Some Random Facts and Asian Cooking!

The brownie bites from yesterday are GONE! I brought them to work and my clients ate them all! I'm so proud! In honer of my B-day (on the 30th of this month), I'll be occasionally sharing some things about myself over the next week.

If you wanna skip past my goofy personal stuff just scroll down to the food.

Today, I decided to share a few very random & strange facts about myself.

I take a lot of awkward pictures. Some (kinda like this one) are really strange.
(This was taken in a college dorm btw...not my house :-)

I'm not totally sure what was going on here.


I work in a salon but HATE to take the time to get my hair done. I just can't sit still. So sometimes I just throw some color in my hair before I leave work, wrap it in a towel & jump in the car. (Yes, I get a lot of strange looks.)

I "cramp" Philip's style. Nuff said...

Kya & I have a band!

We ROCK!

I make Kya take awkward pictures too...

That's all for now...I feel closer to y'all already!

My Run turned into a Walk today.

Okay, so, the jogging stroller is a workout in it's own! While pushing it, I couldn't run as far or fast as normal. But on the plus side, it wore me out! I think it will help me...Kinda like when you wear weights on your ankles, you take them off & feel lighter & quicker. That's the stuff I'm hoping for!

And...There's a problem...


I CAN'T STOP EATING!!!! Oh My Gosh! Seriously, I canNOT satisfy the ravenous MONSTER in my belly! What's the deal? Can running really make you that hungry?


Here's something that filled me up. (For awhile anyway.)

"Baby Bella Asian Stir Fry"

I'll take this over take out any day!


2 tbsp olive oil (or vegan butter, or just plain water)
1 large pk baby bellas

1 small sweet onion (sliced)

1 pk mini corn (what are they called anyway?)

about 2 cups snow peas

2 cups mixed shredded cabbage and carrots (or cole slaw mix)

1 head Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage) sliced into large pieces bc they shrink a lot when cooked

2-3 tbsp Tamari (wheat free soy sauce)

4 tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add bellas, onion, & corn. Cook down for 10 mins. Add snow peas, tamari, sugar & ginger, cook for 5 min more. Add cabbages. Cook till all veggies are tender. The cabbage cooks fast so make sure the other veggies are tender to your liking before you add it.

Enjoy with a side of buckwheat soba noodles mixed with miso mayo.

Do you have a Strange Fact about yourself? You already know mine.

What about my "Monster"? Can this sudden change in appetite just be from running?
Anyone else eat a lot when they exercise?

I'm gonna start making more Pages for the top of my blog. I'm thinking of doing a page about getting "started". As in...if someone is trying to eat healthy but has no idea where to start (like I once did) I'll have a page all about the basics of Vegan cooking, and what to start out with in your kitchen...stuff like that. Good idea? Bad one? I'd like the input.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello...Brownie Bites with Cream "Cheese" Topping (& more)

Good stuff...GOOD stuff!

Ingredients


The brownie bite
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar (sucanat, organic, your choice.)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup all all purpose G-free flour (or flour of choice)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

In large bowl, mix apple sauce, oil, sugar, & vanilla. Add all other ingredients a little at a time till well mixed. Should be a soft cookie dough(ish) consistency. Place to the side.

Cream "Cheese" Topping
4 oz Vegan Cream "Cheese" (half package)
1/4 cup Agave
1/4 cup sucanat or other granulated sugar
3 tbsp flour (G-free or of choice)
1/2 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips

Mix Cream "Cheese" and agave till smooth. Add sugar, flour, & chocolate chips. Stir till well mixed. Divide mixture in half.

Mix one half (roughly one cup) of Cream "Cheese" topping into Brownie mix. Fill mini cup cake baking trays a little under half full. Spoon topping onto each brownie (enough to cover but leaving a little room for rising). Bake at 325 for 15 mins.

Check out what's hanging out on my couch right now!

Didn't realize it's already time for a new VegNews! Yeah! I picked up the runners mag to get some tips & motivation. Bringing me to the next topic...

I actually registered for "Race for the Cure" Baton Rouge. It'll be my 1st!!! I'm really pumped about this! Really!

As an early birthday present, Philip took me shopping for some running gear.

Running shoes...I picked the black ones. They are so comfortable!

I also got a jogging stroller so I can go run anytime with or without Kya. She loved it & kept yelling "RUN FASTER MAMA!" My new coach. Ha!

I ran over a half mile straight without having to slow it down! I know it's not much but it's a MAJOR deal to me! Since I was so proud of myself, I headed to PJ's for my favorite...a "Chai Velvet Ice with Soy Milk and no Whipped Cream" thank you. I don't have these very often and I don't believe in rewarding good behavior with not so good treats but, well....I did & I enjoyed it, guilt FREE! They are the best and addictive!!!!

Notice the CRaZy look in my eyes...
partly from the run...

and partly from the excitement over my PJ's.

It takes so little to make me happy.

On another note...I wanna take a moment and thank God that I didn't have to use this today!

I did want to sit down to catch my breath (& maybe cry a little) when I couldn't run another 1/2 mile straight, but was scared that someone would call an ambulance. It was a great day!

And now it's time for...More Food!

This was supposed to be Spaghetti Squash with tomato sauce on top. Well the sign at Whole Foods said "Spaghetti Squash" but I'm not so sure. Not an expert here...but I think I may have over did it cause this...

is NOT what it's supposed to look like!!!

So, Instead of Spaghetti Squash, we had stuffed squash. It needed some rice or something to add to it, but overall, wasn't bad at all.

Ingredients

2 tbsp evoo

1 clove garlic minced

oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste

1 can tomato paste

1 tbsp agave

1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half's

Parmesan (rice)

Daiya cheese (Mozzarella flavor)

Heat oven to 350. Cut squash in halves (lengthwise). Scoop out seeds and "goo" (I don't know what this is called). Place squash halves on cookie sheet and bake for 30 - 40 min. (Please check on your squash if you don't want mush like we had!)

Heat olive oil in pan. Add garlic, paste, seasonings, and agave. Heat till warmed through (abt 5 min). Add tomatoes. Turn down heat & simmer for 20 min (or till tomatoes are tender).

When squash is tender. Remove from oven and cool. Take a fork and run it around the edges of the squash. This should pull the fibers apart and look like spaghetti. (I wouldn't' know...Yes I'm a little bitter about it.) Put the spaghetti on a serving plate. Pour on sauce. Top with "Parmesan" & Daiya "Cheese". Enjoy!!!

Question of the day...Are you a reader? I love to read! Seriously! I can stay up all night reading a good book. What are your favorite Mags? I love VegNews, Clean Eating, and whatever hobby I'm into at that moment...(Decorating, Running).

Have a great weekend!!!

LOTS-A-FOOD!!!

All with MISO!!!

I love this stuff! I've heard that it's an acquired taste...Well, I've acquired! In fact, I like it so much I decided to make my own recipe...but first...

"Barley with Broccoli, spinach & Homemade Miso Mayo"

1 tbsp EVOO
2 cups cooked barley (I used 2 cups dry barley and 5 cups of water. It made way too much so I put it in a container for later.)

2 cups broccoli (cut)

2 cups fresh spinach (chopped)

1 small yellow onion (sliced)

Homemade Miso Mayo (3 tablespoons, or to taste) (recipe below)

Sea Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Heat olive oil and cook onions till tender (10 min). Add broccoli, salt & pepper. Cook till broccoli is tender (about 8 min). Add cooked barley, spinach, & miso mayo. Stir and cook till well heated. Enjoy!

(I may have added a scoop of Earth Balance Butter to my bowl & it may have been DELICIOUS!!!)

"Homemade Miso Mayo"
(in Kya's play casserole dish)

2 tbsp white miso

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp oil (I used olive bc its all I had)

1/2 tsp Tarmari

2 tbsp water

Put all ingredients together and stir till smooth.

Here's the White Miso in person!



This is the Miso Mayo I normally use. It's in the rest of the recipes below...

"Buckwheat Veggie Stir fry"

This is one of my fave meals to make. So tasty and easy!

1/2 package Buckwheat Pasta (not sure exactly how much this is, Maybe 2 cups cooked?.... Sometimes I use a whole pack if I want leftovers.)

1 bag frozen, Organic mixed veggies

4 tsp water

1/2 cup Miso Mayo

Put veggies and water in pan. Heat on medium till defrosted and heated through (or till tender if using fresh veggies, which is always best!) Add pasta and Mayo. (I could eat miso plain so you may want to just add a little at a time to your liking.) Stir till hot.

Note: If you let the pasta sit in the pan and cook a few mins before stirring, it gets a kinda "fried, crispy texture" SO GOOD!!!

"Miso Grilled Cheese & Tomato"

This one's simple!

4 slices bread (I use Ezekiel)

Miso Mayo (abt 2 tbsp)

1/4 cup Shredded Daiya "Cheddar Cheese" (This stuff ROCKS!!!)

4 slices tomato

Earth Balance Butter

Put mayo, cheese & tomato on bread. Heat butter in pan and I'm sure you know how to make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich...Right?

Yummmm. Yummmm.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend! Did anyone do anything extra special? Apparently, I spent mine making miso dishes. And running! So far I'm enjoying it SO much! We shall see...

Have you tried Miso Mayo? What about just plain Miso? I'd love to hear some new ideas.

Cha-CHOWDER! & Running 5K

So, there were these sweet potatoes and a bag of corn hanging around in the kitchen.

They were overstaying their welcome & it was getting a little awkward so...

I threw'em in a pot and called it dinner! Now I know why they call it C-H-O-W der!


"Sweet Potato & Corn Chowder"



Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb sweet potatoes cut into small pieces
1 bag frozen, organic corn (it doesn't really matter how big of a bag)
1 package Vegan cream "cheese"
1 sweet onion (cut in large slices)
2 cloves minced garlic
8 cups water
2 cups almond milk
3 tbsp flour (I used all purpose, G-free)
Shredded Vegan Cheese

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and garlic & cook till tender (about 8 min). Add cream "cheese" & stir till melted. Add water, potatoes, and corn. Bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer about 20 min. (To thicken...in a separate bowl, stir almond milk & flour together till dissolved & add to soup. Serve topped with shredded "cheese".

I ate like 3 bowls.

But that's okay because...

I RAN TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Ima runner now(again)!

Okay, so kinda...I'm planning to run in this 5K in Baton Rouge next month. I don't know if I'll be ready by then, and it's probably not a goodt idea, but I'm gonna run in it anyway! They do have emergency vehicles...right?

Look out Baton Rouge(ers)...If you see this person...

She's known to fall down stairs and trip over her own feet. (Notice the confused expression on her face.)

This picture was taken after my run today.

I would like to say the greasy hair is from all the crazy sweating I did.

It's not. Philip(hubby) likes scalding HOT baths...so...guess who had no hot water to rinse out her hair. Yep, my hair was full of soap & dried that way. Gross, I know! (Could have just let you think it was sweat.)

My plans for tomorrow...Miso, Yoga, more Running!

Question(s) of the day...What do you do for exercise? Are you a runner? Are you a member of a gym or do you exercise at home?

I love the yoga, Thai chi, & zumba classes at my gym. I get distracted very easily when I work out at home and usually find myself cleaning or baking instead of finishing my workout.

I need some Chocolate...NOW!

I got a little out of CONTROL!



Is it a brownie? or a cake?



I'm not really sure...It was meant to be brownie but tastes kinda like cake.



Either way, it hit the spot!!! BIG TIME!



Did you notice the stylish plate?........Go ahead, take a good look at it & enjoy.....







BECAUSE......





You won't be seeing it again. We had an accident.






Being the extremely coordinated person that I am, I fell down the stairs at my sis's house. The plate was in my bag, along with my CAMERA! Fortunately, for the camera, the plate "broke" (haha) the fall.



On to more important things...The Recipe! Let's just call it a Cake-y.



"Chocolate Cake-y with Raw Fudge(ish) Icing"


"The Cake-y"
~1 c all purpose G-free flour (or your flour of choice)
~1/2 c coconut flour
~1 tsp baking powder
~1/2 c sucanat (or sugar of choice)
~1/2 c agave
~1 avocado
~1 tbsp ground flax
~2 tbsp water
~1/2 tsp vanilla
~1/2 c almond milk (or as much as needed...keep kinda thick)
~1/2 c Vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a pan.
Peel avocado and remove seed. place in food processor. Add water, flax and vanilla. Process until smooth & blended. Put flours, baking powder & sugar in large bowl and stir together till well mixed. Add avocado mixture and agave to dry mix. Stir and add milk until dough like texture. Add chocolate chips! Whoop!

Pour (well scoop) mixture into pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes. I made mine a little too runny so it took longer. Keep checking every 5 or so mins after the 20 min mark.





"Raw Fudge Icing"
~3 tbsp coconut oil (this is my new fave food right now...can you tell?)
~4 tbsp agave
~3tbsp cacao powder

Stir till smooth. Scoop onto warm Cake-y and devour! (Or Scoop straight into mouth!) (Or not...)


Makes a medium sized batch. I cut, wrapped, and froze them for later.


Check out this book I bought! I got it because it had lots of pictures! (There's a five year old trapped in me somewhere...I know.)



Here's LUNCH!
A g-free wrap with Daiya "Cheese", hummus, and spinach. Was GOOD!



That's all my rants for today...



So...Have you used Coconut oil? Do you LOVE it as much as I do? Anyone have "The Vegan Table"?



Seems like I've been making a lot of desert lately. No worries...tomorrow's recipe will be all veggie (but still sweet!).

and it's...RAW!!!

Back in November, I went Raw for 20 days. Although I truly enjoyed going Raw, I'm not quite ready to go full force. I do, however, eat plenty Raw Veggies everyday, and enjoy a Raw treat here & there. After finding some Raw goodies at Whole Foods yesterday, I decided to make some of my own.

These are all single serving. Very rich but Oh-So-Good!

Single Serving "Double Dark Chocolate Tart"

Ingredients

Crust

~4 tbsp coconut oil

~1 tbsp Raw Agave (or maple syrup)

~1/2 tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

Put all ingredients in mini food processor or mix by hand until well blended. Spoon into tart mold (or just smash it flat). Place in freezer to harden.

Creamy Cacao Filling

~1 tbsp coconut oil

~1 tbsp Raw cacao powder

~1 tbsp Raw agave (or maple syrup)

Blend in mini food processor or by hand until smooth and creamy. Remove crust from freezer and spoon in filling. Freeze. Once frozen, remove tart from mold. Enjoy immediately, keep frozen, or refrigerate.

Raw "Chocolate Tart"

Ingredients

Crust

~2 tbsp Raw cashew flour

~2 tbsp Raw almond flour

~1 tbsp Raw agave (or maple syrup)

~1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (Raw, if you can find it)

Filling

~Use "Creamy Cacao Filling" recipe from above.

Note: make your own cashew and almond flour by processing in food processor till finely ground (my juicer grinds nuts so I made mine that way).

Here's the inspiration for my Raw Goody making.

This one was refrigerated, not frozen, so the texture was amazing! If your freezing yours... make sure to let them thaw out so you can experience the texture.

Hail Merry, Merry's Miracle Tart. I liked this Raw Goody so much, I had to pose with it!

The original

I also made...

Raw "Coconut Cacao Bar"

Ingredients

~1 tbsp fig puree (measure after processing)

~1 tbsp Raw almond flour

~1 tbsp Raw coconut oil

~1 tbsp dried shredded coconut

~1 tbsp Raw cashew flour

~1/2 tbsp Raw agave (or maple syrup)

~1/2 tbsp Raw cacao

Put all ingredients in mini food processor until well blended. Shape into bar and freeze or refrigerate.

Had a great time at Whole Foods! As I've Explained Before, I LOVE this place! Lookie at what the salad bar had for me!

Yes, that's Raw Corn Salad on my plate! Raw Food is really gaining recognition! I love that people are finally getting it. What we put into our bodies is SUPER important!

Have you tried Raw Food yet? Do you have any favorite Raw treats?

Sandwiches, Soup & Pizza?

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend! I always look forward to Mondays. It's grocery shopping day! Look out Whole Foods!

A few months ago Hubby, Kya, and I stopped at a cafe in Baton Rouge that serves Vegetarian and G-Free food. Since I never posted about it on The Veggie Side, I thought today would be a great day to post sandwiches along with my soup!


Kya had an almond butter sandwich with baked sweet potato fries and an almond butter cookie.



I had a veggie sandwich. It was loaded with eggplant, lettuce, tomato, onions & avocado. I also had the sweet potato fries.




Hubby had a pizza...not really sure if it was Vegan or not. (Probably not) At least it was full of veggies. He's come a long way and is very supportive of my lifestyle.


This is one of my own sandwiches. Simple & Delish! Just the way I love it. The pictures were taken with my phone, sorry.

Two slices of vegan bread , two slices of tomato, vegan Swiss flavored "cheese", & veganaise. Put everything on the bread and grill with some earth balance butter. Enjoy!

You would not believe the massive amount of veggie soup I made yesterday! We'll be eating it for a week! The recipe I'm posting here is divided in half, which makes a family size serving other than the village sized serving that I made.

Very Veggie Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp basil

8 cups water

1 small sweet onion cut into fairly large pieces

4 medium carrots sliced

3 celery stalks

1/2 small cabbage cut into large pieces

2 cups cooked or frozen Lima beans

2 ears of corn remove kernels from cob

2 cups green beans

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and herbs. Heat until carrots are a little tender (about 10 minutes). Add water, cabbage, Lima beans, corn, and green beans. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes (or as desired...the longer it cooks the more tender the veggies and thicker the soup, just don't make mush). Add salt and pepper to taste.

I'm a very happy soup maker. Look at that POT!!!

Update on the Soup...It's GONE!!!!!!!! The whole pot! Between my parents and the rest of my family, we ate it all! I guess I did pretty good on my first Veggie Soup! :-)

Hubby and Kya waiting for their serving of soup.

What is your favorite soup? Sandwich? My faves are corn and potato soup & tomato grilled cheese is my #1 sandwich for now.

Are there many Vegan friendly restaurants in your area? Here in Louisiana, there are not many at all. I was lucky to come across the one in Baton Rouge. I've heard that there's a Vegan pizza place in New Orleans. I'll have to look into it.

Have a great Monday!!!