Yay for Popsicle Molds!!!!

Good day everyone! I woke up so late today. I had a dream that I was eating barbecue chicken with my family. It was really weird. We were sitting at a picnic table and chowing down on drumsticks. When I woke up, I felt like it actually happened but was so thankful that it didn't!!!! Anyway, onto the important stuff. I got new popsicle molds in the mail yesterday!!! They are freakin beautiful. I ordered animal ones haha I got a bear, an elephant, a monkey, and a lion. The one in the picture is obviously the elephant. I used carrot-orange juice- Divine! The others are in the freezer and they are prune juice ones. Can't wait to try those. By the way, if you think I'm 5 years old, I am haha

As for food, I was really hungry on Thanksgiving afternoon and had no idea what to make. I didn't feel like looking at recipes, so I just made this up as I went along. It's just a simple tofu dish, but it was amazing. I am just OBSESSED with hoisin sauce. That shit is good. It makes everything taste good. I'm surprised I didn't have it with pumpkin pie.

Really Good Tofu

1 pkg of extra-firm tofu
2 T hoisin sauce
2 T soy sauce
1 T agave nectar
1 T worcheshire sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds

Directions: Drain the tofu, and cut into little cubes. Mix sauce ingredients in a large bowl and toss the tofu cubes in it. Make sure they are all covered. Put the tofu in a large skillet and saute on high for 10 minutes, or until crispy. I think my stove top just sucks so it might take you less time. Either way, it will taste good. I tried to burn mine a little because it just tastes so darn good that way.

Thanksgiving Time!!!

Hello everyone!!! I hope your Thanksgiving was FABULOUS!! I went to my aunt's, but I hung out with my sister Pls, my cousin Ali, and her friend Tina most of the time. They are such hilarious people, like myself haha, so we had a lot of fun hanging out in the basement watching Jon and Kate Plus 8. Wow that show kills me. As for the food, I didn't eat anything at my aunt's house because my stomach hurt, but by the time I got home, I just needed some food!!! I ate pumpkin pie, stuffing, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Let me just say- WOW!! It was all delicious. So here's some pictures from yesterday!!

My Beautiful Pumpkin Pie


My fake tattoo for the day


The measuring spoon that was in the disposal when I ran it haha


The Best Stuffing Ever


These bangin' mashed potatoes!!


The lovely fruit bouquet


These crazy girls- Ali and Tina


My adorable grandma- Mungie


My little sister- Apples


I hope you all enjoyed these pictures!! Since I had the camera, I didn't take any pictures of myself. My aunt took some pictures, but they are on her camera. If I ever see those, I'll put them up.

And since I feel like it, I just wanted to let you guys know how happy I am that you read my blog!!! I get so excited to see what you say about my posts, and you're so sincere about it. I love your blogs, too, so I hope all of you keep blogging forever!!!

A little Neil Diamond for yah

Hello, my friends, hello. It’s good to need you so. It’s good to love you like I do. And to feel this way… when I hear you say… Hello.

Okay. I have no idea why I just wrote that haha. I think I’m in just one of those moods. Anyway, I got my trigonometry test back on Monday night. PAHAHAHAHA yeah. That’s what I did when I looked at my test. All in all, it wasn’t too bad. I got a 72%. I’m not gonna cry about it though. Instead, I’m gonna dance. Tap dance to be specific haha That’s what I did when I got home from school Monday night. And last night, too. I’ve been in this crazy tap-dancing mode. Many of you don’t know that I tap-danced for a while, and I just miss it so much!! So for the hell of it, this is a picture of my best friend, Mitchel. He's wearing my beautiful tap shoes… kind of haha. I didn’t feel like looking for a pic of myself because this one is just better than any one I have of me wearing them. He will probably shit himself when he sees that I posted this, but oh well. As long as I get a kick out of it...

Ok. Enough of being a bad friend. Here’s some food to make up for it haha This was from my cooking video: The Blonde Experiment. I made a recipe for vegan blondies and I’d say they turned out pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. Oh I love Larry David!!! But that’s besides the point. Haha I cannot stay focused today!!!

Here’s my recipe:

Maple Macadamia Nut Blondies
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup macadamia nut butter
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp xanthan gum + ¼ cup water
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 cup + scant 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8 in. pan with canola oil cooking spray.
Mix applesauce, nut butter, sugar, maple syrup, and rice syrup together in a stand mixer. Combine xanthan gum and water in a cup and allow it to set for a few minutes. Add the extracts to the sugar mixture. In a separate bowl, combine yeast, flour, and salt and stir together. Add the xanthan gum to the sugar mixture and blend. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix. Fold in macadamia nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan and bake for 22-24 minutes and allow time to cool before cutting.

Stupid Math and Delicious Chili

Good morning, my friends!! I know most of you probably hate Mondays, but since I don't have class until 6:30 at night, Mondays aren't that bad... so suck it up!!! haha I have Trigonometry tonight, and we're getting our tests back. Have you ever taken a test and started laughing because you had NO idea how to do anything on it? Well, that happened when I took the test. I tried to look through all 4 pages of math problems, hoping to find an easy one, and but there weren't any. Great. haha I looked around the room at everybody else and they all had the same "oh shit" look on their face, so hopefully I wasn't the only one who decided to trace their hand on the back of the test because it seemed like the only logical thing to do at the time. haha I love this comic because it describes my night perfectly (just click it to make it bigger).

Alrighty. There's something I need to ask you guys. What deodorant/antiperspirant do you use? I'm testing the Secret Platinum in "Jasmine Orient" on my left armpit this morning and the Tom's long-lasting care in "Apricot" on my right armpit. I did the opposite of this yesterday morning because I want to see if my 2 armpits sweat differently. Tom's worked pretty well on my left armpit yesterday, but the Secret was useless after about 4 hours. Do you guys have any tips about when to apply deodorant/antiperspirant? And honestly, I have no clue what the difference is between deodorant and antiperspirant. I always thought they were the same thing, but my step-dad told me otherwise.

Ok. Hopefully you're still reading after all that nonsense. You'll be happy to know that the past 2 days I've been eating a normal dinner!!! I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. I found a Cornmeal Chili Bake from Dreena Burton's "The Everyday Vegan." I am addicted to it. It's the best chili I've ever had, and I'm not a big chili fan in the first place. I had to sub some ingredients because I didn't have them, but my most brilliant substitution was using pineapple in place of the onion. I didn't have an onion, and figured that pineapple was it's cousin anyways (veggie and fruit). haha It turned out insanely good!!!

Here's the recipe:
Cornmeal Chili Bake

Cornmeal Topping:
3 cups water
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup quick-cooking cornmeal or fine cornmeal
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
a couple pinches of tumeric

Chili:
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped (save juice is there's any left)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 medium-large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup corn kernels(I used frozen)
1 15.5 oz can beans of choice (I used black)
1 29 oz can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1/4 cup tomato pasta
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp organic cane sugar
1/4 cup parspley
freshly ground black pepper

Directions: For the chili: in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add celery, carrots, and salt. Cook for a 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pineapple, leftover pineapple juice, and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove lid, let cook for another 3-5 minutes, and then stir in the parsley.

While the chili is simmering, move onto cornmeal topping.
For cornmeal topping: In a medium pot, bring water and sea salt to a boil. Lower heat and slowly whisk in cornmeal until thickened, 1-2 minutes (this happens VERY fast). Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Turn off and let sit until chili is ready.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 375F. Spoon chili into an 8x12 baking dish. Spoon cornmeal mixture on top of chili, covering all the chili. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until cornmeal has started to brown. Serves 5-6.

Me and My Muffins

Hello Folks!!! Are any of you having one of those weekends where you just stay home and do nothing? I'm having one right now, and I love it!!!! Besides the usual trip to the gym, I've been hangin out at home with my mom, the cat, and the dog. We've been watching A LOT of tv, doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning. It's been fun though. I'm not one of those people who goes out a lot in the first place though. What?!?!! you ask. You're so vivacious and charismatic on your blog!! I know, I know, but I'd rather stay home and bake than go out. I guess I'm just an old woman in that sense... but my body is all 19!!!! hahahahaha Couldn't help myself with that one.

As for food, well I've been making a million batches of muffins this week... which really isn't that weird. haha Today, I have Lemon-Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffins!!!!! Finally!!!! I made a batch a few weeks ago, and they weren't very good, so it's taken me a little while to recover. These were better, and I wasn't even planning on making them yesterday. I was just thumbing through Dreena's book "Vive le Vegan" and saw a recipe for Orange-Poppy Seed Muffins. I swapped out all the orange ingredients, replaced some the flour, threw in some raspberries, and Voila!!! However, I think poppyseeds are just an acquired taste, and I'm not sure if I have it. It's probably why they make a drug test positive after you've eaten a bunch. Poppyseeds are just plain weird. I mean, these were good, but I wouldn't make them all the time. My mom loved them though and the raspberries really made them pop. I ate mine with agave nectar.

Lemon-Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffins
1 1/4 cup oat flour or ground oats
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp organic cane sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice or 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup millet flour (or barley flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp flax meal
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp canola oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine oats, poppy seeds, sugar, zest, sea salt, cinnamon, allspice, millet flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix the lemon juice and flax meal and stir through. Add the applesauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until well combined. Spoon the mixture into a prepared muffin tin (sprayed with cooking spray or lined with cupcake liners). Bake for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 8-9 medium-large muffins or 10-12 small muffins.

Little Butter and Bethany... sittin in a tree

Good morning everyone!!! I never get up this early, but I just couldn't stay asleep. Right now, I'm watching America's Next Top Model reruns on MTV. I usually hate this show but somehow, I can't look away... except at the monitor!!! But on the brighter side of things (since it is morning), this is a picture of our cat. Everyone in the Blogosphere has cat pictures and I was starting to feel left out. Her name is Butter, and she's completely huge. My mom only feeds her Party Mix Treats, so that's what the cat lives off of. She's usually pretty friendly to people, but she likes to attack the dog. Our dog is ancient and last night, the cat jumped on her back. The dog completely flipped out, snapped at her, and started barking. I didn't break them up because the only thing I could do was laugh hysterically.

But here's the deal with food. I baked a lot yesterday, so you probably know what that means already... MUFFINS!! I baked Carrot Pineapple Muffins from The Everyday Vegan. The recipe calls for canned crushed pineapple, but I just cut up chunks of fresh pineapple. These were really moist and flavorful... and tall (as they usually are). I ate two of these babies for dinner. I just loved them.

Here's the recipe:
Carrot Pineapple Muffins
2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
a couple pinches of sea salt
3/4 cup carrots, finely grated
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, diced or 1 8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk or soy milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp canola oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the carrots, pineapple, and raisins and stir well. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, milk, and vanilla, and add to dry mixture. Stir through and add canola oil as it starts to come together. Mix until just combined. Spoon into a lightly greased muffin tin and bake for 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 10-12 muffins.


As for more fun and exciting stuff, I got a Butterfly Award from Bethany at Spotted Devil Cat and his Vegan Assistant (that name is just amazing). It's my first blog award, I really appreciate it, Bethany!!! In fact, this post is dedicated to Bethany because she's awesome and hands up one of the FUNNIEST people I've ever met.

meme rules & regs:

(1) post about the award,
(2) link back to the person that nominated you
(3) place the award on your sidebar
(4) choose 10 blogs that you think are really cool, link to them, contact each person and talk about why you think their blogs are cool.

Since some of my favorite blogs already have the award, these blogs are ones that I don't think have it yet. I always stalk these blogs religiously, so they deserve it!!! They keep me away from my homework for hours.

1. Agnes' World of Vegan Pleasures- Agness!!! You are the happiest person I know. I love talking to you all the time about life, food, school, guys, and all that other fun girl stuff. I know we'll meet someday even if you live in Poland. Stay happy and funky!!!

2. A Vegan with a Reason- Becca!!! We have so much in common and you are a blast to talk to. You have awesome taste in music, and I know we'd be great friends if you lived in the Pittsburgh. We both have a weird sense of humor, but that's why you're so funny.

3. Sugar Plum- Emiline!!! You are such a creative, and cool cook. I love reading your blog because I know I'll see something crazy and beautiful. You're really friendly, and I know you'll reach your dreams of going to culinary school.

4. Vegan Dance if you Want to- Jenn!!! You are such a cool and random girl and I love seeing all the stuff you make. That Vegan Scrapple still cracks me up. We both love the Vita-Mix and grocery shopping, so that pretty much tells me all I need to know haha

5. A Year of Crockpotting- Stephanie!! I read your blog everyday in amazement at how creative and hilarious you are. You are really honest, but in a funny way. The food you come up with is great, and I know you'll be using the crockpot forever!!!

6. Cookie Madness- Anna!! Where do I even begin? You are a master baker-cookie maker. You're soo nice and friendly and Fuzz is lucky to have you as a mom. You were the first blog I started reading, and you inspired me to start my own. Thanks for being so great!

7. Yummy, Low Calorie Diet Food- Juliet!!! You've got a knack for finding really good food. I always add something to my grocery list after I read your blog. You're a really positive person and you know a lot about nutrition, too. Your husband's a lucky man!!!

8. Chocolate Covered Vegan- Katie!!! You are such a nice girl. You're always smiling (in your blog pictures) and just being plain adorable. You are a master fondant handler and I envy your mad skills!! You'll always be the Cupcake Queen!

9. Veggie Girl- Liz!! You are the busiest person I virtually know. haha You're really good at getting everything done and keeping a positive attitude. You're also a great dancer and also a contributor to my Enrique Iglesis obsession. Thanks for that! haha

10. Flowers at Home- Flower! You are a very gentle human being and a beautiful writer. I don't think you would ever say something mean or hurt anyone's feelings. You're just a really good person. Your blog is very soothing and calming... like a warm, bubble bath... with candles.

Wow that took a long time, so all of you better appreciate this post!!! haha

Can I Check Under The Hood?

Hi everyone!! Thanks for all your comments about the PedEgg!!! It’s pretty much a 50/50 as to whether or not I should buy one. As of now, I think my feet are okay, but maybe in the future (like in 50 years) I’ll need one. But my post today is really about the ridiculous incident that happened on my way home from the gym yesterday. I was waiting at a stoplight on a VERY busy road just listening to “Bleeding Love.” I know that song is totally overplayed, but I still can’t help singing along with it. All of a sudden, the light turns green, and my car turns off. I jiggle the key a bunch of times but it doesn’t work!!!! I start panicking, look in my purse for my phone, and realize I left it at home. Great. Just great. Haha. All of the cars around me were honking their horns and rolling down their windows just to yell profanities at me. Of course, I gave all of them the finger. Haha Just kidding- I should have though, but I knew I was in a bad situation already. I didn’t need to get beat up on top of it. Thankfully, this guy (maybe 40?) and his SMOKIN HOT son (my age-thank god) helped me out and after about 10 minutes of tinkering under the hood (the car’s hood-haha), they started my car. They also followed me home to make sure that my damn car didn’t stall on the way back. I love good Samaritans… especially when they look like that!!!!

Okay. Now after you know what a pervert I am, let’s get to the food shall we? I have a product review to talk of first. I am addicted to these PhillySwirls!!!! I eat about 4 of them a day and yeah, they have a bunch of sugar, but they are dairy free, fat free, gluten free, and nut free. Basically everything but sugar free haha. The cotton candy and blue-raspberry are my favorites, as you probably noticed from my shockingly blue tongue (that’s my sexy bathrobe btw haha).You must try these if you see them in the store. I buy the Popperz, Stix, and Italian Ice. As for real food that has some nutritional value, I got nothing. Haha just kidding. I have soup!! It’s the Chickpea-Noodle Soup from Veganomicon. I LOVE this stuff. I had to alter the recipe because I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients. I just wanted to make it because I had a can of chickpeas and the soup had chickpeas in it. Fair enough.

Here’s what I got:

Chickpea-Noodle Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp water
6 cups vegetable stock
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cup shell pasta (I used brown rice)
1/3 cup brown rice miso

Directions: Preheat soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions and carrots in oil for 10 minutes. Add garlic, celery, pepper, and herbs and sauté for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with water. Add 6 cups of vegetable stock and chickpeas. Cover and bring to a boil. Once broth is boiling, add pasta and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the miso and stir until it’s mixed in. Turn burner off and let stand for about 20 minutes. It stayed very hot for a while, so wait… unless you want your tongue to fall off haha

The Bigger The Better

Hello my friends! Hope you’re all having a fabulous day so far. I’d like to start off by asking you guys a question. If you absolutely hate feet, then don’t read ahead!!! Haha But here’s my question: who the hell uses PedEggs?!?!?!!?! We sell them at Sears, and whenever I see one, I gag. It just looks really painful to scrape the excess skin off your foot. I’m sorry if I’m grossing you out, but I just don’t understand these things haha If you do use them, will you tell me if they hurt, or just agree with me that they are just a disgusting invention?

Aside from that, haha, I just had to show you guys this sweet potato I saw at Giant Eagle. I literally had to force my mom to take a picture because she gets embarrassed when I do things like this. But come on, wouldn’t you take a picture of this? It was a little over 4 pounds so that means it would’ve cost about $12.00. I wasn’t gonna pay that much for a sweet potato because that’s just bonkers!!! I am a little sad I didn’t get it though- who wouldn’t wanna be the owner of the world’s largest sweet potato???

As for food- yes- there is food!!!! There’s always food!!! It’s only one of my birdfood-disc-looking concoctions. These were soo darn good. The cinnamon and chocolate chips were my favorite parts of this one. These were much crunchier than my other RAW bars, and I like that about these. They were sturdy and just plain delicious!!!! They have a lot of ingredients, but they all work so well together. I just need to mass produce these babies!!

Here's the recipe:

Yummy Jos
1 cup oats
1/4 cup almond meal (I only had this but you could use actual almonds)
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup dried cherries and blueberries (I have a mixed bag)
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp water

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. In a food processor, pulse the oats, almond meal, peanuts, and hemp seeds until they are finely ground. Add dried fruit and cinnamon and pulse again. Add extract, maple syrup, and agave nectar. Pulse and only add the water if you feel that the mixture isn’t wet enough. I used 2 tbsp though. Scoop the mixture into the muffin tin and freeze for a few hours. After it’s frozen, thaw in the fridge and then you’re ready to eat!

That Damn Butter

Top of the mornin’ to ya. Haha I have no clue where that came from. I guess I’m channeling my inner Irishman. Anyway, yesterday was an awesome day (hence my happy, spinning around my bedpost pose). To start off, I won all this wine stuff from Anna at Cookie Madness!!! I only drink wine when my mom lets me, but I’m still excited to get wine charms and all those other “21 and over” accessories. I’ll take a picture of them when I get them in the mail. After that joyous experience, it was time to film my cooking show. I did a cooking video for a project at school, and it’s called “The Blonde Experiment.” Haha I knew you would love that. I didn’t post it on here because it’s about 30 minutes long and you’d probably die of boredom or start to make fun of me haha In my video, I converted traditional blondies into vegan blondies and then had a judging panel at the end. Everybody voted that the traditional blondies were better than the vegan ones, but I wasn’t too surprised. I didn’t use any butter or oil in them- damn. There is a plus side though- I have a crapload of blondies in the house now. And you know what that means?!?!?!!? Yeah, I don’t either haha I just love the suspense.

And no, the recipe for today isn’t for the blondies. I’ll post that some other time when I’m fresh outta recipes. It is for….. dun dun dun… you guessed it!!! MUFFINS!!!! Oh the joys of muffin making. These babies were divine and somewhat like cupcakes- they were pretty crumbly. I made Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins from Sweet Tempered. I changed the recipe to make it gluten-free and also just a few other ingredients here and there. I think I interpreted the directions wrong because I put the jelly on top of the muffins rather than pushing it down in the middle. It didn’t really specify what to do, but I would recommend filling the muffin tin half way, putting the jelly in the middle, and then putting more batter on top. My muffins kind of, well, not kind of, rather COMPLETELY overflowed with jelly haha They tasted marvelous though- that counts, right? I melted more grape jelly and drizzled (ok, poured) it over the top of my masterpiece.

Here's the Recipe:

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
1 cup oat flour
½ cup millet flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup crunch peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
½ cup agave nectar
½ cup almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup jelly (I used grape because I’m obsessed with grapes)

Directions: Preheat over to 350F. Spray the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a cup, whisk together vinegar and milk and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the peanut butter, oil, and agave nectar until smooth. Add vinegar mixture to this and stir. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Scoop half the amount into a prepared muffin tin, place 1 tsp of jelly into on top of batter, and then fill the muffins with the rest of the batter. Bake for 18 minutes or until the muffins give a little to the touch.

I Hate Wedgies

Hello everyone. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves on this fine Saturday. I decided to post in the afternoon because I had cycling this morning. Do any of you guys take it at the gym? Because if you do, I have one question for you. How many seconds/minutes after you start peddling does your wedgie appear? haha It's usually about 5 minutes for me, but today, I'd estimate it around 7.7 seconds!!! The whole class was an excruciating experience!!! I had a layer of spandex on under my sweats, so that might have been what caused it. I have no clue. I try to wear spandex all the time because there's a lot of perverts at the gym. One time, these guys told me they were getting a "free show" of my ass even though I was wearing spandex. What idiots! haha At least I saw Tubby after class. It was pouring outside, and I felt bad that my baby had to spend the day in the rain. Oh Tubs, what are we gonna do with you?

As for food, I have been eating random stuff lately, which isn't really different than my usual eating habits haha. Ezekial sprouted english muffins are my new obsession as well as Organic Concord grape juice. I can't get enough of those two. The next two recipes are hardly recipes at all, but they taste so good that I figured I'd post them just because I can. haha

Here's the "recipes"

Poor Woman's Garlic Bread

1 ezekial sprouted grain english muffin, cut in half
2 tsp earth balance buttery spread
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp nutritional yeast

Directions: Put english muffin in toaster. Wait til it's done. Spread butter on each side. Top with garlic powder and then nutritional yeast. I can't tell you how many times I've eaten this over the past week. I'm addicted!

Grape Slushy

1/2-3/4 cup concord grape juice
1 cup black seedless grapes

Directions: Pour grape juice into 8x8 pan. Add grapes into pan. Cover will foil and freeze for a few hours. When ready to eat, scrape the mixture with a fork to create a slushy type dessert. I had this as my pre-cycling breakfast. It did not sustain me at all, and I was starving through the class!!! haha But it does taste good.

Say Hello to Tubby!

I just had to put this video on here because I was so happy I caught him in action. This is my squirrel Tubby, or Bally's Parking Lot Tubby. Either one works. He didn't even get too nervous when I whipped out my phone and started filming his cute, little (and by little, I mean enormous) squirrel butt. I was just a tad bit mad because he was finishing off a Red Delicious apple when I first saw him, but he dropped it before I could start filming. haha And yes, I realize he doesn't have the best taste in apples, but who could blame him? It was free and lying on the ground. I feel like a wildlife documentary host. Maybe that should be my profession... instead of one hot mama that is!! haha

Alrighty, so I promise I won't talk too much about Tubby anymore. It's just that I see him everyday and I get so excited about it. I mean, you have to admit that he is just a darling squirrel. He would never hurt a fly, maybe a pizza... but

Okay, I'll be serious. haha Just kidding- that's way too hard for me, but I will give you a recipe. It's for Dreena Burton's Lemon Garlic Pasta from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. If you haven't heard of Dreena or her cookbooks, buy them now!!!!! You could say I'm a little obsessed with her, and I'd completely agree with you. haha She is the woman who inspired me to become a vegan. Her recipes are always delicious and this pasta is no exception. It's kind of insane how quickly I ate this. The recipe calls for 3/4 lb of pasta which is 3 cups of uncooked pasta (at least I think it is because that's what I put in). I made it after school around 2:30pm on Tuesday and it was gone by the Wednesday morning. Don't ask how I did it- just be jealous. haha

Here's the recipe

Lemon Garlic Pasta
3/4 lb pasta (I used brown rice shells because they are adorable)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 1/2-4 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, agave nectar, mustard, and oil (start with 3 1/2 tbsp). Set aside. When pasta is almost done, remove one cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta (don't rinse), return to pot and toss with lemon dressing, toasted pine nuts, and basil. If pasta seems too dry, add some pasta water, 1 tbsp at a time.

Yummy Yummy in My Tummy

Good Morning Everyone. Hope you all had a restful sleep. I had this crazy dream about being on a cruise-ship with my friends and family and then it started sinking. My mom, sister, and I didn't get out in time, but we managed to be in a part of the ship that had an air bubble. Somehow, my mom and I climbed out of the ship, but my sister didn't want to come. We went to a secondhand clothes store to get me a new outfit because mine was all wet and dirty. The lady at the store ended up putting me in this crazy 1960's outfit, but I remember liking it haha We then left that store, and got jobs at this food/market-type place. They had me bagging the groceries on my first day and I was terrible at it, so I quit. After that, I woke up. So I've come to find the moral of the story: If you don't want to end up in 60's clothes, don't go on a cruise!!! haha

I don't think I ate anything on the cruise, I know it's hard to believe, but food wasn't in my dream. But before posting a recipe, I have to tell you about these DISGUSTING TOFU NOODLES I tried a week ago. Don't buy them! haha They tasted like rubber. And yeah, there's like 50 calories in the whole bag, but 50 GROSS calories, so stay away from them! haha All right, now that my product review is out of the way, my recipe for today is Celine's No-Bake Black Bean Brownies... or as I like to call them, SEX IN MY MOUTH!! I have never been so in love with a brownie. It was like a secret affair every time I took a bite. They were so good that I felt I had to hide them from the other food in my kitchen. And as usual, I ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until they were gone. haha I love my eating habits. The only changes I made were to add some applesauce because mine were pretty clumpy and to use walnuts + almonds in place of the chestnuts. Chestnuts are hard to come by around me, damnit, but we all have our crosses to bare. haha

Here's the recipe:
No-Bake Black Bean Brownies
1 medium, ripe banana
10 pitted dates (I used medjool, baby)
4 tbsp agave nectar
3/4 cup oat flour
2.5 oz bag of almonds + 1 oz of walnuts (I had no clue how to measure the 1 oz so I just guessed)
1/4 cup carob powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut
14 oz can black beans
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
optional: 1/4 cup unsweetended applesauce (slowly add this if your mix is too clumpy or dry)

Directions: Line an 8 x 8 in pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap. This is ESSENTIAL because they WILL stick to the pan if you don't. Add all the ingredients (except applesauce) to the food processor and blend. This takes a while because there's a heck of a lot of food in there. Just be patient because it will eventually all blend. Add applesauce if needed and blend again. Scoop the brownie batter into the pan and press down with your hands (it might be sticky, but you'll live). Freeze for a few hours and resist the urge to eat it before then.

I've Got You Now!!

I saw the squirrel again and I got pictures!!!! Haha Since the picture from the last post was stolen from the web, I was determined to hunt this damn squirrel down and get a shot of its mug. He was eating when I saw him, which isn’t surprising, but he posed for two shots. There were a few cars slowly driving near me (probably wondering what the hell I was doing), but at that point, I didn’t even try to hide the fact that I was after this squirrel.

Tomorrow, I’m gonna try to capture it. I’ve attempted this with a skunk before and it didn’t work. My friend, Brian, and I tried to trap him with our tennis rackets (we put our tennis game on hold because this was obviously more important). In the end, the skunk sprayed the hell out of us and I haven’t attempted animal capturing since (well, there was this one time with a fox, but don’t even ask haha). Hopefully, this works out better. And just so you guys know, I don’t want to kill the animal or make a hat out of it (although the skunk would’ve made a dashing hat), I just want it as a pet or something haha

All this squirrel talk makes me hungry haha Luckily, I have a great recipe for today. It’s a tempeh dish from Veganomicon. It was originally called Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh, but I used Hoisin Sauce because it’s my new thang. It’s the first dish I’ve made from this cookbook, and I was addicted to it!! I made it at like 10 pm, ate half of it, and had the rest in the morning on a tortilla with all the fixins. It’s pretty spicy, but I put sour cream on it to cool it off. Sour cream tastes good on everything… including muffins… and squirrels? haha

Here’s the recipe:

Hoisin Sauce-Glazed Tofu

1 8oz package tempeh

½ cup wine (any kind)

¼ cup hoisin sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions: Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices. Cut the tempeh in half, widthwise, then cut each of the squares diagonally, to form four large triangles. When water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, and cok the tempeh for 10 minutes. This steams the tempeh. Use to tongs immediately place the tempeh in the marinade bowl. Marinate for one hour, flipping the tempeh every now and then. After tempeh has marinated, preheat oven to broil. Place tempeh in an oven safe pan. Spoon some of marinade over tempeh and broil for 5 minutes. Flip over and broil it for another 5 minutes.

And I was tagged by Belle Eats for this fun, little weird fact spiller. haha

Rules:

• Link the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links.
• Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Facts:

1. I sleep with a heating pad every night. My room is absolutely freezing, so I love having it with me.
2. I make the biggest mess when I cook. Even if I’m making a sandwich, pots and pans will be used for some crazy reason. And if I use measuring cups or spoons, I never wash them between uses.
3. I love my butt haha but that’s no secret really. I look at it every day because it’s just so cute and perky all the time.
4. I hate getting gas by myself. Something bad always happens. Either I’ll get gas all over myself or all over the car.
5. It drives me nuts if someone flushes the toilet while the lid is up!!! Actually, nuts is an understatement. More like INSANE MADWOMAN PSYCHONESS. I just hate the pee and poop germs flying out of the toilet and onto the walls, my toothbrush, my towels, etc.
6. I eat muffins like it’s my job. I usually make 3 batches a week, and I’ll eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until they’re gone. I realize I’m not getting a mix of vitamins and nutrients and blah blah blah but I don’t care haha
7. I love dancing in the Sears parking lot. Actually, any parking lot will do but Sears is my favorite. I’ll go really late at night with a friend and we’ll just bust our moves for an hour or so until security comes and tells us to leave.

I tag...
For the Love of Guava
Agnes' World of Vegan Pleasures
The Pink Apron
I Am Not A Rabbit
A Vegan with A Reason
Flowers at Home
Vegan Dance if You Want to

I Love Squirrels

Alrighty. Yesterday after I was at the gym, I walked out into the parking lot and practically fainted. There was a squirrel the size of a freakin housecat. I kid you not. It was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. I took a picture of it, but I forgot to save it!!! I was so upset. Unfortunately, the picture I posted isn't mine, but I found it online. That's really what he looked like though. I wanted to squirrelnap him and take him home with me, but my parents would've shot me... and him haha I'm sure you guys appreciate it. haha I just love squirrels. They've been my favorite animal for a while now (used to be wolves). Someday when I live alone, I'm gonna have my own damn squirrel farm. How fun would that be? (Yes, I realize I'm insane).

As far as food goes, I've been cooking so much lately. I can hardly eat everything I make haha That's a complete lie. Nothing ever goes to waste as long as I'm around. My recipe for today is from Food and Wine magazine. I usually hate that magazine because I could care less about wine. Yeah, I mean, it tastes good and all, but I'd rather read a magazine about building shelves. The recipe is called Lemony Quinoa Salad with Pine Nuts and Olives. I absolutely loved it. I made 2 servings and ate the whole thing. I just couldn't help it. It was really good and the olives just made it come to life. I had to change the recipe a little bit to accomodate myself, but other than that, Food and Wine magazine did a bangin job!!

Here's the recipe:

Lemony Quinoa Salad with Pine Nuts and Olives
1 cup water
1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp green olives, chopped

Directions: In a medium size pot, boil the water. Add quinoa, cover, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until al dente. Turn heat off, and allow quinoa to sit with lid on for a few minutes. Transfer to a bowl. In a skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until golden. Add them to the quinoa along with the basil, lemon juice, and olives.

Good Ole Sunday

Geez. It's really cold outside. And when I say cold, I mean BURRRR!!!!! My little toes (including my ugly black and blue one) are like icicles. Thank God I have on these dashing argyle socks. And of course, I'm in my bathrobe that everybody hates. But it's been a good day so far. I'm taking a Zumba class today, so that should make it even better. I have no clue what I'm getting myself into but that's the whole point haha I don't mind if I'm cluelessly (that's NOT a word...or is it?) dancing around in the back of the room by myself. That's what happened when my friend, Brian, and I took hip-hop. Wow was that funny. I'd definitely consider myself a bangin dancer- honestly, I'm not even kidding haha- but this hip-hop class was tough!!! We were just such a mess that we ended up making up our own routines the majority of the time. The instructor would always glare at us, but we were just getting our jive on... and you don't ever wanna step on our jive! haha

So anyway, I should definitely figure out how to upload a video of myself dancing. That would be a riot... and I'm positive none of you would ever come back to read my blog!! haha So for now, here's what's cookin!! First off, we have Vegan Ginger Muffins. I found these on Cookie Madness, and they were sinfully good. They are all gone because muffins never last more than a day in my house... and it's all because of me haha The other recipe I have for you guys is a Raw Spiced Walnut Cream. I found it on Gone Raw, and it's texture is somewhat yogurt-like. And I'm aware that the picture of the cream is gross looking, but it is cream. haha I really liked it because I miss having Cool Whip all the time. I used to eat it out of the container, so this was a nice alternative.

Here's the recipes:
Gingerbread Muffins
1 1/2 cups oat flour, spooned and swept
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt + an extra pinch
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup silken tofu ( I used firm, but it doesn't matter)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Spray muffin with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir until well-combined. Put the tofu, molasses, sugar, and oil in the food processor and blend until smooth. Add tofu mixture to flour mixture and stir until mixed. Scoop mixture into muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes. Makes 12 standard muffins.

Spiced Walnut Cream
2 cups walnuts, soaked a few hours, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1/2 cup soaked dates
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

Directions: Whip all ingredients in blender until thick and fluffy. Chill for 1 hour.

I'm A Survivor!!

Good Morning/Afternoon everyone. Did anyone watch Survivor last night? I was dying at the television with my mom. We are so happy Marcus was blindsided and went home!!!! Crystal is such a sneaky one; therefore, she's our favorite player!!! haha Anyway, if you don't watch it, I wish you did because you would love it. I'll inform all of you when I go on the show someday. I am determined to get on there!!! I would honestly pay them to let me play for a million dollars.

As for important stuff, my toe is feeling much better haha I went to cycling class last night and that took all the kinks out of it. And of course, I wore my favorite shirt in the world. It says "The Booty Don't Stop" on it. It's a song- ahh what am I saying?- it's not just a song. It's one of the best songs I've ever heard. I just love wearing that shirt because I feel like everyone reads it and then is obligated to look at my cute ass. haha I am RIDICULOUS!!!!

Alrighty, so if you're still listening to my nonsense, here's what I had for dinner a few nights ago. I found it on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. The only reason I made it was because it had Hoisin sauce in it and I've been wanting to use Hoisin sauce for months. I didn't even know what it was,but now I'm addicted. It's called Chinese Barbecued Tofu and I absolutely loved it. And honestly, there's nothing like a nice tofu dish. They never get old in my stomach. And I changed the recipe a little bit because I didn't have some of the stuff.

Here's the recipe:
Chinese Barbecue Tofu
1 pkg extra firm tofu, pressed
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup organic ketchup
2 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions: Mix the sauce ingredients together until well-combined. Slice the tofu in 1/2 inch thick slices. Spray a frying pan with nonstick spray and brown the tofu on each side for a few minutes. Add the sauce to the frying pan after the tofu has browned. The point is to cover the tofu and heat the sauce. Most of the tofu's cooking process is done when the sauce is in there. Let this simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.

I'm going nuts!!!

Well, I gotta go to school today. I have class 9:25-4:10 so it's definitely one of those long days. Last night before I went to bed, I was walking down the steps while brushing my teeth and carrying two mugs. Of course, I tripped and slammed my baby toe on the wall! haha Now I have this blood blister that's taken over my whole baby toenail. I tried to go to bed without noticing my toe, but I kept squirming around. That thing hurts even if it is just a little part of my body. My little sister brought me a gigantic bag of ice, so I just slept with that on my foot. I couldn't help laughing because of how much pain I was in. My sister was like "Jojo, are you laughing? You are so weird." Has that ever happened to you? Where something hurts so badly, but all you can to do is laugh?

Oh Well, I just take the pain out in cycling class tonight at the gym. What a good idea! haha As for some food, of course I have some recipes. I've been making a lot of RAW bars lately, so I have a Pistachio Bar (my favorite) and a Walnut Bar. I just made them up with stuff I had on hand, but they are very good- Perfect for taking somewhere when you're in a hurry. I do realize that they look like those birdfood discs, but I don't care!! haha I usually eat 2 at a time to fill me up. And you can change up the ingredients, but these are just some of the ones I love.

Here's the recipes:
Wacky Walnut Bars
1 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup dried apricots
1 tbsp water

Directions: Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. I definitely recommend the cupcake liners because the bars will be easier to get out. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add apricots and pulse. Add water, pulse, and scoop into muffin tin. Freeze for 1 hour and then set at room temp to let them warm up. I got 6 out of these because I used a NORMAL muffin tin. haha



Pretty Pistachio Bars
3/4 cup raw pistachios
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts (if you can find raw, use those)
3/4 cup mixed of dried cherries and dried blueberries
1 tbsp water

Directions: Same as above: muffin tin, pulse the nuts, add the dried fruit, then water, and place into muffin tins. Freeze then eat :)