New Site!

I originally started this blog as an experiment to see how hard it was to be vegan. Turns out-not that hard! I documented meals as I transitioned to a completely plant-based diet. Then I stopped blogging.

Well I'm back and better than ever! I've started a new website to help others transition to a vegan diet. I'm posting recipes, nutrition information, and tips and tricks I learned along my own path to veganism. Stop by and check it out!

I miss my blog

I was looking back at my old posts, and I really miss my blog. It's great to see these memories documented. However, it's very time consuming to photograph/upload and then write about food and things in my life. I always had trouble keeping up with things on a regular basis when I was blogging before. Additionally, I'm about to start a yoga teacher training program that will take up even more of my free time. I will continue to lurk and check out other blogs when I have a spare moment, but I don't think I will be resurrecting my blog anytime soon. :(

Here, but not here!

I'm around. I still check in on my favorite blogs and love the ideas I get from reading them. I just haven't had the time/energy to keep up with my posting these days. Maybe one day I'll get back into it again, but for now I'll just keep perusing the vegan blog circuit, and leaving comments here and there.

Herbivore in San Fran

Brunch at Herbivore: pesto tofu scramble and fruity crepes with a maple/tofu "cream" sauce. Yum!

Weird Fish in San Francisco

I just got home from my NorCal trip, and will put several postings of the amazing vegan eats I had along the way. Post number one is a tasty hole in the wall called Weird Fish. It's quite small and easy to miss, but if you're craving vegan "fish" 'n chips, this is your place. I opted for the sampler, which included both a seitan and tofu fillet covered in a gluten-free batter with three different dipping sauces. They also threw in a few fried zucchini sticks on the side, and a large portion of french fries. I'm not used to eating that much fried food these days, but this meal was surprisingly fine on my stomach. I didn't get that heavy, greasy feeling that I normally associate with an entirely fried meal. Extra points.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Blueberry Pancakes with Walunts

I felt like having pancakes for breakfast, and I have recently been trying to decide which recipe I was going to use from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog to enter in her Spiralizer giveaway. Luckily for me, she lists pancakes as one of the things you can make from her blog to get 6 entries in the contest. I didn't have the chance to make anything for her earlier pancake creation contest, but I'll take this opportunity to come up with something of my own.

I just picked up a bunch of blueberries at the farmer's market yesterday as they are getting close to the end of their season. I love chocolate, and I am quite a fan of Isa's Fudgey chocolate brownies from Vcon that have blueberries in them. I put the two together to give you, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Blueberry Pancakes with Walnuts!

For the batter:
-1 1/8 cup whole wheat flour
-3 Tbsp cocoa powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-dash of salt
-2 Tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/8 tsp almond extract
-1/3 cup water
-1 cup soymilk

I sifted together the dry ingredients and then mixed in the wet until the batter was well combined. I then folded in the chunky ingredients, but didn't really measure:
-chocolate chips (about 1/2 cup)
-blueberries (maybe 3/4 cup)
-walnuts (about 1/4 cup)

When I was making these, I thought "why don't more people put tons of stuff in their pancakes?" Then as I started mixing, I was a bit worried about how these loaded pancakes would hold together. No matter! They went off without a hitch, and I got quite tasty results!

As always, I drizzled some flax oil on the pancakes for some added Omega 3 benefits. Pancakes absorb stuff like a sponge, so this is such a great way to get Omegas in addition to the walnuts. I lightly drizzled the pancakes with some agave nectar, but didn't need much as they were sweetened from the vegan chocolate chips and blueberries. I'd say my creation was quite a success!

Simple Spaghetti with a Kick

I was craving spaghetti this week, but didn't feel like spending evening in the kitchen. I threw together a quick sauce, boiled some pasta, and added some TVP in for protein.

The sauce was just 2 cans of organic tomato sauce dumped onto 5 cloves of sauteed garlic with the the following added in for flavor:
-oregano
-basil
-thyme
-paprika
-cayenne pepper
-crushed red pepper flakes
-onion powder
-garlic powder
-turmeric
-sugar
-salt and pepper

I don't really measure the spices, but I just keep adding them in until I get what I want. I cooked the TVP with vegetable stock and some of the above spices. This was so easy to make and the result was exactly the taste I was going for.