Vegan Gravy Recipe (the BEST one!)

Since I totally screwed up yesterday on my vegan recipe post yesterday (whoopsie! Haha!) I'm going to make it up to y'all with the best vegan gravy recipe EVER. No seriously, it's delicious. I've made it every year for the past 3 years for Thanksgiving AND Christmas, and most of the meat-eaters reach for my vegan gravy more often than the meat kind! Woohoo!

You guys will love this one, I promise! I make it during the rest of the year too - it's great on eggs for breakfast (YUM), and on mashed taters, or as a part of a Friendly Shepherd's Pie. ;) Hehe!

BEST VEGAN GRAVY RECIPE ON THE PLANET
Yes, it's a long title, but it's really that good!

Original Recipe Yield 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup chopped onion
* 5 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
* 4 tablespoons light soy sauce (or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids - I like to use this!)
* 2 cups vegetable broth
* 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1.) Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.) Stir in flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to form a smooth paste.

3.) Gradually whisk in the broth.

4.) Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

"Friendly" Shepherd's Pie & Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This one is called "Friendly" Shepherd's Pie because it's the friendliest to animals that you can possibly be! Because it's vegan! And still delicious! :)

Friendly Shepherd's Pie
My version - adapted from a recipe that I found online....somewhere! This is great for a chilly winter night, or if you're just in need for a hearty dinner. It makes for some awesome leftovers, and you should serve it with a big green salad!

makes 6-9 servings

INGREDIENTS
4 medium potatoes, diced
2 tbsp vegan margarine (such as Smart Balance)
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
12 oz (1 package) faux ground beef-style crumbles (vegan)
1 can of Amy's Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup*
*WHOOOOPS!!! This isn't vegan. Haha! My much-more-astute-vegan-friend Tara pointed this out to me, so sorry for the mistake! If you can find any other kind of vegan creamy soup (they are out there), you should definitely use that. Otherwise use a vegan gravy - I will have to post a great recipe I have for that! I believe there is a pre-packaged kind available in stores too. My bad! I'm still getting the hang of being vegan again. ;)
10 mushrooms (approx), chopped
1/2 a bag of frozen mixed peas & carrots
1/2 a bag of frozen peas (just the peas!)
Tofutti sour cream (optional)
salt, garlic powder, pepper & cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain & mash w/ the margarine & soy milk - season w/ salt & pepper. If you're really lazy you can just buy some mashed potato mix.... I am totally guilty of doing this from time to time! :)

In a medium pan, saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, adding the mushrooms about 1/2 way through.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked mushrooms & onions, faux beef crumbles, mushroom soup, peas & carrots, peas and spices. Pour into a pie pan, or a casserole dish. Top everything with the mashed potatoes, spreading to the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are browned, and the insides start to bubble out the edges.


Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Dip
This is another recipe that I tried from my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen! I only changed one teeny little thing to make it vegan, but made just as the recipe is listed otherwise, this is absolutely DELICIOUS!! My friends recently went nuts for it when I brought it to the Oscar party. Such a nice change from hummus!

INGREDIENTS
1 15oz can of white cannelini or navy beans
1 small jar of roasted red peppers (about 1 cup), drained
3oz Tofutti cream cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced (or a sprinkle of garlic powder if you're being lazy like me)
Juice from half a lemon
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Puree everything in a food processor until smooth! SO EASY!
Serve with baked pita chips - or this is fantastic with an assortment of sliced veggies too!

Photo from www.smittenkitchen.com.

Oh my gosh... I think I love the Diva Cup!

OK if you're a dude. Stop reading now.

HOWEVER, if you're a cool dude that doesn't flip out when he hears anything along the lines of "menstrual cycle" or "period" then keep reading. I would hope my male readers would be mature enough to not get grossed out by that by now. For cryin' out loud.

Anyway, I just got my first Diva Cup! For those who don't know what this little device is, it's a menstrual cup. It's not just that though. It's a safe, environmentally-friendly way to take care of a lady's monthly icky-time.

I have been hesitant to try this for a while, because I wasn't sure what to expect. I was worried that I would feel it in there, and that it would be too complicated. However after a horrible bout with back-to-back yeast infections (gross, I know), I decided that I needed to change something in my lady-parts department. Tampons just seemed to be aggravating things, and pads are SO not an option. Not just for the uncomfortableness, but for the amount of packaging and TRASH that pads create. I don't even use tampons with applicators (O.B. brand) to cut back on pollution.

But the greenest way to go is not disposing of anything at all, and the menstrual cup does just that. You use it over and over again - ZERO WASTE! Friggin' awesome! And it doesn't mess with your lady parts.

After more research I decided to give it a try. It just seemed too good to be true, but ladies seem to absolutely love it. To read more FAQ's about the Diva Cup - click here.

Last night I thoroughly read over the instructions and made my attempt at working the lil' cup. And guess what. It's AWESOME!! I was worried I'd be able to feel it, that it would be gross or slip around, and so far so good.

Yes, in the beginning the steps are kind of a pain in the ass. It's not as simple as 1.) insert, 2.) pull string, 3.) dispose. But it seems to me that the extra work is worth it, and it does come easier with practice.* Shoot, I couldn't even put on fake eyelashes a couple of years ago (same with contacts), and now I'm a whiz!

Oh, and did I mention that you can wear these babies for 12 hours at a time!? YES - 12 whole wonderful hours!! I feel like I have to change a tampon every 4-6 hours depending on the day. And there's still a chance I might leak! EW! With these babies they guarantee that if you're following the instructions you won't get any leakage, even in 12 hours. Whoa. That's pretty awesome.

I'm wearing white underwear today just to be sure!
Long live the Diva Cup!

*Ok, remember when I said this? Well, I'm on day 2, and I have already got the hang of it!! Please ignore my previous statement about it being a pain in the ass in the beginning. It's weird the first time, but that's it! Yep, it's official. I'm a Diva Cup Convert!!

A Skinnier Version of Me

After the big New Orleans trip and a bit of indulging, I realized it's time for me to get back on track. Summer is around the corner yet again, and I need to shape up or ship out!

OK, not really ship out, but you know what I mean.

My ultimate goal is not necessarily to be "thin".... although losing a few extra pounds would definitely be a welcome bonus! I really want to be the healthiest version of me that I can possibly be, and believe it or not in these photos I was NOT at my healthiest.

These pics were snapped about 6 or 7 years ago on a family vacation to Pawley's Island, SC. I had a few less tattoos then. ;)

I was working out (running, the elliptical machine, light weight lifting) about 5-6x a week, and eating a very strict diet.

I was also smoking regularly (YUCK), and the "very strict diet" I referred to was Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet (no vegetarianism or veganism back then for sure).

If you've ever done this diet, you know that this is the strictest phase, and that you're supposed to slowly start incorporating the other healthy things back in during Phases 2 & 3. Well, I got PSYCHO about my tummy pooch, and refused to leave Phase 1.

All I ate 3x a day was a serving of meat (chicken, fish, or steak) and a side of vegetables, with as much salt & butter as I wanted.

Sure, I lost a lot of weight! I wasn't having ANY sugar at all - but that included the sugar from fruits, and I wasn't having ANY carbohydrates at all - even the good whole grains!

I may look happy in these pictures, but I wasn't healthy that's for sure.

SO - although I would LOVE to get to the fitness level that I obtained when these photos were snapped, I never want to go back. I've quit smoking, quit meat & dairy, am eating tons of fruits & veggies & whole grains every day, and much more aware of what is a healthy diet, and what is not!

What I DO need to change though is my workout routine. Although 2 hours, 3 days / week of derby practice ain't too shabby, it's still not enough. Especially at the very sedentary stare-at-a-computer-all-day job that I have (as a lot of people do).

So this is my way of proclaiming that it's time to step it up a notch! Gym: hellz yeah! Workout buddies: come & get me! Pump class: Why the heck not!

Summer, here I come!

Back from the Big Easy!

Well, we're back from New Orleans, and we had an AWESOME time!!
I haven't had time to go through my pictures yet, so I've posted some of the ones that John took with his iPhone. It's surprising how good those little cameras have gotten!

These are a bit out of order, but here goes!

We went to the zoo, and I leaned in poo.
No really, I did. It was on the railing at the monkey exhibit. Yuck.

We walked around a LOT and I had to give my feet a break from time to time. The day I wore these leggings the guys went nuts - I think I got hit on 4 times that day.... even while walking with John!

I hope I don't get my vegan superpowers taken away (Scott Pilgrim VS the World, anyone?), but I totally ate seafood on this trip. Life is WAY too short to give up the little pleasures, you know? And this shrimp po-boy was DELICIOUS!

We loved all of the architecture, and the houses draped in a canopy of trees...

The view from our hotel window in the French Quarter!

Street art birdies.

I loved that lime-green door. Something about brightly painted doors make me happy. And brightly painted houses of course!

This fella...lady... was SAAASSSY!! She took it upon herself to direct traffic. It's amazing what you can do with a whistle and an outgoing personality.
The French Quarter.

A street band playing near Burbon Street - we loved all of the music!

John running his first marathon!! This is at the 12 mile mark - I'm so glad I could be there to cheer him on. He finished in 4 hours 19 minutes - AWESOME! I was so darn proud.

I surprised him by making an enthusiastic t-shirt to be supportive. ;)

Oh! Our first meal in NOLA! It was at this little place right by the Riverwalk. We were by the Mississippi River, watching boats pass by, and listening to a jazz band while eating steamed seafood. It was so perfect! John made the hilarious observation at one point when I was stuffing my face with shell & butter all over me... he said, "you know, if I can still like you like this... I think I could pretty much like you anytime." It was actually rather sweet. :)

My first bloody mary! Sigh, it was delicious. I loved that we could walk around with drinks outside - it made it all the more fun.

More pics to come! I didn't even get a picture up of the gondola ride that John surprised me with on Valentine's day!! It was so awesome, and made for my bestest v-day ever. I'm not even exaggerating. :)

New Orleans - Here I come!!

I leave this Saturday for New Orleans, and I'm SO EXCITED!! I've never been to the Big Easy before, and I can't wait to give it a whirl. John is running his first marathon on Sunday, so I'll be there to cheer him on, then we're going to see the sights!

I am sure that finding vegan goodies will be difficult, but I have friends from there that gave me some great ideas and suggestions. I have also heard that if you're moving from one bar to another - you can ask the bartender for a "to-go" cup, and take your beer outside! WhAAA? AWESOME!

I LOVE jazz too, and I really hope we get to check out the music scene a bit while we're there. I'm not sure if John knows how much I LOVE jazz, but I'm sure he'll figure it out pretty quickly. :)

I also hope to see the cemeteries, a plantation house (at least the one they used for "Interview with the Vampire" - one of my favorite movies!), and some great music. John and I have a scooter day planned too, where we'll get to ride scooters around all day! I can't wait for that.


OH, and did I mention that this is my FIRST vacation with a boyfriend? Yep, it's true. So weird! And kind of awesome. I hope he doesn't notice any gross habits that I have that I try to keep secret from him. Wait... I mean, any MORE gross habits. I think I've already subjected him to a few. Haha!

I will try and post some pictures while we're there to keep everyone updated! :)
Have a wonderful weekend!

A Jane Austen Weekend

Whenever I'm feeling a bit stressed out, tired, sick - or just a bit out of sorts, it always seems to make me feel better to watch some good ol' fashioned Jane Austen!

I found some time to FINALLY relax a bit this weekend, and it was really wonderful. First I watched Jane Austen Book Club - which was the inspiration for my mom & I to start our own book club (which has been an ongoing thing for the past 2-years now! Wow!).

I don't care what anybody says - I love this movie. It's cute, funny, warm, and Hugh Dancy is adorable to boot! I always get annoyed with the "beauty lesbians" that are littered throughout (one character seems to meet a gorgeous lesbian at EVERY turn) - not that they're gay of course, but because they're so stereotypical of Hollywood's view of how lesbians should be (never butch in the least - god forbid!). And the fact that every girl she comes in contact with throughout the movie just *happens* to also be gorgeous and gay. Whatevz!

But I digress. I still love it. It makes me happy and always renews my love for good books, good friends, and good conversation!!

Next up was Persuasion, based on Jane Austen's book. This was shown on PBS, and filmed in the UK with the lovely Sally Hawkins in the lead. Again, if you haven't seen her in Happy Go Lucky, you absolutely must. She's utterly hilarious.

Anyway, this one has quickly become one of my favorites. The story is wonderful, and the acting is divine!! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the lead is played by this guy...


Yum. :)

Next up on my playlist? I'll give you a hint - it's not Jane Austen, but it's from the same time period, and by another famous female author. OK, I'll just tell ya. Jane Eyre. Check out all these films / books. You won't be disappointed!

Stressed...

Sigh, if only that were the case for me right now!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately - I've been going through a bit of a "life change", and I'm figuring out how to deal with all of it. Veganism is still going great, but due to an unforeseen medical issue, I also need to cut out anything with sugar in it for the next few weeks - which needless to say makes things even more difficult!

On the flip side, my work situation has been very frustrating lately, and I'm finding it more and more difficult to stay in the position I'm in at the same pay I'm receiving. I've begun the job hunt all over again, with hopes to take a step up into a more focused career - at a place that pays me what I deserve, and covers my health insurance too!

It's been a struggle to balance all of these changes, derby practice, social time (which has been very little lately, unfortunately), boyfriend time, me time, and just finding an hour to do my laundry is hard.

I'm trying to stay positive though - just knowing that a good job is out there for me somewhere and that desserts will be on my horizon again soon certainly helps to keep my head up!

Black Eyed Pea Croquettes

Over the weekend I tried my hand at some Vegan Black Eyed Pea Croquettes from The Kind Diet book. Have I stressed how much I love this book enough? I LOVE IT! :)

Above you can see the picture from the book, and my own version. Mine certainly weren't nearly as pretty, but they were DELICIOUS!

The first attempt I accidentally cooked the beans/peas first (even though the recipe didn't say to). Needless to say, they disintegrated the minute I put them in the oil. The second time I just soaked them overnight and did NOT cook them (as the recipe said the first time around, der), and they turned out great!

They were very easy to make, even though they looked very decadent. I just pulsed the soaked black eyed peas in my food processor, added some seasonings, formed 'em in to little cakes and fried 'em up in oil! DONE!

OH, and the delicious dipping sauce.....ughhhh.....SO GOOD. The recipe called for sweet rice syrup, but I just used maple syrup instead. You heat it on the stove with some dijon mustard, and voila! Yummy nummy dipping sauce (that you won't be able to resist licking from the bowl).

After I finished with the croquettes I realized I had no lettuce to make a big leafy salad (which I imagined to be the perfect accompaniment). So instead I warmed up some frozen peas & corn, seasoned them with a little salt & pepper, and mixed in Tofutti sour cream. YUM.

She Eats Bears... and opens a restaurant

Another quick post for today!

I was so inspired as I caught up on one of my favorite food blogs, She Eats Bears. Apparently I'm a little behind, but that lovely blogger has very recently opened her own restaurant, Edgar.

I just found it so thrilling, and such a wonderful inspiration! It just amazes me all the time when people take something they love (cooking, skating, snowboarding, singing - whatever!) and make a career out of it. I hope to do the same someday.

Click HERE to see some awesome photos of Edgar, and some of the amazing & delicious looking creations!!