Category Archives: Uncategorized

Feb 17 2016
1 Comment
Cooking, Recipes, Uncategorized

Sweet & Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

IMG_8430(1)

Who eats plain old steamed or boiled brussels sprouts anymore? Not me! I had it once and I am OVER it. The good news is that there are so many ways to prepare these guys, and a creative saute is one of the easiest.

1 to 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and cut in halves or quarters
1 tbsp honey or agave nectar
1-2 tbsp walnuts (optional)
safflower or canola oil
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Fire up a pan and heat up the oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in your ingredients and saute until brussels sprouts start to turn bright green (or to your liking). Remove from heat and eat!

Soooo easy and yummy! This makes a great side dish or just about any meal. You can add chilies to spice it up. You can use soy sauce and/or sriracha to season for an Asian twist. Or add cumin for a Mexican or Indian flair.

Ooooh the possibilities! Enjoy!

Tagged , , ,
Jan 30 2016
Leave a comment
Recipes, Uncategorized

Brussels Sprouts: Incredibly Versatile

I can only recall one time during my entire childhood when I ate Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts were a mystery to me. I wasn’t sure what they looked like — I think I had envisioned something more along the lines of bean sprouts or alfalfa sprouts. All I knew about them is that kids hated them. My friends hated them. Brussels sprouts: BAD!

My first taste did nothing to convince me that what I had heard was wrong. Blech. Plain steamed Brussels sprouts are kind of the worst. Cut to 20 years later and I’m completely on Team Brussels Sprouts! I’ll be sharing three super simple recipes soon. Creativity is required when you’ve got a Costco-sized bag to go through! These are three different ways to prepare/cook these guys and serve as a basis for you to build upon or easily modify to your liking.

Sauteed & Sweet

IMG_8430(1)

Roasted “Chips”

IMG_8431

Raw & Crunchy

IMG_8455

Stay tuned!

Tagged , ,
Dec 05 2015
Leave a comment
Desserts, Recipes, Uncategorized

It’s My Annual Vegan Cookie Baking Day!

I don’t like baking. This is well-documented. I would say that I tolerate it now and I do find it a little cathartic, but that’s because I have finally had some success in my baking. Still, I try to avoid it altogether! But during the holidays, I’ll dust off the cookie sheets and bake some cookies to share with my pals.

IMG_8019

I first posted about these cookies a couple years ago. I’ll make a bold statement and say the cookies are better, but the recipe is the same!

Vegan German Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Bake and Destroy

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
⅔ cup vanilla almond milk or soy milk
⅔ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups rolled oats
¾ cup vegan chocolate chips
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, oil, flax meal, and vanilla extract. Whisk for about 2 minutes, until the mixture thickens.

4. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just mixed.

5. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts.

6. Drop by tablespoons (I used a cookie dough scooper thingy) onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set up.

7. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then let cool completely on wire racks.

Hope you guys enjoy and have a great holiday season! -Melissa

Tagged , , , ,
Sep 10 2015
Leave a comment
Recipes, Uncategorized

It’s Still Summer. Make an Eggplant Salad!

The days are getting shorter, kids are back in school, Labor Day just passed… but, hey! It’s still summer! And we still have fresh veggies from the backyard so I made a refreshing roasted eggplant salad to accompany dinner the other night.

eggplant salad

This is so easy to make (once you’ve roasted the eggplant) and goes with just about anything as a nice side dish.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

1 eggplant, roasted, cooled and chopped (use the skinny eggplants, not the fat ones)
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tbsp bit of fresh lemon juice1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

 

You’ll need to roast the eggplant first and then let it cool. There are a few methods for toasting eggplants — grilling, carefully roasting over an open flame, or broiling in the oven (which is my personal preference).

eggplant salad

Put all your ingredients into a bowl and then mix it up. Easy as pie! Mmmm… pie…

I’m happy to say that I am back in the cooking spirit. Maybe it’s because the weather is starting to cool. Maybe it’s because I’ve been inspired. I’m just glad to start getting busy in the kitchen again!

xoxo
Melissa

Tagged , , , ,
Jul 26 2015
Leave a comment
Dining Out, Uncategorized

Naf Naf Grill: Delicious and Vegan-Friendly!

Naf Naf Falafel Salad

Did you just lick your monitor or tablet or phone screen? I don’t blame you. I mean, look at the deliciousness in front of your eyes! It truly is as delicious as it looks, and you can get your very own at Naf Naf Grill.

I have loved Naf Naf from the moment they opened one of their O.G. locations in Niles. And now I’m going to get really fat and spoiled because they opened a location right by work a few months ago. Naf Naf Grill will please vegans and meat-eaters alike with a selection that includes chicken shwarma, steak shwarma and falafel.

It’s a super simple concept — think of it as a Middle Eastern Chipotle. You pick your meat/protein, then decide whether you want it in a pita, with rice, with salad, or with hummus, choose garnishes and then finish with sauces. The garnishes include a chopped salad of tomato and cucumber, cabbage and cilantro; purple cabbage salad; sumac onions; and pickles. THEY ARE ALL GOOD. GET ALL OF THEM! Sauces include tahini, garlic sauce (unfortunately NOT vegan), and hot sauce (the location by me has green and red options).

That’s not all! You can also get a side of fries (which are more like potato chips), lentil soup, or rice. I’m impressed whenever I see someone with a side because the standard Naf Naf serving is plenty of food.

I love this place. They’re fast and the food is fresh. The pita bread is nice and light, the falafel has a great, almost fluffy texture, and is tasty in its own right. SO good! And the best part is that they are super clear about their vegan options. I could get used to eating like this…

If you live in or find yourself in the Chicagoland area, be sure to check out Naf Naf Grill!-Melissa

Tagged , , , , ,
Jul 18 2015
Leave a comment
Desserts, Uncategorized

A Restful Weekend with Bonus Fruit Salad

I know it’s been awhile, y’all, but don’t worry:

From tumblr.com

Life has felt busy lately and not the exaggerated “I’m soooo busy (marathoning television shows)” kind of busy but the kind that involves having a ton to do at work, traveling a lot for work, and having a lot of family and friend stuff going on. It’s the “I haven’t done laundry in like three weeks” kind of busy. Gross.

Anyway, this weekend is finally a quiet one where I have zero plans other than catching up on my life, vegging out, and doing laundry. I can’t complain too much: I did go on one non-obligatory, 100% for myself vacation last month and visited Jen, my sister from another mister.

smarterrestSide story: I had to sneak into Jen’s place in the middle of the night and scared the crap out of her since she was asleep on the couch. (Don’t worry about why I had to sneak in. I just did. MYOB!) Along with screaming very loudly, Jen threw her eye mask at me. I’m so grateful it was just that and not a lethal weapon. Maybe things would have gone better if she had the Sleep Mask Eye Mask By Smarter Rest, which I had the opportunity to try out. This mask blocks out the light better than any other eye mask I’ve used AND it comes with ear plugs AND comes with its own storage bag. It’s also adjustable so it’ll fit no matter how giant or tiny your head is.

One of the highlights of the weekend was making a Filipino dinner for my friends and that included this easy throwback for dessert:

img_7314

Yum… lychees! Again, this super simple fruit salad consists of canned lychees, a can of fruit cocktail and almond jello. You can add a can of lychee juice if you want it to be more soupy, or ice cubes to keep it cold. Such good stuff! You should be able to find all the ingredients at any Asian grocery store. If you’re in the Charleston area, we picked up our stuff at the H&L Asian Supermarket. BTW–Jen froze, blended and used it to make a refreshing cocktail after I had already gone home. Sounds freaking delicious!

That’s all for now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

-Melissa

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Mar 22 2015
2 Comments
Reviews, Uncategorized

Coconut Oil: Product Review


A vegan lifestyle isn’t just about what you eat, it’s also about the products that you wear or use. When it comes to body and beauty products like lotions, makeup, soap and even deodorant, serious vegans should be mindful about the ingredients along with whether or not the product was tested on animals.

coconutoil

I recently had the opportunity to review Fractionated Coconut Oil by goPURE Naturals. This product is 100% pure coconut oil and is for topical use only — so it’s not meant to be used in the kitchen. The process of fractioning the oil makes it extremely stable, so it has an indefinite shelf life and remains in liquid form. Here’s a comparison between goPURE and cold pressed coconut oil:

coconut oil

Coconut oil isn’t new to me at all. My family uses it a lot as a moisturizer or for massaging. I remember having to wait for the oil to melt before using it. I love that I don’t have to do that with the fractionated version. I’m able to use it right away – and I did just that by rubbing the oil on my hands. I am very happy to report that the oil absorbs quickly, is non-greasy and is totally aroma-free. It definitely left my hands feeling softer.

I also tried using the coconut oil as a shaving oil. While it can be easy to make a bit of a mess of it in the shower, it worked well and didn’t clump up on my razor or in the drain, which is a huge plus for me!

There are lots of other topical uses for coconut oil! Just check out Pinterest for ideas. I for one am thinking about trying it on my hair or as an ingredient to make homemade lotions or creams. The fact that it is unscented makes it a great partner with your favorite fragrance.

Do you use coconut oil for non-cooking purposes? Let me know how in the comments!

Tagged ,
Feb 03 2015
1 Comment
Snacks, Uncategorized

Goodness Graze-ness

It’s 4pm as I type this and I just snuck a cookie into my mouth. A delicious, dark chocolate-covered cookie. Aren’t snacks the greatest?! I love snacks. They can be sweet or savory, crispy or gooey, eaten with a spoon or your fingers.

IMG_1955

Now you can call me the laziest person ever, but I’m a snack subscriber. Literally. A friend gave me a hard time about this (HI, SARAH!), but I have to say that I have been loving my experience with graze, which is a service that sends snacks right to your mailbox weekly, every other week, or monthly.

Calm down – this isn’t a sponsored post. I just like graze that much and it would be unfair for me to talk about snacks without mentioning them! And if you’re curious, then click on any of the graze links in this post to get your 1st and 5th box free. No commitment required at all so you can cancel after you get your 1st box.

I love graze because I get four different snacks in every box, each is the perfect portion, and you can specify dietary restrictions, including vegan (which I haven’t opted into just yet… let’s be real… but I do declare myself a vegetarian). I have found that it’s different from other snack subscription services because each snack is the perfect portion for one sitting and they travel well – which is a huge plus for me since I’m often jetting off somewhere and pack snacks as if I will end up on a deserted island with zero food.

IMG_1952-001

Here’s my latest box. Three out of the four snacks are 100% vegan. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the package itself is smaller than a sheet of paper (approx 6 1/2 x 9 inches) and about one inch thick. It fits right into most mailboxes or PO boxes and can easily be mistaken for non-food.

This box’s snacks were:

  • Smoky chipotle dip with rosemary breadsticks – interesting
  • Berries and cream gelato – yum! but not vegan
  • Lightly salted popcorn – who doesn’t love popcorn?
  • Salt & vinegar nut selection – perfect right before that time of the month, ya hear me, ladies?

So, okay. Popcorn and nuts are things I can easily buy and that in the long run cost me less than getting this box. But I’m the type of person who has no self control when it comes to delicious snacks, so I need the measured-out portions. I can also be very fickle so I end up with half a bag of uneaten nuts that I end up throwing away. I also can’t say enough about the variety. This is my 4th or 5th box and I haven’t had any duplicate snacks. Things like the dippers and fruity mixes are always really fresh and not necessarily easy to get in your local grocery store. I love graze for these reasons.

I did recently switch my subscription from every other week to monthly. I have found myself doing a better job of buying “fresh” snacks like hummus and raw fruits and veggies and not-so-healthy-but-yummy cookies so monthly seems more reasonable. It’s great to have the option to change the timing. You can also choose 8-snack variety boxes or opt to get only savory or only sweet. Top it all off with being able to rate your snacks and graze is a great user-friendly service!

Other things worth mentioning:

  • nutrition facts and full ingredient list is included with every box
  • a fun little tip sheet is also included
  • the web site itself is easy to use and mobile-friendly, but I wish they had an app. Get on that, graze!

xoxo!
Melissa

 

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js //

Tagged ,
Jan 11 2015
1 Comment
Thoughts, Uncategorized

Let’s “vegan” again

Hi. My name is Melissa. I am a chicken wing-aholic. And I’m not talking about vegan “chicken” wings. I’m talking CHICKEN WINGS.

yummy

We’re talking full-on Cookie Monster-style eating of chicken wings. I’m not proud of it.

The holidays have come and gone since I last posted and I have to confess that I have gone down a dark path leading back to an onmivore lifestyle. I can offer perfectly somewhat rational explanations for it, but the gist is this: I was hungry and there was a tray of Korean fried chicken wings in front of me. I went for it and didn’t barf or blow up so I just kept right on eating the chicken… and the burger… and the turkey… and the beef egg roll… and the prime rib…

And boom – here I am now, about three months after that first chicken wing, feeling gross and heavy and literally five pounds heavier.

Here’s the thing: I was pretty good for I’d say about six months or so, but I have yet to figure out how to completely eliminate eggs, seafood, and cheese from my diet. And now I am faced with the horrible thought of never eating a chicken wing ever again. So I may never be 100% vegan. I won’t beat myself up about it. But I can definitely take conscious steps toward making better food choices again. Will I die if I eat a chicken wing? Only if I choke on it or someone laces it with poison. Will I die if I eat a carrot or apple? Nope… unless I choke on it or someone laces it with poison.

This month on Turning Veganese, I’ll be reminding myself and all of you awesome readers that being vegan or even just making better food choices doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. I’ll tell you about some great products and recipes I have discovered that help make healthy cooking and eating more fun and worthwhile. And I’ll be open about my real diet and share recipes that may include dairy or eggs or seafood — with explanations of why I add them and how the recipe is still great without it or by substituting something else.

In retrospect, I think I was spot-on in naming the blog “Turning Veganese” because it’s a continuous journey for me. I hope you’ll all stick around for the ride!

-Melissa

 

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js //

Nov 10 2014
Leave a comment
Lazy Vegan, Recipes, Snacks, Uncategorized

Purple Yam Fries

Purple Yams

Purple yams: WTF?! They are actually very commonly used in Filipino desserts. We call it ube (pronounced ooh-beh, but if you say “oob” we’ll still know what you’re talking about) and we put this stuff in cake and ice cream and a bunch of other stuff! This post on Jun-blog sums up how it’s used in Filipino cuisine and it’s worth the read!

Anyway, I’m not here today to talk about dessert. I am here to talk about an easy and slightly savory way to enjoy this fantastic freak of nature! And it truly is fantastic: In addition to being boldly colored, purple yams have important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They’re also a great source of vitamin A and, on a smaller scale, potassium and calcium.

Purple Yam Fries

Ube (Purple Yam) Fries

1 purple yam
2-3 tsp safflower or canola oil
salt and any other spices you desire, to taste

1. Set your oven to 425 degrees.

2. Bake the yam, whole, for 45-60 minutes, until tender.

3. Let it cool.

You can eat the yams now if you want, just take off the skin (which should come off easily, or the yam should slide right out of it easily) and chow down! Or, you can move on to the next step to make the fries.

4. With skin removed, slice the potato into strips or whatever shape you desire. They might give off a weird odor: this is normal!

5. Gently coat the pieces in the oil and spices. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake again for another 15-25 minutes, until crispy. Check on them halfway through and flip over the pieces.

6. Serve hot!

I enjoyed these guys plain: the natural sweetness and starchiness of purple yams require no embellishment aside from a sprinkle of salt. If you’re into dipping stuff, I would recommend vegan mayo or vegan mayo with Sriracha for a nice kick.

This was the first time I really cooked and enjoyed purple yams as a non-dessert. They’re so much fun. I’d love to make purple mashed potatoes, purple potato chips, and of course, vegan ube desserts.

I love versatile foods!

 

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js //

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts