It seems going plant based has somehow increased my chances of being stranded on a deserted island. Almost everyone I told when I first went made the switch gave me this hypothetical scenario. It is sweet of them to think that I have any survival skills in order to hunt my own food but in reality, I would go for food sources that did not want to attack me. This city slicker has zero skills when it comes to nature.

For this prompt, I chose three foods that I couldn’t live without: Frank’s Hot Sauce, avocados, and chocolate.  

I am a former chicken wing addict. I won second place in a chicken wing eating contest in my first year of University, mostly out of necessity because my meal card ran out of funds. I always thought it was the wings that I loved the most but turns out, it is the sauce. I love the vinegary tang and heat of Frank’s Hot Sauce. Lucky for us, it is vegan (their Buffalo Sauce is not, FYI). I put it on cold pizza, dip my fries in it, and whatever needs a little dose of heat. I have made Buffalo Chickpea Salads before but I do love when cauliflower is baked and coated in this sauce. Mark and I have eaten an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting because of this recipe. 
Avocados are now a staple purchase in my weekly grocery store trip. I use them mostly for Avocado Sourdough Toasts or adding them to my big vegan bowls with the occasional guacamole make. Mark is indifferent to avocados but I love their buttery texture and fresh taste. They are also popular in smoothies but I don’t seem to like this addition. Just lightly salted on toast is enough for me. 
Roasted Jalapeño Guacamole 

Vegan Pub Style Dips with Ancho-Lime Baked Corn Chips

And, of course, chocolate. I didn’t name my site Sprouts & Chocolate for nothing. My love of chocolate started young and I don’t plan on starting to change that. I eat a lot less chocolate than I use to but when I do have it, it is the very best quality and in a dessert that I love. I request a chocolate birthday cake every year but find recipes to eat chocolate in healthier ways.

Coconut-Chai Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Nut Crust (featured on Tofu for Thought)

One-Bowl Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Chocolate Lovers’ Brownie Cups {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

One Bowl Chocolate-Caramel Almond Balls

Decadent Vegan Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache 

Since I am behind on Vegan MoFo, I can’t say 21 posts down! But I will catch up on it before the end. Stay tuned!

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made a recipe from this post? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

Buffalo Cauliflower Salad w/ Creamy Garlic Dressing

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

This spicy recipe is adaptable to however you like. I put this Buffalo Cauliflower on salad or in a wrap for lunch or just by itself with the dip for celery and carrots sticks. I topped a baby spinach with shaved carrots and celery with the Buffalo Cauliflower and dressed with the Creamy Garlic Dressing for the photos.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• For the Buffalo Cauliflower:
• 1 large head of cauliflower, main stem removed and cut into bite sized pieces (about 6 cups of florets)
• 2 tablespoons arrow root powder*
• 1 teaspoon paprika (I used Spanish)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 2.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5-6 tablespoons Frank's Hot Sauce
• 
  
• For the Creamy Garlic Dressing
• 4 tablespoons eggless mayo (I used Follow Your Heart Brand)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
• A few cracks of black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or two smaller baking sheets).
2. Add the bite sized cauliflower to a large freezer bag and add the arrowroot, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Gently shake the closed bag to coat the cauliflower in the powder mixture. Add the oil and shake to coat.
3. Transfer coated cauliflower to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Set aside.
5. After 15 minutes, add the Frank's Hot Sauce right into the baking sheet and with a pair of tongs, coat the cauliflower with the sauce and flip the cauliflower while doing so. Cook for another 10 minutes. The sauce will stick to the cauliflower.
6. Serve however you like with the suggestions above.

Notes

*The arrowroot powder is naturally gluten free and helps the sauce stick to the cauliflower but cornstarch can be used instead.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2

3.3.3077

The post Day 21 Vegan MoFo: Buffalo Cauliflower Salad w/ Creamy Garlic Dressing appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

I bring them with me to my desk, reviewing recipes to make or adapt to my liking, I bring them to bed and Mark puts them back onto the bookshelf when I, inevitably, fall asleep while reading. I believe that a well written cookbook can make a reader feel like they are in the kitchen of the writer. Writing a cookbook or blog is inviting people into an extension of their home. I feel I have dined with people I have never met before by making their recipes. I have been following Sprouted Kitchen for quite some time now. Sara’s recipes and Hugh’s photography constantly motivate me to practice just that little bit more, behind the camera and in my kitchen. Their book, The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share, is one I grab frequently since Mark and I eat a lot of bowls.

The mixture of grains, fresh vegetables, and protein, topped with a great tasting sauce fuels my body and soul. I enjoy its simplicity in making and its variations of toppings. Bowls are a big part of my weekly meal plan and with this book to guide me, the possibilities have grown tremendously.

Some may think the term “hippie” is offensive but, like Sara, I use it with the utmost endearment.

12 recipes down, 18 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 13: Kitchen Tour. Missed Day 11? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

FYI: This post does contain an affiliate link from Amazon. If you purchase the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook through the link, I receive a teeny commission from Amazon. It does not increase the cost to you at all. 

SC Hippie Bowl w/ Citrus Miso Sauce

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This recipe doubles well so you can have leftovers for a work lunch or dinner the next day. If you don't want to use tofu, steamed edamame beans work well.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: vegan

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• Fat pinch of red chili flakes
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 2 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and shaved into thin ribbons
• 2 cups finely shredded red cabbage, massaged in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ ripe avocado, cut into sliced
• Black or white sesame seeds (optional)
• Red chili flakes, if you like it spicy (optional)
• 
  
• Citrus Miso Dressing:
• ¼ cup raw cashew butter
• ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 3 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• Red chili flakes, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Rinse and drain the rice. Add it to 2½ cups of boiling water, bring back to boil, turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drain any excess water and fluff the rice.
3. While the rice is cooking, toss the cubed tofu in the lemon juice, sesame seed oil, syrup, salt, and chili flakes. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside until you are ready to dress your bowls.
5. While the tofu and rice are cooking, prep your vegetables.
6. When the rice is tender, add it to the bowls, then the veg and cooked tofu, and dress with Citrus Miso Sauce. Add sesame seeds and chili flakes if you desire.

3.3.3077

The post Day 12 Vegan MoFo: SC Hippie Bowl w/ Citrus Miso Sauce appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Last week I attended a seminar lead by Davida from The Healthy Maven about “How to Build an Ebook” with the plan of self-publishing my own in the near future (birthday goal!). At first, I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I could afford to miss a shift at work and I was kind of nervous about putting myself out there since I am a rather shy person around new people. When new people I meet at social events ask me what I do, I coyly respond, “well umm I have a food site, you know for vegans and umm sometimes I bake a cake…” Now this isn’t what I do to pay my bills but my server job pays for my passion so I lead with that. I bucked up and with a moment of bravery registered for the seminar. I got my confirmation email and volia, I was going. It was as simple as that.

I walked into this beautiful, sunny, rustic seminar room and sat with equally nervous bloggers from Toronto around a gorgeous wooden table. Davida introduced herself and welcomed any questions about the seminar, her site and marketing. It was an elating experience. She sold herself and her brand without skipping a beat or a moment of awkwardness. She told us, “the moment you decide that your site is your business, it is your business. Put on your business mask and hustle.” She explained to me later on that if I considered it a little hobby I did on the side then so would other people. I could literally feel the shift in my mentality. This is what I want to do so I am going to give it my all and there cannot be any compromise about it.

I absolutely loved the seminar and I can’t wait for another one hosted by Davida. In those three hours, she became a resource of “how-to’s” and a source of inspiration. She kept telling me “you can do this, you have come this far!!” When I first started, I literally knew nothing about blogging, site maintenance, SEO, plugins etc. but with each post it gets a little bit easier.

Some things that has not been getting easier is selling myself and really believing that I could do this. We are all our worst critics but it is time to put my game face on, even when I think I can’t do it. Negative mentality is no way to immerse yourself in your passion.

A big thanks to Davida with all of her wisdom and advice, which she admits came from her own mistakes. The seminar gave me the kick in the butt I obviously needed.

So what does this all have to do with Bahn Mi? I picked up a sandwich after the seminar. Wish I could tie it in but sometimes these things just happen. 

The post Bahn Mi Salad w/ Pickled Vegetables and Vietnamese Croutons appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

I was feeling really overwhelmed with the upcoming year and ashamed of myself for not taking more chances or more opportunities. A bunch of why’s flooded my brain; why do I still work in a restaurant? Why haven’t I updated any skills to put on a resume? Why didn’t I decide to update my high school credits sooner? Why am I turning 28 and done nothing with my life?!?

All these feelings flooded over me and turned into tears so naturally like the grown up I am, I called my mommy. After telling me all the nice things that mothers are suppose to say when you call them crying she told me that everything is going to be ok. I didn’t believe her and I felt like everything was taking a really long time and I was at a stand-still, despite actively being in school, doing my site and working a full time job. Strange how you can be doing so much and yet feel motionless. She told me that her twenties were very difficult raising two children on her own but after that it got much better. Her husband also told me that sometimes his life was a disaster also raising two children, losing this job to a machine and then having to travel all the time for a lower paying position because it was one of the few jobs available. He mentioned that when the mother of his children became pregnant for a second time, he had a mortgage and no job. The stress was intense but after a lot of hard work, things did in fact get a little bit smoother.  They said that sometimes it felt like things were always going to be bad but thankfully their situations did get better with a little help, love and support from the people around them. They said neither one of them had it all figured out by the time they were 30 and I really shouldn’t put that much pressure on myself when it comes to figuring my entire life out. I was looking at their lives now but did not see the struggle to get there. I was comparing my path to their destination. It was a good prep talk and turned my attitude a full 180 and got down to planning. 

I decided to prepare some birthday goals, which are unlike resolutions have an action plan attached to them. I will give myself until my next birthday to accomplish them since some of them aren’t things that can be accomplished in a week (and thats ok!). I am not one for New Year’s resolutions since I find they are empty but having an action plan can be empowering. Each time I check an item off the list, big or small it is a victory in itself!

My first and most important goal this year is to dump someone that has been dragging me down. This person that is doubting my every decision, embarrassed by the decisions that I have made in the past, someone who doesn’t believe in me and compares my efforts, actions and accomplishments to other peoples. She sighs when she sees someone else’s post or recipe or photograph that is better than mine, thinking I will never be as good as them and might as well just give up entirely. This person is not on Team Jess when I sometimes need her to be so badly. All my friends are on Team Jess, rooting for me in the wings, cheering me on with words of encouragement, support and love but just not her.

This person is myself; that little negative voice in my head that tells me that I simply can’t. I don’t need that little voice telling me I can’t or I shouldn’t or what will people think? I am delaying goals I have had for the longest time because of this and for what? Because of what a stranger may think of me when they see that I am in fact a terrible dancer or so inflexible it is almost laughable or that people in a writing class will hate my ideas? These are not good enough reasons to not pursue the things that I want to do. Who is winning here? Not me. We are always hardest on ourselves but isn’t the world hard enough without our own little voice telling us we aren’t good enough? This is why my number one birthday goal is to stop ruining my own life. 

On that note, I hope you take a little time today and make that goal for yourself, it may not be your birthday or New Years but it is an important one to practice daily. Enjoy these muffin tops with a cup of tea and get your list going. 

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