Smoky Fiesta Black Bean Tamales & gym etiquette

This weekend I made my very first batch of tamales EVER and VEGAN tamales at that! I have always heard horror stores about how long the process is to make tamales, so it's something I had never dared to try before, but dang, this recipe looked pretty easy.  Next time I will be TRIPLING this recipe and freezing these babies UP! They did not last long at our house and were amazing with a little fire roasted salsa on top.  When shopping for the corn husk you should be able to find them with the salsa and Mexican spices (when not in season).  I bought mine at Wal-Mart and they worked out great.  One change I made, I did not add carrot, but corn instead.  You could really play around with the ingredients on this one and the spices.  All I can say is, "OMG, these were AMAZING!!" Normally I am not much of a tamale lover, but these had SO much flavor!!

Smoky Fiesta Black Bean Tamales

From: The Vegan Husband

Ingredients

2 cups masa harina

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 sweet onion, diced small

1 large carrot, diced small

1 red bell pepper, diced small

1 can diced green chiles or 1 Anaheim pepper, diced

2 minced garlic cloves

1 T. baking powder

1 1/2 t. sea salt

1 T. nutritional yeast

1-2 t. liquid smoke (depending on your preference)

1 t. red chili flakes

1 t. mesquite powder (optional)

1 C. cashews (soaked for 4-6 hours if you don’t have a power blender)

1 1/4 C. water

20 dried corn husks

quinoa summer salad & getting back to life

I have been missing from my blog the last few days.  Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that on Thursday I unexpectedly lost my handsome 5 year-old Cavalier, Avery.  It was very sudden and I am slowly dealing with having to let him go.  Very thankful to my husband who took great care of me this weekend.  I have to thank Avery for coming into my life.  He was my first Cavalier and without him I would have never gotten involved with the Cavalier Rescue Foundation and help save so many Cavaliers. Avery was the perfect Cavalier and could never be replaced. I was blessed to have him in my life, even if only for five short years.

So, today I am playing catch up.

Giveaway!
Yes, shortly I will be doing my first blog giveaway!  So exciting, as it will be something from one of my favorite jewelry makers!!  This is being custom made just for us.  Stay tuned for updates!!

Etsy Store Orders
All orders placed last week are shipping today!  If you have not checked out my online store, please stop by and take a look around!

Quinoa Summer Salad

mushroom & onion chimichangas - and vegan failure?

Wow, first I have to say my Etsy Vegan Redhead a Running Online Store is rockin! I have been adding cell phone cases and other items, with still MORE items to come.  Thank you to everyone who has purchased from me.  My goal is to get everything shipped out as quickly as possible.

Today I have a little bit of this and that to chat about, but hey lets start with some FOOD!  I think last Friday on Facebook someone linked a non-vegan Chimichanga recipe that looked good, but would taste BETTER being vegan.  I couldn't get it out of my mind, so Saturday for lunch I was on a mission to make a vegan (and healthy) Chimichanga!   The guacamole cream sauce I made to top them with....omg, to die for!  You'll find that recipe here as well. These also made great leftovers the next day.

Mushroom & Onion Chimichangas

Ingredients
1 Yellow Onion, sliced
2 Cups Mushrooms, sliced
2 T. Vegetable Broth (or more as needed)
2 T. Garlic (I cheat and use the jar kind)
1 Small Can of Diced Green Chilies
1 15.5 oz. Can Black Beans, drained
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Cumin
1 t. Black Pepper
5 Whole Wheat Lavash (or tortillas)

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Over med-high heat add vegetable broth to your skillet and sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Add more broth if needed, but not to much. Stir in black beans, green chilies and spices. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until warm.

new store OPEN & tofu edamame toasted lavash wraps

YES, my online store is now open and running!  Please check back often as I plan on adding more product.  Over all, I am very excited to share my "vegan" love with everyone!  Please let me know if there is something not on the store you are interested in, as I am more than happy to create a custom order for you. Having worked professionally in the scrapbook business creating product and writing a couple of books, being creative again feels sooooo good!

On to food...
One of my favorite lunch mixes I like to whip up on the weekends is my tofu edamame mix...LOVE it! Works great on whole wheat bread, over spinach & sprouts (my favorite) or wrapped up and toasted in lavash!  What is great about this also, you can add what you want to it.  Not sure I ever make it exactly the same lol.  Enjoy!

 

 

Tofu Edamame Toasted Lavash Wraps

roasted garlic & olive hummus - tee shirts for sale soon!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I don't think I left the kitchen this weekend, but I enjoyed every yummy item I whipped up!!  I made everything from a wonderful tofu scramble to roasted garlic & olive hummus!  My kitchen was a rockin' that's for sure!!

Friday night I finally got my "Vegan" tattoo (you can kind of see on my right arm)!!  I am so in love with the design that I had it printed on a tee shirt at work.  My shirt went over so well on Facebook that YES I will be adding an online store THIS week!!  I will be adding the design in different style/colors of tee shirts and also on iPhone covers as well!  Check back often for updates as to when the store is open and live!  Please also let me know if you have ideas you would like to see it printed on as well.  Thanks to my job I can offer lots of great options!! I wore mine Sunday, makes me so happy!

Now on to great food!!  This hummus has TONS of flavor.  You can add more/less of the roasted garlic and olives to fit your taste.  This had to be the most flavorful hummus I have ever made!  You will also find my cracker recipe below that are oil free as well.  To roast your own garlic check out the Pioneer Woman for directions, very easy to do!  I roasted up a bunch to use in a few other recipes as well.

Roasted Garlic & Olive Hummus (oil free)

Making the transition from meat-eater to vegan: the 101 redhead guide

Please note I am not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist – just a redhead who found the love of being vegan.  I was asked by a reader to share my tips for making the transition from meat-eater to vegan.  So this is my basic 101 redhead guide:

Become Informed

First thing is knowledge.  You can go out and buy all the “vegan” crap food you want but you’re missing the boat if you are still buying all processed food (vegan or not).  Netflix is a great source for watching videos.  I would suggest KnifesOver Forks and Vegucated to start with.  The only down fall I had with Vegucated was they pushed the processed “vegan” food and I felt they could have shown better options.
Next hit the bookstore.  If you love detail and love to read check out The China Study.  If you prefer a quick read then try The Engine 2 Diet and My Beef With Meat.  My husband and I liked the quick read better lol. I have also just started reading Vegan For Her (can I tell you I no longer have hot flashes being vegan, sweet huh?).
Blogs and Facebook are a great place to search out places to read more information. Find the vegan ones that speak to you.  Some are pretty hard core vegan sites, don’t let something scare you off. When I first started I wanted to know more about starting out and raising a vegan family. Get ready to be asked, “So, where do you get your protein from?” from pretty much everyone.  Funny, before becoming vegan no one seemed to care where I got my protein from.  Hummm…

diet vs. lifestyle

March 24, 2013 was THE day for me. On that day I knew it was time for a lifestyle change. Diets don't work for me, they are a temporary fix and I knew the facts...I wasn't stupid. I knew in my heart that on this day I needed to live a vegan lifestyle.  I needed to cut out processed food. I needed to quit drinking.  I needed to workout.  I wasn't one of those people who suffered a major heart attack and received that wake up call.  No, I was at a yoga event for our Cavalier rescue in a sea of older HEALTY looking women.  This is how I wanted to live.  Look and feel amazing.  Not tired and sluggish each day that I woke.

My husband and I have tested the vegan waters before and did great, but I never made that 100% commitment.  After more research and knowing that not only was it a great way to eat, but it was the ethical thing to do for animal rights as well.  Thanks to Vegucated I will FOREVER have the image of young male chicks being thrown into a grinder only because they were born the wrong sex...or maybe that is better than the life a female chick goes on to live, I don't know.  I just know that things really need to change.  I am ready in my life to make that 100% commitment.  When I started losing weight I actually had someone I know tell me, "yeah, but when you lose your weight you'll be back to your normal eating and off that vegan diet."  Excuse me?  I don't look at "Vegan" as a "Diet" this is how I want to commit to eating for he rest of my life!  I want to feel this great the rest of my life!