Key-Lime-Vegan-Yogurt-Off

The contenders:

WholeSoy Key Lime Flavored Soy Yogurt
Weighing in at: 6oz
Non-GMO

Silk Live Key Lime Flavored Soy Yogurt
Weighing in at: 6 oz 
Non-GMO

Round 1: WholeSoy's pureed Key Lime packs a powerful flavor punch! Silk Live tastes like a slice of Key Lime  pie in a cup!


Round 2: WholeSoy tastes refreshing and tropical, almost like you are on an island (cue the ukulele)! Silk Live has just the right amount of Key Lime flavor, so that its not too tangy and is very enjoyable!


Round 3: WholeSoy keeps you interested with the right amount of Key Lime zip! Silk Live lives up to it's smooth reputation! 

KNOCKOUT!

The results are in! Who will be today's winner of the Key-Lime-Vegan-Yogurt-Off?

VICTORY!

They are both winners in my book! I usually like to make a decision on which is more pleasing, but in this match, they are both TIED! 


WholeSoy has an amazing fresh and tropical flavor! I love it and it reminds me of a Caribbean island!


Silk Live tastes just like Key Lime pie in a cup! It satisfies every dessert craving, in a healthy way.


I love both brands and for Key Lime flavor, I choose both. So when I am in Whole Foods, I will purchase one of each.




What are your favorite vegan yogurt flavors?

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I'm No Prude!

Since TV is too prude to air this Superbowl Ad, I will. And who better to do it than the Dirty Vegan?

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Votes In and Chili Wins!

Score a Touchdown with My 'Game Day Veggie Chili' Recipe!

What you will need:


1 tbsp Earth Balance or vegan buttery spread
14oz veggie "meat" grounds (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean, Ground "Beef" Style)
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 small green bell peppers, chopped
15oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2.5 cups tomatoes, crushed
4 cups veggie broth or 4 cups water with 2 bouillon cubes (I used Edward & Sons brand cubes)
2 tbsp wheat flour
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and black pepper to taste
Daiya cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top before serving, optional


What to do:


Heat buttery spread in saucepan on medium heat. Brown veggie meat (if using Lightlife Gimme Lean, crumble up in pan using a spatula until all is broken up how you would like it) on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and bell peppers to pan and cook until they are soft, stirring frequently. Then add kidney beans and crushed tomatoes, mix thoroughly. Then mix in broth. Sprinkle and stir in wheat flour. Then add in the spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 1 hour. 

Serving Suggestion: Before serving, sprinkle Daiya vegan cheese on top, if you choose. You may also like to dollop some Tofutti sour cream on top, or use whatever other vegan chili toppings you like in your bowl. You might like to sprinkle crackers or pita chips into it also. 


Enjoy! Have fun on Game Day!

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Sexiest Cafe in New England...

"Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere." -Mae West

The 'Veggie' wrap at Mirasol's Cafe in Dartmouth, MA - their special hummus with veggies. It's so good!

Where do I even begin? Mirasol's Cafe is one of the hippest cafes that I have been to. If you check out their website, you will find the word sexy being thrown around, but not without just cause. From Mirasol's vegetarian friendly food options, their organic coffee, their vegan milk and vegan friendly beverages, to the cool vibes and music (check out their website - link above - for sample music), I can't say enough positive things about this Latin American influenced cafe. So, of course I had to sneak in and do a review! Dirty Vegan phantom-style!

What I love most about Mirasol's is that I was able to get vegan beverages someplace other than Starbucks! The prices here are great and they are very conscious of vegetarians, organic, and natural options. They are not a full vegetarian restaurant, but offer many options for us veggie folk. Some of the things they offer are the Veggie (pictured above), Sexy Asparagus (ask them to hold the cheese to make it vegan), bagels with your vegan choice of black bean hummus or peanut butter (their website says regular or veggie cream cheese - maybe Tofutti is the veggie one? Will have to ask them next time I go), salads, some soups are vegetarian but the soup varies daily, and lots of yummy beverages that can be made with soy-milk! They feature Jim's Organic Coffees, a variety of teas, smoothies, specialty drinks, and lattes. I love that I can get a vegan latte and a Veggie wrap, and just chill in a relaxing, casual environment. The beverage pictured above with my Veggie, is their Acai Iced Tea; very refreshing and deeeelish! 

I really love that Mirasol's Cafe pays attention to their veggie and natural-foods-seeking customers; it means a lot to us. And I really just love the fact that they say things like " super sexy" and "stud-liest" to describe their offerings. Me likey, likey. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off.

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Eat Dirty, Have More Fun!

"It's hard to be funny when you have to be clean." -Mae West

Have Fun Enjoying My 'Savory Dirty Rice and Beans' Recipe

What you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup frozen peppers & onions (like Trader Joe's Roasted Bell Peppers & Onions)

2 cups cooked rice (any kind you like, I used brown)

1 can black beans (about 15oz), drained & rinsed

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos (you can also use soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu)

cayenne, salt, & pepper to taste

What to do:

Heat olive oil in a skillet pan on medium heat. Sweat garlic until aromas are released. Add peppers and onions, cook for about 3 minutes, until almost thawed. Add in rice and beans, cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cook until heated thoroughly, then reduce to a simmer. Add aminos/soy sauce, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Simmer for about 2 more minutes to warm and combine flavors. Serve as a side dish or as a main lunch or light dinner option. Enjoy!

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Vegan Alfredo? You betcha!!!

Be Saucy With My 'Vegan Herbed Tofu Alfredo Sauce' Recipe

What you will need:


1 14oz container of firm tofu
4 tbsp Earth Balance (or any vegan buttery spread)
2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Edward & Sons Low Sodium Veggie Bouillon cube       dissolved in
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
salt and pepper to taste (optional)


What to do:


Blend all ingredients thoroughly in your blender. Pour into a medium sized saucepan. Heat on low-medium heat until thoroughly warmed, stirring frequently. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, if you wish to.


Serving Suggestions:


-Serve over pasta like fettuccine or any of your favorite pastas


-Serve over baked potatoes or over any vegetables just like you would with cheese sauce


-Use as a white sauce on pizza or with red sauce as "cheese dollops" on veggie pizza!


Recipe Tips: 


-Cube up tofu prior to placing in blender, that will make it easier to blend. 


-Using firm tofu keeps this sauce nice and thick avoiding having to add any thickening agents, such as corn starch or flour.


-You can make this recipe in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container after blending. Just heat over the stove in a saucepan when you are ready to use it.

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Haute Couture Makeup Being Haute Compassionate: Be Kind & Look Good Doing It!

"The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows." -Audrey Hepburn

Hair done with vegan brand, Pureology. Makeup mostly Too Faced Cosmetics applied with their cruelty-free Teddy Bear Hair brushes. Adorable Willi Smith jacket made from polyester and viscose; all man-made synthetic fibers.

I would like to share this website link from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). This is an awesome search tool for companies that do not test on animals. You will also find a list of animal ingredients, coupons, and more on their page. I will talk about some products in this blog, but please do use this search tool to inform before purchases. There is also a printer-friendly list available on the site, so you can bring it to the store with you, if you wish so. There is a special feeling in being your best possible self and not harming anyone else in the process, not to mention it is also GOOD karma! The horrors involved in animal testing are unthinkable, so please do not support companies who test. When you are kind, you can be more beautiful than you ever dreamed that you can be!

PETA's Search Tool for Cruelty-Free Companies & Products

Hair Products: 


Like I was mentioning earlier, Pureology is a 100% vegan product that make hair products. Their shampoo and conditioner is simply the best! Their product smells so amazing and like all their ingredients, they are completely cruelty-free, so no animal testing. That's what I love to hair hear! Pureology made my hair super soft, shiny, and great smelling...but of coarse if you are vegan, those things come naturally to you, right?


I also adore Paul Mitchell products. I received a beautiful telephone message years ago from John Paul DeJoria in reply to an e-mail I sent to him about his people and dog products. In the message he shared some history about his company. John shared that his company was one of the first companies in the early 1980s to protest and be against animal testing. He shared, that at the time, his competitors were all conducting animal testing, however John's company stood their ground and refused to test. A bold move back in the 80s when cookie cutter companies were most successful. I love that the Paul Mitchell brand was thinking outside of the box and being compassionate, bravo! 


*Dirty Vegan Blurb! Now just because a company does not test, does not mean they are completely vegan either. Be sure to always read your ingredients list. If ingredients are unfamiliar to you and internet research proves unsuccessful, call or write the company! Use the PETA search tool and take a peek at their Animal Ingredients List. Its a simple task and if we all did it, the demand would decrease for products tested on animals and for animal ingredients, thus decreasing needless animal suffering.*


Skincare:


I used to use Clinique and Clarins since their products do not test on animals, however I switch up my products a lot and like to try different things. I still use Clinique and Clarins cosmetics stuff sometimes, but right now I'm hooked on Lush for skincare. I use their Coal Face cleanser, which has lasted me so long, probably close to 6 months, great bargain right there! I also like their fresh face mask called Cupcake, that one is vegan. A few of their others are and one of the masks that is not fresh, but still so awesome, called Mask of Magnaminty. This mask is minty and cool and lightly exfoliating and just plain awesome! I use their Tea Tree Water toner. I switch between their moisturizers, sometimes depending on the season or the need. During the winter, I use Skin Drink. Personally, my face just soaks it up nicely and it is especially nice for me in the winter when skin tends to be its driest. All Lush stuff that is vegan has a nice green "V" on it, so they've made it easy.


Makeup:


I am in love with Too Faced Cosmetics! I love the fact that they make professional quality make-up brushes and promote them as cruelty-free! Bravo, Too Faced! Their Teddy Bear Hair brushes are made with fine quality synthetic materials and were purposely made that way to spare animals from the cruelty involved in obtaining their hair for makeup brushes. Word on the street is that their founder, Jerrod Blandino (sounds Italian, just like me!), helped develop these fabulous brushes. Thank you Jerrod and Too Faced for being conscious and kind about animals. Too Faced also makes lots of vegan friendly make-up products, which I love to use (always read those labels for ingredients list). To achieve my look above I used a combination of Too Faced products and since the quality is very good and professional, it came out really nice. I enjoy using this brand.


Other makeup brands I like to use are Stila, Clarins (they are big on vegan products and are against animal cruelty), Tarte, Bare Escentuals, and other products that when I see them I ask if they test or about the ingredients. Always check labels, even if you use the same product, because ingredients can change, or their animal testing policy may change. Always try to be aware and have the most up-to-date information.


I would like to say that being beautiful comes from within. Makeup is definitely fun and helps you achieve the high fashion look that is so popular in our society, however being the best possible you, being compassionate and kind to all walks of life, being happy, being positive, and being good natured is always in style, is always sexy, and is always glamorous! And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off.

PS - how fun would it be if the Dirty Vegan was ever in the running for PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian contest? Just sayin'....





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