One Pot Beer Chili Mac

I was finally able to locate the photo of the Thug Kitchen 101's Skillet Beer Chili Mac attempt.  Here is my version with the changes I made below...mostly because I didn't have a few things on hand and tweaked based on what was in my pantry.

1 T of Grapeseed Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Carrot, chopped

1 Orange Bell Pepper

Pinch Cayenne Powder

2 t Cumin

2 t of Smoked Paprika

Black Sea Salt to taste

2 T Tomato Paste

1 can of unseasoned Tomato Sauce

1 C Beer

3 C Water

3 C Kamut Pasta

1 can Chickpeas 

1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

1 T Maple Syrup

1 T Lemon Juice

Garlic Powder to taste

Last Week - sometime - I made a simple Buffalo Chickpea Wrap.  This is what the inside looked like.  The Buffalo Chickpeas were SO YUMMY.  I will have to see if I can recreate them and NOT lose the recipe I did in the near future

Another quick photo of a recipe I made and lost the actually recipe for...Cheaters Tomato Soup.  I used Canned Diced Tomatoes for the base...that's why I named it Cheaters Tomato Soup!

This is one of the many coins I have gotten recently!  The reason I was interested in it so much is because it said Trinity on it!

And...speaking of Trinity...here are some photos of her!  She's already hit the 8 month mark!  I can't believe it!  I also can't get over her smile, here!

And this one makes me laugh every time!  She was trying to eat those veggie puffs that are in the shape of Cheerio's and it ended up on her nose and stayed there for at least 5 minutes!  

We took a day trip today and found some really awesome places and I will be sharing those places and items within the next couple of weeks - so do check back often!

Now I'm off to catch up on YOUR blogs!  Sorry for not stopping by much lately!

My Timing Isn't The Best...

My husband and 2 of his buddies are challenging themselves to shed some weight.  It started today and ends in 30 days.  One of them is doing a detox program that Arbonne has.  The other one and my DH are doing their own thing.  While I'm not involved in the challenge I decided to throw out bread and pasta.

Over the last year and a half or so - I have gained back a lot of my weight that I lost while first dropping dairy.  There are 2 reasons as to why this has happened.  First and foremost I am terrible at eating breakfast.  Many times I skip lunch, too, so when I get to dinner I'm starving and overeat and then I don't have enough time to burn that off before going to bed.  In addition, I have gotten lazy with my cooking attempts.  I tend to fall back on pasta and bread.  I think with these few choices I can make a difference.

My timing isn't the best...

Today is World Bread Day.  Perfect day to NOT eat bread, right?  Wrong!  But so far I'm doing it!  I'm on day 2.  Last night I had a Romaine Salad and made up some Buffalo Chickpeas to throw in and made some vegan salad dressing.

Easy Vegan Buffalo Chickpeas

1 Can of Chickpeas

2 T Earth Balance

3 T Sriracha

Sprinkle to taste...Garlic, Onion, Sea Salt

Splash of Almond Milk to cook down

all on the stovetop!

For the dressing...I was to the end of my Just Mayo but didn't have the heart to throw what little I had left away.  I added a little splash of Almond Milk, Ketchup, a squirt of Sriracha to the bottle and gave it a good shake.  It made a great salad dressing for this Romaine & Buffalo Chickpea Salad.  

This hit the spot and I will surely do it again soon!

Dressings, Bamboo, Lip Balm, Marinated Mushrooms & Rice, Chlorella To Relieve Pain, and a Stellar Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Pasta Dish, too!

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a great Christmas - and for those who don't celebrate - I hope you had a nice Thursday!   Ours was nice - we went to DH's Grandmother's House for the extended family gathering on his side Christmas Eve - then went to my parents for about an hour and a half after that.  Christmas Day we went back over to my parents for a few hours and then when to the home to meet with DH's Family.  My Step-Father-In-Law is here for long term/rehab - he had surgery last week but has been in and out of the home and hospital most of this past year.  The weather was very mild for our area.  Christmas Eve it got up to the higher 50s and even reached 60 in some places. 

Last Christmas Eve Night we had high winds which caused some damage in certain spots.  Yesterday for Christmas Day it was cooler but still warmer than usual for Christmas!  I think it was mostly in the mid to upper 30s.  We had NO snow.  I'm okay with that.

Today I thought I would catch up cross posting about some of the things I have been submitting to other sites.  Mostly The Raw Food World.  I took a few screen shots, too!  Above you will see my Peanut Curry Dressing that I made a while back but tweaked for the site.  Check out the updated version of the Peanut Curry Dressing Recipe.  Another thing that I reviewed in greater length was the Bamboo Bowls I got from them a while back.  Not only did I find a vegan alternative for Burt's Bee's Lip Balm - I found one that was RAW, too!  Check out the full length post for Hurraw! Mint Lip Balm.

I'm still REALLY excited about the Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Pasta I did a while back - so be sure to click on the link above for that full recipe!  It was converted from various Chicken Wing Pizza Recipes I saw online.  NOTE - there isn't any Fake Meat in that recipe - just whole and natural foods!

You'll have to check out the testimonial I did for Chlorella - To Relieve Pain, too!  I've very pleased with some of my own personal findings!

And finally - a very simple and flavorful dish - Marinated Mushrooms & Rice!

Random Shout-Outs, Mini-Goals, Product Reviews

Hello everyone!  I will have multiple posts again, today!  First off I want to do a few random shout outs!  I was looking at my stats and I was so happy to see people from all over the world swing by!  Of course people here in the US - but also people from: Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Malaysia the last few days!  If you are stopping by from one of these countries let me know!  Also...if your country is NOT listed here - let me know about it, too!  Ever since I was in middle school I have loved hearing from people all over the world!  I had over 120 pen pals from over 40 countries!  I think the art of letter writing and snail mail is becoming extinct.  I'm thinking about starting it up again.  Another thing I noticed while looking at my stats I have been getting visitors from various sites but I want to do a little shout-out to these top 3 today!  Special Thanks to those visiting from: Peas & Crayons, I'm Celebrating Life, and The Charm Of Home.  Let me know if you are from one of these sites or have been referred by another site!  I would like to stop by their place and thank them!  And finally...here are my top 3 'search phrases'.  Thanks to those who have come across my blog via a search engine!  I was very excited to see these three phrases pop-up: "Vegan Mason Jar Meals", "Norway Vegan Recipes", and "Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Recipes".  Which brings me to my next topic!  My near-future mini-goals!  I'm going to set some mini-goals for myself based on these three searches!  I want to provide more Vegan Mason Jar Meals!  I have been chatting with a friend about this.  She isn't vegan but also wanted to see more ideas on my blog.  I also want to prepared these for lunches as well as consume more of them!  When I was doing Vegan Foods from around the world I tried to do a Norwegian Foods week as I have Norwegian roots in my family tree.  I will say it was a little hard to find vegan Norwegian foods but I am going to try and shoot for more!  I might even start trying to bake!  I know there are some Norwegian Cookies I have been wanting to try.  But I am NOT a good baker at all!  I have been avoiding it after many failed attempts!  And since I am originally from Buffalo I like to incorporate Buffalo Flavors or Spicier things into my foods.  I'm going to continue to try and do Buffalo Inspired Vegan Flavors and foods!  If you have any suggestions - please let me know!

I have now tried all 3 of these Defender Meal Bars from Core and I really enjoyed all of them!  I actually ate the 3rd one long ago and took notes for a later post.  The last one I tried was the Walnut Banana flavor.  Many of you know I HATE Bananas and I was sort of afraid to try this one!  BUT...keep reading...this was DARNED TASTY!  I didn't think this one was in-tact as much as the other two were - it fell apart a little easier than the others did.  I'm not saying that is good, bad, or indifferent, it's just something I noticed.  The dates and walnuts offset the banana so it wasn't 'all about the banana'...and that I appreciated.  The spices were similar to Banana Nut Bread...subtle and not overpowering.  It had a slight raisin after-taste that was nice and sweet!  The texture was a bit flakier and grainer than the others but it all worked out really well and the product was top-notch!  I still can't believe how filling these are!  They really ARE a full meal!  WOW!

Another thing I wanted to share with you in this post is my NEW LOVE for Antho.  This will be the first of a few product reviews for them!  I LOVE this company!  I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover by they had me at first glance!  Their website is beautiful!  Do check it out!  Their products are truly natural and pure, effective, eco-friendly, Made in the USA, and vegan!  Their creams are only made from unrefined, raw, organic oil!  They sell Body Butters, Oils, Bath Salts, Soaps, Shower Gels, Body Scrubs, Deodorants, Face Moisturizers, Cleansers and Toners, Masks and Scrubs!  They also have Scent Inspirations, Gift Boxes, Organic Gourmet, plus items for your home like Soy Candles, Laundry, and Home Fragrance products!  I LOVE their packaging, their bottles and jars, their labels!  Everything is really lovely!

 I'm so very excited about this product, specifically!  A few months ago I had a callus on my left hand on the inside by my first two knuckles and it was the only place on my hands that was dry.  I started using their Raspberry and Mint Hand and Body Butter and within 3 days it was 'back to normal'.  It was AMAZING!  I was overjoyed with the outcome!  I have been using it on and off for about 2 or 3 months now and I have only used a VERY little bit!  You can see in this photo it's barely 'touched'.  The jar is 4 ounces and I have almost all of it left!  This is going to last me for a good, long while!  I'm VERY happy about that because it WORKS and because it smells awesome!  I'm a fan of anything MINT but I loved that they did a Raspberry/Mint Combo!  It creates a scent of its own!  It's priced at $18.50 on their website but this product will certainly go a long way!  Totally worth it!  I think I will leave you guys with this info below and do another blog post later today because I kind of rambled a bit here - but - when I find things I am excited about - I just feel compelled to share it with the world! 

Here is a little bit more about this specific product that is listed on their website:

Raspberry Mint - Organic Body Butter

Why it is better:  99% USDA certified organic ingredients – extra high organic content  Scented with premium, therapeutic grade USDA certified organic essential oils  Synthetics & Preservative Free  Anti aging, nourishing & moisturizing for all skin types, especially dehydrated, damaged skin  100% vegan and cruelty free  Creamy, smooth, alluring texture  A little goes a very long way and saves you money!  Stylish dark amber apothecary glass with elegant silver metal cap – to protect the precious cream from light and keep it fresh for a long time  Deliciously sweet raspberry aroma 4oz/120 ml

Vegan Dips, Vegan Buffalo Chickpeas, & Vegan Ice Cream Cake

Last weekend I wanted to use the sweet potato I had bought a few days before.  I also wanted a dip - I make lots of dips in my house! 

I took the medium-sized sweet potato and cooked it.  I then took about 1 to 1 and a half cups of Black Beans and put both ingredients into my Ninja.  I made it smooth and added a little bit of Wildtree's Garlic Galore.  It was AMAZING!  LOVE LOVE LOVE this!  Will for sure be making this again!  I also tried a bit with a little Daiya Shreds in there and warmed to melt.  Both ways were totally YUMMY!

I've posted about my "Guacamole Attempts" before and I ended up making some last weekend as well!  I didn't really make it any special way - just used two Avocados with Wildtree's Guacamole Seasoning.  Just thought I would share another photo, really!

Another thing I made this past week was Buffalo Chickpeas.  Everyone once and a while I miss the "Buffalo" Spices in things and have been tinkering with some ways to use the kicky flavor in veganized dishes.  Since I can't get enough Chickpeas I decided to try the two together.  I took about 1/4 C of Veganese, 3 or 4 T of the now discontinued Wildtree Chipotle Hot Sauce, a few pinches of Celery Salt, and 1/2 tea of Wildtree Dill Dip Blend and mixed well.  This is even better the 2nd day as left overs!

I'm REALLY trying to eat bananas!  As many of you know - it's the ONLY fruit I don't like!  Seriously!  I hate the smell!  I don't like the taste or texture...they just freak me out!  But I know they are wonderful offerings of the Earth and I wish I did like them!  So I decided to try and do a Vegan Ice Cream Cake.  For this bottom layer I took 2 C of Cashews, 1 Banana, 1 C of Dates, 1/2 tea Vanilla Extract, and Almond Milk into my Ninja until smooth.  For the top layer I used 1 C of mixed blueberries and blackberries, about a handful of strawberries, 1 C of Almond Milk, 1 C of Dates, into my Ninja until Smooth.  I poured both layers in a large glass bowl and froze it overnight.  The next day I tried it and it does have potential but it also still tasted very banana-E to me.  You could put more fruit on top or Vegan Chocolate Syrup which I might try next time.  I am happy with my first attempt at this and VERY pleased that I forced myself to eat something with bananas in it!