Macros and Medjools

Did you ever read Highlights magazine when you were a kid? I’m pretty sure I had a subscription to it for a few years… and it was almost always included in that ubiquitous stack of dog-eared, food-smeared magazines at the pediatrician’s office. I always loved that section at the end where they included a picture taken with a macro lens and you had to guess what object it was. It was usually something like a pencil or a flower, but the focus on some small part of it always made it seem otherworldly and mysterious, and I thought that was so darn cool.

Anyway, I had a bit of Highlights nostalgia while attempting to photograph my dessert last night. See, the thing is, as delicious as Medjool dates are, they just don’t photograph well. It’s probably because dates are inherently funny looking, but slicing ‘em open, filling their cavities with peanut butter and dark chocolate, and then microwaving the heck outta those suckers doesn’t really do anything for their aesthetics. So I present to you a somewhat mind-boggling photo of one of the most delicious and easy desserts known to womankind.

Medjool madness!

Okay, maybe they’re not so freakish looking, but I bet that non-food bloggers would be all, “What the heck is that?!” when presented with this photo. Lucky for us foodie folk, we’re mostly familiar with the wonder that is the candy-like Medjool date. I seriously consider these guys to be Mama Nature’s gift to our tastebuds… they’re just so soft and sweet and gorram delicious. Adding peanut butter and chocolate takes things over the edge, especially if you heat the mess ’til the dates start to smell like they’re caramelizing and the chocolate is gooey and the whole thing is just heavenly.

All I need is a new camera and a macro lens and then I can fill my blog with even more photos of my Medjool lovelies… up close and personal.

The Other Kind of Pantry Challenge (+ Colcannon, Reinvented)

These days, my Google Reader is filled with bloggers participating in pantry challenges. Their general goal is to avoid spending money on groceries by only using what they have in their pantries. It’s a fine goal, to be sure. But when I see their lists of pantry items (5 kinds of rice, 7 varieties of dried beans, 3 cartons of almond milk, 4 jars of various nut butters, 2 pounds of tofu, etc etc etc!) I just can’t help but think, “If only my pantry were a tenth as full as theirs!”

The sad thing is that I’m not even exaggerating. As tempting as it would be to play down my foodstuff inventory for comedic effect, the pathetic truth is that – not counting spices – I probably have less than 30 food items to my name at this moment in time, and that’s counting stuff like soy sauce and Bragg’s and ketchup. So… yeah. It’s pretty sad. Being carless in an area with less than stellar public transportation kiiinda sucks. I don’t want to ask my roomie – as fantastic as she is – for rides all the time, so I walk to the grocery store when I need food and she doesn’t. I don’t mind walking at all, even when it’s f-f-freezing outside, but it does limit the amount of food I can purchase. Plus, the grocery store within easy walking distance is rather limited in its selection of non-boring food. The bottom line is that I haven’t been to the grocery store in almost two weeks, and my pantry is takin’ a major hit.

But fear not – my limited resources don’t always result in limited creativity! Tonight I realized that if I didn’t use up a couple of potatoes, they were going to reach levels of softness that would make the Pillsbury Doughboy’s tummy seem like abs o’ steel in comparison. Obviously I had to mash them, but I wanted to do something a little more interesting. So I decided to make a modified, empty-pantry-influenced version of colcannon.

Now, I’m not gonna lie – I’ve never actually eaten colcannon, which is stupid because 1. I’ve got me some Irish blood, 2. I love kale, and 3. I love taters. But theoretically it’s one of my favorite foods. Heh heh. Anyway, my sad lack of fresh veggies resulted in my using some frozen spinach in the place of kale or cabbage. Not the kind that comes in a dense block, mind, but loose leaf spinach from a bag. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad.

Colcannon...ish.

Now, obviously my ghetto colcannon is nowhere near as pretty as, say, Lolo’s more traditional variety. But I enjoyed it, and other than the potatoes that were on the verge of death, it didn’t really use up many of my limited pantry resources. I just boiled up two taters with some onions, then added the spinach to the mix just before the potatoes were soft. I mashed it all up with some Earth Balance, a bit of garlic powder, and – in keeping with my firm eschewing of tradition – a dash of Tabasco and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. So, was it actually colcannon? Prooooobably not. But was it good? Hell yeah! And will I be making a trip to the grocery store this weekend before my meals cross the line from “untraditional” to “downright revolting?” You better believe it.

Zebras like colcannon, too.

P.S. Isn’t my zebra bowl cute?! Best Goodwill find EVER.

Three Reasons Why My Family is Wonderful (or, a Christmas Retrospective)

1. Stocking Stuffers

Our family Christmas traditions are simple yet solid. Ever since I can remember, we three kids have received a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve before reading The Night Before Christmas together and then hopping off to bed so SantaMom&Dad can work their magic. In the morning, we kids wake up and peer eagerly at the beautifully arranged presents around the tree before waking up Mom and Dad. Then we troop into the living room to open our stockings – no presents! – before eating breakfast. Mom’s usually in charge of filling the stockings, and this year the stocking stuffers she chose for me were incredibly thoughtful. Check out some of the swag.

Stocking stuff(ers).

Knowing that my vegan lifestyle is becoming more all-encompassing and extends beyond my dietary choices, Mom found a cruelty-free, vegan lip balm for me, along with organic, vegan body lotion, and Tom’s of Maine deodorant. I was so very pleased to discover these treasures in my stocking! The Candy Cane lip balm has a lovely, subtle scent, and the lotion’s Vanilla Chai scent smells just like warm cinnamon buns. Speaking of which…

2. Cinnamon Buns

The next part of our family tradition is the most delicious – breakfast. We break our fast on Christmas morning with half a grapefruit each, followed by delicious, sticky, cinnamon buns. In the past, we’ve gotten them from local bakeries, but this year Mom and Dad knew that I wouldn’t eat non-vegan cinnamon buns, so they sacrificed the safety of tradition in favor of experimenting and making some that I would definitely eat. Because I didn’t get home until 10:30 on Christmas Eve (and I almost didn’t make it at all!), I couldn’t volunteer my services and Mom was in charge of the buns. At my recommendation, she tried out this utterly decadent recipe from VeganYumYum. Although Mom is mostly low-fat vegan, we all decided that for this one day, we would indulge and enjoy ourselves. And, oh, how we enjoyed these beauties.

Sticky, sweet, delights.

These cinnamon buns surpassed all our expectations. They not only tasted as good as the bakery buns of yore, but even better. They were almost too rich for me – I could only finish a half in one sitting, and had to save the rest for a post-present-unwrapping pick-me-up! Mom did an amazing job, especially since it was her first time making anything yeasted. So thoughtful.

3. Sweet Surprises

Another part of our food tradition involves a huge platter o’ cookies and fudge, compliments of my Aunt Nancy. She’s an incredible baker, and she devotes the month of December to making and freezing dozens – if not hundreds – of Christmas cookies. She shares them with friends and family, and no Christmas is complete without a platter or two of her tantalizing treats. Aunt Nancy even provides a special nut-free plate for my sister, to accommodate her allergies.

Unfortunately, none of my aunt’s cookies are vegan, and although she mentioned the possibility of trying some new recipes next year, I found myself unable to eat anything from her platter. Just looking at the macaroons and candied walnuts and mini magic bars made me a little bit sad that I couldn’t indulge, but then I was presented with this.

Sweet surprises from my sissy.

My lovely, wonderful, sister made me a platter of adorably decorated vegan sugar cookies! She knew I wouldn’t be able to eat any of my aunt’s, and took matters into her own hands. I don’t know what recipe she used (she said it called for silken tofu), but I thought they were perfectly yummy. I grabbed one every time I saw the rest of my family cutting a slice of cheesecake or chomping on some fudge, and they made my day so much brighter. Next year, I’ll be home for a few days before Christmas, and I’m looking forward to spending that time baking dozens and dozens of vegan cookies with Rhiannon.

Really, could I ask for a more gracious and accommodating family?! They are so thoughtful and wonderful. Other Christmas highlights included receiving my own Settlers of Catan game and expansion (any other Catan fanatics out there?!), the Babycakes cookbook, and lots of awesome kitchenware. But the best part of all was spending time with everyone, even if it was only for three days. I’m counting down ’til I can take another trip home and spend a little more time with my lovely family.

Christmas Greetings and a Project Feed Me Photo

IT’S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I’m so excited; I feel like a little kid. I’ve enjoyed my first 3ish weeks of work more than I thought I would, but I can’t wait to see my family and celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, it’s snowy and icy in Wisconsin and I reallyreallyreally hope my flight(s) home tomorrow aren’t impeded by bad weather here or in Detroit, where I have a layover. Keep your fingers crossed!

Anyway, I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday, if you celebrate Christmas. If not, I hope your Chanukah or Solstice or holiday of choice was/is absolutely delightful. I also wanted to post a photo of the food I collected for Project Feed Me.

Pantry staples?

To be honest, I didn’t manage to buy food for every week and I ended a week or two early because I was in the middle of moving to Wisconsin. But I still feel good about participating, especially since I donated everything to a collection at my mom’s school (she’s a special ed teacher), and a local philanthropist will match all donations collected there. Oh, and I also ended up switching up some of the recommended food items because they weren’t veg*n, but I hope that my meager offerings help people in need this season. It’s so easy to forget how lucky and blessed I am sometimes, so I think I’m going to make an effort to donate more food, money, and time to those less fortunate than me in the year to come. After all, I’m a working girl now, so there’s no excuse!

Well, I’m going to go scrounge around in the kitchen for a snack, hehe. Merry Christmas, friends! I hope the next few days are filled with lots o’ love&joy. Cheers!

Festive Holiday Oats

Confession time – I’ve been eating quick oats lately. The kind of oats that come in a cylinder and take all of two minutes to nuke in the microwave. They’re basically the weakling runts of the oat world, with steel-cut oats and oat groats being the powerhouses that pack a fantastic nutritional punch. And even though I do have a bag of steel-cut oats in my [mostly bare] cupboard, I’ve been grabbing the quick oats when I feel like being grainy for breakfast.

I think I have an excuse, though. My mom and I bought them a couple of weeks ago when she was here helping me move into my apartment; we were staying in an extended stay hotel with a kitchenette, and we thought it’d be prudent to invest in some breakfast foods. Quick oats were the perfect solution; we’d get up in the morning, make oatmeal, and then head out for a day of furniture-shopping and bed-putting-together. After she left, I still had 3/4 of a container of quick oats, so that’s been my fall-back option when I want a quick breakfast. Since I’m not really willing to expend 20 minutes making steel-cut oats in the morning before work, I appreciate the minimal time investment.

I still feel a little guilty, though.

But a few days ago, I discovered a way to dress up my oats for the holidays, and ever since, I’ve ben unabashedly unashamed of my breakfast. It’s so simple, too. I’ve always been a fan of making oats with soy or almond milk, since I think watery oats are pretty much the most disgusting thing ever. They taste thin and generally disgusting, in my opinion. But if you make oatmeal with milk, it instantly turns into a delicious, creamy breakfast, even if you don’t have an immersion blender for that added touch of creaminess (I don’t have one of my own at my apartment, boo). So I’ve always been a soymilk and oatmeal fan.

The other day, though, I decided to add some of Silk’s seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavor to my oats. I couldn’t decide if I was wasting the precious drink by putting it in oatmeal, but I decided to give it a shot. And, oh, am I glad I did.

Festively delicious.

The result is a creamy, subtly flavorful oatmeal that requires little to no additional sweeteners. It’s seriously amazing, especially with an extra dash of cinnamon on top. I am so very glad I decided to give this a try.

I’m already thinking of what else I could do with this discovery. Chocolate Peppermint Stick Oatmeal, using WestSoy’s amazing holiday beverage? Nog Oats spiced with nutmeg?! What do you think – any great oaty ideas?

A Stickily Delicious Delight

Oh my goodness, guys – I don’t even know what to say! I’m sorry for the silence – apparently, moving halfway across the country and starting a real job is a bit of a time drain. Who knew?! I’m surprised and happy to note that even in my silence, my wee humble blog has been getting a fair amount of daily hits, so thanks for that! And kudos to those bloggers who manage to post regularly even during busy periods of their lives. You are better bloggers than I!

I “officially” moved into my apartment a week ago, and began work last Monday. Eventually I’ll be doing support writing, but at the moment I’m taking orientation/training classes and will be doing so for the next few months. It’s kind of like being in school again, but I don’t mind – I’m learning lots and lots about the healthcare industry, which is pretty neat. It’ll be great once I start taking classes that pertain to my actual job, but that’ll come later. For now, I’m just enjoying getting paid to learn.

Other than that, I’ve been settling into my apartment and learning how to live with a bit less than usual. We don’t have any living room furniture, and my bedroom is pretty bare. Right now I’m blogging from the kitchen table, but generally I sit on my bed or on the floor when I’m using my laptop. Heh. At least my new roommate is really wonderful; we get along swimmingly and I really couldn’t ask for a better situation.

Foodwise, things haven’t been too exciting lately. My company pays monthly, but because I didn’t start at the very beginning of December, I won’t get a paycheck until January. Between paying my security deposit/rent and buying a bed and some random things for the apartment, I’m pretty broke at the moment. Actually, I had to take out a loan from the Bank of Mom and Dad to cover my starting expenses! So, as you can imagine, my eats lately have included mostly potatoes and peanut butter, but, um, not together. Heh.

However, I did receive a sweet package in the mail a few days after I moved in. I won a giveaway from Hungry Hungry Veganos, and the lovely folks from Sweet and Sara sent me a sampler pack of their marshmallows. Needless to say, it was wonderful to receive this little box after a hard day’s work.

A sweet surprise.

The sampler included four yummy varieties: Vanilla, Toasted Coconut, Cinnamon Pecan, and Strawberry. I’d never tried vegan marshmallows in the past, so I was extremely excited to give these a shot. Although I’d have liked to do something creative with them, my limited kitchen pantry compelled me to just eat ‘em plain for dessert.

Sweet samples.

I didn’t know what to expect, texture-wise, with these little guys, but boy, was I pleasantly surprised! They’re sticky and sweet and chewy and just plain wonderful. Cinnamon Pecan is a fun flavor combination that adds a bit of crunch, while Toasted Coconut is just absolutely delicious. Strawberry is probably my least favorite variety, but it’s still a solid flavor. The plain Vanilla ‘mallows taste like the classy, grown-up version of your standard non-vegan marshmallow, and they are EXCELLENT in a steaming-hot mug of Chocolate Peppermint Stick soymilk. Just sayin’.

I’m so glad I won this giveaway! Sweet and Sara makes a damn good vegan marshmallow, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to try them.

Now I’m going to finish up my handmade holiday cards – I need to mail these out pronto! Ciao, all!

Search Term Hilarity (or, This is a Filler Post)

As y’all know if you read my blog fairly regularly, I’m in the process of relocating from Rhode Island to Madison, Wisconsin. Right now I’m actually quite literally relocating, so I’m trying out WordPress’s autopost feature so I can have an update while I get settled in my brandy new apartment. I’m warning you, though, this is all fluff. But it’s fun fluff! Really!

…it’s okay, I’ll understand if you don’t want to keep reading. I’ll be back soon with REAL FOOD from my REAL KITCHEN. Yeehaw! In the meantime, enjoy the fluff.

Search Term Hilarity! (or, Come On, You Know Your Google History is Equally Ridiculous)

I know that in the grand scheme of vegan blogging, my little blog is barely a blip when compared to some of the big-name bloggers on the scene. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get some amusing search terms that lead to my blog! I love checking them every so often, so I’ve compiled a list of my favorites to share with y’all. Who knows – maybe you’ll recognize one as your own! Then you’ll be fAmOuS! Well… not really. Anyway, here we go!

1. sesame seaweed rice balls – Ridiculously enough, this is my most popular search term! Geeze, you review some cheap-arse TJ’s sale item once and suddenly your blog is a hotspot for ball-lovers. Oy.

2. photoshop to wordpress “mac” – Yeah, I use a “Mac,” and it’s pretty “awesome.” Sometimes I use “Photoshop” to “create” random “illustrations.”

3. eating chocolate makes me happy – Me too, dear reader. Me too.

4. how to make kelltle corn toppping - How about, “how to spell?” Might be a more valuable search for you. Although kettle corn is freakin’ delicious, so maybe the thought of making it addled your orthography skillz. Maybe. Wait, how did THREE people spell this the exact same way?! Or was it one person searching three times and never learning how to spell? Wahhh.

5. science the vegga girl body - Am I “the vegga girl”?!? And, um, ain’t no science here – I be an English major, yo!

6. tempt hemp milk sucks - YOU suck. Tempt is yum. Fool!

7. why apples in autumn? - Um, why not?!

8. who makes bliss - YOU MAKE BLISS! But so does eating coconut-based ice cream.

9. cookies not done well - How dare you. My cookies are ALWAYS done well.

10. potatoes corn beans - I’ll take, “Ingredients in Sweet Potato, Corn, & Black Bean Burritos” for $1000, Alex!

11. o o o you know what im talkin about - O o o, no I don’t.

12. traditional cupcakes picture - Ain’t nothin’ traditional about my fun Halloween cupcakes, dude!

13. what is squash quartered - Okay, I know this is difficult, but it is – wait for it – a squash… cut into quarters. BRAIN!SPLOSION AGHHH.

14. you are beautiful mirror - Either someone’s got a pretty attractive mirror or someone else has invented a mirror that tells your reflection that it’s beautiful (which would be pretty awesome). Or, um, maybe it’s just got somethin’ to do with Operation Beautiful.

15. vega vegan blog spiralizer kelly / la vida vegga / kelly vegga – OMGOMGOMG IF ANY OF YOU WERE ACTUALLY SEARCHING FOR ME THEN I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER CUZ NOW I FEEL FAMOUS. If not, disregard this message.

And that’s all for this edition of Search Term Hilarity! We’ll be back to your regularly scheduled – and delicious – programming soon. Ciao, friends!

Chocolate Fail?!

I AM LEAVING FOR MADISON TOMORROW MORNING. At 5:55 AM. Good heavens; this is real. I am turning into a real live person with a real live job! Insanity.

Anyway, I have a wee post for now, but then I’m going to try that auto-post feature so that I’ll have some sort of content while I’m busy moving halfway across the country. So, um, keep your eyes peeled for that. In the meantime, here is a small review of yet another drink mix I scored from that giveaway a month or so ago.

I received both the chocolate and the vanilla variations of this vegan protein powder in my bag o’ swag. Although I am a little wary of protein powders as a rule, I gave the vanilla variety a shot last week – I just dumped it into my normal Green Monster and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, the result was nigh undrinkable, unless you are a fan of powdery-flavored/textured beverages. Yeah, um, not me. If I’d used less powder and more actual yummy things, I bet it would’ve been better. But… I didn’t.

After that disappointment, I thought that the chocolate variety might work out better. After all… it’s chocolate, and I’d like to think that anything made with chocolate is automatically going to be delicious.

Sludge?!

Unfortunately, that may not be true. I kept this smoothie simple – the powder, vanilla almond milk, a banana – in the hopes that it would be lovely and thick and delicious, but really it was just thick, like a pudding except not as yummy. Drat. At least it was drinkable. It probably would’ve been more than passable with the addition of some sort of chocolate ice cream, but I was making do with what I had. Oh well. At least I tried.

Well, I’m off to do some final packing and whatnot. Ciao!

Sweets for a Sweet Sister

It’ll be my little sister’s 18th birthday in 11 minutes. I guess she’s not actually “little” anymore, what with her being a legal adult now, and what with her being 3 inches taller than me, but you know what? She’ll always be my baby sister.

So when Mom asked me to make some vegan treats to accompany the decidedly non-vegan ice cream cake Rhiannon requested for her family party yesterday, how could I refuse? I decided to whip up a batch of the Cookies ‘n Cream Cupcakes from VCTOTW using some accidentally-vegan Oreos.

Yum in my tum.

Mmm. I love that this frosting looks and works best just haphazardly slapped on top of the cupcakes. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy whipping out the ol’ pastry bag and piping beautiful swirls of frosting atop my cuppers, but for reasons of time and laziness, this method gets an A+ in my book. And these little guys didn’t just look pretty. Suffice it to say that these cuppers were absolutely delicious and received rave reviews from the omnis who tried them. Great success!

Even though my sissie was feeling a little under the weather on the day of her party, it was still a great evening. All our little cousins showed up, even the ones from out of state, and we had fun bonding with the kids and being amazed at their boundless energy. So even though Rhiannon had to head back to college today (she was home for Thanksgiving break) and therefore won’t be spending her actual birthday with us, it was okay. We enjoyed the time we had together, and that’s really all that counts.

So, happy birthday, little sister.

My wonderful sissie.

Reflections on Thanksgiving

You’d think – what with the fact that Thanksgiving is a pretty food-centric holiday – that I’d have some photos of our T-day spread. But do I? No, no I do not. But trust me on this – it was a good one.

Since going vegetarian ~4 years ago, Thanksgiving and I have had a bit of a rocky relationship. There was the year when Mom didn’t realize that I wouldn’t want to eat gravy made from turkey juice, and then the general lack of interesting side dishes (my family keeps our veggies simple, for the most part) made Thanksgiving a bit boring. So it was no wonder that I was a bit apprehensive about my first Thanksgiving as a vegan. But then I decided to take matters into my own hands to make sure I wouldn’t be dissatisfied when we all sat around the table, forks in hand, ready to dig into our plates heaped high with yummy food.

First, I decided to add a new veggie to our traditional side dishes. I was inspired by this post on shredded and roasted Brussels sprouts, so I decided to give it a try. Then I wanted to make a vegan pumpkin pie, so I checked out VegWeb and decided that with so many five-star ratings and good reviews, this one looked promising. Finally, I wanted to make a vegan version of the cranberry-orange bread that is an appetizer-table staple at our Thanksgivings. VegWeb provided me with the recipe for Sweet and Spicy Cranberry-Orange Bread, which I happily made on Thanksgiving Eve along with the pie.

This year, my family was lucky in that my aunt from Colorado is staying with us for a couple of weeks. Since she is also vegan, I knew I’d have an ally in the kitchen. My mom is also mostly vegan these days, so between the three of us we made darn sure that there was enough cruelty-free mashed taters, gravy, and stuffing to keep our plates full even during second helping time.

So, the results? I have to say, this was the most delicious and satisfying Thanksgiving experience I think I’ve ever had. My plate was so full of colorful, beautiful vegetables and the other aforementioned Thanksgiving accoutrements that I couldn’t help but smile at it. Besides my Brussels sprouts, we had broccoli, corn, homemade cranberry sauce, and an absolutely delicious roasted yam and apple dish that my aunt made. I ate two big plates at dinnertime, but when dessert time rolled around, I still had room to test out my pumpkin pie.

Happily, the pie was really yummy. I’d been a little concerned about it because it sort of separated from the sides while baking, but it tasted just fine. The tofu wasn’t noticeable at all, other than a tiny textural weirdness I noticed after each bite. I wish I’d gotten an omni’s reaction, but between the non-vegan apple pie, lemon meringue pie, and cheesecake, the omnis in the family had their mouths too full to try some humble pumpkin pie. And the cranberry-orange loaf was phenomenal! My vegan aunt especially loved it; she doesn’t do a lot of baking and was surprised at how easily it could’ve fooled an omni.

I was also gratified when my cousin’s wife asked for my Brussels sprouts recipe. I didn’t season the sprouts with anything more exciting than olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic, but I think shredding them made them easier to eat and allowed for lots of more of those crunchy bits to form. Yum!

Of course, there were some less than-pleasant-moments when my omni cousin felt it necessary to comment on the alleged quality of vegan food and the superiority of stuffing cooked inside a dead bird’s body cavity, but I made a conscious effort not to let it get to me. I wanted to enjoy my food, my family, and the day itself. I’m happy to say I did just that.

So, Thanksgiving? Greeeat successss!

Sorry for the boring, picture-less post! I’m making cupcakes for my sister’s big 18th birthday party, so I’ll be back with those soon.