The Smoothie Vegetarians

Over the holidays, people struggle with many things. One of them being staying healthy with so much buffet style food at gatherings. Other people may deal with challenges as well. For myself, I sometimes take for granted having such a supportive family when others do not. I want to extend my love and positivity to those who need that, especially over the time of the holidays. A lot of people in my family know that the choices I am making are helping and have reversed what I was dealing with health wise. I feel amazing now and the other people in my life notice how much better they feel when they try my cooking. I do not mind sharing because I am so open to showing people anything if they have any questions and I love helping others. I also love hearing about how much better people feel when they tell me they try a recipe or food that I have recommended. A lot of people in my family are open to trying these dishes even if they do not plan on making a transition to a vegan, veg...

A lot of people think that when you make these lifestyle changes you have to stop eating these things when in reality, there are alternatives that taste exactly the same. You do not have to give ANYTHING up or cut anything out of your diet because there are copious amounts of alternatives and you won’t know the difference! This was a wonderful way to show people that this lifestyle is easy regardless of the myths. Even in smaller stores, there were so many options that are expanding! (photos by Danielle) For Thanksgiving Day appetizers, we bought the Pepperidge farm party bread. We also got Toasted crackers in two flavors: savory onion and sesame. To top the cheese and crackers, we got some Chao cheese, which is imported from Greece. This product tastes exactly like dairy cheese and is wonderful for people who are unable to eat dairy or want to be healthier. It is pricey but I usually but it on sale for special occasions. For other snacks, there ...

For many people, the holidays can be more stressful than relaxing because running around buying food and preparing it can be hectic. Fortunately, I am extremely grateful to have such a supportive family, even if they mix up some terms on what is allergen friendly or not. I am exceptionally pleased with everything I found so far and we haven’t even gotten everything yet! (photos by Danielle) Some people will think that if you are vegan or vegetarian, it automatically means you are gluten free, eat a lot of salad, or have to eat bland. Also, some people think vegan and vegetarian are the same thing. It is always good to inform people what you can have at the table because there are SO many misconceptions. I know I am ALWAYS one to make sure that when I have guests, there is something for people to eat (I am very considerate of those things). With the technology and resources we have to learn about these such as the internet, there is no excuse for someone not to be abl...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  I hope everyone had a great weekend! My heart goes out to the families and victims of the Las Vegas shooting. Please take a moment of silence before you continue reading this post.     This week, I have chosen to do a vegan coconut cream pie recipe. For a typical filling for coconut cream pie, it would have the half-and-half, and eggs. That's pretty easy to substitute. For half-and-half, we can substitute with coconut milk (seems like a perfect substitute). For eggs, just like for that pecan pie recipe, we will use SILKEN tofu. I want to make sure that I continue to stress the importance of silken tofu for baking/pastry items. Some people will use meringue for the coconut cream pie as a topping, but I just use regular whipped topping just because it is less time consuming. (Vegan whipped topping: I have a quick 4 ingredient recipe for that as well).Now, my opinion of the pie. I honestly really liked it, even with the tofu. I am...

    Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everybody had a fantastic weekend! I am excited to be writing yet another recipe for you guys, and it is something I do hope a lot of you enjoy!     This week I would like to use a recipe we learned in school. VEGAN PECAN PIE! Courtesy of the Culinary Institute of Virginia having a nutrition program, we had a course in that program called "Alternative Baking". Which was really fun because we got to learn the different types of dietary needs, and the many alternatives to those diets (i.e. Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Raw/Paleo, etc.) for all those yummy desserts everybody wants to have! Anyways, the two areas I enjoyed the most was vegan, and gluten free. Learning how to make pecan pie was a lot of fun as well. A few of the groups in our class got to make the vegan pecan pie (Pictured above). And it was quite an easy recipe to put together.     There is not a whole lot to be done with this recipe eit...