Recipe: Soup in the vegan lunchbox

posted by ebean

This recipe was inspired by The Vegan Lunchbox’s “Roasted Tomato Basil Soup”.  It is quick, easy, and tasty!

Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 can of tomato sauce, or tomato of some form (whatever you have in your cabinet)
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
Olive oil
Salt
Onion
Garlic powder
Cayenne
2 cups fresh basil leaves
Dried thyme

Directions:
Saute onions in olive oil.  Once translucent, add all the other ingredients to taste.  Use hand blender to blend the soup a little.  Bring to boil and the let simmer.  Eat it, yum!

Fuck Clean & Clear! An adventure in DIY skincare products

posted by ebean

Inspired by a recent discussion with some serious skincare specialists, I’ve decided to embark on a quest to create my own skincare products.  Your skin is your biggest organ, so why would you put something you couldn’t eat on it?

On the to-do list:
What I think I need and why I think I need it…

1.  Astringent – removes surface oils and bacteria, spot treatment on blemish, and aftercare if you must pop
2.  Face wash – cleans off the icky grime of city living and sweat
3.  Exfoliate – gets rid of dead skin, helping to prevent blemishes
4.  Face mask – deep pore cleansing
5.  Face lotion – hydrates and protects skin
6.  Night cream – seems like a really good idea

I’m going to be realistic.  I won’t be able to create everything at home, and in such cases, I’m on the hunt for a non-yucky store bought product.

Step 1:  Find recipes

Recipe: DIY Moo-Free Creamery

posted by freebean

With the stock market plummeting, I was in the mood for a little creamy goodness to help shift my mood and with a little inspiration from seabean’s sustenance post… et voila I decided to DIY myself some moo-free almond milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked 4-8 hours)
• 4 cups water
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 T non-alcohol vanilla extract
• 3 T maple syrup

Steps:
1- In a blender, at medium, then high speed, blend soaked almonds, water, and sea salt until smooth.

2- Pour through a strainer to separate pulp.

3- Pour liquid back in the the blender and blend in vanilla extract and maple syrup until smooth.

4- Pour yourself a glass. Enjoy. Share some with a special someone and/or save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cucumber – The New Lime

posted by freebean

My current obsession – cucumber infused water!  It is so refreshing and it just takes a few slices to flavor a whole pitcher!  I like to keep mine chilled in the fridge and then add a little garnish and a fancy glass to add some class.

This thirst-quenching infusion also works great with club soda (and vodka)!

And the best part?  I get my organic cucumbers delivered! (You can too if you are in NYC!)

my heart beets for you

published by freebean

a rosy, heart-healthy valentine’s week wish for you!
(a flower made out of kale and a ‘baked beet chip’ from the batch i just made)

make your own baked beet chips as a snack
get the facts – they’re unbeetable.

The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe Ever (and it’s vegan & gluten-free too!)

Posted by ebean

This is just about the easiest cookie recipe I have ever used.  The original inspiration is from the Country Life Vegetarian Cookbook.  I like to make my peanut butter cookies with chocolate or carob chips, gluten-free, and sugar/honey free…

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Easy pleasy vegan gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 c.  Maple, Agave, Brown Rice Syrup, or Honey (I read somewhere that honey inhibits protein absorption in vegans.  It scarred me.)

• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp. Salt

• 1 1/2 c. Peanut Butter (Organic or natural without partially hydrogenated oils!)

• 1/4 c. Oil

• 1 c.  Whole wheat flour (I used rice flour to make it gluten-free.)

• 1 c.  Oat flour (Again, I went gluten-free and used a really good gluten-free pancake & waffle mix by Cherrybrook Kitchen.)

• Optional chocolate or carob chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Form dough balls with your hands that are a little smaller than a golf ball.  But really, you can make the cookies whatever size you want as these won’t spread.  Place balls of dough on an oiled cookie sheet or parchment paper.  Smash each ball with a fork.  Bake for about 15 minutes, more or less.  Yum!

Have you seen these blogs?

Posted by guest blogger Molly Laurel

Word of caution: I read these blogs everyday, and soon you will too!

www.soulemama.com
A crafty mother of four living in Maine.  She will inspire you through her beautiful pictures, her creative children and her plethora of craft projects.

www.smittenkitchen.com
Woman with tiny New York kitchen still makes the most beautiful food you have ever seen.

www.101cookbooks.com
Healthy recipes that will help you feel like a million bucks.  I feel healthier just looking at her pictures.

Citrus Red Cabbage Salad

My new favorite salad.  Mix and match–the tasty possibilities are endless!

Citrus Red Cabbage Salad

Yum!

Ingredients:

• Red Cabbage sliced thin
  Red cabbage is great because it stays fresh much longer than green lettuce.  If you are lazy, you don’t really have to wash it — simply peel away outside layers.  Plus it helps boost your natural cancer-fighters.
• Carrots, grated
  Try grated beets too.  And cucumbers.  Yum!
• Green Onions
  Chop it into small pieces and try to stay away from the white parts (unless you really like them.)
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  Or try peanuts.
• Lemon Juice
• Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• Honey
  Might not be necessary if you use a beet and/or add pomegranate seeds.

Directions:
Chop cabbage and add to bowl.  Grate carrots and add.  Chop green onions and add.  Top with pepitas.  Squeeze lemon juice over salad (fresh is best).  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil, add some salt, and a drip or honey.  Serve and enjoy!

Purple Power Vegan Hemp Smoothie & why you MUST own a hand blender

Hand blenders make great pets!

Whether you are a college student, vegan, health-buff, hippie, urban apartment dweller, or fill-in-the-blank-here, a hand blender is a kitchen must.  As a vegan newbie back in college, my good friend and fellow diet converter was the proud and boastful owner of a shiny hand blender.  She’d rant and rave of the glories of the hand blender but it all mostly went in one ear and out the other.  We eventually parted ways, as many friends do, and when the dust settled, I was in a new neighborhood with no local vegan conspirators to handle my blending needs.  Being on a budget sent me to the local Target where I bought a cheap plastic blender that didn’t last more than 6 months.  That and the next few replacement blenders had their share of hummuses (or is it hummusi?), smoothies, margaritas, re-fried beans, dips, spreads, and tapenades.  I couldn’t imagine life without those blissful little blenders.

And then the unthinkable happened.  I received a $50 gift certificate and the inspiration to purchase a hand blender.  Looking back, I can’t recall the “why”, only the “must”.

The Perks of a Hand Blender
1.  Easy to clean
2.  Easy to store
3.  Less dishes to wash
4.  Can stick it directly into mixing bowls, pots, jars, and cups (so you’ll be way more likely to blend things when you know you ought to)
5.  They are shiny

Purple Power Vegan Hemp Smoothie

Hemp Protein Powder Rocks!

Ingredients:

• Grape juice or juice (CHECK THE LABEL!  Make sure it does not contain high fructose corn syrup because that is just nasty.)
• Banana and/or pear (Gives it a nice thick consistency without using yogurt or ice cream)
• Blackberries, blueberries, or generous handfuls of other miscellaneous berries
• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein Powder (I am not particularly attached to this specific brand, but it is what is on hand at the moment and I like it.  Unlike other protein powders, it is only hemp.)
• Hand blender (I guess you can use a regular blender)

Directions:

This is not rocket science. Put the bananas and berries into a cup. Add some juice. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of hemp powder. Blend, baby, blend. Enjoy!

Veggie Sushi for you and me

posted by ebean

Veggie sushi with braggs. Quick, easy, and tasty!

If you aren’t on the library’s waiting list for Terry and Isa’s new book, Veganomicon:  The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, you should be!  Brooklyn’s own vegan vixens have pulled together an awesome collection of inspired and inspiring vegan eats and treats that range from quick and delish to muy complicado.

Visit the Post Punk Kitchen for a comprehensive overview of vegan recipes, tip, tricks, and much more!

Read Terry and Isa’s tips and tricks here.