[Vegan MOFO Day 7] Tea Time: Orange Red Carrot

I am a fan of Republic of Teas blends and this one stood out when I was at the store. I like orange carrot juice so I thought a tea form of it would be interesting. The rich orange color is nice, the scent is sunny and the taste is very citrus, clean and warming. I drink mine hot without sweetener. The citrus notes add sweetness and a flavor that I believe does not need anything added to it. Even though it is caffeine free it picks you up first thing in the morning!

[Vegan MOFO day 6] Weekend Roundup: I Rather Be In Bed

This weekend was spent doing not much of anything. Maybe the cold weather is getting under my skin or I am just PMS-y.

Friday I went to the DMV since Matt got out early. He had a team building day at work - his work even picked him up a vegan lunch from our fave Thai place down the street! I had to renew my license.It was so crowded and I hate being jammed into a room with a bunch of people. Not the best way to start off the weekend! I needed a new ID though and got to wear my gently used $12 jeggings I bought at Plato's closet - the same pair I was looking at online for $58...Score right?

I started reading Catcher in the Rye - because you know it was banned book week...Matt recommended it to me...I spent Friday night reading while Matt broke in his new Resident Evil game! In between chapters I put up a new zine in my Etsy shop! Ohh and mending a burnt mouth - my plate of nachos tempted me way to much for me to check the temp before I took a bite!

 

How does one fix a burned mouth the next day? An ice cold Slurpee! After Matt and I ran around looking for props for his next project and doing errands we went to 7-11. I was armed with this list hoping to score some vegan snacks. I only found the mint cookies which I shared with Matt that night. They were good - thicker square thin mint type cookies! Oh - if you are wondering, the Slurpree flavor is cherry with a splash of banana at the top!

Grocery shopping was another weekend event - my favorite part was getting a new rewards card with pink doughnuts all over it...Oh and I got a handful of Seventh Generation laundry soap samples at the store...I like free stuff! 

Maybe it is the fall weather but I am craving Speculoos spread on toasted wheat bread. I pulled out a jar this weekend and have been using it on toast...It is about lunch time now, I think I need some toast with Speculoos spread as part of my lunch! Maybe that will perk me up!

A bonus pic of Mar - we spent time playing in the yard this Saturday! I think he kinda has an eggplant shape!

[Vegan MOFO Day 5] Fast Food Friday: Jack In The Box Tacos

2 tacos for 99 cents? It seems like a dream come true for some. Actually I think some people were dreaming when they said Jack In The Box Tacos were vegan (Google search it). We know fast food is cheap and uses soy to replace some of the meat, actually JITB came under fire for it, but JITB tacos are not vegan....UNTIL NOW!!!!

Behold Jack In The Box 2 for 99 cent tacos - veganized! The are easy to make, cheap and in Matt opinion taste like the real deal. I vaguely remember the tacos - maybe even think I remember them.

[What You Need]
-one can of vegan refried beans (I used Amy's refried black beans)
-one package of corn tortillas
-shredded lettuce
-shredded vegan cheddar cheeze 
-hot sauce
-sea salt
-vegetable oil for frying

Heat up about a 1/2 inch of oil in the frying pan on medium  high heat. Get a tortilla, spread on a layer of beans (keeping it centralized - so it does not seep out of the edges). Add a tiny pinch of salt over the beans and gently fold in half. Do this till you have the number of tacos you want. Fry each taco for about 1-2 minutes per side, till they are crispy. Once removed from oil, place on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with a bit more salt. Add a bit of lettuce and cheeze to each taco. Serve with hot sauce and if you are inclined some french fries like I did above!

My mom turned me onto this recipe! Matt was like "you can't make those tacos at home - no way" after his plate of tacos and fries he was very happy and content! My mom and I debated using a ground soy product with the beans - but honestly you do not need it! If you are using black beans - the dark look and bold flavor will be there. My mom said the salt is necessary and Matt said the taco sauce is a must...I think it all works out together! 

[Vegan MOFO Day 4] Good Enough To Eat: Coconut Lime Shower Wash

On a whim I picked up Tree Hut Shea's coconut lime shower while I was at Ulta. I liked how it smelled, kinda tropical but not over powering. I am a fan of things that smell like fruit or baked goods. After using it in the shower my skin felt soft and moisturized. The body wash is free of parabens which is important to me. It is under $10 for a large bottle - it is so creamy a bit goes a long way.

The line says there are no animal ingredients used but after looking around I see some items contain lanolin and bee products. However this body was is vegan and is a great buy! Oh and the scent, while tropical is very clean and great for a gal or a guy! It is not super fruity or perfume-y. 

[Vegan MOFO Day 3] Sandwiches & Soy Curls

Since I went to Whole Foods on Sunday I bought items I cannot find around here to try. I walked away with a lot of winners.

On Sunday after coming home from the film festival, hitting up the gym and then the store I was tired. I wanted something tasty and simple. A smoked jalapeno tofu sandwich with Daiya cheddar wedge cheese (new to me - I have only had the shreds!), vegan mayo, fresh organic veggies on a sourdough roll. Served with Matt's fave, crinkle cut fries (I usually by different fries but these were good!). I want more sandwiches for dinner!

We are no strangers to soy curls - I order them bi-weekly from Spencer's Market. However I usully prepare them the same way - pan fried in BBQ sauce, which is so soooo sooooo good but hey - I am trying to break out of a rut! So after trying buffalo soy curl pasta and liking it, I decided to do strait up buffalo soy curls. I just used my standard buffalo sauce Frank's + Earth Balance and after the soy curls re-hydrated I tossed them in the sauce and pan fried them. Served with steamed broccoli, mac & cheeze and left over oven toasted sour dough rolls. Another simple meal that is tasty and warms your insides!


I should note that these pics and the ones that might follow are of Matt's plate, in his office where he likes to relax with dinner after work. I am usually like "hey take a picture before I set it down!"...So ya that is my arm & Matt's skull plate! :)

[Vegan MOFO Day 2] Tea Time - Kusmi Sweet Love

 Last time I was in San Francisco I picked up a few Kusmi teas to try out and explore the brand. Sweet Love is my favorite out of the three I picked up. It is spicy and bold, very much like a chai spiced tea and like being in love it warms you up and gets you going! It is so flavorful I even drink it strait up, no sweetener or non-dairy milk  (I prefer tea strait up in the morning to get me going). The tea is bold and really flavorful, you can see the spice pods whole in the mix. I am not a fan of super ground up spices and leaves - I often think that this leads to a crappy cup of tea.

I have been trying to hang on to my little tin as long as I can. I think I have two more scoops for my tea diffuser till I am out. No fear - there are more Kusmi blends I feel that I need to try!

[Vegan MOFO Day 1] Weekend Roundup - Coffee Day - East Bay

Friday night started off right with Matt buying me a bag of those new coconut chips from Trader Joe's - love them, so good in soy/coconut yogurt...Plus Friday night is always nacho night here!

Saturday was coffee day ( A StarBucks barista told me that SB invented the "holiday"!)- after heading down town and finding the independent places closed I went to my go to StarBucks. I like my coffee with a splash of non-dairy milk and a tad bit of sweetener! Matt said that hot coffee was not good when it was 95 degrees but we were in the air conditioned mall and I was craving it...I get coffee cravings! Oh - and for the record I usually (98%) use my reusable cup - only when I am having a random coffee fix I do not have it on me.
Now for a coffee rant - well a StarBucks rant - I do not like them taking away the soy option for gold card members...All my drinks are custom - either with soy or syrup. I wish SB would put out a soy carafe for those just needing a splash...Pete's & Whole Foods both let you do it! Whole Foods even has almond milk!

Sunday we got up early and headed to Oakland to see Matt's short film in a film festival! I do not think it ever gets old seeing a project that you saw behind the scenes in it's bare state up on a screen. I am very proud of Matt - he even shared some words of wisdom! After he talked we headed out to find some food - we were starving!
We headed to Nature's Express in Berkley. It was pretty crowded - we are used to quite Sundays in town...The food was worth it though!

I ordered the Avo-Kale wrap. I added some sriracha to it (I love creamy avocado with spicy sriracha!) and it was so good. Also it is a really good sized wrap - considering it costs $6.50 - it is a good deal.

Matt got the classic reuben with sweet potato fries (I stole a few!). His sandwich was yummy - we sampled each others food and liked both items.


We then went to Whole Foods in Berkeley - I did not like how cramped it was, or the layout, maybe I am a store snob but I told Matt I wanted to go to the Oakland one...So we went to the Oakland location (more spacious!) and bought everything from local marinated tofu to doughnuts! I have some new products to review in the upcoming week! By then we were tired and needed to head back home...


I had a great weekend and hope you did too!