My Love Letter to Earth Balance

Dear Earth Balance Coconut Spread, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ...

1) You're delectable schmeared on toast and sprinkled with a little nooch.

2) You taste like coconut, but not in an overpowering way.

3) You make bomb-ass Handmade Coconut Samosas with Lemon-Curry Dipping Sauce:

Yes, these samosas look more like fried dumplings. But I promise they're stuffed with curried mashed potatoes and peas seasoned with a little Earth Balance Coconut Spread. Oh, and there's shredded coconut mixed in there too. The dipping sauce is made with Vegenaise mixed with curry powder and lemon juice.

The soft, fried samosa dough is made with eight tablespoons of Earth Balance Coconut Spread too. I served my samosas with extra curried potato filling and steamed kale seasoned with sriracha, soy sauce, and garlic.

The recipe for these tropical-inspired samosas came from a little recipe booklet from Earth Balance called "Cooking with Coconut." It was included in our schwag bags at Vida Vegan Con last August, and this is the first time I've made anything from it. It's a pretty awesome book filled with EB-based recipes for everything from Vegan Pho with Coconut Ginger Broth to Coconutty Chickpeas & Kale to Coconut Cream Pie.

Have you tried Earth Balance Coconut Spread? If so, how do you like to use it?

Pancakes!

I'm in the process of editing my cookbook again. In this second round of edits, I'm trying to get my manuscript in line with the Farm Book Publishing Company's current author guidelines. And there was a missing detail in my recipe for Cinnamon-Pecan Waffles.

So I made them again, measuring the amount of batter used in the waffle iron and the amount used for the variation recipe for Cinnamon-Pecan Pancakes. Only I super-varied and used walnuts instead of pecans. That's all I had!

I only made one waffle to test the measurements. But I made five pancakes! I ate one for breakfast this morning, but instead of smothering it with maple syrup, I schmeared it with peanut butter. Peanut butter trumps maple syrup every time. Am I right?

By the way, the cookbook is due out in late spring or early summer!! Finally! But I'll keep y'all posted.

Happy 31st Birthday, Poopie Bitch!

If you're on the PPK, you've probably seen my friend Poopie Bitch (real name: Stephanie) dishing out baking tips or witty smart-ass comments. She used to be a blogger too, but then she had a kid and started using him as an excuse not to blog. Lame-o! But I'll forgive her because she feeds me delicious homemade vegan cake.

Stephanie celebrated her 31st birthday on Friday, even though her real birthday was on Saturday. Here's the birthday girl showing off the Vegan S'mores Basket I gave her:

It contained two bars of chocolate (one 54% and the other 70%), Sweet 'n' Sara Coconut Marshmallows, and homemade Graham Crackers from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:



She had her birthday dinner at our fave Vietnamese joint — Pho Hoa Bihn. I ordered the Lemongrass Tofu with added broccoli (it typically comes without veggies, but they'll add them on request):

And Stephanie ordered the Green Beans with Tofu. Then we shared each others food:

But the real highlight of the night was dessert. Stephanie made Fauxstess Cupcakes from Vegan with a Vengeance:

These may be my favorite cupcakes of the moment (Mama, if you're reading this, remember this for my birthday this year). They're stuffed with cream, just like the real Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. So delicious!

Bringin' Flaxy Back

You like my cheesy Justin Timberlake reference there? No? Anyway, I'm not fond of doing two review posts in a row, but I promised I'd do a post soon on flax milk after mentioning that I used it earlier this week to make some bomb-ass hot chocolate.

One commenter asked if I made the flax milk myself? I only wish I were that talented (or patient). I actually used Good Karma Unsweetened Flax Milk. When the fine folks at Good Karma offered to send me flax milk samples, I had no idea they'd send this much!

Three huge half-gallons of their original, unsweetened, and vanilla flavored milks made from flax seed. I must admit that I assumed the milks would have a flaxy taste. Not that that would be a bad thing. I love the taste of flax seeds. But I was highly surprised when I took my first swig and realized the milk tasted as neutral as soymilk. I've been using this stuff in my coffee, and it has no flax seed aftertaste.

Since the milk is made from omega-rich flax seed, each cup has 1,200 mg of omega-3's, plus 30 percent of your daily calcium. Score! And the unsweetened flavor, which is what I would buy, is only 25 calories per cup. Most unsweetened soy and almond milk ranges from 50 to 70 calories per cup. This stuff is pretty awesome.

I haven't seen it sold in Whole Foods here yet, but when I do, I'll start buying this instead of soy, almond, or coconut milk. Every morning, I down a tablespoon of ground flax dissolved in water to make sure I'm getting my omega-3's, but as you probably know, flax seed doesn't actually dissolve in water. It just makes a thick, slimy paste. So I drink it fast. This milk is a way more appetizing way to get my omegas.

Quorn Goes Vegan!

Until today, I'd never tried a Quorn product. The U.K.-based vegetarian meat company makes all sorts of faux fare, from burgers and turk'y roasts to chick'n cutlets and chick'n nuggets, made out of mycoprotein (an edible fungi like truffles, morels and mushrooms). Unfortunately, their products have all contained eggs for years.

But thanks to Compassion Over Killing, Quorn agreed to release a new vegan burger! While I was on my cleanse, a sample box of frozen Quorn Vegan Burgers arrived in the mail. But since I was avoiding processed food throughout the cleanse, that meant no packaged veggie burgers. But three days after my Crazy Sexy Cleanse was over, I ripped right into that frozen package to give them a try:

Wow! That is a burger. I like my pre-made patties meaty and toothsome, and that's exactly what this is. It reminds me of some of the non-vegan, pre-made patties that I loved as a vegetarian kid, like Morningstar Farms Grillers. For some reason, many of the commercially available vegan versions of burgers (like from Boca and Morningstar Farms) just aren't as tasty as their egg-y counterparts. But the Quorn burger is right up there with the best. The burger is also similar in texture to the Soy Boy Okara Courage Burgers. Those are a little harder to come by, but they boast the same hearty texture.

Since the Quorn burgers are made from mycoprotein, they're actually soy-free. So these would be a good choice for vegans with soy allergies (bless their hearts).

Besides releasing a vegan burger, the Compassion Over Killing website says Quorn has also vowed to reduce its use of eggs overall. Yea for Quorn!!!

Sugar, Sugar

If you saw yesterday's post, you might have noticed that, although I enjoyed most of the foods I wasn't supposed to eat during my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, something was missing. Sugar!!! I did have oats sweetened with Ricemallow Cream for breakfast yesterday, but that hardly counts as dessert.

But I made up for that today with this steamy mug of Hot Chocolate from the Happy Herbivore 2012 calendar:

Seeing as how this is a Happy Herbivore recipe, it's still pretty healthy. But it does contain some melted chocolate chips along with soymilk (I used flax milk, more on that in a later post), cocoa powder (I used raw cacao powder), agave, cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne for a spicy Mexican flair. I topped it with a few Dandies vegan marshmallows. My office is freezing all the time (even when it's 60 degrees outside like today), so this hot chocolate was the perfect late afternoon warm-up.

My dad ordered me the Happy Herbivore calendar for Christmas. In the past couple of years, I've had Sarah Kramer's wall calendar, and I've made every recipe of the month. I intend to do the same with the HH calendar. So stay tuned for monthly pictures of Lindsay Nixon's mouthwatering, healthy recipes.

Back to Reality

After 21 days with no coffee (actually a few days longer because I started weaning myself off on the weekend before my cleanse), this morning was a magical one. I took a long, deep, appreciative inhale as I opened my bag of Starbucks Dark Caffeé Verona. I lovingly ground the beans and brewed the perfect cup in my beloved stainless steel coffee press. I sweetened my cup with a touch of agave and lightened it with a splash of So Delicious coconut milk. Mmmmm.....

But before that, I started this morning with another Green Juice:

Yes, the cleanse is officially over today. But I'm not giving up on green juice. This combo of kale, cucumber, apple, and celery gives me a burst of pure energy like nothing else. It doesn't last as long as coffee, but it feels great starting the day with an alkaline boost.

After juicing, I prepared one of my favorite breakfasts — Fluffer Nutter Oats in a Jar:

In case you missed the "oats in a jar" blogger craze a few years back, it's exactly what it sounds like. Oats served in an almost-empty peanut butter jar. The hot steel cut oats melt the nut butter remnants, and it's just amazing. I sweeten mine with Ricemallow Cream. Since this marshmallow cream substitute is made with brown rice syrup and soy protein, I figure it's a little better than refined sugar. And this was my only sweet treat today.

Peanut butter and oats are both rather acidic though, and I'm trying to stay balanced. Thankfully, this Aztec Salad from Crazy Sexy Diet was more alkaline:

Chipotle barbecue tempeh, toasted chili pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of roasted tomato vinaigrette tops a quinoa and black bean salad flecked with red peppers, red onions, and corn. The chipotle barbecue sauce and the roasted tomato vinaigrette are both homemade. On this plate, the tempeh, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, red peppers, and lettuce are all alkaline. Only the black beans and corn are acidic. This is the perfect example of a 60/40 plate.

Around 4:30 p.m., I snacked on some carrot sticks and homemade white bean dip, another favorite holdover snack from my cleanse. I should eat more raw veggies as snacks instead of always reaching for nuts or energy bars, especially on days like today when I skipped the gym.

Why would I skip the gym on the first day after my cleanse, you ask. Well, my friend Stephanie and I had a date to celebrate the end of my cleanse with a large Mega Veggie Pizza with Daiya at Mellow Mushroom!

I can't think of a better way to bring gluten back into my life! I didn't miss it all that much compared with my longing for coffee and sugar. But I couldn't have made it without pizza for too much longer. I'm like a Ninja Turtle.

Of course, you can't enjoy a slice of pizza without beer. I ordered my second favorite choice on Mellow Mushroom's menu — Sierra Nevada Porter. I really wanted the Yazoo Sue, a Nashville-brewed smoked porter, but they were sold out. Honestly, the Sierra Nevada was more delicious than I remember it being, probably because I've been deprived of good beer for too long. Cheers!

Crazy, Sexy, and Done!!

I made it! I finished the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse. Today was the last day, and you know what that means? It means I can have coffee again on Monday morning and gluten for dinner. And even sugar for dessert! Oh, and booze too.

Actually, I sorta cheated last night and had a glass of organic red wine. It was my friend's birthday, and I was so close to being done. It seemed silly to totally teetotal. And even though it's not midnight yet, I'm about to have another glass to celebrate. After all, I can't let this nice bottle of Bonterra organic cab sav go bad. Right?

I cooked (or uncooked) a few more Crazy Sexy Diet dishes over the weekend, like this Prana Marinara Sauce Over Raw Zucchini Fettuccine:

The sauce is made with blended cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. I enjoyed this with a big ole salad with raw ranch and a slice of gluten-free toast spread with white bean dip.

I also made the Aztec Salad, a quinoa/black bean salad topped chipotle barbeque tempeh and pumpkin seeds, from Crazy Sexy Diet tonight. But I forgot to top mine with the pumpkin seeds until I was halfway through eating. So I'll wait and share pictures of leftovers (pumpkin seeds included) tomorrow.

Even though I'm glad to welcome back my old habits, like coffee, booze, and gluten, I do plan to keep a little of what I've learned on this cleanse:

* I will continue to drink green juice every morning, but rather than have a 16-ounce juice, I'll make smaller 8-ounce glasses to drink with breakfast. Juicing is expensive, and I can't afford to keep up the 16-ounce habit.

* I will try to maintain a 60/40 alkaline/acid diet that's heavier on veggies and alkaline foods like tempeh and tofu and lighter on acidic foods like pastas, grains, faux meats, and oils. The ideal plate for me should be 60% alkaline and 40% acid.

* I will try to limit my sugar consumption by checking products for added sugars and opting for unsweetened versions when available (like unsweetened soy or almond milk).

* I will try to limit desserts to no more than two per week, not counting dark chocolate.

* I will continue to dry brush my skin every morning and use the neti pot at night.

That being said, you'll still see vegan junk food, my beloved faux meat, and treats on the blog. I'm just hoping to incorporate more raw stuff to balance everything out. I've become quite the junk food vegan over the past few months, and I basically spent from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve living on fake meat, chips, and sweets. Before the holidays, I was already eating pretty healthy, so I'm really just going back to that.

And that brings me to one final point. I had an anonymous comment from someone who said he or she couldn't support the idea of a vegan going on a more restricted diet. This comment came from a new vegan, and that's totally understandable. When you're transitioning from the Standard American Diet or even a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, it's hard to imagine why an already diet-restricted vegan would restrict themselves further. The commenter asked, "Is eating at all an enjoyable part of life for you or just another means to execute control and 'routine'?"

Of course, eating is enjoyable! Anyone who knows me will tell you that food is THE most important thing in my life. I live to eat. When I'm not eating, I'm dreaming about what I'll eat next. But that sometimes means that I gorge on too many treats, like I did over the holidays. Every year in January, I do some sort of cleanse to get myself back in line and re-adopt healthy eating goals that may have fallen by the wayside. Besides, healthy raw food is delicious!

It is a means to execute control, of course. But sometimes, a girl's gotta execute a little control to get herself back on track. Just because you're vegan doesn't mean you're healthy. Not by a long shot. I applaud the the commenter for trying to go vegan in the new year. But it's important for new vegans to realize that not all things vegan are good for you. Vegan cupcakes, donuts, and fried foods should be occasional treats, not everyday indulgences. And that's really all I'm trying to accomplish with this cleanse. More veggies, less indulgences.

Crazy Sexy Day Eighteen

Jesus. These last few days have been the hardest stretch of my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet detox. In the beginning, I was all fired up and ready to do this thing. But despite how clean and light and healthy I feel 18 days in, I'm growing weary of restrictions.

A few of my friends and I get together once a week for Girl's TV Show night, and we're currently working our way through the Twin Peaks series. Every time Agent Cooper gazes lovingly into his cup of coffee at the R&R and says "This is some damn fine coffee," I swoon. I know I've been whiny about coffee over the last few days, but I really NEED it!

Anyway, only a few more days. I can do this. The food I can have is delicious. That's not the problem. This morning started with another Green Guru Smoothie with more Sprouted Grain Cereal for a mid-morning snack. Lunch was the last of my Olive Quesadillas with Guacamole and another Salad with Raw Ranch.

But dinner was something new — Southwest Black Bean & Roasted Sweet Potato Burgers from Crazy Sexy Diet:

Black beans and roasted sweet taters are mashed together with brown rice, cumin, onion, and garlic and then dredged in cornmeal. I served my burger atop a slice of Food for Life Gluten-Free Pecan Rice Bread. And of course, there was more avocado on top. I've eaten an entire avocado today! Notice I only used one slice of bread. That's because these tiny gluten-free slices are 130 calories a piece!

My side dish was Steamed Cauliflower with Nooch. You can't beat that. I plan to continue focusing on whole foods like this after the cleanse, but I'll most certainly be adding back my coffee, booze, and a little sugar. I don't like feeling deprived.

Crazy Sexy Day Seventeen

This morning started with another 16-ounce glass of Urban Zen green juice made with cucumbers, Granny Smith and Fuji apples, fennel, yellow peppers, spinach, ginger, romaine, and celery. But green juice looks like, well, green juice. And you've seen plenty over the past 16 days, so I'll spare ya.

Mid-morning, I snacked on another bowl of Food for Life Sprouted Grain Cereal with unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk. I've shown several bowls of this cereal already, but here's the box in case anyone is wondering what it looks like. Yes, this contains wheat and the cleanse is gluten-free. But sprouted grain is supposed to be easier to digest so I'm allowing it:

Lunch was more Olive Quesadillas from Crazy Sexy Diet. They're made with kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions, Daiya, and gluten-free tortillas. This time, I topped them with quick cheater guacamole (avocado mixed with lime juice and some garlic powder):

I also had another Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing from Crazy Sexy Diet:

Before hitting the gym, I snacked on more Tomato-Basil Flatbread and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, but no picture. Sorry!

And I need to apologize in advance for my crappy dinner photos. My friends and I went to Imagine Vegan Cafe tonight, and I forgot my Nikon. So I used my iPhone camera's flash because it was dark in there. I love the iPhone camera in good lighting, but the flash sucks.

Anyway, I ordered the Eggless Egg Salad without a bun, so they served it on lettuce. And my sides were Steamed Broccoli with Imagine's homemade vegan cheese sauce:

And another Salad with Vegan Ranch. This ranch is one of my favorite things at Imagine. They make it in-house, and it's delicious!

Only four more days left on the Crazy Sexy Diet! I feel great. Light. Clean. And when I have energy, it feels like real food-fueled energy. But I'm still getting tired very early, and I know it's got something to do with the lack of sufficient caffeine. I need one big cup of coffee in the morning, and that gets me through the entire day. I'm ready to have that back. And a slice of pie would be nice too.

Crazy Sexy Day Sixteen

Only five more days left in the Crazy Sexy cleanse! It's hard to believe it's almost over, but I am really jonesin' for a cupcake. Or a glass of wine. And oh, a cup of coffee! I could really use a cup of coffee.

But enough about what I can't have. Here's what I could have today. I started my morning with another Green Guru Smoothie from Crazy Sexy Diet. It's made with avocado, romaine, banana, agave, and probiotic powder:

Mid-morning, I snacked on some more of the Forgiveness Trail Mix that I made yesterday. There's raw almonds, cashews, and pepitas mixed with goji berries, goldenberries, mulberries, and cacao nibs:

Lunch was another Olive Quesadilla made with Daiya cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, and caramelized onions on a gluten-free tortilla. The recipe is included in Crazy Sexy Diet:

And more Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing:

My grandpa passed over the weekend after a long battle with Alzheimer's. His memorial was tonight, so there was no time for dinner since I had to make the hour drive to my hometown. So I packed some Cauliflower and Carrots with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and White Bean Dip for the car:

And I packed a few slices of raw Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Pure Pleasures:

Since I wasn't eating a proper sit-down dinner, I felt like I needed a special treat to make myself feel better about the change in my routine (yes, I'm crazy weird about my routines!). So I packed a slice of raw Chai Cheesecake from Pure Pleasures leftover from my friends' weekend vegan potluck:

I also ate an orange in the car, but I didn't get a picture. But you know what an orange looks like so ...

Crazy Sexy Day Fifteen

I was off work for Martin Luther King Day! So I enjoyed all kinds of Crazy Sexy Diet-approved recipes from home. Breakfast was another green juice, the Urban Zen Juice from Crazy Sexy Diet. It's made with cucumbers, Granny Smith and Fuji apples, fennel, yellow peppers, spinach, ginger, romaine, and celery:

About an hour after juicing, I had a bowl of Food for Life Sprouted Grain Almond Cereal with Sol sunflower seed milk. But Maynard, our rescued puppy and the newest addition to our furry brood, hoped to score a bite before I could get one. And Gelfling, our mischievous black kitty, is contemplating pouncing on Maynard's head:

Lunch was leftovers of Kristen Suzanne's Harvest Soup from Crazy Sexy Diet and some Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Pure Pleasures. I made the soup last night to come out of my juice fast. It's made from blended raw zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, celery, dates, onion powder, and coriander. You can also find that recipe here on Kristen's Raw.

For each day of my 21-day cleanse, the Crazy Sexy Diet book has an assigned reading with a daily focus, prayers, affirmations, and tips for the day. Today's focus was forgiveness, and Kris Carr suggests making a trail mix and calling it Forgiveness Mix. You're supposed to think about letting go of grudges while you eat it. Mine has goji berries, cacao nibs, goldenberries, mulberries, cashews, almonds, and pepitas!

I also snacked on a Brown Rice Cake with White Bean Dip from Colleen Patrick Goudreau's Vegan's Daily Companion. It's made with cannelini beans, cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Creamy and delicious!

I went to the gym for a box aerobics class at 6 p.m. and then came home to this Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing. The recipe, made from cashews and fresh herbs, is included in Crazy Sexy Diet, but since it's from the lovely Gena Hamshaw, you can also find it here on her blog, Choosing Raw.

I also had one of the most sinful recipes in Crazy Sexy Diet — Olive Quesadillas. I say they're sinful because they're made with Daiya Cheese, and even though I'm guessing that counts as a processed food, Kris Carr recommends this recipe on the cleanse. And if it's good enough for Kris, it's definitely good enough for me. God, I've missed Daiya these past two weeks.

I used a gluten-free Food for Life Brown Rice Tortilla. Besides Daiya, the quesadilla is stuffed with kalamata olives, caramelized onions (made without sugar), and roasted red pepper. This is definitely a recipe I'll make over and over, and that's not something I say often.

Crazy Sexy Weekend: Potluck!

I just finished my second Sunday juice fast on the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, but since I blogged about fasting last weekend, I won't bore you with those details. Instead, I want to show you all the deliciousness I ate on Saturday during our monthly vegan potluck. Yes, you can eat potluck food on the Crazy Sexy diet! At least, you can if you're at a potluck with my awesome veg friends ...

But before I get to the potluck food, I want tell y'all about my awesome morning meal. I woke up early on Saturday, and instead of juicing at home, I drove out to Cosmic Coconut, a totally vegan juice and smoothie shop in East Memphis. I ordered the Beetnik, a juice made from beets, wheatgrass, carrots, kale, and apples:

I also ordered a Good Vibrations Smoothie to hold me over for a few hours. This is made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, coconut meat, and stevia. Both were so delicious. Somehow, juices and smoothies taste better when someone else makes them for you!

Lunch was the last of my leftover Tofu Eggless Salad and a Green Salad. That kept me satisfied until dinnertime, when I headed to my friend Shay's house for our monthly vegan potluck. My friends and I have been hosting potlucks each month, each at a different house. The last two were sinful gorge fests, so I figured I wouldn't be able to eat much of what people brought and stay within my cleanse rules of no sugar, no processed food, and no gluten.

I also knew everyone would be drinking wine and beer, and since I'm alcohol-free until the 23rd, I brought my special drinky treat — KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Drink in coconut:

For my savory item, I brought along some raw Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Natalia KW's Pure Pleasures. I met Natalia at Vida Vegan Con and bought both of her raw books, but this was the first time I'd made anything from them. These dehydrated flatbreads were made with flaxseed, hemp seed, fresh tomato and basil, and sunflower seeds. They were delicious, and I have a ton left since the recipe makes lots:

I was afraid I'd only be able to eat what I brought and maybe a few crudites. But I was shocked to find so many cleanse-friendly foods. Lara made Roasted Asparagus:

Vaughan and Barbara brought a Quinoa Salad with raisins, celery, cilantro, and some other yummies:

Greg made his Famous Pinto Bean Dip. I can have beans on the cleanse, but I couldn't have the chips he brought for dipping. So I used the dip to top my raw flatbread:

Shay made a Roasted Red Pepper Dip that also had a bean base, and it was perfect atop my flatbread too!

Another girl at the potluck was totally raw, and she brought this amazing Raw Pepper Jack Cheese from Journey to Bliss, a regional company that makes raw cheeses and desserts to sell at our local Whole Foods:

Leslie brought a creamy Butternut Squash Soup that was perfect for the cold weather:

Look how packed my plate is!! And to think I thought I'd only be able to eat what I brought. Also pictured on my plate is a small scoop of Lara's Laotion Rice. It's one of my favorite things she makes, so I had to have a little even though it contains faux chicken (I'm supposed to be avoiding processed foods):

I knew I'd surely be tempted by all the sugary desserts, so I had to bring some sort of Crazy Sexy Diet-approved raw dessert. I've always wanted to make a raw cheesecake, so I picked Natalia's Chai Cheesecake from Pure Pleasures. It's topped with her CinnaVanilla Syrup:

Here's my little slice. This stuff is made with raw cashews, coconut butter, agave, and chai spices, and it has a pecan crust. It was so decadent and yet way healthy! Plus, after eating a slice of this, I was no longer tempted by the delicious cakes and cupcakes on the dessert table: