Help a Brotha Out!

Are you a mother? Please fill out my survey!! I'm making an infographic for my graphic design class based on the responses, so I need a lot! It's a bizarre/fun survey that doesn't require any personal information. It would be awesome if you passed it along as well :)

click it! ---> Mothers vs. Donuts

Thanks so much <3

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Last weekend we went to the Balloon Fiesta. It was my first time attending, and unfortunately, due to the windy weather, not very many balloons launched off. It was still pretty incredible to be that close to these huge balloons.The weather conditions of the weekend before were friendlier to the hot-air balloons. We missed out, but at least we got to spend time with family. 

(These last two photos were taken from my sister-in-law's facebook.)

In other news, I haven't been updating this blog as frequently. This is because of school. I'm constantly at school working on projects. I'm going a little crazy just thinking about my senior art show. So you can probably expect more blog posts in December, after I've graduated. I'm rather enjoying this blog hiatus. It feels so liberating, strangely.

Vegan Pudding

(Meet Lindsey! She's the blogger of Hello Mr. Rabbit, where she shares vegan recipes and cool photographs of her adventures. Here's her story about how she became vegan and her unique pudding recipe!) 

 I first become a vegetarian when I was seventh grade, on a dare from a friend to see how long I could last without eating meat. Annnd here I am almost ten years later! When I originally stopped eating meat, I still ate fish (which made me a pescetarian). When I started my first year of high school, I stopped eating fish and became an activate for PETA, and would pass out pamphlets at my school to everyone. Around the age of seventeen , I realized PETA was not everything I had thought them up to be and a became a vegan that year as well. I have been a vegan for four years now, and couldn't feel better. 

For me, eating meat is nothing that passes my through my mind anymore. I can honestly not say that I will stay a vegan forever, but I have no doubts that I will be a vegetarian for as long as I live. The cruelty I have seen and researched about the meat industry are things that will never leave me. I don't feel guilty about items that I eat and that is something that always helps my conscience. 

  Chocolate Avocado Kiwi Pudding

• 2 ripe and peeled avocados 
• 3 peeled and cut kiwis (1 for garnish) 
• 1/3 cup of agave nectar (or honey)
• 1/2 cup of coco powder
• 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I used almond)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla abstract  

   Peel and slice the avocados and kiwis, and place them into a blender. Add the agave nectar, coco powder, vanilla abstract, and milk into the blender with the fruits. Blend ingredients until mixture is smooth and no lumps, then serve in a small bowl or refrigerate until desired coldness. (this is a recipe I did on my blog! here is the link!) This is my favorite simple, vegan dessert to make. I am constantly making this for breakfast! 

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

(Continuing with the vegetarian guest posts! Check out Erin's story and portobello mushroom recipe:) 

I like to say I was a vegetarian since before birth. When my mom was pregnant with me, she would get sick when she ate meat. Of course she still would do it, because she's the biggest carnivore ever. And yet somehow I came out of her.) Both my parents had parents that were raised on farms, so eating meat was never a question, it was just what you did. But I questioned. I remember as a kid wondering why we ate some animals but not others. It didn't make sense. One day when I was six I saw an episode of The Simpsons where Lisa becomes a vegetarian. After that I finally knew there was a word for me. I excitedly told my mom about my discovery and she told me that wasn't allowed. It wasn't until we got the internet years later, when I was 13, that I discovered peta.org and saw the real truth to how animals are brutally treated before they are mercilessly slaughtered. I resolved to never eat meat again after that and I haven't since! It's been over ten years now, and I fluctuate between vegetarian and vegan. I'm the only one in my family, and I have only a few vegetarian friends, but it's one of the parts of my life that I am the most dedicated to, if not the most dedicated to.

If you want to learn more, I highly, highly recommend the documentary Peaceable Kingdom. I saw it when I was taking an Animal Sociology class, and I still think about it. It's one of the most powerful and heart wrenching accounts for vegetarianism and animal rights i've seen. And it's not too graphic. It's available for rent on iTunes!

Confession time: I don't like ordering portobello burgers at restaurants. 

Is that vegetarian blasphemy? I feel like it might be because so many places offer the same old roasted portobello with zucchini and red pepper on a a bun with pesto, and they're all so...boooooring.

So I can never bring myself to order such a thing, when I can make amazing portobellos at home! I make a mean marinade for a portobello burger, but today I thought i'd share a new variation i've been making lately. I can't get enough of it!

To make the best portobello sandwich ever, you will need:

2 portobello mushroom caps

1/2 large red pepper

1/2 zucchini

1/4 onion

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

dash of liquid smoke

splash of balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mrs. dash seasoning blend (it's the best)

1/4  cup panko bread crumbs

1/8 cup finely grated parmesean cheese

and, some sliced cheese for topping, like provolone. i've been using smoked havarti on these and it's amazing. use whatever you have that'll get all melty and delicious. 

Preheat your oven to 400.

Clean and de-stem mushrooms. (You can wash them, or, peel the skin off them like I do if you are a weirdo that doesn't trust wiping them down.)

Finely dice the red pepper, zucchini, onion. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced veggies. Cook until slightly softened. 

When softened, put the veggies in a bowl. Add the liquid smoke, balsamic, and seasoning. Stir to combine. Add the panko and parmesan and stir once more. you want it to be sturdy, but not too dry, if that makes sense. If it's too crumbly, throw some more balsamic in there. If it's too wet, add a bit more panko.

Take this mixture and scoop it onto your mushrooms. Top with sliced cheese, and place in the oven until the mushroom is softened, and the cheese has become bubbly perfection.

Serve on a toasted hearty bun with some veganaise, and whatever else your heart desires. (I like drizzling a bit of sriracha or barbecue sauce on one side of the bun) but don't forget the veganaise! It's the best ever. 

Also, for a vegan substitution, use nutritional yeast instead of the parmesan and use Daiya mozzarella shreds instead of the sliced cheese.

Vegetarian Awareness Month

(Happy Vegetarian Awareness Day! In fact, October is Vegetarian Awareness month!
For those of you that didn't know, I am a pescatarian (the only meat I eat is fish), but most of the time I consider myself a vegetarian. Somehow, I have found that a handful of my blogging friends are vegetarian as well. Neat!! So I've asked them to guest post with their favorite vegetarian recipes this month.
This week Emily shares one of her easy-peasy recipes us!) 

These are so delicious! And they take like one second to make. I can't remember where I found the recipe, but I remember thinking it was the grossest sounding thing in the universe. So basically all you do is get two normal sized tortillas. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese (I like using whipped cream cheese because it spreads a lot better) on one of the tortillas. 

Cut a red pepper into thin strips. (I like to cut the whole pepper and put the excess in a bag.)

Put the thin strips on top of the tortilla with cream cheese.

Then put it in your quesadilla machine or just on the stove top. Whatever you usually do.

That's it! Super easy and super delicious! It's a nice change from the every day vegetarian meals ya know? 

(I've never thought to put cream cheese in my quesadillas, I'll definitely have to try this! Thanks Emily!)