I'm back! Baby Lemon, food, and more!

I can't believe I haven't blogged in 6 months! I have missed it! I have been incredibly busy with being a new mom, working full time, and going to school full time. I'm currently trying to get through my prerequisites so I can apply for a nursing program. It seems like it is taking forever! Last semester I definitely took on WAY to much and now have to repeat a couple of classes. Didn't see that coming! Anyway, after 2 very heavy semesters, I decided to take the summer semester off. I'm going to be spending a lot more time with Lemon, crafting with my mom, making lots of food, crocheting, and watching The Office.

For now, here is a quick picture update of a few things I've been up to over the past little while.

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MY BABY! She is the sweetest, happiest, easiest baby in the world. I love her more than anything.

She loves her dog Jay more than anything! They are best friends. He is always close by making sure she is okay.

She loves to play with my yarn! Silly girl!

We took a trip on the Front Runner train up to Salt Lake City last week. She loves being in her carrier.

 

Tim bought her a Foofa doll! She loves Yo! Gabba Gabba and her Foofa!

I've also been making some food!

I have seen many non-vegan versions of a jalapeno popper grilled cheese sandwich on Pinterest, so I thought I would give it a try. It's basically just vegan sour dough bread, buttered with Earth Balance Buttery Spread, a thick layer of Tofutti Sour Cream on one side, then Daiya cheddar shreds and some of my mom's jalapenos she canned last year. It was amazing! I could eat it everyday! I'll get a better pic next time and post an official recipe. I'll chat with my mom about how she canned her jalapenos too.

I've also been making cupcakes! Surprisingly I think I went a full year without making any! I have been too busy! Cupcakes are the easiest and tastiest treat to make though, I should be making them a lot more!

My mom and I threw together these cinnamon banana cupcakes using an altered version of one of Isa's recipes. We substituted the oil for a mashed banana and added about a 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon. For the frosting we made it very vanilla-y and added nuts and cinnamon and sugar. TASTY!

For these ones, we used this recipe, then made my regular cupcake frosting but added leftover raspberry pie topping from a cheesecake I made on Mother's Day instead of the normal amount of plant milk. They were so good, and super rich! BTW: This recipe is very similar to Isa's style of cupcakes, but it has more flour, salt, baking soda, powder and oil. They are a bit more dense, but really good! They claim to make 14 cupcakes, but it worked perfectly for 12 in my opinion.

This is kind of an awful picture, but worth talking about. My brother and I made this recipe for Cookie Dough Dip.... but it's made with chickpeas! Pretty weird, but also really good! For the most part it is really healthy. Try it! We also made some green juice and added spirulina - all while listening to Andrew Bird.

My mom, Lemon, and I rode the Front Runner to SLC to eat at Este Pizza. We had the vegan garlic knots and the vegan white pizza. It was really good! They have other vegan options too. Excited to try more.

Last - I have been rewatching all of the great food documentaries on Netflix. This is a shot from Forks Over Knives (my fav), I also love Vegucated, Food Matters, Hungry for Change, A Beautiful Truth, Dying to Have Known, and Food Inc. I feel like I am forgetting some...

Anyway, that is what I have been up to. Hopefully you will see more posts from me in the near future! We are planting our garden, and sprouting seeds, so I will definitely have some garden posts soon!

Until next time!


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The Best Vegan Cheesecake You Will Ever Taste!

CHEESECAKE!

1 Store Bought Vegan 9" Crust (or you can make your own)
3 (8 oz.) Containers of Tofutti Cream Cheese
3 Ener-G Egg Replacer "Eggs"
1 C Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Fruit Topping Filling (optional)


Crust - I'm all about EASY
You can use a store bought crust and leave it like it is - if you do this, use this recipe instead. If you are using a spring-form pan you can either make your own recipe, or do what I did - buy a store bought crust, crush it up, add some melted vegan butter (a couple tsp.) and then reshape it back into your spring form pan. For this recipe, I used the Oreo store bought crust.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your Ener-G "eggs," be sure to whisk together thoroughly until they are very fluffy.  In a large bowl combine your cream cheese, Ener-G mixture, sugar, and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour your mixture into your spring form pan, or ready made crust, leveling it with a butter knife.

 

See "Tip" below...  

 

Cook in the oven for 55-60 minutes.  To check to see if your cheesecake is finished, tap the side of your pan or pie tin with a knife, if the middle still jiggles then it is not finished cooking.  It should start to turn a very light golden color.

 

When your cheesecake is done, let it cool for 30 minutes.  Then let it chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Top with fruit topping before serving if you wish.

Enjoy!

 

TIP: If you want a smooth cheesecake (no cracks) wrap tip foil around the bottom of your pan creating a bowl type shape.  Then place on a cookie sheet.  Fill your cookie sheet most of the way full with water.  The tin foil will keep any water from getting to your cheesecake.  This keeps the oven humid, so your cheesecake won't crack.

Spiced VEGG Nog ( + Review )

Like I mentioned in a previous mini review - I love eggs!  I don't eat them of course because eggs are in no way cruelty-free.  Although you may think, "I'm not actually killing an animal" that is just not true.  If you want to learn more about the process of getting eggs to your plate, click here!

If you are like me, and love eggs, but don't eat them... you are in luck!  The Vegg is a new(ish) product that is like egg yolks.  Basically you add The Vegg mixture to water, blend and you have a runny, delicious yolk mixture.  Not only can you make the yolk, but you can also make french toast, scrambled eggs, omelets, quiches, and more.  There are a bunch of Vegg tutorials on YouTube, check them out!  I can't wait to try scrambled Veggs and an omelet. (more posts and reviews to come later on those).

I was trying to think of something that needed egg yolks that another egg substitute couldn't make.  I know there is pre-made store bought nog out there, but I wanted to try and recreate the actual egg nog, with eggs!  Plus I have never made my own nog of any kind, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I was thrilled with the results!

Spiced Vegg Nog

Serves 3-4

2 C Soy or Almond Milk
2 C Silk Creamer (original)
1/2 C Vegg Mixture (1/2 C water, 2 tsp. Vegg, blended)
2/3 C Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp.Nutmeg
Rum (optional, to your liking)

In a small pot heat your milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Once dissolved, add the rest of your ingredients besides creamer and rum.  Heat while stirring frequently for 20-25 minutes.  Stir in creamer.  

If you are adding rum to your nog, add right before serving.

Garnish with nutmeg.

Vegg Nog can be served warm or cold!

Enjoy!

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Dr. Woods Soap - Review

     I recently had the opportunity to try out Dr. Woods soaps and facial cleanser!  I am soooo picky about my beauty products, and find it so hard to find good options that are vegan sometimes - especially with facial cleanser.

     Since I gave birth, my skin has been breaking out every now and then.  It's so frustrating because sometimes I feel like there is nothing to do about it!  I started using Dr. Woods Tea Tree Facial Cleanser for about two weeks and my skin looks great now!  The wash has a clean and cool feeling on your skin after you use it, it's great!  Tea tree oil has a tendency to dry your skin just a little bit and get rid of excess oils, which is what finally got rid of my break outs.  It doesn't dry it enough to steer clear if you have dry skin, but just enough to help heal any acne.

From Dr. Woods: "Our Anti-Oxidant Facial Cleansers do wonders for your complexion, leaving your skin with a healthy, radiant glow. We guarantee it! Both contain gamma tocopherol, botanical extracts and organic shea butter to neutralize free radicals, heal blemishes and regenerate skin cells."

     Dr. Woods raw bar soap is great too!  I tried their garden cucumber raw shea butter soap and it had a fresh, light feel to it.  I highly recommend it.  Not only is Dr. Wood's soap vegan, it has other great perks too, such as:

All natural

No animal ingredients

No artificial colors

Not tested on animals

pH balanced

Biodegradable

No lauryl/laureth sulfates

Paraben and phthalate free

From Dr. Woods: "Our Garden Cucumber Soap with mint leaf exfoliant gently cleans and rejuvenates your skin to a fresh garden glow. Organic shea butter, crushed mint leaves and Vitamin E complement this refreshing fragrance with antioxidants and natural soothing properties that maintain your skin’s health and youthful clarity."

I highly recommend trying Dr. Woods products.  They are a great company, with great values and very friendly staff! 

Dr. Woods' Philosophy: "We want to feel good in all ways – from what we put on our skin or in our body, to how we treat others and our environment. We want to feel special and indulged, without being wasteful of robbing future generations of our natural resources.

That’s why we strive to use only the most natural, effective and sustainable ingredients we can find.

We make everything here in the USA, but search the world sourcing the finest ingredients for our products to create a brand we believe in… a brand that makes a difference by doing what’s right for you, your family and our planet."

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 18 - UNCLE EDDIE'S VEGAN COOKIES

THE BEST COOKIES IN THE WORLD!!!

Seriously, that is all I really need to say!  They are soft, chewy, and delicious!  If you can find these, you will be addicted!  I have tried all of the flavors, but Chocolate Chip with Walnuts are my favorite!  They are a little pricey ($7 ish, sometimes $5 on sale though) but they are worth every penny.  You get a bunch in each bag.  Check out their other products and flavors here!

YUM 

YUM 

YUM!

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 17 - PREGO TRADITIONAL SAUCE

Prego Traditional Italian Sauce

I am all about easy meals!  I used to buy Ragu's spaghetti sauce when I was vegetarian.  I was surprised to learn that most spaghetti sauces have cheese in them.  I was a little sad to stray from the familiar flavor of Ragu, but once I tried the Prego Traditional Sauce I was sold - it's so good!  Anyway, this is great for quick meals, or when you are having a dinner with mixed diets.  I eat it a few times a week!  It's also great in veggie lasagna, dip for sour dough toast (my fav!) and vegan mozzarella sticks!  Love this stuff! 

I get asked all of the time what kinds of meals I eat - just think of what meals you ate with meat, and which can be made without.  Spaghetti, lasagna and other pastas are really easy ones to make without meat.  Add a bunch of veggies in there too and you have a pretty healthy meal!

FYI - As far as I know, this is the only Prego sauce that is vegan.  There could be others, but check the ingredients first.

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 16 - GARDEIN CHICK'N PATTIES

I went to CA a couple years ago and had the best vegan chick'n sandwich and vegan chick'n tenders I have ever had at Evolution Fast Food!  My husband's band was doing a mini tour through the San Diego area at the time, so I just picked his up to go.  He tried it and said, "I think this is wrong, I'm pretty sure I just ate real chicken!"  So if you liked chicken, or miss the taste of chicken - this is what you should buy!

Gardein Chick'n Patties!

THEY ARE AMAZING!!!  Check out this delicious chick'n sandwich and yummy chick'n tenders!  (both Gardein brand)

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 15 - DANDIES VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS

Some people don't realize that marshmallows are not vegan - they are not even vegetarian!  Marshmallows contain gelatin... which is nasty, yuck!  Luckily there are a few alternatives.  Dandies are my #1 choice for vegan/vegetarian mallows, and they act the exact same in recipes as 'regular' marshmallows.

I buy a bag every now and then, but hardly end up using them to actually make something because I end up snacking on them.  My 5 year old nephew is obsessed with them!

I have seen Dandies at every health food store I frequent, big and small.  There are other brands like 'Sweet & Sara' (which are delicious too!) but I have found they are much harder to come by.

 

Check out my yummy rice krispy treats!  They are better than the traditional ones because Dandies have that yummy vanilla flavor!

I can't wait to try this recipe using Dandies - did you know Oreos are vegan too?!

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 14 - ENER-G EGG REPLACER

 

Ener-G Egg Replacer

This stuff is awesome!  I use it for all of my favorite recipes that normally have eggs, and they always come out right. (well, I had one batch of disaster brownies once...) Anyway, I use them to make cookies, cakes, breads, coatings (for deep frying) and more!  There are tons of other egg substitutes but this one always works great for me!

A few of my recipes that use Ener-G Egg Replacer:

Raspberry Cheesecake
Fried Zucchini
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Simple Sugar Cookies
















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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 13 - BETTER THAN CREAM CHEESE

Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese is so yummy!  I put it on bagels, in creamy soups, in dips, cheese balls, and even make delicious vegan cheesecake with it.  

Right now I am working on spice mixes to sell in my store to add to this yummy stuff - any suggestions?

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 12 - NUTRITIONAL YEAST

Ever wondered what the heck people were talking about when they start talking/writing about Nooch?  Well it's just a short name for Nutritional Yeast.  Nutritional Yeast is yellowish flakes that taste nutty or cheesy with no dairy, gluten, or sugar - low in fat and sodium.  If you want to know more about how it's produced, check out this link. I'm not a huge fan of the stuff, but most vegans are (pretty sure I'm the only vegan who isn't).  I prefer Daiya when it comes to cheesiness.  

You can use nutritional yeast to make just about anything, soups, sauces, tofu scramble - I've seen people sprinkle it on pastas (like parmesean) or sprinkle it on popcorn to get a cheesy type popcorn.  I always add some to gravy, for mashed potatoes and gravy.  It really takes it up a notch, and adds a yummy creamy flavor!

Unlike a lot of the faux cheeses out there now, Nutritional Yeast is higher in nutritional value, and ofter fortified with B12.

I usually just buy mine in the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but there are several brands that sell it packaged as well.  If you are buying it for nutritional content, I would recommend buying a prepackaged version.  They are a bit more expensive, but worth it.

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 11 - SILK CREAMER

I'm not one to drink my coffee black, so I panicked a bit when I decided to stop drinking milk.  For a few years I didn't even bother looking for an alternative because I had no idea how many vegan/non-dairy products were actually available at the time.  One day I was at my local health food store and came across Silk Vanilla Creamer!  I tried it out and I was so happy, it was exactly what I was missing!  Now I make coffee/lattes at home, and don't feel like I have to spend $4+ on my soy lattes in the morning.  Silk also makes an original and hazelnut flavor too, but I prefer the vanilla.  There are other vegan creamers out there too, but I like my Silk :)

You can also use plant based milks (soy, rice, almond etc.) but I prefer the stronger flavor of creamer.

Picture from Silk's site.

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 10 - NAKED DRINKS

NAKED GREEN MACHINE 

 

The perfect beverage!!!  I drink these all of the time!  Despite their somewhat off putting green hue, these are delicious!  Naked makes all kinds of yummy drinks, but this is my favorite!  You can find these anywhere!  Perfect for breakfast or a healthy boost!

 

Goodness Inside

• 2 3/4 Apples
• 1/2 Banana
• 1/3 Kiwi
• 1/3 Mango
• a hint of Pineapple

Boosts Inside

• 1,300 mg Spirulina
• 400 mg Chlorella
• 100 mg Broccoli
• 100 mg Spinach
• 50 mg Blue Green Algae
• 50 mg Garlic
• 75 mg Barley Grass
• 75 mg Wheatgrass
• 50 mg Ginger
• 50 mg Parsley 

 Check out all of the goodness inside this bottle!!

Photo from Naked site.

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Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 9 - TOFUTTI SOUR CREAM

Tofutti Sour Cream!!!  I love this stuff!  I use it in everything.  I probably go through 2-3 containers a week.  I can easily say it is my most used faux vegan product!  I use it to make cream sauces, queso, mac and cheese, on potatoes, on Mexican food, in soups and more.  

I didn't love it at first because it is a bit different than 'real' sour cream but you get used to it.  I've found this is the case with a lot of vegan products - try not to look at them as the exact same product as you were used to having, look at it as something new to try instead!

Try some of my recipes that use Tofutti Sour Cream!

Alfredo Sauce

Mac and Cheese

Queso

YUM!!!

Photo from the Tofutti site.

Vegan MoFo - Highlight # 8 - GOOD KARMA ICE CREAM

My time is limited, and I'm behind - so I have decided to post some products that don't need an explanation! 

Good Karma Organic Rice Divine Ice Cream

They have a bunch of flavors, all vegan, all delicious!  Super creamy and delicious chunks of goodness all over!!

Photo from Good Karma site.

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