3 Minute, 4 Ingredient Hot Chocolate Mini-Mug Cake!
Mug Cakes. These seem to be the new fad, similar to the one pot pasta fad. Just like my recent one pot pasta post (super delicious by the way!), I decided to try my hand at a mug cake. Curiosity struck, creativity was abound, and kitchen craziness soon ensued! After a few go arounds, I landed on this amazingly easy and delicious “3 Minute, 4 Ingredient Hot Chocolate Mini-Mug Cake!” recipe. I was inspired by my “Warm & Delicious Spiked Choco-Coffee” recipe (which also made it onto Food Gawker last week!) that uses hot cocoa. I guess I am going through a hot chocolate phase at the moment. Typically, I’d choose a bagel, a potato chip, a slice of pizza, anything that is uber carb-o-licious over any sort of sweet, as I’m a carb lover to the extreme. I am just going to assume this is a new phase for me. Hopefully, for my hips, a fleeting phase! This cake is a perfectly adorable and beautiful little individual cake (presents itself in the shape of a mini molten lava cake!) that would make a quick & easy dessert for an impromptu or preplanned gathering of your friends. I shredded some coconut flakes, and sprinkled some chocolate chips & powdered sugar over the cake for a beautiful and tasty garnish. I did this all in a mere 4 minutes! So my friends, pick a mug, any standard favorite mug, and get mixin’! Your tastebuds await!
- 1 individual sized packet of hot chocolate
- 1 egg
- Dash of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 mug
- In your mug, mix all the ingredients together - stir well
- Put the mug in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes
- Remove from mug and put in small bowl
- Serve warm
- I garnished this with coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar for my guests. Beautiful & delicious!
- Optional: If your texture is not as desired, simply add some water to the mix!
Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan)
Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan) is healthy, easy, and delicious. Bursting with flavor and incredibly good for you. I was making variations of this bowl for weeks and finally gravitated towards this deliciousness. I don’t use tempeh very often because I love tofu so much. Tempeh is a great source of iron as well, fellow vegans! However, every time I do use it, I tell myself I need to eat it more. Then, it happens all over again. 😉 Click HERE for info about the amazing benefits of tempeh.
I took these Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan) pics awhile ago. I am still on my California road trip and I am nearing the end. It has been the most incredible ride so far. I hope I can get my shit together to make a blog post about it! We are leaving Santa Clara today after staying with my sister and her fam, it will be hard to go. Late nights, chatting and hangin’, kids playing together all day, cooking, being well-fed by my sis, and laughing our asses off. Been incredible. This trip was meant to start 2021 off with a bang. To help leave the shit-show of 2020 behind. To be in nature daily. To give me time to figure things out – what to do before I can move to China regarding G’s schooling, my work in the US, staying in Portland, or moving onwards before the big move to Shenzhen, etc. I am so incredibly happy to say that I think I have figured shit out. More on that at a later date.
Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan) is such a healthy way to feed yourself and your fam. It’s a great way to get some otherwise more challenging veggies into your kiddos belly sans complaints, at least it was for me – a shocking revelation. 😉 Enjoy the Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan) and drop a message in the comments if you changed it up!
PS- Click HERE for my recipe “Cheesy Vegan Tempeh Breakfast Sandwich”
For your cooking pleasure, a new song that I heard in my brother-in-law’s car two days ago. I’m obsessed! Two super talented dudes. The perfect song to relax and cook to…
Southwest Tempeh Veggie Bowl (Vegan)
Serves 2
Ingredients –
1 package (8 oz) of tempeh (cut the block in half length wise and then cut the tempeh into about 1-2 inch rectangles)
1 medium bell pepper (I used yellow bell pepper) – diced
1 C broccoli florets
1 C brussel sprouts (chop them up almost as you would for a hash)
1/2 C (loosely packed) cilantro – chopped
1/3 C red onion – diced
3 garlic cloves – chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil for pan (avocado or olive preferably)
Salsa – red and green – to taste
Hot sauces (or just one) – to taste
Directions –
Heat oil in pan over medium. Add onions and let cook for 2 minutes – stir occasionally
Add garlic – let cook for one minute more – stir occasionally
Add tempeh and salt – let cook (turning tempeh occasionally for 5 minutes)
Add brussel sprouts and bell pepper – let cook for 3-5 minutes – stir occasionally (you may need to add more oil)
Add broccoli, salt, pepper, and cilantro, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes more (broccoli should be cooked but still bright green)
Separate into 2 bowls and smother in salsas and hot sauce
Done!
Pair with –
White wine – albariño
Red wine – zinfandel
Beer – Rye beer or pilsner
“Just Egg” New Yorker Omelet
“Just Egg” New Yorker Omelet is VEGAN & loaded with delicious Italian NY style flavors. Easy, healthy, done in 10 minutes! If you follow my blog, you already know how obsessed with JUST EGG I am. I literally eat it (mostly in omelet form) every morning that I can. I was a lover of real eggs back in the day, but Just Egg is even better in my opinion! Vegan eggs for the win – hell yeah.
Currently, I am on a road trip through California. You can follow my journey on Insta (https://www.instagram.com/foodgalleygab/) or some of it on FB (https://www.facebook.com/foodgalleygab). I left about 17 days ago from Portland, OR. Sadly, I have only had my Just Egg twice at the beginning of my adventure. I brought my camping stove so I could stay in motels and keep the trip cheap-o. The stove has somewhat worked but I am loving how vegan-friendly California is. And, I’m obsessed with Ike’s sandwiches.
2020 sucked for almost everyone. It sucked pretty extra hard for me with a fucked up post-divorce scenario. I needed 2021 to start with a bang so I made a decision to do my California road trip adventure with my kiddo, Greyson. I was gone a week later. And, honestly… it has been AMAZING so far. Taking the time to sort out my plans, be happy (first time in two years I’ve made it this long without depression), and be outside as much as possible. Thus far, a massive success.
I stopped in southern OR for one night. Then San Fran, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Venice Beach, Palm Springs (and surroundings), and Calabasas (and surroundings). I’m eventually hitting up Monterey and will then stay with my sister and fam in Santa Clara. I’ll take a breather there and then head to Mendocino, and back into OR. From there I’ll stay in Ashland, then Sisters, and finally, back home to Portland. I haven’t decided if I am going to stay in Portland before I get to China. They will aren’t letting in dependents so I am still stuck, teaching from abroad. I can’t believe we were supposed to move last July. I am so ready to be back in China living the glorious expat life! Like, yesterday…
Anyway, back to vegan omelets. “Just Egg” New Yorker Omelet is the bomb! This is great for breakfast or for any meal of the day! I have loads of delicious Just Egg recipes. Click on the name of the recipe below to bring you directly to that link. Cheers to making this year better. 🙂
More Just Egg recipes: (click on title)
Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet
The BOMB Just Egg Vegan California Omelet!
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet
Vegan “Just Egg” 5 Minute Breakfast Sandwich
For your cooking pleasure – (been listening to lots of Bob Dylan on my road trip):
“Just Egg” New Yorker Omelet
Makes 1 large omelet
Ingredients –
1/2 bottle of Just Egg
1/4 C shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Violife)
2 tsp vegan shredded parmesan (I used Follow Your Heart)
1 Tbl capers
1 1/2 Tbl chopped marinated artichoke hearts
2 Tbl sliced olives (I used black olives)
2 C loosely packed baby spinach
2 Tbl (heaping) cannellini beans
1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme (less if using dried thyme)
1 tsp fresh chopped basil (less if using dried basil)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan
Directions –
Heat oil in small pan over medium low and then pour in Just Egg
Add salt, pepper, basil, and thyme (spread evenly on top of omelet)
Evenly spread beans, olives, capers, and cheese – let cook for about 2-3 minutes
Add the spinach and let cook for about 2 minutes more. The bottom of the omelet should be cooked and slowly cooking through to the top
Fold omelet over and cook for one minute on each side – the inside should be fully cooked
Serve with a delicious piece of fresh bakery bread! (I used a fresh roasted garlic clove loaf)
Pair with –
Cava sparkling wine OR a Blanc de blancs
The Top 10 Best Vegan Food Blogs To Follow 2020
(Famous vegan blogs & stars on the rise)
The Top 10 Best Vegan Food Blogs To Follow 2020 are my personal selections (outside of my very own food galley gab of course – lol). They’ve been chosen because I’ve tried many recipes that I’ve loved, they have great pictures, a clean good-looking blog face that is easy to navigate, and they have easy to read vegan recipes. If I used other criteria for this post, etc., I’d have a somewhat different list. These vegan blogs are also vegan only, as they do not, or no longer post vegetarian recipes. A lot of lists post popular “vegan” bloggers that actually post both veggie and vegan recipes. Not this list! You’re getting some seriously famous vegan food blogs with other vegan food blogs that are on the rise, or certainly should be!
It was truly tough coming up with my top 10 best vegan food bloggers in 2020. There are SO many amazing vegan blogs and bloggers out there right now that I could easily do a list of 50 plus; however, not that meet my criteria for this list. Also, I know when I do research for vegan bloggers like this, I HATE going through a list that large. I think it’s easiest to simply look through a list of ten and start there.
There are other vegan food bloggers that I would’ve loved to have added to this list but their blogs are pretty terrible! The blogs’ themes (think template) are awful, the pictures aren’t always great, and they are not easy to navigate. A lot of these vegan food bloggers I’m referring to gained their fame and popularity from Instagram. I guess they don’t need a dope blog, too? Who knows?! Anyway, I hope you check out my personal list of The Top 10 Best Vegan Food Blogs To Follow 2020! They’re awesome!
The Top 10 Best Vegan Food Blogs To Follow 2020
*CLICK ON THE NAME OF THE BLOG BELOW TO BRING YOU DIRECTLY TO THEIR PAGE
1 – Oh She Glows: This is my #1 choice (as is for many other posts about top vegan bloggers). Her recipes NEVER disappoint, her photos are the bomb, and she has such a huge selection of vegan recipes so you can always find something you are looking for. Most of her recipes are plant-based and she doesn’t like to use processed foods. Oh She Glows is also the author of 3 very successful (and amazing) vegan cookbooks.
2 – Olives for Dinner: She so faaannncy! Her blog is beautiful! Her food is beautiful! Her photography is beautiful! And, her food? Sometimes fancy and always delicious. This is a must-see vegan food blog if you haven’t already checked it out.
3 – Post Punk Kitchen – Guys! This is THE Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s vegan food blog! Author of 9, yes 9, amazing vegan cookbooks. My vegan bible is “Veganomicon.” Her blog is as amazing as her cookbooks. Delicious pictures and delicious recipes.
4 – Vegan Yack Attack – This is a gorgeous blog! Super easy to navigate, tons of out-of-this-world recipes, and some serious bomb-ass photography! She has 4 cookbooks, too. A vegan blog not to be missed.
5- Bianca Zapatka – This girl is awesome! Not only is her blog super pretty with some amazing photography (I love her colors and editing style), but her recipes are absolutely delish! She has 3 cookbooks available. If you haven’t heard of her yet, check out her vegan blog ASAP!
6 – Make It Dairy Free – This awesome vegan blog couple are totally adorable with delicious vegan recipes! They have a great mix of foods, loads of desserts, and are vegan stars on the rise. Their blog is really easy to navigate which is a must for me. Check out them out!
7- Vancouver with Love – This woman’s blog both looks delicious and IS delicious! Great photos, great layout, incredible recipes, and is rising in vegan food blog fame. You will want to eat everything you see! So good!
8 – The Cheeky Chickpea – There are so many delicious and hearty recipes on this blog! The variety is endless and her sauces are amazing! If you haven’t wandered over to check out this vegan blog goodness, do it now!
9 – Green Evi – I LOVE her blog page! Amazing photography and totally incredible and creative vegan recipes that require few ingredients. She’s totally adorable, lives in Germany, and has loads of delicious vegan dope-ness ready for you to eat!
10 – Avocado Centric – This girl has some seriously incredible recipes, an easy to read blog, and, like Green Evi, simply totally adorable. A beautiful and delicious vegan blog that has to be added to your go-to list of vegan blogs.
*CHECK OUT SOME OF MY MOST POPULAR VEGAN RECIPES! (CLICK ON POST NAME BELOW TO GO DIRECTLY THERE)
(Click this title) – My 5 Most Popular Vegan Entrées!
*The featured image on this post is by Free To Use Sounds on Unsplash
The BOMB “Just Egg” Vegan California Omelet!
The BOMB “Just Egg” Vegan California Omelet! Is so creamy and delicious that I made it three days in a row. It’s quick, easy, healthy, and amazingly flavorful. In my opinion, this is a classic California-style omelet. And, from my time living in Huntington Beach, CA, and knowing how much Californians appreciate a good hot sauce, I implore you to top this babe off with some bomb-ass heat. I LOVE Aardvark hot sauce, and, it is HOT! I smothered The BOMB “Just Egg” Vegan California Omelet! In Aardvark – an insanely perfect combo.
Like I said in my last post, Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet, I am a total “Just Egg” fanatic these days, and plan on posting loads more “Just Egg” recipes this month (in addition to some bomb holiday recipes). If you haven’t tried it, you should – like yesterday. I used to love eggs; however, these top real eggs for me. They are the shit!
This past month, I’ve had time for me. Sooo crazy. I love being a single mom but shit has been incredibly bad with the ex for the past year and a half. I’d also been suffering from severe depression for the past two years. I’ve had many bouts with depression my entire life, often crippled with life-shattering anxiety. I had at least gotten rid of the anxiety over the past ten years… that is until about 4 months ago, when it came exploding back into my life like a fucking atomic bomb.
Thankfully, it has recently left me. Over the past month or so, I feel better than I have in years. The depression has lifted, the anxiety has left, and I feel great. I am no longer on any kind of meds and I find myself able to live life like “me” again. Cleaning, working, doing basically anything feels good and feels easy. When you’re super fucked up, everything you try to do, something as simple as washing a dish, feels almost impossible. People who suffer understand this, people who don’t? Well, I’ve found VERY few who understand. It is mind-blowing and frustrating when people don’t at all get it and they judge your lack of abilities. The anger is intense!
I say all of this because I feel that people should not be ashamed and embarrassed. I say all of this so that people who “don’t get it,” may muster up some sympathy and empathy for someone they know/love who is suffering. I say all of this because it is the holiday season, this past year has been a total piece of shit for everyone, and we need to take a moment, a season, to say, “fuck it,” and be kind, thankful, and appreciative. Welcome to the “gab” portion of foodgalleygab. 😉
Anyway, back to the grub. The BOMB “Just Egg” Vegan California Omelet! Is just that, totally fucking “BOMB!” If you are a “Just Egg” lover like me, please leave me a comment and let me know your fave “Just Egg” recipes, or a recipe you’d like from me, FGG. Happy Holidays!
I heard this at my friend’s house the other day and it was a total flashback! I did a dance to this in college at our annual Dance Concert. Fuck, I miss dancing! Cook and listen to music, it’s free and amazing therapy…
The BOMB “Just Egg” Vegan California Omelet!
Serves 1-2
Ingredients –
1/2 bottle of “Just Egg”
1/2 small avocado – diced
2 Tbl black olives – sliced
1/4 C small white beans (navy beans)
1/3 C veggie sausage – cut into small pieces (I use Gimme Lean Sausage and roll them into little pieces)
1/3 C micro-greens
1/2 C baby spinach
1/3 C shredded vegan cheddar (I use Violife shreds – use something that melts well)
1 Tbl dried oregano
1 tsp dried cilantro
Optional – 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan
Directions –
In a small pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, add veggie sausage (if you’re using Gimme Lean) and cook for a minute. If you’re using another veggie sausage that is already cooked or doesn’t need to be cooked, skip this step and pour in your “Just Egg.” If not, once Gimme Lean is cooked, pour in “Just Egg” – you may want to reduce your heat to medium-low if the egg is cooking too quickly
Add all of your herbs, garlic, cheese, olives, and beans – spread evenly over egg – let cook for about 1-2 minutes
Add spinach and micro-greens and let cook for 2-3 minutes more
Add avocado and salt & pepper – if bottom of egg is lightly browned, fold in half and then cook on each side for about 30 seconds
Done!
Click on the recipe name below to bring you to more of my “Just Egg” recipes!
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet
Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet
Vegan “Just Egg” 5 Minute Breakfast Sandwich
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet is the perfect breakfast, snack, or hangover cure. 😉 Done in just over 5 minutes and requires very few ingredients. It’s good just because of its simplicity – you can taste all of the ingredients.
You literally just pop a hash brown into a small pan layered with “Just Egg,” over a slice of vegan cheese. I added olives because I had them and think they’re amazingly delicious in any omelet, some oregano, salt & pepper, and then topped it all with a combo of Cholula and Aardvark hot sauce. Voila… Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet pure deliciousness.
Since I’ve become your every day “Just Egg” whore, I can’t stop creating omelets. I have a Just Egg California Omelet recipe that I’m going to post soon, too. It might be my favorite one yet, and there have been many contenders! Coming soon will be a Just Egg frittata and a Just Egg quiche. My blog just may turn into an ode to Just Egg. Fuck it! Why not? 2020 has been nothing but anything and everything I NEVER thought it would be.
Let me know what you make with your Just Egg. In the meantime, enjoy the shit outta this Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet! 😉
For your Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet cooking pleasure and a relaxing morning (I finally just taught myself this version on the piano)…
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet
Serves 1 – 2
Ingredients –
1/2 container of Just Egg
1 frozen hash brown
2 Tbl sliced black olives
1 slice vegan cheddar (provolone or smoky gouda would be delish as well – cheddar suits the hangover best – lol)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for pan
Directions –
Either microwave your hash brown or cook it in your pan first and then remove it
In a small pan, add olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, pour in Just Egg and sprinkle evenly with oregano, and salt & pepper – let cook for one minute
Place your cheese slice in the center of the Just Egg in the pan (you may need to turn your pan down to medium-low if your Just Egg is cooking too fast). Place your hash brown in the center on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the olives evenly around the hashbrown and let cook for about 1-2 minutes (until bottom is lightly brown or cooked to your liking)
Flip the omelet carefully to keep it fully intact and let cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes more
Done!
Drink pairing –
Red beer (I like mine with a dash of Tabasco)
Mimosa
Pale ale
The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup!
The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! Has been my best creation all winter. Honestly, my sister and I scarfed this down and then laid comatose on the couch for about 30 minutes afterward. It was SOOOO good! We ate it too fast, therefore, we ate too much, then digested silently on the couch. When we stop drinking our wine because we are too full, you know we’ve hit our limit. LOL.
I had leftover Kite Hill Tortellini in my fridge which is how this idea came to be. Honestly, it had probably been about twenty years since I’d had tortellini soup. One of the most important parts of this deliciousness is using a GOOD marinara sauce. Don’t skimp out!
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! We ate and drank too much and it was amazing. Loads of FT and Zoom calls with friends and family from my sister’s house. I ended up crashed in a teepee with my kiddo on my sister’s bedroom floor. LOL. Didn’t feel fabulous for my body when I woke up; however, didn’t give two-shits when I went to sleep. 😉
I can’t believe how fast Christmas is approaching. I say this every year like it is somehow shocking. LOL. Anyway, this The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! Would be an awesome addition to any Christmas dinner. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to post some more Just Egg recipes and a bunch of holiday recipes. Enjoy the first week back to the grind! I’m on a 3-hour work reprieve (I have an incredibly odd and disjointed schedule) and fucking exhausted.
Enjoy The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! And let me know if you have soups that you make for Christmas!
Click HERE for more great wintery soup recipes!
One of my holiday faves…
The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup!
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients –
1 package (not frozen) of vegan cheese tortellini (I use Kite Hill -their package is 9 ounces)
1 1/2 C small white beans (navy beans)
4 C fresh baby spinach (can swap out for kale)
12 oz vegan sausage (I use Gimme Lean Plant-Based Ground Sausage – roll up in little balls)
3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 medium yellow onion – diced finely
1 Tbl ground oregano (can use fresh)
1 tsp ground basil (can use fresh)
1 tsp fresh thyme – finely chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary – finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper – to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 C vegetable broth
1/3 C vegan milk (I use oat milk)
1 (8-oz) can GOOD tomato sauce (I use Mezzetta Marinara Sauce)
Directions –
Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Once warm, add sausage and cook until lightly browned – about 3-5 minutes
Add garlic, onion, and herbs, salt & pepper – cook for about 3 minutes
Whisk in the flour – about 1 minute
Slowly whisk in vegetable broth and tomato sauce
Add tortellini and beans- let boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes -stir occasionally (tortellini should be cooked and sauce should thicken)
Add spinach until wilted but still bright green – 1 minute
Add vegan milk and any salt & pepper you’d like – stir well – about 1 minute
Done!
Wine pairings –
Red – Amarone
White – Sauvignon blanc
Vegan Sausage Stuffing
Vegan Sausage Stuffing is honestly the BEST EVER! My exe used to make this for me every year. He’d dry out the bread for days and do it old school. Always perfect! I know I promised this recipe a day or two ago; however, it has been absolutely fucking crazy to say the least. And, for the first time in two years, I can say “crazy” in the best of ways. It feels amazing. If you follow the blog, you’ll have some semblance of the woes in which I am referring to. Alas, ’tis Thanksgiving and it is a time to be thankful, grateful, and full of deliciousness.
Imma gonna keep this short and sweet since this post is in the 11th hour. I’m chillin’ with the kiddo, cooking for tomorrow, and writing this post. I’ve just been given a 30-minute performance from Grey where he “conducted,” performed magic, danced, and sang. So sweet!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Click the name of the recipe/post below for more amazing vegan Thanksgiving recipes. Gooble ’til you wobble, friends!
A Bob Marley T-day tune for you…
Vegan Sausage Stuffing
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients –
8 cups unseasoned stuffing cubes (or dry bread out for a few days prior!)
1/2 C vegan butter
1 1/2 C onion – diced
1 C celery – diced
1/2 C carrot – diced
4 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1 pound vegan sausage – (I am a FIRM believer that Lightlife’s Gimme Lean Sausage is the BEST for this recipe – roll into small balls)
2 3/4 C veggie broth
1 Tbl fresh rosemary – chopped
1 Tbl fresh sage – chopped
1/4 C fresh parsley – chopped
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions –
Preheat the oven to 350 F and use olive oil or vegan butter to grease a baking pan
Place the stuffing cubes in a large mixing bowl
In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook over medium heat – stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes
Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes
Add the vegetables to the bowl of stuffing cubes
In the same pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for 5 minutes
Add the sausage to the mixing bowl
Add the veggie broth, herbs, and pepper to the mixture and mix until the bread is soft
Transfer the stuffing to the baking pan and bake for about an hour to an hour and 10 minutes OR cook in pan on medium-low heat until everything is combined (about 5-10 minutes)
Done!
CLICK ON RECIPE TO BRING YOU TO LINK!
The BEST Vegan Thanksgiving Menu Ever!
Vegan Autumn Salad
Vegan Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Vegan Lentil Nut Loaf
Vegan Creamy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower & Gravy
Vegan Autumn Salad
Vegan Autumn Salad is my go-to salad for Thanksgiving or any good autumnal meal. Easy, delicious, and done in 5 minutes! I make a variation of this salad every Thanksgiving. This year, I decided to add hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds instead of candied pecans. It was amazing! I always make my homemade honey mustard balsamic dressing, too. The key is good balsamic! I’ll be making it again for this upcoming Thanksgiving.
Typically, every Christmas, whoever’s home my family goes to orders matching pajamas for everyone in the family to wear on Christmas Day. This year, since we will not be together due to the virus (most of us live in different states), it will just be me, the kiddo, and my sister. We’ve decided to do the pj tradition early. Since I plan on eating and drinking too much, we were both sold on this idea. It’s the simple changes during COVID that sometimes makes things a tad bit happier. We’re going for onesies this year. Amen to that! Nothing to push on the growing tire around the waste when we chow down.
What are you guys doing this year for your vegan T-day celebration? Or, if you’re just here looking for recipes for a vegan attending your soirée, what are you guys doing, too? Anyone have any special ideas to make the day more exciting? Something to compensate for the lack of family/friends? Please, post and let me know!
Gobble, gobble, friends. Almost T-day! I am posting a vegan sausage stuffing recipe in two days so stay tuned! Enjoy the Vegan Autumn Salad!
As always, here is my annual favorite Thanksgiving video…
Vegan Autumn Salad
Serves approximately 5
Ingredients –
5 ounces spinach (you can replace with mesculin greens)
1 1/2 C sliced cumcumbers
3/4 C sliced carrots
1/4 C roughly sliced red onion
3/4 diced apple (I used Honey Crisp)
Optional – 1/4 C vegan Violife Feta Cheese
1/4 raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tbl hemp seeds
For the honey mustard balsamic dressing –
2 Tbl GOOD balsamic
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey (3 if you like it sweeter)
1/4 C olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix well and done!
Directions –
Mix all of the salad ingredients together
Pour the dressing evenly over the salad and then toss well
Done!
*Feel free to add some walnuts to this salad, too
Wine pairing-
White – Vermentino, Grüner
Sparkling – Blanc de Blanc
Vegan Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Vegan Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy are crazy easy and delicious. Honestly, mashed potatoes win all the time. I like mine creamy and garlicky, too. I picked some fresh garlic chives from my patio garden for this recipe. So perfect!
I love Thanksgiving. I love the food, the company, the drinks, the music, and the “becoming one with my couch.” Being vegan doesn’t mean my Thanksgiving is any less carb and food heavy/delish than any other T-day. There are SOOO many meals you can make. Click HERE for a list of Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes.
OMG… COVID! Preventing family/friend soirées across the world. UGH! This year, it’ll just be me, my sis’, my nephew, and of course, G-dog. It’ll be amazing, no doubt. However, I am so pissed at the stupidity of people. This past year, human stupidity, in mass quantity, has become incredibly evident through both COVID and the election. I mean, what the fuck, people? Is putting on a mask too difficult? Is putting on a mask and following basic rules of socialization too freedom-restricting? Why can’t we all agree, despite our opposing beliefs, that this virus fucking sucks, and that if we all follow VERY easy and basic rules, we might have a chance of getting over this hellacious hump earlier than a down-tick next summer? Let’s all cross our fingers for this vaccine being readily available with access for everyone – like ASAP. Okay, that’s my diatribe for today. I felt the need to put it in this post since holidays are super-spreaders.
Anyway, Vegan Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy are the bomb! I hope you enjoy! Live well, eat well, mask-up well, friends.
For your cooking delight… I LOVE this version…
Vegan Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Ingredients –
For the mashed potatoes:
3 1/2 lbs of potatoes – I usually use russet; however, this time, I use red potatoes and loved it! Also, I keep the skin ON!
2 C vegan milk – I prefer oat milk for this recipe
1/4 C vegan butter
5-7 cloves of garlic – diced (depends on your level of garlic and size of cloves)
2-3 Tbs garlic chives – diced (save some for a garnish)
Salt & pepper to taste (salt for boiling potatoes, too)
For the gravy: (feel free to double this recipe – I usually do)
2 C vegetable stock
2 Tbl soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 C flour
Optional – 1-2 Tbl ground flax
Directions –
For the mashed potatoes:
Cut the potatoes into quarters. Place in a large pot, add salt and cover with water
Bring to boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat once boiling. Cook until potatoes are tender – about 15 minutes
Drain and place back in pot
Heat the milk, butter, garlic, and garlic chives in a pan over medium heat until simmering – remove from heat
Mash and add the mixture from pan, plus salt and pepper
Garnish with a piece of butter and chives
Done!
For the gravy:
Place all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil
Whisk often over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the gravy thickens to your liking
Done!
Wine pairing –
White – Chardonnay
Red – Barbaresco, Chianti Classico, Côtes du Rhône.
Beer pairing –
Blonde ale
Vegan Lentil Nut Loaf
Vegan Lentil Nut Loaf is easy, healthy, and delicious! Perfect for dinner, Thanksgiving, or Christmas meals. I make some kind of loaf for every Thanksgiving I have at my home – which is every year. LOL. Sometimes I do a pure lentil loaf, sometimes I do a nut loaf, sometimes a straight-up vegan meatloaf, and occasionally a mushroom wellington (click HERE for that recipe). Needless to say, I just try to change up the deliciousness every year since I host a vegan Thanksgiving annually.
I already had one vegan Thanksgiving thus far! My friend and her daughter came over since we won’t be able to spend the actual day together. It was amazing! We drank too much wine, good beer, and listened to too much Christmas music (is there such a thing?). The kids topped it off with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Round two of unnecessary eating came late night after some porch time with Jack Herer. LOL. That’s also when we thought it was a good idea to dive into the beers. Fuck it, right? We only live once and spending this time with friends is precious. Especially as we are preparing for our inevitable departure to our new home – Shenzhen, China. It couldn’t come soon enough!
This year, our T-day will be with my sister and her son. Simple but perfect. Again, getting that time in with our nearest and dearest! It is HARD with COVID. My Saturday night plans are now on Zoom. Ideal? No. However, still fun. It is really important to maintain connections and stay social during this pandemic. One of the few things that have truly helped.
I’ll have a few more vegan Thanksgiving recipes posted in the next ten days, and then my annual vegan Thanksgiving menu post with some T-day trivia for your holiday. Treat yourself to some early T-day grub because “fuck it,” it’s COVID and we might as well! On that note, cheers!
To get you in the holiday spirit…
Vegan Lentil Nut Loaf
Makes 8 slices
Ingredients –
2 C brown lentils (I use Trader Joe’s steamed lentils)
1 1/2 C walnuts – chopped finely
1 Tbl olive oil
3 Tbl vegetable broth
2 C yellow onion
1/2 Cup carrot – diced
1 C celery – diced
4 cloves garlic – minced
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
3 tsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 C tomato paste
1 vegan egg equivalent – I use a flax “egg” – 1 Tbl ground flax with 3 Tbl water mixed well
1 1/4 C breadcrumbs
For the glaze:
1/3 cup ketchup (I use a good ketchup – Portland Ketchup)
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
1 Tbl real maple syrup
Directions –
Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat
Add the onion, celery, carrot, and salt – mix and cook for about 7 minutes
Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes
Add the broth, lentils, oregano, thyme, sage, and salt & pepper and cook for 5 minutes more stirring ocassionally
In a large bowl, add the lentil mix, breadcrumbs, vegan egg, and tomato paste – mix very well (use a masher or your hands)
Flatten the contents of the bowl into a loaf pan
Evenly spread glaze on the top of the loaf
Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes
Done!
Wine pairings –
Red – Barbaresco, tempranillo
White – Chardonnay
Beer pairings-
German hefeweizen, English brown ale
Vegan Quinoa Chorizo Loaded Breakfast Burrito
Vegan Quinoa Chorizo Loaded Breakfast Burrito is the bomb! So easy, so delicious, crazy healthy, and flavor-packed. Done in 10 minutes! If I could make this every weekend, I would.
I made my own instant pot pinto beans which really adds to the overall deliciousness of this vegan breakfast burrito. Honestly, any breakfast that is Mexican-inspired is almost always a huge hit with me. In the pictures below, you can see that I have it in a wrap (burrito-style) but also have it as a bowl (or a scramble). Both are equally as amazing – I pinky promise. This particular badass Vegan Quinoa Chorizo Loaded Breakfast Burrito recipe is a proud moment for me. When simplicity meets healthy and then makes out with deliciousness, I’m fucking sold. 😉
Here’s some information about quinoa for those of you who are not fully in the know about its awesomeness: Quinoa is an ancient grain. What that means is it really hasn’t been changed much over hundreds of years. It is also considered a “supergrain.” Quinoa is high in fiber, protein, iron, B6, and is gluten-free. It is also super high in antioxidants (helps aging and the fight against diseases). If you would like more information on how/why quinoa kicks some serious ass, click HERE.
On that note, eat well, stay healthy, and remember FGG’s mantra, “Like the mind, food is a terrible thing to waste.”
With the craziness of this week and 2020 in general, chasing happiness can be both almost impossible and exhausting. Personally, to say this has been the worst year (really 18 months) of my life has been an understatement. Cooking and trying to stay healthy are incredibly important during these times. I try hard to remember this. The one thing that has helped me the most through this year of pain is music. Cooking and listening to music together is an extreme form of therapy for me as well. 🙂 I hope it helps you through the pain and uncertainty, too. When you’re cooking your Vegan Quinoa Chorizo Loaded Breakfast Burrito, I encourage you to do so with this awesome Tiny Desk Concert…
Vegan Quinoa Chorizo Loaded Breakfast Burrito
Serves 2-4 (small wraps or big burritos)
Ingredients –
2-4 wraps (if you’re doing the burrito version – not a bowl) – I used whole wheat
1 C vegan chorizo (Trader Joe’s is the BEST!)
1 C cooked quinoa
1 1/2 C pinto beans (I cooked mine in my instant pot)
1/3 C sliced black olives
1/3 C diced ripe avocado
*Optional – 1/2 C vegan shredded cheddar
*Optional – 1/4 loosely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbl taco seasoning
1-2 tsp dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
Oil for pan
*Optional – hot sauce to dress the burrito when done
Directions –
Heat oil in pan on medium and then add pinto beans, quinoa, olives, taco seasoning, oregano, and salt & pepper – stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes or until hot and blended
Mix all ingredients from pan and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl – mix well
Separate mixture onto 2-4 different wraps and fold (or make these breakfast bowls, not wraps)
Smother in hot sauce if you so desire
Done!
Drink pairings:
Red beer (this is a light beer mixed with tomato juice – I often splash some Tabasco or hot sauce in there as well)
Classic or Spicy Bloody Mary (Annie’s makes a vegan worchestire sauce!)
Black Bean Mango Salsa
Black Bean Mango Salsa is my ultimate favorite healthy and refreshing appetizer. Easy, delicious, and done in 5 minutes! I make this for almost every party I host, and I host A LOT of parties. It is always a favorite, which pleases me because I am so tired of party appetizers being both fattening and unhealthy – not necessary! Click HERE for a link to vegan party platter recipes and ideas from my Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party a few years back!
Darkness Disclaimer!: On a personal note. What a crazy week. Trying to let anxieties go is incredibly hard, especially when people ignore things like “no-contact” orders. After a year of hell, I want to move on. I am SOOO ready to get to Shenzhen and start my new life with my little man. When the virus first hit I thought, yeah, it’ll be fine. No idea that it was going to be anything but fine, and that my July move date would be moved indefinitely. If everything goes well from this point forth, I’m hoping to be outta here in the next 4-8 weeks tops. I am hoping that China doesn’t close its borders because the US is gonna keep fucking up and our cases will soar. So frightening! Therefore, even if all of the past year (and some) of absolute horrendous hell is possibly dwindling, nothing will feel fully relaxed until I am in quarantine in my hotel in China! Send positive vibes, please!
I’ve been thinking that if what happened to me over the past 17 months had happened to me when I was younger, it would’ve motivated me to change careers to help advocate for people who were in a similar situation. The law has such fucked up loopholes and everyone with any authority is aware and sympathetic, but there is little help and no plans in motion for well-needed, must-have changes in our legal system. Currently, I’m on a path that makes me unwilling to shift gears; however, had I been in my twenties, this experience would’ve shaped what I did with my life in a professional sense and I would’ve said “goodbye” to teaching. To all of you amazing people out there who advocate for change and help women like me, THANK YOU! There are no words.
Okay, out of the darkness. Remember, this blog is called food-galley-GAB, and if you know me, “gab” is something that I excel at. LOL. I almost always have life stories, usually humorous, that I share. Anyway, this Black Bean Mango Salsa is the fucking bomb! It will not disappoint – promise. If you like the ingredients, you will like this salsa. Cheers to your next soirée! Margarita recipes coming soon. Perfect pairing. And yes, I am aware it is Autumn! However, I firmly believe margaritas have a place any time of year. 😉
This song reminds me of this appetizer, plus it is a longtime fave! For your cooking delight… “Put the lime in the coconut…”
Black Bean Mango Salsa
Servings: Party sized (Double for large party)
Ingredients –
1 can black beans – drained
2 fresh & ripe mangoes – diced
1 red pepper – diced
1/3 C red onion – diced
2 -3 cloves garlic – minced
1/4 C fresh lime juice (can save some slices of lime for garnish)
1/4 C fresh mint – chopped well (can save a couple of leaves for garnish)
1/4 C fresh cilantro – loosely chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
*Optional – 1 ripe avocado – diced
*Optional – 1 small jalapeno – de-seeded and minced
*Optional – 2 green onions – diced
Directions –
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well (mixing well is important for the flavor)!
Garnish if you’d like and serve with tortilla chips
Done!
Pair with –
Fresh margaritas
Vegan Creamy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower & Gravy
Vegan Creamy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower with vegan gravy is a Thanksgiving go-to for me over the past three years. Honestly, sometimes I serve both mashed cauliflower and mashed potato. Why not? These pics are from about two months ago. I was craving them! I ate them with the Buffalo Chickpea Wraps from the last post I made. Total awesomeness together!
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am hoping G and I will be living in Shenzhen, China by then! We are getting SOOO close to our move! I can’t wait. Grey asks every day when we are moving. It makes me so happy to know that he is as excited as I am. Truly hoping that we can do our two-week quarantine in Shanghai. Yes – two weeks, in a hotel room, not being able to leave it AT ALL, with a 5 (maybe 6 at that point!) year old. Please pray for me. LOL. 😉 I’ll take any suggestions anyone may have regarding fun activities to assist in evading extreme boredom, and to help maintain some “mommy sanity” until we are released from the confines of our hotel box! Then, it would be my dream, that Alana is the first smiling face I see! Hence, why I want to quarantine in Shanghai. CAN’T WAIT TO FUCKING SEE YOU, ALANA AND FAM!
Okay, back to Vegan Creamy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower with bomb gravy. It’s easy, delish, is great by itself, as a side dish, and of course, to ramp up your vegan thanksgiving recipes.
I was just telling my sister, the amazing Danella, who flew here to represent me via Pro Hac Vice (the most insane thing ever that we managed to make happen with literally zero time) – you’re my fucking hero, D – that I’ve had this song stuck in my head for a week. She begged me not to sing it so I didn’t do the same to her. Not sure if I’ve heard it recently or if it is simply because China is on my mind, but here you go! For your listening/cooking delight! … And, to my freedom from an absolute year of hell. Hopefully, I will never be harassed, threatened, and stalked to the point of absolute insanity ever again – or that my friends, family, my son’s school, etc., will not be harrassed and threatened from him any longer. FREEDOM!
Vegan Creamy Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower & Gravy
Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients–
1 large head of cauliflower
1 Tbs vegan butter (I use Miyokos or Earth Balance)
1/4 C vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
*Optional- 1 Tbs vegan shredded parm OR 1 tsp vegan parm
1/4 cup vegan milk (I prefer soy for this recipe)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
*Optional- fresh parsley – chopped loosely
Directions –
Boil water with salt and cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Once water boils, add cauliflower and cook on a medium boil for about 10 minutes or until semi-soft
Drain cauliflower and rinse with cold water – let cool for a few minutes
Heat butter and garlic on medium-low for about one minute
In your food processor or Vitamix, add cauliflower and all other ingredients
Puree ingredients until smooth, place in bowl, and add optional parsley on top
Done!
Vegan Gravy
Ingredients –
2 Tbs vegan butter
1/3 C flour (1/2 C flour if you want it thicker)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
4 C vegetable broth
2 Tbs dry white wine
Pepper – to taste
Directions –
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat
Add flour, garlic powder, pepper, thyme, sage, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute
Slowly whisk in the broth, until smooth and bring to a boil
Add wine and tamari/soy sauce
Next, simmer and cook, whisking, until smooth and thick, about 1 minute
Remove from heat
Serve immediately
Done!
Beer Pairing –
Pilsner
Wine Pairing –
White- Oaky Chardonnay
Red – Oaky Cabernet
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Collard Green Wraps
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad Collard Green Wraps are crazy easy and super delish. Honestly, they take about 5-8 minutes to make too, so that plus layin’ off the carbs have made these a lunchtime fave recently. I’ve made these for Superbowl parties, as teatime wraps, and for other soirees. They’re crowd-pleasers for sure.
Some like it hot! If that’s the case, add more hot sauce. I like my shit hot too; however, the ever-so-lovely perks of badass GERD have given me a big “fuck you” in that department. Alas, I settle for somewhat hot and then try not to die. LOL. Honestly, it’s the WORST! Not enough Prilosec in the world to make it better. If you are a sufferer, I feel you! Blows.
Speaking of hot, yesterday, my friend Heather had me taste test 2 different hot sauces I’ve never had the pleasure of trying. I love all things truffle. This sauce is called “Truff” and is truffle hot sauce! Say whaaaa?!?! If you can handle the heat, the “hotter” sauce is amazing. Personally, I almost lost a lung. LOL. Heather (me) ten years ago woulda smothered that shit on her eggs. The black label Truff was my fave. Totally recommend if you are a truffle lover as well!
If you make my Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad Collard Green Wraps, let me know what hot sauce you used and if you changed anything up. Always open to different twists on recipes.
One of my favorite old movies, “Some Like it Hot.” For your cooking pleasure… a lil’ Marilyn Monroe.
Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Salad Collard Green Wraps
Yields: 2 collard green wraps
Ingredients-
2 collard green leaves – rinsed
1 can of chickpeas – drained
2 Tbl hummus
2 Tbl vegan mayo (you can go crazy and substitute with vegan ranch)
1/4 C celery – chopped
2 Tbl red onion – diced finely
Optional – 2 Tbl red bell pepper – diced
1 Tbl hot sauce (adjust to your taste)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Optional – 2-3 tsp taco seasoning ( I LOVE adding this)
Optional – 1 tsp dried cilantro
Directions–
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash with masher
Spread evenly onto both collard green leaves. Chop off the stems of both leaves and fold
Done!
Pair with-
Beer- A hoppy IPA
Vegan “Just Egg” 5 Minute Breakfast Sandwich
This is the easiest vegan breakfast sanbo eveerrrr. Loaded with vegan sausage, vegan cheese, avocado, fresh parsley, and salt & pepper on sourdough. I appreciate something cooked in the morning but don’t have a lot of time. This has become my go-to over the past few months.
I’ve said it in my other “Just Egg” posts. Whole Foods sells it for $4.99! This is the only time that WFs has significantly beat Safeway and every other store in such a price divide. It is upwards of $8.99 at other places. CRAZY!
“Just Egg” is the fucking bomb. The consistency and flavor is so amazing that it can easily hold its own in any omelet making competition, and would fool most with its look and taste. Check out my two “Just Egg” omelet recipes as well. Totally delish.
Vegan “Just Egg” 5-Min Breakfast Sandwich is an awesome way to start your hectic day. My work schedule is so weird because of this virus. Sometimes, I think it’s amazing. Other times, it totally can stress me out. Egg yourself up to get off on the right foot. Good breakfast, good day. 😉
For your morning cooking delight…
Vegan “Just Egg” 5-Min Breakfast Sandwich
Yields: 1
Ingredients-
2 pieces of bread (I used sourdough)
1/3 btl of “Just Egg” (you can use half the bottle for a bigass sandbo!)
1/4 ripe avocado – will smash on sandwich
1-2 vegan sausages (I use Lightlife and make 2 medium-sized sausages – however; in some of these pics, I’ve used Beyond Meat Veggie Sausage)
1 slice vegan cheese (I used provolone in this pic; however, usually I use cheddar)
Salt & pepper to taste
Vegan butter for pan
Optional- Fresh parsley to taste
Directions-
Place 2 pieces of bread in toaster
If using frozen sausages, place in microwave now. If using Lightlife, have patties ready for pan
Heat a small pan with butter on medium
Once hot, pour “Just Egg” in with salt & pepper. It will quickly start to bubble. After about 2 minutes of bubbling, fold the egg in half – if using parsley, add now – (throw on vegan patties and cook on the other half of pan if using Lightlife sausages)
After 1-2 minutes, flip egg and turn off heat
Smear avocado on both sides of toast and cut the cheese in half and place on each side on top of avocado. Place egg on toast and make your sandwich. Cut sanbo in half.
Done!
Da Bomb Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I’d like to preface this post by stating I am not a dessert person. Bakeries? BLAH! I know, weird. Hated them my whole life. I have room in my dessert heart for about 3 things: cheesecake, brownies, and of course, the “Da Bomb Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!” Or any chocolate chip cookies with some PB in there, too. If you offered me an everything bagel or a piece of cake, to me it’s a no-brainer. The bagel! LOL. So, I am sharing this recipe because I’m convinced it’s that good – meaning, I’d pass on the bagel. Say whaaa?!
To make me an even pickier cookie participant, I only like them when they’re soft or semi-soft. Okay, get your mind outta the gutter. We are talking about cookies, friends. If you don’t know me, you can clearly guess the kind of folk I surround myself with, as that response was me hearing their voices as soon as I wrote that. To my friends, this is why I love you. Ride or die, bitches. MWAH!
Badass, moist, scrumptious, easy, and a fave for making with the kid. Enjoy the “Da Bomb Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!” And on a last note, keep your kitchen clean, but not your mind. FGG’s words to live by. 😉
For your cooking pleasure… AND FOR ALL OF YOU KILLA TEACHERS OUT THERE RIGHT NOW!…
Da Bomb Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Makes approximately 12-24 cookies depending on you!
Ingredients-
3 Tbl unsweetened oat milk (or any dairy-free milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C vegan butter
1 1/2 C flour (you can use whole wheat flour, just know they’ll taste different)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 – 1 1/4 C vegan chocolate chips
Directions-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brush your cookie sheet with oil or use parchment paper to cover
In a bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt
In a separate bowl, add butter, sugar, and blend until consistency is creamy
Add oat milk and vanilla extract, and beat until creamy
Slowly add the flour and mix well
Stir in chocolate chips
Make 1 1/2 – 2 Tbl sized balls of cookie dough and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet (I made them bigger so I yielded 12)
Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes
Move to baking/wire racks to cool after about 2-3 minutes
How to Make Wheatgrass Shots
Making wheatgrass shots is literally the easiest process ever. Especially when you consider the cost of buying the wheatgrass and how much it produces. Far better than running to the health food store, etc. to buy a “million-dollar” shot of the good shit.
Spent your COVID days on the booze-train like literally every other American I know? Enjoyed your fair share of frozen cocktails and wines this summer? It’s time to DETOX the crap outta your body. You should start with about 1/2 a shot every morning as soon as you wake up. Of course, you can add it to a smoothie, or you can add an orange or any other fruit when blending, too. However, I recommend to fully detox your hot-bod, take wheatgrass shots straight up – no training wheels. 😉 Graduate to one full shot – put on those big-boy pants!
Wheatgrass is a superfood! Packed with vitamins A, C, E, K, and B complex. For all of you old smokers or asthmatics, it also aids in respiratory function. Wheatgrass juice can help detox by eliminating toxins, aid in cell production, lower blood sugar, and the chlorophyll helps to support healthy liver function. *It is also packed with proteins, enzymes, iron, calcium, magnesium, phytonutrients, and 17 amino acids.*
Honestly, suck up the fact that wheatgrass tastes like, you guessed it, grass! And know that you’re detoxing and loving your body in the biggest and “bestest” of ways. You’ll save loads of moola and have loads of wheatgrass shots ready at your disposal every morning. Don’t buy, make. I try to live by that as often as I can. Your wallet and your health will thank you.
*https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/wheatgrass-benefits#superfood (click that link for even more benefits of wheatgrass)
How to Make Wheatgrass Shots
Ingredients-
1 small (they are usually sold in a similar size – reference picture below) wheatgrass plant
1-2 C water
Will need-
A nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or very small sieve/strainer (like the one in my pictures below)
Vitamix or high-powered blender
Pitcher
Directions–
Wash and then cut the wheatgrass as low as possible (look at picture below) – get all of the green grass
Place wheatgrass and 1 cup of water into the blender and blend on high (until everything is fully blended and smooth). Add another cup of water if you would like to thin it out more
Pour the contents of the blender over your nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or very small sieve/strainer, and into the pitcher to collect your wheatgrass juice
Done!
*Save the wheatgrass for up to a week in your fridge. You may freeze the wheatgrass as well
I wanted to attach a favorite song about the earth for this post. Wheatgrass just might taste like the earth, but it is the plants like this that grow on our beautiful planet that can make our bodies a force to be reckoned with. Enjoy some Joni!
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet is another “Just Egg” vegan breakfast concoction. Honestly, I’m obsessed with “Just Egg.” It has yet to fail me. Everything I make with it is delicious – my favorite obviously being vegan omelets, or “omelettes” for you fancier folk. Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet is like a faux Italian vegan egg breakfast. Soooo good!
I made this the morning my boyfriend and I planned a MUCH NEEDED weekend get-away to Sisters, OR. I have had zero time without the kiddo for almost a year. If you’ve never been to Sisters, it’s incredibly beautiful! It’s twenty minutes from Bend, in the high-desert, is quaint, and loaded with great food and badass antique shops that I can never stop myself from buying shit that I don’t need. Mostly because I convince myself that I do, in fact, totally need this “shit.” For example, the $55 mid-century Samsonite chair I snagged today. And, pretty sure I’m going back for this AMAZING Formica kitchen table with newly reupholstered chairs in bright oil fabric. I’m obsessed! I can already see it as being the focal point of the kitchen in my house in Joshua Tree (JT). That’s right, the one I don’t own yet, but plan on owning in 2-3 years max. LOL.
When I move to Shenzhen, China, as soon as the borders reopen and the consulates are reissuing visas, I’m putting all of my new (less than 2 years old) furniture in storage to await the JT purchase. My furniture and general decor are perfect for the style of desert house I am planning on styling. Why reinvent the wheel and buy anew?
Anyway, the Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet was the perfect breakfast for relaxing and planning our trip to Sisters. If you do go, check out the Five Pines Lodge. I’ve stayed there 3 times and every time it is better than the last. It’s such a beautiful place and incredibly private.
PS- Heard this on the 70’s Folk station on Alexa en route to Sisters with the lova. I had forgotten about this tune- love it! Sooo… go get down with your badass Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet cooking tunes! … 😉
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet
Serves: 1-2
Total time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients-
Half a bottle of “Just Egg” ($4.99 at Whole Foods! Loads cheaper than anywhere I’ve seen -ironically!)
2-3 asparagus stalks cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 large lemon (fresh lemon only)
1/4 C small white beans (navy beans) – can sub out for cannellini beans
Optional- 2-3 Large fresh basil leaves – chopped
1/4 C red onion – diced (can replace with shallots)
1 large clove garlic – minced
1/4 C vegan parm shreds (more for garnish if you’d like)
1/4 C Vegetable broth
Pepper to taste (I used a 4 pepper blend & no salt because of the veggie broth)
Olive for pan
Directions-
Heat medium-sized pan on medium low – medium (pending on your stove) and add a bit of olive oil
Once oil is heated, add onions and stir occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute more – stirring occasionally
Add asparagus,, pepper and veggie broth – cook for about 10 minutes (or until tender- not too soft) stirring occasionally
Place contents of pan on a plate and set aside
Keep same pan, pour more olive oil, and pour Just Egg in pan
Add vegan parmesan cheese – sprinkle evenly, and let cook for 1-2 minutes
Add contents from plate and basil – spread evenly, and let cook for a few minutes or until bottom of Just Egg is solid (I like mine browned a bit)
Squeeze about 1/2 of the (1/2) lemon on top of egg and veggies
Fold omelet, make sure inside Just Egg is not runny, and remove from heat
Let cool for a few minutes. Squeeze the rest of the lemon evenly across the top of the omelet
Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh basil (both optional)
Done!
Wine pairing-
White – Pouilly-Fumé or blanc de blanc
Sparkling – Cava
Beer Pairing-
Belgian-style witbier
Mediterranean & Mexican Inspired Vegan Hot Dogs!
Mediterranean & Mexican Inspired Vegan Hot Dogs! – are fully loaded and smothered in deliciousness. The most bomb veggie dogs on the block. I made these for the 4th of July this year. Totally incredible.
The Mediterranean vegan hot dog is loaded with hummus, sauteed mushrooms with fresh lemon, parsley, garlic chives, and a tahini drizzle. The Mexican vegan hot dog is loaded with olives, vegan cheddar, green onions, (usually avocado), fresh cilantro, hot sauce, and a roasted red pepper drizzle. Honestly, I can’t pick a favorite. They’re totally different dogs but equally as badass.
I missed the beach big time this past 4th of July. Usually, I go to Long Island (where I’m from) and we all mosey to the beach in glow stick apparel to see the fireworks. However, since I spent my 4th’s at my friend Maureen’s house as a child, they’ve never been as fun at my own home (LI) unless my mother hosts a big party. Maureen’s parents always had loads of family, staple food, and lawn games – bocce being the biggest. This year I hosted (I usually do) with the few people we’ve been isolating with. We had lawn darts, bocce ball, cornhole, etc. There were water balloon fights, super soakers, great food, strawberry/mint margaritas, mango margaritas, and a slightly failed outdoor movie. I fucking love the shit out of entertaining and hosting any party for any occasion and believe me, I’ll always find an occasion, no need for a “just because.”
Anyway, enjoy the shit outta the Mediterranean & Mexican Inspired Vegan Hot Dogs! Comment below and let me know how you did yours, or other crazy dog inventions you’ve rocked.
PS- We listened to Bob Marley for a large part of the 4th of July. Bob is my sunshine summer music (thanks to my old New Paltz roomies for that) Enjoy the tunes! …
Mediterranean & Mexican Inspired Vegan Hot Dogs!
*There are no measurements for these hot dogs, as you will dress each one as you’d like and to taste
Ingredients-
Mexican Vegan Hot Dog:
Good hot dog buns
Hot dogs – grilled
Shredded vegan cheddar (I used Miyoko’s Farmhouse Cheddar)
Fresh cilantro – chopped loosely
Green onions – diced
Black Olives – sliced
Avocado – diced
Optional – hot sauce, roasted red pepper drizzle
Mediterranean Vegan Hot Dog:
Good hot dog buns
Hot dogs – grilled
Hummus – You can use a classic hummus (recipe here), a spicy roasted red pepper hummus (recipe here), or any other hummus
White or crimini mushrooms – sliced thin
Garlic – minced (for mushrooms)
fresh parsley (for mushrooms)
Garlic Chives
fresh lemon (for mushrooms)
Olive oil for pan
Salt & pepper for the mushrooms
Directions-
Mexican Vegan Hot dog:
Toast your buns with a bit of the cheese and hot sauce (optional) on the bottom
Add hot dog, cheese, green onions, olives, avocado, cilantro, and drizzle with (both optional) hot sauce and roasted red pepper sauce
Mediterranean Vegan Hot Dog:
Heat pan on medium with olive oil. Once hot, add garlic and mushrooms and sprinkle on salt & pepper. Stir. Add fresh parsley and squeeze just a bit of fresh lemon juice on the mushrooms and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally (toast buns at the same time).
Toast your buns and then smother the bottom of the bun with your choice of hummus and then add hot dogs
Place the garlic chives on the side of the bun, top with mushrooms, and drizzle with tahini sauce
Beer pairings:
For Mexican Vegan Hot Dog – witbier or hefeweizen
For Mediterranean Vegan Hot Dog – pilsner, American pale ale, or warsteiner
The BEST Vegan Pasta e Fagioli
The BEST Vegan Pasta e Fagioli, aka “pasta and beans,” or as us ‘muricans say it, “pasta fazool” (okay, so maybe we’ve derived that from Southern Italy – I dunno) – I have ever made is for your viewing and slurping delight below. I actually didn’t set out to make Fagioli at all. I was rummaging through my fridge and cabinets to concoct something for lunch from whatever the hell I had leftover. I do this often; however, this time, it was pure gold! I had a box of ditalini pasta in my cabinet forever in hopes to park it in some kind of soup. That was the day, and it was DAMN DELICIOUS!
I’d like to think that my inner Sicilian (or so Ancestry.com has stated) allowed me to make this fabulous vegan Pasta e Fagioli juuuussst right for my soup slurping soul. Yeah, we’ll go with that. 😉 This is FGG’s version of the perfect vegan Fagioli.
Honestly, COVID cooking has been the tits! I’ve been chefin’ shit up daily, and sometimes, even remembering or thinking to photograph it! My next conquest is going to be adding a tutorial video with every post. Hoping to start that next week. And, regarding my post the other day, MY SHOP IS UP AND RUNNING!!! WOO-HOO!!! I’ve had some sales, too! Okay, so I have no doubt it’s my family and the bf but hey, it’s something. 😉 You can just click on “My Shop!” in the tab on the top of the page. Happy shopping!
If you make The BEST Vegan Pasta e Fagioli! – please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts! Buon appetitio!
For this post about soup, I only thought of one song because there IS only ONE perfect soup song in this world. That’s right, if you were a lover of Woodie Guthrie but have never heard of Cisco Houston, welcome to a new realm of awesome! They worked together often. Houston died in ’61 but this song, and many others, carry on his classic American folk music tunes. Houston’s, “Soup Song!”
The BEST Vegan Pasta e Fagioli
Serves: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients-
1 1/2 C ditalini pasta
Optional – 1-2 C vegan Italian sausage (diced until it is basically minced or just very finely diced – I love Tofurky’s Italian Sausage the most)
4 cloves garlic – chopped
1 yellow onion – diced
2 stalks celery – diced
2-3 carrots – diced (I recommend peeling first!)
3/4 C sliced white or crimini mushrooms
1-2 C baby spinach or Italian (Lacinato) kale (depending on how much you deem necessary – personally I use 2. If using kale, de-stem and chop)
2 cans of Great Northern Beans OR Cannellini Beans – drained
Olive oil for pot
4 C vegetable broth
1 1/2 cans good diced tomatoes (with juice from can)
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh rosemary – finely chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper (I used a 4 pepper blend) to taste
Vegan Parmesan to taste (some vegan parms are mild, some are goat-y, some are pungent, etc. For this soup, I prefer pungent, so I used Go Veggie)
Directions-
In a large pot, cook pasta
Heat olive oil in an additional large pot on medium
Once hot, add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes – stirring occasionally – then add garlic and stir occasionally for another minute
Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt – stir occasionally for about 3 minutes or until they start to soften nicely
Add carrots and celery – stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes (make sure veggies are tender)
Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and herbs. Add more salt and add pepper – bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer whilst covered for about 10 minutes. If using kale, add now and cook for 5 minutes more. If using spinach, cook for 13 minutes and add spinach for the last 2 minutes
Add the pasta and beans – stir occasionally for about 2 minutes, until everything is nicely combined
Serve and garnish each bowl with vegan parmesan (I used rosemary sprigs for a garnish, too)
Done!
Wine pairing-
Red – A light Chianti
White – Vernaccia or Pignoletto
Vanilla & Peanut Butter Kid’s Cake-Vegan
Vanilla & Peanut Butter Kid’s Cake-Vegan is insanely easy and delicious. Personally, I am not a dessert person, as I am sure you can tell by the serious lack of desserts I have on this blog. For Father’s Day, we made a cake for my boyfriend. We used this recipe and it was awesome! We made a coconut whipped frosting and used white flour. For this particular cake, we used whole wheat flour (quite a different taste FYI) and homemade peanut butter for the frosting. Honestly, they were amazing. The cake is fluffy and moist… aaaannnd, there is no egg replacer! Every ingredient is a pantry staple.
Greyson (my kiddo) wanted to make homemade peanut butter about 2 months ago. We’ve been making our own ever since. Literally all you have to do is blend peanuts in a high-powered blender – no added ingredients. I use my Vitamix and a 365 brand bag of roasted & salted peanuts. It looks dry when you first blend, but the oils quickly release and it becomes creamy and delicious in seconds. We used this for our frosting, as per Grey’s request. I was opposed at first; however, it was delish!
I was having my weekly Wednesday “Cobras” happy hour (just another reason why COVID has improved my life – trying to look at the bright side, people) on Zoom the other day and I was talking about my Vitamix and my Dyson. I’d decided that if I could choose 2 inanimate objects to be my best friends, it would be my Vitamix and my Dyson. I use them daily. My Dyson gets used at least 3 times/day. Yeah, I’m a clean freak but I ALSO have a 5 YO – enough said. I am a walking advertisement for these two products. 😉 Actually, I recently published an article in “The Haven” about COVID and how my inanimate objects are becoming my best friends. You can find it here:
https://medium.com/the-haven/dear-diary-im-officially-over-it-8ab5db75a765?source=friends_link&sk=c71ae00d2d22c69f499dc522627e4548
(my links aren’t embedding at the moment – just one of the many annoyances on the blog right now)
Anyway, if you have kiddos, Vanilla & Peanut Butter Kid’s Cake-Vegan, is so fun to make together, super easy and delish, and of course, it’s always awesome to instill a love and understanding for cooking at a young age!
PS- I decorated it to say “G ‘heart’ in'” – meaning “G-Lovin'” – and then some other easy designs.
For your cooking and musical pleasure…
Vanilla & Peanut Butter Kid’s Cake-Vegan
Ingredients-
1 3/4 C flour – white or wheat (just know they’ll taste very different – we used wheat)
1 C white Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 C non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
1/3 C vegetable oil (could sub for canola, too)
1 Tbl white vinegar
Frosting- Creamy peanut butter
Directions–
Preheat oven to 350°F
Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together
Add non-dairy milk, vanilla, oil, and vinegar – whisk together
Grease an 8″ round pan and pour the batter
Bake for 30 minutes
Remove from pan. Allow cake to cool for at least 15 minutes and then spread peanut evenly on top of cake. Feel free to decorate!
Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet
Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet is literally a GAZILLION times better than any “real egg” omelet I’ve ever had… and I used to love me some real eggs. If you have never tried Just Egg, vegan or not, you are totally missing out on a delicious and healthy foodgasm. She is the plant-based Goddess of the year – hands down. The texture, the way it cooks, and most importantly the taste, is absolutely fucking incredible. If you can’t tell, if she took human form, I’d marry her. 😉
For the 4th of July (was amazing btw), I made my beloved instant pot pinto beans (recipe to come for sure). Since I made a lb of them, I’ve been chowing down on this glory in various ways for dayssss – still not over it. I decided to throw them in my Just Egg Omelet this morning with all of the other leftover 4th grub (cilantro, avocado, vegan cheddar, etc). Remember, my food mantra, “waste not!” And of course, “Like the mind, food is a terrible thing to waste.” Anyway, to say the Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet was amazing would be an understatement.
My little dude, G, helped me out in the kitchen for a bit. Mostly, he played me music on the record player, and “taste tested” all the food I was actively trying to stop him from eating. He’s lucky he’s both cute, and the most amazing cleaner/helper I’ve ever seen in any 5 YO. Later, we made a cake (next post) that was pretty incredible. I don’t have a sweet tooth so I feel that it was a legit concoction.
Lastly, I created a store on Spreadshop for my blog! She’ll be up and running under the “My Shop!” tab in just a few days. Super excited! Loads of awesome merch with hilarious food quotes, Heather quotes, and other cool shit.
Back to the Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet… pretty sure I just changed your breakfast for life. You’re welcome. 😉
PS- “Just Egg” can be super-pricey depending on where you purchase it. What cracks me up (pun intended – lame, I know, LOL) the most about their price point is that Whole Foods is selling it for almost 50% less than anywhere else! I can state that this is the very first time I have ever witnessed WF being a better deal than virtually anywhere else.
Enjoy the Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet! For your listening pleasure, and because it’s totally appropriate, and we all need a little Beastie Boys up in our kitchens!!!…
Vegan “Just Egg” Southwest Omelet
Serves: 1-2
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients-
1/2 bottle of “Just Egg”
1/3 C fresh cilantro – loosely packed and loosely chopped
1/4 of an avocado – chopped
1/2 C pinto beans (I used my instant pot pinto beans – the BEST!)
1/3 C shredded vegan cheddar (I used Miyokos)
1/4 C sliced black olives
2 C fresh spinach
Olive oil for pan
Garlic powder to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional- Hot sauce (I used a combo of Cholula & Aardvark)
Directions-
Heat medium-sized pan with olive oil on medium-low to medium (Just Egg cooks quickly so adapt to your stove). Then pour Just Egg in pan
Add the garlic powder, salt & pepper – sprinkle evenly. Next, top with cheese – sprinkle evenly atop egg
Add the pinto beans, olives, and either all or most of the cilantro (I saved some for a garnish) – spread evenly atop egg
Let cook for about 5 minutes and then add your avocado
Fold egg in half to create your omelet. Optional – flip to cook on both sides; however, not necessary if it has cooked well
Remove from pan and garnish with the rest of your cilantro and smother in hot sauce. Done!
Drink pairing:
Vegan Bloody Mary (use Annie’s vegan Worcestershire sauce) OR a red beer
*If not having for breakfast…
Wine pairing:
Grenache, Gamay, or Beaujolais
Beer pairing:
Amber lager
*Click on the recipe name below to bring you to more of my “Just Egg” recipes!
Just Egg Hash Brown Omelet
Asparagus, White Bean & Parmesan Vegan “Just Egg” Omelet
The BOMB Just Egg Vegan California Omelet!
Vegan “Just Egg” 5 Minute Breakfast Sandwich
The Best Vegan 4th of July Menu!
The Best Vegan 4th of July Menu! Is my list of awesome appetizer, dinner, dessert, and drink ideas for the 4th. I love celebrating the shit out of any holiday. Mostly, I just love to entertain. My 4th of July decorations are buried somewhere in my storage. I am going to attempt to find them and fish them out for tomorrow. We are hanging with our friends we’ve been isolating with. I’m going to set up the picnic table outside, serve multiple cocktails, my classic infused party waters (strawberry and mint – and fresh lemon and ginger), play bocce ball, cornhole, blast my 4th of July playlist, and eat and drink throughout the day. We’re ending the holiday with our new and totally awesome gigantic outdoor blowup movie screen. The movie is still TBD! I feel this is a recipe for the perfect 4th of July. 😉
I shot the pictures of the hotdogs and the dessert yesterday. I’ll make them into individual posts at some point. I told my kiddo that I couldn’t find anything with a flag, etc. I turn around and he made me that adorable flag that you see in the berry dessert pictures. Grey is amazing. He made my bed, mopped the house, and made me breakfast yesterday. He’s becoming my little man! The menu below is for a large party. If you are going to have a smaller soiree, pick and choose to make your own menu!
Tomorrow is America’s birthday. Now, shit has been CRAZY this past year – virus, politics, #metoo, BLM, natural disasters, etc. I remember leaving the country embarrassed to have been American many moons ago. I’m disgusted by much of what goes on; however, I have seen the other side – communism, extreme poverty on levels I’ve never seen before – and I believe in the bones of this country. I know it could be worse – like, much, much worse. I am happy to celebrate America for its goodness. I’m happy to celebrate for change and hoping to be a part of that change. I want to teach my child to be part of that movement, that beauty. So cheers to America -“the beautiful” that is. Grill, drink, play outdoor games, appreciate the great, and vow to be part of the changes our country needs. Annnnnddd… watch Hamilton on Disney Plus tonight! Rock in the holiday with Lin-Manuel Miranda and the American Revolution!
For your holiday pleasure, I present to you, “Alexander Hamilton:”
CLICK ON THE NAME OF THE RECIPE TO BRING YOU DIRECTLY TO THE LINK! PICTURES TO EACH RECIPE BELOW, TOO. 🙂
Appetizers-
Red Potato Salad With Hickory Bacon (Vegan)
Buffalo Cauliflower
Mexican Vegan Sushi Rolls!
Fried Spiraled Zoodles – Oh, My! (replace egg with flax egg)
Easy Cheesy Vegan Tofu Quesadillas
Fried Green Tomatoes with Special Sauce (vegan)!
5 Bomb Hummus Recipes!
The BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce Ever!
Amazing Classic Guacamole
Main Dishes- (some of these recipes are from the beginning years of the blog when it was vegetarian, not vegan. I’ve replaced the ingredients below)
Lentil Sloppy Joes To Die For! (replace real cheese with something like Follow Your Heart Jack Cheese Shreds – I use this one)
The Most Bitchin’ Broccoli & Eggplant Veggie Burger Ever! (replace real eggs for flax eggs, yogurt for soy yogurt, and real parm for vegan parm – I love Follow Your Heart)
The Perfect Purple Potato Veggie Burger (replace egg for flax egg and vegan cheese)
Vegan Kale Pesto Spring Primavera!
Vegetarian Chicken Street Tacos (replace Quorn for any vegan chicken strips and replace queso fresca with vegan mozzarella such as Miyokos – my fave)
Sauteed Veggie & Farro Spiralized Zucchini Salad
VEGAN HOT DOGS (SEE PICTURE BELOW) –
1- Hummus, sauteed mushrooms (olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper), garlic chives (optional), tahini drizzle over hotdog
2- Diced black olives , diced scallions, shredded vegan cheddar (I used Miyokos), diced avocado, sprinkle of cilantro, spicy red pepper sauce drizzle OR hot sauce drizzle
Drinks-
Gin Fresh Fruit Fizz Cocktail
Fresh Blackberry Royale
Dessert- (See picture below for how to make)
Strawberries & Blueberries with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream
Coconut Whipped Cream – In a bowl, use a handheld electric whisk and blend :
- 1 can coconut milk (refrigerate beforehand for at least 12 hours for the best results – though, not necessary!)
- 3 Tbl powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Healthy Hummus Veggie Wrap (Vegan)
Healthy Hummus Veggie Wrap (Vegan) is super easy and fast. I used to eat these daily for lunch. Done in 5 minutes, little mess, easy to grab as a to-go fix, too. When I was getting my Master’s at PSU, I would either have this wrap or essentially the same wrap but on bread, hiding in my purse – all the time. I’m pretty sure this is how I came to befriend one of my many awesome and amazing cohort peeps with whom I’m still in touch with to this day. Love you, ladies!
So glad to have the blog back. I love writing and sharing recipes. I also find it to be incredibly therapeutic. Lord knows I need it these fucking days! Shit has officially hit the fan in ex-drama. It is incredibly sad and painful. I’ve been angrier than I’ve ever been, crazy confused and disappointed, and utterly perplexed by my exes choices in this world. At the end of the day, all of it is just insurmountable in sadness – mostly, for G. Dark as that may be, my day-to-day that doesn’t involve utter bullshit is pretty sweet since COVID! I get to hang with my kiddo and be outside all the time. We’ve more or less been isolating with my sister, nephew, good friend – and her daughter, and my boyfriend. It was the best thing that could’ve happened to me mentally after this epic past year.
Now, it’s summer, I’m not teaching at all, and the camping trips, etc have already begun. Fuck yeah! We had our first ever glamping trip at Lost Lake. Rained the whole time but was still totally awesome! I can’t wait for our upcoming trips. I hope you’re enjoying the summer thus far! Until next time…
Healthy Hummus Veggie Wrap (Vegan)
Serving Size: 2
Ingredients-
2 medium sized tortillas (I used an organic spinach and herb wrap)
3/4 C hummus (you can use basil, sun-dried tomato, roasted pepper, original etc – I make my own hummus I used click HERE for recipe)
1 small ripe avocado or a half of a large avocado – smashed (use fork)
8 slices of vegan cheese (I used Lisanatti Almond Mozzarella style)
1/4 C sliced black olives
1/4 C yellow and red peppers – roughly chopped
1/3 C cucumbers – roughly chopped
1 C arugula
*(Optional) Salt and pepper to taste
*(Optional) 3 Tbl chopped fresh basil
Directions-
Split hummus between both wraps and spread evenly
Split mashed avocado between both wraps and place on top of the hummus
Split the cheese and place on top of the avocado
Sprinkle the olives, peppers, and cucumbers evenly atop both wraps
Split the arugula and place on top of olives, peppers, and cucumbers
*If using the salt, pepper, and/or basil – add now
Roll each wrap tightly
Done!
White wine pairing – Pinot Grigio
Red wine pairing – Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley
Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza is something I do to cook with the kiddo. Grey, my 5 YO, loves to cook with me. This is an incredibly easy and always delicious recipe that we try to make together monthly. I tell him what to do, drink wine, and listen to Louis Prima and Dean Martin. Done. Fun for everyone.
Now, the bllloooooggg. Two months of the most ridiculous dealings with multiple people at Bluehost, and in the end, this unsavvy technologically challenged lady fixed the last leg herself. A frustrating and proud moment. LOL. Since I’m a teacher, I’d been running a Google classroom for months. This gave me loads of time to finally take care of myself and start cooking/photographing again. I was so pissed that I couldn’t post! However, at the end of the day, my divorce was FINALIZED (woo-fucking-hoo!), the ex had temporarily stopped threatening me and others in my life (unfortunately, he’s back on that crazy train for the umpteenth time) and he moved to Peru (!!!!!). This is why I didn’t make my Wednesday post as promised on FB – too many ex fires to put out. Grey and I spend our days outside playing basketball, soccer, and tennis. We ride bikes daily and play games inside almost nightly. Times during COVID have been shiny and pretty for the most part. If the blog was the one downfall, well, that was more than acceptable after this past year of absolute hell and anguish.
CHIIINNNAAAA! “Are you still actually going to China? What about the borders? What about the COVID?!” The answer is “YES!” China is amazing about quarantining and actually understanding the severity of the virus, unlike the insanity and delusions that Americans have been left to deal with on our own. My school in Shenzhen is amazing. We will be doing Google classrooms until we can arrive if they can’t get us there on time. There is always some finagling to be done with visas and the government so we shall see what happens as everything unfolds. I am incredibly excited about G and my new lives there. He’ll get the most bomb education any kiddo could ever hope to receive, the experiences of a lifetime, the opportunity to travel all over the world again, make moolah and save said moolah, and the opportunity to once again love my job.
Okay, back to pizza. Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza requires very few ingredients, little mess (usually), and will make your kiddo/s smile. Mangia! And, it’s great to be back in the blogosphere again.
Homemade Vegan Pepperoni Pizza
Ingredients:
Pizza dough (I love Pirate Pizza Dough)
Flour to roll out the dough
Olive oil for pan
1 15-oz can of GOOD pizza sauce (I use Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce)
1 8-oz bag of vegan mozzarella or vegan pizza shreds (I used 3/4 a bag of Follow Your Heart Pizzeria Blend and 1/4 bag of Lisanatti The Original Mozzarella Style Almond Cheese, Shredded)
Vegan parmesan to taste (I used Follow Your Heart Grated Parmesan)
Small package of vegan pepperoni (I used Yves)
Optional: Fresh or dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary)
Optional: Cornmeal for bottom of pizza
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees
Spread a thin layer of flour on a pastry board (or hard and flat surface) and a thin layer of flour on a rolling pin. Roll out dough into a circle or a rectangle, or if you let your kid do it, whatever weird shape you deem large enough
Oil your baking pan. If using cornmeal, place on top of the olive oil now. Transfer the dough onto your pan or your pizza stone
Get a cooking brush and evenly brush on your pizza sauce
Spread a thin layer (to taste) of grated parmesan on top of the sauce. Next evenly spread your shredded cheese over the top of the pizza. Optional – add another layer of grated parmesan on top
Place your pepperoni slices on top of the cheese (we use a lot)
Place pizza on the bottom rack of your oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until desired – move to top rack for one final minute
Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes
Optional – Top with fresh herbs or dried herbs
For a NY style slice, top each individual slice with grated parm, dried oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
Wine pairings: Sangiovese or Barbera
Beer pairings: IPA or American Brown Ale (I prefer the latter with pepperoni pizza)
6 Vegan Noodle Dishes (and my return to China)
6 Vegan Noodle Dishes (and my return to China) is a post about just that. First, food. These noodles range from garlicky to peanut-based recipes. All of them are easy, healthy, kid-friendly, and delicious. You won’t be rummaging the grocery store aisles looking for unknown and hard-to-find ingredients. They are my most popular noodle dishes, especially on Pinterest and Foodgawker. Click on the name of the noodle dish below and it will bring you directly to the recipe link. 🙂
China? The Corona Virus (poorly named as I associate it with either the beer or a crown, but hey, at least it’s memorable – haven’t actually heard anyone call it COVID 19 outside of news articles)? Why would you go back? What about your family, your friends? What about your kid? And these are just some of the many questions that I am asked daily. Well, I shall answer them now for all who care to hear.
One. THE VIRUS! Seriously? It’s everywhere and most people who are infected by it have mild symptoms and manage just fine. There are two cases in my county in Oregon and loads more up North in my neighboring state of Washington.
Two. I’m going back because when I lived in Beijing, China, three and a half years ago, I was living my best life ever in comparison to those I had experienced post-college (with the exception of one year when my friends and I all moved back to Northport, NY. That was pretty dope, too). What did both of those times have in common? I had money, I had time, I had loads of friends, and I had freedom. Sounds simple enough, until you have kids, buy a house, work in a public school (or two), can’t work out, have no money, have no time, and your friends are now scattered everywhere. Adulthood totally fucking blows. At least, in my humble opinion. In Beijing, before having a kid and after, my life was still free. Expatriates (expats) are tight-knit. We all live amongst one another, travel together, and do awesome China-city activities together over the weekends. I had almost zero outgoings, saved loads of money, traveled ALL of the time (filled up my passport in less than five years), etc. Expat life was pimpin’. However, Beijing? The air was crazy bad and now that I had a kiddo, I didn’t want to raise him in the insane pollution. I also thought that I truly wanted my childhood dream. A family, with a beautiful home, a child with strong roots in a beautiful place like Oregon, a nice car, and a cushy cloud that held up this facade of warmth that I deemed to be the perfect place. The place that I used to live in via imaginary play when I was young, but this time, for real. That’s when the record skips, screeches, and goes tits up, my friends! My life here has been stained by the wretched stench of exhaustion and tribulations. If you’re reading this and your life resembles that beautiful fairytale, well, fuck you! Haha… just kidding. 😉 I either call bullshit or envy the ever-loving shit out of you. That dream was unraveling as it was being built for me. When I left for China, I was single. Life was all about me. Then came the kid. I ran with the assumption that life with a child in the US would far surpass life with a child as an expat in China. WRONG! Life as an expat in China with a child was FAR superior to my life here with a child – in almost every single way possible. Maybe not for everyone, but most certainly, for me.
Three. I have no family here. My sister recently moved to Portland but our lives are so crazy we don’t see one another all too often. Plus, my family and I have never been close. My friends? Sure, I’ll miss them, but I’ll have new and no doubt familial relationships with a great crew of expats in China.
Four. My kid? Well, he wants to be there like, yesterday. He is fully bilingual and will receive the best education money can buy – for free. We will be at the same school/campus, and he will hopefully graduate from this amazing institution. The air? We are going south, baby! Beijing is in the north and is littered with polluted air. In Shenzhen, on the border of Hong Kong, the air is clean and warm. There are beaches, palm trees, HK, and more than a shitload of activities for adults and kids alike. The city is HUGE! If you can’t tell, I’m crazy excited about this change.
Five. My blog! I can’t wait to start posting my frequent trips to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Shanghai to see my China bestie, etc. I’ll post my favorite vegan restaurants, and my life in general, too. Of course, I’ll keep creating recipes. Being that time will be something that will once again become part of my life, I’ll actually have time to cook beautiful food and photograph, edit, and post my recipes.
Lastly, if you know me, visit me! If not, and you’re traveling to Shenzhen or China in general, message me for advice. Until then, onwards and upwards! Peace out. 😉
PS- Currently loving this song. Heard it in Sleepy Monk Coffee House in Cannon Beach and had to find out who it was! ZHU – an amazing Chinese/American musician.
Spicy Garlic Asian Noodles (Vegan)
*THE FEATURED IMAGE OF THIS POST
Creamy Peanut Thai Noodles
Sesame Soba Soy Scallion Noodles
*I NEVER TOOK PICS OF THIS AS A BLOGGER. THIS SHITTY PIC IS BOTH THE SOBA SOY NOODLES AND THE PHO BELOW. DESPITE THE FILTERED AND ANTIQUATED HIPSTOMATIC APP PIC, THEY’RE BOTH FUCKING DELICIOUS.
Best Veggie Inspired Pho Ever!
Vegan Green Creamy Peanut Udon Noodles
Veggie Miso Ramen Soup (Vegan)
Aglio e Olio with Asparagus, Lemon & Breadcrumbs
Aglio e Olio with Asparagus, Lemon & Breadcrumbs is my favorite simple pasta. Plus, anytime I have an excuse to use bucatini, I’m happy. I am sure that I have mentioned this many times on this blog but I grew up eating Italian food, and I mean like, solely Italian food, for about the first ten years of my life. My mother is an incredible cook… now. Her mom, my most favorite woman to have ever walked this earth, was not an incredible cook. Crappy food… crappy German food. Need I say more?
My other grandmother, though not Italian, was married to my grandpa, Paul. An Italian who told us we were french. Long story. I didn’t find out I was Italian until I was sixteen. I chose French as my second language because that is what I thought I was. Well, now, thanks to Ancestry.com, I am aware that I am actually twenty-two percent Italian and that my family came from southern Italy, specifically, Calabria, Italy. Shockingly, I am French, too. A whopping twelve percent. 😉 All from spitting into a tube and mailing it back. If you haven’t done DNA testing, it’s pretty rad.
Anyway, about fifteen years ago my second cousin gave me a list with the names of my grandpa and his eleven, yes, ELEVEN, other siblings. His name was really Paulo, and his siblings were Gaetano, Carmella, Octtalia, Dominick, Rossina, etc. You get the drift. Super “French” sounding names, right? 😉
My Italian grandpa’s wife, Norma, whom I lived with when she passed; a beautifully talented and artistic soul, learned to make Italian food for her husband. They had lived in Sorrento, Italy for a bit while my grandfather was penning a book that my father tells me was about politics… possibly, in rhyme. I’d love to have a copy of that. My grandma gifted my mother a cookbook with typed out recipes on index cards. And this, friends, is what I was fed for a decade until my mother expanded outwards. Puttanesca and Aglio e Olio defined my childhood. This would also explain my unbreakable love for carbohydrates.
I’ve taken the classic Aglio e Olio and jazzed it up with asparagus, lemon, bread crumbs, capers, and yes, vegan parm. I read that parmesan is not really meant to be part of an Italian dish like this (with heat), but like my life’s mantra always says, “Fuck it.” On that note, have a fabulous vegan Tofurky day! Eat, drink, and be merry. Mangia! Salute!
PS- One of my favorite Louis Prima songs. Popped into my head right away when I was thinking about what song I should add to this post. 🙂
Aglio e Olio with Asparagus, Lemon & Breadcrumbs
Ingredients:
2 cups toasted breadcrumbs – I used Panko
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup vegan parmesan cheese – I used Follow Your Heart (my new fave)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 lb. bucatini pasta
8 cloves (1 bulb) garlic – chopped
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper (depending on your personal heat index)
3 Tbl capers – roughly chopped
1 lemon – juiced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, oregano, and basil – chopped finely. You can use all three as I did or use just one. You could also add thyme or rosemary pending upon your taste.
Directions:
Cook bucatini in salted water – save 1/2 C pasta water
In a steamer set over boiling water, steam asparagus, covered, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil on low-medium. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, and capers. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the white wine and stir the pan for a minute. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add asparagus, pasta water, lemon juice, and herbs. Turn off heat. Toss the pasta in until coated – about 1 to 2 minutes. Top with the vegan parmesan and breadcrumbs. I threw some sun-dried tomatoes on the center top of the bowl for my photos.
Wine pairings:
Sparkling brut wine or pinot noir
To contrast the tangy flavor, try a french chardonnay
Tadka Dal & Curried Yellow Lentils & Potatoes (Vegan)
Tadka Dal & Curried Yellow Lentils & Potatoes (Vegan) are healthy, easy, and totally delicious vegan Indian recipes. I am a lover of the lentil… big time. Lentils are super badass for protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, and folate – a vegetarian and vegan dream. Plus, they taste fucking incredible and are ridiculously versatile. I make “meatballs” with them, toss them on salads, in pasta, in bean dips, patties and more. I made the Tadka Dal for me (I like spice), and the Curried Yellow Lentils for my kiddo.
When I lived in Beijing (almost 3 years ago now – crazy!), I traveled alllll over Asia. One of the coolest things to me was the day I filled my passport and had to get pages added. However, it totally ruined the cool look of my passport. LOL. Anyway, I always felt bad for people who traveled with me. I wasn’t vegan when I lived in China, but I was a vegetarian (since the age of 8). Traveling in SE Asia meant delicious and cheap food for everyone… but me. Not to mention, vegetarianism is pretty much a foreign concept there so things like fish sauce and pastes were never revealed when asked if the dish was vegetarian. Better safe than sorry. I lived on the shittiest pizzas, pasta, and occasional toastie (basically a grilled cheese). All of my friends traveling with me got stuck eating at these awful western restaurant when we were traveling in various places of SE Asia – except in Ho Chi Mihn – there was this AWESOME coffee shop (Vietnam has incredible coffee) that served these crazy cheap, crazy delicious, tofu lemongrass baguettes. I ate one every day. That was the only “gem” I had ever come across… until I went to India. I ate the shit out of India. Breakfasts were insane! I could eat everywhere. A vegetarian’s paradise. Plus, Indian food is so flavor-packed, I never got bored. Oddly enough, it was my least favorite place in Asia that I ever traveled to – but at the same time, the best fucking food I’d ever had in Asia. I ate Tadka Dal like it was my last day on earth – and every other piece of naan, biryani, paneer, and kofta I could get down before barfing from overeating. 😉 Yes, Delhi Belly is real, very grossly real… but more than worth it. 😉
Let me know your thoughts on these recipes. Did you switch it up? Add things? I also have just been informed that my comment section hasn’t been working for about a year! WTF! Figuring this out now. One of my plugins is most likely the source. Feel free to comment on my FB page, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram accounts though! -FGG
PS- I LOVE The Beatles! This is a fitting song for the post. 😉
TADKA DAL RECIPE:
Ingredients:
1 C yellow lentils
1 small-medium yellow onion – diced
1 small tomato – diced
1 chili – diced finely (I used a green chili)
2 Tbl ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 cloves of garlic – diced
3/4 tsp chili powder (adjust according to your desired level of spice)
1 Tbl fresh ginger – thinly sliced OR 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger
1 tsp turmeric
Garam masala powder – sprinkled in a very tiny amount
2 Tbl fresh cilantro – loosely chopped
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
Salt as desired
4 C water
3 Tbl vegetable oil
Directions:
Rinse lentils very well
In a saucepan – boil water
Once boiling, add lentils, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, and fenugreek leaves
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for approximately 30 minutes – stir occasionally
Remove from heat when lentils are soft (add more water if necessary)
Put oil in a skillet on medium high
Add cumin seeds. After 1-2 minutes, add onion. After 2 more minutes, add garlic. Cook for about 8 minutes or until onions are browned.
Add ginger, chili, and tomato. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 8 minutes or until tomato is soft.
Combine the lentils with the mixture from the skillet, salt, and cilantro – mix well
Done!
Curried Yellow Lentils
Ingredients:
1 C dry yellow lentils
1/2 onion – finely diced
3 cloves garlic – minced
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1 Tbl cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 C vegetable broth
2 C water
Salt to taste
Directions:
In a pan, heat oil and add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 2-3 minutes
Add the turmeric, and cumin powder – cook for about more more minute
Add the broth and water and bring to boil – stir well
Add the lentils and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20-30 minutes (add more water or broth if necessary)
Add salt – stir
Done!
Creamy Curried Potatoes!
Ingredients:
6 medium white potatoes – boiled
1/2 C (or more pending upon your level of creaminess) vegan mayo (I only use Vegenaise)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Directions:
Let potatoes cool and cut potatoes in half
Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well
Done!
*Feel free to adjust your spices according to your taste!
Wine Pairings:
White – Dry riesling OR dry rose
Red- Pinot Noir
Beer Pairing:
Lager
HERE ARE SOME PICS FROM MY TRIP TO INDIA IN 2013 (DEHLI, AGRA, JAIPUR, GOA). TOO MANY “HEATHER PICS” LOL – BUT I WANTED PICS IN FRONT OF THESE AMAZING PLACES! 😉
Vegan Chicken Protein Kale Salad
Vegan Chicken Protein Kale Salad is crazy delicious. It literally takes 5 minutes to make and is packed with flavor, protein, and vitamins. I’m a total lover of a good salad. However, by “good” I mean – not boring, and most importantly, packed with flavor and substance. Sounds simple, right? Yet I’m almost always incredibly bored with every salad that one could order at a restaurant. If they’re actually good, most likely they are loaded with fat and are a calorie killer. Since you all know I’m back on the path to being my old skinny bitch self (thanks Beach Body), I’ve had to seriously cut back on the carbs… and booze. I know, for me, that’s like a fucking death sentence, and my lips should never utter such asinine bullshit. So, I’ll write it instead. 😉
I’ll keep this short because I am lacking time these days. Here’s a haiku for you:
Salads are my soul
Carbs destroy my skinny bitch
Green goddess, save me
I don’t know, I literally put my feet on my desk and word vomited this post onto the keys of my computer. Done as quickly as this recipe. 😉 Enjoy your skinny yet delicious greens! -FGG
PS- Video for the post: “You know you’re a…” One of my all-time favorite songs, and the perfect fit for a hopeful skinny bitch. 😉
Vegan Chicken Protein Kale Salad
Ingredients:
Approximately 5 ounces of kale
1 C pinto beans
3 small sweet peppers – sliced thin (I used orange, yellow, and red)
1/3 C black olives – sliced
3 radishes – sliced very thin
1 vegan chicken patty – diced (I used Morning Star’s Buffalo Chicken Patty – they’re vegan now!)
2 Tbl nooch (nutritional yeast) – optional
Dressing of your choice – I mixed vegan ranch & balsamic. You could use hot sauce and lime juice or anything you’d like. However, moderation is key! This is where you could accidentally pack on unwanted calories
Directions:
Toss the kale in a large bowl and add your salad dressing. Mix well. I like to let this sit for about 5 minutes to soften the kale
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well
Done!
Notes:
Feel free to add herbs, I often do. Also, this would be great with red onion, green onion, or chives!
Wine Pairings:
Red – Beaujolais
White – Arneis OR Chablis
*Of course, this would add to your calorie count! However, sometimes, you’ve just gotta live a little… 😉
Vegan & Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread!
It is almost that green, magical, Irish kinda day where food, fun, drinks, and parades make me take out every piece of Celtic jewelry (Claddagh rings, Celtic knot necklaces etc), green clothing, and shamrock scarves/hair pieces that I own. Plus, I’m a teacher, so I can be as cheesy I want with warm lil’ leprechaun lovin’ comin’ my way. #whenkidsarecute … This awesome day that brings out the Irish in all of us? St. Patrick’s Day! Woo-hoo! This year, we’ll be seeing a parade and going to my fave restaurant to see Irish dancing, hear Irish music, and have a bagpiper walk around the restaurant whilst we chow down. Hell yeah! My kid eats this kinda shit up as much as I do. I’ve raised him well. 😉
I’ll keep this short. Vegan & Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread! Is a recipe from 2-years ago that I removed the egg from (click here for that recipe).
To end this post: St Pat’s Day rocks, Leprechaun tales are the tits, pots-of-gold are my dreams, green everything warms my soul, drunken parades & pipers channel my youth, and whiskey makes my Irish cheeks cheer with red. Sláinte!
-FGG
Irish Soda Bread (Dairy Free)
Yields 1
Prep Time –10 min///Cook Time –35 min///Total Time- 45 min
Ingredients
- 4 C flour (I used whole wheat but white is just fine)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 Tbsp Earth Balance or any vegan margarine/butter
- 1 3/4 C unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425
- Whisk together the flour salt, baking soda and sugar in mixing bowl
- Using your hands, mix the butter into the flour
- Add the almond milk and vinegar. Mix with spoon
- Knead with your hands into a dough
- Make into a ball and put in a round pan
- Score it with a knife lengthwise in both directions through the middle
- Bake for 35 minutes
Notes
- Add raisins or caraway seeds if you so desire!
Pair with:
- Creamy Irish Stout
By, Heather Rugile
Vegan Fusilli with Lentils, Sausage, & Peppers
Vegan Fusilli with Lentils, Sausage, & Peppers was made on a total whim, unplanned, yet totally amazing! It’s healthy, quick, easy, and delish. This is a broth based pasta with garlic and vegan parmesan cheese.
Okay, I’m gonna chat for a minute about vegan parm and vegan sausage. For this recipe (and for any recipe using parm), my go-to parm is Go Veggie! It is the best texture and flavor… or so I believe. I’ve just discovered a new wedge block parmesan as well… drum roll please… Violife Just Like Parmesan. I use this to grate parm atop my pastas and salads. I’ve tried the Smoked Provolone Slices as well and they’re absolutely incredible! To me, Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage is the BEST! You can mold it into whatever shape, size etc you’d like. The flavor is awesome, aaannndd it’s not expensive. If you’ve never tried any of these vegan products, you should! You can click on the title of the product above to bring you directly to their pages. Lastly, what is your favorite vegan parm and vegan sausage? Let me know in the comments! Always looking to try something new.
Yesterday, I went to Trader Joe’s on my way home from a sleepover at my friend Mandi’s house. I had interviewed her for my podcast, “One More Sip of Whine.” Of course, we drank through the podcast (part of the process) and then continued forth with prosecco. She lives far out in Vancouver so as usual, I stayed overnight. Was amazing. You are never too old for sleepovers with your girlfriends. Honestly, I think it’s incredibly important to maintain that youthful friendship. It’s so healthy! Well, except for the booze. 😉 Anyway, hurting, on my way home, I stopped at TJ’s, threw a bunch of shit in my shopping cart, without any real thought, returned home and was like, “what the fuck is this?” So, I had to get creative. Hence the beautiful discovery of Vegan Fusilli with Lentils, Sausage, & Peppers. LOL. Better than pouring ranch dressing on pasta. Seriously. As in, no joke. Welcome to my impoverished days of living in the East Village of Manhattan. 😉 Those stories from those days deserve their on tab on top of this blog! Hhhmmm…
Anyway, chow down and enjoy this hangover delight! It won’t disappoint.
-FGG
PS- Loved this song back in the day!
Vegan Fusilli with Lentils, Sausage, & Peppers
Serves approximately 4-6
Ingredients:
1 lb fusilli pasta – cooked
3 Tbl butter (I love Earth Balance)
3-4 cups veggie broth (depends on your liking)
1 C parmesan (I used Go Veggie!)
2 cloves of garlic – diced
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbl dried oregano
Salt for peppers
8 leaves of fresh basil – chopped
2 C colored peppers – sliced thin (I use a combo of red, orange, & yellow)
2 C cooked lentils (I used 3/4 package of Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils)
1/2 a package of Lightlife’s Gimme Lean Sausage – rolled into 1/2 inch balls
Optional: Violife Wedge Parm grated on top of individual bowls
Directions:
In a sauce pan, heat to low-med and add butter
Once melted add garlic and stir occasionally for approximately 1 minute
Add the peppers with salt, mix well, place lid on top of saucepan and let sit for 2-3 minutes
Add veggie sausage and mix well – put lid back on for 2 minutes
Remove lid and add lentils, onion and garlic powder, and oregano – mix well. Stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes
Add veggie broth, parmesan, and basil , mix very well and place lid back on pan. Let cook for approximately 5 minutes and stir again. Place lid back on and let cook on low for an additional 5 minutes
Mix well and pour sauce over pasta. Done!
DISCLAIMER: Picture totally sucks. Had no intention of taking pics, especially at night (always shoot with the sun), however, I realized I am slacking on my food posts, and this pasta dish was too damn good not to post. 😉
Vegan Grilled Stuffed Burrito w/ Avocado Ranch!
Okay, soooo… this is my most popular post and one of my most popular pins on Pinterest! I want to bring the magic back. Latin inspired foods are some of my most favorite meals. Honestly, I am pretty positive I could eat like this 7 days/week. I’d be fat as fuck, but happy as hell. Well, okay, that’s a lie – the fat part would most definitely make me depressed as hell. 😉 This could be a great dish for your lova on Valentine’s day! It’ll impress the shit outta him/her, and give you an excuse to work off those carbs after some cocktails. 😉 Mojitos anyone?
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are the next best thing since Cuba let us ‘Murica folk back into their country. Helllloooo Havana, dope music (Buena Vista Social Club anyone?), the rainbow of colonial architecture, real mojitos, and cigars! Now, without further adieu, I give you Cuba’s next best thing – state side: Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch. Totally f_____g delicious!
I can’t wait to go to Cuba. I’m totally in love with the music there. Not to mention all of the other things that I just mentioned above, and some. I’m definitely a traveler. Five years in Beijing, China as an expat had me exploring the world. I filled up my passport living there. Was freakin’ awesome. I haven’t went anywhere outside of the US in the past year and a half and it’s totally killing me! However, I’m super excited to be traveling this beautiful country.
Anyway, the Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are incredibly healthy and easy to make. Cuban style black beans and rice, red pepper, spices, all smothered in an avocado ranch and cilantro. Chow your way down to the smoke rings and colors of your very own Cuba.
PS- My new and awesome vegan blogger friend, Tully Zander, has an amazing blog: vegansfirst.com. She has fabulous recipes and vegan products. Her blog has a load of information about veganism in general. Since this post is on the topic of yummy burritos, check out her delicious breakfast burrito recipe here!
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch
Yields 4
Vegan Cuban Grilled Stuffed Burritos with Avocado Ranch are incredibly flavorful, protein and veggie packed burritos bursting with healthy deliciousness!
Total Time: 25 min
Ingredients-
- 4 tortillas (10 inch)
- 1 1/2 C cooked long-grain white rice
- 1 15 oz can of black beans
- 2-3 strips vegan bacon (I used Lightlife’s Smart Bacon) – diced
- 1/2 white or red onion – finely diced
- 1/2 red pepper – finely diced
- 2 large garlic cloves – diced
- 1/2 C loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbl white or red vinegar (I used white)
- 1 Tbl olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbl dried oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 small avocados
- 1/4 C vegan ranch dressing (I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch Dressing)
Instructions-
- Heat your pan on medium and add olive oil
- Add onion and stir occasionally for 3 minutes
- Add garlic and stir occasionally for 1-2 minutes more
- Add vinegar red peppers, bacon, black beans, cumin, oregano, and salt & pepper stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes
- Add 1/3 C cilantro and rice and stir well – let cook for about 3 minutes
- Evenly divide the contents of the pan into 4 tortillas and wrap in a tight burrito
- Heat pan to low-medium and cook the outsides of each burrito evenly until they are lightly browned
- Remove from heat
- Smash the avocados and evenly distribute them over the 4 burritos
- Evenly pour the ranch dressing onto all 4 burritos and sprinkle the remaining cilantro over them
- Done!
Notes
- Feel free to throw in other veggies as well. I had a bunch of greens I needed to get rid of the last time I made these and they were a delicious addition to the burritos!
Pair with:
Mojitos
Vegan Chocolate Crepes w/ PB & Coconut Whipped Cream
I’m back! Totally fell off the map with my Friday and Sunday posts. I am in the middle of concert season right now and have 4 concerts in the next 4 weeks. Lastly, I fffiiiiinallly decided to focus solely on my podcast this past Sunday. And, drum roll please… they are ffiiiiiinally done! Loads of re-recording the intro and outro songs that I wrote, editing in Audacity, and then, the worst moment of all… 3 straight hours where all of my files/recordings – all 3 of my episodes and both songs, gone. Gone as in, no where to be found. I was in a state of complete and utter panic! Anyway, it was all resolved (phewwwww). I spent 11 fucking hours on Sunday on this shit. However, it was 11 fucking hours well spent. My podcast, “One More Sip of Whine: Motherhood in the Raw,” will be available on all major platforms in the next few days – weeks! It is all out of my hands now. So exciting! I’ll be writing a huge post about it when they’re fully released. Stay tuned!
Vegan Chocolate Crepes w/ PB & Coconut Whipped Cream is another Instagram inspired recipe. I see crepes like this allll the time on Insta and I finally felt like I had to give it a go! So, I did. And, they were awesome. It literally took about 15 minutes from start to finish to make these. Fucking perfect! I originally just made coconut whipped cream, however, I was not really diggin’ it, and I knew I was going to drizzle peanut butter over the crepes anyway, sooo I added PB to the whipped, and then it was super delish. There’s a nice run-on sentence for you. 😉 Obviously, strawberries and bananas are the perfect fruits for both chocolate and peanut butter – so that’s what I used. The red sprinkles, vegan chocolate chips, and coconut shreds were just taking the crepes from gold to platinum. Plus, it looked purdy, and I love me some purdy lookin’ food. Stay tuned for my Friday gab post. If you’re a Portlander or someone who may one day visit P-town (which you totally should – incredible city, incredible people, incredible state, all within the incredible PNW), this will be the post for you. A list with links and descriptions to my top 20 favorite vegan places to get grub. Until then! -FGG
PS- I chose this tune because I listen to Norah Jones every Saturday and Sunday morning when I cook. It is soooo relaxing.
Vegan Chocolate Crepes w/ PB & Coconut Whipped Cream
Ingredients for crepes:
1 C flour of your choice (spelt, garbanzo, all-purpose…)
1/4 C cacao powder – unsweetened (I have done it with chocolate protein powder! Great for post-workout but not quite as good)
6 oz sparkling water or non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
1 egg replacement (I used Follow Your Heart)
1/4 C of some sort of sugar (coconut, agave, maple – I used maple)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt (I used Himalayan)
Ingredients & directions for whipped cream:
1 can of coconut milk, preferable full fat, that has been left in the refrigerator overnight
Creamy Peanut Butter to taste (I used about 1/4 C)
1-2 Tbl of sweetener (cane sugar, agave, maple, coconut)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
Directions:
Scoop out the solidified coconut – do not use the liquid, coconut water
Whip all of the ingredients together until it is fluffy (I used my electric mixer)
Chocolate Crepe Directions:
Blend all of the ingredients together (I used my Vitamix) – Batter should be thin
Heat your griddle or pan with spray or coconut oil
Pour the batter to make a large and thin circle
Cook the crepes for about 1-2 minutes on each side – the batter should start to bubble on top
The crepes MUST cool before you add the whipped cream inside
Optional:
I topped mine with drizzled peanut butter, and then strawberries, bananas, red sprinkles, vegan chocolate chips, and shredded coconut
Pair with:
Colombian coffee (perfect pairing for these crepes)
Colombian coffee with Kahlua (my first choice) or Frangelico
Black Bean Mango “Salsa” Dip
Black Bean Mango “Salsa” Dip is a dip that my friend April taught me how to make many moons ago. Usually, we were making it together, getting drunk on mojitos, and at some point graduating to sangria, ready to entertain a slew of peeps. Ahhh… the good old days. When we were all single (well, not married), childless, responsibility-free, and career-less. Drink, eat, play, drink, eat, play… all whilst lookin’ & feelin’ dope, and livin’ it up carefree. My liver (and probably my mind) is still in recovery. 😉 Over those 4 years in Oregon, I could write a trilogy – filled with stories that were scandalous, adventurous, dangerous, disastrous, fabulous, and utterly ridiculous. I’d wager that in my 37 years on this planet, I’ve done far more insane things than 90% of the population. Youth. I made it out alive. Sometimes, I’m amazed by that fact. 😉
Anyway, back to the Black Bean Mango “Salsa” Dip. So healthy, delicious, and it’s done in 5 minutes. I usually serve it during the summer when it’s warm, however, I also bust it out for soirees throughout the year to change it up from the “classic” appetizers. I had made this for a party at my madre’s house last summer and that is where the pic is from. I’ve been crazy busy this past week now that I’m back at work, so I was digging around in the archives for a food post. Voila! Enjoy!
This song always sounds like a scandal to me… and, I fucking love it. Lastly, I kinda fucking love her, too. 😉
Black Bean Mango “Salsa” Dip
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans – drained
2 cloves garlic – minced
2-3 green onions – diced
1/2 red bell pepper – diced
1/2 orange bell pepper – diced
1 C cilantro – loosely chopped
1 medium-large ripe mango – diced
1/4 C lime juice
Salt to taste (be sure to use enough to bring out the flavors)
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the black beans, garlic, salt, and lime juice together
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well
Done!
Pair with:
Frozen mango margarita, margarita on the rocks, corona & lime
Notes:
I serve this with tortilla chips. You can sub the mango for pineapple. I love that as well, just not quite as much as I love it with mango.
https://foodgalleygab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2606.m4v
LINK ABOVE: A VIDEO OF THE JOHN DEERE TRACTOR (KIDS VERSION, WE’RE NOT THAT CRAZY!) THAT THEY ALL RODE ALLLLLL THE TIME…
Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Oatmeal
Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Oatmeal was inspired by the thousands of delicious looking breakfast bowls I see on Instagram daily. Now that I’m on a crazy new lifestyle kick to be fit and gloriously svelte, I’ve come up with tons of breakfast ideas that are easy, healthy, and anything but boring. Also, total side note, I’ve decided to join Beach Body. Today was my first 5:30 AM workout in AGES and it felt fucking great. Breakfast is the key to my day. If I skip it, don’t have enough time in the morning, feel rushed etc, that’s the foundation for a shitty day – no doubt. The Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Oatmeal is packed with apple, banana, granola, maple, peanut butter, flax & chia. SOOO good!
This weekend I played around with making various breakfast bowls. I threw in a pic at the bottom of a similar breakfast with a soy coconut yogurt base. Was equally as delish. Yesterday, I went to my friend Angella’s house. I’m pretty sure we’re the best chatting companions ever – which is fab. Anyway, she’s a Beach Body guru and she was showing me her crazy ways and all of the workouts, plans etc that are available. Honestly, amazing. Anyway, like I’ve said in a recent post, I haven’t spoken about my gain before that. It’s incredibly intense for me. When Angella and I were talking about it yesterday and I was sharing how it has impacted my life, out loud, it was crazy emotional for me. Genuinely held back tears. I was telling her how I went home for 3 weeks (to LI, NY) over the summer and was a total recluse. I didn’t see anyone except a few best friends. Why? Because I felt like a fat fuck, and was TOTALLY mortified to step out into my small town where too many people from my upbringing still reside. “What if they see me?” “How can I avoid this?” These were the primary thoughts running round my brain for 3 straight weeks. So, I drank my woes away and undoubtedly packed on some more lbs. After the summer, I switched some meds and shed 14lbs. “Phew!” I thought. And then, nothing since. I feel incredibly motivated right now. I honestly think it’ll stick because I can’t take it anymore. I desperately miss my beautiful wardrobe, stamina, and feeling sexy. and the fact that I am now totally aware that I don’t do nearly as much as I’ve been stuck inside for a year, due to anxiety of stepping outside and “being seen.” Strangers, anyone… doesn’t matter. I’ve always felt some semblance of being attractive until now. Soooo… fuck it! Onwards and upwards! Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t be bitching and dwelling in all of my posts so this’ll be the last bitchfest! I’ll share brief updates of my successes/failures etc but other than that, I wanna get back to my more humorous posts with funny stories. You’re welcome. 😉 XO
Okay, enjoy the Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Oatmeal and puh-lease let me know your thoughts! Did you make it the same way? Did you add something and make it better? Tell me! 😉 -FGG
PS – Adding some vanilla to this could be pretty dope, too!
PPS- So, I always share my favorite tunes. Loads of different styles of music. However, I’m classical nut. I’m also a classical pianist, or at least used to be. 😉 I majored in this in college (my bachelor’s). Chopin is my ultimate favorite and I LOVE playing just about anything he’s ever composed for solo piano. I’m sure most of you aren’t crazy about classical but I am sharing this piece this week because: 1 – It’s awesome. 2 – It is often called “Waves” or “The Ocean.” I feel like it totally fits my struggle this past year and my journey into the new year. 3 – I’m going to attempt to finally learn it this next month.
Peanut Butter Banana Crunch Oatmeal (Serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 C cooked oats
1 banana – sliced
1/2 apple – diced
1/2 C granola (I used two – vanilla and honey)
3 Tbl peanut butter
2 tsp chia seeds
1 Tbl flax seeds OR 3 tsp ground flax
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
4 Tbl maple syrup
2 capfuls of vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions:
Mix the maple syrup into the oatmeal (and vanilla extract if using)
Divide all the ingredients to make 2 bowls
On top of the oatmeal add the rest of the ingredients anyway you’d like. I usually prepare it like the pictures above. Enjoy!
Vegan Bowls To-Go!
Vegan Bowls To-Go! are super delish and make your work week way easier and healthier. I had all these veggies, beans, grains, and basil that I wanted to use before going food shopping – “Waste not!” (FGG’s food mantra) – so I used them for my Sunday food prep. Last week I was crazy unprepared and either didn’t have a lunch, or grabbed something that I otherwise would normally never have eaten. I was so pissed at myself!
I always save glass jars from various sauces etc. I love to recycle them as tupperware or vases. This time I cooked quinoa and orecchiette pasta – that took up 2 burners. On the other 2 burners I was cooking a bunch of veggies and beans in a homemade taco seasoning, and cooking maple flavored brussel sprouts in the other. All 4 burners going at the same time. During that food fiesta, I made a kale pesto with loads of basil from my window basil plant (a must in the cold weather seasons). Click here for one of my kale pesto recipes. I made 5 different Vegan Bowls To-Go in under 30 minutes. Fuck yeah! That’s exactly the kind of ease and simplicity I am looking for… especially when you had a good friend and her daughter stay over last night and drank ’til wee hours of the morn! Let’s just say I’m lagging a little in the lust for motivation department. Yesterday, all 4 of us went to Mississippi Pizza to see an awesome kids band play, eat dope pizzas (yup – they have vegan!), and drink beer. We were having so much fun that we stayed for most of the bluegrass band afterwards. We did the same thing a few weeks back with 2 different bands. Portland is fucking awesome!
Anyway, I’m tired, have to make some more tea, and then finish up my podcast editing so I can fiiiinallllyyyy go live! Enjoy the work week! I’ll be dangling the “Friday is the last day before 2 weeks off ” hallelujah carrot in front of my face all week so I can make it with my sanity still intact. Chow for now! 😉 -FGG
PS – As usual, a fitting song…
These are not going to be direct recipes – I’ll give you the ingredients I used and you can follow that or tweak it to your taste. If not, simply use this post as a good idea for work week grub. 😉
1 – Quinoa with brussel sprouts. I cooked the brussel sprouts in grape seed oil, Himalayan salt, pepper, fresh lemon, and maple syrup (SOOOO good!). I often throw in tempeh but I didn’t have any.
2 – Orecchiette, quinoa, red & yellow peppers, kale, broccoli and black beans. I cooked the beans and veggies in taco seasoning. I put hot sauce on top of the orecchiette. Would be great with a good salsa, too!
3 – Same as above but without orecchiette.
4 – Orecchiette with homemade kale pesto (click in post for pesto recipe) and sun-dried tomatoes.
5 – Orecchiette with kale pesto, vegan meatballs (I love Trader Joe’s!), and small white beans.
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan)
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) is a go-to in my household. My kid thinks it’s mac n’ cheese so he scarfs it down AND I trick him into eating veggies. Score!!! For me, I love it because it’s incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. I get loads of nutrients all at once. Lastly, I can make a huge pot and have lunches for me and the wee man for days. Another score for sure! Especially with my insane schedule and life. Time is incredibly valuable!
This is another recipe I made when I was sick. Honestly, I can’t even sit when I’m on my death bed. I feel like if I truly want to shift gears from teaching (I’m a music teacher) to branding myself via this blog, my books, and my upcoming podcast and vlog, I can’t EVER take a break! However, I fuckin’ love it. 😉
I thought I’d share the journey of my weight loss since I spoke about that in the last food post. Down another 3 in a week! Honestly, I tried to cut carbs out completely for a few weeks but it was hard af. Now, I’m limiting them. I don’t mind having one meal a day in carbs. That, I can handle. In a dish like this where the sauce is incredibly healthy, I feel even less guilty. I just re-tweaked my meds and the insatiable appetite did not come back. Fucking phew! How someone gains 60 lbs in 14 months is totally, completely, bat shit crazy, kinda fucked bs. At this point, since the 14 lbs fell off in 6 weeks and I’m still going down, I’m hoping that I’ll have a svelte bod by June. 😉 I miss my bikinis, cute dresses & jeans etc. We need a reunion – ASAP! The way I’m doing it outside of the med switch (albeit the most important part for sure) is by cutting some carbs, cutting some booze, going to sleep earlier, and getting back on the workout train since I just quit my tap dance class. I’m so fucking eager to be myself again, that moving toward that goal quickly is all of the motivation I need. Could I be doing more? Fuck yeah, but this is what’s working for me. It’s what I can give right now. The last thing I’ll say is this, don’t overdo it so you get tired and quit. It’s SO easy to quit. Start small and add on more workouts, dieting etc as you go so you stay in the groove. Gotta be in it to win it, right?! 😉
Happy Monday! -FGG
Here’s a great tune to liven up your Monday blues. 😉
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) – Serves 4
Ingredients-
1/2 C raw cashews – soaked overnight from the day prior – drain them now
12 ounces dry elbow macaroni noodles – cooked
1 1/2 C cooked butternut squash – scoop out of the shell
1/2 C carrot – diced & steamed
1 C coconut milk (I use the full fat milk for a better texture)
1/4 C nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard (this may sound like a weird ingredient but trust me, it works and is totally necessary!)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to your liking)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Pepper to taste
Directions-
Combine sweet potato, carrot, and 1/4 – 1/3 cup of water in a high powered blender (I use my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy
In a bowl, add the cashews to the squash & carrot mix, coconut milk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper (if using), turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder – blend until completely creamy & smooth
Pour the sauce over the pasta – mix well
Done!
Pair with:
Red – Chianti
White – Riesling
Beer – Pilsner
Classic Vegan Chili
Classic Vegan Chili is one of my all-time favorite winter warmers! Incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. Packed with flavor for all vegans and non-vegans alike! It’s getting coooold, so my body needs some warmth. I LOVE soups in the fall and winter seasons. Sometimes, I need something super hearty though. For me, that is almost always in the form of some kind of chili. I wanted to keep it simple so I made my Classic Vegan Chili and actually had the foresight to style and shoot this meal. So glad because it looked so very pretty. Yes, food can totally be pretty, sexy, sultry, beautiful, and badass. 😉
When I made this, I was sick with a crazy head cold. Doped up on DayQuil, kava kava tea, and a muscle relaxer. I remember thinking that everything was oh sooooo pretty. LOL. I was convinced it was my most beautiful photo shoot ever. Yeah, well, it’s nice and all, but the best? Fuck no! Gotta love drugs. 😉 Today, I am literally sick with the SAME shit… so, I thought it would be fitting to post this recipe today. Honestly, this school year has been brutal! I’m sure staying up to all hours of the night working on my “branding” – a full time job – after coming home from teaching 10 classes mostly back-to-back, and then mothering, cooking, and cleaning, is starting to take its toll on me. I need more sleep and more exercise. My friend just gave me a 14-day free trial of Beach Body. I’m crazy excited about it! Mostly, because of the insanely large variety of workouts it offers. I love me some Jillian Michael’s but I’ve done that shit SO many times that both my body and my mind need a change. My goal is to be back to my normal weight, where I’d been for years prior to the past 17 months, by this summer. Seventeen months ago is when I began taking a medication that completely changed my appetite, and in turn, my body. It did wonders for me otherwise, but I blinked and gained 60 lbs. TOTALLY INSANE! I switched my meds almost 2 months ago and dropped 14 lbs in 6 weeks. This was a HUGE relief for two reasons: 1- Losing it felt like I could actually get my body back, and 2- I was thrilled to know that it was, in fact, the medicine, and not me! Weight is crazy! It totally changes you, and I don’t mean physically, that’s a given. It fucks with your mentality. My confidence is still okay, thankfully, however, I haven’t felt sexy in about a year. I’ve lost the motivation to do things like paint my nails, wear nice clothing – because as I say, “I refuse to invest in my fatness” – and, if you know me, you’ll know how into fashion I’ve been my entire life – like, since the womb! 😉 It’s been rough. Anyway, there’s now a light at the end of the tunnel.
Back to Classic Vegan Chili. 😉 It’s crazy delish and perfect with a margarita – naturally. Send me pics of your creations! -FGG
PS- Since “oh so pretty” seems to be a theme in this post about both body AND food, as I was writing this, one of my old and all time favorite songs popped into my head. “It’s Oh So Quiet,” by Bjork. So awesome! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjIFGaN_iVk
Classic Vegan Chili (Serves approximately 8)
Ingredients:
1 Tbl cooking oil
4 cloves of garlic – diced
1 onion – diced
1 jalapeno deseeded – minced
1 1/2 C (12 oz) ground veggie beef crumbles (I like Lightlife’s Smart Ground Meatless Crumbles – I used Original, however, you could use the Mexican flavored one)
2 cans (15 oz) of kidney beans – DO NOT DRAIN
2 C non-chunky tomato sauce (use something you like!)
2 Tbl chili powder
2 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Optional (for garnish) – avocado, chives, fresh cilantro/oregano
Directions:
Heat the oil in pot over medium-high heat
Add the onion and jalapeño – stir occasionally. About 3-5 minutes,
Add garlic and stir occasionally for one minute more
Add the ground veggie meat, chili powder, cumin and salt – stir until fully mixed
Add the tomato sauce and beans
Turn up the heat until the pot is almost boiling and then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer
Stir occasionally, about 1 hour
Done!
Pairings:
Wine – Tempranillo
Beer – Pale Ale
Cocktail – Margarita on the rocks
Minty Cacao Espresso Cocktail (Vegan)
Minty Cacao Espresso Cocktail (Vegan) is warm, boozy, and totally bitchin’! Warm your belly and let your mind go fabulously fuzzy. SO good! Obviously, this is good anytime, however, it makes for an excellent winter/holiday cocktail. I slurped this booziness up when I decorated my tree, hence the pics below. And, duh… because lil’ G is just too cute to not include. Especially since he decided decorating a tree meant him in his astronaut costume. ??? Who the hell knows. I question nothing a 4 year old does or says. Nothing. With G’s adorableness, gingerbread house concoctions, Christmas music classics, and my fuzzy and warm feeling from the Minty Cacao Espresso Cocktail (Vegan), decorating was golden this year. Looked golden, felt golden, tasted golden. 😉
I am SUPER excited because I know one of the gifts I’m getting from “Santa” mom & dad. A long overdue, crazy awesome record player (click here for link). I no longer have my record collection but I’m definitely insanely excited to start collecting again! I’m also pretty sure that I’m getting a piano (finally)! I’m not so sure my household or my neighbors will be appreciating either of these gifts (at all), but I’ll be happier than a pig in shit. Not having a piano sucks all the time, however, it especially blows during Christmas time. I totally miss playing my holiday tunes… SO much! Now that I’ve said this, I have to leave you with one of my all time faves! A true classic. Enjoy the music and of course, the Minty Cacao Espresso Cocktail (Vegan)! -FGG
PS- Again, I’m a day late. I may have to move my Sunday posting to Mondays. We’ll see what happens next week and then I’ll make a decision from there.
Minty Cacao Espresso Cocktail (Vegan) – Makes 1 drink
Ingredients:
1/2 oz creme de cacao
1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
1 1/2 oz vodka (can also use vanilla vodka)
3 oz espresso
5 oz of warm vanilla non-dairy milk (or until you fill your mug) OR you can steam the milk if you have a steamer and use the froth for the top!
Optional: Garnish with soy whipped cream, small marshmallows (Trader Joe’s are vegan!), and a crushed up candy cane to rim the side of the mug and to sprinkle on top
Directions:
Pour in the liquors and stir
Add espresso and top with milk and foam (if steaming)
Done!
