Pizza!

     Michelangelo’s favorite food to eat all the time; one of my favorite treats of all time. It can make you think of Italy (or if you’re familiar with Cleveland, Little Italy) or it can make a quick snack to grab on the go.  Now most places don’t have a vegan option to buy by the slice, so this one you will have to make on your own and heat in the microwave. Here’s the lowdown on how to make a pizza even the TMNT will drool over! WARNING: READ THE LABELS! SOME ITEMS MAY CONTAIN MILK, EGG OR CHEESE!

     Pizza dough. This is one thing you can either make from scratch at home or buy Betty Crocker pizza dough mix and make at home. Betty Crocker is the only vegan one I found at Kroger. Follow directions et voíla. I have never used frozen pizza dough before, but when I do, I will post results.

     The sauce. You can use great auntie Angelina’s sauce or you can find some canned stuff on the shelf. I just prefer to use half cup of ketchup and some Italian seasoning (Read: Don’t hate/judge. I am trying to make this easy on you). If you want to add veggies to your sauce, go for it champ!

     The cheese. The only one I would EVER consider is Daiya mozzarella cheese. Don’t try anything else, or Raphael Will kill you.

     The toppings. As long as its vegan, go for it. I have tried Yves pepperoni before with less than okay results. I ended up dehydrating a mixture of mashed kidney beans, butter beans, Italian seasoning, fennel seed and some flour for an hour and that tasted better.

     So there you have it folks. That is how you pull those awesome turtles out of the sewer to protect you from Shredder.

Intermittent Fasting

    Apparently, this is a new way to keep muscle mass and lose fat. I think I might try it, just for shits and giggles. I have seen no real research on the matter. This will not interfere with my veganism but it may make my portion sizes a bit bigger on some days. If anyone has any new reports that might have missed, please feel free to comment with a link.

Daiya Cheese

    Only the best vegan cheese on the planet. Those Canadiens surely have something going here. Granted, I have only bought the Cheddar shredded style and havarti, but nothing compares to their texture and creaminess.

I have been feeling homesick, so I  made a meal my mom used to make. I broiled some Dayia havarti on my Gardein chicken tenders and I wanted to cry…and hug a teddy bear. I put some good rice and broccoli on the side and had an awesome meal. I emailed my mom afterwards.

Not exactly anything related to food

This is good for a belly laugh, which is good for the digestive tract. I love the one on the far left. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqXYK8HMszI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Great Pumpkin Spice Coffee Thing No-one Can Live Without!

     I have been doing research (or as some people call it “research”) and haven’t quite found the right algorithm to either the pumpkin spice latte or pumpkin spice frap. That is still under construction. Stay tuned for more on this amazing journey!

Vegan Pumpkin Fraps = Happiness

     Sorry I’d I haven’t posted in what seems like forever. Been feeling sad/stressed. Yesterday, for about 20 minutes, I had a vegan pumpkin spice frap from a local coffee shop and that is when I felt a surge of happiness. That is gone now and I have been bawling my eyes out and a wierd red mark has appeared on my nose. Anywho…

   Because I want to bring back that happiness that I was able to capture yesterday, I have been on .the hunt for the perfect vegan frap recipe. I can’t seem to find a good one anywhere. Looks like I will chronicle my experiments and update everyone so they too can enjoy fall-y tasting goodness! Ps: yes, I DID just type the word fall-y. Deal.

    

“…summer’s heat and winter’s cold…”

   Well, what about the inbetweeners? Fall, more precisely? Well, anywho, there is a lot of late summer/early fall food that vegan should be rejoicing in (read: it’s SQUASH SEASON, PEOPLE). I will save a special post for squash, but for right now, I will let you stew on that.

     Sweet potatoes are in and that instant mash you have in the fridge is not! What else is in: peaches, plums, and citrus are the stars right now. Go get them while they’re hot!

Puree diets: not for the weak of heart!

     I have two teeth that are in absolute pain right now that I cannot chew. Usually, I would only eat vegan pudding, veggie broth and use this as a huge excuse to lose some weight. Considering I am trying to trim up a bit (read: see VS Models) it would put me a footsteps back from that dream. So I am fighting back using only…my blender.

     Now my blender has been through a lot in its short life. Coffee bean grinder, flaxseed grinder, smoothie maker, you name it. It does not like to blend the way that it used to and I can be okay with that, I just need to bury this one and buy another one after this fiasco. But on to the meat of the story.

     With my experience in a nursing home, I have come to find that you can puree anything. Salads, corn, chicken, burgers, you name it. Today I did a Boca burger with vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickle and a bun (yes, the bun. It gives the puree its thickness) and it was alright. It tasted like a burger. Tonight I want to do a chicken salad with avocado. Wish me luck! 

     Anyway, the trick to pureeing anything is to add enough water so the blender can blend the food together but not so much that the food becomes a smoothie. That it not what you are looking for.

    

Gymspiration

Just a quick few pictures.

Sweet Potatoes

     The sweet potato: the perfect veggie for this time of year. The perfect hue for the coming autumn, the perfect taste for the coming pies…or if you are impatient like me, don’t wait; put one in the microwave now and toss some maple syrup and walnuts on top. For most people, that is dessert. For me, it is breakfast.

     Packed with vitamin A, it is a good alternative to the carrots that you have been munching on all summer (read: that have been turning your skin color from pale to Dorito chip). Send me your ideas for even more awesomely vegan sweet potato toppings. I WILL POST ALL IDEAS SENT TO ME. I am not going to pick a winner. Awesomeness is on the tounge of the beholder!