Christmas Treats

One tradition I love is making a gingerbread house at Christmas. This year, Tyson and I decided to make one with a ‘twist’. Instead of the same old gingerbread house, we decided to make a gingerbread BARN! I painted the barn with red paint and Tyson made a cute picket fence with popsicle sticks. The gingerbread man is a farmer, and the animals are having a great time in the green pasture. Farmer MacDonald had some problems with his roof this year though. There must have been too much snow because it kept caving in!

Here's a new treat for the holidays....VitaSoy makes a very tasty Christmas drink! It’s a smooth chocolate soy milk with a great peppermint twist. I heated mine up and added a candy cane for some extra sugah!
I also made some Peanut Butter Balls for Christmas. Anything with chocolate and peanut butter is a winner in my book, so I love these tasty treats. After they were dipped in chocolate I just laid them on parchment paper, which gave them a flat bottom. I haven’t mastered the perfect look yet—but they taste good, so that’s all that matters! Peanut Butter Balls
2 cups of peanut butter (smooth)
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
2-2 ½ cups icing sugar
2 cups Rice Crispies (optional)

255 g chocolate chips
2 tbl shortening

Cream peanut butter, butter and salt together then microwave for 1 minute. Check and stir every 20 seconds.
Stir in vanilla and icing sugar (add more if needed).
Roll in 1” balls and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Melt chocolate and shortening in double boiler. Dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate and refrigerate until hardened.

Mom also made some scrumptious Fresh Cranberry Quick Bread for the holidays. It’s sweet, but not too sugary. It goes great with some tea or coffee.
Fresh Cranberry Quick Bread
2 cups of flour
¾ cups sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped fresh cranberries
¾ cup of walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup orange juice
1 egg replacer
2 tbl vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x5” loaf pan with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Add cranberries, walnuts and raisins. Stir to coat.
In a small bowl whisk together orange juice, egg replacer and oil. Pour into flour mixture and stir until blended. Spoon into pan.
Bake 55-60 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Enjoy your holiday treats!

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

This is a great recipe to make for the holidays. You can serve some to your guests, or make cute little packages for gifts.

Enjoy!
Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
4 cups popcorn, popped
¼ cup vegan butter
1 tbl olive oil
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbl maple syrup
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup chocolate chips, melted

On a baking sheet, lay a piece of parchment paper and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter and olive oil together. Add brown sugar and maple syrup and bring to a low boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, without mixing, until a rich caramel color is achieved.

Remove from heat and mix in baking soda. Pour over popcorn and mix well with spatula. If eating right away, place on cookie sheet and drizzle with melted chocolate. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

If preparing ahead of time, pour the popcorn mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and heat in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes, mixing every 12-15 minutes. This dries out the popcorn so that it does not get soggy. Remove from the oven and drizzle with chocolate. Let cool and package in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe From VegNews Magazine

Vegan Nail Polish

I recently learned that nail polish is full of nasty ingredients. And, most “glitters” seen in nail polish are actually part of fish scales. NOT vegan at all. I’m very glad my best friend Haley brought this to my attention. And, what better way to do so than by buying me some vegan nail polish for Christmas! Thanks Haley :)The colors are gorgeous, and you don’t have to worry about formaldehyde, DBP, or animal parts sneaking in on your gorgeous nails.
Here are just some of the beautiful colors below (I love pinks and reds for nails):


The SpaRitual Story
Dedicated to the spa tradition, sparitual is committed to creating eco-friendly products and packaging perfectly crafted for the enlightened consumer. We use Vegan ingredients from around the world, including many specially sourced and selected plant essences that are wildcrafted OR organic. The formulations are naturally colored and free of synthetic dyes. SpaRitual is constantly monitoring sustainability issues and strives to be on the cutting edge of environmental awareness. Enlighten yourself. Be a SpaRitualist. Because we all deserve to live the good life.
http://www.sparitual.com/

Here's an article about SpaRitual by journalist Sloane Miller:

I love Essie's colors when I go for a mani or pedi, which is all too infrequently. Essie and Opi seems to have cornered the market on accessible high fashion nail color that is the most readily available at your local nail salon. And to boot, Essie's colors have great names. Here's a recent New York Times story about Essie and her naming technique. My current favorite Essie color is, "A Lot of Shekels." It's a translucent beige neutral that's like my skin tone but shimmery. I also have a perfect red called, "A-list," which when I wear I feel like a 40s pin-up star. I have "Sugar Daddy" on my nails right now which looks very pink in the bottle but almost like clear when it's on, perfect for work.

Fun, right?

Well, as the saying goes: it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. What can hurt you in nail polish? A lot actually.

Until recently, Formaldehyde, a commonly known carcinogenic (cancer causing agent), was a core ingredient in most nail polishes on the market. Yuck. Some other possible carcinogens that are commonly used in nail polish: phthalates, solvents and nitrocellulose. There may also be fish scales to make the nail polish shimmer. Yes, fish scales!

Have any of you had allergic reactions to nail polish and didn't know why? It could be any number of the highly toxic ingredients, or the fish! My manicurist told me of one of her clients who hadn't worn nail polish in two years, as she had multiple chemical allergies and the doctor approved the vegan nail polish line for her use.

What's vegan nail polish?
Nail polish has joined the trend towards low-chemical, natural, organic, and even vegan, new products are coming out all the time. In the last two months, I've been in two different spas, one in Bermuda and one in Vermont. Both had the SpaRitual line of nail polish. By offering these vegan lines, these spas subtly communicated that they wanted to treat the entire person, and the environment as well. Great!

What is SpaRitual and how is it different?
According to the SpaRitual website: "Dedicated to the spa tradition, SpaRitual is committed to creating eco-friendly products and packaging perfectly crafted for the enlightened consumer. We use Vegan ingredients from around the world, including many specially sourced and selected plant essences that are wildcrafted OR organic. The formulations are naturally colored and free of synthetic dyes. SpaRitual is constantly monitoring sustainability issues and strives to be on the cutting edge of environmental awareness."

Their products are all vegan and DBP free. "DBP, or dibutyl phthalate, is a plasticizing ingredient that has recently been banned for use in cosmetic products in the European Union. DBP is a potential developmental and reproductive toxin that may cause a broad range of birth defects."

Expect to see more and more of these products in your local beauty salons. And if you don't, start asking for them. Going organic in your diet is one way of ridding you body and the earth of these harmful chemical but by creating more demand in other markets as well, cosmetics, household cleaners, clothing the green movement will have a great impact.
-Sloane Miller
http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3900/32175/allergy-nail-polish

Pasta and Hors D'Ouevres

Tyson and I cooked supper last night for some very good friends. We decided to make Tomato Basil Cream Pasta with Chickpea Radish Hors D’Ouevres. Both recipes are from the VeganYumYum recipe book.

Tyson made the pasta while I made the appetizers. The pasta was very quick and simple. He added in some peppers and mushrooms along with what was in the recipe (along with a bunch more garlic-because he loves it). We were also very excited to use our new marble bowls. They’re a bit too big for certain things, but for pasta they were perfect!
The Chickpea Radish Hors D’Ouevres were a bit bland at first. So, we chopped up some green onion for the top, and also sprinkled on some chili powder. SO much better!
For dessert we had Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie from the Kind Diet. I know I just made this recently, but I had to make it again upon request. Yes, it’s that good!

Veggie Burger On the Road

If you’re on the road, the Irving Big Stop has a great veggie burger. I’ve had it a few times, and it has a great texture and taste. It’s hard when you can’t read the ingredients, because you always second guess yourself. I asked if it had any milk products or eggs, and they assured me it did not. Also, I always ask to get my bun toasted without butter, because it seems in every restaurant they use butter wherever they can!
So, be sure to ask about the ingredients, because I’m not sure if each Big Stop carries the same brand of veggie burger.
Enjoy!

Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

This is the first time I’ve made this dip. It’s a recipe from the Kind Diet. It was really easy to make, and tasted good! It was a bit runny, but I guess that’s the “oozy” part. I really liked that there was a layer of refried beans on the bottom. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about were the black olives. This recipe made a lot, and we couldn’t eat it all in one sitting. So, we saved it and it was also good cold, the next day.Recipe:

Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

Apple Strudel Anyone?

Oh MY GOSH…This...is...good. This is really easy to make because you just buy the pre-made puff pastry sheets. I didn’t know that most of them are vegan--so just read the label. This is going to be a great dessert to make over the holidays, and I have a feeling I will be making it many more times!
Apple Strudel
1 puff pastry sheet, defrosted
3 tbl sugar
1 ½ tbl all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I always add more cinnamon, because it is my favorite)
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 pinch of allspice
1 pinch of salt
2 to 3 apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl vegan butter
Sugar, for sanding

1. Defrost the puff pasty according to package directions (it takes approximately 30-40 minutes to defrost one sheet).
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice and then coat with the dry spice mixture.
4. Unfold the puff pastry and roll out to 11x14 inches.
5. Place the apples in a line down the middle. (For one strudel, I put some raisins in with the apples. I let them soak in some boiling water for a minute to fatten them up before baking them in the strudel).
6. Fold the dough over and tuck in the ends.
7. Brush the strudel with melted butter and sand generously with sugar.
8. Using a serrated knife, make several diagonal slashes in the strudel.
9. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Let it cool for an additional 20-30 minutes before slicing, then serve.

For a topping, I took some icing sugar and mixed in some soy milk (almond milk would be too thin for this I think). I also stirred in some melted Tofutti cream cheese. Just keep adding icing sugar until you get the consistency that you want…then drizzle it all over!

Recipe from VeganYumYum by Lauren Ulm

Beauty Products

Finding cruelty free products in the store can be frustrating. As consumers we have the right to know what ingredients are in the products we use everyday. We also have the right to know if these products have been tested on animals or have animal by-products in them. It can be frustrating because many companies do not say if they test on animals or not. And, even though we live in Canada, more often than not these products come from and are manufactured in the USA.
I never thought about all of the chemicals in our daily products, or that they might have animal by-products in them. Becoming vegan has opened my eyes up to this industry and I am still learning.

Search for cruelty-free products here:
http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

My cousin Angie has a blog about all the hormones and harsh ingredients that are found in our day to day life. Her blog helps you learn about these nasty ingredients and explains what all those big words we read on labels actually mean.
To check out her blog, click here: http://hormonehavocandtheroleoftoxins.blogspot.com/

Right now, I am using all of my old make-up and shampoo but when I need to buy something new I am actually doing my research first. People must wonder what I’m doing when I spend forever in the shampoo aisle reading all of the ingredients. It’s taken some time to find my favorite products, but there are tons of websites and blogs promoting cruelty-free and organic products. I want my shampoo and lotions to smell good and work well, while being environmentally safe. Some of these “organic” products are a bit more expensive, and some of them smell like cardboard (but that’s like anything I guess).

I’ve tried Burt’s Bees Shampoo, Live Clean Shampoo, Alba Shampoo and Organix Shampoo. I really liked the Live Clean shampoo, but the conditioner didn’t cut it for my thick hair. My favorite so far has been Organix. They have so many yummy smelling types of hair products and they’re not super expensive.

Here are some of the products that I have used (and liked). Click on them to see more company information.
Kiss My Face-Face Wash
Kiss My Face Toothpaste
Tom’s Antiperspirant
Orgnx Hair Serum
Organix Shampoo and Conditioner

I’m still looking for a great lotion and I don't want something with a lot of perfume. There are tons of organic products out there, but it's hard for one person to try them all! Please let me know of any products that you have found, or are using now that are environmentally friendly and work great.

Happy Shopping!

Food To Go

I always have to stop at the Heartwood Bakery whenever I go to Halifax. Their food is so full of flavor, and their desserts…YUM!

My last visit was with Mom and Tyson and we ordered some food to go. Tyson got the Sweet and Spicy Tomato Sauce Heartwood Bowl with rice Vermicelli. It was full of peppers, sweet potato, sprouts, tofu and goodness. He was very pleased, and VERY full.
Mom got the Avocado and Tomato Sandwich. Their sandwiches are made with their in-house organic sourdough Foccacia. They come open faced so this is just one half of the sandwich. It might look small in this photo, but none of us could finish our meal!
I ordered the Deviled Tofu Sandwich which was full of dilly tofu, veggies and sprouts. I love dill so this was really a treat for me. I plan to use a lot more herbs in my future cooking. They add so much personality to a dish.I was disappointed that they didn’t have any cheesecake left. But, not so disappointed that I didn’t order some vegan mint chocolate chip cookies, an oatcake and a chocolate hazelnut brownie. All in all, it was a great food experience-even if we were in the car!

Canadian Animal Transport Update

Thank you to everyone who signed the petition concerning animal transport in Canada. The petitions made an impact and small things are starting to change. We CAN make a difference!
Here is an update from WSPA:

WSPA applauds CFIA for increasing fines for animal transport violations
Oct 28, 2010
A pig endures long distance transport
© WSPA
On the heels of a World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) report entitled Curb the Cruelty, which highlighted concerns with CFIA’s enforcement of the animal transport regulations, CFIA announced that they are “cracking down on those who mistreat and improperly transport livestock by more than doubling the fines – the first increase in over 10 years”.

WSPA applauds this important first step by CFIA and is hopeful that the increase in fines will be a strong deterrent to ‘curb the cruelty’ involved in transporting live animals in Canada. This action by CFIA is a clear indication that WSPA’s Curb the Cruelty report had an impact.

In addition to this increase in fines, however, WSPA is also continuing to urge CFIA to address all of the concerns outlined in the Curb the Cruelty report and update the animal transport regulations in Canada.

The four cases of livestock truck accidents that occurred in Ontario and one in Nova Scotia over the past four weeks, resulting in the injury and death of thousands of animals, highlights the urgent need for an update.

After the release of WSPA’s Curb the Cruelty report, more than 10,000 Canadians – from rural and urban areas – sent letters to their MPs requesting an update to Canada’s animal transport regulations. WSPA is hopeful that CFIA does not delay and heeds this strong call by Canadians for stronger regulations.


Curb the Cruelty report key findings:
1. Unacceptable numbers of animals, particularly chickens, die during transport. According to CFIA statistics, two to three million animals arrive dead each year.

2. Animals are transported in overcrowded conditions. Many animals are so crowded that they cannot lie down or turn around.

3. Severely injured, crippled and sick animals are transported in contravention of the Health of Animals regulations.

4. Severely compromised animals are transported and left to suffer for prolonged periods in contravention of the Health of Animals regulations.

5. A shortage of specially-trained animal welfare inspectors, particularly veterinarians, puts animal health and welfare at risk.

6. CFIA’s reporting and enforcement are often weak and inconsistent.

7. Animals suffer as a result of poor driver training.

WSPA’s recommendations in the Curb the Cruelty report:
1. Improve enforcement: increase the number of CFIA animal inspectors, ensure that animal inspectors are specifically trained, increase the frequency of inspections and remove ambiguous words from the legislation.

2. Implement incentives and deterrents: economic incentives are needed to encourage better animal welfare practices, and stronger penalties are needed to discourage cruelty.

3. Strengthen regulations: reduce transport times, establish mandatory maximum loading densities, equip vehicles with heating and cooling systems, train drivers and handlers on animal welfare and behaviour, prohibit electric prods.

You can read the full report at www.wspa.ca/curbthecruelty.

A New Meal and Some Comfort Food

Grilled Portobello Sandwich on Tuscan Herb Foccacia with Orange Chili Mayonnaise Ingredients:
4 D’Italiono Tuscan Herb Foccacia Buns
1 cup of baby spinach
1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
1 large tomato, sliced

Orange Chili Mayonnaise:
1/3 cup Vegenaise
2 tsp grated orange zest
1-2 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp orange juice

Mushrooms:
2 large Portobello mushroom caps
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. For orange chili mayo, combine all ingredients using desired amount of chili powder. Set aside.
2. Mix oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Brush on mushrooms. Let stand about 15 minutes to absorb flavor. Grill cap side down on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn over and grill 3 minutes or just until they start to exude their juices. Cut in ½" slices.
3. Toast buns on grill if desired. Spread a little chili mayo on the buns and load up with mushrooms and your toppings!
These sandwiches were pretty good, but they had too much of a citrus flavor for my liking. I will definitely buy the buns again, and the mushrooms had a good texture. The chili mayo was great, except next time I wouldn’t add the orange zest, and I’d add some more chili powder! We served them along side with Cuban Style Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Yum :)

Last week I also made some comfort food: Vegan Sheppard’s Pie.
I didn’t really follow a recipe for this. I sautéed some onions, garlic and carrots in a pan. Once the onions were transparent, I added in some corn, salt, pepper and some Veggie Ground. Then I added about a ½ cup of vegetable broth to the pan and simmered everything for another 10 minutes. Some peas were added into the mix at the end, then everything got poured into a large glass dish. Mashed potatoes (with vegan butter), were spread on top of the veggie ground mixture. Chili powder was then sprinkled on top for some flavor. I baked it for about 25-35 minutes at 400 degrees Celsius, and then ate it with ketchup (of course)!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This recipe is from the Kind Diet…and let me tell you, it is DELICIOUS! Here is what Tyson said after his first bite: “This is very, very, VERY, very, very, very good! I mean this is really good…you should put on your blog that I said it was this good”.
This recipe is easy to make, and the cake is very sweet and decadent. I will definitely be making this again!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

• 1 vegan chocolate cookie crust (I just bought the crumbs and made the crust)
• 1 10-oz bag of grain-sweetened, non-dairy chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup(s) of soy milk
• 1 1/4 cup(s) of peanut butter
• 1 12.3 oz box of silken tofu (firm)
• 1/2 cup(s) of maple syrup
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, to taste
Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Bake the cookie crust for 4-5 minutes just to make it a bit crispy. Cool completely.
3. Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a stainless steel bowl over boiling water and melt the ingredients in it. Pictured below is my makeshift double boiler!

4. Whisk in the milk until combined and smooth.
5. With a measuring cup, scoop out about 1⁄4 cup of the chocolate mixture, then pour the remainder into the cookie crust.
6. Place the cookie crust in the refrigerator to cool completely.
7. While the filling chills, combine 1 cup peanut butter, the tofu, syrup, and vanilla extract in a food processor or blender; process until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
8. Pour the peanut butter mixture on top of the chilled chocolate filling in the cookie crust, smoothing it out over the pie as you pour, and return the filled cookie crust to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour or until firm.
9. To serve, return the reserved chocolate filling to the double boiler, or stainless steel bowl, and stir in the remaining 1⁄4 cup peanut butter.
10. Stir until the chocolate and peanut butter are very well combined and very warm. If the mixture seems too thick to drizzle, add some soy milk until it is runny enough to pour.
11. Decoratively drizzle the mixture over the chilled pie in zigzags or swirls, or use a small spatula to spread it smoothly over the whole pie.
12. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.