Tag: Vegan

• Garden Fresh

  Posted at 7:49 AM by Brittany, on September 6, 2013

  While I love growing my own produce, I reallllyyy love reaping the benefits of other peoples home grown produce. You can imagine my excitment when I came home the other night to find these sitting on my kitchen table…

  

  If I had any doubts about what veggies to pair with my cous cous for dinner, they were instantly squashed from my mind. Also, not pictured were some heirloom tomatoes. I was inspired to harvest some Swiss chard from my own garden and create my meal.

  

  Simple, yet oh so delicious. I ran a whopping 3 miles to earn this feast.

  Speaking of miles, I am welcoming this week of “easier runs.” My body has felt so fatigued lately thanks to long days at work, running, getting a head cold, Aunt Flo coming to visit, and insanity. I am allowing myself to skip insanity if I feel too tired (I never skip my runs though.) There is not enough coffee in the day to give me the energy to do insanity at 8PM. Just no. Even this beauty doesn’t cut it…

  

  Please note the DEEP pocket of foam. I now sprinkle pumpkin spice on top of my lattes to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I sipped this amazing creation while staring out the window while it poured rain. Fall is coming..better harvest my garden while I still can!

  Q: Did you get a good garden harvest this year? Your own or someone else’s?

  

  | 46 Comments Tagged Fall, Garden, Harvest, Produce, Running, Vegan

• Hold the Cheese Please

  Posted at 7:52 AM by Brittany, on August 30, 2013

  If anyone ever tells you that you need cheese on your pizza, look them straight in the eye and say, “NO, cheese clogs your colon!” Actually I happen to love cheese, I just don’t eat it these days. I promise I don’t judge those that do, but I think making pizza without cheese forces you to be more creative with your flavor combinations. I’ve had my fair share of vegan pizzas before and each time I do the flavor combinations get a little more wild.

  When deciding what to make for dinner the other night, I suddenly remembered I had some walnut cream sauce left from my dinner last week. Pizza immediately popped into my head as a way to finish up the sauce. BOOM. The only problem was that I didn’t have any yeast on deck, and I didn’t want to drive to the store just for that. To be honest I just didn’t want to use the yeast period..so I didn’t! This yeast free dough turned out great!

  

  Yeast Free Pizza Dough

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat (or all purpose) flour
  • 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tblsp olive oil
  • 1 cup of water (possible a skosh more)

  

  Mix your dry ingredients together and then add in your water and oil. I used a fork for maybe 5 seconds before getting my hands in there and rolling the dough around until it was well combined. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes and then roll out onto baking tray (I used a pizza stone) and top with desired ingredients!

  I topped mine with the walnut sauce, spinach, rosemary potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted beets, chopped green onions and not photographed nutritional yeast. For my veggies I roasted each of them before topping my pizza dough, the pizza will only take about 20 minutes at 400F so you want these veggies already cooked for the most part. The potatoes were roasted with the rosemary prior to topping the pizza.

  

  This pizza hit the spot, and even my non vegan family members gave it two thumbs up. The best part? Leftovers for lunch! Somehow leftovers make me just as excited.

  

  Q: What’s your favorite pizza topping? Potatoes are essential for me on pizza.  

  

  | 66 Comments Tagged Pizza, Recipe, Vegan

• Apple Spice Cupcakes…Turned Muffins

  Posted at 7:48 AM by Brittany, on August 28, 2013

  The other day I started to bake some cupcakes, because you know..I didn’t get enough last weekend. In my defense, the cupcakes my mom brought me just didn’t hit the spot. DON’T get me wrong, they were unbelievably delicious, but a lemon cake with raspberry filling is so… last summer. (Disclaimer: I’d never turn down a cupcake regardless of flavor.)

  I am foaming at the mouth for fall to hurry up and get here, so to honor my favorite season I got spicy in the kitchen with cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring on the fall spices! Sadly, the maple “butter” cream icing I attempted to make turned into a soupy mess, which means these went from cupcakes to muffins faster than you can say, “vegan butter is a b*^ch.”

  Apple Spice Cupcakes/Muffins

  

  For the apples

  • 3 peeled and cored apples, diced into cubes
  • 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tblsp flour
  • 2 tblsp brown sugar
  • 1 tblsp coconut oil

  Toss your apples in the spices and flour. Over medium heat, heat the brown sugar and coconut oil until slightly bubbly. Add in your apples and cook until caramelized, most of the liquid has been cooked off, and the apples are soft. Remove from heat and let cool.

  For the cupcakes

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tblsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

  Mix together the almond milk and lemon juice and let sit for a minute to curdle. Then add in the oil, sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine your spices, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Once combined, add to the milk mixture.

  

  So much apple goodness

  Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. I used the ADORABLE liners my dear friend Lily sent me a while back. Fold the cooled apples into the cupcake batter and fill your liners almost to the top. Your kitchen will smell like FALL!

  I am a bit depressed that the icing didn’t turn out, I had some high hopes for these cupcakes. Muffins are good too though, and sometimes trying to turn a non vegan recipe into a vegan one just doesn’t work. Live and learn. Overall these were still delicious and I ended up eating them with a GLOB of PB on top. I will make these again!

  Q: Do you get bummed when you have kitchen failures? I’ve gotten a lot better in time, I used to have internal melt downs. Failures are now excuses to bake again! 

  

  | 65 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Fall, Recipe, Vegan

• Let’s Get Saucy!

  Posted at 7:33 AM by Brittany, on August 26, 2013

  Sometimes my mom takes on the shape of an angel, a cupcake carrying angel.

  

  Yeah, this totally happened.

  Bottom two are mine, but the others deserved to be in the picture too because they are gorgeous. Especially middle left. Lets take another look from a different angle.

  

  I don’t know if I should admit to people how amazing I feel inside just looking at cupcakes like this. There is an ART about cupcake decorating that just gets me excited. You know what else gets me excited..secrets..inner secrets.

  

  Food porn as its finest.

  To balance out the cupcakes I’ve been inhaling eating, I am also making myself decent meals. I’ve really started to fall back in love with the concept of taking the time to cook.

  

  Cous cous, avocado, tomato, and pistachios over a bed of Swiss chard.

  I bring bowls like this to work with me to prevent me from cracking out on too much coffee. It’s all about balancing the caffeine with real food, or so I tell myself. This snack takes no more than 10 minutes to throw together, but is so much heartier than a PB&J.

  Insanity is still insane, and running is going fine. I have felt a bit tired these days, but I think it’s because I’m not eating enough cupcakes..that’s obviously why (however these cupcakes fueled my 7 mile run this weekend at a 9:42 pace per mile.) I’ve also been ravenous at times due to the extra calories I am burning, which helps give me motivation to continue making myself some solid dinners.

  

  I had a recent craving for gnocchi, because I think it had been at least a year since I last had it! One day I will make my own from scratch, but for now the tricolored gnocchi from my local market does just fine. Paired with roasted beets, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sauteed asparagus for a complete meal. Let’s get a close up of that saucy gnocchi.

  

  I made a walnut cream sauce to lather on top. For those of you that love the heavy cream based sauces I encourage you to try making a nut based sauce, it will change your life.

  Walnut “Cream” Sauce 

  • raw walnuts (or sub in any nut-cashews are my favorite, but this is what I had)
  • water
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • lemon juice

  -This is somewhat of a DIY recipe, basically you will need equal parts water and nuts. Combine the two in your high powered blender, or food processor and blend. For a thicker sauce, add more nuts, and for a thinner sauce add more water. Experiment with whatever consistency you prefer. I used about a cup of nuts/water for two people.

  -With the seasonings I used about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder, and about 1/2 tsp of sea salt. I squeezed in half of a lemon (completely squeezed, you will need to drain that lemon dry.) Blend again. The fattiness of the walnuts balance these flavors perfectly.

  With the leftover sauce I plan to make more veggie/grain bowls and continue gettin saucy!

  Q: What’s your favorite sauce? SALSAAAA and mustard find their way onto most things I eat, but I am always a fan of nut sauces! 

  

  | 80 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Insanity, Recipe, Running, Vegan

• Brittany, Party of One…

  Posted at 9:58 AM by Brittany, on August 22, 2013

  …your table is ready! Does anyone else ever feel like it’s easier to slap some bread together or throw some spinach in a tortilla and call it dinner? This may be easy, but where is the fun, where is the inspiration, where is the EXCITEMENT?! Who says elaborate meals have to be enjoyed with other people? I want to start making them for myself..solo style.

  I haven’t been in much of a cooking mood these days, but with a bit of a push I am slowly getting back to making myself some decent meals. Not to say that a PB&J isn’t decent, it’s just not decent to eat every morning, afternoon, and evening. Sure, cooking with others is WICKED fun, but don’t think for one minute solo dining isn’t worthy of a solid meal.

  

  A classic meal is always a good place to start when jumping back onto the cooking bandwagon. Whole wheat spaghetti with roasted Brussels sprouts, sauteed asparagus, raw Swiss chard, and an avocado. Lightly tossed with lemon juice and simple seasonings.

  Even after a long, LONG day, there is something so rewarding about taking the time to prepare a proper meal. No body likes a lazy lass. I look forward to making lots of squash and potatoes in the next few months. Fall is coming, and we’ve already started to decorate.

  

  Sure it’s still August..but you can never be too early for fall, HAHA! Just ask Starbies, they already have the PSL mix (not available to the public yet)!! Sadly it contains milk, perhaps there is a vegan with benefits day in my fall future! Or maybe I should create my own..

  I’m feeling optimistic today, and I have a calm/positive mind. If I could, I would take a leaf blower and send some of my feel good to all of you! Sharing is caring my friends. Next time you feel like you’re lacking motivation to treat your body to a good solo meal, slap your hand and get your fanny to the market to buy some fresh delicious food! You’re welcome.

  

  Food for thought!

  Q: Do you cook for yourself (or your family) everynight? I find it’s easier to consistently cook meals when there are other people involved. Cooking for one is harder for me, but SO much more important. Treat yourself right! 

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Fall, Food, Recipe, Vegan

• A Much Needed Foodie Adventure

  Posted at 1:35 PM by Brittany, on August 16, 2013

  My soul feels rejuvenated after a full day of amazing eats, and even better company. You know your day is going to be great when it starts out with a view like this.

  

  Vegan cupcakes galore at my favorite bakery. I behaved and ate brunch before I got a cupcake, although my meal was more of a snack/treat.

  

  Corn cakes with the most amazing vegan cream sauce and fresh berries. I cannot wait to go back and get a real meal. Any excuse to get more cupcakes…and a ginger molasses cookie.

  After a walk, skip, and a jump it was already time for lunch/another snack before dinner. The last time I had a legit vegan pizza was almost three months ago. Vegan pizza by the slice? YES, sign me up. The only thing missing from this pizza was potatoes.

  

  I don’t think they could have squeezed anything else on there if they tried. This slice gave me just enough energy to partake in some shopping, and some berry picking.

  

  I need pie…now. OK OK, now for my favorite meal of the day..summer is almost over and I had yet to make burgers. Better late than never right!?

  Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers 

  

  • 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1  med/large cooked sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 6 tblsp rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tblsp olive oil

  

  1. Preheat your oven to 375F, once you finish cooking your quinoa and sweet potato.
  2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
  3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, mash the sweet tater, but you don’t want it creamy.
  5. Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne, and olive oil, until combined.
  6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, and ground oats, until just combined.
  7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
  8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
  9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through. Finish and serve!

  I topped mine with tomato, roasted red pepper, avocado, swiss chard, and BBQ sauce. As always I make my burgers and sandwiches so tall I can barely fit my mouth around them.

  

  Bon Appétit!

  Oh and I saved the best for last..somehow I managed to save the cupcake I got at brunch for after dinner. Seven hours after purchase I sunk my teeth into the most gorgeous sight.

  

  Lemon Lavender..swoon.

  Q: What does it take for you to recharge after a long week? Good food, and great company did it for me this week! 

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged Cupcake, Recipe, Summer, Vegan

• Hanging On and Moving Forward

  Posted at 6:54 AM by Brittany, on August 14, 2013

  Last week I ran on my treadmill without wanting to blow up a building full of bunnies. Running inside on that hamster wheel makes me more angry than having to share my cupcakes. Usually I can’t stay on the treadmill for more than 3 miles, but I did and the run was actually very enjoyable. I was able to punch dance to some good music too.

  To celebrate this running success (because I will find a reason to celebrate anything) I decided to bake! I haven’t baked in two months. That’s two months too long. After seeing some bananas in my kitchen that were on their last days of life, I knew what to bake. I had enough bananas to bake TWO variations of banana bread. One to honor summer, and one to move forward into fall..aka the best season..aka pumpkin central..aka I CAN’T WAIT!

  “Hanging Onto Summer” Blueberry Banana Bread

  

  • 3 large overly ripe bananas
  • 2 tblsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup raspberry honey*
    
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

  *I use honey in my baking, for a true vegan recipe use agave or molasses.

  

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or wipe a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil.
  2. Mix the almond milk with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let sit until it curdles.
  3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the remaining lemon juice, almond milk, and honey. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined. Fold in the blueberries.
  4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

  

  “Moving Forward to Fall” Pumpkin Cinnamon Banana Bread

  

  • 2 overly ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • chia seed “egg” (1 tbsp chia seeds + 1/8 cup water)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tblsp cinnamon

  

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mash banana and then add the melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla, chia seed “egg” and mix together.
  3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine. Then add the cinnamon and stir.
  5. Pour into 4 small loaf pans, and then sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top of each loaf. Bake for 50 minutes.

  

  The pumpkin cinnamon loaves made my entire house smell like fall! I will be making this version again very soon. It was hands down my favorite. If I could make some changes I would have baked the blueberry bread in the four loaf pan as well to help minimize chewiness. Overall this was a successful 3.5 hrs in the kitchen.

  Q: What’s your favorite version of banana bread?

  

  | 73 Comments Tagged Baking, Fall, Recipe, Running, Vegan

• Hangry

  Posted at 9:39 AM by Brittany, on July 31, 2013

  Monday was my sisters 29th birthday. To celebrate, my family and I went to eat at Red Robin. The weather was nice, which permitted us to sit outside. Big mistake. While it felt good outside, I think the waitress forgot there were people out there because it took WAY too long to get our food. I was getting so hangry I was ready to fight.

  

  My brain was like a forest fire until this burger was placed in front of my face. The second I got my food I turned into a tornado and it’s a wonder I didn’t choke. Sometimes I wish I had a set of gills that I could use to breathe through while I run train on my food.

  

  I would have eaten the plate if it weren’t plastic. Do not cross me when I am hangry.

  

  I look something like this.

  I don’t go out to eat very often because: A. It can get expensive, B. My waistline doesn’t like it, and C. I like to know exactly what I am eating, and with restaurant meals that’s almost impossible. With that said when I DO go out to eat, I take my “vegan” diet with a grain of salt. I like to go to all vegan restaurants when I can, but sometimes I go elsewhere.

  This meal for example is a Boca burger. The patty is vegan, but I have no idea what’s in the bun. Normally whole wheat buns are vegan, but I don’t ask when I am at restaurants. I don’t want to be “that person” that asks for every single ingredient, and if I were I should just stay home. SO I don’t eat out often, but when I do I close my eyes and assume my bread is vegan. C’est la vie..vegan with benefits at its finest.

  My booty has started to resemble Jupiter lately and in order to combat the severe case of belly bloat I have, today will be a day of SMOOTHIES! Bye bye broccoli gas, hello flat belly. Lots of fruit means LOTs of fiber. I like to ensure my colon never looks like an LA freeway in the middle of rush hour traffic. I need smooth sailing every day.

  

  Thankfully my work has fruit. I’ve been drinking this smoothie nearly every day. So simple, but so good. Splash of strawberry puree (I balance this with some water) splash of soy milk, a banana, and two packs of blueberries. Who says you have to get coffee at a coffee shop? Free smoothies never tasted so good.

  Q: Do you turn into a tornado when you are hangry?

  

  | 70 Comments Tagged Hangry, Red Robin, Smoothie, Starbucks, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 5:21 AM by Brittany, on July 29, 2013

  1. Lately my life has been very textbook. I literally do the same thing everyday. I wake up, I coffee, I eat, I let coffee do its job, I run, I work, I run, I eat, I sleep, I work. My days are a bit numb, but I’m glad to be busy. I’m working 11 days in a row and I don’t even care.

  

  My own smoothie creation.

  2. If you dare me to do something I’ll most likely do it. Add money to the conversation and it’s a sure go. I made a dollar yesterday just to bite into a brown banana. Don’t people know that this is when bananas are best? I didn’t dare spill my secret, and my dollar is safe in my pocket. I imagined biting the banana skin is what it’s like to be a Tasmanian devil. 

  3. While taking awkward photos proving I occasionally wear girl clothes before the wedding I went to last weekend, I noticed my uneven scapula’s. When I was 13 I broke my collar bone, and clearly the broken size droops. I had no idea..haha.

  

  I was trying to show off my runners tan, and instead I have a pathetic tan and uneven shoulders. Please tell me you notice it… it’s on —> side.

  4. I don’t like telling people I’m a vegan. In fact I don’t really like calling myself a vegan. The title is too stereotypical these days and too many people judge me before they know me. Just because I don’t want to put dead animals or their teet milk in my body, doesn’t mean I run around with butterflies and rainbows. My blog is another story obviously.

  5. My meals have been completely unimaginative lately. I need to find my spark in the kitchen again because I miss it. All I eat are a lot of veggie bowls with some kind of protein base. I also still lather my face with peanut butter, I just can’t get enough. Oh and fruit. Basically I am pretending I am a survivalist in my kitchen and eating off the land.

  

  

  Lunch break with lady green.

  6. I am already craving fall. Crisp morning runs, crunchy leaves, pumpkin GALORE! Only a couple more months!! Just the thought makes me twitch with excitement. Twitch.

  7. My cat is a ninja. That is all.

  

  Climbing up jackets on the wall.

  

  Observing his prey (aka me while I am running..what a creep!) Also please don’t be jealous of my TV circa the 1700’s.

  

  Fangs of death.

  8. My confession posts are becoming more frequent. My topics to write about are too small for their own post, but just important enough to deserve being mentioned. It’s time I work on a new recipe. I haven’t had cake in weeks and my desire to shank is coming back.

  9. Somehow the Starbucks bag makes it into a lot of my pictures. The wannabe photographer in me thinks it’s artsy. Hanging out with my cat all day will do that.

  

  10. I used to wake up at 3:30 AM every morning for work. Today I woke up at 4:30 AM for work and felt like I was hobbling around like a drunk monkey. HOW did I do this every morning? Just another example of the wonder that is the human body. After an hour and an IV of coffee I was agile and glad to be up before the sun, and the world.

  Q: Who likes to wake up early? I do I do, but my ideal time is 6AM.
  

  

  | 84 Comments Tagged Cats, Coffee, Confessions, Random, Running, Starbucks, Vegan

• Early Morning Confessions

  Posted at 6:50 AM by Brittany, on July 19, 2013

  1. My dad once told me, “a sandwich is not a sandwich without some crunch.” I couldn’t agree more. Chips make for the ultimate crunch in a sandwich, but so does kale and chard.

  

  

  Perfect bread:greens ratio.

  2. I’ve consumed way too much coffee lately. Sigh.

  3. I won the most amazing giveaway a few days ago. I was lucky enough to finally try Lindsay’s healthy bites and OH MY GOSH. They have been taunting me for months, but after tasting them..I died and went to heaven. Please order yourself some, NOW!

  

  4. I was supposed to store my healthy bites in the freezer, but that was not necessary. I knew they would be gone within a few days…I was right…

  5. I got my first pair of compression socks in the mail. They are cozy.

  

  Black..to match my soul.

  6. I signed up for my third half marathon in October. Whoop whoop. I am super jazzed.

  7. The only reason I carry a bag while I’m away on day trips is to smuggle food with me.

  

  Food and a rubber-banded wad of cash…to buy more food.

  8. I’m almost ashamed at the amount of PB I have eaten in the last week. Almost, but not really. I will be getting more the moment I hit publish on this post.

  9. My cat has learned how to climb up jackets that are hanging on the wall. Such a ninja.

  

  Please notice the tongue slightly sticking out. Such a creep.

  10. This post is ridiculously sporadic and has little to no depth. For a more meaningful post go back and read my last post about my amazing running. I love running. YAY running.

  Q: What’s your confession?

  

  | 75 Comments Tagged Cats, Confessions, Half Marathon, Random, Running, Vegan

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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