classic cookies

i was sorting through old cookbooks with my mom and my grandma the other day and i found this lovely book:


it's betty crocker's cooky book, published around 1940. i love it! even though every recipe calls for about a cup or more of butter and 3 eggs, i'm working on altering some of the more easily veganized recipes without changing the taste too much. looking through it is so fun, all of the displays and gift ideas they have are adorable.



i'll post recipes as i go along; this is my new project before my classes start!

oh my god

this is on sale at whole foods right now and it is AMAZING

yum things

i finally got to use the tempeh i bought at trader joe's the other day, but i've never used it much before so i kind of made it all up. but that's the best way to cook, isn't it?

i minced some fresh ginger, garlic, bell pepper and red onion and added it to a mess of other things including miso paste, agave nectar, spices, loads of lemon and a little orange juice, and pretty much whatever else i could find.




i steamed it a bit in a pan with veggie broth, then added everything else. it turned out yummy and sweet and asian-y and delicious. it was a success, to say the least, and i will be buying the TJ tempeh again soon.



in other, sweeter news, i was over at my friend's house the other day and noticed a bunch of really overripe bananas sitting in her fruit bowl. naturally, i told her to make banana bread. naturally, she threw them at me and asked me to do it for her. i was fine with it though, it's an excuse to bake. i used a slightly altered recipe from the PPK, but i added chocolate chips and a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter to make it that much better. while it was baking, i noticed a smell sort of like barbecue sauce emanating from my oven. i didn't know why, but i just shrugged and went back to whatever i was doing. when my timer went off and i pulled out the bread, it was nice and black on the top. my banana bread got caramelized i guess, but it was still fucking delicious and gooey and peanuty and so good. another success, even though it had a blackish top.

frugal feasting

it sucks when you like really really good food but you are broke, or even just watching your spending. some people think that being vegan costs a shit load of money or something, but it really doesn't. produce is actually extremely cheap, most of the time, especially from farmer's markets and my local produce market. behold: bok choy. i paid 1.50 for this huge huge huge bag, it was probably about 2 pounds, maybe. but creating a very tasty dish is easy with it, when you add yummy things like miso paste, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, a little agave, and some chili flakes. my go-to meal when i want comfort for cheap, is steamed and sauteed bok choy.





also, more cupcakes, because there is always room in my budget for cupcake supplies.




and last but not least;
my dad has become really good about veganizing food that he makes for everyone else. he is an amazing cook and will always put on a separate pot or pan for me, so i don't have to curse and grunt at everyone that gets to eat the delicious foods from my omnivore past. what a nice dad he is. so last night he made jambalaya, mine with tofurkey sausage of some sort, he didn't save the package. but it was so good, spicy and ricey and sausagey, very comforting. all i need now is the recipe so i can make it again!

drowning in dolmas

at first, this picture appears to be just a candid shot of my best friend, looking cute and ready to slice a lemon.





but look lower and you will notice the gigantic can of dolmas on the counter. 80 of them, to be exact, for the cheap price of around eight dollars. we bought them, it is ridiculous how many there are. i don't even know how we're going to eat them all, but damn they are good.

um, holy shittakes

i was browsing in my favorite store today, trader joe's of course, when i came across THIS:



that's right, tempeh in trader joe's. only 1.69, and it tastes damn good, too. i feel like such a nerd for getting so excited but it's kind of a big deal.

i also had the best mother effing udon of my life the other day from a local sushi place.



they made a carrot butterfly! so cute, and so so so good. best broth i've probably ever tasted, and of course i double checked that it was vegan before i ordered, seeing as many japanese restaurants use fish sauce or chicken broth or some other un vegan shit.

now i want to learn how to sculpt out of vegetables and make butterflies for my udon soup.

it's a good day for baking

the weather has been so weird here lately, it hasn't really gone over 90 degrees in the past week or so. i hate really hot weather so this is good for me, plus i get to bake without getting bitched at by my family for heating up the house even more. so, i made cupcakes. chocolate ones, using my trusty chocolate cupcake and glaze recipes. they come out really moist and super chocolatey, just the way i like them, mmm...

mixed


filled


baked


glazed and sprinkled



i make these too often, but i still don't get tired of them. but how do you get tired of chocolate cupcakes?

hello!

i have finally decided to start my own blog after months of browsing other people's. i am a student in san francisco training to become an esthetician, and a vegan for almost two years. i bake, i cook, and i am not afraid to venture out and try new cruelty free foods. let the blogging begin!

emma