The Smoothie Vegetarians

"keto" friendly eggplant serving suggestion I was hanging out with a friend the other night and she looked absolutely fantastic, I had to ask what she was doing and she told me that she was following the keto diet. Now just to let everyone know up front, she is not vegan or a vegetarian, I immediately thought of having to eat lots of heavy, fatty foods. When most people (including me) think of the keto diet, since it is high fat, they automatically think of  cheeses, meats, cold cuts and alike, but ladies and gentleman don't be fooled, the keto diet can work for everyone whether you eat meat or not. First off, I am not condoning or endorsing this diet but wanted to share some of the information that I found interesting. This particular diet turns your body into a fat burning machine, carbs are limited and  about 70-80% of your food intake is made of healthy fats. Very simply, here is how it works, the human body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, whi...

Mushrooms are so wonderful because they have a great flavor on their own but still take on any seasonings and tastes you add to the recipe. Their chewy texture is almost meat-like and has been known to fool people. Our recipe for sticky mushrooms features crispy mushrooms and a really zesty sweet and sour sauce. Maybe zesty isn't the right word. It's not spicy but the flavors are really strong and a perfect blend of sweet brown sugar and sour red wine vinegar. And soy sauce is amazing in everything. 1/4 cup canola oil 2 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped into chunks 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 tbs sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 inch chunk fresh ginger, minced 2 tbs brown sugar 1 tbs red wine vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 tsp cornstarch 1 tsp water In a wok or large skillet, start heating up the oil. While that's going on, sprinkle a little water on your mushrooms to dampen them and mix in the 1/4 cup of cornstarch so that they are well coated. When the oil ...

Raw vegan weekends for me are a must during cold and flu season. I'm lucky enough to have access to a friend's kitchen on the weekends! (Thank You Jackie Knight, my BFF!) This weekend, I thought I would include you guys in what I eat, drink, and snack on! Every day I drink about 96 ounces of water, so that is also included in this post. Saturday and Sunday: I know caffeine and coffee isn't technically raw, but I don't really function without it. I'm not human without my coffee. So in the morning, I drink half-caffinated coffee instead, to cut back a little. The act of making my coffee in the morning is my little ritual. It's part of my routine, and it's so incredibly relaxing. So, for my first meal, I'm including my weekend treat-yo-self, latte routine. Ingredients: almond milk french press hot water one tablespoon coconut oil coffee (decaf and regular) coconut sugar (optional) coco/cacao powder (optional) cinnamon (optional) ble...

Last Sunday was my one year anniversary of being sober. Not long after I chose veganism I also chose to quit alcohol completely. I'd always been a regular drinker, and at times would drink way too much. After being ill and having some other very stressful events in my life, I found I was drinking daily, and not always stopping at the two glasses of wine I would tell myself I'd have. It's a slippery slope, and I was sliding down it quickly. I felt mildly unwell most days; headache, dehydrated etc., and then by five or six o'clock in the evening I'd have a glass of wine and start the whole process all over again. It took me a few stops and starts, but I finally got the momentum going and here I am one year later. The differences were subtle, but I noticed them almost immediately – that little bit of fat around my waist melted away (well mostly anyway!), within a week I was sleeping like I hadn't for many years – all night long, good, solid ...

(photos by Danielle) A lot of people think that you have to give certain foods up for this lifestyle. The good news is that you do not. I find this incredibly easy. The one thing I find interesting is people give the excuse "...but I could never give up x,y or z". However it is becoming so much easier. People continue to try out new recipes and the more they try out new recipes the more common it is for them to find new flavors that they like just from playing around with different spices and other ingredients in your house you can find a lot of flavors that you really like it can be important to play around and find new things that you enjoy based on all the recipes that you liked in the past you don't have to give anything up and you can find plenty of substitutes. (photos by Danielle) All of these recipes are so flavorful and I enjoy these so much. I will be making these again and every time you remake a recipe, you get better each time. You can ...

Hope everyone had a great week! I have a great easy meal that takes only minutes to prepare and is sure to be a hit with the entire family. It contains one of the most versatile ingredients I have found which is canned jackfruit. What is jackfruit? Jackfruit is an exotic fruit which many people consider to be an excellent vegan or vegetarian meat substitute based on it's texture which is similar to that of pulled meat. It is perfect as a filling for sandwiches or tacos as a filling and resembles pulled pork. Since jackfruit doesn't have a strong flavor on it's own, I like to marinade it in BBQ sauce to give it a burst of flavor. I have not yet experimented with the actual fruit itself but I am a huge fan of the canned variety that is sold at Trader Joe's. If you are anything like like me, I love recipes that can be used as a basis for multiple meals, which is why I am doing the jackfruit tacos today. I find that different kinds of bean salads are a stapl...

Vegetarians often still eat eggs but vegans do not. Taking actual egg dishes out of the menu is easy enough, though you can still make a wicked scrambled "egg" dish with tofu. But what about all those recipes that need the egg as a binding ingredient? The unique qualities of an egg mean you can't just leave it out and you have to find a replacement that has brings the same chemistry to the recipe. Handy options to make vegan egg replacements There's an old vegan joke about someone who heard you can replace egg with applesauce, but isn't too happy about how his omelet turned out. I said it was an old joke, not a good one. But the point is pretty clear. Yes there are many ways to swap out the eggs in recipe, providing you know which is the best option for any specific recipe. Banana This is a tried and true option for a lot of baking recipes that require the moisture and binding qualities of an egg. A small ripe banana that has been mashed up c...

         The vegan YouTube community has been booming these last few years and I am so happy that they are spreading the vegan message. In fact, I found out about veganism through watching YouTube videos almost two years ago and that is what helped me change my lifestyle! I watch so many amazing people on YouTube, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you guys. Different people are good to watch for different topics, which means just because you are vegan, you probably will not enjoy every single vegan YouTuber. I decided to divide up some of my favorite people into categories so you can find someone who aligns with your interests! If you like amazing recipe videos: Caitlyn Shoemaker Caitlyn is a kitchen genius. Her recipes are easy to follow, usually inexpensive, and delicious. She has recipes targeted toward college students, busy people, holiday recipes, and budget-friendly ones. I highly recommend che...