...Or I guess this one's more for your kiddies. Talla Sales is offering a FREE plush toy Tiger! It looks to be somewhat small since they're calling it a "sample" but none the less, I'm sure the kiddies will love it. Just fill out the form provided on the page and your tiger will be mailed to you shortly. I ordered mine today!
So I was up at 3am this morning watching TLC and saw this very unoriginal show... Come on now TLC...
In an attempt to reach out to the military community, and honor out families, Grantham University is offering service members FREE Blue Star Flags!
Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes (Makes 8 Individual Ramekins) 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened (I softened mine on a plate for 20 seconds in the microwave)
1 15 oz Can Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Agave
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a mixer or in a bowl with beaters, beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth and combined.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and combine.
5. Pour into 8 ramekins and fill 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Serve.
I love how this shelving doubles as a dining room table.
Or a bed in the wall for our small 2nd and 3rd bedrooms!
And I love this idea for the master bedroom!
And with this little gizmo, you could really cut down on bathroom space...
Shower, toilet, sink in one... And with all that saved space, it'll leave room for one of these babies...
And I love this storage idea! compartments under the stairs.
And I think this is just totally ingenious wallpaper... And I really think they should think of using this wallpaper in base housing to hide all the oddly placed electrical plugs.
ross these great freebies the other day. There's a website called Read It Forward that offers a copy of a limited number of select books for FREE! Right now they're running the offer on: True Confections' by Katharine Weber, Prima Donna by Megan Chance, and Breaking Out of Bedlam by Lesley Larson. If you wish you request a copy of one, or all, of the books... Just click on the provided link, fill out the short form, and vuala, you you'll get a free copy of one of these great new reads!
But you better hurry, while there is no purchase necessary, there are limited quantities, and the offer is only good while supplies last!
Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 15 min
Makes: 2 servings, 1 taco each
Ingredients
2 frozen BOCA Meatless Spicy Chik'n Patties
2 Tbsp. reduced fat mayonnaise
2 tsp. lime juice
1 cup coleslaw blend
1 medium radish, thinly sliced
2 flour tortillas (6 inch)
Directions
COOK patties as directed on pkg.
MEANWHILE, mix mayonnaise and lime juice in small bowl. Stir in coleslaw blend and radishes until well blended.
CUT patties in half; place 2 halves on each tortilla. Top evenly with the coleslaw mixture. Fold tortillas in half to serve.
Special Extra
Add a sprinkling of chopped cilantro to the taco filling.
Great Substitute
Prepare as directed, using whole wheat tortillas and/or BOCA Original Chik'n Patties.
Parents at several Missouri schools are complaining about notebooks and pencils with designs similar to the logos from President Barack Obama's campaign, reports Fox News. Now school supply vendors are scrambling, trying to recall the controversial items.
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 35 min
Makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each
Ingredients
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1-1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
2 pouches (1 cup each) frozen BOCA Meatless Ground Burger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) vegetable broth
1 can (8 oz.) mushroom pieces and stems, drained
3 cups medium egg noodles, uncooked
1 container (8 oz.) light sour cream
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Directions
COOK onion in hot oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat until crisp-tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
ADD all remaining ingredients except sour cream and parsley; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 10 to 12 min. or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat.
STIR in sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley.
INGREDIENTS
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 carrots, diced
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 2 cups dry lentils
* 8 cups water
* 1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 11 min
Makes: 2 servings
Ingrediants
1/4 of a medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 pouch (1 cup) frozen BOCA Meatless Ground Burger
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
2 hamburger buns, split
Directions
COOK and stir onion in hot oil in small nonstick skillet on medium heat 3 min. or until tender.
ADD ground burger, barbecue sauce and relish; mix well. Cook 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
SERVE in buns.
Creative Leftovers
Have some leftover hot dog buns? Serve the sloppy joe mixture in them instead of the hamburger buns!
Special Extra
Serve with crisp fresh radishes, carrot sticks and celery sticks.
• Mash bananas (overripe ones make the best bread). Add oil/margarine and sugar. Mix well.
• Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and add to the banana mixture. Mix until the flour is blended (do not beat).
Pour into muffin pans or a bread pan and bake at 360°F until a toothpick comes out clean.
Optional: Add a handful of walnuts, oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, currants, coconut, or all of the above!
Makes 1 Dozen Muffins
If you're wary of replacing the dairy in your recipes, never fear—blended tofu makes a great substitute for soft cheese.
• Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside.
• Place the tofu, sugar, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the spinach.
• Cover the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of the noodles). Follow with half of the tofu filling. Continue in the same order, using half of the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and all of the remaining tofu filling. End with the remaining noodles, covered by the remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
* 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
* 8 ounces penne pasta
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.
4. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 6 servings
Ingrediants
3 frozen BOCA Meatless Original Chik'n Patties, coarsely chopped
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix all ingredients except pie crusts until well blended; set aside.
PLACE 1 of the pie crusts in 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Fill with vegetable mixture. Cover with remaining crust; seal and flute edge. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before serving.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this family-favorite with a crisp mixed green salad or fresh fruit.
Jazz It Up
For a browner and crispier crust, brush top crust with 1 Tbsp. cholesterol-free egg product before baking.
12 oz. vegetarian burger crumbles (Morningstar/Boca)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 15.5-oz. cans enchilada sauce
18 corn tortillas
2 15.5-oz. cans pinto beans, drained
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups vegan cheddar cheese, shredded
1 4.5-oz. can diced green chilies
2 cups Fritos corn chips, finely crushed
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the burger crumbles and taco seasoning and set aside.
• Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with oil.
• In layers, spread a generous amount of enchilada sauce, 6 corn tortillas, 2 cans of pinto beans, a handful of green onion, a third of the shredded “cheese,” half the can of green chilies, lots more enchilada sauce, 6 more tortillas, all the seasoned burger crumbles, another third of the “cheese,” the remaining green chilies, more enchilada sauce, then the final 6 tortillas, more enchilada sauce, and the rest of the “cheese.” Cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, top the entire casserole with the Fritos, and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
Makes 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: 6 servings
Ingrediants
3 frozen BOCA Meatless Original Chik'n Patties, coarsely chopped
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 pkg. (15 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix all ingredients except pie crusts until well blended; set aside.
PLACE 1 of the pie crusts in 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Fill with vegetable mixture. Cover with remaining crust; seal and flute edge. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before serving.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this family-favorite with a crisp mixed green salad or fresh fruit.
Jazz It Up
For a browner and crispier crust, brush top crust with 1 Tbsp. cholesterol-free egg product before baking.
INGREDIENTS
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
* 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped
* 8 ounces penne pasta
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.
4. Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.
Granted this is a promising article about Naked Mole Rats possibly holding some connection to the cure for cancer... But I mean, just read the photo's caption "Even though it is sensitive to touch, the naked mole rat doesn't even flinch when inflicted with burning acid" OMG! These poor defenceless animals. The article goes on to say "About 1,500 naked mole rats live in clear tanks connected by long tubes at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio" which is the largest colony in the US. These poor animals live for 30 years, vs the average 2 years that lab mice live. Can you imagine, 30 years in captivity?!? That's horrible!
This is absolutely horrible, as I'm sure everyone's heard of Adam Lambert's wild AMA performance. Well Adam Lambert appeared on CBS' The Early Show on Wednesday morning to address the controversy surrounding his kiss at the AMAs. Will this just disgusts me, the network blurred out the image of Lambert kissing his band member!!! EVEN THOUGH just moments later CBS shows the clip of Madonna and Britney making out at the VMA's and it's completely UNCENSORED! So let me get this strait, it's Ok to show girl-on-girl kissing, but not Ok to show a guy-on-guy kiss??? Hmm, I wonder is they know the meaning of double standard?!?
So as I have my Thanksgiving Tofurkey in the oven baking away, I had to send a little Thanksgiving blog out... Now I have to admit, although Tofurkys taste wonderful, they look rather bland. Mr. Kevin Forbes, my newly minted vegan Thanksgiving hero, has offered an awesome solution to jazz that cruelty-free center piece of yours up!! And in the wonderful vegan tradition of sharing and vegan awesome wonderfulness, he has made a template (with complete directions) for everyone to print out and decorate their Tofurkys with! I think this is just too funny and am heading upstairs to print mine out right now. I can't wait to see the look on my husband's face when I bring the tofurkey to the table this year.
3 ripe bananas
1/4 c. vegetable oil (I used 1/4 c. applesauce instead)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour (I used 1 c. all purpose and 1 c. whole wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (I didn’t use nuts - didn’t have any)
Mash bananas (overripe make the best bread). Add oil, vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Sift flour, salt and soda together and add to banana mixture with walnuts if using. Mix until flour is blended in but do not overmix.
Put into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to rack to cool completely before cutting.
Notes: My substitutions are in blue. I made muffins vs. bread and baked about 20 minutes until my knife came out clean. I think next time I’ll make the bread. They turned out pretty delish.
The Rolls
INGREDIENTS
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 2 carrots, chopped
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 4 cups vegetable stock
* 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
I’ve been looking for the perfect vegan crumb topping for a while now. Before today, my crumb toppings had always been sort of soggy, sort of greasy; more crummy than crumby. I wasn’t sure how to fix the problem.
About a month ago, I subscribed to Cook’s Illustrated. My mother used to get a subscription years ago that I loved, and but it’s taken me this long to finally get my own. Along with the magazine, they sent me their new cookbook The Best of America’s Test Kitchen: Best Recipes and Reviews 2008, and in it is a recipe for crumb cake. I read a little closer, and saw a technique for crumbs that I’d never tried before. I ran into the kitchen to try it out, and oh my, it worked! Perfect crumbs!
This is a veganized version of the recipe found in The Best Of. It’s easy to throw together with few simple ingredients (no specialty egg replacers), making it perfect for a weekend treat or a quick dessert or teatime cake for guests.
Crumb Cake
Serves 9 (8×8″ cake)
Crumb Topping
8 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine, melted
2/3 Cup Granulate Sugar*
1 tsp Molasses
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 Pinch Salt
1 3/4 Cup Flour (cake flour or all-purpose)
*The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar. I was out of brown sugar, so I used only granulated sugar with added molasses. Afterall, that’s how brown sugar is made commercially–they simply add molasses back into the sugar after processing.
Cake
1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Canola Oil, or 6 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1/3 Cup Soymilk + 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 Tbs Cornstarch mixed with 1/4 Cup Water
1-2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350º F.
Whisk the still-warm melted earth balance with the sugar, molasses, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the flour with a spoon, or your hands, until a thick dough forms, similar to the texture of cookie dough. Let sit to cool for about 10 minutes. It should be ready when after you’ve put together the batter for the cake.
Line an 8×8 pan with aluminum foil (two sheets in a cross formation, leaving excess draped over the edges to help you remove the cake later). Spray with vegetable oil. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, soymilk mixture, cornstarch mixture and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth, but do not overmix.
Add the batter to the lined pan. Begin to break apart the crumb mixture into smaller, pea sized pieces. You want to take chunks from the bowl and gently break off the crumbs, like so:
Cover the batter evenly with all the crumb mixture. It will seem like a lot! When I thought I had enough, I wasn’t even half-way through the mixture. Use it all, as the cake will expand and the crumb mixture is tasty. After all, this is crumb cake. Don’t be shy!
Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350ºF, or until the crumbs are slightly browned and a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean. Use the toothpick to push over a crumb or two in the middle an make sure the top doesn’t look gooey (I went the whole 50 minutes). Grab the aluminum foil and gently lift the cake out to cool for 20-30 minutes on a cooling rack. Give it a nice dusting of powdered sugar, slice and serve.
Wrap up any leftovers in plastic wrap. If there are any leftovers!
