bbq "ribs"

i enjoy grilling during the summer. and i really like bbq. it's screams summertime. i wanted to try a vegan seitan recipe for ribs from scratch. i found a recipe for one here, and it was quite good. i was actually thinking it wouldn't be that great, because the thought of making home-made seitan freaked me out, i had the idea in my head that it would turn out horrible, so i think that's why i was so surprised. i will make these again for sure.

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chocolate peanut butter shake

I'm not one to promote midnight infomercials, but the magic bullet is an exception for when you're blending drinks for one. I don't want to bust out and clean an entire blender for one drink, and here comes the magic bullet to the rescue!

I love milkshakes... LOVE milkshakes. and my favorite has always been chocolate peanut butter. you can make chocolate peanut butter a couple different ways, but the way I actually like it is chocolate milk with chocolate ice cream, with fresh peanut butter. And, since I was out of chocolate almond milk,  I made my own with unsweetened almond milk and chocolate syrup. Yum!

What you need:
1.5 cups chocolate almond ice cream

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

hershey's chocolate syrup (yes! it's vegan.)

2 spoonfuls of peanut butter

dash of sea salt
* These are rough estimates, as I just eyeball measurements when I make shakes.

What you do:

Mix all the above in a blender or magic bullet and enjoy! The salt really brings out the flavors.

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say cheese!

i was just thinking about the most common word vegetarians & carnivores say to vegans on why they couldn't be full vegan. CHEESE. it occurred to me, that even during the 3 full years that i was vegetarian i said numerous times that i could NEVER be vegan, because of my love for cheese. (6 years ago, i also stated i can't believe how some people can be vegetarian.. "i could never be one of them... what weirdos!" all while stuffing my face with a cheese smothered italian beef sandwich washed down with a chocolate shake). this has taught me to embrace never saying never. you never know how life will unravel into your true self, and how you can constantly change and grow. my point about CHEESE, is that I LOVED cheese, or so I thought I did. And now after 3 months of being a vegan, i DON'T even miss it. i DON'T crave it. i DON'T want it. i ultimately DIDN'T LOVE it.

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mushroom risotto

I used to watch Hell's Kitchen, the first couple seasons, after a while it just became annoying and repetitive. Anyway, Gordon Ramsey was a stickler for a great mushroom risotto. Risotto seems like it should be easy, but it's like a baby, you constantly have to watch it and take care of it, or it ends up sticky. Ha! I've eaten quite a bit of mushroom risotto, but I've never actually made one until now. Let's just say I was a little intimidated. This has a lot of flavor, and will hit the spot when you crave a big bowl of mushroom risotto.

What you need:
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
8 oz Fresh Portobello Mushrooms {Sliced}
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme {Chopped}
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp Earth Balance
Sea Salt
Coarse Ground Pepper
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup vegan Dry White Wine
1/4 Cup Parmesan Replacement

What you do:
1. Heat the Vegetable Broth in a medium saucepan over warm heat.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp Oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 Onion and 1 Garlic Clove.
Saute for around 5 minutes.
3. Add Mushrooms / Herbs / Earth Balance and saute for 5 minutes.

4. Salt & Pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

5. In a large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of Oil. Saute 1/4 Onion and 1 Garlic Clove. Add the rice, and coat and stir for 1 minute.
6. Add 1/2 cup wine. Stir until wine is dissolved.
7. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth until dissolved, while continuously stirring rice. Repeat until all 4 cups of vegetable stock are dissolved. 
8. Stir the sauteed mushrooms into the rice.
9. Stir in the parmesan replacement. 
10. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of the parmesan replacement on top.
11. Enjoy!

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Raw Banana Cacao Peanut Butter Smoothie

You can drink this as a meal replacement (I'd recommend making double this recipe if you plan on having it as a meal, as this recipe makes 1 snack size serving).

2 Bananas (Peeled, Sliced, Put in Ziploc Bag in Freezer for at least 4 hours)
1/2 Tbsp Cacao Powder
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Coconut Water

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Enjoy!

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banana cranberry raw oats

My goal this year is to add more raw natural food into my diet. Eating at least one raw whole foods meal everyday. This morning I ate raw for breakfast, so fast, simple, and really yummy.

1 Ripe Banana Sliced

1/4 Cup Raw Oats

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

Dash of Cinnamon

Dash of Sea Salt

Unsweetened Almond Milk

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