Masoor Seddho (Red Lentil Soup), Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup, Navratan Korma Inspired Soup, Crafts, Stress Relief, and Life Updates

It's been another roller coaster of a few weeks and that is my reason for not posting.  I really had hoped to post some more interesting and uplifting news but things didn't work out like I had hoped.  I need to be better at letting go and moving on, I suppose.

I guess now is as good as time as any to share with you some of the things I have been eating and creating.

As you can see in the first photo I recently gnawed on some Avocado and Tomato Toast.  It's topped with a Maple Mustard.  I also grabbed this smoothie you see in the 2nd photo which is Mango Squash & Veggies.  It was very tasty.  I got it from Total Evolution.  Maybe this week I will check out one of their soups or finally get their Oatmeal Bar.

I've been busy with work, League of Women Voters, and County Fair stuff.  I've also been a busybody at home.  Plus, I have been enjoying my new found joy of coin collecting more and more.  I have slowly gotten back into paper crafting which you will see more of in this post.  I'm really trying to stay busy so I don't start over-analyzing myself or move into a deeper depression. 

I'm still trying to get back into Yoga again but just when I think I will I have been battling with pain more.  Just when I think I have kicked my pain in a couple of days it comes back.

I've been tinkering with Mandalas again and it's been a nice short form of meditation of sorts.  As you can tell I'm not done with this.  Sometimes I do a bit at a time and will come back to it days later and add more.  DH and I just re-watched all of the Harry Potters which was a nice way to relax, too.  And of course there is my ongoing love of tea but I'm trying to adjust my intake on the highly caffeinated ones due to the aches and pains I have been struggling with.

I was averaging a card a day for a while there.  The cards I do only take a few minutes so it's a nice brain break.  It's a shame I let a group of people ruin my love of paper crafting for as long as I did.  I'm really trying to get back into it again.  So far - so good - in small increments.

I haven't bought any new supplies.  Everything I have been using to make the cards have been from scraps.  I intend to continue with this method.  I want to see how long I can go using old stashes and supplies.

Last weekend we gathered at a friends house for an annual party-after-new-years.  I usually bring baked beans but this time I thought I would bring something different.  DH suggested Buffalo Cauliflower Wings so I did just that.  I have two photos to share with you here.  I know I have posted my own recipe before but this time around I stuck pretty close to Jason Wrobel's recipe that he had in his Eaternity book I bought MONTHS ago!

They went pretty well.  I did 2 versions.  One was quite spicy and the other was not-so-spicy.

I ended up bringing Rootie's Blue Cheese for DH (for those of you who don't know he's not veg) and for who ever else wanted it.  I brought Daiya's Blue Cheese for me and who ever else wanted it.  It was funny but when we were cleaning up the dairy version of the blue cheese was barely touched and my vegan blue cheese bottle was nearly gone.

I'm not complaining at all - that is what it was there for - but I'm thinking that no one really looked at the bottles and just ate it regardless.  I find this interesting and am pretty thrilled!

It's been nasty weather-wise still.  This morning it was -7 degrees at 9am.  Friday Night we got a few inches of ice and then about a foot or more of snow.

So as you can imagine I have been eating a LOT of soups!  About a week ago I made a Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup.  Ingredients include...

1 C Cashews
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Knob Ginger
6 Carrots
Water & Sea Salt as needed
Garnish: Nutmeg, Smoked Paprika, Parsley

For lunch today I had this amazing Red Lentil Soup!

It's my new favorite!  I would have made more right away but I only had enough Red Lentils for 1 batch!

It was inspired by Vegan Richa's Begali Red Lentil Soup (Masoor Seddho) but instead of the Tomato I used Tomato Sauce.  It was all I had on hand.  I also used Earth Balance instead of the Mustard Oil.

This was WONDERFUL and I will be making it again as soon as I get more red lentils!  YUM!  I'm not going to lie - I ended up garnishing it with more Earth Balance!  It was so savory!

This next one might not look like much but it was pretty tasty, too!  It was inspired by Vegan Richa's Navratan Korma Recipe but I turned it into a blended soup instead.  It called for 5 cups of veggies I used a bunch of stuff that was hanging out in my freezer and frig to use it up.  Many veggies like Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Green Beans, Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Potatoes, Peas, Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, etc.  Instead of the 4 tomatoes it called for I used some leftover Spaghetti Sauce.  There are various spices along with Cashews and Pistachios, too!

Eats, Chats, Books, & The Birds & The Bees!

Hello there!  So much to type and so little time - once again!  I will start of by saying that Paco's dental surgery went very well and she's back to normal.  He didn't have any issues with his ITP (Immune Issues) while re-cooping!  Thanks for all of the positive thoughts, prayers, vibes, and asking about him!  That means a lot!

Here's one of the more memorable thrown together meals I have had over the last few weeks!  It's a cheaters meal but super yummy!  I did boxed Daiya Mac & Cheese and added a package of frozen veggies and a little bit of almond milk then topped with sprinkles of nutmeg, smoked paprika, basil, etc.

Another thing I have enjoyed at home lately is vegan egg salad made from mainly avocado, spices, etc.  It certainly hit the spot!

This bread wasn't the best...not sure what kind it was but I highly doubt I will be getting it again.  I remember what the package looks like so I will avoid it.  What I have been craving for lately in the bread section is sprouted bread and I think I will have to make that happen soon!

One of my many attempted at vegan Mac & Cheese from scratch...I swear I do it a different way each time.

With this attempt it was very creamy!  The photo isn't that great but it was tasty!

Of course I threw some smoked paprika on top!  YUM!

I'm not sure why but I have been finishing off a lot of meals with nutmeg and/or smoked paprika as of late.

I'm sure by the title of this blog post you were thinking something different...but...I thought I would literally post about the BIRDS and the BEES today...at least the BEES...anyways!

A few weeks ago I took this photo on the fly on my iPhone...I can't remember a time that we have had bees and flowers this early in the year!

This past weekend it was near 70!!!!  Woot!

My birthday was on the 16th...I treated myself with this Daiya Cheesecake.  I will tell you that I am SET for a while on Vegan Cheesecake...I can't believe how rich and sweet this was!  I'm not sure to that!  It almost hurt my teeth! LOL

I will say I like the strawberry better than the plain.

I really like these vegan offerings but don't have them often and I think that is a good thing...on several levels!

This past weekend we traveled to the Buffalo area for a day trip and I was stoked to find 2 of the vegan cookbooks that were on my wishlist!

First up...Jason Wrobel!  This book is HUGE!

Then a blogging buddy of ours...Zsu Dever's Book as you can see in the next photo!  I can't wait to jump in!

And finally...a shout out to my buddy Opal!  I was able to chat with her on the phone today and it was so wonderful!

She's my oldest online buddy...it's been YEARS since I first came across her blog (and it was a few blogs ago) and a few blogs ago of mine, too!  It was great to talk to her over the phone...I bet it's been about 10 years or so since we 'met' online.  We chatted about family, the weekend, gardening, community involvement, etc...can't wait to chat with her again soon!  It was the highlight of my day!  YAY!

Vegan Rice Crispy Treats ~ Inspired By Jason Wrobel

I made these vegan 'rice crispy treats' inspired by Jason Wrobel.  I used the 'chocolate' version of the cereal noted below but I didn't have the other flavor.  What I did have was another vegan cereal that was quite similar with the addition of chia and shredded coconut so I mixed those two together.  I stuck pretty true to the recipe that he mentioned in the video with the exception of the Lucuma Powder.  I used Mesquite Powder instead.  They turned out tasty and I was pretty proud of myself with this attempt.  I was going to blog about a few other eats as of late but I think I will just leave you with this fun video that Jason did so you can see the full recipe!

Quinoa Broccoli Bowl

Sunday I made this dish - as well as others - to get a jump start on my week of foods.  If you scroll down you will see I did a bit of Meal Planning this week.  This specific dish was inspired by Jason Wrobel.  The video of his recipe is at the bottom of this post.  I made a few changes based on what I had in my kitchen.

Instead of 'just' Quinoa I decided to use a Super Grain Blend of white and red Quinoa, Millet, and Buckwheat.  Instead of 'only' broccoli I used Broccoli, Peas (in the pod), and Yellow Bell Peppers.

I had just a very little bit of Daiya Shreds I need to use so it was perfect for this dish because you only use a very little bit.  I did top it with Hemp Seeds and Kale Chips, too!  For the Kale Chips I used a Mexican Flavor that I had on hand...it was perfect because when you get down to the last little bit of Kale Chips in the bag - it's just a bunch of crumbs - so it was ideal!

Here's a closer look at the dish.  It turned out really well!  It was very tasty!  Towards the end of Jason's video when he samples it - he makes a special comment on the 'mouth feels' of the dish and eventho I dislike that phrase - I totally agree with him.

You are probably wondering why I don't like the phrase 'mouth feel'...no reason, really...it just drives me nuts!  It's right up there with "shindig" and "panties" - I can't stand 'em!


Anyhow...here's the original video and recipe from Jason Wrobel himself.  He's so entertaining I really like his YouTube Channel!  I really need more 'bowls' in my life.  Perhaps that will be another mini goal of mine...to make more "bowls" and one pot meals.  Questions of the day...what are some words that drive you NUTS?  What are your favorite 'bowl meals' or 'one pot meals'?

Energizing Black Bean Dip & Happy Mail on a Monday

I wanted something with Black Beans last night and decided to make an Energizing Black Bean Dip.  The recipe I came up with as follows...

2 C Black Beans
2 T Vegan Mayo
3 T Vegan Cream Cheese
1 T Wildtree Garlic & Herb Blend
1 T Cilantro
2 T Lime Juice
1/2 tea Cumin
1/2 tea Wildtree Adobo Seasoning
1/2 tea Chili & Garlic Sea Salt
1/2 tea GoL's Energizer 

It was creamy, a tad spicy, and savory!  I'm thinking I might make a soup with all this but the Vegan Mayo soon!

I got some more HAPPY MAIL today!  I received a bunch of tea from Culinary Teas and I'm currently sipping on their Coconut Creme Chai and it's lovely.  Early I had some of the Key Lime Black.  It's very flavorful...but easy to over infuse and go bitter.  With a little more attention on my part would have been very good.  My mistake certainly NOT theirs. 

In other news I received another smaller shipment from The Raw Food World today and here are some of the photos.

They were having a MAJOR Inventory Blow Out Sale and I HAD to grab some things...plus...I ran out of Cashews and was low on Nutritional Yeast. 

I was really excited to order Jason Wrobel's Simple Vegan Classics on DVD.  He's so entertaining!  I also FINALLY grabbed a few of the Gopal's Nori Wrapped Energy Snacks because they were on sale!  I grabbed the Masala, Curry, and Italian Flavors.  Not that I needed it - but it was drastically deduced in price - was the Raw Coconut Butter with Coconut Blossom Sugar.  I also grabbed 5 Chocolate Cacao Bars for a friend of mine...she's loves them and she's NOT raw or vegan...some Raw Crusts that I like to use for Breakfasts or Snacks....Kale Chips that were all on sale, and Pumpkin Super Chips...again on sale.  One other item I wanted to try and it was reduced in price was the Pure Wraps - the Curry flavor - they are coconut based.

A Few Fave YouTubers & Blissful Crafting Journey ~ Vision Boards

One of my favorite Raw Food YouTubers is Megan Elizabeth but today in this blog post and in the video above you will see one of her crafting projects.  She's inspired me to pursue this.  I have been thinking about it for a few months now and I keep being drawn back to this idea of VISION BOARDS.  I think on a large scale I will be doing Vision Boards but on a smaller scale I will start doing Vision Books, too!  I can see myself doing a LOT of these once I get going and am wondering how I am going to 'store' all of them if they are so big so that's another reason I think I might do more books or pages than full boards.  I found this AWESOME Pinterest Page full of them!

Yes...I have been YouTubing a LOT the last several months and thought I would share another one of my faves with you!  Jason Wrobel!  I just LOVE his crazy sense of humor and creative recipes and the way he presents them.  His made-up catch phrases certainly don't hurt either.  In this video's he's making Vegan Tortilla Soup.  His videos are a work of art and so are his recipes!  And I'm NOT going to lie...I purchased Sun Warrior's Liquid Rush JUST BECAUSE of him and everything he has been using it in the past year or so!  I just got it in yesterday and can't wait to use it!!!!