Vegan Leftover Rice Bowls:

This is pretty much just a combination of ingredients that I had leftover from making tacos and fajitas the other night, but it's delicious all the same. Feel free to experiment with leftover veggies, beans, or rice that you may have in the fridge as well.

I have intended to post more often, but I've been experiencing technical troubles.  Every time I want to upload pictures to Blogger, I have to restart my computer. It's been a pain, especially considering the fact that, as of late, there are generally 10 Word documents and 12 Firefox tabs open on my computer, all of which are usually things that I'm actually working on at the moment. Oh well. Life goes on. :)

Another reason is that I've been enjoying leftovers a lot more. They're so convenient. I threw this together for lunch, and I loved every bite. Hope you like it as well.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1  yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 white or red onion, sliced

1 portobello mushroom cap, sliced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup salsa  

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil (divided + more if necessary)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

A few dashes of Kosher salt

A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Sriracha (optional, to taste)
A few slices of avocado

Serves 6.

Total Cook Time: About 25 minutes. 

Instructions:

1. While your cooked rice is still in the pot, add 1/2 tbsp. of the olive oil, a dash or two of salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Stir in the 1/2 cup of salsa and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring to coat.

2. Next, add the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of the olive oil, to a large skillet. Stir in the peppers, onion, and garlic. Season with another dash of salt, paprika, cayenne, and lemon juice. Cook on medium-high heat until the veggies start to get tender, about 7 minutes.

3. Stir in the mushrooms and add any extra seasonings to taste. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the veggies are cooked through and a little charred, about another 3 minutes.

4. Serve the rice in bowls topped with the cooked vegetables,chickpeas, and avocado. Drizzle the sriracha over top.

Enjoy :)

Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Hash:

As a vegan, big breakfasts can sometimes be a pain to throw together. (Usually I just don't have all of the ingredients). But this breakfast hash is perfect for any day. It's savory, comforting, filling, and delicious. What's even better is that these ingredients are cheap, and at least in my kitchen, readily on-hand. What more could you ask for in a breakfast?

I didn't have tofu or spinach when I made this, but they would be great additions to the hash. Also, though the grits are already rich and creamy, I sometimes add cashew cheese to make the grits a little creamier.

I made this so that I don't have to buy food at the airport. I just had to post this before I leave because it's one of my favorite meals yet, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to keep me full all day. I'm leaving for Colorado as soon as I finish this post! I'm pretty (okay...SUPER) excited!!!  I'm sure that I will have lots to tell once I get back. It's going to be awesome.

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cup water (for the grits + more for boiling the potatoes)
2/3 cup quick grits
1 1/2 cups potatoes, diced into 1/4 inch sections
1 1/2 cups tomato, diced
1 cup frozen green beans (optional)
2/3 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. plain almond milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. vegan buttery spread
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
Dash of paprika
Dash of Cajun Seasoning
Sriracha, to taste (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Stir in the frozen green beans, and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. While to potatoes are cooking, bring the 2 2/3 cups water to a boil for the grits. Once the water is boiling, whisk in the grits and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, cover, and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent clumps. Next, whisk in the buttery spread and almond milk, and continue cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

3. Once the potatoes and beans are ready, add the onions, garlic, potatoes, beans, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, paprika, and Cajun seasoning. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

4. After cooking the veggies for 5 minutes, add in the tomatoes. You may want to add a little more olive oil as well. Continue cooking on medium-high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Serve the hash mixture over the grits with sriracha.

Journal Entry: Visitors, Palm Coast, and Disney World:

My dad, step mom, and baby brother all came to visit me last week. We had an awesome time. Of course, after I've been telling them how beautiful the weather has been, they happened to visit on some of the only cold days that we've had this entire winter. That was a bummer, but we still managed to have fun.

After I picked them up at the airport, we stopped at Julie's Waterfront, a quaint little restaurant on Lake Jennie Jewel in Orlando. As some of the reviews say, the place has seen better days, but the food was delicious, the view was pretty, and they had lots of veggie options. The temperature was rapidly dropping, but we decided to sit outside and enjoy the sunset anyway. They did have heaters outside, which they kindly turned on for us.

After dinner, we decided to make a trip to Mall at Millenia, on the more touristy side of Orlando, right near Universal. I picked up some nice stuff: cheap jewelry, another cute America shirt, and a nice dress for my Barrister's Ball (aka "Law School Prom").

After we had done a little shopping, though I didn't understand how my family could still be hungry,  they decided that they needed to get ice cream at the food court. After all, they were on vacation. I was tempted to order the always delicious raspberry sorbet, but my dad suggested another place with fresh fruit smoothies. I elected to take that route, and ordered a strawberry, banana, and raspberry smoothie. It filled me up even more, but I was very happy with my choice.

On Sunday, we decided to weather the cold, and visited my cousin Val and her family, who have a beautiful beach house in Palm Coast. For lunch, we enjoyed wine while overlooking the ocean, and later, we gobbled up some barbecue on the inter-coastal for dinner. It was nice to have some family time. I really miss that down here.

The next day, we decided to go to Disney. They just added a new section to Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland, which has 2 new sections so far: The Enchanted Forest, which was modeled after scenes and characters from Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and Storybook Circus, which was inspired by Dumbo. The detail of the entire place is incredible. It always makes me want to travel. It reminds me of all of the quaint, little villages that I've seen around the world, and that magic really does exist.

It was my little brother's first time that he was old enough to really remember being at Disney, and because there weren't any other big kids there, we got to do a lot of fun little kid stuff for him. Being the youngest, he's usually dragged to all of the stuff that everyone else wants to do, and though he loves it, I feel like he doesn't get to be a kid enough. (Throughout the years, we've dragged him on Jaws, Jurassic Park, and lots of other rides that we forget are still scary for little kids).

I was reminded of how little he is when he squeezed my hand at the beginning of the Lilo & Stitch ride, scared and not knowing what was coming next, and again when he laughed when he realized that the "Level 3 Criminal" was only Stitch.  But, as always, he's growing up too quickly. I really miss squeezing his chubby baby cheeks, but I'm glad that he's still a kid. He needed a day to really be one.

...So that's just what we did, we got to be kids for the day, and I'm so thankful to Ashton for giving me the opportunity to be a kid with him and to remember that he's still little, even if just for a day.

Once it was warm enough for lizards to come out, Ashton and I did some lizard-catching. Other than that, we hung out, ate lots of fruit and Publix bread (my dad loves Publix bread), and chilled out. It was really nice. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to see my family more often next year. ❤

Quick Banana & Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Vegan Sorbet:

I had this for breakfast the other day. It tastes like a banana split. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make. I just pulled the frozen fruit out, threw in a couple more ingredients, and then whipped up this pretty concoction in 2 minutes flat. No ice cream machine required. You only need a blender or food processor. Top with actual chocolate-covered strawberries if you want. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 bananas, sliced and frozen

4 fresh strawberries, frozen*

Hershey's Syrup (yes, it's vegan), to taste

Sprinkles (optional)

Serves 2. 

Total Cook Time: 5 minutes + a few hours for freezing the fruit

Instructions:

Add the frozen bananas, strawberries, almond milk, and 2 tsp. of Hershey's syrup to your food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding more almond milk and chocolate as necessary to achieve desired consistency and flavor. Top with sprinkles, chopped nuts, and Hershey's Syrup (or other melted vegan chocolate).

*You can use frozen strawberries too. I just liked how the fresh ones tasted in this sorbet. 

Vegan Reeses Cups (Sorta):

 

I happened to be reading through my The Kind Diet book the other day, and came across Alicia Silverstone's recipe for these chocolate peanut butter cups that I haven't gotten to make yet. They're sort of like Reeses, just better. I used dark bittersweet chocolate for them, and it turned out to be amazing. They only take between 5 and 10 minutes to make, but you should refrigerate them for at least two hours before serving. You can also always throw them in the freezer for an hour or so. These are a perfect dessert to bring to a party or for any occasion. (I like them for breakfast). 

Find the recipe at Alicia's website: The Kind Life.

 

Death By Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie: Vegan!

Chocolate and peanut butter pie that's vegan and healthy for me? YES PLEASE.

I can't believe how easy this was to make...not to mention the fact that I came up with this off the top of my head. (What can I say? I'm amazing). Just kidding...anyways, if you're a peanut butter addict like me, you're going to love this cheesecake, and if you're not, you're still going to love it. PS: this pie has more than a serving of vegetables in it.

The avocado gives this a smooth texture, though you can add some silken tofu to the mix in order to bulk this pie up a little (and make it more like cheesecake. Given the fact that I'm a poor law student, I didn't use the tofu that I have because I wanted to save it for something else. I also ran out of almond milk today, so I decided to just use water instead. It worked out well.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup avocado

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. peanut butter

1/3 cup water or plain unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Dash of salt

1 premade pie crust 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Blend all of the ingredients in your food processor until smooth and creamy, and then spoon the mixture evenly into your premade pie crust.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the mixture cool, and then let it set in the fridge for a few hours, and then savor it. :)

Out & About: Melt Bar and Grilled:

MELT BAR AND GRILLED:

 Glorified Grilled Cheese: I love it, and I could live off of this stuff. 

I met up with my brother at Melt for lunch after a meeting I had in Cleveland the other day. My cousin has been talking Melt up for over a year now. I'm just never home long enough to make it up to Cleveland. 

I'm glad that Mac and I decided to try it out. It was delicious. They have a lot of vegan and vegetarian options, and they have Daiya cheese. It's essentially a glorified grilled cheese joint, with a variety of options, from falafel to a nice long list of microbrews. 

I got the Roasted Vegetable Sandwich and added mushrooms and Daiya mozzarella cheese. I would say that the pesto on the sandwich was "to die for," but I hate that expression, so I will just tell you that it was heavenly and that I wish I had ordered one to go so that I could be eating it right now.

The zucchini, eggplant, roasted red pepper, carrots, and spinach drenched in pesto and covered in "cheese" left me smiling all day long, not to mention the fact that I was able to have lunch with one of my favorite baby brothers.

I should've gotten better pictures, but I always feel incredibly awkward while taking pictures of my food while I'm out to eat (as if I wasn't weird enough by ordering a vegan meal). Anyways, the pictures don't do the sandwich justice, but I promise you that it was delectable. The atmosphere is also very cozy and fun. If you're ever near one of Melt's Cleveland area locations, you should stop in and give it a try. Check out their website here: Melt Bar and Grilled.

Rich pesto with roasted mushrooms and Daiya Mozzarella: everything a girl could ask for in a grilled cheese.

Already?!

In honor of Vegan MoFo coming to a close, I'm posting links to a few of my favorite recipes that I bookmarked over the course of Vegan MoFo...here they are:

Chana Masala Hummus, cherry tomatoes, Veggies Rustic Pizza - Vegan Richa
Hollyhock Berry Pie Recipe - Barefoot and Frolicking
SWEET APRICOT+ ROSEMARY ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH OVER CABBAGE WITH CRUSHED POPCORN AND SPROUTS - Big Mike's Eats
Homemade Vegan Ham - Chubby Vegan Mom
Quinoa Stuffed Mushrooms with Slow Roasted Tomatoes - From Kristen's Kitchen to Yours
Vegan MoFo - Stopover 16 - Austria - Veganise This!
Pineapple & Tofu Red Curry - Bite Me (I'm Vegan)

I have a lot more recipes bookmarked. I just didn't want to go overboard. As for my MoFo recipes, here are a few of my favorites:

Butternut Squash, Apricot, and Raspberry Tarts With Rosemary, Popcorn, and Pecan Crust
Baked Falafel With Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
Vegan Corn and White Bean Summer Salad
Fresh Cucumber Salad
Kale, Bell Pepper, Grape Tomato, and Radish Veggie Bowls
Lightened-Up and Vegan "Fried Green Tomatoes"
Twist on Raw Cashew Cheese: Cashew "Cheddar" Cheese

PS: I hope you stick around...I'm posting the most awesome mini cheesecake recipe tomorrow, so don't be a stranger! ❤☮

Vegan "Mac & Cheese" Pasta Salad:

This is delicious and really filling. It's comforting and pretty healthy at the same time. I added most of the vegetables raw, but you can cook them a little before if you want. I would've loved to have put this salad in a casserole dish, topped it with breadcrumbs, and baked it in the oven. I just didn't have the time. Needless to say, that's another option as well.

Get creative with this and add whatever veggies you like the most. I think broccoli would compliment this perfectly, and if you're going to cook the veggies, onions and garlic would add a whole new layer of flavor.

 
Ingredients:

1 box macaroni or rotini, cooked

"Cheesy" Goodness :)

1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash (directions for roasting below)
1 (15 oz.) can black-eye peas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or sliced (I ran out, so I didn't use them, but I recommend them!)
1 cup kale
2/3 cup portabello mushrooms, diced
2/3 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread (Optional - use less for less fat)
1 tbsp. tahini
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Dash of salt (to taste)

Serves 4.
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes (if the squash is already roasted), 60 to 90 minutes if you have to roast the squash.

Instructions:

1. If you haven't roasted the squash yet, cut it in half, removed the seeds, spray it with oil, and place it on a baking sheet. Bake it at 400 until it's very soft, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on its size. Once it has cooled enough to touch, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the squash.

2. Cook the pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and set aside.

3. Steam the kale in a wire colander over a saucepan with 2/3 cup boiling water.

4. Next, add the butternut squash, almond milk, Earth Balance, tahini, salt, and nutritional yeast to your food processor. Process the mixture until it's smooth and creamy.

5. Add the mixture to a medium saucepan, and heat on medium heat until the Earth Balance is melted and the flavors have soaked in a little, 7 to 10 minutes.

6. Once the pasta is ready, mix the squash/"cheese" mixture in with the pasta. Mix in the black-eye peas, bell pepper, mushroom, yellow squash, kale, and grape tomatoes.

For dinner, I added homemade vegan mozzarella and more butternut squash.

Vegan MoFo "Chopped" Challenge: Brunch:

I got super-excited when I saw Vegan MoFo's "Chopped" Challenge and the course that we have to make: brunch! The "mystery" ingredients are: butternut squash, apricot preserves, popcorn, and rosemary. I'm thinking of sipping mimosas and cute little tarts, so this is what I came up with:

Butternut Squash, Apricot, and Raspberry Tarts With Rosemary, Popcorn, and Pecan Crust:

This turned out so delicious: savory and sweet with a little bit of a tangy flavor. I could totally eat both the popcorn, pecan, and rosemary crust and the butternut squash apricot filling separately on their own, but when you put both of them together, it really makes a statement. Yum!

Here's the recipe! (Sorry for going a little crazy with the pictures!)

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling:

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, roasted (I will explain this in the instructions)
1 cup apricot preserves

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (I used frozen mixed berries)
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar (optional)
1/3 cup water

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups pecan halves
2 1/2 cups "Simply Salted" (or plain) popcorn, popped
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
Dash of Kosher Salt (or Sea Salt)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Roast your butternut squash in the oven on 400 for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Add the pecans, popcorn, brown sugar, and rosemary to your food processor. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Process the mixture until it has formed into small crumbles (pictured above). Pour it into a medium bowl, and mix in the melted Earth Balance spread.

3. Add the roasted squash, apricot preserves, and brown sugar to your processor and blend until smooth.

4. In a small saucepan, add 1/3 cup water, agave nectar, and the frozen berries. Bring to a boil, let cook for a few minutes until it has thickened a little. Remove from heat.

4. Spoon the pecan mixture into a lined cupcake pan, filling each individual cupcake tin about 1/3 of the way up. After that, spoon the squash and apricot mixture on top, filling the cupcake tins. Drizzle about a teaspoon of the berry mixture on top of each tart, and top each tart with the remaining pecan mixture/crumbles.

5. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with popcorn and rosemary!

I hope you like it...let me know what you think!!! ❤❤❤☺☮ PS: These are gluten free.

Favorite Recipes:

In honor of Vegan Mofo, and because I will be traveling most of the day and won't be cooking, I figured that I'd share some of my favorite and most popular recipes on But Yes...I Do Eat Potatoes (so far). I hope you enjoy them! ❤❤❤

Quinoa Salad (With Lots of Good Stuff!)

Quick Penne With Vegan Cream Sauce

Smashed Redskin Potato Pizza

Vegan Polenta With Mixed Veggies and Tempeh Wings

Vegan Burrito Bowls (AKA: Pure Awesomeness)

4-Ingredient All Purpose Avocado Sauce (AKA: Heaven)

Cilantro and White Bean Salad With Carrots and Green Peppers