Fried White Bean Hummus

Greetings people of planet internet!

Sick of winter yet?  I am so over the cold I was looking up how much it would cost to go to Florida for the weekend just so I could see some sand and not be freezing.  I am a woman of the sea and the sun;  I need to have time with nature otherwise I get very grumpy.  Like the Grinch before his heart grew, or Scar when he was plotting Mufasa and Simba's deaths.

I haven't been posting much lately because 1. my school work load pretty much grew 10 fold the last two weeks, my work hours almost doubled, and I feel like no one reads this.  I was thinking about putting my blogging career to the end but then I saw 18 people looked at it yesterday and I haven't posted in over a week!  So I guess some people do care and that makes me the happiest I've been all week!

It is weird being a vegan because I see the world in a different way now and people seem to be highly offended by that.  Over social media I was called childish for talking about how factory farming is a bigger contributor to global warming than electricity use.  I was just stating facts, but sometimes people don't want to hear the truth. 

At first I was really annoyed by this; I don't say anything nasty to people about their religious views when they post about them so why should I hold back my thumbs from writing about my life views?  But now I realize swallowing the truth of how screwed up the world is can be really hard.  It can only be done in small doses, and no one can fix everything.  So while the title of my blog is one woman's quest (to change the world) I obviously can't change everything I see wrong.  But my goal here is not to make anyone feel guilty for the choices they make but to share my experiences with others who have similar questions, interests and concerns.  If what I say happens to change your opinion on something, that's great!  But I never set out to make this as a way to bash people who are different from me.

Okay, end of rant on to the food.

So I wanted fried white beans, that I've made before listed here, but I didn't know what to eat them with (although they are fantastic on their own).  Once they were done I decided to put them in my food processor with some more olive oil and make hummus.  However, it was quite spicy because I over did it on the roasted red pepper flakes, so I added some Veganaise to soften the flavor.  If I had any Tahini at the time I would have used that instead.

All fried up.  I like the outsides crispy and the insides warm and mushy, but to each their own!

Once blended.

I'll let you in on a little secret, I don't get the obsession with hummus.  I don't even like it that much, it tastes pretty bland to me.  My roommates however, LOVE hummus.  At any point there are usually 3-6 containers of Sabra hummus in our fridge. 

If you're like me and aren't on the hummus train but love your beans, try this out.  I ate this up in about 24 hours... I made sandwiches, dipped things into and just ate it straight with a spoon.  You could potentially use any bean for this, but personally I prefer white beans or garbanzos to combine with the other flavors I used.  But that it is what I learned in this experiment, you can make hummus any way you want with whatever you want (it's just blended beans).

Doesn't look like much but this is a thick layer of the hummus on toasted rosemary bread and it was amazing.

One of my roommates tried it and she said at first she was afraid because it was "so natural" but she ended up really liking it.  The next time I had my food processor out my other roommate asked if I was making hummus again.  Good word travels fast huh?  Or maybe they were afraid, but I hope it is the former!

Long post short, I've decided to keep writing this blog and hope people will continue reading!

Nutty Professor Cookies

It is starting to snow here and I am thinking about running away to Costa Rica because we are supposed to get anywhere from 6 inches to 2 feet from various reports I heard.

Snow and I do not get along PERIOD.

In preparation for the wintery hell we are about to experience, I went grocery shopping and bought enough food to feed an army and keep me busy while the snow tries to trap me in my apartment.

Today I started by inventing my own cookie and I named in the Nutty Professor cookie.  Why?  Because it has a lot of nuts in it, and I invented it so I can call it whatever I want.

I got the idea from a flourless chocolate tart I made for my boyfriend's birthday.  That recipe came from one of my awesome Christmas cookbooks I received titled The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Gourdreau and you can find it here.  The crust for that tart was so delicious it was my favorite part of the recipe.  So I thought, why not transform this into cookies?  And so I did!

You will need a food processor, or loads of time and patience with a knife.  Personally, I would go for the food processor so this takes about 15 minutes instead of 50.

Anyways, preheat your oven to 375 to get started.

Then process 1 cup pecans, 1 cup walnuts and 3/4 cup sugar.  I used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sugar from the local grocery store.

Once that is done add 4 tablespoons vegan butter.  I melted mine in the microwave just to make the process easier for mixing.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix together.

My batter was not sticking together well so I added two more tablespoons of melted vegan butter.

Then I added chocolate chips and stirred it all together.  I probably used about 1/4 of a 10 ounce bag.  But you can make them as chocolatey, or chocolate-less as you want.

After I mixed it all together I put them on a baking pan - this made 12 cookies.

I baked them for about 8-10 minutes.   Now, here is where it becomes a cautionary tale; they smelled great and looked awful.

Seriously, how gross does that look?  So this is what I did.  I scooped them up with a spatula and put them in a cupcake tray so that they would harden into a set shape.  Now, if you don't want to wash an extra pan like I did, I would bake them right into the cupcake pan.

Once they dried they looked like this:

While they look really flakey, they actually stick together pretty well (crumbs still happen but it's not too bad).

According to my roommate they are very sweet so you might want to try with less sugar at first and see how it tastes.  Let me know if you try these out!

Check out this video so you can learn more about why "natural" is crap and organic is the way to go:
http://www.upworthy.com/a-funny-video-that-makes-you-never-want-to-fall-for-this-natural-lie-again?g=2

Vegan Staples

When I was home last, my mother mentioned something about needing new staples in the house now that me and my sister are vegan.  And that made me realize, for people attempting to make the swap, that if they had an idea of what to start with they would have a better chance of making it in this vegan world.  And for those of you unwilling to make the full switch, maybe these can get you on your way towards a vegan lifestyle.

1. A Plant Based Milk.  For me, it is almond milk.  I am not a big fan of soy milk's flavor, and rice milk is a bit too thin for me.  I was never a big milk drinker before, but I use almond milk a lot for cooking and baking so it is good to have at the ready.
If you are a big milk drinker, find a plant based on that you like and stock up so you won't be tempted by your roommates 2%.

2. Frozen Veggies.  I believe one of the best ways to help through your transition is to make sure you have loads of options in the beginning, and stocking your plate full of veggies.  I almost always have frozen corn and frozen peas in my freezer.  That way if I am short on groceries or money, I can at least make some pasta or rice with them and have something filling and enjoyable. 

As a side note, my favorite childhood meal was ditalini pasta with peas, olive oil, salt, pepper and loads of Parmesan cheese (now I eat it without the cheese).

3. Cheese/Meat Substitute.  For those of you making the switch from animal carcass to veganism you probably feel that you will starve and die of a protein deficiency.  But I am living proof that it will not happen!
For myself, I like Daiya cheeses (best melted in my opinion), veggie burgers without vegetable chunks in them and vegan chicken nuggets.  Usually for my fake meat products I go to Morning Star or Boca.  They are easy to get from most grocery stores, and Target often has a large selection.  If you are coming from eating meat multiple times a day, you should most definitely stock up on meat substitutes to help you transition.  I hardly eat them now, but I still like them when I do.

4. Nutritional Yeast.  This guy is a life saver.  I grew up covering my popcorn with yeast, but never realized how versatile this product is until I went vegan.  Yeast is a great substitute to Parmesan cheese, and I love to put some in when I make pesto.  It basically has a salty flavor like Parmesan, but it doesn't make food rise like bread yeast (to my knowledge at least).  I pretty much put yeast on anything I can think of; usually hot food.  I can't really think of anything it would not taste good with, but I wouldn't add it to your cereal just in case.

There are many different brands, and I've noticed a lot more big chain grocery stores are starting to carry it, not just health food stores.  Yeast is also really good for you so you should at least try it even if the idea of putting yeast on your food sounds weird.

5. Fruits, Nuts and Snacks.  If you are stressing about what you will eat between meals, and what sweets you can now enjoy I would stock up on fruit.  Switching a banana for a pack of m&m's will only make your life 1000 better, trust me.  If you need a sweet junk food, Oreos are actually vegan; what their "cream" filling is I have no idea, but it is not actual cream.

Just start educating yourself on what ingredients you should avoid and check packages before buying.  Some snack foods might be pricier when marked vegan, but just think of all the money you are saving from not eating steak any more!

6. Vegan Butter Substitute. Personally, I am all about the Earth Balance.  It tastes just like real butter, bakes and cooks just like real butter, and has no scary ingredients I have never heard of (and most of it is organic!).  This will be an easy substitution because you will not notice a difference.  Earth Balance was one of the deciding factors for my sister going vegan because she could still enjoy corn on the cob slathered in butter with salt and pepper.

 
7. Beans.  Always, ALWAYS, have a can of beans in your pantry just in case.  Not only are different types of beans so healthy and delicious, they can be used in so many more ways than you think!  Put your creativity caps on, or use Google, and you will see.

Beans will fill you up, give you plenty of protein, and are super easy to handle.  They are basically the lowest maintenance thing to cook, if you even cook them.  Most out of the can are good to go and can just be eaten right then and there.


Well, this is my list of vegan essentials.  Personally, I usually have these as well as: popping corn, olive oil, garlic, coconut oil, dark chocolate and avocados.  Let me know if you have anything that you have as a staple, or anything you think I should try!
 

Chili Chill

Hey there folks,

I hope all is well, and less frigid, in your neck(s) of the woods.  (Is it necks if you're speaking to more than one person?  I never really knew).

As you're all gearing up for the Super Bowl, unless you're like me and are super stoked for Puppy Bowl X, I hope you aren't worried that you will starve at whatever party you attend.  If you are concerned about that, no fear! I have a great vegan chili that you can take with you and keep yourself full and ready to cheer for your favorite pup (or team if you watch that silly event).

Now, if you're like me, chili smells good, sounds good and tastes good but doesn't ever look like something I want to eat.  I guess this is my way of saying, while I don't think my pictures look very appetizing the food itself was amazing.

Back to the main event!  Well, besides the Puppy Bowl.

So first, I sauteed half a large onion with 3 cloves of garlic and 3 large carrots peeled and sliced up in about 1/3 cup of vegetable broth.  PSA: This was an experiment on my part so none of the measurements are exactly precise, just go with the flow and whatever is in your pantry.

I added some olive oil after a while (probably 2 tablespoons) because the veggies started to stick to the bottom.

Then I added a ton of frozen corn. 
I mean really who doesn't like corn?  It sweetens your food without ruining the taste.

 After the carrots began to soften, I added everything else!  So I added around 15 ounces of tomato sauce I had left over, a can of garbanzo beans, 15 ounces of black beans, 15 ounces of red beans and about a half cup of water.  The water could probably be left out, or cut in half because it was not really absorbed.  I just was afraid it would be too dry so I chucked some in there.

15 ounces= 1 can (usually)

 For those of you who don't know, dried beans that you soak and cook are a lot better for you than those from a can.  My red and black beans started off dry.  My padre told me they had to cook for about an hour after being soaked (8-12 hours) in order to be eaten.  I, however, forgot the long cooking step so those beans were not quite cooked all the way through (if you're in a rush just toss in a rinsed can of beans, I won't judge you).

After everything was thrown in the pot, I left it on low heat for 25 minutes and then ate over mashed potatoes and topped with Daiya cheese.

This chili was the bees knees and perfect for left overs on all the cold days we had last week.  I really liked it over mashed potatoes because they were so creamy and mixed in great with the chili; it was very hearty, warm and delicious.

One note of importance I learned a bit late was that BEFORE you soak your beans make sure you spread them out on a surface and check through them because there was a rock with my black beans that I did not notice until I bit down on it in my chili leftovers (whoopsie!).



On a more serious note, my family lost one of our dogs this Thursday night to what the vet believes was a heart attack.  No one saw this coming so we have all been in shock the past few days.  For those of you who knew Mojo, you knew he was one of the most gentle, stubborn, lazy and loving souls there ever was, and our family will never truly be the same without him.  Please hug your pets extra close for me, and sneak them an extra treat for Mojo.

5/24/2003-1/30/2014
Rest in Peace Big Guy

Easy Peasy Pizza

Hello fellow lazy vegans of the world!

Today I finished my interterm class (3 week class taken in January at my college to count for 3 credits) and then laid in bed with my pooch binge watching Netflix.  It was great but soon my stomach was growling and my little pup needed a potty break.  After our walk in the freezing tundra that has become Harrisonburg VA, I decided to make myself some lunch.

I had some leftover tomato sauce in the fridge, and I am running very low on produce and quick perishables because I was home last weekend AND going home today for a long weekend full of birthday celebrations for my mama! 

As I was saying, I had leftover sauce and a growling stomach.  For whatever reason, I decided on pizza.  So I quickly cut up some of my leftover sour dough bread, spread some olive oil on it, and then the tomato sauce I had.  Due to the fact I have no fresh garlic I put garlic powder on it (you know I am running low on food supplies when I don't have any garlic bulbs)!

 I put them in a brownie pan because of two reasons:
1. I was afraid the tomato sauce might seep through the bread and make a giant mess (which didn't even come close to happening).
2. I don't have any cookie sheets to use so this was the next best thing.

Of course I also sprinkled roasted red pepper flakes on the sauce, salt and pepper.  I should have put some oregano on now that I think about it, I will have to save that for next time!

Then I put some Daiya mozzarella shreds on top with cut up onion because I love onion on my pizza.  I put them in the oven at 375, for about 10 minutes and then I added more roasted red pepper flakes and enjoyed all three pieces (whoopsie)!

Pre-Oven

Post-Oven

I know what you're thinking, out of the oven looks the same as before the oven, but you're wrong.  I just take these photos with my phone because it is the only camera I have currently.  In reality the cheese is melty and the onions and much softer because they have been cooked.

The best part of this recipe is that anyone can make it with essentially anything.  I LOVE to make quesadilla pizzas; basically I just spread beans over a tortilla and then whatever toppings I want on top, and cook it in a pan until it is all warm and the tortilla is crispy.  Then I cut it up and eat it as fast as I can because I have no self-control.

I thought this would be a good idea to share with you all because you don't have to go out and buy anything, as long as you have some type of bread and something to spread on it you can make yourself a meal (more or less).

Guilt-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies and Garlic Fries

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day everyone!

Please remember to appreciate all the work set into motion by one of the greatest men to walk this earth!!

I was away for a while because of two reasons:
1. My boyfriend came back from Thailand so in between spending every moment with him and class, I had no time to blog.  Plus most of what I made him I already put on here.
2. I went home this weekend to see August Wilson's "Fences" at Princeton's McCarter Theatre directed by none other than Phylicia Rashad (GASP, OMG)!!!!

Me, Miss Rashad, my sissy, and my BFF

I have to stay she is one of the most eloquent, beautiful, talented, amazing people I have ever seen speak or had the privilege to meet.  She was everything you expected Claire Huxtable to be and more.  If you are in the surrounding area (or 5 hours away like me) go and see this play, you will not be disappointed.


Back to the food.

One day this past week I decided to make chocolate chip cookies.  I used to make these  all the time when I was a vegetarian and wanted to veganize them.  
So, instead of an egg while I used about 4/5th of a medium/large banana all mashed up, coconut oil instead of vegetable, and earth balance instead of butter.  They were SO good, but you have to like banana because they did taste like banana chocolate chip cookies.  And they always stay gooey which is good if that's what you like!

I don't have patience to make them as small as she says to on her website so mine are normal sized cookies.

Last week I made the corn fritters again, one of my new favorite things, and I also made these garlic fries I found online here.  I did not make as many as the recipe calls for because it was just for me and my boo, but they were so delicious, so give them a try if you want something new.

They are calling for lots of snow in this area tomorrow so let's pray for sunshine and warm weather because I am not into cold and wet weather.

Corn Fritters and Brownies (Not at the Same Time, Gross)

I hope you had a lovely weekend wherever you are!

I spent most of my weekend at home because I am a master of procrastination and now still have at least 4 pages to write for my paper that is for one of my classes in Spain!  I know, I have a problem.  It is not due until Tuesday, but I have had over a month to do it and did not start until yesterday (whoopsie!), but who wants to write a paper in Spanish when they are home for Christmas break?  And who wants to write a paper when they are at school for interterm and all their friends are around to play?  No one is the correct answer.
But I have all day to do it, which actually is the worst because it is FINALLY a nice day outside.  I am very annoyed with myself, but this is the path I chose.

Anyways, enough of my school ramblings.  I am actually here to talk about these awesome corn fritters I made yesterday, and brownies I made Thursday.

The fritter recipe I got from one of my vegan cookbooks, Vegan with a Vengeance,  one of the books my mother gave me.  So far, between my mama and myself, we've made 4 recipes from this book and they were all very delicious so I highly recommend it for your vegan kitchen.

I am pretty sure it would go against copyright laws if I posted the recipe here since it is not available for free on their website, so I will just have to explain the alterations I made.   You should check out their recipe section though because they have tons of free ones online!

The recipe calls for a red pepper, but I did not have one.  I did, however, have an onion in my fridge that looked close to death so I made sure to use him up before he went bad.  I also did not have a fresh jalapeno so I cut up some I had from a jar (the juice in these jars is great for spicing up Mexican dips).

I ate the corn fritters with some cut up cherry tomatoes, for an added freshness, and they were amazingly good.  I think guacamole would be really good with them as well but my avocados were not ripe yet.  Basically I love anything with corn so I was so excited to make them.  Because they have tofu in them they have a lot of protein, so they are nice and filling.

Now for the brownies.  I can post this recipe because I found it online here.  Instead of vegetable oil I used coconut oil because it is better for you, and I wanted to put coconut shreds on top so I thought it would be very complementary.  I also used whole wheat flour and put walnuts on top.

However, I only put the coconut on half because I was afraid it might burn and then not taste good.  They did not burn, and the coconut was a great addition so if you choose to make these I would add coconut to all of them.

These are fantastic hot, but once cooled they are not as delicious.  Maybe I just have a bias for warm brownies, but as a solution I have been microwaving the pieces I eat so they are warm and gooey again.  I also like to pour a little bit of almond milk on top.  It is like dunking them in milk but less messy. 

Let me know if you try any of these or have similar recipes you think I should try!

Pesto Paradise

Hello fellow popsicles of America!

Today I left my class ravenous, as always, day dreaming about what I would make for lunch as the cold air threatened to take my extremities on the walk to my car.  I remembered I had some tofu left over from the other day.  And if you are new to tofu there are three things you should know:

1. When you first open it, put it between two plates with paper towels on the bottom plate, and something heavy  on the top.  You need to squeeze most of the liquid out so when you cook it the rest of your food doesn't drown in tofu juice.
2. If you don't eat it all at once, save some of the juice it came in for your tupperware when you store the leftovers in the fridge.
3. Tofu does not last long once opened, you need to finish it within a few days or so.
4. (BONUS!) Only buy organic tofu, GMO's are NOT your friend.

As I was saying, I realized I needed to cook that tofu and I came up with a delicious idea!  I made grilled cheese (with vegan Daiya cheese), homemade pesto, onion and this tofu I had.

Here is how I mad the magic happen:

First I cut the tofu up into long, 1/2 thick pieces (this is just an estimate), and I fried it in some olive oil with a bunch of spices I found in my cabinet.  I actually used a "Montreal Steak Seasoning" that my roommates have (a bit ironic don't you think?)

While that browned and spiced up, I made my pesto.  I have no measurements for you because I just kept adding stuff to my new food processor (so amazing) until I liked the taste and had enough.  In this pesto I put a handful of walnuts, a handful of basil leaves, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.  It was great but would have better if I had some parsley to throw in there; I need to remember that for next time.

 So once the tofu was done, I made 2 grilled cheese with sour dough bread smeared in pesto (on the inside obviously), a slice of Daiya provolone in each,  a little bit of sweet onion, and then I put the tofu in one of them.  It was really hard to keep the sandwich together while cooking so I only tried it in the one sandwich.

The results were a delicious melody of complimenting flavors snuggling up to my taste buds in the most savory way possible.

I even told my mom I felt sorry for her because she wasn't here to experience it all.

On the left is the sandwich open so you can see how I put the tofu in... now looking at it, it doesn't seem very appetizing but I promise you it really was and I will definitely make it again.
On the right is just the plate turned around to better see the tofu and pesto.

This meal is a good substitute to grilled cheese and french fries because it has a bunch of good green pesto, protein packed tofu, and it is much healthier than using a deep fryer.

Let me know if you try it out, and any changes you make so I can try them myself!

Frozen Pizza Worth Tasting

I told you I'd be back!

Last night's meat-free Mexican margarita Monday was a great success!  All my friends loved the food and we had a wonderful night.  Sadly, I couldn't get any pictures because we demolished the majority of the food in minutes.

Today, I had this frozen vegan pizza I found in the grocery store for lunch because when I got home I was starving AND it was so freaking cold out I just wanted to sit, curled up in a blanket on the couch.  At first I thought my house was so cold because it was about 12 degrees today, but after a while I looked at my thermostat and decided there is no way the house should be about 10 degrees colder than I have it set at.  So, I called in a work order and the maintenance man told me my heater was broken!  He fixed it for now and had to order some parts.  But now my house is livable and I am as snug as a bug in a rug.

Anywho, back to the pizza.  For a frozen pizza this was actually quite delicious... AND I ate the whole thing...by myself.

 So this is what the box looked like, so I was expecting something a little closer to cheesy-bread.  However, this is how it came out, much more saucy than the box picture.  The crust was amazingly yummy yummy in my tummy.

I sprinkled roasted red pepper flakes and some garlic powder on top and it was magical.  Definitely the perfect quick meal for a freezing cold day.

Haitus is Ova

Hello fellow Earth lovers!

Sorry about my extended hiatus; between finals in Spain, coming home, the holidays, moving back to Virginia for school, and starting my interterm class I have been a bit neglectful.  But do not call child protective services yet, I promise to pay more attention to my blog in this new year.

For Christmas I got a blender and food processor so be on the look out for some yummy dips and sauces.  So far I've just made fruit smoothies but they rock my socks.
I also got 5 vegan cook books, which is actually a lit bit daunting because now I feel like I must impress people with fancy recipes when I get home.
 
Anywho, I grew up with a strong love connection to mac and cheese from a box; preferably Annie's and NEVER Easy Mac (how that is even considered food I do not understand).  I always add peas to my mac and cheese because I love peas and they always fit into the little shells like they were wearing helmets.  It was great because you got cheese, pasta and pea all in the same bite.  Becoming vegan obviously meant no Annie's.

While I was in Spain my mom found this: Road's End Organics Dairy Free Shells & Chreese.  While it is not the same as Annie's, it was pretty good!  I put peas in it, obviously, and added some black pepper, roasted red pepper flakes and topped it with nutritional yeast.  It was a really nice easy meal for me to have on a freezing cold day where I locked myself inside. 

This cold weather is really on my last nerve; I am a woman of the sea, not of the Arctic tundra.

In spite of the cold, tonight I am hosting a Meat-free, Mexican and Margarita Monday for my friends!  I am going to make lentil tacos, a giant pot of my mom's secret Mexican rice, homemade tortillas (fancy), guacamole, salsa, vegan raw chocolate fudge (for dessert) and my friend Katie is making the Margaritas. 
I wish I had one of my sombreros here (I have multiples at home from claiming it was my birthday every time we went to Chevy's growing up).  But even without the sombreros it will still be a fiesta!

Adios amigos!

Reasons to be Vegan

Hello hello,

I should be working on the mountain of essays I have due within the next week, BUT sometimes a blog idea comes to mind that you can just not ignore.

Tis the season of giving, receiving, having and sharing (Friends reference obviously).  What a better way to give to the earth, receive health benefits, have new lease on life, and share new delicious food with the ones you love than by becoming vegan?!

Still not convinced?  Alright, let me give you some other awesome vegan reasons.
(I won't even use animal cruelty as an example because everyone's heard all of that before)

1. For those of you who like numbers and statistics:
840 million people in the world do not have enough to eat
Hunger causes the death of more than 5 million children a year


A varied vegan diet requires around 1/3 the land needed for a "conventional Western diet"
Overgrazing is linked to 35% of soil degradation
Agricultural expansion accounts for over 60% of worldwide deforestation
Farm animals now outnumber humans more than 3 to 1
*all these facts were taken from The Vegan Society's website
** lots of other great facts on World Watch

2. For those of you who like pictures and graphs:

3. For those of you who think it would be too hard:
There are hundreds of companies making vegan substitutes, hundreds of blogs with free recipes, and no one said you had to change over night!
And here are some more pictures to help you out!

4. This is possibly the biggest reason of all:
Beyonce and Jay Z just started a 22 day vegan challenge!  If the king and queen of hip-hop can't convince you than I have no chance!

Well I hope all of you non-vegans out there take this list into account and consider a vegan life style.  Everything is "too hard" until we actually try it!

See you stateside in 10 days <3

Stocking Stuffers and Such

Hello lovies,

I hope Santa does not put me on the "naughty list" because the last post I wrote I promised to write another one that week and now it is over two weeks later.  Sorry Santa!
The end of the semester is basically academic slaughter time.  In Spain their fall semester does not end until mid/late January (I am not sure of the exact date).  However, I leave here in 12 days, which means I need to finish some assignments a whole month before my classmates.  It really is just the bee's knees squeezing two months of work into two weeks.

So let's see, since we last spoke I have:
1. had food poisoning
2. went to Ireland to visit my favorite red head Rita (her blog is really great)
3. "celebrated" Thanksgiving in class because we do not get off for American holidays here
4. did a headstand in yoga (with the assistance of my teacher)
5. went to a vegan cooking class here
6. visited Montserrat
7. took two exams worth 60+% of my final grades (one orally because my professor thought that would "be fun")

I've done some other things as well but I thought those were the most mentionable.
Currently I should be writing my paper for Urban Sociology but I wanted to give you all some vegan-friendly Christmas ideas that you can give to non-vegans too!

1. Heavenly Organics Products

 These little guys are hand and foot lotions that I bought at VegFest back in October.  They are solid lotions, which I had never seen before, but they actually work!  I keep the hand one in my bag for daily use and I really love these little suckers.  And they look like flowers, how freaking cute is that?!

2. Butter London Nail Polish
I have the gold sparkly variation and it lasts for so long!  All their products are vegan and come from vegan sources which means there was absolutely no animal testing done in the making of any of their products!  Hooray hooray!!!

3. Dark Chocolate
Who doesn't like chocolate?  Honestly it's probably like 0.000000001% of the world population, including animals.  Dark chocolate is SUPPOSED to be made without milk so make sure you read the labels first.  Of course any kind of chocolate that uses plant based milks are acceptable!

4. Naturally Made For You

I also got these at VegFest.  I constantly have issues with my feet, mostly pain related.  I had a podiatrist tell me that I had "oddly shaped feet."  My high arches put a lot of stress on my heels making long days on my feet extremely painful.  While that may be more than you needed to know, what you should know is that every time I use this wonderful duo my feet feel brand new.  If their other products are any bit as wonderful as these peppermint foot miracles I suggest you stock up. 
As a side note their website says they do not ship to the states but I am almost positive the representative I spoke to at VegFest said they would.

5. Lush Products
I love Lush because all their products are hand made, free of animal testing, and their ingredients are fair traded.  A few of their products are not vegan (some have milk and honey), but they will help you in the store find what you need.  They are always alarmingly friendly and helpful.  Everything I have ever bought from Lush has lasted a freakishly long time.

I hope this list gave you some good Christmas ideas that are cruelty free!  I know this post seems a bit feminine because it focuses mostly on cosmetics but men need nice shaving cream and moisturizer too!

This semester has flown by, hopefully I finish strong!  I can't wait to get stateside so I can cook up a storm and then have interesting things to post for you guys.  Plus I will finally see my dogs, friends and hunky man candy (don't tell him I said that).

Lisbon Portugal

I SWEAR I have not given up my quest,
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of busy-ness, and now I have 4 weeks abroad and tons of school work to do.  That being said, I solemnly swear I am up to vegan good (this was a Harry Potter play on words for those of you not in the know).
So since we last spoke I have been to Lisbon, Portugal (AMAZING but more on that later), then I had midterms, and then my dad and sister came to visit all in a span of less than two weeks.
On top of that I have been running around trying to see everything I have not yet and get all my shopping done.

Anywho, I thought I should use this post to talk about my time in Lisbon in case any of you plan on venturing out there.

First you should know that Lisbon is absolutely breathtaking and one of the friendliest and cleanest cities I have ever been to, which was amazing.  It is also very hilly and all the streets and sidewalks are cobble stone so do not try and be cute and explore in stilettos.  Even though I looked like a major dork my feet were so happy I packed my running sneakers.

I used the website Happy Cow to look up vegan restaurants in Lisbon but we never ended up going to any of them because they were all far away from wherever we were when we got hungry.  I had my friend Alex with me and neither of us felt like dishing out for a cab to go outside of the city for a meal, and then come back in when there are so many restaurants.

That being said, we did not have difficulty finding things to eat in the city.  One secret to European vegan success are kebob restaurants.  You order a pita felafel meal for around 5-7 euros with fries and a drink and you are sufficiently full until your next meal.  The amount of felafels I have eaten since coming to Europe is probably ten times the amount I have in my life before this trip, but I am not complaining; they are a cheap, delicious, and a somewhat healthy meal that keeps me alive.

So on our journey we had a lot of pasta, two restaurants with pasta meals and I made a giant pasta dish at our hostel that lasted us two meals each.  Then on our last night as we tried in vain to find a vegan restaurant I saw on the internet we stumbled upon this place.
Now this is not a vegan restaurant, but they allowed me to make adjustments to an item on the menu and thus I received a vegan meal.  While there are no pictures to prove it, Chapitô à Mesa's theme is circus so they have a really cool ambiance and a juggler walking around.  We sat in the outside part, which was a bit chilly, but it was under a mock circus tent!

I had already eaten half of it when I remembered to take a picture (whoops!).  But what I got was two giant pieces of toast with olive oil, avocado spread, cherry tomatoes, oregano, and a mixed salad.  The original menu option was with a Portuguese cheese instead of avocado but they let me do a switcheroo.  It was really good, and I plan on replicating this when I finally get back to my own kitchen.

One of my biggest struggles abroad is not being able to make the meals I want.  My host mom allows me to use her kitchen but she likes to watch me very closely which makes me uncomfortable.  And it is strange asking her to buy me things to make just for my self.  Host families for vegans are weird experiences but I am near the ending stretch.

I still have to do product reviews from VegFest UK so keep an eye out of that, good Christmas gift ideas!

Gopal: Vegan Oasis

Hello fellow veggie lovers!
I found an amazing vegan place in the Gothic area and felt I could not keep it secret any longer!  It is called Gopal and their patatas bravas will change your life.  I took 2 meat eaters there and they both have requested to go back because they loved the patatas bravas so much!  Obviously I went back with them (twice this week).  Not only is the food here amazing, the prices make you want to kiss the lady behind the counter.
So everyday they have new food, AND they make all their own veggie burgers.

THESE ARE ALL VEGGIE BURGERS!

Anywho, they also have fantastic desserts, I had the coconut and purple donuts before, both chocolate filled, both amazing.  I am partial to coconut though so I would recommend that for a first timer.

I have yet to try the cakes or cinnamon buns so I cannot tell you about those, however I do know everything I have tried here has been fantastico!  They also sell vegan cheese and sausages and more here!  Really this place is the bee's knees of Spanish vegan food.
Finally, my meal.  For 7.25 euros you get a massive veggie burger, a huge plate of patatas bravas, and a choice of any of the drinks they have; this was what I got (mucha comida!)

I couldn't even finish it all!  This burger was about the size of my face.  As a side note, I hate pickles and didn't know they were on it because I didn't know "encurtidos" meant pickles.  Lesson learned, either ask what things are on the menu, or don't be a pompous idiot and read the English menu.

As a completely unrelated note, I am going to the capital city Lisbon in Portugal on Friday for the weekend! If you know any good vegan friendly places there please let me know!

Stumbling into a Street Fiesta!

So yesterday my friends and I were walking around exploring Barcelona when we stumbled upon this amazing street festival that was dedicated solely to food and drinks.  I found out after that it was the Mercat de Mercats event.  So at first it seemed like it was just all meat and cheese and I was going to be out of luck.  BUT, I have said it before and I will say it again, you need to just ask!
I saw an amazing pasta tent and asked if any of the dishes they had made were without meat or cheese and they gave me a huge plate of amazing pesto pasta.  And it was only 2 euros!  That is really cheap for that heaping pile of pasta!

A little bit oily because it was the bottom of the bowl

Then, you guys won't believe it but I actually got to have a chocolate filled pastry that was vegan!  I did not know this could happen outside of a specialty store.  I asked the man running the stall twice if there were eggs or dairy in them and he swore there was not (and accompanied that with a weird look; I highly doubt he gets these questions a lot).  Boy oh boy was that a delicious treat!  And it was 2.50 euros and I split it with my two friends because it was massive.  I mean seriously, look at the size of those things.

I had the dark chocolate filled one on the left.

 I also ended up buying a fresh mojito, which just completed my meal so well.  I had all this great food, with great friends, and a great view for under 6 euros.  Not a bad Saturday!

Food Reviews of VegFest

Hello all,
I told you I would do more than one post on VegFest UK so here is my review of some of the food items I took home with me.
First let's start with the energy drink I bought from the gals over at Teen Vgn.  They told me it was good and I needed a little pick me up before my Harry Potter Studio Tour.  They were 100% on this; not only was it light and tasty but it is also organic and vegan and full of ingredients I could pronounce!  That is a big win in my book.

Next I have the unbelievable, amazing, scrumptious, best chocolate bar I have EVER had in my entire life!  If I could live off these bars I totally would.  I got to try many of their flavors at VegFest and decided on the "mint hint" bar but seriously every single one was fantastic.  Conscious Chocolate is something you have to try at some point in your life.  Their chocolate is raw, vegan, and organic; where can you go wrong?! (If anyone wants to buy me some of their chocolate for my birthday next week, the 23rd, or Christmas that would be fabulous).

The next snack I bought were these Chimes ginger chews.  Now you should know I adore ginger flavored anything (for the most part).  So when I saw these I had to give it a try, and they did not disappoint.  However, to be honest there was nothing very different between these and other ginger chews I have had.  So just look at the ingredients and make sure you're not eating 50 shades of what is that?!

My final review for today are the inSpiral Kale chips I bought. I tried every flavor they had out, which made my decision on the bag I bought very difficult.  EVERY FLAVOR WAS AMAZING!  I decided on the Raw Baobab and Onion flavor which were so addicting.  Sadly that bag did not last very long because I devoured it all.  I would love some more (hint hint: birthday in one week), but do not have the funds to ship myself copious amounts of kale chips at the moment.  It is a very sad story.

The chips kind of look like what I imagine marijuana looks like.

That's all I have for today's food reviews.  Please remember to try new things, let me know what you like, and food is always a nice birthday gift!