Best Vegetarian Chili EVER

Over the weekend I decided to make some chili.  I wandered around the farmer's market just picking up random fresh items to throw into it - and really, just about everything sounds good in chili!

I don't mean to brag, but I make probably the best freakin' vegetarian chili EVER.  I get so bored with the store-bought kind, and it seems as though "vegetarian" usually just means "tons of beans".  Kind of like the way that "vegetarian" on your office's pizza day means "cheese only".

What the heck, man?  I'm vegetarian not just because I don't eat meat, but because I LOVE VEGETABLES!!

So here's my recipe for a delicious vegetarian chili full of veggie-love.  It has a little kick and a unique (but addictive) flavor!

Beth's Best Vegetarian Chili EVER
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40-60 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes about 6-8 servings
Gluten-free* / Vegan

- 1 sweet potato (OR 3-4 carrots), peeled & chopped
- 4 small to medium-sized peppers (any kind), chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 10 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 can vegetarian baked beans
- 1 can black beans (drained, but not rinsed)
- 2 cups veggie broth (or water)
- 1 tbsp curry paste (curry powder will work fine)
- 1 can corn (or 2 cobs of corn, steamed and cut off the ears) 
- 1 cup soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo), (*you can substitute vegetarian ground beef, or vegetarian sausage - but please keep in mind these may NOT be gluten-free)
- 1 can tomato paste (small) 
- 2 large tomatoes, diced (OR 1 large can diced tomatoes, not drained)
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish), optional (a dollop of cottage cheese is awesome on top too)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the sweet potatoes (or carrots), and onions, and cook until the onions become soft.  Add the peppers and garlic, stir well, and cook another minute.  Add the mushrooms, stir well.  Carefully add the remaining ingredients.  Cover and simmer for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so (you may need to add a little more liquid).  Serve hot!

I like to put them in containers in the freezer, and store them for up to a month!

Banana Cashew Muffins

I decided to make a new muffin recipe to start off the week right.  I love having ready-made breakfasts on hand so that I can just grab something healthy before I leave the house for the day.  It just starts my day off on the right foot! 

I adapted this recipe from my favorite cookbook of all time, How It All Vegan.  Their recipe calls for blueberries and bananas, but I figured I'd leave the fresh berries to serve on the side with yogurt (my favorite way to eat a muffin!) so I substituted nuts instead.  

I also added in Wheat Bran for a little extra fiber, and some spiced tea for an extra kick.  

Banana Cashew Muffins
Adapted from the recipe in How It All Vegan
Makes 9 muffins
Time: About 1 hour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dry sweetener (I used whole trade sugar)
1/2 cup oil
1 cup soy, almond, or flax milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)
1 banana, mashed
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp wheat bran
1 cup raw cashews (or any other kind of nuts you have on hand!)
1 black tea bag (any kind will do, but one with vanilla notes will work best)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and sweetener.  Cut open the tea bag and dump the contents into the mix.  

This is the kind of tea that I used, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand!  I think anything with vanilla in it is just an added bonus. 

Your dry mix will look "peppered" when you add the tea bag - but it just makes it even prettier!

Add the remaining ingredients and stir together gently until "just mixed".  

Spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins. 

You can fill 'em up pretty high, they don't rise too much.  You can use muffin liners too if you'd like, but I like to crumble my muffins, so I didn't use them.  You can also sprinkle some brown sugar or extra nuts on top at this point if you'd like something a little extra!

Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Test with a knife to see if done.  

Easy peasy, huh?  I love recipes like this that you can just throw together and keep munching on the rest of the week.  The added fragrance of the tea really brought out something special in these guys.  I can't wait to have them for breakfast again tomorrow! 

As a note, I would recommend storing these in the fridge in a container - it'll make them last longer!  Take one out when you first get up and let it come to room temperature as you get ready for the day.  Or zap it in the microwave / give it 5 minutes in the oven at 300 degrees, so it's toasty. Yum yum!  

Roasted Patty Pan Squash Soup with Beans

When I went to the meeting for the Sunshine Project, I came home with this beautiful UFO-shaped squash...

...and no freakin' idea what to do with it!

I started Googling "UFO-shaped squash" because I didn't even know what type of squash it was - turns out it's just a really large Patty Pan squash.  It also turns out that I did not know how many varieties of squash there are out there!

Today I was pondering what to do with it, and after some thorough searching I realized that there are about 3 ways people make Patty Pan Squash in a recipe:

1.) Stuffed.
2.) Cubed in a casserole.
3.) In a curry.

BORRRRRRRING!!!

Naturally, I decided to make soup. :)

Since I love roasted squash SO MUCH, I decided to incorporate that into my recipe since I wasn't exactly sure how this type of squash would taste - and roasting seems to bring out the best in things.  As it turns out, when it's roasted it turns into a buttery savory bundle of deliciousness, so I know I made the right choice!

I threw in a few cloves of garlic while roasting too, because really, who doesn't love roasted garlic?

Roasted Patty Pan Squash Soup with Beans
Cook time:  About 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Serves:  About 4-6

INGREDIENTS
- 1 large Patty Pan Squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1" cubes)
     If you only have small Patty Pan squashes you can definitely use those too!  I'd recommend about 5 total.
- 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/3 cup brown rice
- 1 can Great Northern Beans (I used canned)
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
- Olive oil
- Sea Salt & Pepper
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (or Soy Sauce)
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Set oven to 400 degrees F, and spread the cubed squash on a large cookie sheet.  Throw in the garlic cloves, and douse everything with olive oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and sage. 

Roast in the oven for about 30-45 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Everything should be pretty evenly browned when they're done. 

Pretty gorgeous, huh??

In the meantime, heat the veggie broth in a large pot on the stove to medium-high until boiling.  Dump in the brown rice, reduce the heat, and cover to let simmer for about 20 minutes.  The rice will not cook all the way through.  

Dump in the roasted squash & garlic and stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  

Add the beans, and stir until everything is heated through.  You may need to add a little more hot water or broth at this point to make sure everything is submerged. 

Remove from heat and use a hand blender to blend everything together.  I left some big chunks in there still, just for texture. 

Serve with some crusty bread, and top with Parmesan cheese if desired! 

This turned out so delicious and creamy (without any cream!).  This soup would be beautifully accompanied by a bright & fruity green salad to counter the salt.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Vanilla Pistachio Muffins

Here's another recipe that I made this week since my allergic-to-everything lil' sister has been staying with me.  These turned out SO DELICIOUS!!  

You could easily make this recipe fully vegan by just using an egg substitute (and oil instead of butter).  The original recipe actually called for chai tea bags (they were actually called "Pistachio-Chai Muffins"), but I am one of those weird people that don't like chai.  So I just substituted Vanilla Spice tea instead!  

Vanilla Pistachio Muffins
Gluten-free / Vegan optional
15 minutes prep / total time 30 mins
Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups gluten-free baking flour (I used a blend from Arrowhead Mills - found it at Whole Foods!)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 vanilla tea bags (or black tea, or chai tea - whatever you prefer!)
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup of almond milk blended with about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar - it works the same way! You could do this with soymilk too). 
1/4 cup butter, melted (or oil, if making vegan)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided (I used 1/2 almond extract, 1/2 vanilla - just 'cause I had it!)
1 large egg, lightly beaten (or egg substitute, if making vegan)
Cooking spray
1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp water

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.) Combine flour & next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, and stir with whisk.  Cut open tea bags, and add tea to flour mixture, stirring well.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Combine "buttermilk", butter, 1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp vanilla & 1/2 tsp almond extract) and egg in a bowl, stirring well with whisk.  Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. (My mixture was a little dry, possibly due to the type of flour I used.  I added a few more splashes of almond milk - it should be wet but not thin like pancake batter. I had to scoop it into the cups.)

3.) Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups & coat with cooking spray.  Divide batter evenly between cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter.  Bake at 375 for 15 mins or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (mine took a few minutes longer than this).  Let cool for 5 minutes.
4.) Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/2 tsp vanilla, powdered sugar, and 1 tbsp water, stirring until smooth.  I added a few more chopped pistachios to this mix as well!  Drizzle topping evenly over cooled muffins.

Approx 192 calories per muffin.

Seriously guys, these muffins are crazy good.  Even my sister who is like the pickiest gluten-free person ever, LOVED these!  I served mine with a side of Noosa Honey Yogurt (YUM), and some sliced fruit. 

Enjoy!!  

Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Brown Rice Salad

My little sister is going to be staying with me for a few days while she's transitioning between apartments, and she happens to have a gluten allergy, AND be lactose intolerant. 
POOR THING!! 

So I decided to whip up a few things that would accommodate her dietary needs that I would also enjoy, so today I made this! 

I changed the recipe up a little bit to fit my needs (example: dried cherries were like $10 more / pound than raisins, so I went with that - also I didn't want to buy a whole container of miso paste for one recipe, so I just omitted it).  Feel free to do the same with whatever you have at home - this seems like a pretty darn flexible recipe, that's delicious to boot!  

It's also a great recipe to make ahead since it gets better as it sits in the fridge (all the flavors can meld more).  And even better, if you have some leftover rice just add a few more ingredients and you have this awesome salad!  Woohoo!

Brown Rice Salad with Peas, Raisins, and Walnuts
Adapted from theKitchn.com recipe
Vegan / Gluten-Free
Serves 6-8

1 cup brown rice (or 2 cups already cooked leftover rice)
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 apple, diced into small pieces
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 stalks green onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used the curly kind), optional

For the dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Cook the brown rice in about two cups of simmering water until tender.  Fluff and cool to room temperature.


Combine the peas, apple, raisins, walnuts, onions, and cooled rice in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar or tupperware container and shake well to combine. Stir the dressing into the rice mix until all the ingredients are coated.  If you have time, allow rice to rest for at least eight hours or overnight for flavors to come together.

This would be AWESOME to bring to a picnic too - it stores well, and would be super yummy straight out of the cooler.  

Enjoy! 

Breakfast Tacos!

The other morning we had brunch at my parent's place for my Dad's birthday.  I wanted to come up with something fun & different to have for the meal, so I came up with Breakfast Tacos!  They were so delicious, I had to make them again at home.  

Beth's Breakfast Tacos
Serves 2
Gluten-free optional
Vegan optional

Ingredients
4 corn tortillas (either fully corn for gluten-free, or the kind that's mixed with flour - they're a little easier to pick-up without having them break on ya)
1 cup cheddar cheese (I used rice cheese, you can use Daiya to make this vegan)
3 eggs
Splash of soymilk
Black beans (I used canned)
Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo)
1/2 a tomato (diced)
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 yellow onion (diced)
1 avocado (diced)
1/2 a cup of green chili or salsa
fresh chopped parsley (optional - for garnish)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large non-stick pan, saute the onion in a little bit of oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until soft.  Add some crumbled Soyrizo (about 1/2 a cup), and squish into smaller pieces with a spatula (warm for about another minute).

Mix the eggs with the splash of soymilk, and season with salt & pepper.  Turn the pan down to medium, then dump in the eggs.  Keep the eggs moving to cook evenly, and turn off the heat before they are fully cooked.

Meanwhile begin to assemble tacos.  Place 4 corn tortillas on a cookie sheet, and top with cheese, beans, corn, and green chili (or salsa).  Pop in the pre-heated oven while you finish the rest of your cooking / chopping / preparation (about 10 minutes total).

Remove tacos from oven, and top with the remaining ingredients (including the egg / chorizo awesomeness).  Garnish with a little fresh parsley and a splash of hot sauce.

SO easy, and crazy delish.  I think these would be great for a brunch with friends type of meal too - you could just set everything up "serve yourself" style!  
Enjoy! 

Coconut Chia Tapioca Pudding Dessert

I'm feeling SO much better now that I've cut the sugar out of my life (at least for the past 7 days, anyway), but every now & then I crave a little sweetness.  Like today.  :) 

I know that there are a TON of great health benefits to chia seeds (good fats, cleansing, etc.), so I decided to try out my own little dessert with them! 

When chia seeds are soaked in water, juice, or milk, they form a squishy membrane around them.  Alien-like?  Yes.  Kinda awesome?  YES.  

Coconut Chia Tapioca Pudding Dessert
Vegan, Gluten-Free
Serves 1-2 people

1 cup soy or almond milk (unsweetened)
2 tbsp chia seeds (preferably organic)
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut shreds
splash of flavoring (vanilla extract is great - I used maple extract)
pinch of Truvia (or other natural no-sugar sweetener), optional
----------------
In a container, add all the ingredients, cover with a lid, and shake well to combine.  Let refrigerate for about 7 hours (or overnight).

And that's it!  
I really enjoyed this dessert.  It tasted sweet even though there's no sugar in it, and I just loved the consistency.  I'm just loving trying out all of these new & healthy recipes!  

Vegan White Bean, Kale & Sweet Potato Soup

Today I made a seriously delicious soup!  I wanted to make something healthy, hearty, and warm (for the cold weather) to last me through the week for meals.  I also wanted to use some in-season ingredients too!  I found this awesome recipe through Pinterest, and decided to make it my own! 

This soup takes a little bit of time to make, however the beans can be made ahead of time to cut down on that or you can even used canned.  But since I'm trying to reduce my waste, I got mine uncooked from the bulk section of Natural Grocers. :) 

Vegan White Bean, Kale & Sweet Potato Soup
(Serves about 5)
Vegan, Gluten-Free

1 cup uncooked white beans (I used Great Northern Beans)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled & diced
1/2 one sweet yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red potato, peeled & diced
3 leaves of kale, spines removed, torn into pieces
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 cups vegetable broth
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Olive oil
Splash of white wine, or sweet rice cooking liquid
----------------
Soak the white beans overnight - or if you want to cook the soup same-day, boil the beans in water for 4-5 minutes, then cover & let rest for 2-4 hours.  Drain water off the beans, and add 4 cups of fresh water.  Bring to a boil for 15 minutes (covered), then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour.  Continue to let them cook throughout the next steps (after the hour is up).

In a large pot, add some olive oil.  Cook the onions and garlic for 4-5 minutes until tender.  Splash with white wine or sweet cooking liquid to deglaze the pot.  Add the kale and stir well until welted (about 2-3 minutes).  Add the potatoes and stir well.  Add the vegetable broth, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Dump out about 1/2 of the water from the beans, then add the beans and their remaining water to the soup pot.  Stir well, and let simmer (covered) for about 10-15 more minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Mash some of the potatoes on the side of the pot, or use a hand blender to mix it up just a little bit (I wanted to keep some chunks in mine, but give it more body).

Add seasonings and nutritional yeast and stir well.  Serve hot!

This soup was CRAZY delicious - I ate my whole bowl in 5 minutes (about 1/18th of the time it took to make.  Haha!).  Its savory with a little sweetness from the sweet potatoes, and tasted like a great comfort food that just happened to also be super healthy!

Seriously, this was super yummy.  You must try it!  I will for sure be making it again. 

You can also use butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes or yams (as per the original recipe).  
Enjoy! 

Vegan Enchiladas!

Firstly, please let me apologize for these ridiculously terrible pictures!  I had a very pretty plate all done-up, and thought to myself "Hmmm, should I take a pic of this?" - but I was so hungry I just dove right in. 

Then after John and I realized how AWESOME these were, I was kicking myself!  Haha!  

Ah, well - you should still TOTALLY make these anyway.  They're so unbelievably good, and totally vegan.  They're creamy and yummy and amazing - you won't even miss the cheese!  I think John's first words after trying them were, "OK, you're definitely going to have to make these again!"

That's always a good sign.  :) 

VEGAN ENCHILADAS

Serves about 5-6 people, but we're going to enjoy the leftovers! 

INGREDIENTS

1 package extra firm tofu (drained)

Nutritional Yeast (about 1/2 a cup)

Soyrizo (veggie chorizo), 1 sleeve (they come in a pair)

1/2 an onion (minced)

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Garlic salt (1 tbsp)

Taco seasoning (2 tbsp)

Refried beans (1/2 a can)

Daiya cheddar cheese shreds (optional)

Corn tortillas (you'll need about 10-ish)

1 tomato (diced)

Black beans (1 cup cooked, or 1 can)

Enchilada sauce (we used the red kind) or green chili (1 can or jar)

Avocados or guacamole (optional - for serving)

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees, and get out a large baking pan or casserole dish.  Ours was about 9x13" in size. 

In a large bowl, mash up the tofu.  Mix in the nutritional yeast, the Soyrizo, the minced onion, the lemon juice, the garlic salt, the taco seasoning, and the refried beans.  Be sure it's well mixed!

Plop about 3/4 a cup of filling into each corn tortilla, fold the sides over, and place seam-side down into the baking pan.  Repeat until all of the fillings and tortillas are used.  

Dump Daiya cheddar shreds on top of your enchiladas (this is completely optional - it's great without them too!).  Sprinkle the diced tomatoes over everything, and then sprinkle on the black beans.  Lastly, dump the enchilada sauce or green chili over everything (be sure all the tortillas are well coated). 

Place pan in the oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. 

Remove from the oven and served with sliced avocado or guacamole! 

You could easily pre-make this filling too, so that it's ready to go for dinner the next day!  The tofu is very resilient, and super easy to store beforehand.  

This looks a little destroyed in the picture, but it's just 'cause John sliced the enchiladas the wrong way when he was getting them out of the pan.  HA!  Silly boy. ;) 

I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe again - it was SO good, totally addicting (we both went back for seconds!), and much healthier than the average enchilada recipe.  I think next time I may add some chopped zucchini as well, and maybe serve with a side of fresh corn salsa as well as the guac! Yum. 

----------------

Annnnnnd I'm off to Pennsylvania for a long weekend to visit my grandparents and my aunts!  My mom and dad and I are going together, so it'll be quite the family excursion.  Hopefully I can make it through the humidity.... I'm planning on bad-hair-days the entire time I'm there.  HA! 

Have a great rest of your week!  See ya when I get back! :)  

Easy on-the-go Breakfast Idea!

Lately I've been rushing out the door to get to work.  I've been sleeping late, and I absolutely hate skipping breakfast! 

I found a container of plain instant oats in one of our cupboards, and thought I'd make some use of it.  I usually try to eat non-instant oats (they take about 15-mins to cook on the stove), as they're healthier, but sometimes you gotta just use what you have (especially when you're in a rush).  Also I never like letting food go to waste!  

I used to eat the instant oatmeal packets when I was a kid - I remember loving the brown sugar kind from Quaker Oats.  But they're so processed, and you can't control the amount of sugar & salt that's in it.  Yes, it's a convenient serving size, but this is a much healthier way to do instant oats, and it only takes a few minutes longer! 

Easy Morning Oatmeal
Makes 1 serving

1/3 cup instant oatmeal (plain)
1/2 an apple (diced)
1 tbsp flaxseed (ground)
1 tbsp brown sugar (or honey)
dash of cinnamon
splash of soymilk (optional)

Mix all ingredients together, and place in a heat-safe container (glass is preferable instead of plastic).
When you get to work, turn on your water-boiler (I keep one on my desk for tea, coffee, and oatmeal), and fill to the top.  Just eyeball the amount of water to add - I like mine a little thin, so I eyeball about 1/3 to 2/3 a cup.  If you don't have a water-boiler, just add cold water & microwave for about 1-2 mins.

Stir well, let sit for about 1 minute, then enjoy!  I like to add a splash of soy creamer that I keep in
the fridge at work right before eating for a little added yumminess. 

This is easy to pre-make for the week, then just dump a serving into a container!  Just slice the apple each morning though (otherwise they'll get brown & icky).  It only takes a second. :)

A newfound love for Ramen!

For some reason the last time John and I were at Costco, we decided to get an entire palette of Ramen noodles.  I think the whole thing (about 50 packets I think?) was about $7.  You can't beat that.

Lately there's something about these wavy little noodles that have been gettin' me craving them on a daily basis.  I think my new favorite thing is to just make the noodles & drain them, then add my own sauce & toppings.

Hells yeah!  That's what I'm talkin' about!

This is just some simmer sauce that I bought in the ethnic foods aisle of the grocery store.  I think it's the coconut curry one, but I can't remember.  I also love adding Madras Lentils (it tastes just like a creamy chili), with a splash of soymilk & hot sauce.  YUM!!

Above I added sauteed zucchini, red peppers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  It was scrumptious!  Today for lunch, I topped it with asparagus, onions, and seared tofu.

Seriously, I can't get enough.

Luckily, John can't either. :)

Over the weekend... Snowboarding, St Patty's, and the NEAT Market!

This past weekend was kind of crazy but totally awesome! 

John and I went up to the mountains to get in some Spring snowboarding.  I took the day off from work on Friday (it was a heck of a busy week), so we made our way up on Thursday night!  We stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Idaho Springs along the way for a delicious dinner! 

My big sister Amber gave me some money for my birthday, so part of it went towards this.  Technically it doesn't break my Spending Fast since she insisted I spend it on something frivilous. ;)

Mmmmmmm..... beer.

We left the restaurant and continued our drive up, until John realized he forgot his condo keys when we were just 20 minutes away from the exit.  We had to turn around and drive all the way back to Denver to get them.  That kind of sucked, but luckily I had the Twizzler's that Cat's $20 bought me for the trip!

The next morning we slept in a bit, and got to have a leisurely breakfast.  I made an over-easy egg with sprouted toast, my homemade caramel apple jam, and a cup of coffee.

Gotta love that morning light!

Eventually we got geared up and drove up to Breckenridge.  It was a GORGEOUS day, and we had SO MUCH FUN!!  It was about 50 degrees and sunny, and the snow was soft and awesome.  We boarded for about 3-4 hours, and got our picture taken at the top by Epic Mix!

We are such dorks.  :)
That was the day I enjoyed a free beer from Cat's $20 too.  

That night we hit the hot tub, then John worked while I watched an episode of "Weeds", and then "Notting Hill".  I forgot how hilarious that movie is!

Saturday morning, we got up late again (it was so awesome to sleep in 2-days in a row) - and I made some breakfast for both of us...

Asparagus with garlic, topped with scrambled eggs, fake mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, onions, and hot sauce.  It was DELICIOUS.

John made bacon to go with his (yuck).  But he seemed to enjoy it!  HA!

We headed up to Breckenridge again to meet up with our friends Becca & Ryan.  It was the first time I'd boarded with them this season!  Love those two - they crack me up...

Ryan was the catch of the day! :) 

John and I had to do a super awesome high-five photo as well.  I can't jump quite as high as he can.

That night we headed back to Denver for Becca & Ryan's St Patrick's Day party.

This is where the trouble began.... Haha!
John was playing "Drunk Driver".  You just start playing Mario Kart with someone, but you both have to finish your beers by the end of the round.  You can only start drinking after the first lap, and you have to bring your kart to a complete stop before you continue with the race.

Needless to say, John drank a bit much.  Case in point:

Haha!!  Kind of my new favorite picture of John.  Goofball. :)

Becca - ain't she just the cutest!?

The gang hangin' out & havin' some beers.  It's how the Irish would have wanted it!

The next morning John woke up with a raging hangover, and I woke up to get my things ready for the Neat Market - put on by Plants & Animals Denver! 

The Neat Market is a place with vegan vendors - food, crafts, animal welfare, etc.  It was really fun!  Although I only sold two of my hair flowers (one to my little sister), it was still a fun experience.

Our little table set-up.  How could you NOT want to buy one of these babies? ;)

My mom actually came to help me run the table, but she also sold some of her knitted tea-cozies that she made.  She actually sold more of her cozies than I did of my flowers!  People went nuts for them!  They are really cute though!

Watercourse Bakery was there selling their pastries and goodies.  We shared a Key Lime tart (vegan).  It was SO yummy.

This is the girl with Watercourse setting up.  I loved the light coming through the skylight during the day too - I'm so glad it wasn't just a big dark warehouse!

The people are starting to trickle in...

Our friend Deb stopped by to see us!  That was so nice. :)

My little sister Taryn stopped by as well!  She's wearing the rose hair flower that she bought, and she's helping my mom model a hair flower as well.

My mom gave me $5 to spend on something, so I got this little organic plant!  It's actually Grapefruit Mint - so mint with a citrusey aftertaste.  I can't wait to try it in iced tea and mojitos over the summer - yum!!

After we closed up our table at the Market, I went home and made vegan cupcakes.  I joined some of my derby friends for a potluck dinner, and it was lovely to see them all!

When I got home that night I had time to catch about an hour of "Frozen Planet" on the Discovery channel.  It was AMAZING, and I really enjoyed it.  Eventually I climbed into bed and slept like a rock!

So I had a truly wonderful (and busy) weekend!  How was yours?