Creamy Red Pepper Vinaigrette - Vegan!

Just a quick post today with a new recipe for Creamy Red Pepper Vinaigrette that is VEGAN!  This can actually be a dip or a dressing!  It's super yummy!  I was going to make something completely different and already put a large amount of Apple Cider Vinegar into my blender and realized I didn't have 2 main ingredients I needed for the recipe I was looking at so instead of wasting what was already in there I shifted gears and came up with a Creamy Red Pepper Vinegar Diddy!

I had some leftover cauliflower and multi-colored mini peppers for dipping.  This was a snack last night and RAW too!

Below you can check out the recipe!  I had a few other things I was going to try and blog about this week but will hold off until next week instead!  Happy Weekend!


Creamy Red Pepper Vinaigrette Recipe

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 C Cashews
3 T Hemp Seeds
5 Mini Sweet Red Peppers
1/2 T Minced Garlic
1/2 C (or more to thin) Water
3 T Nutritional Yeast
1 tea Smoked Paprika

For a more savory flavor feel free to add a squirt or two of Bragg's Liquid Amino's!

Blabbing About Bottled Finds!

I almost wasn't sure what to blog about today but then I quickly remembered I was lucky enough to go on a 2 day shopping spree for food so I thought back about some of the things I was able to find and thought about my TOP 3 bottled finds and thought I would share them with you.

First...Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar Drink - specifically their Apple Cinnamon Flavor.  WHY?  Well, some of you might know that DH has Crohn's and each day is a different experience.  Because of his Crohn's he has had other issues and we are finding out all go hand-in-hand in his case.  He was lucky enough to talk to a local doctor about his sinus infections and come to find out this same doctor also has Crohn's and seems to have many of the same problems as DH.  Long story short he needs to increase his intake of fermented foods.  Some of which he has already been doing.  DH doesn't seem to have a problem with ACV which I think is AWESOME.  This past weekend he tried this Apple Cinnamon flavor for the first time and LOVES it!  Problem?  It's hella expensive.  I'm going to try and make it myself soon!  I will keep you posted!  Something else I wanted to mention about this ACV Apple Cinnamon Drink is that I have now seen a vegan and an non-vegan version.  One version has honey in it so it's not technically vegan.  However, the one I bought for him had Stevia in it and no honey.  Interesting.  I wasn't aware of this until now!  Tricky, tho!  So keep your eyes peeled.  Unless you are a Apia(n) Vegan or Beegan that is.

Next up...Tahini from Trader Joe's!  I have yet to try TJ's Tahini but I'm certain it will be a winner!  Tahini was one of the many staples I have been out of in my pantry lately.  When I took that trip to TJ's I was able to find a FRESH and refrigerated version of it but I was looking for the self version.  When I got up to the check out there was a YOUNG looking 75 year old in front of me claiming that she was a first time shopper to TJ's and the WONDERFUL cashier let her in on some of their secrets.  Secrets?  I have been to 3 different TJ's thus far and I didn't even know about their secrets!  So I listened.  He was telling her that if you wanted to try/sample anything in the store that wasn't already prepared that they would OPEN IT for you and let you try it right there in the store!  Heck!  I didn't know that!  Then he was saying that if you bought something and didn't like it they would give you your money back.  That's always a good thing, eh!?  He even said that with their wine if you didn't like it to bring back the empty bottle and they would refund you!  NICE!  When I stepped up to check out I had a nice conversation with the cashier, too!  I was telling him that I was having a hard time finding this Tahini so the cashier-assistant ran back and grabbed one for me!  AWESOME!  In the meantime I was telling him I was from out of town.  I jokingly asked him if it was always so CRAZY at this TJ's and he said YES especially on Saturdays and Sundays.  He said the BEST TIME to shop was right when they opened.  I told him I noticed that the one time I shopped at the one near Buffalo.  When I was paying him for what I bought I noticed he put something in my cart that I didn't buy.  I looked up and he said 'There you go - sorry it was so busy in here today"...MY GAWD...it was a bouquet of FLOWERS!  How sweet!!!!!  What a wonderful store AND guy, eh!?

So this blog post was a complete blab-fest, eh?  Sorry about that!  I'm not quite finished...teehee!  Another bottled YUMMY I found this past weekend was Just Thousand!  It was available at Target in Erie.  This was yet another first for me.  I know Just Mayo is my most favorite vegan mayo to date and I like their flavored vegan mayos, too!  I know that my buddy Hillary is pretty obsessed with a few of the Hampton Creek Dressings and rightfully-so!  I tried the Ranch before and it was pretty good!  I thought it was more of a Peppercorn Ranch than a Buttermilk Ranch but that's ok!  This Thousand Island was pretty spot-on!  I have to say that I make a pretty awesome vegan Thousand Island Dressing, too, if I do say so myself.  I think the main difference is the consistency.  Mine is thicker than Hampton Creek's.  So they have me there!

Anyhow...I'm pretty excited about these 3 finds for one reason or another.  Now I just have to find the ACV for CHEAP in BULK or make my own...which is probably what will happen at some point.

Blissful Learning ~ Apple Cider Vinegar, Potato Flakes, Rice Crumbs

 If you have visited my site before you probably have already noticed I use a LOT of Apple Cider Vinegar.  YES...I used it in many recipes and foods and dressings, etc...but I also use it as a cleaner for many different issues - among other things.  More recently - I have been using it in my kitchen to get 'rid of' gnats and fruit flies.  I really haven't had a problem with this until this year.  And it's NOT because of the produce in my house!  I think it's because of  the moisture near my kitchen sink!  Between the Apple Cider Vinegar AND boiling hot water 'treatments' I think it's really helping.  I've been talking to family, friends, and co-workers and they are having problems with them this year, too!  I use Bragg's Brand for Apple Cider Vinegar.

Another 'problem solver' I have been fond of lately is using Potato Flakes and/or Rice Crumbs as a thickener for soups, sauces, and dips.  Sometimes they might be a bit too thin for my liking and these two items seem to really help thicken it up without changing the flavor of the food I am making (too much if at all).  For Potato Flakes I have been using Bob's Red Mills in most cases.  For Rice Crumbs I really like the Orgran Brand and have blogged about them before.  I have also been known to use Edward & Sons Vegan Organic Bread Crumbs for Casseroles and such.  BUT...I have to admit...I'm currently out of my Rice Crumbs almost thru my stash of Potato Flakes!  I must really get to some shopping VERY soon!  But...I did want to blog a bit about these items today as they are VERY handy and with all of the at-home food prep I have been doing it's been fresh in my mind and I thought I would share my tips with you.