Beer and Taco Challenge!

So the beer an taco challenge is a response to the ALS ice bucket challenge that seeks to raise money for abortion funds. The basic idea- beer is good, tacos are good, people need money to help exercise their reproductive rights.
This seemed like the perfect challenge for Bear and I since we are both childfree. We are able to make this choice because we have access to birth control and live in a place where there is access to abortions if needed. I have never had an abortion, but I know I would get one if I were to ever become pregnant. So this really stuck a chord with me. Also, on a much lighter note, I really like tacos and beer.
So tonight I made black bean tacos, corn and tomato salsa, spinach and seasoned rice. Easy, healthy and so good!

Salsa-

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 can corn
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Black Beans-

• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 tsp adobe seasoning

Rice-

• 2 cups brown rice
• 4 cups water
• 2.5 tbsp adobe seasoning

Learn more about the challenge HERE. 

Bring Your Own Lunch!

veggie rice with kimchi, tofu, salad and spinach!

Packing a luch is something everyone who is away from home during unch should try doing more often. I know, some people associate packed lunches with boring wonder bread sandwiches and sort of limp salads, but packed lunches are actually the greatest ting ever. 

For most people money is a concern. Eating lunch out can add up to a lot of money if you do it all the time. And as a vegan, it can be annoying trying to find varied options during the day when I only have around 30 minutes to get my food and eat it between classes. On my campus the fully vegan meals often cost a little bit more than the regular meat and cheese filled sandwiches and salads and wraps. In fact, the amount of vegan options on campus just went up this semester, last year it was even harder to get a good meal there.

So I started making my own lunch. I did start with salads and sandwiches, and those are still good, but then I moved on to bentos. I have shown a few bentos on here before but never really talked about the. Bentos are amazing. They are easy to make, can be filled up with any tasty things I want, and help me save money.

Bonus- Bentos can be super cute!

chickpea salad, tomatos with olives and vegan sausage

Vegan Protein Packed Pasta

This recipe is tasty and super fast to make, plus it packs a huge protein punch into one meal because the sauce is basically all beans. Bonus- this recipe is nut and soy free for those that have allergies!

Protein Packed Pasta-
1 can cannelloni beans
2 handfuls of spinach
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp tahini (pretty optional)

Just toss it all in the food processor and blend until it's nice and creamy. Ad a few spoonfuls to the pasta of your choice (I am partial to brown rice fussili pasta). It's healthy, and has a nice creamy taste. You will likely have some of the bean mix left over, and it freezes well, which is a huge bonus. You can put it aside and defrost it when you need a super fast meal.
This also pairs really well with garlic bread! The spread is soooo tasty on toasted italian bread we actually used up all the left overs snacking.

Real Life Update- August 20 2014

Bear and i have been really busy this week! We went and saw a punk show (more on that soon), did some cleaning around the apartment (so I can do a photo tour), and have been working on wedding planning (much, much more on this soon!). But we did have some time to make some yummy food and take some cute pics. 

Lentil Pate and fruit!

New book magnets

Noodles with veggies and cucumber slices with sesame dressing

French toast with coconut and blueberries 

A lazy bun!

Actually eating a kale muffin

Pumpkin soy latte in August

Vegan Breakfast- Fried Tomatoes, Cheese Grits and Toast

I don't normally like making a big breakfast, but this morning I was in the mood for something a bit more involved. I just got a bunch of tomatoes the other day, so frying them seemed like a perfect idea.

Fried Tomatoes-
2 medium tomatoes
1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder

Simply slice the tomatoes, dredge them in the cornmeal, and fry them until they are golden brown. Super easy!

Grits-
2 cups water
1/2 cup grits
1 tbsp salt
1 handful Daiya

Just boil the water, add the grits and salt, simmer for 5 min, stir in the cheese and you're done.

Toast was just served with Earth Balance spread.

I love this because it's a really easy meal, but the multiple components and fresh tomatoes make it more exciting than just having cereal or a bagel.

Veggie Pad Thai with Korean Melon

Pad Thai is a great dish to make when guests come over because it is just so easy to make in big batches. Bear and I had a friend over last night for dinner and movies and drinks, so I made a huge bowl of pad thai for us all. Bonus- this version is free of not only eggs, meat and shellfish, but also tofu and other mock meats, so it's a very easy sell to omnivores. 

To make this dish special I made a few changes from normal pad thai. First off, I used brown rice noodles, because they seemed a bit healthier. I also added some korean melon to this dish. Korean melon is really tasty and the sweetness and crunch add a much needed light note to a dish like this, which makes it extra perfect for late Summer evenings.

Pad Thai with Melon-

• 1 package brown rice noodles
• 1 medium sized korean melon
• 3 baby bell peppers (or two normal ones)
• 4 stalks green onion, chopped fine
• 1 can water chesnuts
• 1 large handful beansprouts (canned will work fine)
• 1 large carrot, sliced thin
• 6 mushrooms, sliced thin
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1 lime's worth of juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp chili sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger 

First off, boil a pot of water. Once the water reached a rolling boil toss in your rice noodles, wait a few minutes, and when they seem cooked through, drain them and set them aside in a large mixing bowl.

Next, take the soy sauce, tamarind paste, ginger, lime juice, chili sauce and peanut butter and toss them in a large pot or pan (I use a huge non stick frying pan for everything) and heat them on medium, stirring thoroughly. Then add a quarter cup of water and the carrots, mushrooms and green onion. Let that cook on medium for five minutes, then add the other veggies, and allow it to cook for 10 minutes with the cover on.

During that time, slice up the melon. First step, cut the melon in half length wise and scoop out the seeds. Then simply cut it into slim matchstick like slices and put it aside. When the veggies are done toss them in the bowl with the noodles and add the melon. Toss well and serve in bowl.

Vegan In Upstate NY! New Paltz, Woodstock and a Lake George Wedding

I spent the past weekend with Bear travelling all over New York. A cousin was having a wedding in Lake George at Fort William Henry, so we decided to make a big adventure out of it.

The first stop we made was in New Paltz, where Bear went to school for a semester, way back in the day. I was amazed at what a cute town it was. The first stop we made, Lagusta's Luscious of course! The vegan chocolate shop is a must visit if you're in the area. The cute little shop is packed full of candy that is tasty and cruelty free. Our favorite? The Pig Out chocolate bar, which is the shop's take on the chocolate with bacon trend, only with smoked mushrooms and yuba. It's smokey and salty and sweet.

We then went on the Karma Road, a New Paltz cafe with a ton of vegan soups, sandwiches and smoothies to choose from. I got a vegan "blt" on multigrain bread, which came with a scoop or kale coleslaw. My sandwich was great but the shop was a bit crowded and chaotic.

Then it was on to Lake George! The town was a bit crazy and full of tourists this time of year, so we headed up to Glen Falls for lunch. We went to Raul's Mexican grill, where we had some great mushroom burritos with a spicy mole sauce. Also, the meal came with a massive serving of home made guacamole and chips for free.

The wedding was gorgeous, and as a bonus, the bride and groom made sure bear and I had plenty of tasty vegan food, even though the regular menu was more surf n turf. We got risotto, hummus, salad and a gorgeous veggie entree. And plenty of good drinks. The specialty cocktail of the evening was a blueberry mojito, pretty and tasty.

This cocktail was a amazing, fresh berries and mint make for great mojitos, which is just right for a Summer wedding. The toast was really warm and crunchy and all the toppings were fresh and good. 

They had a risotto bar! The chef was able to make two vegan risottos with veggie stock, roasted garlic, spinach and peppers. It was really good, the roasted garlic gave it a ton of flavor.

Our special entree was a phyllo dough pastry filled with spinach and mushrooms, served over rice with a tomato sauce. Really great effort on the part of the chef.

I also got a really interesting surprise at our table. I'm getting married soon, so this was my place card!

After the wedding it was time to head back home. This time we made a pit stop in Woodstock! We took a tour of the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, which was really nice. As a vegan it was really nice to see all these heathy and happy animals that have been saved form the animal agriculture industry. We got to hang out with goats and sheep and cows and chickens and turkeys and ducks and cats and goats and rabbits and pigs. I had a lot of fun petting all the animals.

Bear had to scold some chickens who weren't sharing their food like good birds.

Then it was a late lunch at the Garden Cafe, which came recommended by the sanctuary. There was an honest to god drum circle going on outside the cafe, with a bunch of aging hippies dancing around. Dinner and a show? I got a baked tofu dish with a cashew cream sauce, and a peach crisp with soy ice cream for dessert. I love a good vegan desert.

The whole trip was amazing, and what made it even more fun was listening to some great podcasts on the drive. We caught up on Nightvale pretty early on in the trip and then started listening to a vegan podcast, Our Hen House. It's a fun show, and the hosts talk about a lot of interesting current events that relate to veganism and animal rights.

Overall it was a great trip and I was amazed at how much good food we got. I know people often say being vegan sounds hard, but this trip proved you can find a lot of great options if you look.

What I Want- Vegan Cookbook Wishlist

I have a number of vegan cookbooks. "Isa Does It", "The Veganomicon", "The Vegan Stoner", all of these books are handy to have around. I like having a lot of different cookbooks because it gives me a lot of different types of recipes to work from, from authors with varied tastes and backgrounds. But I can always use more books! So here's a few vegan cookbooks I would like to have.

13.32 on Amazon

"Bake and Destroy" is a super cute cookbook full of super cute food that I really want to eat. I never used to bake much, but lately I find myself wanting to try my hand at making more desserts.

17.90 on Amazon

"The Oh She Glows Cookbook" by Angela Liddon is a New York Times Best Seller for a reason. I use the website a lot already, and I feel like the cookbook would be even better. Liddon has never steered me wrong before, so this book is high on my "to buy" list.

$16.35 on Amazon

"Thug Kitchen" isn't even out yet, but I really, really want it. The Thug Kitchen website is amazing. It's funny, the food looks amazing, and it's fun in a way a lot of cookbook aren't. I am counting the days till this book comes out.

Bear Box #4! Asian Barbecue Veggies with Steamed buns

Top Tier- mushrooms and carrots in asian barbecue sauce and steamed buns with barbecue sauce and ginger

Bottom tier- steamed brown rice with edamame 

Vegan Eggplant Curry with Roasted Chickpeas and Ginger Fruit Tea

Indian flavors are some of my favorite to cook with. I love chutneys and curries and lots of spice. So today i decided to make something spicy and something sweet to drink to accompany it.

Iced tea is a Summer staple, and the perfect thing to go with a spicy dish. The best iced tea is made with a lot flavor, and real fruit juice is the best way to get it. For my iced tea I used Yogi Ginger tea, but any ginger tea base would work fine.

Ginger Fruit Tea-

• 2 bags ginger tea
• juice form 1 large grapefruit
• juice from 2 kiwis
• juice from 1 lime
• (optional) 1/4 cup simple syrup or other sweetener

I brewed my tea for a few hours before simply juicing the fruit in my juicer and mixing it all in a pitcher and adding some sweetener. It's a really nice refreshing drink.

Roasted Chickpeas-

• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 250. Drain and rinse chickpeas and then toss with the seasoning and olive oil. Then set aside until the oven is ready. When it is, spread the chickpeas on a baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes. 

Eggplant Curry

• 1/2 a large eggplant, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

This is the easiest recipe. Chop the veggies, measure the spices, open the cans, and toss it all in a nice big soup pot and simmer on medium for an hour. Best served over jasmine rice.

Vegan Anywhere- Zen Palate, Midtown Manhattan

Bear and I had a weekend in the city with some friends and decided we had to make the most of the trip by going to a great vegan restaurant. Since we were in Times Square for the Marvel Agents of SHIELD STATION exhibit, we decided to go to Zen Palate which is nearby. 

We started the meal with veggie spring rolls with fresh basil, which were really fresh and tasty. I adore spring rolls, they're really cute and I loved the fresh herbs inside.

Then, dumplings! The veggies dumplings come steamed or pan friend, like we chose. They were just the right amount of crispy on the outside and the inside was warm and flavorful, you barely needed any sauce to dip them in.

For my main course, I went with the shepard's pie croquettes. It came with veggies, and some more spring rolls. The croquettes were stuffed with diced vegetables and faux ham, which was really tasty. They came with a thicker, somewhat sweet, dipping sauce which offset the saltiness of the fake pork really well. They were also perfectly cooked which can be a big problem with croquettes.

Bear went with the Moo Shu Fantasia, with green cabbage, soy ham and shredded vegetables. The portions were pretty big and he said the sauce was delicious. I tried a bite of his dish and loved how much flavor they had gotten into the vegetable filling.

Dessert was tofu cheesecake with a blueberry topping. It was amazing, creamy and rich and the crust was flavorful and the sauce was perfect. I love cheesecake so whenever I see a vegan version of it I have to order it. Bear and I shared this piece because the rest of the meal had already been so filling.

Final Scores-
Food- 5/5
Cost- 4.5/5
Service- 4.5/5

Bonus City Shots- 

Peach bubble tea from Vivi!

Wandering around Chinatown, drinking all the fruity beverages.

Bear and I are very romantic and stuff

What I Want- Under $50

Complete Kitchen Knife Set $39.00

My current knife set is made of mismatched pieces and some hand me down items. I know a good knife is a cook's best friend, and this cute set looks perfect. I also like that it comes with a pair of kitchen scissors because they're really handy. 

Cassette Tape Cookie Cutter $14.00

I don't make cookies that often but these cute cookie cutters might be the motivation I need. I remember having a killer cassette collection as a kid and these just bring back the fun memories.

Essential Utensil Set $49.00

Non metal utensils are essential if you're like me and like to use non stick pans. Right now all I have is a random collection of old wooden spoons to use. These seem like a good step up.

Obsessive Chef Cutting Board $24.00

I have two cutting boards already but they're both long and sort of thin, which can leade to bits of chopped veggies falling off and making a mess. A nice big work surface liek this with a fun pattern is just what I need.