The Impact We Have in the World....

The Impact We Have in the World....

Our actions have an impact throughout the web of life. "The toilet paper on your grocery store shelves may have a direct impact on the 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. Not all tissue and paper towels are made from responsible sources."

So, I had found the picture and the 3 sentences on Pinterest months ago. Recently, I posted it on The Compassionate Vegan facebook page and someone asked about what companies are socially responsible. It got me thinking about some may not know about the companies or even realize that we have an impact with the items we purchase every day. The link below will help you find great info to help make a more compassionate choice.
http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp

Lau Lau~ With a Twist

Lau Lau~ With a Twist
Vegan; 30 minutes; Gluten Free

The majority of time these rolls are filled with pork and fish, here I used a filling with split peas and sweet potato. A filling and tasty way to get more collard greens in your diet (which are a super green), hope you enjoy these rolls...


8 large whole collard leaves
1 medium sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup of green and yellow split peas, soaked for 8 hours **Note: Soak the split peas before going to work or early in the day
1/2 cup of pearl barley or quinoa
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or a few drops of liquid smoke

1. I used a rice maker filled with 2 cups water to cook the split peas, pearl barely and steam the sweet potatoes. If not using a rice maker fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the soaked split peas, pearl barley and cook till tender. Steam the sweet potatoes for 8 minutes.

2. Fill a large pot with 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Drop collard leaves in water one leaf at a time, and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until slightly soft.

3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic till fragrant. Add sweet potatoes, cooked split peas and pearl barley or quinoa, coconut milk, crushed red pepper, and paprika or liquid smoke. Simmer, letting all of the flavors come together for 5 minutes or until liquid is gone.

4. Lay 1 collard leaf on work surface, with steam pointing away from you. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling 2 inches from bottom of collard leaf. Fold bottom edge of collard leaf over filling, fold in sides, and roll away from you; rolling as tight as you can. Serve with Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce for an extra kick....

Hominy Quesadillas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

Hominy Quesadillas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa
Vegan; Serves 8; 30 minutes or fewer

Welcome summer with this light tasty meal. Letting the grill and the food processor do a lot of the work, makes this a super easy meal to prepare on a weeknight. I soaked cashews in the morning, before going to work and was able to make a cashew cream to take place of the goat cheese that the original recipe from Vegetarian Times called for.

3 large or a combination of small and medium equal to 1/2 cup, husked and halved
1 large poblano chile, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded (I used 1 1/2 smaller poblano chiles)
1/2 onion cut into chunks
1 Tbs. lime juice, plus extra to cut into lime wedges for serving (about 3 limes total)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup cooked hominy or canned hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked pinto beans or canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
8 flour tortillas (I used green chile flour tortillas)
1/2 cup cashew cream
1/2 cup pepper jack daiya cheese
hot sauce

1. Preheat over medium heat, you may have to coat the grill grate or the grill pan with cooking spray. We didn't and didn't lose any veggies...

2 Coat tomatillos, poblano, and onion chunks with cooking spray. Grill for 10 minutes or until charred.

3. Pulse grilled onion chunks and tomatillos to coarse puree in a mini food processor. Add poblano and lime juice; blend until poblano is chopped. Transfer to bowl, and stir in cilantro.

4. Pulse hominy, pinto beans, and 2 Tbs. of tomatillo mixture in food processor until just beginning to stick together.

5. Press one-quarter hominy mixture over half of each tortilla. Add cashew cream and sprinkle pepper jack daiya cheese and fold tortillas in half. Grill quesadillas for 6 minutes or until filling is heat through, turning once. Let stand for about 2 minutes and serve with hot sauce.

Creamy Avocado Pasta "Sauce"

Creamy Avocado Pasta "Sauce"
Vegan; Gluten Free; Prep 10 minutes; Serves 4

Well, the first time I made this it was a tad too chunky... I made it again, last night, with a MUCH creamier texture. Here is the adapted version of the sauce recipe from Oh She Glows....

2 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted
1 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
2-3 garlic cloves, to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup of fresh mint
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste

1. Place all of the ingredients in food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

2. Serve with your favorite pasta.

Happy Mothers Day~ To ALL Moms

Happy Mothers Day



So here it is mothers day again. Yesterday friends of mine (I am still feeling under the weather) got together to raise awareness of mother cows and how they have to give birth to make milk, and milk products. They gave free non-dairy ice cream bars, and literature explaining the industry horrors.

I always thought it was odd when my aunt would wish me a happy mothers day, when I'm a pet parent to two beautiful rescued four legged furry pups. Now, I understand and I'm proud of it and look at word choices between owner and pet parent. When we change the word from owner to pet parent, we change the outlook of responsibility. That our companion animals are our responsibility for the lifetime that we are together. My boyfriend has two sons, and I'm a part time caregiver. They have a mom and I'm not trying to replace. So, yes I'm a pet mom.

On this Mothers Day, lets remember all moms from our own to the ones forgotten. Dairy Cows (that are raped, then have their babies stolen from them), Moms that have out lived their children and survive by Meals on Wheels, Elephants that have lost their families to the ivory trade or the circus, and Dolphins that have lost their loved ones to the slaughter in Japan.... Please support a cause and thank a mom this mothers day!

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas
Vegan; Soy Free; Gluten Free

Last night was my cooking demo (which I got sick-sad face).... So, while I was trying to hold down water; my friends made this recipe. Hope you all enjoy this healthy, easy, tasty recipe! Hopefully next months cooking demo will be better!

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup rolled oats (use gluten free)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
10 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped red onion

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch loaf pan with oil; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put beans, oats and 1/2 cup water into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, bean mixture, quinoa, peas, parsley, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. Bake until firm and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Found: Whole Foods

Sharp Cheddar

Sharp Cheddar
Vegan

Here is the last recipe to the wine and cheese tasting. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 pounds, so the note here, is freeze half for up to 3 months. This recipe is not soy free.... Found in VegNews

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 3 hours and drained
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/3 cups rejuvelac, divided
1/3 cup canola (I used olive oil, since I ran out of canola)
3 Tablespoons medium brown miso
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
8 teaspoons agar agar powder

1. In a high speed food processor or blender, combine cashews, nutritional yeast, 1/3 cup rejuvelac, canola or olive oil, miso and salt. Process until smooth and mixture will be thick.

2. Transfer mixture into a large glass bowl, cover with a towel and let rest for 24 to 72 hours at room temperature. Taste occasionally until desired level of sharpness.

3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together remaining 1 cup rejuvelac and agar. Bring to a boil continuing to whisk over medium heat for about 3 minutes until agar is dissolved and mixture is thick and bubbling. Reduce heat to low and add cheese mixture, whisking until smooth, remove from heat.

4. Pour cheese into a 9" round cake pan, lined with parchment paper. Let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Place in fridge for 3 to 4 hours until hard. Remove from pan, store in fridge wrapped in parchment paper for up to 4 weeks. For longer storage, seal in freezer safe plastic bag.