Mediterranean Amazingness!

To say that life has been crazy is truly an understatement. Last night I went to see U2 in concert with Florence and the Machine.. simply amazing!! U2 has such a great voice with organizations like the Peace Corp and Bono co-founded an organization called ONE.. check it out at http://www.one.org/ . Heard of the FEED project?? Same organization.. very cool!!

Okay.. so just a fair warning.. this dish makes for lots of dishes.. but it worth it and very easy and fun to make!! This is a panko crusted eggplant with a artichoke mix and homemade pesto sauce. Another warning.. this will call for TONS of basil.. after robbing my father-in-law of ALL of his basil from his backyard, I had to hit 3 grocery stores in order to get enough! Anyways...

Ingredients:

Pesto Sauce:

• 1/2 cup walnuts or walnut pieces
• 3 cups packed basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic.. just smash and chop don't have to be too precise
• 1 and half tspn of sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional, if you are vegan this is a great source of B-12)
• 2 tspn lemon juice.

Toast the walnuts in the oven on 350F for about 10 minutes. Combine the walnuts, basil, garlic, and salt in a food processor (easiest) or blender and process while you add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Add the nutritional yeast and lemon juice, and pulse to combine. The sauce should be the consistency of a slightly grainy paste, not a puree.

For the artichoke part: (p.s. if artichokes are too salty for you, try fresh zucchini.. it makes for a great substitute!)

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 tspn dried thyme
• 1/2 tspn salt
• a few dashes of fresh black pepper
• 8 plum tomatoes, diced ( I cheated and used 15oz cans of tomatoes.. I used about 1 and a half cans)
• 2 cups chopped artichoke hearts (cheated here too.. I bought them canned in quarters and chopped them)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced, pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup capers drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I just rip it)

For Eggplant:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tblspn cornstarch
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tspn dried thyme
• 1/4 tspn dried oregano
• a few dashes of black pepper
• 1/2 tspn salt
• 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4" thick
• oil for frying ( I used vegetable oil)

Prepare the artichokes:

In  a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in the oil for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 more minute. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have broken down and released their juices, about 5 minutes. If you are using the canned tomatoes, don't drain the juice. Add the artichoke hearts, olives, and capers; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the basil and cook 1 more minute. Cover to keep warm and moooove on!!!!

Prepare the eggplant:

Have ready a flattened paper bag to drain the oil. Recycle!! In a broad bowl whisk the cornstarch with the water until dissolved. Fill a dinner plate with the flour. Onto another plate sift together the bread crumbs, spices, salt, and pepper. Line up the dishes as such: flour, cornstarch mix, panko. Heat a little over 1/4" of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip an eggplant slice in the flour, then in the cornstarch mix, and then in the breadcrumbs.. flip it so you get both sides.. I used tongs for this part. When you have dipped about 4 slices into the mix, use the tongs to place them in the oil and cook until they are lightly browned.. usually about 3 minutes. Flip them over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Transfer to the paper bag and let the oil drain. Proceed with the rest of the eggplant!

Assembly!!

Pour some of the pesto onto the plate. Place an eggplant slice on the sauce, then a layer of the artichoke mix, then an eggplant slice, then another layer of the artichoke and then one last piece of eggplant. Top it off with some sauce and enjoy!!

Grillin' Time!!!

If your in Michigan like me, we wait all year for those 8 weeks of summer! HA! These are really easy to make and a lot of fun. Basically you just take some vegetables that you life and add them to the skewer.. and grill em up! I am a dork and forgot to soak the sticks.. so make sure you soak your sticks in water for atleast 30 minutes before grilling other wise they will fry up like mine did! I used, onion, pineapple becuase I love grilled pineapple, red/green/yellow bell peppers, and mushrooms.. you can also add tofu to this and it is pretty amazing! Use a dipping sauce if you would like or eat alone.. yummy yummy!!!

Molasses Cookies

So this was the dessert for the Father's Day meal.. my theme for Father's day was memories .. molasses cookies are my dad's favorite cookie.. and veganized they are! He loved them even more!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups and 2 tbspn flour
• 1 tspn ginger
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 2 tspn baking soda
• 1 tspn Ener-G Egg Replacer (comes in a box and is pretty common)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 6 tbspn water

** Preheat the oven to 325F**

**Sift flour, spices, salt, and baking soda together. In another bowl cream together water, shortening, sugar, molasses and egg replacer. Don't worry, the shortening will not completely break down at this point, but it will when it's all said and done so it doesn't have to be perfect at this point! Slowly pour the flour mixture into the shortening mixture and stir each time you pour a little in.

Drop by tablespoon a couple of inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. I personally like using the spray canola oil. Bake for 15 minutes!!**



An Easy Addition

So the yummy pineapple stuff happens to be the pineapple-cashew quinoa stirfry recipe that is already posted on here.. I made this meal for my dad on Father's Day because it is one of his favorites that I have made in the past.. I did add a couple of things to this as you can see, so here they are! The first addition is the:

Mango Spring Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 mango peeled and sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup brocolli sprouts
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 ounces of very thin rice noodles
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, very finely chopped.. I used a meat pounder thing.. just becuase it has that name doesn't mean that is what it should be used for! I put the peanuts in a plastic bag, rolled it up and smashed away!
• 20 rice paper wrappers
• Thai dipping sauce (recipe will be after this one)

** Boil a medium-size pot of water. Turn off the heat and add the noodles. Let them soak for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water until they feel cold. I stick my hand in there and stir them around a little. Transfer them to a bowl and begin your rolls!!

Have a pie pan ready to roll! Fill it with hot water, tap is fine and a clean counter space. Place the rice wrappers, two at a time, into the water until they are flexible(30 seconds to a minute). Carefully remove from water and lay flat on a clean surface. In the lower two-thirds of the roll, place about a tablespoon of noodles and sprinkle some peanuts over top of them. On top of that place about five or six mango strips and on top of that place some bean sprouts and a couple cilantro leaves. Fold the left and right sides over the filling, then take the bottom of the wrapper and begin rolling. Keep them chilled until your ready to serve your yummy goodness!!!** This is not a recipe to measure, you can do so much to this, once I added avocado to it, after the first couple of wraps you will figure out just how much stuff YOU like to put in each one!

Thai Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Asian Chile oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped.. or Kaseyfied
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar

** Mix all the ingredients together and serve with the rolls!**

The other thing on the plate is the molasses cookie! Recipe to follow!!



Sarah's Meal!

Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

So really quick, remember that psychology assignment I was talking about in my last post? Well he pointed my response out and said it has been a while since he has seen an educated response from an animal activist :) WOO HOO!! I got an A!

Okay, now this is another recipe that looks WAAYYY harder than what it actually is.. I call this Sarah's meal becuase I have a friend who is trying out the dark side due to medical problems she is having and has to watch her sodium content in her food.
Sarah, I will have you know I researched a little about sodium contents in food and found that a low sodium diet should contain 400-1000 mg of sodium in a day, and the potatoes in this meal, which is the largest part, only contains 2-6mg!
This is also a fun recipe becuase you can add spinach, peppers, whatever your little vegan heart desires!

Ingredients for Enchilada Chile Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into small dice
• 4-ounce can of green roasted chiles (found in world foods isle)
• 2-3 teaspoons chile powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1-28oz can diced tomoatoes with juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

** Don't get too caught up on how small your dicing those onions, all this is going into a blender anyways.**

Ingredients for Potato and Kale Filling:

• 1 pound yukon gold potatoes
• 1/2 pound kale, washed, trimmed, and chopped finely
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4  cup vegetable broth (Sarah I recommend using water for you my love)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• salt to taste.. less is best.. I used about 1 teaspoon
• 12-14 corn tortillas

PREHEAT the oven to 375F and have ready a pie dish..

~~Prepare the enchilada sauce first:

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, saute the onions in oil for about 5 minutes, basically until they are soft. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer, and remove from the heat. When the mixture has cooled enough, puree in a regular ol' blender until the mixture is smooth and even.



~~Prepare the filling:

Peel and dice potatoes, then boil them until tender.. this takes about 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook the grapeseed/olive oil and minced garlic in a saucePOT over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is sizzling and slightly browned. Add the kale, sprinkle your salt, and raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly to cover the kale with the oil and garlic. Kale shrinks right down just like spinach. Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted.. this happens quickly.. usually around 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, vegetable stock (water), lime juice, and salt. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes.. I like mine a little chunky just like my babies :) Cook another 3-4 minutes, until the stock or water has absorbed. Add more lime juice or salt to taste.

~~Create the magic! If you have kids, this is a lot of fun and messy they will love it!!

Have ready a pie plate filled with about 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce, a casserole dish (atleast 11 x 7), a stack of corn tortillas, a lightly greased, heated pan (for softening the tortillas), and the potato and kale filling.

Ladle a little bit of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it around. Take a corn tortilla, place it on the heated pan for about 30 seconds and flip it over for a few more seconds..until it is soft and pliable. (this is where the kiddos come in) Drop the softened tortilla into the pie plate filled with sauce; allow it to get completely covered in sauce, flip it over, and coat the other side! P.s. I double up on the tortillas becuase they tend to tear easily...so soften up two at a time and dip them in the pie plate individually then continue with the next step..

NOW, place the tortilla in the casserole dish and layer it with another heated, sauce-covered tortilla. Run the potato filling down the middle and roll it up! Continue with the rest of the tortillas, and tightly pack them suckers next to each other.

Pour about a cup of sauce over the top (saving some for later!), cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas poking out are slightly brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving! Enjoy!! 



I served this with some boxed mexican rice and refried beans becuase those are my favorites.. go crazy!

Egg Salad Sandwich

UGH!!! Before I begin with these recipes, I just need to take a deep breath and relax. I am currently a student and for my degree I am required to take a Psychology course. Tonight, our discussion question was "Should animals have equal rights?" Of course most people took the approach of "no silly, animals can't vote!" Okay well this isn't funny, clearly animals should not have the right to vote. Having the right to live fully and have the rights that apply to them? YES! Do animals have the capability to be scared, happy, sad, angry? YES! Any different from us? I think not. Babies can't talk. They have the ability to be sad, happy, angry, and scared. Should they have rights? Most of you will be appauled at the fact that I am comparing a child's rights with an animal.. but yes, it is one in the same. Amen.

Egg Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

*1/2 cup medium or firm tofu

* 2-3 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise ( I LOVE Veganaise)

* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

* 1 tablespoon celery, finely diced

* 1 teaspoon green onion, finely diced

* dash of pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon mustard (optional, but I love mustard)

~~ In a small bowl, mash together the tofu, mayonnaise and turmeric. Mash the tofu to your consistancy desired. I personally like small chunks. Stir in the celery, onions, pepper, and mustard if you are using it. Spread it on some bread!

You can also use, sprouts, lettuce, grated carrots, or annyyytthing else!!!

This will fool the biggest egg lovers!

p.s. Eggs are often the hardest to replace for someone who is making the switch. The fact that tofu comes in so many different consistencies helps tremendously. I will be attempting tofu scramble here shortly. I have only had it in restaurants, so that experience will be coming soon!

Enjoy!!

Changing The World One Spoonful At A Time....

So today I went to my hometown and visited my family for my mother's birthday. I brought fluffy white cupcakes, some with a pineapple vanilla frosting and some with a chocolate ginache frosting..as people were enjoying these, I couldn't help but over hear some say what they just could not live without and how there is no way that vegan would work for them! This got me thinking... If I had to give someone interested in veganism ONE piece of advice it would be, don't get rid of it until you find a satisfactory alternative! I know this sounds like common sense, but this can be harder than you think.. just becuase its vegan cheese, doesn't mean its good! This also had me thinking about one of VegNews' named 10 most inspiring vegan geniuses, Ellen DeGeneres.. yes she is amongst 10 of the most influential vegan minds! Among other things, on her website, she challenges readers to send in their favorite recipe to be "veganized." How neat?!

So, like I was saying, don't get rid of something until you find a great substitute! As you gain more knowledge about what you are eating, this may be hard as you want to stop consuming it RIGHT NOW! But, by pulling away from everything and not knowing where to turn, this could lead to going back to your old ways or leading a very unhealthy lifestyle! I thought I would share a few of the books that helped me educate myself about this lifestyle and what has helped me stick to it!

**Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D. & Vesanto Melina M.S., R.D. ~  This book has everything from the background of the vegetarian movement, to the vegan food pyramid and food guides, to how to have a healthy vegan pregnancy and raise a healthy vegan child! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!

** In Defense Of Food by Michael Pollan - this book really exposes the food industry as a whole, so when you get sick of hearing over and over again that meat is bad.. why not learn about what you ARE eating.. like genetically modified soybeans and what not.. He starts the book out by saying "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants."

**Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin.. although I hardly trust any sort of nutritional advice from two retired models, I really liked their "grocery list" this is great to use for my above statement about substituting and learning your knew isles! I also really enjoyed their web resources at the end of the book.. depending on your personality, this book will either crack you up or piss you off!

** Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Moskowitz and Romeo... a gift from my sister -in-law, this book has forever inspired me to cook and you will find some of their recipes throughout my blog!

Anyways, for those of you who have been vegan for years you know that knowledge is key and you can never know to much! For those of you just dabling with the idea, take a look at these the worst that will happen is that you will learn something about your milk that you didn't want to know ;)

Curious about the top 10 most inspiring vegans?! Well I will tell you!
1. THE PERSONALITY: Ellen DeGeneres: In 2009, veganism gained of the most charismatic and influential figures in pop culture! While interviewing with Katie Couric, Ellen says that after reading Skinny Bitch and watching the documentary "Earthlings," she just couldn't participate in that sort of torture. She is the national spokesperson for Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey campaign. She says that in today's world, "Its never been easier to be vegan."
2. THE FINE TUNER: Patrick Brown: A Stanford biochemistry professor, is famous in his field for transforming genetic research with his invention of micro-array DNA.. He is currently studying the HIV virus to find a cure and has published his own scientific journal. This scientist recommends a complete transition to plant-based agriculture, not only for the obvious economical reason, but also for ethical reasons. P.S. did you know that livestock accounts for 27% of human caused methane and 65% of nitrous oxide emmision? He claims that by making this switch it will stop the deterioration of the environment.
3. THE TECHIE: Biz Stone: He is actually the co-founder of Twitter and has recently posted an article named, "The Rise of the Power Vegans." He claims that by going vegan, his career took off based on his clarity and awareness. He is an honory board member at WildCare in California and also champions for Farm Sanctuary..
4. THE MATH MAESTRO: Brian Greene: Basically supports the vegetarian movement.
5. THE MOTIVATOR: Tony Robbins: He is one of the best motivational speakers and ends all of his sold-out seminars with the advice that the kinds of changes people want to make to better their lives cannot be made while they consume animal products.
6. THE PROTECTOR: Sara Shields.
7. THE THINK TANK: Jason Gaverick Matheny
8.THE DETAIL DETECTIVE: George Church
9. THE RE-INVENTOR: Steve Wynn: Everyone knows Steve Wynn! Responsible for the Las Vegas strip basically! Vegan and animal-activist, has many many vegan options on all of his menus and was the first to bring in the animal-free acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil!
10. THE MOGUL: Russell Simmons!
P.S. Sundays will be like this.. no recipes just fun info!

Namaste.

DUH!

http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=3360&catId=8

What is the first thing that doctors tell patients who have diabetes, are obese, or have cardiovascular disease (just to name the top)... eat more vegetables and eat less meat??!?!?! YUP!!! Thank you VegNews for posting this article, it is always reassuring to see medical and scientific research backing us up!!!

Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry

 I don't know about you but when it FINALLY is warm outside, heavy food is NOT what I want in my belly. I like this dish becuase quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is one grain that is chock FULL of protein and the pineapple has a way of lightening this dish up a bit. One of my personal favorites.. I will be making this again for Fathers' Day! Here it goes!

Ingredients:

Quinoa:

• 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
• I cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• ( Your going to need to prepare the quinoa and leave in the refrigerator over night.. or atleast an hour)

Stir- Fry:

• 4 ounces cashews, raw and unsalted
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil (found in the "world foods" area of your grocery store)
• 2 scallions, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• If you have a garlic mincer at home, I find that if you press it a couple of times and then scrape with a knife I can get it all out..
• 1 hot red chile, sliced into very thin rounds
• Don't worry if you are like me and HATE spicy stuff your not going to taste it.. promise
• 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced into thin shreds..
• I am a goof ball and accidently used dried basil and it worked fine.. just don't use as much
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
• About 2 cups bite-size chunks fresh pineapple
• Look for this in the salad bar area or near the fruit already cut up if it's easier for you.. thats one I did.. but PLEASE don't get the canned crap.. it will ruin the dish and then I'll have to find you :)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• This is in the world foods area of the grocery store.. it's not that uncommon
• Lime wedges for garnish

* Now with recipes like these, where the preparation is what takes forever, I like to do it all at once and then set it out so that I can just grab and go!

** Prepare the quinoa first:

Combine the quinoa, pineapple juice, water, and soy sauce in a medium-size pot. Cover, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir a few times, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 12 to 14 minutes.. until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa appears plumped and see-through. Uncover, fluff, and let cool.

For best results, place the quinoa in an air tight container and refrigerate overnight. If you're in a hurry though, chill the covered quinoa for atleast an hour. When ready to use, break up any chunks of the cold quinoa with a fork.

FINALLY PREPARE THE STIR-FRY!!!

Use the largest nonstick skillet you have. Have all of your ingredients chopped and easily within reach. Place the cashews in the dry pan and heat over low heat, stirring them for about 4 to 5 minutes. They will start to look slightly shriveled when they are good and done!

Remove the cashews from the pan, raise the heat to medium, and add the peanut oil, scallions, and garlic. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sliced chile pepper and ginger. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and peas. Stir-fry (basically take a couple of wooden spoons and cross your arms, it will move the dish around and sort of give it a sautee deal).. for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the bell pepper is softened and the peas are bright green! Add the basil and mint, and stir for another minute before adding the pineapple and quinoa.

In a measuring cup, combine soy sauce, vegetable stock, and mirin. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Stir to incorporate completely and coat the quinoa. Continue to stir-fry for about 10 more minutes.. until the quinoa is very hot.. I use wooden spoons for tossing or stir-frying..

Serve with lime wedges and addition soy sauce to season individual servings to taste! Makes about 4 servings..

Okay, so this dish is amazing by itself, but I did add some strips of tofu. I just took extra firm tofu, drained it and sauteed it in a small pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper!

PLEASE don't get discouraged with how much is in this recipe, once you get going with it, it really does go by super fast and is very basic.. you will do fine! Surprisingly there really aren't that much dishes to clean afterwards!! Trust me, if I can make this recipe with my lovely daughter strapped to me, any one can make it!! The nice thing about this dish, is that just like Chinese Take-out its even better the next day... and the next day...

My Staple... Banana Bread

I thought I would start with something I make A LOT! Since I can't share my "White Ain't Right" bread recipe, due to the fact that it is one that has been passed down in my husband's family for generations, and I have been lucky enough to marry in to such a tradition.. name created by my free-spirited and fun mother-in-law :) I thought I would share this bread recipe since everyone seems to enjoy it!~

^^Never use a hand mixer for banana bread becuase it makes it gummy.. mix with a wooden spoon just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined! These can also be made into muffins.. bake for about 18 minutes for those.

Ingredients:

* 3 large very ripe bananas

 (If you stick them in the freezer when they start to go brown, they are good forever.. just pull out 3 and let them thaw and voila!)

* 1/4 cup applesauce         

* 1/4 cup canola oil            

* 1/2 cup sugar                   

* 2 tablespoons molasses    

(If you lightly spray the spoon with canola oil, the molasses slides right off)

* 2 cups all-purpose flour    

* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

~ PREHEAT oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9x5- inch loaf pan, or two medium size ones if you want to share the love!

~ In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, I use a potato masher but a fork will do just fine. Make sure they are mashed really really well. Add the sugar, applesauce, oil, and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate.
~Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in vegan chocolate or carob chips, if using. I sometimes put in chopped walnuts.. you can buy them in the baking isle.
~ Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s) and bake for 45 to 50 minutes... the top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out fairly clean. If you used chocolate chips, the knife will come out very chocolatey and that is fine!
~~ Remove from oven and invert onto a cooling rack, flip the bread right side up and let cool! I will usually wait about 10 minutes and slice off a piece!! 

ENJOY

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my page! This will mainly be about vegan cooking... and everything in between!

For starters, I am an Air Force wife, a mother to a beautiful little girl who hasn't quite reached 1 year, a nursing student, a proud member of PCRM and VegMichigan, and a vegan chef.. in training :) My husband left for basic training in March of this year, and we will not be together again until close to the New Year.. so I thought I would use this time to put myself through my OWN boot camp! Since I LOVE being vegan and always rant about how easy it is and how much fun it is, I thought I would work on my cooking skills and try new things! Who would've thought that it would end up being one of my biggest passions?!

I want to use this blog to share all of my experiences and recipes as I go! I won't lie, I probably will not be cooking everyday and ::gasp:: do the occasional frozen dinner; but I also wanted to use this blog and write about new information that I have found ... maybe about vegan news or clothing/products that I recently bought and LOVE or (hopefully not) dislike..

Welcome and I hope I can help you in some way!

Peace in oneself. Peace in the world.