Hey There!

I'm sorry readers, for I have sinned. It has been over a month since my last post...I guess I'll accept my penance of posting lots of delicious recipes in the coming weeks (a penance that I'm actually pretty excited to do). I hope that I haven't lost all of you. The Bar Exam came and went, and I've been trying to get settled in at my new place ever since. (It's only been a few days).

I'm oh-so-excited to resume my life now that the Bar is over and now that I'm almost done moving. That being said, I owe a lot to this Bar Study (aka "hazing" experience). I can't remember the last time I was this healthy. I eat right (5 to 6 meals a day and lots of chickpeas, peanut butter, walnuts, and berries), go to the gym on a regular basis, and make sure to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep on most nights. I also have been treating myself and letting myself relax when I need (and deserve) it. My body feels good. My brain feels good, and I'm feeling pretty confident in myself these days.

For now, I leave you with pictures. I hope all is well, and I can't wait to her about all of your exciting summers. :)

Chili :)

St. Patrick's Day Recipe: Vegan Colcannon Pizza with Bacon-Flavored Onions

In coming up with a good St. Patrick's Day recipe, I decided to go with some of the ingredients that I already had. This is a relatively simple recipe. I come mainly from Irish and Eastern European descent, so anything starchy with cabbage is comforting and delicious in my book. Not to mention the fact that the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find.

I've already put up my recipe for Smashed Redskin Potato Pizza, but if you're looking for an Irish twist, go with this colcannon pizza. Serve with green beer or Guinness, and you're stomach will be nice and full to get you through St. Patrick's Day.

These "bacon-flavored" onions also turned out to be delicious. They have a bacon flavor, but I made them very quickly, so I wasn't aiming for perfection. Maybe next time. For whatever reason, I skimped on the onions when I made this, but don't worry, I added more in the recipe. Feel free to use less if you're not a big onion fan.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

2 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded

1 cup red onion, sliced

1/3 cup plain unsweetened almond milk

3 cloves garlic, cut in half

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. vegan buttery spread

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. salt (or more to taste)

A few dashes of paprika

Dash of cayenne

Dash of garlic powder

1 can pizza dough

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature directed by your pizza dough instructions. In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes, garlic cloves, and salted  water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for about 7 minutes. Stir in cabbage, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, precook the pizza dough for about  2/3 of the cooking time directed by your pizza dough package.

3. Also while the potatoes are cooking, in a small skillet, combine the onion, a dash of salt, a dash of cayenne, dash of paprika, and garlic powder. Turn the heat to medium-high, stir, and add the liquid smoke and 1/4 cup of water. Continue cooking for another 7 minutes, until the water and liquid smoke have reduced and formed a sauce.

4. Once the potatoes are ready, strain the potato/cabbage mixture, and return to pot. Stir in the almond milk, buttery spread, salt, and paprika. Mash with a potato masher.

5. When the pizza dough is ready, take it out of the oven, and brush it with olive oil. Spoon the potato mixture over the pizza dough and  spread it out evenly. Top it with the onions.

6. Bake the pizza in the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes. Once you take it out of the oven, top it with the remaining tablespoon of buttery spread. Let cool and serve.

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.

Product Review: Lotus Biscoff Spread:

After raving over this Biscoff Spread for months, my grandma gave me a jar of it when I was home over Christmas. I can't remember where she said that she got it, but she kept telling me how good it was, and she was so excited that it was vegan and that I could eat it.

Coined "Europe's alternative to peanut butter," this spread is truly delicious. Made with Lotus Biscoff cookies, it tastes like ginger snaps with touches of both cinnamon and brown sugar.

Though I love my peanut butter, this is a great replacement for days when I'm feeling a sweeter, more decadent flavor. This spread can be used to add more flavor to desserts, on toast, with fruit, as an icing for cookies or brownies, and in dressings. The possibilities are pretty much endless. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, so be sure to go pick it up at Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Wal Mart, or anywhere else you can find it. (There are more locations listed at biscoff.com - link below). 

Here's the link to the site: http://biscoff.com/biscoff-spread/.

Sriracha and Spicy Brown Mustard Boca Burgers + How to Season a Boca Burger:

I hope that everyone had an awesome weekend. I sure did. It was beautiful here in Orlando, and I was able to spend time with lots of friends.

Anyways, I figured I'd share this recipe because it's quick and easy, and I just loved the way the seasonings came together on these burgers. Feel free to omit the sriracha if you're not a fan of spicy. I just figured that it was a nice change from ketchup (and I just picked the sriracha up the other day and wanted to use it).

Ingredients:

4 Boca Burgers

Sriracha, to taste

Spicy Brown Mustard, to taste

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp. Paprika

1/4 tsp. Seasoned Salt

2 tsp. olive or canola oil

You'll Also Need:

4 burger buns

1 tomato, sliced

1 cup spinach

Serves 4. 

Total Cook Time: 15 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the Boca burgers, and sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, and seasoned salt over them. Flip burgers so that they have the seasonings and oil on each side.

2. Reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, flipping occasionally.

3. Serve on buns with spinach, tomatoes, sriracha, and brown mustard. (I put my sriracha and brown mustard on the side, just in case I wasn't feeling the heat of the sriracha). 

Vegan Healthy Green Soup:

Ingredients:

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 yellow onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup water

1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)

2 veggie bouillons

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

Dash of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Add the celery, onions, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt to a large pot. Heat on medium-high heat until a little charred and tender, about 7 minutes.

2. Transfer the veggies to a food processor. Add in about half of the water, and process until the mixture is smooth. 

3. Once the mixture is smooth, transfer it back to the large pot. Stir in the remaining water, almond milk, veggie bouillons, and cayenne. Bring the soup mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy.

Adventures in Vegan Cheesemaking: Vegan Muenster Cheese:

 I know you guys love vegan cheese recipes, so here's another! This is a mild cheese. It tastes a little like muenster cheese, or at least like muenster and provolone had a baby. Hope you like it.