Holy Blogs Batman

My blog reader has been inundated with new blogs lately. Here is a list of my favorites, some of which are new to the list some I've been following since I started reading blogs on regular basis

Music:
A Riot Of My Own: punkrock, straight edge and literature (Twitter- @xroldx)

Double Cross: We'll Have The Straight Edge They Can Have The Rest
How's Your Edge: Straight Edge.
WorldMovesFast: Hardcore Life
xilovebroccolix: Livejournal of Davin of xKINGDOMx (Kingdom myspace)


Photo/Design:
Gurus Unleashed: Scouring the Web 24/7 for the best creative pro news and how-to so you don't have to.
Layers Magazine: The How-to Magazine For Everything Adobe
Minervity: Tutorials, Freelance Tips, and Designer Information



Vegan:
A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise: All the vegan ice cream recipes you could want.
Eating Consciously: Always a Choice, Never a Chore
The Urban Housewife: Vegan Cooking
Vegan Dad: Vegan Cooking that even the kids will love.
Vegan Life Online: Vegan Recipes, Blogs, Videos, and More From Vegans Around The World

Travel:
Brave New Traveler: Exploring The Inner Journey, Through The Outer World
Backpacking Travel: Learn everything you need to know about backpacking travel and vagabonding around the world
Solo Traveler: A Blog For All Of Us Who Love (Or Struggle) To Travel On Our Own.
VagabondBible: Magazine for backpackers and travelers worldwide


Other:
Adbusters: Journal of the Mental Environment
Alternet: Independent Online News Magazine
b-listed: People building human rights culture
Brave New Films: Revolutionizing Traditional Grassroots Politics
Democracy Now!: National, Daily, Independent, Award-Winning News Program
GOOD: A Collaboration of Individuals, Businesses, and Nonprofits Pushing The World Forward
Mashable: The Social Media Guide
Submedia: Independent Media
Take Part: Social Action Network
Tree Hugger: We care about the environment. There. We said it.
Truthout: Devoted to the principles of equality, democracy, human rights, accountability and social justice.

Running out of foooood

If you read my last post you know that I will be moving soon and so I have been trying to just use up what is in the house. So, for today's Watch Me Cook I don't really have a recipe but I do have a little vegan tip...

The next time you cook up some spaghetti and veggieballs sprinkle it with some Red Star Nutritional Yeast.

Good stuff

Vegan BBQ Wrap

Here is just a quick little something i just threw together...

Ingredients:

• Morning Star Chikn Strips
• 2 Slices Vegan Cheese
• Boston Lettuce
• BBQ Sauce
• Wheat Wrap
• Litelife Smart "Bacon"

In a frying pan, fry 2-3 slices of "bacon". While that cooks wash lettuce. When bacon is done place aside and fry a small handful of chikn strips. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium and then add BBQ sauce and "cheese". Cook until it just about starts to crisp. Add everything to the wrap and enjoy.

Yummm

A fair warning, this recipe is not exactly easy. It's also not exactly like a snickers, I went without the nougat... this was kind of trial and error. The next time I do this I will update this post if it comes out better. I'm not saying that it didn't come out good though, it did.

Ingredients:

Caramel-

• 1 cup sugar
• half cup of vegan whipped cream
• 1tbs cornstarch
• 1tbs water
• 2tbs soy margarine
• 1ts vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
  

Fudge-

• 1 cup soy creamer
• 2 1/4 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup soy margarine
• 1ts vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/2 bags

Small bag chopped nuts (2.5 oz)


Making the caramel

I would suggest doing this first.

Mix cornstarch and water and set aside
Mix all other ingredients in medium sauce pan
Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly
Once at a boil reduce heat and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes
Add cornstarch and water mix and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes
Set aside

Making the fudge

In a medium sauce pan combine sugar and creamer
Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly
Once at a boil reduce heat and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes
Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients
Stir until silky smooth texture

Here's where it gets tricky

Pour half of the fudge into an 8x8 dish and stick in the freezer
While that hardens keep stirring the remaining fudge so it doesn't harden
After about 5-10 minutes pull out of freezer and add a middle layer of caramel and nuts
Stick this in the freezer for another 5-10 minutes and keep stirring remaining fudge
After that pour on the rest of the fudge and top with the remaining nuts
Let harden and enjoy.

Fell free to leave comments on how it came out or suggestions

Ok, I realize this isn't a recipe but it is pretty useful and i'm pretty busy so here goes...

Stolen Straight From Peta2.com

411 on 7-11

Taking spontaneous road trips or traveling to grandma's is a necessity in life. So, if you're cruising along when the grumbling kicks in, isn't it nice to know that the nearest mini-mart or gas station will have a bundle of vegan treats to help you push on?

Candy

Airheads taffy
Blow Pops
Brach's Cinnamon Hard Candy
Charms lollipops
Chick-o-Sticks
Cry Babies
Dem Bones
Dots
Dum Dums
Fireballs
Goldenberg's Peanut Chews
Hot Tamales
Hubba Bubba Bubblegum
Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy)
Jujubees
Jujyfruits
Laffy Taffy
Lemonheads
Mambas
Mary Janes (regular and peanut butter kisses)
Mike and Ike
Now and Later
Pez
Ring pop lollipops
Smarties (U.S. version only)
Sour Patch Kids
Super Bubble
Swedish Fish
Sweet Tarts
Tropical Source mini chocolate bags
Twizzlers
Zotz

Snacks

Bean dip (make sure it's lard-free)
Cracker Jack
Fritos
Lance's Toasty Crackers
Lay's Stax
Lay's WOW! potato chips
Microwave popcorn (minus the real butter flavor)
Munchos
Peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, and Pistachios
Pretzels
Salsa
Skittles' Mints
Tostitos
Trail mix
Triscuits
Wheat Thins

Watch Your Mouth

Not what comes out but what goes in. Sure, you might follow the two-second rule when you drop your Tofutti Cutie on your kitchen floor, but you won't want to give these disgusting hidden animal ingredients the time of day.

Casein—Whey's cousin, casein is made from curdled milk. Yuck!

Gelatin—Rhymes with "skeleton." Coincidence? I think not. Gelatin is a protein made by boiling cows' and pigs' skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Jell-O? Hell, no!

Honey—Sure, honey tastes sweet, but you'll get a bad taste in your mouth when you learn how it's "harvested."

From a former beekeeper: "[T]ypically, beekeepers are gloved and netted to avoid stings (nearly every bee who stings will die due to her entrails being pulled from her body attached to her stinger.) Then the hives are opened as quickly as possible and the bees are ‘smoked.' Smoke from a smoldering fire carried in a ‘smoker' is pumped into the hive and the bees are ‘calmed.' In spite of this, the combs are pulled quickly and many bees are crushed in the process. When a bee is hurt, she releases a chemical message that alerts and activates the hive members who proceed to attack the intruder—giving their lives in the process."

Lard—Lard is such a gross word, it almost makes you wonder why they just don't call it what it is: "Fat from hog abdomens."

Pepsin—If the thought of eating lard turns your stomach, stay away from pepsin, a clotting agent from pigs' stomachs, used in some cheeses and vitamins.

Rennet—Certain words just make you cringe, like coagulate, congeal, clot—which is what rennet, an enzyme taken from baby calves' stomachs, is used for in cheese production.

Stearic Acid—It may sound less gross than "lard," but stearic acid, which often rears its ugly head in chocolate and vitamins, comes from a fatty substance taken from slaughtered pigs' stomachs—or from cows, sheep, or dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters. Still want to chew on that piece of Fido?

Cetyl Palmitate—Check your head if you're using margarine that contains cetyl palmitate, the fancy term for the waxy oil derived from sperm whales' heads or from dolphins. "I can't believe it's not ... oh, wait. It is? Whale head wax?"

Urea—Urea comes from piss and other "bodily fluids." It's used to "brown" baked goods, like pretzels. Um, yeah. And the oven is for ...?

When going to any convenience store, take a look around and see what other food services they offer. Often, you can get made-to-order sandwiches and salads. For instance, Speedway gas stations can make up MTO veggie wraps and sandwiches, and you can also snag bagels, garlic fries (minus the cheese), and cheese-free nachos.

Vegan Blueberry Crumb Cake
adapted from Fundamentally Flawed

For the Crumbs:

5 tbsp vegan margarine at room temp

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)

1/3 cup all purpose flour1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts* optional

For the Cake:2 cups blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)

2 cups plus 2 tsp all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest of 1/2 lemon or 1/4 orange

6 tbsp vegan margarine at room temp

                                                                         Egg Replacer for 2 eggs (mix for 1 at a time)

                                                                         1 tsp vanilla extract

                                                                                           1/2 cup vegan buttermilk (1/2 cup soymilk & 1tsp                                                                                  white vinegar)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.To make the crumbs: Put all the ingredients except the nuts in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms clumps and curds and holds together when pressed. Scrape the topping into a bowl, stir in the nuts and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate until needed.

To make the cake: Using your fingertips, toss the blueberries and 2 tsp of the flour together in a small bowl just to coat the berries; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and 

zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the butter and, with the

paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar with the butter at medium speed

until light, about 3 minutes. Add the egg replacer one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Don’t be concerned if the batter looks curdled — it will soon smooth out. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk

alternately, the flour in 3 parts and the buttermilk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients.) You will have a thick, creamy batter.

With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Pull the crumb mix from the fridge and, with your fingertips, break it into pieces. There’s no need to try to get even pieces — these are crumbs, they’re supposed to be lumpy and bumpy and every shape and size. Scatter the crumbs over the batter, pressing them down ever so slightly.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool just until it is warm or until it reaches room temperature.

I do not take credit for this recipe other than changing it to be vegan friendly and the photos all credit goes to fundamentally-flawed.blogspot.com

Damn I'm Hungry....

This morning I decided to pick out my favorite sites to go to for vegan recipes. The Screen Shots will take you directly to the site. Enjoy.

VegWeb.com














Vegan Yum-Yum









Vegan Dad









RecipeZaar

The New Thursday Twitter Series

Yesterday I set something in motion that I wasn't intending to but I'm going to go with the flow.Starting... well yesterday i suppose, every Wednesday I'll be asking something over Twitter and every Thursday I will be posting whatever it happens to be. This week as you can see from the screen shot above i asked the vegans who are following me what the one thing the miss is that they wish they knew how to make vegan. A few people gave a couple of things so I will pick one and give a recipe and for the rest I will provide a link if I can find one.

Recipes
I do not claim these to be my own

@writergal85

Writergal85 said that the things she missed most were pizza, lasagna, eggplant parm. brie and tomato sandwich.

I'm going to give a recipe that my girlfriend and I mixed and matched together for the greatest pizza we have ever had

Ingredients:

• Any crust that you can find that is vegan
• For sauce i like to go with Ragu's Homemade Style Pizza Sauce
• 1 Tomato
• 1 Onion
• Cheeze
• Basil
• Oregano
• Olive Oil
  

Directions:

I usually start by slicing up your onion and tomato to whatever thickness suites you. Then brush on some oil on both sides of the crust and spread your sauce over the top. After that, follow the link that i attached to "Cheeze" above. After you get that going pre-heat the oven to whatever temperature the crust calls for. When your cheeze is done evenly spread it over the top of the pizza and lay your onion and tomato down. Brush the toppings with some more oil and sprinkle with your basil and oregano and cook using the directions for the crust. Enjoy
Links... lasagna, eggplant parm

@sheridesfixed
Vegan Sloppy Joes for SheRidesFixed

Ingredients

• 2 (0.125-1/4 cup) tablespoons margarine or 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
• 1 lb firm tofu, patted dry and mashed
• 6 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Directions

1. Heat the margarine or water in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and green pepper, and sautè or boil until the vegetables are well cooked, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the mashed tofu and sautè for another 15 minutes, until the tofu is completely cooked.

4. Add the ketchup, chili sauce, salt, and pepper and continue to cook over low heat until the mixture is heated through.

5. Add a little water if the mixture is too dry.

6. Spoon onto lightly toasted burger buns.

This recipe is from recipezaar.com

@in2design
In2Design wanted a Paska Bread which is something I've never heard of. I found a non-vegan recipe that I am going to post below and suggest what should be changed. I've never made one so this is just suggestion, I'm not promising perfection...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 cups warm milk (Use soy milk)
  
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 eggs, beaten (use 3 tablespoons of silken tofu and the equivelent of 3 eggs with egg replacer)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup margarine, softened (soybutter)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 12 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg (equivelent of 1 eggs with egg replacer)
  
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (soy butter)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Proof the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl until slightly frothy.
2. In the meantime, dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in the warm milk. Cool to lukewarm. Once cooled, add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture along with four cups of flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Cover and put in a dark, warm place until the mixture is bubbly and doubled in size, about 2 hours.
3. Stir in the beaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, margarine, salt, and lemon peel. Stir well to blend. Begin adding the remaining flour a cup at a time to form a very soft dough.
4. Knead the dough on a floured board until soft and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat both sides. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down, and allow to rise again for 30 minutes.
5. Divide dough into three parts. Shape into slightly rounded loaves, and place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush onto loaves.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until done. Once they are done, brush the tops with melted butter for a soft crust.

This recipe is from recipezaar.com

This quick, easy, & cheap recipe gets its name from exactly how I came up with it...

Ingredients:

1pkg Noodles
Soy sauce
1/4th block of firm tofu
Sweet & sour sauce

Directions:

Cook noodles using directions on the package. While you boil the water drain tofu and cut off the quarter block of tofu that you will be using. (stick the rest in a container with a little water and save for something else) Slice tofu into 1in. x 1/2in. strips and fry in sweet and sour sauce. Cook until it starts to crisp. When water comes to a boil cook the noodles until done. Drain noodles completely and cover in soy sauce and top with tofu. Enjoy

Vegan Chik'n Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• Your choice of mock chicken (I use Morning Star)
• Tortillas
• One Onion
• Cheeze
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Garlic powder

Instructions:

First off you're going to need to go to the link I attached above to "cheeze" and make sure you have everything you need for that too. Then i suggest preparing that but not cooking it yet. Chop up your onion and saute it in your spices. You can also add a pepper too i suppose. When your onion is nearly translucent add in your chik'n. While that cooks start the cheeze, you're going to have to keep a close eye on both. When each is done spread your cheeze onto your tortilla and add your onions and chik'n on top of that. Fold it in half, cut in thirds, and cook stick in a frying pan until golden on both sides. Depending on your taste, you can now add some vegan sour cream or hot sauce. Enjoy.

Vegans, don't you hate it when non-vegan friends and family ask what you eat because they can't fathom that there's anything else in the world other than animal products? Yeah, same here. Anyway, this is my first vegan recipe of probably many to come. Now, I have to warn you... if you're the type of person who needs exact measurements, stop reading now. I never measure unless I'm baking.

Vegan Stuffed Shells :

Ingredients-

Seasonings = to taste

• 1 Package firm/extra firm tofu
• Vegenaise (a few dollops, enough to make the tofu stick together)
  
• 1 Box shells
• Spinach (handfull)
  
• Nutritional Yeast (~ 1/4 cup)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Basil
• Oregano
  
• Snipped Chives
• Salt
• Sauce of your choice
• Shredded or vegan parmesan cheese is optional

Directions-


Cook pasta. While it cooks drain tofu and crumble in a medium sized bowl. Mash up until there are no chunks left. Add Vegenaise and stir together until you get a ricotta-like texture. Add nutritional yeast until it tastes somewhat cheesy. Next add seasonings and stir together. Heat oven to 375 and rinse and chop spinach while it heats up. Add the chopped spinach, stir and when pasta is done stuff the shells. In an cooking dish coat bottom with sauce. Add one layer of stuffed shells and cover with sauce. Add another layer of shells and cover with sauce. Two layers might do it. Cook for 25-30 minutes. If you're going to add shredded vegan cheese pull it out at 25 and stick it back in until it melts. Enjoy.