Marmalade French Toast...yuuummmm

Simple & easy dishes CAN taste SO good. I just downloaded Lindsey Nixon's "Everyday Happy Herbivore" (175 recipes in 30 minutes or less) and the Marmalade French Toast was the first recipe i tried out of it. Lay out your baguette slices, mix the few ingredients together (almond milk, flour, citrus marmalde) and pour over your slices. I added the almonds on top and I really liked the extra crunch. Put it all together the night before and just pop it in the oven in the morning for approx 30 mins. If the others come out as well as this I will be eating well in a lot less time. Definite WIN!!! :)

AWESOME Vegan Mac & Cheese

while trying to get back on track and try a few new things i stumbled upon this mac and cheese recipe at one of my favourite vegan blogs, www.ourveggiekitchen.com. i dunno if any of you are like me but i love comfort food so i was so excited when i put the first spoonful of this creamy goodness in my mouth. it brought back childhood memories and i couldn't get enough of it. and it's vegan i swear!!! no milk or cheese to be found.
AND to top it off, it's so easy! it's a mix that you can keep and make as needed. and it's microwavable (which i usually don't care for microwaved food but for this it's fine).

try it and i know you will like it.
http://www.ourveggiekitchen.com/search?q=mac+and+cheese

in the Bahamas, we make Baked Mac and Cheese and it has eggs and milk it in. now to only figure out a way to bake the vegan one :)

ALWAYS use the guard!!!

ok....so, what had happened wuuzzzz (LOL), i was slicing some onion on my mandolin slicer this afternoon. not really rushing but not really paying too much attention either....the inevitable happened. I cut not one but two of my fingers on my right hand, my thumb and my middle finger.
If you can imagine...I am holding the onion in my right hand with the slicer in my left. No, i did not use the guard (despite repeated urgings otherwise). I found that if i did, i ended up throwing a chunk of whatever i was slicing away. So despite being down to the end of my onion i kept on with the back and forth motion, removing quite a chunk off the meaty part of my thumb and skimming the end of my middle finger.
Honestly, I have had (and successfully used) this lovely device for awhile now. It's such a time saver! But as i found out, it only takes once to severely injure yourself and it can happen SO fast.
So...from now on i will ALWAYS use the guard, no matter how much of my onion i have to throw away. At least I will get to keep my fingers.

Still Struggling

Hey there,

Unfortunately I am still struggling with keeping on track with my vegan diet while still doing my exercise routine. I'm just not finding that the vegan food is as satisfying as it was was before. :( Sorry I can't lie to you guys. Despite having a wealth of great vegan recipes, the cravings for meat are VERY strong right now. I have been indulging in meat and then beating myself up a bit for not being strong enough to resist.

A couple other issues that may be adding to this dilemma are that I have tried a couple new recipes and they haven't turned out so well. In addition, i have needed a few ingredients for some new recipes and haven't been able to find them locally. It's quite frustrating. Also, work has been a bit busy, lunch time rolls around fast and i am not prepared. therefore takeout wins again. (just to remind some of you, i live on a small island in the Bahamas so there aren't any vegan/vegetarian restaurants and specialty items are not readily available. or if you're lucky enough to find an ingredient this week, it's likely not to be there the next.)

I am willing to take any advice or new recipe suggestions from you guys. Despite my setbacks I will not give up!

Hi guys,
sorry I haven't posted for awhile.
Life got a bit hectic for a minute there....one of the new things that was happening is that I began a new exercise routine (which was long overdue). It was a bit intense at the beginning as I am not used to cardio at 6am 6 days a week but I'm slowly getting used to the new routine.
One thing I am NOT getting used to (at least not quite yet) is my souped up appetite!!! I mean I have been absolutely RAVENOUS!!! AND all the cravings for meat have come back with a vengeance. And I might as well be honest with you, I have not been a very good vegan.
The first week I indulged quite a  few times I'm ashamed to say. The 2nd week I was able to get back on track....mostly. BUT I am determined to stick with my convictions to be vegan and also to be completely honest on this blog along my journey.
One thing I have learned in life is that you are not alone. There is always someone who has been there (done that) before.
:)

What's in a name???

I've noticed a lot of vegan recipes are inspired and titled by non-vegan dishes that most of us know and love. Examples;

• "Chicken" Wings: A delicious dish for sure but not chicken of course (not even wings!) but they are made up of a cornucopia of ingredients that include tofu, chickpeas, ground almonds, brown rice and more, then sculpted into a chicken wing shape and coated in a tasty BBQ sauce. 
• Pasta & "Alfredo": Another great dish but not a shred (LOL) of cheese to be seen (thank goodness)!! Also made up of blended chickpeas & cashews. A yummy white sauce over pasta and veggies to be sure but not alfredo.

Please don't get me wrong, I am in no way downing these recipes or any others you may come across. I'm sure they are all delicious, many that I have tried are. And I know that the creators of these recipes are simply trying to help us make the transition from eating meat to not eating meat. Their intentions are good but I find for some it may not be so helpful.

There is a saying in the Bahamas when you are craving or expecting to eat a certain thing you would say, "I had 'my mouth fixed' for chicken wings." (but really more like, "Chile, I had my mout' fix for some wings! What dis is you givin' ma?!") So then when you have your "mouth fixed" for (or expecting to eat) chicken wings and you get something other than chicken it's a little disappointing (even though you already knew you weren't getting chicken). A few others have commented similarly (my boyfriend and another spouse who will remain nameless). I'm sure there is scientific evidence somewhere that our taste buds have memory.

As I've said previously, the vegan dishes that have been suggested to me and the ones I have come across have been absolutely awesome and have introduced me to spices and flavours I've never had before. It's a whole new world of flavour!

If you are a creator of vegan recipes, I doubt this will make you rethink your titles, I'm just making an observation. But PLEASE keep on being inspired by and creating the foods we know and love (if not, I wouldn't have anything to eat!)
Your hard work is appreciated!!!
:)

Recipe Back Up #2

Another go-to recipe for me is my Roasted Veggie Pitas. I didn't find this recipe anywhere, i don't even know if you can call it a "recipe" as it's just some roasted veggies, with cooked brown rice (i like some arugala as well) stuffed into some pita bread halves.

The veggies i usually use are mushrooms, onions (of course), red bell peppers, brussel sprouts quartered (don't turn up your nose, just trust me), and cubes of sweet potato, but feel free to try anything you like. if you use mushrooms, don't chop them too small as they are gonna shrink quite a bit. The marinade is some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic, salt & cracked black pepper, fresh rosemary & thyme chopped, and a dash of Sriracha (the BEST hot sauce in the WORLD) but you can use whatever spices you like really. Just don't drench it in the marinade, add just enough to coat everything
Mix it all together and lay the veggies so they are flat on a baking sheet and bake (450 degrees) until everything is roasted to the taste you like (about 35- 45 mins depending on how small you cut everything up).

















The veggies are slightly sweet because of the balsamic vinegar (turns sweet when roasted) and the sweet potato and then a hint of spiciness with the sriracha hot sauce.
Toast up your pitas so they are warm and stuff ;)

Full & Flavourful!!! Part #2

A good example of surprising good flavour was a recipe I tried from one of my recommended books, "Low-Fat Vegan Entrees". It was the Spicy Cous Cous with Dates. Honestly, the only reason I wanted to give this a try is that I had a HUGE bag of israeli couscous in my cupboard and dates in my fridge. It also had mushrooms, red peppers, and onions, with a couple star anise pods (that I had NEVER used before!). I was sceptical...but it was an awesome dish! It took a few bites to wrap my brain (& taste buds) around the new flavours but it was another winner :)

I had also been trying to find a few ideas for lunch at work and I think this will do nicely.

Full & Flavourful!! Not Boring & Bland Part #1

When people find out that I am trying to become a vegan, I usually get one of the following responses;

• "Oh, I could never do that, I like food too much to limit myself like that."
• "Don't you get tired of eating salad all the time??"

If you are considering becoming a vegan DO NOT buy into this!!! No one loved meat more than myself (hence my blog name-Bacon Loving Vegan). 

Being vegan does NOT mean just having salad and steamed veggies all the time. In fact, after being on an almost 100% plant-based diet for the past few weeks, I (and my boyfriend) am finding that vegan food is so much more flavourful. I am using spices that I never have before and finding that we are really loving the variety it lends to our food. 

Thanks to a friend, I was able to sample just how good this new diet can be before the decision was made to go all in. So if you are considering this lifestyle (even just a little bit), I ask that you please give a new vegan recipe a try. You might be pleasantly surprised, I was.

2nd Chili

Ok, so I know one of my recent posts was about a new chili recipe but I have to tell you about the one I tried tonight because it's better than the pumpkin chili.
I came across this Black bean and Pineapple Chili/Stew (sounds a bit weird right?). But I read over the ingredients and I happened to have everything on the list so I thought I would give it a shot. I wasn't sure the pineapple added in with black beans, diced tomatoes and zucchini would work but the flavours came together really well. it added that little touch of sweetness with the spiciness of the cajun seasonings.
You can add more liquid to make it into a soup, less for chili, even less to make a topping for tacos.

Making Your Menu

A good thing to do to help organise yourself (this is so funny because I am NOT an organised person) so that you keep on track is to compile a menu for the week. This was a tip given to me by a vegan friend and I'm finding it to be a big help.

• Compile the recipes that you want to make or try for that week.
• Familiarise yourself with the recipes and the necessary ingredients.
• Check your refrigerator and pantry to rule out what you have from what you don't.
• Make a shopping list of the things you need.

Doing this has helped me in many ways. When I get home from a long day at work I don't have to try to figure out what I'm going to cook and I may or may not have all the necessary ingredients to make dinner. Also if I know exactly what I'm going to make and have a list of the things I need, I am less likely to pick up things I may not use therefore saving myself some money.

Recipe Back Up

On nights when I don't have the energy to take on a new recipe and gamble on whether it's gonna turn out or not, one of my go to recipes is Chickpea Chipotle Tostadas. It's a lot like tacos but better. The "meat" is a pureed mixture of chickpeas, onion, sweet pepper and flavourful seasonings that is sauteed a bit in veggie stock and then dump it into your food processor and puree til smooth. Fry some corn tortillas in olive oil for some crunch and top with your puree, salsa and salad mix or whatever your favourite toppings are.
We experimented a bit with the crunchy and soft tortillas. Like the Old El Paso commercial says, you don't have to choose, you can have both!! I like to spread the ingredients on the flat, soft tortilla. Break one of the crunchy ones in half and lay it on one side of soft tortilla on top of the filling. Fold the soft tortilla in half like a taco and enjoy. You have the soft tortilla on the outside with the crunch of the corn tortilla on  the inside, along with the tasty ingredients.
Don't forget the Sriracha hot chili sauce!!

Weekend Breakfast Success!!

Today I made Maple Almond French Toast with no eggs or dairy and it tasted awesome! I used the recipe from the 30 Minute Vegan and for the batter you use almond milk, almond butter, flour, flax meal and vanilla extract. The taste tester gave it two thumbs up and commented that if he didn't already know it was vegan he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

woohoo!! one more success to add to my menu :)

Maple Almond French Toast

a good try for meatless shepherd's pie

i'm still trying to find recipes to add to my new Vegan menu, so i tried a new recipe for a vegan shepherd's pie. i came across one that had a few of my favourite ingredients; mushrooms, lentils and mashed potatoes. it was ok but needed a little tweaking;

• more mushrooms less lentils (it ended up being lentil to mushroom 3 to 1)
• needed more seasoning (i'm told that Bahamians are heavy with seasoning food and i followed the recipe so it was a little bland)
• i'm still not used to having mashed potatoes without all the milk and butter (just not the same with rice milk) 

my friend had recommended home-made cashew milk so i will have to try that. i have made almond milk at home and it was AWESOME!!!! i could drink that down by the gallon. (still remembering a joke about a nut-bag LOL) i will post that recipe soon so you can try it, it's worth the extra effort.

so...got off track a bit, sorry. (that's how good the almond milk is ;)
so the shepherd's pie wasn't a hit but it's part of the process. i will try it again and let you know.
when we follow our hearts it's rarely easy. just press on....

It's a Keeper!!

Discouraged after my recently failed Vegan Dutch Baby (custard pancake), i trudged on to find a vegan recipe that was easy to make and ingredients easy to find. With renewed determination i scoured the internet but still a bit wary of how things would taste. Remembering how i ate before, good flavour relied mostly on animal fat/protein, now i’m finding recipes with spices i’ve barely even heard of much less have an idea of how they taste!

Thankfully there was success!! I love a good, hearty meat & bean chili. Well i found a recipe on a site, recommended by a friend, for Pumpkin Vegan chili and it was great! Easy ingredients and you pretty much just dump everything into a pot. I’m also thankful for an adventurous and easy going boyfriend that is willing to try anything i cook once and will eat it “as long as it tastes good, meat or no meat.” After a few bites, i hear, “It’s a keeper!” 

Is there a tried and true substitute for eggs??

Happy Monday everyone,

Yesterday, I was looking forward to Sunday breakfast, so i attempted to “veganize” a Dutch Baby. Don’t do the freak! It’s not a real baby it’s a delicious custardy pancake that you bake in the oven. I have no idea why it’s called a dutch baby but it is an awesome thing.It puffs beautifully while it bakes and serve with honey/maple syrup and fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and bananas. Definitely a nice change for a weekend breakfast and not totally bad for you.

So today was my first shot at substituting eggs in a recipe using flax-seed. I was told by thecookinginn.com that for each egg needed i would need one heaping tablespoon of flax blended until it becomes a fine meal then add 1/4 cup of cold water and blend for a few minutes and WHALLA i would have the equivalent of one egg. The recipe calls for 2 eggs so i made enough for what i needed (also using almond milk instead of the whole milk it called for).

Hopeful, i watched the oven window for the telltale puff of goodness. It never came. Always putting taste before looks, i kept believing it would still turn out. 15 minutes past the usual 20 minute cooking time, it was still doughy under the flat but nice crust that had developed.

I have heard also about using gelatin (which i’m not sure is vegan), tofu, and mashed bananas or apples. Any suggestions about what would work better??

Hello, my friends

Hiyah,

i’m just getting started with this, my first blog, so please bear with me. it’s a new year but this is not a new year’s resolution. going vegan has been pressing on my mind for almost a year and a half. the new year just happened to coincide with new information so the combination of these two have renewed my convictions to live out what i believe.

so…gimme a day or so to get this thing up and running and hope to hear from you guys soon.