Project List for 2012

In an effort to keep my creative spark alive I am making my self sticking to my one-project-at-a-time goal for this year. In order to do this I am posting my list of projects for 2012:

1. Overhaul Breakfast Nook - Sewing Cushions, Hanging Curtain, Decorating and Organizing.

2. Beautify Backyard - Raised Garden Beds, Galvanized Tubs for Plants, "Patio Furniture", Outdoor Lighting and "Random" Landscaping. Basically make our backyard more inviting.

3. Dream Bedroom - Headboard, Find a Dresser, Re-finish Tables/storage space, "Hanging Ball of Light", New Bedding, Bed frame and Decorating. **This will happen when I decide on a color scheme***

4. Decorate Livingroom

5. Decorate Kitchen


My list isn't very long, but I'm sure it will grow the more I get into my projects. :)

Sew Many Projects

Sew So...it's been a while hasn't it? Seems I stopped keeping up with my vegan foodie blog around the time we had to pack up our apartment life and move on to our nice cozy home. We moved in towards the end of summer just in time for a new semester to start at school and with things picking up with a new derby league. I don't think I would know how to slow down even if my life depended on it.

I am however trying to not sweat the small stuff and pace myself with projects that I try to under take. Recipes are fewer and father between and I'm ok with that.

I recently discovered Pinterest and my creative spark has ignited once more. Overwhelmingly so. I see so many awesome things I want to try all at once. Seriously, if I could I would stay up all day and night doing crazy craft BS. But over the years I've learned my projects tend to blow up in my face when I get ahead of myself. So now its one project at a time and no jumping ahead of myself until the one I am on is complete. I started small - a few chalk boards for the kitchen.

So looks like this Spring I will be focusing on my Breakfast Nook which is right off of my kitchen. Right now its just being used as storage space for the laundry section. I want to organize the clutter and brighten it up. I'm making cushions for the benches (the benches which double as storage space inside), adding a curtain, organizing and maybe hanging some art pieces.

Sneak Peak at the cushion covers!

Once the Breakfast Nook is done, on to garden prep! Stay tuned!

Basil! Basil! Everywhere

My Sweet Basil Plant

My basil plant has just exploded this summer. I've got more basil than I know what to do with. I've been searching all over for simple, easy basil recipes to utilize what I've cultivated and by the time I turn around more basil has grown in it's place. Every spaghetti dinner I add basil to the sauce. I'm working up the desire to make home-made basil pesto. Did you know you can add basil to grilled cheese, hamburgers, any salad and even cupcakes? Yes cupcakes, but I haven't gotten adventurous enough to try that yet. The quickest, simplest and most delicious basil recipe that I have found this summer has been for a Tomato, Basil & Fresh Mozzarella Salad. Yes, yes, yes I know Mozzarella isn't Vegan, but it's the original combo and you can always omit the Mozzarella for your Vegan friends. :) This salad was so fresh, crisp and flavorful - perfectly paired with a pasta dinner and a glass of red wine. Bellissimo!

This salad didn't even last long enough for me to take a picture so here is the one from Myrecipes.com.


Ingredients:

• Basil sauce:

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Salad:
• 12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices yellow tomato (1 1/2 pounds)
• 12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices red tomato (1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

• To prepare basil sauce, cook 1 cup basil leaves in boiling water 15 seconds; drain. Plunge basil into ice water; drain and pat dry. Combine basil and broth in a blender; process until smooth. Let mixture stand 2 hours at room temperature. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Add vinegar and salt, stirring with a whisk.
• To prepare salad, arrange yellow and red tomato slices alternately on a large platter. Drizzle with basil sauce; sprinkle with cheese and pepper. Top with 1/2 cup sliced basil. Serve immediately.
• 
  

The Southern Summer Staple: Peach Cobbler, Vegan Style

Mmm simmery goodness

That's right, which dessert is most likely to grace the tables all across the South during the summer? Peach Cobbler. It is the most requested dessert at my work. I see it on almost ever dessert menu in all the popular restaurants. It's a sure fire crowd pleaser. I didn't have to look far to find a vegan version of this classic recipe. The minute I finished baking the first batch, it was gone within the hour between my husband and myself. It was also the dessert my husband specifically requested for Father's Day as well. I am super lucky to live close to a bone fide peach orchard. They set the best peaches for baking aside and discount them (they're usually super ripe) so I can get more than enough, plus one to enjoy myself. I hands down believe that this version tastes better than the non-vegan version, but you'll just have to taste it to believe it.

Peach Cobbler
Recipe based on a peach cobbler recipe at VegWeb.com

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 cup sliced peaches (about 6 medium peaches)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup soy or almond milk
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the peaches and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole. Mix together the rest of the dry ingredients, then cut in the vegan butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by six spoonfuls (more or less) onto hot peach mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown – about 25-30 minutes. 

Vegan Brownies

mmmm chocolate

These brownies came out better than I expected, but they were still different from any brownies I've had before. If you like your brownies more on the cake side than these brownies are perfect! Light fluffy and super chocolaty. :) I found this recipe on the GuiltyKitchen.com.

This article about Vegan Brownies also gives you an awesome guide for what to substitute eggs for in your baking, depending on what their being used as in the recipe. Check it out!

Ultimate Vegan Brownies

1 cup coconut oil
4 oz. (or 112 grams) bittersweet chocolate or to be even more strict just use unsweetened chocolate with 70% (or more) cocoa solids.
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups sugar**
1 cup cake or pastry flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp flax seeds (ground)
6 Tbsp hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8 x 8 pan.
2. In a double boiler or a bowl set atop a pot of gently simmering water, melt the coconut oil, chocolate squares and vanilla together.
3. Mix the coffee (or espresso) powder with the 1/2 cup of hot water and stir into the coconut/chocolate mixture. Add sugar and remove from heat. The sugars will dissolve a bit but you don’t need to completely dissolve it.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
5. In yet another bowl (small one), mix the flax seeds and 6 Tbsp of hot water, allow to sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. Combine the chocolate/coconut oil mixture with the flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Add the thickened flax and stir that in as well.
7. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Start checking the brownies after the first 30 minutes to ensure it is baking evenly.
8. When finished, remove the brownies from the oven, set atop a cooling rack and get busy somewhere else. These babies need to be utterly cooled before consuming. If you attempt to eat them before they are properly cooled, they will crumble. When they are properly cooled, you can’t even tell they are eggless, I promise!

The Munchie's Staple - Lemon Pepper Hummus

Instant Karma 

Hummus has always been our go-to-snack/dip. Nothing beats it's yummy goodness on some warm pita bread. What makes this snack even better is that - it's good for you. You're not cheating! Protein & tastiness all in one package. The only draw back was the ridiculous prices you usually have to pay at the grocery store - so we typically had to wait until it went on sale. Not anymore. The only ingredient that I had to buy for this recipe was the can of chick peas. Bo-yah! 99 cents. 


I sliced some fresh red peppers, green peppers and used up the rest of our tortilla chips and this batch didn't last long at all. Between me and my taste testers we gobbled it up. I look forward to doing several variations of this recipe with Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper and even Black Bean Hummus. Hummus is also a wonderful substitute for mayo on sandwiches or wraps! What little bit I could scrape out of the bowl I spread on a flour tortilla wrap, added tomatoes, peppers and yes of course pineapple. Awesomeness.



Lemon Pepper Hummus

·         1 can chick peas, drained

·         1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper Blend (more or less to your flavor preference)

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         ¼ cup lemon juice (more or less to taste preference)

·         1 small clove raw garlic chopped

Note: add more lemon juice or olive oil if needed to get hummus to desired texture.

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor till desired consistency.

The Taste Testers

Teriyaki Mango Pineapple Salsa Burgers - Oh My!

Heaven on a bun.

I know it sounds like far to many flavor combinations, but trust me it was fantastic! It was so good I completely forgot to take a picture so I am sharing the photo from Annie's-Eats.com since thats where I stumbled across this recipe gem. 

Monday was Memorial Day and we wanted to cook out for some family and friends. This was the perfect recipe. It was also a lot simpler than I thought it would be to make. For someone who doesn't like Teriyaki Sauce on anything - I LOVE this Teriyaki Sauce. So if you're on the fence about this one, try it - you might just find that you love it as well. If you want to go for the full Vegan effect, sub the hamburger patties for Morning Stars Veggie Burgers or Boca Burgers. 

I'm discovering a new found love affair with Pineapple. A few months back my hubby convinced me to try it on pizza with some ham and I haven't looked back since. I keep adding pineapple to most of my food. Salads, tacos, hummus - yes trust me it's great! The Mango Pineapple Salsa was great topped off on hot dogs or just some tortilla chips.

Teriyaki Burgers with Mango Pineapple Salsa
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Ingredients:
For the salsa:
1 mango, diced
1-1½ cups diced fresh pineapple
½ of one red bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Pinch of coarse salt

For the sauce:  (I halved it and had plenty for 4 burgers)
1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced fine
3 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. vinegar (apple cider or rice vinegar)
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cold water

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 tbsp. finely chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 or 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss to mix well.  Cover and refrigerate, allowing flavors to blend while you prepare the sauce and burgers.

To make the sauce, combine the pineapple, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar and sesame oil in a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth and well blended.  Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan.  Warm over medium-high heat until bubbly, about 1-2 minutes.  In a small prep bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir until well incorporated.  Continue heating the sauce, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the burgers, prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat.  In a large bowl, mix together the beef, yellow onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about ¾-inch thick.

When the grill is heated, cook the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 -5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.  A few minutes before the burgers are done cooking, grill the buns just until lightly brown and toasted.

To serve, place a hamburger patty on each of the buns.  Top with teriyaki sauce and garnish with mango-pineapple salsa.  Replace the top bun to form a sandwich and serve immediately.