville Regional Utilities)! And hey...GO GATORS!

xx

Plymouth Eats

2009-06-17T13:27:00.004-04:00

Went for a walk downtown today in order to soak up as much sun as possible since it's going to be rainy and gloomy for the next week. Boo, Mother Nature, it's JUNE! My boyfriend took his lunch break and we decided to venture into foreign territory: The Blue Blinds Bakery. The bakery is a recently open 24-hour bakery that serves up sandwiches, soup, tea, breads and delicious baked goods. All are organic and I believe there are some vegan options as well. The Plymouth Community Twelve Tribes opened the bakery right around the corner from their Wholesome Foods Market, Common Sense (a great place to purchase organic skin care, foods, teas, and of course the incredible Carob Almond Butter Cup). Although I do know a bit about the community and don't agree with everything they're about, I love supporting my town through a local shop. I also appreciate buying organic at reasonable prices, and to be honest, I can't live without those darn Carob Almond Butter Cups. Seriously delish.
Anyway, the Blue Blinds used to be this haunted house (yes, really) and the Twelve Tribes renovated and restored the home beautifully. It's closed on Saturdays for their Sabbath or Shabbat, but other than that it's really open 24hrs. If you've ever visited a period 17-century village, you can imagine that smell of burning wood. That's how the bakery smells - exactly like the Plimoth Plantation. Which, to a Plymouth resident like me is somewhat comforting and homey.
Tim and I both ordered the caprese sandwich, which consists of a fresh baked organic French baguette, mozzarella slices, arugula, red peppers, tomatoes, and a sweet and tangy slather of balsamic vinaigrette.
We also shared the Plymouth Rock, an incredibly adorable dessert made of carob, coconut, peanuts, pecans and raisins, frosted with "1620". Who knew rocks could taste so sweet!I also had some of their iced lemon yerba maté, which is made by Guayaki. Yes, I realize I'm obsessed with yerba maté but it's that good. Go try some. You can find it at specialty food stores (oh how I loathe that term) and some supermarkets, but I know for sure Whole Foods sells it, as well as Common Sense in downtown Plymouth, for my local readers.

xx

Adventures on The Other Side

2009-06-15T21:14:00.009-04:00

So my birthday was Saturday June 6th, the big 23! My handsome wonderful boyfriend of 5 years surprised me with a night in the Sheraton in Boston (what an amazing view...the 27th floor!), and tickets to the Red Sox game! Now, if you don't know, I'm the Sox's lucky charm - that night was the only game we won against those silly Texas Rangers! Anyway, after a fun-filled birthday, the next day we walked around Boston some, shopped of course, and went to somewhere new for lunch. Tim had mentioned the restaurant a few times but we always forgot to go. The Other Side is a really cool restaurant located on...the other side of Newbury slash the other side of Mass Ave. When you walk in, the kitchen is directly to your right, open to admiration. The low ceilings and architecture of the building give it a true city vibe: unique, lived-in, comfy. The food was amazing and innovative and original and the service was excellent. Be prepared to wait if you show up at a meal time, but believe me: it's worth the wait!

My meal was vegan chicken salad, spicy wrap filling, another delish side, served with "chips", aka carrot and beet slices, I believe served raw and maybe dehydrated? Anyway, it was incredible! I couldn't even finish, I took half home to devour the next day. I also had hot yerba maté (pronounced yaer-bah mahtay, if you say it outloud), which if you don't already know is a superb alternative to coffee. No crack-caffeine jitters! I'm newly addicted. Tim had real chicken salad, which was yellow...maybe because they added tumeric? Anyway, it's delicious and incredible and wonderful! Do go if you're in or around Boston.

xx

gnu blawg.

2009-05-27T22:45:00.002-04:00

Wellp, I finally decided to create a new blog alongside this one that will focus on my fashion obsessions, which occur daily. Cheers (with my new signature obsession drink, soda water with fresh cut lime) to a new blog!

bon marché.

EPIC FAIL. (but it tastes better with vegan cupcakes!)

2009-05-27T20:27:00.006-04:00

I know! I'm a huge failure.

I have written in months, AND I've slumped into vegetarianism briefly. Here's the deal, because honesty is the best policy: I had a severe craving for turkey, which I hadn't had in more than a year, and I feel like when my body craves something it's missing some nutrients or vitamins. Well, I also had a major brief craving for a burger, which I fulfilled via Wendy's twice. I think I ate turkey for a week straight! It was a nightmare. I felt so guilty but for some reason I couldn't get enough. I swear to you, I could not stop picturing the poor animal the whole time I was eating. And I'm a total geek, but each time I thanked the animal for its' sacrifice and apologized for eating it. It makes me sad to eat anything that derives from an animal, and let me tell you, it is so difficult to maintain a vegan diet living at home with two omnivores and a very VERY limited income! I do realize though that many people do live a vegan lifestyle in this situation, but it's been really hard for me. I know that as soon as I live on my own (I plan to move to Boston within the next year) I will go back to eating vegan.

I have been eating cheese again, because it's so darn good! I am planning on making some vegan goat cheese though, courtesy of one of my vegetarian magazines. I'll let you know how it goes, of course! But anyway, I'm a total Francophile and live for cheese. Cheese and wine = a happy Shelby! Since I am lactose-intolerant, cheese devouring will have to end soon enough. But a little bit as a snack isn't killing my tummy, so I've been indulging. Ugh yes I know! I feel the guilt.

So I can't go back to eating eggs and chicken, which gives me hope for the future that one day I will officially not desire any meats. I think I only really ate turkey again was because it's readily available. Boo though. Meat is bad!

I've made several cupcakes though, and my recent favorite creation from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World was the incredible Maple Walnut Cupcakes with "buttahcream" frosting. AMAZINGLY DELISH. I remade them a second time with candied pecans instead of walnuts, and I must say the walnuts are dramatically better. I urge you to make cupcakes. Yes, your waist may expand for a couple of days, but believe me...your life will be brighter! I love cupcakes. I prefer vegan, and those that I make, because I know what's going in them. Plus I pretend they're 'healthier' than non-vegan cupcakes! Pictures below!

Heaven. Hey, you might wanna wipe the drool off your chin.

So my birthday is Saturday June 6th, and I had my mom buy me BabyCakes recipe book! Yay! I might go insane and bake EVERYTHING. She was on Martha a few weeks ago and I went nuts. Martha AND vegan cupcakes? S W E E T. Here's an older video, not the one I watched, but hey just as good!

By the way, my best friend Stacey bought me an AMAZING cookbook that EVERYONE on EARTH should own! How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Check it out at your local library, or if you can, buy it. It's got tidbits on all sorts of veggies and fruits and food, and great recipes like coconut milk brussel sprouts, and beet crisps! Mmm.

Time to relax and maybe watch Annie Hall. Gnight, be well!

xx

Disney foodage and perhaps a Philadelphia adventure!

2009-03-04T17:15:00.004-05:00

Hydroponics! I believe these are cucumbers...THEY'RE MASSIVE! In Living with the Land at EPCOT, a magical ride about farming. My favorite ride next to Nemo!

Hello hello!

I have been so busy working nonstop and finishing up things with grad apps. I had an interview last week and got accepted to the school, yay! I have another interview on Friday in Philadelphia and am driving down tomorrow with my mom. Then I have another interview back in Boston on Monday! Wish me luck! I'm hoping to go to this restaurant Horizons in Philly.

Anyway, this post is finally about how to manage Disney on a vegan diet. I posted day 1 from my BlackBerry, but we were so busy in Disney I didn't have any time to post any more! I kept track on my phone, so here is the cumulative list:

At Tony's Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom (right on Main Street), there is a delicious spaghetti + marinara sauce, as well as a delicious shrimp scampi - but clearly minus the shrimp!
At the Bay Cafe/Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, there's a DELICIOUS veggie wrap with a side of apple slices. BUT NOTE: do not order the chips! They are fried with cheese sprinkled on top. There is also PB+J, which is always a good thing.
Beaches 'n Cream, at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, have a veggie burger with fries. I was told the veggie burger did not have any egg in it! Yay!
In Mexico, at the World Showcase in EPCOT, munch on rice and beans or a veggie burrito. Ole!
NOTE: Any restaurant in the World Showcase (Mexico, France, Morocco, etc.) will make any meal vegan or vegetarian. Call in advance and explain in detail your diet.
I was super excited to see that soy milk is offered at the parks and resorts, even though it was Silk (which I believe is owned by Kraft). Also, the little kiosks all throughout the parks offer fruit cups, pickles, iced fruit bars, oranges and bananas. Yay healthy Disney!
Recycle! There are lots of places around the parks to recycle cans and bottles. Also, remember to conserve! For as long as I can remember there has always been a little note in the bathroom of the park hotels that requests that guests conserve water consumption and reuse their towels. Just fold them up and hide them in your suitcases, or hang them over the shower (I think that's what the note says!)
At several places in EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios (aka MGM), and Magic Kingdom I had that incredible veggie wrap, which was my go-to in times of need. I also had a turkey leg....ONLY KIDDING! Yick. They're so sad and disturbing. Who wants to gnaw on a carcass?

Time to go to Whole Foods for road snacks, stay well!

xx

@ disney world! Day One

2009-01-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

So far...you can do disney as a vegan!! At the land in Epcot, sample the Beet Salad withOUT the goat cheese. And in Japan, have some mixed shoddy veggies with white rice and soy sauce. More later! :)

xx

One "flu" over the cuckoo's nest

2009-01-27T09:46:00.004-05:00

I am so miserable! I have the flu (again), and have been coughing and sneezing and downing Theraflu nonstop. I'm convinced those packets of Theraflu saved my life!! No really... after one cup two nights ago, I was [rudely] awoken in the early early hours of the morning drenched in sweat - a good sign that my fever broke. Although I have been feeling horribly, it's marginally better. I forced some steamed kale and raw garlic down my throat yesterday, as well as lots of tea, cough drops, and orange juice.

I'm pretty sure of several factors that led to me catching the flu again. First, I work at a rehabilitation facility. Second, the weather has been awful - bitter cold some days, then back up to the 30s the next few days. Third, I did not get the flu vaccine! I will definitely be getting it next year - I was sick for 10 days starting on Christmas Eve, and now I've been sick since Saturday. Now lastly, I'm sure my diet did add to my weakened immune system. For the past week I was not as diligent with my diet, eating too many carbs and not enough veggies. I looked up some good foods to eat when one is sick with the flu, and found this Q and A. Note, this girl is a vegetarian and does eat eggs, so if you're vegan like me, disregard the some food options given by the doctor responding to the question.

Read me! Article on weakened immune system.

Onto something different...this Saturday I'm going to DISNEY WORLD! My mom, brother, and his best friend and I are all going until February 5th. It's going to be awesome! So here's my plan - show you how to survive Disney on a vegan diet! (Wow, writing that I feel such a purpose in life! haha) Although I won't have my laptop down there, I will have my Blackberry and will try to update via my phone. It's going to be super tough, because I love those chocolate-dipped vanilla Mickey ice cream bars, and the goat-cheese rolled in cracked pepper in the Land...AHHdelicieux! Hopefully I will not be tempted, and hopefully writing this will keep me on track. I haven't cheated once, and I really want to stick with the diet this time. Honestly, my belief is that I'm doing what's healthy for me, and eating dairy products was negatively affecting my body - I'm lactose-intolerant. But I'm really trying to monitor what I eat and incorporate as many veggies and fruits as I can into my diet, and minimizing processed foods like chips, candy, frozen foods, etc. I haven't had any candy for a few weeks now, and working at a news stand makes it quite tough!! I'm SURROUNDED by delicious candy, and out of all of that candy there are only 2 kinds I can eat...which happen to be the only kind I desire! Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Watermelons! *Speaking of which, I should write their company and thank them for keeping their food vegan, even if they aren't aware of it!

I recently purchased Skinny Bitch through Amazon.com. I read the entire book in a matter of days,and those sexy little ladies had so many interesting, informative blurbs on living a vegan lifestyle. One thing that has really stuck with me is noticing how you feel after you eat those foods that are not healthy for you, like candy and empty carbs. The other day at work I had some chips, and made sure to eat as consciously as I could have while monitoring my 24+ patients eating their lunches. About ten minutes or more after eating, I was bloated and felt gross. Surprise? Not really. Noticing how I felt after eating that food has really persuaded me to avoid it, which is awesome! This is also how I started to avoid candy. Aside from the fact that there is no nutritional value in the candy, I feel bloated and gassy and gross post-devouring those little sugar drenched goodies. Now, I don't know if people really read my blog (except for my wonderful friends who tell me they read it), but seriously - go to your library and read Skinny Bitch! Although I managed only 2 pages in the animal cruelty section (I couldn't finish it - I started crying and almost had a panic attack, no lie...it makes me physically sick to think of what disgusting things humans do to innocent animals), it's an incredible book that really evokes a new way of thinking.

So lastly I'll leave you all with this "eco scoop" from sprig.com. I absolutely love that Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi became vegan! Bravo ladies. Now Portia is doing something else for veganism: read about it here.

Off to down some more Theraflu! I'm going into town tonight with my boyfriend as I won two tickets to see Frost/Nixon at the Colonial Theatre with Stacy Keach! It was through one of my favorite radio stations, WERS out of Emerson College. You can stream it live here, and I recommend that you do! Enjoy.

xx

P.S.: Did anyone watch Martha today? I must get a dog and do "Doga!"

Some like it raw....

2009-01-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

Went to Grezzo (pronounced "gray-zo") last night! It's a raw food restaurant that opened last year in Boston's North End on Prince St. Nestled in the midst of Italian nooks, Grezzo is way too incredible to avoid. My boyfriend, who is not remotely even vegetarian, liked the restaurant and fell in love with their rich brownie sundae with coconut vanilla ice cream. Although we had to beg the waitress not to tell him what ingredients were used in the brownie (and sadly when she came back with the brownie she told us), he ate the entire thing without hesitation! And of course he shared, no worries there!

I ordered the unroasted pepper trio with dill, cilantro, and miso cheeses, the butternut squash ravioli (which used thinly sliced turnips as the ravioli shells), and a delicious blackberry, sage, and sake drink. Tim, the boyfriend, ordered the Grezzo sliders (which i practically ate all of), the native tomato ravioli (with a Boursin that is the perfect replacement for cheese and totally quells my cravings!), and then of course the incredible edible raw brownie. SO DELISH! I'm not a fan of sparkling or bottled water, so we ordered tap (which I have no problem drinking anywhere...bottled is a waste of money...I once ordered bottled water at a nice restaurant, and the tab said it cost 14 bucks! @ my local supermarket it was priced at ONE DOLLAR.). What's really sweet is that the water came with a slice of cucumber, which makes it taste so fresh and clean, a perfect compliment to the healthy nourriture served at Grezzo.

Although our bill came to 85, I thought it was perfectly reasonable. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone, vegetarian/vegan/raw or not. Great service, a beautiful atmosphere, and out of the hullabaloo of the city. I wish I could eat there every day! The only think that annoyed Tim and I were the constant "Hands!" coming from the kitchen - meaning your food is up, come get it and deliver it to your table STAT.

Aside from my general awe of this restaurant, I was also surprised to feel stuffed for hours after eating it, without the slightest bit of discomfort. I felt so good! Now, I think I've mentioned it before, but I have a problem with lactose-intolerance. I can't digest dairy products well at all - I get gassy, bloated, and well, you know. Sometimes I would be stuck in the bathroom for hours in so much pain. After too many years, I finally started avoiding the foods that made me sick. Last night I experienced the regular anxiety that comes with eating rich foods or dairy when I dug into the brownie sundae. It was so rich and the ice cream was so creamy, I couldn't believe that it was actually raw and vegan. I was so worried that I was going to get sick, but alas, I was fine! No tummy ache. It was amazing! I need to recreate that brownie asap.

I just bought Ani Phyo's book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, and am so excited to make some raw recipes. This morning I made her Breakfast Cakes and it was so cool. I didn't follow the recipe's measurements exactly, so it was a bit messy. But nutty and yummy! I'm so giddy about raw foods, I didn't realize how many things one can recreate. I just want to be healthier, live healthier and greener, produce less garbage, et cetera.

Hope everyone is doing well! Now back to watching "Underworld" on TNT!

xx

:: 2009 ::

2009-01-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

Well hello world, I am indeed alive. I apologize (for the handful of you that read my blog) for NEVER updating. I am in the process of applying to grad schools (7 down, 3 to go!) and have been working quite a bit as well.

To keep myself on track, I've typed my New Year's Resolutions on my BlackBerry, and now they'll be here too. First and foremost is the most important resolution for me, and may be the hardest living at home. But self-discipline is a virtue - I think!

Go and stay vegan
Do yoga everyday (even if it's a sun sal)
Less negative, judgmental thoughts
Nag B less
Spend less money, save more money
Be true to myself. I AM amazing and beautiful!

I made them up last night. I really care so much about animals and I hate the thought of their suffering. A taste of a delicious soft French cheese is not worth the excruciating pain cows endure to produce a brief fleeting moment of happiness (followed by guilt and fat-thoughts, ha). A total self-professed Francophile, cheese has been the hardest for me to give up. I did really well while I was in college, but being home with my mom has been tough. She loves cheese too, and doesn't think too highly of my diet - even though she was a vegetarian for 20ish years. But don't judge, it's mainly for my health that she's concerned. She doesn't lecture or make me feel bad about myself, unlike some people I know who completely hate the diet. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and although at times I feel small and hurt by people's comments, I have to keep the mindset that I'm doing something great for animals, the world, and myself. So ha!

Ok enough of that ramble. I'm gunna go do a few stretches and then pass out! I've been sick for a week and have refused to take any medicine...because I'm stubborn like that, I suppose.

Happy New Year to everyone, and I hope it's a happy, healthy, amazing year for you! Be well.

xx

Cuc, herbs, leekypotahto, spicy nutz, and a sweet lemony cake!

2008-07-29T15:43:00.000-04:00

Lots to tell! First off, I started growing my own herbs and cucumber in my front yard - I have very limited growing space since we live in a condo. Anyway, I have cooked with every herb so far and I love it...and now I have my first cucumber! It is so much more juicy and tender, it's incredible.
A few weeks ago I made some simple vegan potato and leek soup, and although I made it way too creamy (I food processed too many potatoes from the soup), it was still delish! Basically it was just vegetable broth, 2 medium potatoes, leeks, and I added a little soy milk and herbs.
happy potato!

the finished delish-a-roso product! nom nom!

Next up, those spicaaaay nuts! Also courtesy of Sarah Kramer's yum yum recipe books.
Now just look at that and tell me if doesn't look amazing! It was a mixture of smoky spicy salty and sweet that hit the spot anytime I needed to munch. Sunflower seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pecans, all in the raw and transformed into heaven! Just spread them all out on a baking pan, toss with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt (optional), pepper, nutmeg, and some other goodies, and bake away! Your house will smell heavenly, trust me.

CAKE! I finally baked something tasty! This lemon cake was so simple and fast, and with the added touches of powdered sugar and strawberries, it tasted truly divine. And again, the recipe is courtesy of Sarah Kramer. It was vegan, of course, and believe it or not, my non-vegan family members LOVED IT! I was super surprised about my mom - she usually hates anything with the vegan connotation (mainly because she feels it's not healthy). But she really liked this! I definitely need to make it...bake it...again!

So other than all this hullabalogne, not much else is going on. I finally joined a gym up here, so I have been going nearly every other day for the past few weeks. I haven't kept up with the yoga - bad, I know! But it's hard when I don't go to classes (can't afford them right now) and have little space to work with in this house. And sadly, meditation hasn't been occurring either! I so want to get back into it, my emotions have been a little too enhanced since I've been home and graduated. I will tell you though that I'm reading an amazing book - for the past year I kept hearing people mention it, and when I went to buy it months ago at my favorite used bookstore back at school, the owner was close to forcing me to buy it, she said I HAD to read it! Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is truly brilliant. I love it so far, and make sure to read some of it each night. Please read it! It may change your life, no lie.

Be well all!

xx
sk.

Behind the times.

2008-07-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

I am so so sorry I have not updated in...3 months! I've been really busy job-hunting, and of course graduating and adjusting to a life post-graduating college and having nothing to do.

Hopefully sometime soon I will update you all and have some good info from the long-awaited meeting with Gene Baur - I did purchase his book, but I have not started reading it yet. I'm still in the midst of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

So I haven't done yoga since like April, and I hate that I've gained weight and can see the changes in my body. I definitely need to get back on it! It's just hard not having a set schedule with work and no routine to get into. Whine whine whatever, I'll get on it.

Hope all is well, will update soon!

xx

Passover's coming...

2008-04-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

My mother is Protestant and my father is Jewish, so growing up I celebrated all holidays between the 2 religions. I don't really affiliate with a religion now, but I'm going to visit my dad for Passover and am planning on making a few vegan dishes. I got a great email from PETA that has some great recipes for jewish foodies, like a great substitute for chopped liver, which I LOVED when I was younger. Blegh. And note, some horseradish has egg and milk in it, so make sure you check out the ingredients. I bought a really yummy jar wicked cheap at my supermarket, so just remember to read the labels.

Here's the recipes, enjoy!

PASS OVER THE FOOD

No more beer? I think I may cry...

2008-04-10T14:22:00.000-04:00

Saw this in my email from thedailygreen.com, and I am super sad. This can't be true! A world without beer could be our future? Sh*t, man. Not cool.

This gives a whole new meaning to the oft-warbled, "Just one more drink."

Experts are saying global warming may cause failed barley crops - one of the main ingredients in beer.

Jim Salinger, a climate scientist, is quoted in the Daily Star: "It will mean either there will be pubs without beer or the cost of beer will go up." He warned that the whole world's beer supply was at risk, and that it could hit within 30 years.

Some say they have already seen the effects of strained barley crops. Mark Hastings from British Beer and Pub Association said land that was used for barley is being given over to biofuels pushing barley prices up.

He said: “It’s already happening and will get worse."

Cheers?

xx

Shopping list, coups, and green garbs...ooh la la!

2008-04-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

Hello lovies! After receiving an email a week or so ago from my favorite tastebetter.com, I decided to post en entry on what I, a vegan, buy at the supermarket. I'll start with what I buy at the regular supermarket, Publix, then list what I buy at my local co-op, Ward's.

Broccoli
Silk plain light soy milk
Orgo apple sauce (I call organic orgo...)
Orgo grape tomatoes
Avocado
Jelly (minus the gelatin, of course!)
Prunes
Dried cranberries
Olive oil (extra virgin)
Balsamic vinager
Cereal
Couscous
Rice (dry)
Canned beans (garbanzo and pinto)
Cranberry juice (Adam and Eve, since it's more real cranberry juice than Ocean Spray)
Bread (be careful to get one without a buttload of ingredients, and no HFCS!)
Earth Balance vegan butter
Pasta (I use Ronzoni healthy harvest)
Silk Live! Yogurt (I recommend you try the Key Lime Pie...mmm!)
Crackers
Boca Burgers and Boca Chicken Patties (mm)
Bananas
Frozen blueberries
Soy ice cream

Now for the local co-op goodness!

Whole almonds / cashews / walnuts; slivered almonds
Quinoa
Almond Butter
Wines (I'm a massive wino)
Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Silken and firm tofu (it's so much cheaper than Publix here!)
Spices (you can measure how much you want/need instead of buying a jar of spices...or you can buy a jar!) - I use cumin, cayenne pepper, Hungarian paprika, and a few others stocked from past recipes I've made
Vegan Gourmet cheese (amazing!! BEST EVER. it melts and tastes so real)
Orgo kale
Sweet potatoes
Locally grown spinach
Locally grown salad mix
Asparagus
Artichoke
Leek
Onions (I tend to love vidalia)
Garlic (mm!)
Star fruit
Strawberries

So that's that! If I think of more stuff I'll keep updating it. But that's basically what's stocked up in my kitchen, aside from condiments and such. Next, here are some green coupons from, who else, thedailygreen.com. Enjoy!

GREEN FOR COUPONS

Now, I received an email today from my beloved ELLE magazine and found out that Banana Republic, quite the cute and classy store, will be having a green line! Fabulous, right? Now if only I could spend all my money on a new wardrobe instead of on school...

GREEN NANERS

I'm off to vegg out. Be well!

xx

Aw no, Anthony!

2008-04-01T00:32:00.000-04:00

Anthony Bourdain hates vegans. I'm so hurt. But I'll prolly still watch his show on the Travel Channel... ugh but read this article!

Hezbollah Tofu takes Anthony Bourdain down a peg

xx

Artichaut and Something...Gross.

2008-03-31T18:35:00.000-04:00

I made an artichoke today finally! Growing up my mom would always make them, with this delicious breading and yummyness, the way her dad made them. I decided to make one myself, but I didn't use anything except water, olive oil, and lemon. It's actually really good! I'm gunna chow down on it for dinner. Basically, buy a nice tight artichoke. Make sure it's lovely and green (purple and brown aren't good signs). Lay the artichoke on it's side and cut the top off, about 1/2 inch. Then snip off all the sharp edges on the outer leaves. I also peeled a few from the stalk, and cut the stalk a little. Simmer/steam the artichoke in a little bit of water in a closed pan (i.e., keep the lid on). Squeeze some lemon all over it, and a splash of olive oil. Then let it chill out for 25 - 30 minutes till it smells like an artichoke...or well more accurately, till it's green and the leaves come away from the choke...or the center of the artichoke. Then let it cool a little bit and slide your teeth across the inside of the leaves, eating the yummy 'flesh' as they call it...which I kinda don't like. But whatever...so now I'm trying to decide what to dip the leaves in...balsamic vinager and mustard? BV and olive oil? Ponder ponder...

So next is something not so appetizing...I forget how I found this article, but it's saddening. Who knew cat piss could make things smell so good?

Time to munch down on my artichoke , be well!

xx

Slather some vegan on my face, baby.

2008-03-27T18:31:00.000-04:00

So since my best friend and other half Tyler is so amazing, she found this cool site fashionista.com, on which she found...drumroll please...an entry in the blog on VEGAN MAKEUP! Can you hear me squealing with excitement? Urban Decay actually has a ton of delish vegan makeup - I'm THIS close to running to JC Penney and buying some sexy eye shadow glitter! And yes, some JC Penney stores have a mini Sephora in them...amazing, I know.

Here's the vegan makeup blog entry: vegans can be fashionistas too!

And here's Urban Decay Cosmetics amazing line of Vegan Makeup: Put it on me.

Hope all is well, sorry the posts have been so sparse, I've been super busy with my thesis...I'm in the process of collecting and entering data, total b*tch work, but hey...it's gotta be done.

Be well, go take a walk and get some fresh air!!

xx

HFCS = BAD!

2008-03-19T19:37:00.000-04:00

So I was reading my lovely dailygreen email for today and saw this article:

Ban High-Fructose Corn Syrup

This Processed Sweetener Is Everywhere

Up for a challenge? Good. Because avoiding high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is hard. HFCS is a cheaply produced sweetener and preservative made from cornstarch, and it’s found in many of the processed foods we eat. These foods are often high in calories but low in nutritional value — snack foods, fruit-flavored items, condiments and soda all contain HFCS.

Some experts believe our high consumption of HFCS is contributing to our obesity problem, and increased rates of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

To begin the removal of HFCS from your diet, read the ingredient lists on the foods you regularly buy. Try to cut down on the ones that contain it. HFCS is found in common products such as bread; condiments such as ketchup, salad dressing and BBQ sauce; cereals; soda; and fruit-flavored drinks.

Aside from reading labels, you can buy artisan breads. Go with organic ketchup made with organic sugar, and make your own salad dressing. Avoid sugary cereals. You already know that water is always your best hydration bet, and that soda and artificially flavored fruit drinks should be consumed in moderation.

I already knew high-fructose corn syrup was icky, but I really hadn't started taking it out of my diet. Natural sweeteners taste so much better anyway! I absolutely love agave nectar. But anyway, you wouldn't really think about this processed sweetner being in foods like bread - but sadly, certain 'natural' brands shove it in there...I really don't get why! Make sure you read the labels people! It's simple and takes less than a minute... if it takes longer than that, put the food down - too many ingredients is a bad sign.

Be well!

So I was bored and feeling unhealthy...

2008-03-12T17:19:00.000-04:00

I'm on spring break this week - woohoo! Although I'm not out on some tropical island or in Paris with my best friend (you guys better be having an amazing time!), I am still at school working on me-time. Yesterday I felt like my body needed some good food, something nutritious and healthy, and I really wanted to cook! So here's what I threw together:

kale
grape tomatoes
slices of celery
sliced baby carrots
sliced red pepper
broccoli
chopped or minced garlic

It was really filling and really delicious!

I recommend adding the grape tomatoes and celery last, so the tomatoes just burst a bit and so that the celery stays crisp. Yum! Plus this was super fast, and clearly incredibly healthy. I actually only used some water to sautée all the veggies in, and I didn't add any salt or pepper - you could definitely add some olive oil for a bit more flavor. Enjoy!

xx

Something exciting, to me!

2008-03-11T16:07:00.000-04:00

Well first, my thesis protocol just got approved by IRB. This is a huge deal because I can finally start running my study! Very exciting.

Next, this website kidazy.com is giving away a $100 gift certif to Toys R Us! I realize I'm a little old to be excited over it, but how cool! If you have a blog, you should definitely check them out and then post an entry - that way you yourself, YOU, Y-O-U, could be entered to win the gift certificate! The site is actually really neat! I'm entering my blog in hopes of winning! I'm not sure what I'd do with the certificate though...buy a Wii? Give it to my boss's 2 yr old daughter? Think think think.

I made scrambled eggless-eggs last week, courtesy of How It All Vegan! Nyum nyum! So delish. I highly recommend everyone makes it. I used silken tofu as that's all I had in the fridge, but it worked out great! Here's some photos:

The finished product!

Mmmm! This was enough for two servings, and I ate it off the toast - so yummy! At first it was weird because it did taste eggy! But then I reminded myself I wasn't eating chicken juices and it was just tofu...and it was delicious! I also should note that I added red peppers...mm!

Now go get cookin'!

xx

Zesty pasta and a cool dude

2008-03-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

I have a friend named Steve who is utterly amazing. He's the most genuine down-to-earth kid I know. He's about to put together an EP with some amazing songs that I think the world needs to hear. You can find him (but not hug him) at stephenmacdonaldmusic. He just did an interview with a cool magazine, Hard Rain, so I encourage you to go check it out and read the interview/article:

interview

article

Good stuff. Now onto the pasta. I used whole wheat linguine (anyone ever wonder why there isn't any whole grain pasta available at the supermarket? not specialty stores, real supermarkets) and sautéed up some cremini mushrooms (baby portobello's), arugula, garlic, and artichoke hearts with a little olive oil.

then added some frozen peas - because they're so delicious...

and then served over the linguine, to which I added olive oil and grated ginger.

YUMM.

Hope all are well!

xx

Pretty fruity

2008-02-28T16:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick dessert or snack I splashed together a few nights ago.

I put some strawberries and blueberries into a bowl and poured some agave nectar on them, followed by a bit of cranberry juice and pomegranate juice. Toss it around and let it sit for a bit, like 10 mins, so all the juices can be absorbed into the berries. I also definitely recommend adding other fruits, like bananas, orange slices, whatever you have lying around. It's really yummy if you're craving something to munch on! Enjoy!

Healthy Hearty Comfy Homemade Soup

2008-02-26T16:19:00.000-05:00

I made this last Monday and I still have some leftover in my fridge - I'm totally going to eat it tonight...I wonder if that's bad? Oh well! Anyway, I found a recipe online from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, but I changed the recipe a little bit. The FVK calls it "Green on Green Soup", in case you want to make it for yourself! Here were my alterations, but NOT the whole recipe:

The recipe calls for:
1 onion ... I used a vidalia onion, or sweet onion
4 garlic cloves ... I added more!
1 sweet potato ... I omitted it
1/2 cup split peas ... I used about a cup of frozen green peas
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast ... Omitted, it weirded me out for this soup!
Lemon juice ... I think I forgot to add this!
8 ounces mushrooms ... I used about 5 - 6 ounces, and used portabellas
2 lbs chopped greens ... I used spinach, kale, and arugula
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper ... I probably added more, I love pepper.
6 cups water ... I used 5.

I also added a large dash of parsley, a dash of cayenne pepper, a few sliced artichoke hearts, some celery sliced up (at the end, so that it kept a subtle crunch), and sea salt (not too much). This was a really easy recipe and the outcome was delish! Here are the photos from the process:'

Simmer simmer...

After being blended...

Blended 'shrooms and greens in!

The finished entrée with some quick yummy homemade garlic bread:

YUMMM! It was really delicious. I urge you all to make it when you're craving soup! It totally filled my desire and my belly!

And by the way, I received my prize from tastebetter.com's Jason yesterday in the mail, all the way from Canada! I started reading the book today and I love it. Bob and Jenna are awesome..and so is Jason! Thanks again, if you read this! :)

There's French on the postage! Ask me how excited I was (if you didn't know, I'm a total Francophile). Anyway, go onto Amazon and get a nice used copy of Vegan Freak (or buy it new of course!) and read away!

xx

Schticks about nonstick chemicals and... meditation!

2008-02-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Hello darlings! Been busy with the thesis and visiting family. Hope all are well.

Found this article on, of course, thedailygreen.com it's really interesting, but sad - I love turtles! The chemicals in nonstick cookware can wear off so easily, it's important to not cook with one if some of the nonstick layer has peeled off. Back to the article though - what is the proper way to dispose of these chemicals, if there even is one? Clearly the wrong idea is just throwing out the old nonstick pan, so what else can be done? Also, are we going to suffer immune deficiencies from using these chemicals? Ay yi yi, headache!

Next up, I promised you a meditation exercise! I learned this during my first meditation group meeting with an amazing doctor. First, get yourself one raisin or some small fruit (I feel that a raisin is a great idea...even if you're not fond of them). Now sit comfortably in a chair, arms in your lap, holding the raisin in one hand between your index finger and thumb. Close your eyes and breathe in and out, slowly, focusing on the breaths. Any thoughts that pass into your mind, acknowledge them, but pull back into the present and observe your breathing. Allow yourself to visualize nothing, think nothing, just focus on your breath. Notice if your breath is fast or slow, whether you're breathing out of your nose or mouth...follow your breath into your belly, breathing naturally.
Once you feel comfortable with your breathing, play with the raisin with your index and thumb only. How does it feel? Leathery? Soft? Squishy? Notice its shape, if it's curvy or square. Do this for a few moments.
Next, bring the raisin to your lips, but do not open your lips. Simply place the raisin lightly between your closed lips and notice the sensation it has on this different body part. Does it feel the same as when you held it between your fingers? Can you smell it?
Place the raisin into your mouth, but do not chew. Notice what your tongue does, if it moves the raisin about your mouth or if it simply stays put. Does your mouth water? What does it feel like in your mouth? Pay attention to the feelings it creates against the areas of your mouth.
Chew the raison now, but take about 20 chews before swallowing. Notice your tongue again - is it working, moving around? Notice the tastes. Chew slowly and pay attention to the texture of the raisin as you chew it into oblivion (that line sounded cool, whatever!). Once you feel that you have established all the senses in chewing that raisin, swallow. What do you taste now? Feel the raisin sliding down your throat. Are there any lingering pieces in your mouth? Does your tongue hunt for it between your teeth? Breathe in and out, observing the flavors leftover. Let your body breathe naturally and left thoughts simply pass by, again acknowledging them and then letting them go. Don't think, just be.

Cool right? Try it, and maybe have someone read the text to you while you're doing it, or read it before you attempt. Just remember to relax, and if it's your first time, go sit somewhere quiet with no distractions. Don't worry about it, and don't lay down! It's totally discouraged, as you can get to relaxed you'll fall asleep. Good luck, and post any questions you may have!

xx

Vegan lemon squares

2008-02-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

I finally made those Vegan Lemon Squares from Veganomicon! I actually used vegan shortening instead of vegan butter, but it didn't make a big difference in the crust - which I stupidly burned my index finger on! Who knew it would be scalding hot in a 375 degree oven?? :-/ Also, I used Pectin instead of agar flakes, which I COULD NOT find anywhere! :( But they taste totally the same, normal and delicious.

Here's the crust when I put it into the pan; I didn't butter the pan and it worked out fine.
Zesty!
Mixing the pectin, arrowroot powder, lemon juice, and whatever else needed to go in:
Poured into the cooked crust:
Chilled and ready to be eaten!!
Mmmm so good! If you want the recipe, post a comment and I'll go ahead and put it in. Have a wonderful weekend!

xx

P.S.: Up next...meditation! I just started a meditation group at school that is amazing, and I've only had one 1.5 hr class so far and I learned so much.

Uncork unplug undo

2008-02-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my mom earlier and she mentioned how her energy bill is always sky-high. My brother usually never remembers to turn the computer off and is ALWAYS on Xbox, so that sucks up a lot. But I reminded her that she needs to unplug things! I didn't realize this before a couple of months ago, but unplugging your TV when it's off can save you a ton of energy. This is a great article from the Daily Green that will definitely give you a better idea of just what happens when you leave appliances plugged in.

Also, this doesn't have to just apply to your bedroom: check your kitchen, bathroom, family room, etc. for useless plug-ins. Most of the time you can unplug them and have no problems. Now go unplug!

xx

Quick vegan dish I just created

2008-02-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

I was torn on what to make for dinner, so I threw this stuff together:

Couscous
Firm tofu cubes
1/2 avocado
Some almond slivers
Carrot slices
Grape tomatoes
1 - 2 garlic cloves
Dash of cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper

For the 'dressing', I mixed up all this up to make about 2 tablespoons:

Pomegranate red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Teensy bit of horseradish
Spicy brown mustard

Here's the after-shot:

Alright it might not look too appetizing there, but TRUST ME: it's delicious!! Add what you want to it, make it your own.

xx

I won a contest! EEEE!

2008-02-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited! I just found out that I won a vegan book from the amazing, informative, awesome site TasteBetter.com!!! Here's the book:
Yaaaaay! This site is definitely amazing, everyone should check it out. Also, look up Vegan Freak. They're wicked cool, too!

Be well,
xx

Eyeballz & Cookies!

2008-02-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

I wear glasses. They're thick red plastic D&G lovlies. Sometimes I wear my contacts. They show off my massive blue eyes. Now, there have been many days where I wonder...is there a green, vegan alternative to my Clear Care and contact solutions, and contact case? (Although I'm not sure if Clear Eyes is or isn't vegan) Who knew there's a vegan contact solution?!! Weird, right? But quite cool. I wonder if the bottle is biodegradable, but at least it says recyclable.

So I made delish vegan cookies last night...a few Christmas's ago (2005, actually), I made these DIVINE Peppermint Sugar Cookies. I decided to make them vegan! So I found an easy recipe on Recipezaar
and created them! They're really yummy, warm and soft. Here's the deal: I got the recipe here: http://www.recipezaar.com/202592

I ran out of vanilla extract, so I sub'd some agave syrup..mm. I also added some soy milk, probably a little less than 1/2 a cup. The dough was just too dry without all the extract, and this made it stick together better. Before hand, I happily smashed several peppermint candy canes in a gallon plastic bag (I know, not green with the bag! :( ) with a hammer so they were in bits and pieces.

I rolled out the dough with my hands, just scooping up a little bit in my palm and smooshing it into a flat circle/oval on the cooking sheet (it was a nonstick pan, and I didn't use any non-stick spray). Then I sprinkled the peppermint crumblies all over the little cookies.
I baked them at 375 degrees for 9 minutes, and let them sit for about 5-8 minutes out of the oven- REMEMBER! Cookies still cook once you take them out of the oven, so don't overcook. Like the recipe says, if you cook any longer they're ick. Unless you like things burnt, I guess!
Well I'm off to make dinner. Hope all is well!

xx

"Welcome back blogger"

2008-01-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

Hello my favorite people in the world! I am so sorry for the incredibly delayed follow up. I have a few things to post, including that delish vegan fettucine alfredo! Let's start with that, shall we?

So I bought some delicious spinach noodles which were suitable substitutes for fettucine. While cooking the pasta, I decided to throw some ingredients into the blender to make a creamy but not cheesy sauce:

About a cup of soy milk (plain, light)
1/2 pckg silken tofu
Some dried parsley, oregano, basil
A teensy pinch of cayenne pepper
A slice of vegan cheese (mozarella flavored)
A lot of salt and pepper

After blending those for a few seconds (make sure to wipe down the sides!), I decided to sautée it in a small pan, just to heat it through and make it thicker. Once in the pan, I added a few sprinkles of nutritional yeast flakes just for the heck of it! I also added some whole grain flour - BIG mistake. I thought it would thicken the sauce, like a roux, but not-so-much.

Once those lovely noodles were al dente, I transferred them to a bowl (I didn't want to drain them because I wanted to save the pasta water, which helps the noodles and sauce 'snuggle' together...or stick to each other!) and poured the delicious creamy sauce all over it. Let me just say, the sounds it makes when you take your spatula and spread the sauce out is kind of weird, but yummy.

Next I placed the alfredo into an 8x8 pan, which I spread some canola oil all over. I added some extra thin slices of cheese to the top, as well as another dash of sea salt and pepper. Then I popped it in the oven at 375 degrees for twenty minutes or so, so that the top got crispy and yummy. Let it sit for about 5 - 10 minutes when it's done, just to the sauce can settle into place.

Now I honestly did not measure anything, and I really don't remember what temp. I had the oven on, but I'm almost positive with this! If the top doesn't brown, put the temp. up to 400 and cook for an extra 5 - 8 minutes. That should help. I really just eyeball everything and hope for the best! But definitely take this recipe and make it your own, add spinach or sautéed kale to the pasta, whatever strikes you.

Ok now that I'm reeeeeally craving carbs, let's switch gears. Living green! Over recent months I've really been trying to greenify myself. I no longer use plastic H2O bottles, try to always keep the lights off, unplugging things I don't use, keeping my comp./tv off when I don't need it, not idling my car, etc etc... I really need to work on shorter showers though! But anyway, I get this daily email from thedailygreen.com and today I received this wonderful little link that tells you easy ways to go green. Most people don't think of some of these daily, like turning down the thermostat when you don't need it too cold or too warm. My roommate and I actually don't use our A/C or heat from December to April because the weather stays cool, and our apartment is on the bottom floor.

I also found this on the same site which I found amazingly helpful. People normally think you HAVE TO BUY EVERYTHING ORGANIC, but in reality it's not necessary. Now, if I had the money, I would buy everything organic because I'm petrified of pesticides. But this list tells you 10 foods you don't have to buy orgo...how awesome!

Here's another informative site that tells you "The 7 Best Foods We Never Eat"...who knew figs were gods of b-vitamins?

Next up is a great book I just finished reading, that doesn't have much to do with anything green - except if you consider reincarnation a form of recycling. My wonderful friend Lana recommended this book to me, and it literally took me less than 24hrs to finish it (in the midst of doing loads of college hw). It's called Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss. It is an amazing intrigueing true story about a psychiatrist and one of his patients. I really don't want to give too much away, but he meets with her weekly and hypnotizes her in an effort to help her overcome her fears and anxiety. What happens is miraculous - she begins speaking about her past lives so vividly, and both their lives (the doctor and the patient) change drastically. It really makes one think, and I feel that it changed my life spiritually. It gave me a sense of comfort (which you'll understand if you read it), but I am also still glued to my skepticism. Check this book out, I found it for less than 3 dollars at a used bookstore!

Alright lastly, I found a website and I have to admit I was a little disturbed. I figured I'd pass the word on. I still use all energy-efficient light bulbs, but this made me a little nervous! Read and you'll see why. Not that anyone is running around shattering light bulbs, but pray one never breaks in your home, I suppose!

I hope everyone has an amazing, healthy, carefree day! I leave you with a plug for this awesome guy's blog - he's got some yummy lookin' recipes!

Be well,
xx

Quick post...

2008-01-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Sadly I'm not feeling too well, nor do I have the patience right now to sit and type up a good post. So, here's my update: I made Vegan Fettucine Alfredo, and it's delicious! Photos and recipe will soon follow.

Also, here's an interesting and somewhat scary article I found: http://www.parentdish.com/2008/01/10/fluorescent-light-bulbs-green-and-toxic/

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

xx

Finalement.

2008-01-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

Hey lovlies! Yes I'm back, but with little time to spare at the moment. Here's an article I just received from thedailygreen.com on buying ORGANIC, or "Orgo" as I adore to call it. Enjoy! I'll be back soon we new yummy recipes!

Searching for inexpensive or even moderately priced organic food products takes some effort, especially in mainstream markets. But with a little common sense and know how, finding organics that won't break the green piggy bank is easier than you think. Here's a quick list of suggestions that will help you find foods that nourish the body and the earth and won't cost you an arm and a leg.

1. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons According to Consumer Reports, the average American spends nearly $5,000 a year on groceries. With the organic sector showing the largest amount of growth in the food industry presently, coupons for organic foods are also becoming more common. Online coupons from your favorite organic food makers are another viable route to save some green. If you're looking for a quick hit list of manufacturers that offer organic coupons, check out the Organic Consumers Association website, www.organicconsumers.org. Their campaign-driven offer for buying a collection of organic coupons is "sold out" but you can access a more extensive list of organic and Fair Trade companies in North America that offer coupons.

2. Do Buy Store Brand Items If you're still drawn to the more popular big natural and organic stores because they offer items that are not as readily found in the typical supermarket (such as exotic tasting soups and funny sounding figs), look for private-label items—they're cheaper and taste just as good if not better than those products that have been marketed and packaged up the wazoo.

3. Do Buy Whole Unprocessed Foods The more processed or refined food is, the less nutritional value and fiber a food item will have. If you just have to have that cinnamon honey whole-wheat graham cracker that's been doubly wrapped, look for packaging that's biodegradable or recyclable packages such as glass, aluminum, and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) whenever you can. Also, check out foods in the bulk aisle and buy enough so that you can enjoy them for the next couple of weeks.

4. Don't Grocery Shop Alone Shopping with a friend promotes the possibility of sharing of costs on bigger items not to mention the sharing of gas it might have taken to get to and from the grocery store. If you have a membership at a no frills warehouse store, split large packages of food up with your buddy. You don't really need a whole 12-pack of 10 lb. canned organic tomatoes now do you?

5. Do Buy Produce On The Dirty Dozen List, Just Make Them Organic The "dirty dozen" are the most highly contaminated foods with pesticides and chemicals—even after washing and peeling. This list includes peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. If you feel as though their organic alternatives are cost prohibitive, switch out another item in your shopping list that might be of lesser priority and can be bought when the organic fruit or vegetable is out of season.
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Also, listen into this cool interview from NPR with the lovely authors of Veganomicon (among other amazing cookbooks).

One last thing: This was posted on facebook from Maynard S. Clark, and it's pretty interesting: http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/10/23/are-vegetarian-diets-more-environmentally-friendly/

Cheers! xx