Eating Cheese and Baking Cakes

It has been a little while since I last posted. There has not been a whole lot going on, I just kind of ran out of things to blog about. Being a stay at home mom can do that to you. There have been a couple of changes recently. The whole vegan thing didn't really work out, as it is kind of a pain to have to cook two separate meals every night, since my daughter and boyfriend both eat meat. Maybe at a later time in my life, I will be tempted to try again. It is something that I very much admire, but it is a little difficult to keep up. It also made cooking more of a chore, and since I love cooking so much, I would hate for it to becoming any more than an act of love. I have also been experimenting with the world of cake decorating. My daughter's first birthday is coming up in September and I want to make her a pirate cake for her birthday, so I have been practicing, as it is not an easy task. Some of the cakes were better than others, but that is what happens when you experiment with fondant. The pictures in the post are of my first three fondant cakes. The second, the red, black, and white one, did not turn out as well as the others, it was a bad experimentation with buttercream fondant. If you would like to read more of my cake decorating explorations, check out my new blog here.

My Not So Home Made Birthday Cake

It is my boyfriend's birthday today, and luckily, he didn't mind that I made a vegan birthday cake. I was a little skeptical about using the bananas instead of eggs, and for good reason. The cake didn't rise quite like I am used to. It rose maybe a little more than half as much, so it is closer to brownie consistency, which is fine with me. I cheated a little, and used a boxed cake mix, and boxed frosting. I was planning on making a Young's Chocolate Stout Cake, but we were a little broke this week, so I went the cheap route. It wouldn't have been that expensive to make a home made cake, except I was out of vanilla. Oh well, hopefully it tastes good!

My little helper

New Wedges

So, I got some super cute new wedges over the weekend. Although, I may or may not have found out that they are not vegan friendly. I wanted these because they were very cute, and made of cork and fabric. But, I noticed that it looks like they are lined with leather when I was putting them on yesterday. I still don't know if it is really leather or not, because it does not say on the internet, on the shoe, or on the box. Hmmm, we will just hope that it is not. Either way, it is the Steve Madden Crazzy Sandal, and they have them in a few different colors!

Recipe of the Week-Vegetarian Chili

Technically this is a vegan chili, but whatever it is, it is very good. Not too spicy, really the spices are up to you. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  
• 3 medium carrots, diced
  
• 2-3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2tbl olive oil
• 1 large can or crushed tomatoes ( I think they are 16oz)
• 1 can or 1c dry each of the following beans kidney, black, and pinto
• 2 or 3 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, minced, and seeded
• 1tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Once oil is warm, add garlic and saute about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add bell pepper, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring 3-4 minutes until onions are transparent. Add canned tomatoes, and beans. Add chipotle peppers, however many you like, minced and seeded. Add oregano, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low and let simmer for as long or as little as you like, but at least 30 minutes. If you are using dry beans, I would let it simmer for at least 3 hours. Top with sour cream, cheese, vegan cheese, nutritional yeast, or whatever you like.

Beautiful Vegetarian of the Week-Jared Leto

Photo courtesy of richkidsunite

So I have not done a guy yet for the "Vegetarian of the Week". This week I thought I would do Jared Leto, since I have heard that Thirty Seconds To Mars should be coming out with another album sometime soon, as they have nearly resolved their issues with their record company. I love Thirty Seconds To Mars. He is gorgeous, even if he is a little scruffy, and he is a very good actor.

Photo courtesy of LaertesCTB

I Had A Slip

Photo courtesy of stevendepolo

I was doing very well with my veganing, until Saturday. I had this extreme craving for nachos. So, I indulged. I have never been a person to deny myself. I think I was doing very well up until this point. I went three weeks with no slips; although, I had a strong desire for fettucini alfredo the first few days, but I got past it. My boyfriend, who eats meat, was very happy that I indulged, but I am determined not to slip again. The good thing is, they weren't really as good as I imagined them being. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do when I visit his family in El Paso. I don't think that a Mexican family, like his is going to take well to the vegan idea. It will probably just worry them. That is another entry though...

Recipe of the Week-Vegan Juevos Rancheros

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped white onions
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes and their juice
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 large corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup warm refried beans
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 block of tofu, mashed to make a tofu scramble
  

Directions

To make the Ranchero Sauce, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, salt, cayenne, jalapeno, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until warmed through and just starting to brown about 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the second side. Remove, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining oil and tortillas.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of margarine, over medium-high heat. Add tofu, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook about five minutes or until desired level of doneness (probably not a real word, but you know what I mean).

Place 1 warm tortilla on each of 4 plates and spread each with 2 tablespoons of warm refried beans. Place 1/4 of the tofu on top of each tortilla and top with the warm Ranchero Sauce. Serve immediately.

Beautiful Vegetarian of the Week-Emmy Rossum

I loved Emmy in "The Phantom of the Opera" and in "The Day After Tomorrow". I have recently become addicted to her C.D. "Inside Out", and I cannot wait to see "Dragonball Evolution"! To me she epitomizes effortless beauty and style.

Where to draw the line

Since trying to become vegan, I have found that there are many different takes on veganism. I am just not sure how far it is logical to take it. There are some that eat honey, and some that do not. I am not sure how I feel on this subject, I have yet to really make a decision. I have eaten it a couple times in bread and granola, but I have been trying to abstain from it. I understand the argument that eating honey is not harming the bees, and that they make more honey than they need, and that eating honey is the same as eating fruit. I do know that the smoke the bees though, and I don't think that is right. Some people argue that they only eat honey from local farmers that they know are humane, but what about honey in breads and things like that. I never just buy honey anyways, the only time I eat it, is when it is in something else.

Should a vegan drive a car. Well, yes and no. Obviously, it does not fit within the parameter of being a vegan to drive a car because it is made of animal parts, not to mention the fact that it pollutes the environment. Although, in the time we live in now, what are my options. I can't walk everywhere, especially when it is 115 degrees outside with a baby. Riding a bus would also be unvegan. Riding a bike, same. You must also take into account the fact that the produce you are buying from the store was delivered by a truck, which is not vegan. So, unless you grow your own garden and are completely agorophobic, then it would be a little difficult to follow the rules 100%.

Should a vegan be eating processed sugar, no. Is that realistic, yes and no. It really depends on how deeply you believe in what you believe in. It depends on how much will power you have. You already cannot get dessert almost everywhere you go. You can never enjoy a cookie, smoothie, your favorite Starbucks drink, or anything like that unless you prepare it yourself. I am not saying that is a bad thing, but it isn't necessarily the most realistic thing unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

The other thing I am not quite sure about is toothpaste. I really don't feel comfortable with companies testing on animals, but I also do not feel comfortable brushing my teeth with something I am not 100% sure about. The natural and organic toothpastes just seem a little bit too homemade for me. I have always been a little strange about the cleanliness of my teeth, and I want to make sure what I use actually works. After all, if I have an unhealthy diet, that can be fixed, if I mess up my teeth, they are gone for good. I guess I have a lot more research to do.

Fun and Stupid Questions on Yahoo Answers

So I have been wasting my time on Yahoo Answers today, and thought I would provide some links to some exceptionally fun and stupid ones. I am not making fun of anyone, just some of the things I see on there really entertain me. Take a look for yourself!

What do men eat to make milk?

Help! Paper towel caught fire in the kitchen range, what to do?

What do you do with the leftover bits of hair?

How do I make these recipes on Webkinz?

How much vanilla extract is safe to drink without feeling?