One year ago today I decided to try eating vegan for 30 days. Well I sure stuck with it for a LOT longer and I couldn’t be more pleased. The best part is the impact my diet has had on those around me. My older cousins are eating vegan meals on their own a few times a week. My 11-year-old cousin was excited to find a recipe for vegan cupcakes in her cupcake cookbook. My aunts and coworkers are asking me for healthier substitution options in their recipes. My parents have started only buying organic meats at the grocery store and are eating meatless meals a few times a week. I’m so proud of my loved ones!

To celebrate, I whipped up some chili! I used a recipe in one of my cookbooks and substituted the heck out of it. It’s got an awesome combo of grated tempeh, roasted potatoes, black beans, lentils, sun dried tomatoes and corn.

The best part?

It made a VAT and now I’ve got leftovers for the week!

Now to go grab some vegan cheesecake from the freezer (thanks to one of my awesome Christmas presents.

Happy belated New Year to all! Both Chinese and otherwise!

For you UJ.. Merry Christmas!

Love, Laugh, Live.

And boy oh boy it is.

A delicious hot mess.

I got this idea last Saturday while watching Giada make a veggie parm. I rushed right out, bought an organic eggplant and got to work! I sliced and salted the eggplant to drain the bitterness. Let me tell you that it makes all the difference in the world with tenderness. The salting created that beautiful eggplant texture I used to get at Maggiano’s..

There’s not really much of a recipe, just a basic idea. If you don’t like eggplant, swap it for some other yummy squash or even some sliced potatoes! Perhaps I’ll try that next..

What I used:
*1 large organic eggplant; sliced, salted, drained and roasted according to Veganomicon’s instruction
*2 cups kale leaves, chopped and sauteed in canola oil with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper
*3-3 1/2 cups homemade marinara (mine had lots of mushrooms, garlic, sauteed onions and crushed red pepper in it)
*1 recipe cheese “sauce” from Lulu’s Mac and Cheese (found here)
*Daiya cheese (Mozz flavor)

I oiled my big glass baking dish and spread some sauce on the bottom. Then I layered in 3 slices of eggplant (they were HUGE) followed by some kale, half of the cheese “sauce”, a sprinkling of Daiya and some sauce. I repeated that process once more and finished off the last layer of sauce with an additional sprinkling of Daiya. I baked the whole thing in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Kyle and I had to restrain ourselves from eating the whole pan in one sitting. I finally know how to cure my eggplant parm craving and still treat my body right.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Spend time with those you love and I’ll see you back here soon!

Have a great holiday!

I made my first ever pie last night! A PUMPKIN pie!

Nomnomnom!

I used to hate pumpkin pie. I know, I know. But I have seen the error in my ways and realize that I just hate store bought pumpkin pie.

I came across a fantasmic recipe over on Mama Pea’s blog! With her substitution suggestions I was able to convert her recipe to the pumpkin pie of my dreams.

Wait, is it just me that dreams about a peanut butter pie crust?

The recipe can be found on her blog. I followed it to the T, only subbing out natural peanut butter for the butter in the dough and 1/2 cup of maple syrup for the brown sugar (I reduced the almond milk to ~2/3 cup to make up for the liquid content). Vegan AND refined sugar free!

I think I may have under baked it just a bit but I’m still pretty impressed for my very first pie!

Happy Tuesday!

For the big day I dressed as my favorite book character – Sookie Stackhouse!

The garlic was because I’d had a fight with Eric (oh yeah I’m on Team Eric)..

Since Kyle and I didn’t have anywhere to be that night, I whipped up some Seitan simmered in the mole sauce from Veganomicon. It was sensational and I can’t WAIT to make it again!

I’ve been battling a sickness for about a week and today it claimed my voice! It super-sucks!

I’m hoping it’s just laryngitis and not strep. I suppose I’ll find out if it doesn’t go away on its own!

Hope to be back soon! Off to the sofa for more X-Files and water!

This weekend Kyle and I traveled to Port Saint Joe, Florida for his very good friend’s wedding! I was enamored with the town. The groom and his parents have an amazing home right across from the ocean. It was the perfect setting for a wedding. Gorgeous

The hosts also made sure there were some sauteed veggies at the rehearsal and the reception, as well as some amazing asparagus! It was well appreciated after eating granola bars and peanut butter sammiches from my purse!

(Plus we stopped at Red Robin on the way to the airport to fill me up with some much needed protein! Go BOCA burgers!)

I hope I get to visit again soon!

Sharp windblown sand!

Raw Bar!!

Kyle trying his baked oysters. He said he liked them.. the picture doesn’t prove it, though!

The walk down to the beach for the ceremony was amazing!

One of the many butterflies present at the ceremony!

The bride and groom with their immediate families.

Can you believe I was able to watch wild dolphins (not pictured sadly) feeding not once, but twice through this gorgeous water?!

The boys filling up their bags at the candy bar! I attacked the Starburst with a vengeance..

The night-time golf cart ride down the beach proved to be too exciting for Kyle.

The bride and groom with me, Kyle and his brother in front of the bonfire! How have I never been to a wedding with a bonfire before??

I love the garden by the guest house..

And the beach!

The whole “petting the bird in the picture” thing didn’t work out..

The End!

The discovery of banana bread. No sugar added, oil free, heavenly banana bread.

The recipe can be found over at Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. I swapped the chocolate chips for an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate all chopped up and used a mixture of all-purpose and wheat flours. This recipe was easy to whip together, popped right out of the pan and tastes like a dream. Dreena is a genius. I’m putting her cookbook on my wish list for Christmas.

In the meantime I will devour this banana bread. And perhaps share with Kyle. =)

I’ve been wanting to rework this recipe since I became vegan even though I’m the only person I know that will eat them. Although I’ll bet it might entice a certain pearson.

I love the combination of the salty pickles with the sweet creamy peanut butter. One of my favorite combos! I find this version to be even better than the non-vegan one. Then again, what recipe isn’t?

Oh. And no, I’m not pregnant.

Pickle Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing (adapted from Cupcake Project – makes 4 cupcakes)
For cakes:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground flax meal mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water (1/2 a flax egg)
2 tablespoons almond milk
2 1/2 tablespoons pickle juice (preferably from homemade pickles)
2 tablespoons chopped pickles (also preferably homemade)

For icing:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for a homemade version, see below)
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons almond milk or water

Homemade Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 tablespoon tapioca starch

Blend all ingredients until powdery consistency is reached. Beware when you open the container, it’s dusty!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, dill and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and sugar. Add in the flax egg, milk and pickle juice. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry until just combined. Fold in pickles.

Pour batter into muffin tin lined with papers or silicon cupcake liners (like the funky little ones I have) until the liners are 2/3 full. Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops are springy! Let cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, mix icing ingredients together with a spoon until smooth and uniform. Drizzle and/or heap onto cooled cupcakes and top with roasted peanuts!

Then, devour.

We also watched some polo at the Kentucky Horse Park.  This was my first time watching polo.  It was incredible!!

My mom even scheduled a semi-private tour of Claibourne Farms, where Secretariat was retired and laid to rest.  The farm was absolutely beautiful.  I wanted to live there..

Well on my way home from Virginia I stopped in Louisville.  I trekked through the city a bit and sweat a LOT!  Darn humidity and sun!!

I spotted Batman..

The next afternoon I stopped at the Third Avenue Cafe for lunch.

The decor was fun!  They claim to have frequent Elvis sightings.  I didn’t see Bubba, though.  ;)

The vegan rueben I had was PHENOMENAL!  I ate the entire thing and still wanted more!

After lunch I made my way to Churchill Downs, crossing it off my bucket list!  I wasn’t able to see any morning workouts but to me there’s just something beautiful about an empty racetrack.  You can feel all of the excitement and electricity that’s ever run through the stands.  It wasn’t as much fun without mom, but maybe I’ll take HER for a weekend sometime soon.

The magical tunnel!

Lookit me being all artsy with my photography!

I stopped at 3 Sisters Cafe in Indianapolis for a light dinner.  They were super friendly and had the cutest outdoor porch!  It was a beautiful night to sit outside and enjoy..

A bowl of vegan chili with some rye bread!  This stuff was rockin’!

I got home that night and collapsed.  It was a long and exhilarating trip.  My bed was happy to see me back!

That was a few months ago.  Hard to believe it’s been that long already!

I have a recipe that needs to be shared with you all.  I hope to have it up soon!  I’ve made it 4 times already!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!