bacon

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orange you glad i didn't say it's monday?

RATING: 10 OUT OF 10. ABSOLUTELY FILLING AND SATISFYING.
this morning i woke up and wanted something different from my usual naked juice and banana or oatmeal with blueberries. And since it's sunday i can actually cook in the morning (i'm not a morning person and usually running out the door during the weekdays). 


and while still in bed, i went through all the things i have and wondered what i could make myself for breakfast that would be yummy & satisfying. last night i had a blue moon with an orange slice... so i have half an orange in the fridge. i bought a loaf of french bread yesterday. i have almond milk in the fridge.... *ding*... that's when i remembered seeing this recipe for orange french toast on vegan stoner (an awesome website for quick easy vegan recipes). now, i've only eaten french toast a handful of times in my 26 years, because the eggs would gross me out too much. well today i'm in heaven. this recipe was all i could have wanted this morning and more, and the fact that it took about 5 minutes made it even more spectacular. i changed a few things to my preference, but here's the recipe.


WHAT YOU NEED:


1/2 Orange (Juiced in a juicer) {if you don't have a fresh orange, boxed orange juice will work too}
Equal Parts Unsweetened Almond Milk to the Orange Juice
Slices of Bread (I used French Bread)
Spoonful of Butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 spoonfuls of cinnamon (Vegan Stoner used 1 spoonful... but I LOVE cinnamon)
2 spoonfuls of powdered sugar
maple syrup


WHAT YOU DO:


1. Mix the orange juice & almond milk in a bowl. (It makes a vegan buttermilk).
2. Dip both sides of your bread in the "buttermilk".
3. Heat up a pan and place the butter in it.
4. Place the bread slices in the pan and flip until brown and golden on both sides.
5. Move bread to plate, top with syrup and cinnamon powdered sugar.
6. Enjoy!

Update: I've now made this 3 times for breakfast and or dinner... sooo yummy.

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queen of the grill

there's something so great about being outside in the summer and grilling. the smells that come along with it, and the taste of hickory flavoring on your veggies. yum! i bought a mini weber grill when i became vegan so that i'm not a burden to others, and also for my own piece of mind. knowing that it'll be animal free is so great! tonight i grilled a vegan boca burger and (my mom made) roasted potatoes with onions and peppers and i finished it off with a ice cold blue moon w/ an orange slice. while i was grilling i started to read You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried, a book about John Hughes and his impact on so many generations that seems to have no end. My favorite movie is 16 Candles, and I can quote the entire movie line for line. he's one of my favorite writers and directiors. he just got it.

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you can't judge a package by it's name... only it's label

so... when you first become vegan there's a lot of label reading. i mean a LOT of label reading. a 30 minute grocery trip on the day after I became vegan lasted almost 3 hours and included 4 separate stores. below is a list of items that you need to look out for to determine if that item is vegan or not vegan friendly. it will be sad and quite disappointing during your first shopping trip, and continue to be, yet the yummy food that you can eat in place of your old favorites is worth the initial disappointments. (my grocery cart is now about 85-90% fruits & veggies).


casein: a class of milk proteins often found in items marked "non dairy"
whey: or milk serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled or strained.
ghee: a common milk derivative
oleic acid: a fat from sheep or cattle
lecithin: from animal tissues and eggs
pepsin: from pigs stomachs
stearic acid: animal fats & oils
rennin / rennet: enzymes from a calf's stomach
albumen: protein found in egg whites
gelatin: protein from animal bones / cartilage / tendons / skin




 and here's some items that might surprise you being vegan or non-vegan, and NO, I'm not claiming that these are healthy items or that i even eat these, it's just interesting what's really in the food we eat.

"but wait," you say. "where's the information on why these items aren't vegan?" well you didn't think i'd do all the work for you... did you? :) Pin It Now!

bananas for ice cream?

RATING: 3 OUT OF 10 - NOT HORRIBLY BAD, BUT I WON'T BE MAKING AGAIN.


I found this recipe on Pinterest, it's for Vegan Cake Batter Ice Cream. Now, with a name like that, I had super high expectations for this ice "cream". Well, to be completely honest it wasn't half bad... but it wasn't nearly as awesome as I had thought it would be. That being said, I for sure am going to make banana ice "cream" again, but I'll just leave it as banana. It was crazy how much the consistency is so similar to frozen yogurt or soft serve. I just feel like the extracts in this recipe were too strong and a little overpowering and fake tasting, so I'll make this again with the extracts cut in half. So, here's the recipe that I made, because well you might make it and love it to pieces. I personally won't make this again as I thought it was too powerful and tasted artificial.


WHAT YOU NEED:
(5) frozen bananas
(2 tbs) pure vanilla extract
(1 tsp) butter extract
(1/4 tsp) almond extract
(1/4 tsp) maple extract
(1/4 tsp) baking soda
(2 tbs) agave nectar
(as many or few as you like) sprinkles


WHAT YOU DO:
1. Peel 5 bananas and cut into pieces. Place in a freezer bag and place bag in freezer until frozen. (Around 6 hours). Once frozen, place the bananas in a food processor or blender.
2. Pulse for about a minute or two. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and then pulse for a few seconds or until bananas are smooth.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of butter extract.
4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon of maple extract.
5. Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of agave nectar.
7. Put the lid on the processor, and then pulse until well blended.
8. Add as many sprinkles to your liking. Pulse again, until sprinkles are well incorporated into the ice "cream".
9. I'd recommend placing into freezer safe bowl and then refreezing for a harder constancy that's more like ice cream. 
10. Enjoy!


There are so many different things to add, fresh fruit, chocolate, caramel... it's pretty endless.

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some things can not be unseen

I became a vegetarian 3 years ago, so a month ago I would have considered myself aware of the world around me, and living a cruelty free life. Well, little did I know that on a random sunday in May 2012,  I would watch a movie that would completely change my life. I don't know what will change in the next few years, let alone tomorrow, but what I do know is that for the past month I have been vegan, and it was instantly after watching the movie Earthlings. Now, I tell people that this movie has changed my life, yet I haven't explained in detail what it shows. I feel that if someone is interested they'll watch it on their own, and if they aren't then they shouldn't watch it. Food is such a personal thing, so how could I force or shove my views onto someone when I wouldn't want them to do that to me. All I can say is that after watching the first 45 minutes I went through all my food and gave everything away that wasn't vegan. It was an easy change after being vegetarian for 3 years, my whole life going without drinking milk or eating eggs (unless they were in breads, etc). So, I have to say it wasn't a hard transition, yet it blew my mind at how many things weren't vegan, and how other things were. So, ultimately this blog will be my journey as a vegan. New fun recipes. Tips I learn through the process. And, just my journey as a new vegan. I've lost 10 lbs in these first 4 weeks, and have more energy than I've ever had in my entire life. I owe it to being a vegan. I've never been happier or more satisfied about anything. And even if you're not vegetarian or vegan, hopefully you find some cool recipes to try. Pin It Now!