Opinions on Faux Fur

Many people get pissed off at vegetarians/vegans for wearing faux fur. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it. We eat faux meat, faux cheese, and wear shoes that are faux leather. The truth is, faux fur is warm...and pretty damn stylish. So here are some links to my fav faux fur fashions (see what I did there?!):

Nordstrom
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-coats/faux-fur-material

Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=all&includes[]=materials&search_query=faux_fur

Zappos
http://www.zappos.com/faux-fur

Eco-Friendly Christmas Presents

If you are looking for something unique and eco-friendly to buy for friends and family this Christmas/holiday season, check out these websites that offer really cool (and really friendly) presents!

http://my.nature.org/gifts/?src=CPC.sgoogle.CE2.AG172.CC24.CL2.MT4.KW998&gclid=CP6wgfyx27MCFQ3nnAodpDEA5Q


http://www.findgift.com/categories/eco-friendly/


Also, this is the season for giving to those less fortunate...here are some charities that you can give to online, even amidst your busy holiday schedule...

This charity gives surgeries to children with facial deformities:
https://secure.operationsmile.org/site/Donation2?df_id=12700&12700.donation=form1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=on%20line%20charity&utm_campaign=paid

How about donating to charity and getting your holiday shopping all done at once? Try this online charity auction:
http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/BiddingForGood.action

Vegetarian Cocktail Party Menu

Just wanted to post a quick blog showing you that it IS possible to have a yummy vegetarian cocktail party! And here are many recipes to help you find something elegant, class, gourmet, and...you guessed it...animal-free...

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=easy+vegetarian+cocktail+party

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

 It's here again! The holiday centered around food...mainly turkey. So what can vegetarians do to still feel festive without feeling filthy? Tons and tons of things! Following are some foolproof delicious recipes that even your meatiest of guests will love.

Vegetarian "turkey:" http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/vegtvploaf.htm

Stuffing: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-stuffing-2/

Gravy: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-gravy/

Halloween Fun for Vegetarians

 Happy Halloween!

People are always asking me about recipes for different holidays. Even though Halloween isn't a holiday typically associated with meat, there are still some amazing recipes that vegetarians came up with strictly for this spooky occasion. And here are my favies:

Spicy fall stew baked in a pumpkin
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/spicy-fall-stew-baked-in-a-pumpkin/

Marshmallowy ghost cupcakes
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/marshmallowy-ghost-cupcakes/

ASMR: The New Way to Relax

Relaxing. In this day and age there isn't a lot of time for...well anything...but definitely not for relaxing. There's always something to do. Cook, clean, study, work, pick up the kids, play with the kids, feed the kids, feed your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend, play with your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend...the list goes on and on...
But, the truth is this: you HAVE to relax to stay healthy, happy, and hot! That's just the way it is. I found just the thing to help you calm down, breathe, and get your mind of the treadmill and to sleep. It's called ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). It's pretty much brain orgasms. Certain triggers relax the mind and give your body wonderful tingles from your skull to your toesies. Here's the downfall: not everyone gets the tingles. But that doesn't mean that you can't find the triggers relaxing.

Below I have included links to come of my favorite "whisperers" on YouTube. Give it a listen and see what you think.

Stay happy and healthy!

GentleWhispering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36x5XrbZQig&list=UU6gLlIAnzg7eJ8VuXDCZ_vg&index=88&feature=plcp

TheOneLilium
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W96a_WAQeNk&feature=plcp

John Lennon on Being Happy

Things haven't been so great for a lot of people lately, including yours truly. Energies are shifting and causing people to be...well...shifty. Here's a little quote from John Lennon to remind us what our focus in life should be...

 

Namaste...

Jitterbugs on Tybee Island

One complaint I always hear from vegans is that there is no place to get amazing desserts. Not anymore! Check out Jitterbugs on Tybee Island. This cute cafe is so fantastic! My best friend, Kasey, and I decided to share as many things as possible, and that we did.

Here was our menu:
- marble banana bread
- pumpkin muffin
- pumpkin chocolate chip cookie
- berry bread pudding
- coconut almond scone

To drink:
- iced mint green tea
- soy chai latte

Let me tell you...everything was decadent, fluffy, flavorful, and downright like grandma used to make! <---minus the animal products of course...

Here's their link on FaceBook. Go like it and go have a freakin' good time! 

http://www.facebook.com/JitterbugBakery?fref=ts

Cartoons about Vegetarians

Just a little giggle to start your week! 

Celebrity Vegetarians and Vegans

Wanted to write a quick blog of inspiration...seems that everyone wants to do what celebrities are doing, especially when it comes to how they look. Vegetarianism/veganism has been linked with weight loss, feeling happier, and curing ailments/diseases such as diabetes and insomnia. Well here is a list of vegetarian/vegan celebrities. And man there's a crap load!!! Enjoy! ;-)

http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html

The Bitchin' Benefits of Black Beans

I'm sure as fellow vegetarians/animal-lovers/health nuts you've been asked that ever so annoying question: Where do you get your protein?!?

ARGH! After reading this blog, you will be able to spit out fun facts at parties about the wonderfulness of this magic bean...well not literally magic...if you say that to people, you're a crazy person.

Alright, let's get to it. Here's 3 things to know about black beans:

1. 1 cup of black beans has 15g of protein. 4oz of red meat has 20g of protein. Yes, red meat has more,

    but it's also laced with saturated fat and other yucky things. And protein helps fill you up and keep  

    you full!

2. Black beans reduce cholesterol big time!

3. Black beans alleviate constipation (yucky! but also pretty awesome...)

Wondering a simple recipe to get these little pieces of hell-yeah into your diet? I got it under control!

Maun's freakin' kick ass black bean salad:

1 can of black beans (unsalted, rinsed really well)

2 avocados (diced into small pieces)

1 green bell pepper (diced into small pieces)

1/2 purple onion (you guessed it...diced into small pieces)

Cilantro (as much as you want...or none if you don't like it)

In a salad bowl, add black beans, green bell pepper, and onion.

Before adding the avocado, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on them, then dump on in.

Sprinkle a little salt over all of it.

Drizzle olive oil over the mixture, then dowse the whole thing with balsamic vinegar to taste. 

Mix it all together and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

If you like a little spice in your meals, sprinkle in some red pepper.

P.S. This salad is UH-MAZE-ING-UH when it's been in the fridge for a bit! Mmmmm

Alicia Silverstone's Eco-Friendly Makeup Line for Juicy Beauty

Stop being clueless about what products you put on your face! Alicia Silverstone released her new line of eco-friendly, cruelty-free makeup and beauty products. Did you happen to catch that Clueless pun back there? Oh yeah. Check it out. It's definitely worth the little extra you pay in price. Not only are animals rejoicing, but so is your skin. These products are all natural. Don't forget, your skin has mega amounts of pores, so whatever you put on it goes in you!! (Ick!)

Here's the link. Give it a go:
http://www.juicebeauty.com/store/collections/alicia-silverstone.html?gclid=CNHc3I3y9rICFQY3nAod-noANg

The Public Kitchen & Bar: Modern and Classy with a Fun Ambiance

One of my favorite restaurants in Savannah is Local 11 Ten. So, when I heard that the owner of this piece of heaven was opening another restaurant in the area, I squealed!

The Public Kitchen & Bar is a chic place located on the corner of Liberty and Bull. Just like Local, it has modern decor with an elegant, open feel about it. My friend, Christina, and I sat at the bar where we were eagerly greeted by a very handsome and knowledgeable bartender. He told us about their unique and adventurous drink specials, and he also let us try wines that we were uncertain about. Once deciding on his recommendation of Riesling, I settled in on the food menu...

I loved the simple takes on traditional foods. Nothing weird or scientific. Everything just prepared right and delicious. I was in the mood for something small so I ordered their baked potato (minus the bacon bits of course). The food came out very fast! And it was YUMMY! The potato was fluffy, soft, seasoned, and not at all microwaved. The skin was crispy, salty, and not at all chewy. The potato had just the right amount of sour cream, butter, chives, and cheese. It's as if they've known me my entire life, and knew exactly the ratios I like on my potato!

The servers all had smiles, and the patrons looked equally as happy. And being that you are the company you keep, I found myself laughing and smiling and conversing with staff and customers alike!

All in all....The Public gets a 5 out of 5 on my Yummy Scale!! I shall be returning...and I'm bringing friends!

"Like" them on Facebook and watch this seed bloom in to a strong oak of Savannah.

http://www.facebook.com/ThePublicKitchenandBar?fref=ts

Yummy Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake

This Friday is my twenty-mumble mumble birthday. So, what better way to celebrate than with a kick ass chocolate birthday cake? Since I've been training for the Disney Princess half marathon (I'll blog about that in my next post for all interested), I have been trying to cut dairy out of my diet as well. Not only is being vegan cruelty-free (duh!) but it gets rid of nasty bloat that milk and cheese cause. And who wants to be nasty and bloated? Not this girl.
After many grueling days of research and experimentation, I came across a wicked awesome recipe that I had to share! So here it is...drum roll please...the BEST vegan chocolate birthday cake recipe!!! ::applause:: ::cheers:: ::fainting:: ::thrown panties:: (courtesy of www.instructables.com)

Cake Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp soy milk
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In an 8X8 square pan/dish, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a fork, making sure it is really blended together. Add the water, vanilla, oil, and vinegar, and again, mix together so that it's really blended together. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.

Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely (2 hours).

For the glaze, in a small saucepan, bring sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa to a boil. Stir frequently; then reduce heat to a simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. It'll look gloppy, but it's just the bubbles! Remove from heat and stir for another 5 minutes.

Add vanilla, stir, and immediately pour onto cake. Glaze dries really quickly, so spread it immediately and add any sprinkles now. Let this cool for an 1 hour, if you can wait that long!

Purely optional, but chocolate cake always looks so...plain, so add some sprinkles if you like.


And there you have it ladies and gents. Don't feel intimidated or put off by vegan desserts. They are JUST as yummy, if not yummier, and your body (and the animals) will thank you! :)

Savannah's New Downtown Restaurant: Satisfied

As a vegetarian, I know how hard it is to find a delicious veggie burger that doesn't taste like the box the frozen patties came in. I've searched high and low for a beef-less beauty to satisfy my taste buds. And this past Sunday night, I found it! And ironically, my needs were satisfied at a new place called...you guessed it...Satisfied.
This new slice of heaven is located on Broughton Street, downtown, where Loco's used to be. I ordered their traditional burger (sub Garden patty please!) with lettuce, tomato, and spiced mayo. Sweet potato fries accompanied my extraordinary entree. I must admit that I didn't expect much. Having been let down so many times, I was only hoping for something edible.
The first bite almost brought tears to my eyes. It was flavorful, juicy, and toasted. I tried my best not to scarf it down. I wanted to savor every bite. Not only was it insanely delicious, the portion size was perfect, leaving me full but not miserable.
To add phenomenal to fantastic, the service was stellar. My server was attentive and friendly, despite being crazy busy.
This burger gets an impossible 5 out of 5 on my yummy scale. I'll definitely be back...probably tonight...

Huey's

I LOVE a good breakfast. Yummy eggs, some veggies, maybe some potatoes...thank you Huey's for delivering just that. Brunch on a Sunday is always a good idea, and Huey's on River Street does not fail to deliver wonderful vegetarian options. Of course, one has to start with the mouth-watering beignets accompanied with pecan praline sauce. Holy crap! They are amazing! The sauce is sweet but has little chunks of pecan that makes it crunchy. The beignets are warm, flaky, buttery, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
For my main entree, I ordered the eggs sardou. This Christmas morning on a plate is made of an english muffin topped with sauteed spinach, baby swiss cheese, poached eggs, and a creamy hollandaise sauce. It was amazingly delicious. As my side, I ordered breakfast potatoes. Although they came out looking like they'd been scooped on the plate with an ice cream scooper (which they probably had), they were scrumptious!
The service was timely and cordial, but everyone seemed very unhappy to be working there, and completely lethargic.
The meal gets a 5 out of 5 on the yummy scale...the service gets a 3.5 out of 5. This is a great place for a bangin' brunch!

Screaming MiMi's

Screaming MiMi's just opened their second location in the heart of the drinking district. I have heard so many awesome things about their pizza. "It's just like Chicago!" I've never been to Chicago, so I have no idea if that's true, but I did go to MiMi's this past weekend. Pizza places are usually very vegetarian friendly, and the cashier at MiMi's promised that their place was top notch. She sold me on a slice of veggie supreme pizza. She then presented the usual cashier script asking if I wanted something to drink, and if I would be dining there or taking it to-go. I said I would be dining there, and I sat down almost directly in front of the counter. Please keep in mind that there were three other people in the restaurant when I sat down. After waiting for about 20 minutes, I managed to snag one of the waitresses and asked about my slice. She then told me that the cashier thought I wanted it to go, and it's been sitting at the front counter in a box for the last 15 minutes. How the cashier missed me sitting right in front of her is beyond me, and why she didn't let me know it was ready is even more baffling. The waitress brings me the box with my dinner in it, and as I open the box, I am astonished. It was a (cold) piece of cheese pizza with (cold) raw veggies thrown on top of it. The only thing warm was some broccoli that the "chefs" had steamed in the microwave and tossed onto this train wreck. I tasted the crust, in hopes that something on this sorry excuse for pizza was delicious...it wasn't. It was bland, no garlic, salt, oregano...anything. This Italian travesty makes Pizza Hut's two day old leftovers look like a dish from Gordon Ramsey's own recipe book.
Since so many people swear by this punch in the gut version of pizza, I'll try it again another time. But this time, it gets a 1 out of 5 on the yummy scale. Service was bad, food was worse. Thanks MiMi's for making me want to scream! For a late night slice, I'll stick with Sweet Melissa's...

Cafe Florie's

Savannah is a trendy city with hole-in-the-wall gems that can either give your taste buds a food-gasm, or send you running for the North. 

Cafe Florie's is an organic cafe, located at Barnard and 33rd, that uses only fresh local ingredients. The colorful and inviting exterior looks like a deli in San Francisco. The interior is bright with paintings and pictures on the walls that are both intriguing and comforting. 

The staff was quick to greet us, and our server was fantastically friendly. To drink, I ordered the homemade lemonade and was pleasantly refreshed. It had the perfect amounts of tartness and sweetness. 

For my lunch entree, I ordered the roasted vegetable sandwich and a side salad with a strawberry vinaigrette. Oh man, oh man, that salad dressing was phenomenal! Fresh, crisp, and original, I could have eaten that salad all day, every day. 

The sandwich was ginormous. The bread is made in-house and is a perfect blend of buttery and flakey. Although the menu promised a white bean hummus spread, I found myself yearning for some sort of sauce to tie everything together. I noticed that they have an intriguing list of creative homemade salad dressings. Ordering one of those tasty selections to drizzle over the sandwich, would shoot this stuffed piece of heaven into the sandwich hall-of-fame.

All in all, The Trendy VEGilante gives Cafe Florie's a 4 out of 5 on the Yummy Scale! :)

Summer Sizzlin' with Vegetarian BBQ Options

One of the main (and most fun) activities people participate in during the summertime is the almighty barbecue! And, of course, the vegetarian/vegan can tend to feel left out. But don't you worry! Here are tips for enjoying all the season has to offer, while keeping your conscience clean! Starting with a recipe for suave, sexy, summer skewers that your fellow meat-eating friends will drool over! And, if you find yourself craving a piece of that grilled meat, remember the health benefits of saying no! Vandana Sheath, a registered dietician, told Dennis Thompson in an interview for U.S. News, that "people who follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle enjoy a number of health benefits [including]: lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, a healthier body mass index, decreased risk for heart disease, decreased risk for cancer, [and] better control and prevention of diabetes" (Thompson, 1).

Ingredients: Amount depends on how much you'd like to make...for two people, I recommend a 1/4 of a pineapple, half a pack of mushrooms, half an onion, and a full bell pepper.

Pack of wooden skewers

Pineapple (cubed)

Mushrooms (sliced)

Onions (chopped largely)

Green Bell Peppers (chopped largely)

Italian Dressing

Brown Sugar (1/3 cup)

Honey (1/4 cup)

Next, take the pineapple cubes and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, and drizzle with honey. Cover and place in the fridge.

After cutting all the veggies, as instructed, place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder over the veggies. Next, cover (generously) the veggies with the italian dressing and set in the fridge.

Let the veggies and fruit soak up all that love for about 1 hour.

Skewer the veggies (alternating).

Next skewer the pineapple.

Place on a hot grill until it reaches your desired doneness! Hooray for Hawaii at home! 

If you'd like some cruelty-free side dishes...check out this link to an amazing vegan potato salad! 

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=11737.0

How about something stylish (and of course environmentally conscious) to bring all your goodies in to the get-together? This picnic basket, with all the trimmings, from Uncommon Goods is adorable, practical, and awe-striking!
http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/eco-picnic-basket?utm_medium=shopping+sites&utm_source=froogle&utm_campaign=17182

And why not wear something cute and eco-friendly to your summer shindig? Synergy makes this perfect barbecue worthy skirt that is flattering for your figure and for the environment!
http://shopruche.com/birds-on-a-line-skirt-by-synergy.html


Thompson, Dennis. The Mainstreaming of Vegan Diets. HealthDay. U.S. News, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 2 April 2012. ‹http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/12/27/the-mainstreaming-of-vegan-diets>.