Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

MY FAVE VEGAN COOKBOOKS!


Hello, dear readers. This is a pretty epic post, that, in my mind anyway, has been a long time coming! Today I wanna share my favourite cookbook titles with you. This collection is tried and true, according to my humble perspective. I get mailed a lot of cookbooks to review, and it's been this way for almost 8 years. After all my testing, behold: the best of the best. 

SESAME UDON NOODLES with GREENS + SPICY TOFU


Greetings, sweet readers! I'm here to share a savoury recipe, in contrast to the plethora of desserts I normally make. Balance, right? This dish was put together spontaneously and turned out wonderfully... sometimes the best meals are made with random odds and ends around the kitchen. Anybody agree?

MANGO BANANA SMOOTHIE with GINGER KOMBUCHA


Hello, darling readers. I've been away for 8 days in the far north of Turtle Island, in Kwanlin Dün lands (aka Whitehorse, Yukon Territories). The temperature was -20 most days, and whole rivers and lakes were frozen under many feet of pure, white snow. I hiked through the woods and took in the humble silence of earth in the absence of other humans. I wrote a lot of poetry and experienced some profound moments of realization atop tall hills, utterly and gloriously surrounded by icy blue peaks and deep green forests. I become a witness to my own existence in a way I've never been before. There are no words to express the emotions that found their way to me in those mountains. Since I am literally made of earth, I am always home, no matter where I am on the planet. However, in a more specific sense, I have returned to my regular living space, and bring you this recipe now. 

OATMEAL CHOCO CHIP COOKIES (GLUTEN-FREE)


Hello, my darlings.

Back for a short post because I have the unexpected energy! I'm gonna talk about mental illness for a hot second and then get on to the fun stuff (cookies)! <3

Mental health update: depression in my life has been getting more intense and at this point it's a full-on disability. I am on medication and getting through some workbooks for cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). I am really grateful for all the coping skills I have learned and am practicing every day. More than ever I am able to recognize and remind myself: this is an illness in my body and NOT a personal failure. There is no need for shame or judgement here, just compassionate acceptance and gentle observation. We all exist in radically different bodies and environments. The body I am in happens to have some weird brain stuff that makes things more difficult for me than other people. We all have our own obstacles and challenges in life. I'm human. It's OK.

Onto foodzy thingz.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES with COCONUT MILK & OATS


Allo, loves. Hope you're doin' ok, but if you're not, that is alright too! Life is full of ups and downs, struggles and joys; it's the balance that I sit in gratitude with. The multiple, unique seasons of the earth are each necessary and dependent on one another to create a nourishing whole, and I believe my life is made up of the same recipe. (Obviously, I've been meditating a lot lately, and listening to Oprah's podcast). To celebrate whatever is worth celebrating in your day, I made brownies. 

STRAWBERRY COCONUT SMOOTHIE with a LIL BEET


Baaaaaabes. How are you. How is your month going. How are you sleeping. What are you eating. Why am I not putting question marks at the end of these questions. In today's post I am gonna give you a quick lil run down of what's been up with me. Then I'll talk about the recipe for a sec. Then I promise I will go. I SWEAR. 

After a long period of what felt like a necessary hibernation, I have emerged from the cavernous recesses of my emotive existence in a refreshed and renewed state. I feel capable, grown, confident and energized to continue manifesting the life I know I desire and deserve. (Can you tell I haven't stopped listening to Oprah's Super Soul podcast. Still no question marks.) I am SO SUPPORTED by my amazing friends. Bless our hearts for the femme softness we provide and embody for one another.

1-INGREDIENT COCONUT BUTTER


What is there to say? You came for a coconut butter recipe, and I am here to provide. This could literally not be any more simple, unless someone out there has figured out how to make a 0-ingredient coconut butter. However, I imagine that would either be 1) a minimalist, conceptual art project, or 2) a very sad, unsatisfying batch of coconut butter. So I will stick with my recipe.

RED KURI SQUASH SOUP with CUMIN, CORIANDER + COCONUT


I want to study food history. (As some of you may know, I am currently getting an undergraduate degree in history.) Unfortunately my university doesn't really offer any courses centred around what we eat, so I feel at a loss. After a handful of conversations with Jack and some thoughts on my own, I realized me + a food history course would probably be a perfect match. I love history. I love food. Food history; I would most likely love. And lately I've been struggling dealing with the nasty bits of human history (i.e. all of human history) where one group of folks (i.e. The White Man) completely screws over everyone else with a seemingly endless myriad of shitty excuses depending on where and when you are looking at. Of course me taking a break from learning this stuff wouldn't make it go away, but for my own mental health I think it'd be good for me to study slightly less tragic realities for awhile. Not to say food history won't come with its dark periods. Yet now we loop back to the issue of FINDING a food history course for me to take... none are showing themselves to me willingly.

OREO-ISH TARTS: VANILLA WHIPPED COCO CREAM with CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST


I am back from Montreal. Hey. 

For the four-ish weeks I spent there - away from home, Jack, Dante and Blender - I remembered a lot of important stuff about myself, and realized some new things. It was a whirlwind of experiences, people, places, emotions, tastes, colours, smells. I felt overwhelmed most of the time but what else is new. I often feel overwhelmed living in my particular world because I usually think [too] extensively about everything that is happening around me (and not around me). So being in a new place WITH the same over-thinking brain took it to the next level. Meditation was more difficult than normal, probably because of this. I went on a lot of walks by myself so I could have time to ponder who I am, what I want, my relationship with the external universe, and that kind of thing. I had some pretty intense and excellent discussions with my friend's roommates; we talked about the difficulties of navigating the current world in relation to gender, race, class, location, education, etc. Besides classism, I am generally optimistic about where we are going. Obviously - or maybe not that obviously - most human groups are still routinely oppressed by societal and political structures in place, but we are on the right trail; we're just at the beginning of the hike. 

PERFECT FLUFFY CRISPY POTATOES


So I found something amazing and wonderful and now I've put my own spin on it. Last week I was having my breakfast before I went to the gym and while I was scrolling through Instagram photos (I don't do it AS MUCH these days but it's still more than I'd like... oops) I saw this picture of insanely perfect-looking potatoes; they were crispy and fluffy like clouds at the same time. The rest of the day I couldn't stop thinking about them and decided I NEEDED to make them myself, but there wasn't any recipe given for the photo. So I googled "crispy fluffy potatoes" and added "vegan" just cuz. I found an oil-free recipe that looked pretty damn divine, so I tried it out but with a few of my own tweaks. Instead of using white flour to coat the taters, I used various herbs and spices. The method here is what makes the magic: we are gonna partially boil the potatoes so their outsides are soft, then shake 'em up with a few different herbs and spices so they get marred and fluffy around the edges. THEN we bake them and suddenly we have potatoes that are perfectly crispy and browned on the outside, and fluffy and soft on the inside.

ALMOND COOKIES with SPICED APPLE SLICES


This recipe is part of a Family Favourites series hosted by Angela over at Canned Time. The theme was to veganize a recipe that you used to love as a kid and/or that your fam would regularly enjoy together. Honestly, I had trouble thinking of sweet recipes that I hadn't already veganized for my blog (like pumpkin pie, berries and whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate cake) and most of the savoury dishes I loved eating when I was little are just sooo not ideal to veganize (think Thai-style omelettes and baked salmon). There were a lot of savoury foods I ate growing up that I COULD made vegan now - pizza pops and chicken nuggets to name a couple - but they wouldn't be that healthy or simple and I'm not into spending lots of time making recipes for dinner, especially if they have more refined ingredients.. I'd rather just bake eight potatoes, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and be done with it. Seriously, my dinners are pathetically easy when I'm not writing a savoury cookbook

MANGO CURRY with CHICKPEAS


Finally sharing this amazing recipe from Richa Hingle's newest cookbook. It is the best curry I have ever had / made and you need it in your life, even if you think you're doing ok without it (... you're the ones you need it most). I've tried a bunch of other recipes from the book - Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen - as well and loved them all; like spicy potato-filled samosas, flavourful veggie-filled dishes and loads of DIY spice mixes. The recipe I am sharing from the book today is magical for me since I've always adored curries but have never been very good at making them. This curry is sweet, spicy, SO CREAMY, thick, and basically just mango, coconut milk and garam masala. When you pair it with rice and cilantro, the whole world kind of falls away as you take a bite; you and the curry become one. I was trying to listen to The Savage Lovecast while I ate it but it was hard to concentrate because of all the flavour explosions that were happening in my mouth. I'm serious: best curry I have ever had.. and I have had a lot of curry. Now I've said and thought the word 'curry' too many times so it doesn't seem like a real word anymore. Don't you love it when that happens? It illustrates how fluid and temporal the meanings of language actually are.

MY CURRENT FAVE SMOOTHIE {RECIPE}


As the title blatantly shouts, this is my smoothie of choice right now. I made it for the first time maybe four days ago (when I was still hungry after dinner) and ever since I have been having it every morning with my oatmeal before I go to the gym. It came together randomly and ended up blowing my mind. It's nice and sweet but also super nutritious. I just put in all the ingredients for this drink on cronometer.com and here's what we've got going for us when we sip it down: nearly 20% of your recommend daily intake for protein, 58% for riboflavin (B2), 79% for pyridoxine (B6), 499% for vitamin C (!!!), 107% for copper, 28% for vitamin K, 37% for magnesium, 64% for manganese, 36% for potassium, 30% for selenium, and I could just keep going.

THIS IS IN ONE [DELICIOUS] DRINK, PEOPLE. HELLO.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BROCCOLI + CHIPOTLE ALMOND SAUCE


I still haven't showered today. Apparently it's good for the skin to let your sweat dry after you've been in the sun, because it helps with vitamin D absorption. So I hear. I am using that as my excuse for being smelly and sticky right now. I went to the gym this morning (and sweat out a storm) then immediately made this when I got home. Seriously, I didn't even take off my shoes. Then I laid out in the sun for the afternoon while I listened to Dan Savage's Lovecast. In short: I don't think I need to take a vitamin D supplement TODAY. Hah. I will shower after I write this post though, because I am obsessed with how good it feels to be clean after being sweaty. Yes, I am super privileged because I get to shower everyday. I am also super grateful, not that that matters. I guess I'll talk about the recipe now...

CREAMY VEGAN MAC + CHEESE with OTHER GOOD STUFF


This cheese sauce recipe is based on the one from Buzzfeed that every vegan on earth tried a couple weeks ago. Jack was one of those vegans and he made it for him and me because he's a sweet heart. He tripled the recipe - we eat a LOT - so I got to have cheesy leftovers for a whole week! I loved putting it on rice along with steamed kale and beans. You can see my week of cheese on my Instagram feed.


A NICE GREEN SMOOTHIE with MINT + TURMERIC


I was gonna call this a "healing" green smoothie blah blah blah but then I though, "Hmm, don't wanna buy into that pseudoscience stuff so I'll keep it simple." Because honestly I don't know if this smoothie will heal anything for you, but in my opinion it's at least certainly nice and yummy and green. I'll leave it at that. I am not a doctor. 

SUMMER ROLLS w/ GARDEN VEGGIES, BASIL + TAHINI CHILI SAUCE


YAY 4 SUMMER ROLLS! I always wanna give credit where credit is due: these are inspired by the traditional Vietnamese dish Gỏi cuốn (although my take on them is pretty untraditional). These are super cute and even more delicious to eat. I am sorry I haven't been posting very often lately. I'm going to be spending more time on this blog again now that my third book, The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook, is finished! You can pre-order it now if you'd like (you'd like). On that note, this recipe for summer rolls is a great example of the kind of recipes that fill up my new cookbook so if you dig these rolls, you will REALLY dig the book.

KALE + EDAMAME DUMPLINGS w/ SIMPLE DIPPING SAUCE


FINALLY DID IT. I have been wanting these for awhile and today my dumpling dreams came true. They are surprisingly easy but look really impressive. Makes ya seem fancy even if you don't have a clue. I am sneaky and just went and bought frozen dumpling skins so duh that makes basically them way less difficult effortless. You can make your own if you like (just google a recipe). The only ingredients are usually flour and water. Moving on. I got this recipe from a beautiful new cookbook written by the magnificent minimalist, Jenny Mustard. It's called New Vegan. She is Swedish and thus so is her book, but fingers crossed there's an English version coming soon! It's still just a great book to flip through, which is what I did, and then got Jenny to translate the recipe I wanted to try (i.e. dis one). 

TACOS with TOMATO CORN SALSA + SPICY NUT MEAT


The power was out for 24 hours [until just a couple hours ago] 'cause of crazy wind storms so I had no choice but to make raw food yesterday for lunch. Thus, this recipe requires no equipment but a knife and a hand or two. Fortunately I was planning on making it anyways. What we've got here is cabbage leaves wrapping up fresh, juicy, limey veggies with crunchy, spicy nuts and seeds. Ya can't go wrong.

VANILLA CHERRY NICE CREAM


So. I shaved my head. (Well actually Jack shaved it, but only because I asked him to.) We're all voyeurs at heart so if you wanna see what I look like now, just check out the photo on Instagram.