The Dirty Vegan is a blog that dishes on sinful vegan junk foods, health foods, recipes, make-up, health, fitness, being a mama, and all things fabulous and vegan at the same time. It is about living a glamorous and fun lifestyle while still being cruelty free. She is not just a vegan, she is a Dirty Vegan.
Last night we were looking for sides to make with our Field Roast dinner. I winged the roasted veggies to cook along with the roast, which was simply chunks of portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, flax seed oil, Bragg's liquid aminos, and spices that I sauteed and added to the roast pan. However, we still needed one more nice side to go along with this roast. I noticed some potatoes that we had and that is when I came up with this cheezy creation. I can eat these potatoes all day, every day - they are so tasty! Here is the recipe...
Cheezy Vegan Potatoes Delmonico
What you will need:
8 medium potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
1/2 cup flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour)
1 cup plain vegan milk (I used Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original flavor)
1 cup vegan cream (I used Silk Creamer in Original flavor)
1/2 cup Daiya Jack Style Wedge cheese, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup Daiya Mozarella style shreds
1/2 - 1 cup breadcrumbs (depending on how breaded you like it. I made my own fresh breadcrumbs by taking 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread and putting them in my Vitamix, which made about 1 cup)
What you will need to do:
Preheat oven 375 degrees. Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, make your cheese sauce. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, melt vegan butter. Whisk flour into butter and cook for a moment or two. Whisk in the vegan milk and cream until nice and smooth, then melt in the vegan cheeses and whisk until well combined. Simmer sauce on low for a few moments whisking often, then remove from heat. Drain potatoes and place evenly in a greased casserole dish. Evenly pour cheese sauce over potatoes in the casserole dish then top with breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 25- 30 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned. Enjoy!
And by the way, Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! Hubby and I will be celebrating and I am told that I have a few surprises in store. I will fill you in on the details via Twitter. And let me know what romantic plans you have. How about the yummy sweet treats?
Well hello cupcakes! This is my pumpkin spicy twist on the plain old boring cupcake. In the winter, I absolutely love fall spices and pumpkin. The cream cheese frosting gives this cupcake the right amount of sweetness and sure is delicious. I had to stop myself from eating the whole bowl of frosting while the cupcakes were cooling. You will also notice that this is a great batter that cooks cake to perfection. This recipe will make 12 standard cupcakes, however I made 6 jumbo ones using a Texas muffin pan. Hope you adore these!
Be My 'Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting' Recipe
makes 12 standard cupcakes OR 6 jumbo cupcakes
What you will need:
Cupcakes
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
8 oz vegan cream cheese (I used Go Veggie in Classic Plain flavor)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
What you will need to do:
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease your cupcake pan or place cupcake liners inside. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine both dry and wet ingredients together and mix well to make a batter. Divide batter evenly in cupcake pan cups. Bake for 20- 30 minutes, or until you can insert and remove a toothpick in cupcake cleanly. Let cupcakes cool. Make frosting by combining all four ingredients with a hand mixer until frosting is fluffy. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
As you can see, I ditched the fancy bakery tips to practice spreading frosting for when the baby gets here. Personally, it is easier to pipe mountains of frosting versus this mess I made with my spreader! Good practice for cupcake baking fun with our child. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off...hope you have a sweet day!
Nachos have become my go-to food these days. Since I'm growing a baby, I must keep them somewhat healthy. Vegan cheese and sour cream doesn't add all that much nutritional value, so you can play around with adding nutrients through your nacho chip of choice, protein option, guacamole, and salsa. You can also add extras as I often do. Here are some vegan nacho options I've tried over the months and what exactly is in this drool-worthy picture.
-Salsa
-Pasta Sauce
-Pizza Sauce
-Fresh tomatoes and onions chopped
Now your cheese...
-Vegan Cheddar Shreds (like Daiya or Galaxy)
-Vegan Mozzarella Shreds (like Daiya or Galaxy)
-Shred some of Daiya's wedges in Havarti, Jack, or Cheddar flavor
-Or one of the MANY vegan cheeses out there now
Heat for a moment or so in a microwave oven OR bake in an oven in a baking pan (usually 350 degrees for 15 minutes will do the trick, but keep an eye on it, ovens vary).
Next dollop stuff on top...
-Guacamole
-Vegan sour cream (I LOVE the sour cream by Follow Your Heart brand)
-Hummus
Now Enjoy! And make your friends jealous because your vegan nachos taste a million times better than their crap nachos ever will (and a million times healthier too!).
If you are wondering what is in the sinful nachos I enjoyed last night (pictured above), here is my secret ingredient list...
-Whole grain tortilla chips
-Cooked and seasoned quinoa
-Salsa
-Daiya cheddar & mozzarella shreds
-Sour cream (Follow Your Heart brand)
Simple and so delicious! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hope everyone has an opportunity to get some nachos in today.
Hello Everyone! Just in case you were wondering why I haven't posted anything in a while, it is because me and Mr. Dirty Vegan are expecting our first baby! And we have been busy, busy, busy! Trust me, you don't want any of the recipes of some of the weird vegan concoctions I've been putting together...
However, now that my weird food aversions (who has an aversion to Tofurky "sausage"??!? This girl! Well not anymore, I can finally eat them again) are starting to subside, I can post the yummy things that I have been eating. You don't have to be pregnant to eat like me, just don't feel guilty about it afterwards and you're golden. When I post my prego recipes, I will give you a few options to cut back the calories since not all of my readers are required to eat an additional 300- 400 calories daily (or more, who's watching?).
Keep an eye out for my upcoming posts. They will include tips, tricks, and pictures (hello to the most illegal looking food out there!). I have been enjoying veggie nachos loaded with things like beans, salsa, hummus, guacamole, vegan "sour cream", and LOTS of Daiya cheese. I have also discovered new vegan food finds that are so Dirty you wouldn't believe them. So I will be sharing that stuff too. And I will throw in a few belly shots so you can scope out the adorable bump I've been sporting these days. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hope you have a sun-shining-like-vegan-cupcakes-and-babies-day!
“A film is just like a muffin. You make it. You put it on the table. One person might say, ''Oh, I don't like it'.' One might say it's the best muffin ever made. One might say it's an awful muffin. It's hard for me to say. It's for me to make the muffin.” -Denzel Washington
Muffins are awesome, especially these! Using a small amount of pure maple syrup instead of sugar and the high fiber/ protein ingredients included, make these a healthier alternative that just so happen to be Naughty enough to strike my fancy. Serve these warm (or lightly toasted if having them the next day for breakfast) with a spat of vegan butter and you have a satisfying treat that was super easy to make. Bake and Enjoy My Delicious 'High Fiber & Protein Trail Mix Muffins' Makes 12 muffins.
1 cup flour (of your choice)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 trail mix
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 apples, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven 350 degrees and grease or paper line your muffin pan. Combine wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop even amounts into cups. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until clean when pricked. Enjoy!
Happy Spring! Spring is in the air and now that the cold winter is over, we want to be out and about in minimal clothing, at least I do! Two important factors in looking good in warmer weather is your skin and your body. So it makes sense that everyone is thinking about skincare and fitness. Over the winter I tested two products to see if they worked and share them with you. I wanted to use them most of the winter in order to prove that they work, and for me they did. So here is my opinion on a couple cool products that are getting me ready for beach and bikini season.
For skincare, I've been using products from Juice Beauty and I am pretty impressed! For one, they are a 98% organic skincare line and they do not test on animals. Also, it looks like pretty much everything they offer is vegan-friendly, or at least the stuff that they sent to me. I'm loving their Cleansing Milk and am almost done with the bottle. I use this as a cleanser and also as a makeup remover. It removes better than any other makeup remover I've used before and is tough on eye makeup but gentle on your skin. Other oil-based removers have made my skin breakout in the past, but after using this vegan cleansing milk this winter, my skin has stayed hydrated and clear. I also used my samples of their serums (I love their Soothing Serum), cleansers, and moisturizers and love them! So if you are looking for gorgeous glowing skin this spring, Juice Beauty just might be for you.
For fitness, I have been using a workout DVD from Collage Video. They offer a HUGE variety of workout videos that can satisfy anyone's fitness needs, no matter what your taste or fitness level is. The workout I've been hooked on is Ellen Barrett's Live, Grace & Gusto. And what this workout is, is pilates and ballet with a little bit of yoga. In my opinion, this is the perfect workout to achieve a toned and lean figure, along with your vegan diet. In fact, my body has responded so well to this workout and I have not changed anything in my Dirty Vegan diet and lifestyle. I have been doing this workout consistently for about one month (I wanted to be sure I tried it in order to give you guys an accurate review), and I have seen changes in my weight (small loss of a few lbs - but I would probably see more if I replaced my cookies with salads, not happening!), in the way my clothing fits, and in the way my body looks. I feel great and look toned and leaner. I love ballet, pilates, and yoga; this workout is perfect for me for this reason! It is also important to do something you truly enjoy, or else you might not stick with it. So be sure to check out collagevideo.com because they really do have everything when it comes to fitness. The prices are awesome too. I plan on doing an update sometime this summer because I plan on stepping up my game with this workout and will let you know if I see any more results, maybe even a before and after picture, we will see. Here is a video clip of this workout so you can get an idea of the exercises and energy. I really like Ellen Barrett because she is not annoying, which is also another important thing to me in a workout DVD.
What are you doing to prepare for the upcoming skin-baring seasons? Have any good tips? And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Namaste.
I have a tiny cold today. Vegan colds don't last very long, in the rare cases that we get them, so don't feel sorry for me. It will be gone in a second. I like tea, but especially when I'm not feeling very well. I sat down this morning with my Yogi Tea (I included the link just in case any of you don't know what that is). Now I love Yogi teas for their taste, flavors, varieties, and holistic benefits...however what I love the most is the little fortune on the tea tag. They were smart marketers those Yogis! I rip open a Yogi pouch every chance I get to see what today's insight will be. Today mine read...
The art of happiness is to serve all.
I smiled. That is kind of what I do. Serving animals and sharing my blog with humans. Blogging about both animal and human rights and also about the environment. Being an activist everyday, in everything that I do. Pretty cool. And then, I thought, remember that Twilight Zone episode, To Serve Man???!! Oh yeah, ya'll thought I was totally normal-blogging with this cold and I totally just threw a curve-ball atcha!
Here is a clip from the Twilight Zone episode, To Serve Man, set to some cool trippy music:
Basically, what happened was when communicating with space aliens, humans were averse, but then after humans were able to decipher the title of the aliens book, "To Serve Man", they thought that was really nice of the aliens. The episode is really great and you must see it if you haven't already.
Side Note: I watch these on Chiller network and for free on CBS online. Also, since I was a tot, I've been watching the holiday marathons that come on television at Fourth of July and New Years. I've also been on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. All of which are pretty neat! It happens to be my dream to own the Twilight Zone series, The Complete Definitive Collection. Yes, ALL the episodes ever made. Then no one will ever be able to pry me away from the tv and you'll be getting a lot of weird
posts from me that are Twilight Zone related but somehow connect to veganism. And perhaps some odd recipes as well.
In a nutshell, the black book is a preparation of how to serve man as a meal. I thought this was funny that I thought of this while I was drinking my Yogi. Humans have been eating animals without a care for years, what makes us think we are the highest on this so called "food chain"? I have always been interested to know who else is out there in other galaxies, dimensions, and spaces. We would be foolish to think we are
the only ones. And also slightly arrogant. We are minor specks in this vast universe, but we think we are so big, so mighty. I am happy I am vegan, and if we were ever to run into space aliens, perhaps they would spare us, perhaps karma would kick in at that very moment. I'd also be interested to know if aliens would even want to eat us at all. And I would want to know what the heck they eat!
So what are your thoughts on extraterrestrial life? Comment below; let me know what you think, or if you have been on the Twilight Zone Disney ride, or if you watch these shows, or whatever. Or you may just want to know where I purchased my satirical coffee mug, who knows. Talk to me. Don't leave me alone with my cold and my madness. And for now, the Dirty sci-fi Vegan is signing off.
