My veg-curious friend gave me the best gift this Christmas: A collection of body creams from cruelty-free Brooklyn-based company Lollibomb! (This same friend, in the past year, has reduced her red meat and poultry intake almost entirely and confessed to me that she really feels a difference in her energy level, her complexion and general health. (yay veg!))
Back to Lollibomb: this vegan bath and body company whips up some deliciously scented, seriously creamy body butters. I'm not usually a fan of sweet body spreads, but this time around the winds have changed. So far I've indulged in Sweet Vanilla Bean and Sugar Rush body frosting, which nearly resembles actual frosting in texture, and I become pleasantly surprised, hours later knowing that I've carried that scent with me all day. It's not over powerful, but a little bit does go a long way. My skin is already softer and I smell good enough to eat!
Lollibomb for everyone. Check out their website for ridiculous flavors like Frosted Donuts and Gingerbread.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Vegan Pot Pie
I love a savory, steaming delicious pot pie. This year, although I've been raw for almost 9 months, I decided to stick with what I know people enjoy and make a vegan pot pie for Christmas Dinner.
I choose to use spelt flour, because it has more nutrients and is easier to digest than wheat flour. I also chose to use tempeh, because it is delicious and unprocessed. You can use tofu, if you prefer.
Vegan Pot Pie:
2 potatoes, diced (1 red, 1 white)
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 C chopped yellow onion
1 C chopped carrots
4 C cubed tempeh * see note
1/2 C frozen peas
1/2 C frozen green beans
1 TBSP fresh parsley, minced
Gravy
1 vegetable bouillon, dissolved in 2 Cups boiling water
2 1/2 TBSP shoyu
1 tsp dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano)
2 TBSP cornstarch or 4 tbsp arrowroot
1/4 C rice milk
salt and pepper
Crust:
1 C organic spelt flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 C olive oil
1-2 TBSP ice water *must be iced!
*note: Start by boiling tempeh for 10 minutes, set aside to cool and dice into small bite-sized pieces.
Thaw frozen vegetables during this time.
Boil diced potatoes in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Saute onions and carrots in heated saucepan until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Transfer to a casserole dish. I use an 8x8 2 Quart baking dish. Add potatoes, tempeh and parsley.
Make gravy in small saucepan on stove top. Combine veg stock, shoyu, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and whisk in cornstarch or arrowroot until sauce begins to thicken. This should take a about 1 minute. Add more thickening agent if mixture doesn't thicken. Slowly whisk in rice milk and take off heat. Pour mixture into casserole dish.
Preparing the crust is simple.
Combine salt and flour in food processor, pulsing until well-mixed. Add oil and process until mixture is crumbly. Slowly add water, with machine running until mixture forms a ball. Roll ball onto lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness or until large enough to cover casserole dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust becomes slightly browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Delicious.
This recipe serves 6-8 comfortably and is great for pot-luck dinners or as another side dish for the carnies.
I choose to use spelt flour, because it has more nutrients and is easier to digest than wheat flour. I also chose to use tempeh, because it is delicious and unprocessed. You can use tofu, if you prefer.
Vegan Pot Pie:
2 potatoes, diced (1 red, 1 white)
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 C chopped yellow onion
1 C chopped carrots
4 C cubed tempeh * see note
1/2 C frozen peas
1/2 C frozen green beans
1 TBSP fresh parsley, minced
Gravy
1 vegetable bouillon, dissolved in 2 Cups boiling water
2 1/2 TBSP shoyu
1 tsp dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano)
2 TBSP cornstarch or 4 tbsp arrowroot
1/4 C rice milk
salt and pepper
Crust:
1 C organic spelt flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 C olive oil
1-2 TBSP ice water *must be iced!
*note: Start by boiling tempeh for 10 minutes, set aside to cool and dice into small bite-sized pieces.
Thaw frozen vegetables during this time.
Boil diced potatoes in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Saute onions and carrots in heated saucepan until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Transfer to a casserole dish. I use an 8x8 2 Quart baking dish. Add potatoes, tempeh and parsley.
Make gravy in small saucepan on stove top. Combine veg stock, shoyu, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and whisk in cornstarch or arrowroot until sauce begins to thicken. This should take a about 1 minute. Add more thickening agent if mixture doesn't thicken. Slowly whisk in rice milk and take off heat. Pour mixture into casserole dish.
Preparing the crust is simple.
Combine salt and flour in food processor, pulsing until well-mixed. Add oil and process until mixture is crumbly. Slowly add water, with machine running until mixture forms a ball. Roll ball onto lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness or until large enough to cover casserole dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust becomes slightly browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Delicious.
This recipe serves 6-8 comfortably and is great for pot-luck dinners or as another side dish for the carnies.
holiday shuffle
It's been a while since I last posted on Musings, but I've been busy over at For the Love of Raw. For delicious tips on the raw stuffed mushrooms from Christmas Eve dinner, see Mushroom Love
The holidays totally wiped me out, between working retail, shopping and preparing a menu for two different dinners with my partners' family, I'm lucky I'm still standing.
After being reminded how much they loved my oatmeal cookies last year, I decided to make a huge batch of cookies for Christmas Eve, along with a delicious vegan pot pie for Christmas Day. December 23rd rolls around and wouldn't you know it, my oven is broken. Hardly a surprise, considering I haven't even turned it on since going raw in April!
The cookies never made it to Christmas Eve, but they did make it into an oven on Christmas.
The recipe is simple and one of my favorites. These cookies are so good, I recommend making at least two batches:
Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips (or Raisins) (OR both!)
1 C Spelt Flour
1 C organic rolled oats
3/4 C maple syrup
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C water
1/4 C safflower oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped from inside.
3/4 C vegan chocolate chips, or raisins, or combo of both
Preheat oven to 350'. Coat baking sheets with oil.
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients in small bowl.
Stir wet mixture gradually into dry ingredients until well mixed. Add chips and/or raisins until well-mixed.
Drop cookies on sheet using two teaspoons to make uniform-sized cookies, about 1 dozen per sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
Let sit on sheet until slightly cool.
Continue until all cookies are baked. Serve warm, they will be a crowd-pleaser!
*note: I especially love this recipe because it contains heart-healthy oatmeal and warming cinnamon. It is surprisingly low in fat, contains no soy products and no refined sugar. No one will ever know they are eating a cookie that might actually be good for them!
See following post for Vegan Pot Pie
The holidays totally wiped me out, between working retail, shopping and preparing a menu for two different dinners with my partners' family, I'm lucky I'm still standing.
After being reminded how much they loved my oatmeal cookies last year, I decided to make a huge batch of cookies for Christmas Eve, along with a delicious vegan pot pie for Christmas Day. December 23rd rolls around and wouldn't you know it, my oven is broken. Hardly a surprise, considering I haven't even turned it on since going raw in April!
The cookies never made it to Christmas Eve, but they did make it into an oven on Christmas.
The recipe is simple and one of my favorites. These cookies are so good, I recommend making at least two batches:
Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips (or Raisins) (OR both!)
1 C Spelt Flour
1 C organic rolled oats
3/4 C maple syrup
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C water
1/4 C safflower oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped from inside.
3/4 C vegan chocolate chips, or raisins, or combo of both
Preheat oven to 350'. Coat baking sheets with oil.
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients in small bowl.
Stir wet mixture gradually into dry ingredients until well mixed. Add chips and/or raisins until well-mixed.
Drop cookies on sheet using two teaspoons to make uniform-sized cookies, about 1 dozen per sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
Let sit on sheet until slightly cool.
Continue until all cookies are baked. Serve warm, they will be a crowd-pleaser!
*note: I especially love this recipe because it contains heart-healthy oatmeal and warming cinnamon. It is surprisingly low in fat, contains no soy products and no refined sugar. No one will ever know they are eating a cookie that might actually be good for them!
See following post for Vegan Pot Pie
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