Archives for July 2010

Let’s go shopping!!

July 29, 2010 by 1 Comment

By now I know you’ve noticed my something is coming button on the right.  It is now counting down to the opening of my OpenSky shop!!  On August 10th I will be opening my very own OpenSky store!  I’m SO excited- I just can’t wait until it opens!  I’ve been wanting to open a shop on my blog for a very long time because I get so many questions not only through my blog but from friends and family and other people on a daily basis about products that I recommend and kitchen gadgets that I can’t live without.  Then I heard about OpenSky and as I was reading about them I knew that I had to open a shop with them!

Everything that will be featured in my OpenSky shop will be something that I have, use and LOVE!  Some examples of things I’ll have in my shop (AKA things I can’t live without) are good quality kitchen knives, a garlic press, my new favorite tote bag for the farmer’s market, awesome vegan products, and even a few big ticket items.  And since I get to hand pick all of the things that I sell in my shop I would love to hear suggestions from anyone and everyone for items that you would like to see in my store!

OpenSky is a better way to shop, where you only buy from people you know and trust.  It’s an online platform that will let me share things that I love with others.  Open Sky has been great to partner with and I have really enjoyed working with them to get my store open.

Keep coming back to check for updates on the store and make sure to check back on opening day for some super discounts and maybe even a prize or two!

 

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Stop… hammer time!

July 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Well hi there!  I’ve been busy posting lots of recipes lately, so I haven’t had much of a chance to “catch up”.  Just finished summer II classes- finals were a beast because the website was so busy while I was trying to take my finals (online classes) that it kept kicking me out of the test.  Then I would have to email my teachers and ask them to let me back in.  What a friggin hassle!  Summer III just started and my class suuuuucks!  The class is just so dumb- I can’t wait to be done with it!  Blah!  I’m so ready for summer to be over and to get started back to classes again in the fall.

The hubby and I went to a Michael Buble concert last night!!!  SOOOOO much fun!!

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Our seats were so very nosebleed, but you do what you gotta do right?  I’ll sit just about anywhere as long as I get to hear him sing!   We went to see him in concert the last time he was in town too- I think I liked the last concert better.  The venue was much smaller though, so maybe that’s why.  The AAC is gigantic, and last time we were at the Fort Worth Convention Center.  It was still a good show though.  I didn’t take any pics- my camera is sucktastic and we were in the nosebleed, so I figured it wasn’t really worth it.

Today I’ve been cleaning the carpets in the house- they needed it so bad!  I also made some tortillas for dinner tonight.  We’re doing portabella quesadillas!  I would eat just about anything stuffed in a tortilla with some Daiya cheese! 

So I’m stuffin’ my home made tortillas with some sauteed baby bellas, onions, bell pepper, and a little diced zucchini for some extra flavor and nutrition.  Then you sprinkle with some Daiya, fold ‘em over and sear them on each side in your cast iron skillet (well, you could use a regular skillet too, but cast iron gives it a better sear I think).

See?  Delicious!!

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Whelp… I guess that’s it for now!  Later gators!

Hey don’t forget that something exciting is coming!!  Click on the pic if you haven’t already and sign up- you could win something!

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Homemade Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

July 20, 2010 by 1 Comment

Oh boy, these are SO good!  After you eat one of these you’ll never ever buy them from the supermarket again!!

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose four
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola oil
3/4 cup water (if you want them a little fluffier you can use soy or almond milk instead of the water)

Directions:
Mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt.

Add canola oil and water and stir until a loose ball is formed.

Knead on a floured surface until the dough is firm.

Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 balls.  Cover and let rest for 10 more minutes.

Roll out each ball on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

Cook each tortilla in a cast iron skillet about 20 seconds on each side.

Devour tortillas!

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Enjoy the tortillas- they’re awesome!

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Texas Style Potato Salad

July 17, 2010 by 1 Comment

This is a super delicious potato salad!  It tastes just like my mom makes, but it’s vegan!  Keep in mind that it’s a TX style potato salad, so it’s mustardy.  If you don’t like a mustardy potato salad, well then just get the hell out of Texas ya pansy!  😉

 

Texas Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes, cubed
1/2 of a small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons chopped pimento, drained
3 Tablespoons dill pickle relish
1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise (I like Vegenaise)
1/3 cup yellow mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:
Boil potatoes until just tender (about 10 mins).  Drain potatoes and cool.  Meanwhile combine onion, pimento, relish, mayonnaise, and mustard in a bowl.  Pour mixture over potatoes and stir gently to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Tastes best if refrigerated for a few hrs before serving.

 

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Enjoy!

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Legumes, sweet legumes!

July 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I looove beans!  I’ve done a post about beans before but it was a bit on the silly side, so I decided to do another one with more facts and less playing around (well, maybe just a little playing around).

Not only do legumes provide you with protein and fiber, but they are also a great source of complex carbohydrates, along with B vitamins, iron, and phytonutrients.  They also promote a healthy digestive tract, may reduce your risk of some types of cancer and can help control diabetes and maintain healthy blood glucose levels.

So, what is a legume?

A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these specific plants.  A common name for this type of fruit is a pod.  Some well known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts.  There are several classes of legumes including forage, grain, blooms, pharmaceutical/industrial, fallow/green manure, and timber species.  The kind we eat are grain legumes.  Grain legumes are cultivated for their seeds, and are also called pulses(many other cultures call them pulses instead of beans or legumes like we do). The seeds are used for human and animal consumption or for the production of oils for industrial uses. Grain legumes include beans, lentils, lupins, peas, and peanuts.

Legumes contain relatively low quantities of the essential amino acid methionine, which makes it an incomplete protein (meaning that it is missing one or more of the essential amino acids).  Is it a big deal that it’s not a complete protein?  NOPE!  As long as you eat a balanced diet that has a variety of different foods you will get plenty of protein in your diet from different sources(yes, even if you are a vegan- but this is a different post for a different time).

So what do you do with them?

look in the recipe section of my blog and you’ll see several recipes!  My favorites are Brown Rice and Lentils and Spicy Black Bean Soup!!

any vegetarian or vegan cookbook will have a plethora (don’t you just love that word?!) of recipes that feature legumes!  My favorite is the Old Fashioned Lentil Loaf in The Vegan Table.  Dal is also delicious if you can find a recipe for that!

The easiest way to prepare them are to cook them very simply in a big pot of water with some salt and pepper!  See this post for details on preparing beans! (this post makes me laugh because it was way before I ever thought of becoming a vegan)

 

And that’s all she wrote!!  Have a great one and go eat some beans!!

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