Winter Leaves?

These pics are a couple months old but I came across while organizing pictures and wanted to share. Absolutely love having photoshoots with friends, especially spontaneous ones right after church with my dear (ex-) roomies! 😉 

(I posted a couple from this shoot on a previous post but that was back when I updated from my phone, which shrinks the pictures and messes with the quality).

(unedited)

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

love to write in my journal… just call me Anne Frank! 😉

 

ImageImageImage

strut, or struggle? ImageImage

beautiful roommate

 

 

 

Image

 

 

ImageImageImageImage

 

beautiful bestfriend 

ImageImageImageImage

groupies~

“hear no evil- see no evil- speak no evil”

ImageImageImageImageImageImage

 

Same old tart; new and improved food photography

The reason for the title of this post: I made this tart over Thanksgiving and posted earlier about it, but I used frozen raspberries instead of fresh that time, so although it still tasted delicious, it wasn’t quite as picture- perfect! The good thing about this tart is that it is extremely rich, meaning that a little sliver goes a long way! Also sugar- free, gluten- free, and raw, although you would never ever guess how healthy it happens to be. 

Without further ado, bring on the foodporn!ImageImageImage

step 1: the crust

ImageImage

step 2: chocolate filling

ImageImage

step 3: after refrigerating; pile on the fresh raspberries and DIG IN :’)

ImageImageImageImageImage

 

Cooking Close- ups, Continued

I love when I go grocery shopping and everything I buy is healthy, delicious, raw, and so colorful/ beautiful. Snapped a few pics of some favorites. Anyone wondering if vegans live on a diet of leaves? Not at all true. Of course, there are plenty of vegans who eat a diet (ironic to call it that) of pop-tarts, potato chips, oreos, and french fries; all of which happen to be free of animal products and by- products, but of course are extremely unhealthy and contain nasty chemicals/ additives, not to mention shortening, sugar, and bleached white flour. Also, many vegans primarily eat meat and dairy substitutes, which I agree are fun to have on occasion (almondmilk yogurt is a personal favorite), but these also tend to contain a shocking amount of chemicals and additives, and I just like fresh food better, so I tend to avoid those as well! When I talk about eating vegan, for me this means eating a hefty amount of vegetables and fruits, and my diet contains a lot of nuts/ nut butters (natural of course! as in, no added oil/ sugar.. not talking about organic or anything) and legumes (beans!!). And of course I love oats and some hearty grains as well. Anyways, here are some snaps of some diet staples, as well as a delicious homemade sauce I made for some company (served with whole wheat spaghetti), and of course salad! I wish I would’ve gotten a picture of the sauce before I blended all the tomatoes/ peppers/ vegetables/ basil leaves together… ever heard of eating the rainbow!? 😉

Quinoa. Such a superfood.

Image

Medjool dates.. insanely decandent and caramel-y… the perfect sweetener and a staple in raw- vegan desserts! 

 

 

Image

 

 

tiny fraction of yesterday’s haul

Image

 

Raw brownies! first time making these with actual medjools, and maple syrup not agave… very delicious 🙂

Image

before.. 

Image

.. and after 

Image

and the tomato sauce! recipe here: http://deliciouslyella.com/the-best-tomato-sauce-vegan/Image

Idk if I made enough..? 😉 Even with company still had plenty of leftovers!

Image

Image

 

 

 

Cooking Close- ups

Before I get to the good stuff (pictures of some yummmmy food), just a little disclaimer. Not that anyone really cares, but just so that I’m not too much of a hypocrite! 😉 Since my last post I have in fact been staying away from instagram and it’s been great, but I realized that with some pretty exciting plans to travel the world in my near future, I will be taking a lot of neat pictures and I will want to document my adventures and keep in touch with friends. So while it has been a welcome break, and definitely a most- needed wake- up call when it comes to prioritizing, I am not going to be deleting/ refraining from one of my only means of communicating with loved ones in a little while here. So like I said, just wanted to make my point so I’m not acting like I’m above certain social networking sites while I still continue to use them… just a little follow- up on what was on my mind the other evening. 🙂 

If you can’t tell, 90% of this blog is food. Namely vegan, plant- based, whole foods, and often desserts & treats. I’ve been spending a decent amount of time in the kitchen recently so I snapped some pictures of some yummy recipes- in- progress. If nothing else, this is a sneak peek into the world of “what vegans eat” 😉 

First off: Time to give credit where credit is due! My all- time favorite blog is deliciouslyella.com. I am in love with every single recipe on there.. and I am so impressed at the nutritional value of everything on there! So fabulous. 

The other night I wanted a little treat, and of course for me that means, a treat that tastes like a treat but is, in fact, very healthy. So I made deliciouslyella’s apple/ pear/ raisin cake. Yum! Topped with frozen banana soft serve and a dollop of crunchy natural peanut butter? The perfect way to get away with eating dessert for breakfast. Or as a midnight snack. Or every hour… 

Image

I put the pears and apples in a saucepan with some cinnamon before adding to the batter… this on it’s own would make a wonderful treat! 

Image

pecan and almond flour (gluten free say what?) 

Image

Raise your hand if you have a special place in your heart for the Vitamix!

 Image

into the oven… 

Image

link to the original recipe is right here: 

http://deliciouslyella.com/apple-pear-and-raisin-cake/

 

the Social Networking Disease

More like Epidemic. Not that I am qualified at all to lecture others on the dangers of spending excessive amounts of time on Facebook or Instagram… I’m sure I am so guilty of that myself. Which is why this post is happening. Having moved a lot, with great friends literally all over the globe, I absolutely love the ability to connect with these people who I haven’t seen in years, and get a glimpse into their lives, within a few clicks. But it bothers me when I find myself spending way too much time browsing listless news feeds (killing brain cells to the max), getting irritated with pictures that I feel don’t accurately portray what I look like (ever happen to you..? Un- tag…), and especially when I start to feel the need to post pictures any time I hang out with cute friends/ eat a good meal/ do something interesting/ exciting. Of course it’s fun to take pictures of fun times (m e m o r i e s) and like I said, show far- away friends and relatives what you’re up to, but there just comes a time where too much is just too much, ya feel? I was thinking about this while folding jeans during a dull 9- hour shift at work today, and I decided that it’s really just stupid and a waste of time right now if I’m choosing to spend my time this way, but in a little while, it could become dangerous. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really believe that silly, seemingly minor distractions like social networking sites can, and often do, get in the way of relationships, new experiences and opportunities, and simply living and loving life to its fullest! So I’m 99% sure I want to delete my instagram… time to go out and have fun #keepinitreal #nobutforreal, and instead of seeing how many friends/ followers/ whatever liked a picture, the only person’s “like”/ approval I really need is my OWN, because it’s MY life and I’m the one livin’ it! (If nothing else, I’ll at least have a little insta- fast for a bit just so I’m not on my phone all the time… having grown up without cable TV/ Netflix/ video games/ anything of the like, I pride myself on my childhood abstinent from technology, and I’d like to hold on to some of my wholesome childhood values;)) . Plus, I like blogging better anyways. 😉

** I am not trying to make an argument that blogging is more wholesome than instagram or whatever, just sharing my thoughts on how to cut back on screen time in my own life and do things just for the sake of doing ’em.

Image

 

Here’s me excited to take a break from my phone and internet and errthing… JK, this is me thinking about plucking my eyebrows soon and capturing the moment to prove that my eyes definitely are not brown. 😉 (wait huh did that just make any sense haha!?) Oh and check that cr!mped ha!r… 

Image

me being k00l and @rtsy and all that

Image

and, liked this picture because I spy my hairrr! Can ya find it..? 

and lastly, all you need is L O V E Image

we cute right? 😉 

Improvising gone RIGHT

(Grammar check on the title of this post plz ;))

I had extra chickpeas leftover from the cookies and I had brought along the goods for hummus because I had a hunch that would happen, so we whipped up a little homemade hummus. For some reason, this time it was SO MUCH better than any other hummus I’ve ever made in my life. I strongly suspect it’s because we weren’t following a recipe. 

Here’s a rough estimate as to what went into that ninja though, because this is definitely one to try and recreate. Of course, personal preferences are bound to differ when it comes to different spices and seasonings and such, which is why it’s kinda nice to have so much freedom with this whole rough- outline- but- no- exact- recipe approach. 

(**** VERY approximate) ~

  • 1C chickpeas
  • 1 T tahini
  • 2T almondmilk
  • 2T lemon juice
  • 1/2 T minced garlic
  • 1t salt (Himalayan is awesome… plus it’s PINK cool)
  • 1t rosemary 
  • 1/2 t paprika
  • 1/2t cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 t pepper 
  • 1/2 t dried basil/ oregano

A lot of those “1/2 teaspoon of whatever spice” should probably be translated to “just a dash” based on preference. We all just added a little here and there, blended, and kept on adjusting and seasoning until we decided it was perfect.

Trial- and- Error method as applied to making hummus? Tried- and true. 

And then we had some fun arranging little sample platters. (Like, are those spinach leaves or petals? Cooking is an art obvi.)

Image

Image

hey Ragan

Image

 

Image

 

Those Cookies Doe…

Of course we made those grain- free peanut- butter chocolate- chip cookies because they are the best ever and so easy, and the DOUGH…!! Mmmm

(If you don’t happen to be a frequent reader of my blog, just scroll back a few posts and you’ll easily find the recipe.)

Image

 

Most photogenic recipe right?

Image

Impossible NOT to eat by the spoonful… confession time: Sometimes when I make these, they never make it to the oven… (Sometimes = often)

Image

 

you get the idea… 

Image

shoot this dough is so good it deserves a black’n white pic 😉

Image

That Dough Doe,,, 

Slowly converting the world to Veganism, one friend at a time;)

It’s no surprise that Friends + Food = A Great Time. 

I love to talk about, love to make, LOVE to eat plant- based whole foods.(Vegan always; gluten- free and sugar- free preferably). I get so excited when friends share my excitement and want me to share recipes and tips and get together for a little healthified (yep, that is a word..)- dessert girl’s night. So fun. 

Image

Here’s what was on the menu the other evening, with links/ references to the recipes because they are all soon- to- be regulars in your kitchen! Like most of my recipes on here, these are ridiculously tasty for how nutritious they are, and ridiculously easy to whip up at that.

*mock “mint chocolate- chip ice- cream milkshakes” or, as blogger Katie, whose recipe this is, calls them, “shamrock shakes”. (your St. Patrick’s day celebrations will never be the same!)

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/02/24/raw-mint-chocolate-chip-milkshake/

Appetizing, no? 😉

Image

mmhm, my compliments to the chef 😉

 

 

Image

Action shot!

Image

(this was at my friend’s house so this isn’t my ninja but lemme just say that this is a fabulous blender and I highly recommend! I do use a ninja food processor, the “mini chopper”.)

Image

 

This little cutie approved! Told her mom she was giving up junk food from then on. So cute, love it 🙂

the other 2 menu items are:

*BEST COOKIES OF MY LIFE (the grain- free, chickpea- inclusive peanut- butter/ chocolate- chip ones I posted about the other day)

*Best Hummus of My Life. Which gets a blog post of it’s own because I snapped some quality shots of this delicious little bean dip on a bed of fresh spinach, garnished with cherry tomato, rosemary, and (pink!) Himalayan salt. (… Just call me Chef Madi.) So, more to come on that one. 🙂 

Sneak preview: (Cute right!)

Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

Â