Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I am not much of a baker......I am more of a what's in the fridge and how I can I make that into a meal kind of girl... it usually turns out to be a stir-fry, noodle dish, or soup. But, since I have lived in my place for about a month now... I wanted to feel like my place is a home, and nothing makes a house a home more than the aroma of freshly baked deserts swirling around your kitchen. Also, you can't go wrong with cupcakes, and they are so convenient! You don't need a knife or a fork.... or even a plate if you're not a messy eater.... or if you are... who cares! They are delicious, put you in a good mood no matter what, and you can take them anywhere.

So, below is how to make a desert that will make you smile:

Things you will need:
-Cupcake liners
-Muffin pan
-Three good sized mixing bowls
-whisk
-mixing spoon or an electric mixer
-Ice Cream Scooper to pour the batter into the muffin pan (a ladle will work too)

A quick note: When you pour the batter into the pan, fill 3 quarters of the way full.
For the Cupcakes (12 servings)
**If you omit the peppermint extract and chocolate chips from the ingrediants below, this is the basic chocolate cupcake, which you can use for anything.

1 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar (carbon free, if possible)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon mint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour (unbleached)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I use green and blacks)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini vegan chocolate chips

For the Icing
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I used jungle soft shortening)
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
small drop of green food coloring

Top with mini vegan chocolate chips

Directions:
-Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven... that is where the cupcakes cook the best.
-Preheat the oven to 350
-Place the cupcake liners in the muffin pan

Whisk together the apple cider vinegar and soymilk in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. (I have no idea why..... but it works). Add the sugar, oil, vanilla, mint, and almond extracts, and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, add the flour, coca powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients together, and start to pour in the dry ingredients to the wet ones in three batches so that you're not struggling to mix it all together at once. You can do it manually, which I used to do... but since I started using my mix master.... it's become my best friend.... after my cat. Make sure it's mixed until no large lumps remain (a few tiny ones are okay. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix in the batter. I used the small mini ones, but you can use the normal size chocolate chips or even crushed ones. Also, the chocolate chips don't have to say vegan.. just read the ingredients... most semi sweet or dark chocolate is vegan.

Once the batter is ready, pour into liners. I use a ladle to do this... it's not the easiest way, but it works just fine. The best thing to use is an ice cream scooper. You get the same size each time and there is less mess. Make sure to fill them three quarters of the way full since they rise. Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When the pan has cooled off, take the muffins out and place on a cooling rack or just somewhere where they can cool off.

Directions for the Icing:
While the cupcakes are cooling.... start to make the icing. I also used the mix master for this, but feel free to mix manually. I know you can do it!

Cream the shortening for a few seconds to soften it. It's easiest to do this with a fork. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and a splash of soymilk and mix to incorporate. Continue to add the sugar and milk and mix until everything is incorporated and mixed together and smooth and creamy. Add the mint and vanilla extracts and coloring and mix to incorporate. You have the option here to mix in the chocolate chips in the batter, or leave them out to top them off depending on preference.

To assemble the cupcakes:
Once the cupcakes have cooled.... you can start to put the icing on the cupcakes. You have to really make sure they are cooled or the icing will start to melt on them. So, wait about an hour. I never use a pastry bag... it's not my style.... but maybe one day I will. You can though. the cookbook I am using says to use a bag with a #21 star tip and pipe the icing onto the cupcake in a spiral form outside in. I actually just use a spoon and plopped the icing on the cupcake and then used the spoon to layer and smooth on the top of cupcake. I kinda like the homemade look to them, and they also all end up looking different when you don't use the pastry bag. If you didn't add the chocolate chips to the batter, take about 5 to 7 of them and top off each of the cupcakes.

There you have it.... Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes .... eat as many as you want!

Afterthoughts:
I was invited to a Christmas Eve party at my friends house, so I brought these cupcakes to contribute to the party. I used a recipe from a cookbook called Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I have made other cupcakes from this book for the people I work with, and they are always a huge hit! I know my friend that invited me over loves mint, so I decided to borrow this recipe of the Mint Chocolate Chip cupcakes from this book with two or three minor adjustments.

What's great about making vegan deserts is everyone is so impressed...... and they say things like... what did you do to get them so moist since eggs aren't used? I wish I had some special ingredient to mention.... like chick peas... or parsnips...but I just say.. ummm... flour... oil... soymilk? It just goes to show.... things are just as good or better when they are vegan! Another thing I love is how people tend to feel better about eating it because they assume it is healthy..... and I am okay with that, but the truth is, these are filled with lots of sugar so they are probably not much healthier. Who cares though.... they are amazing... and eat them in moderation and you'll be fine! And, even if you don't eat them in moderation.... you'll still be fine! You can't go wrong!

Vegetable Stock

First off, I apologize that I did not get to this earlier. There is one more night of Chanukkah, and I wanted to have a good vegetable stock posted so you would have enough time to cook and enough soup throughout the holidays. I was feeling a little under the weather, so I slacked off a little. It's alright though, because soup is satisfying anytime.....it's probably my favorite food, and this recipe will give you enough to make now and freeze for later. You can use a good vegetable stock for almost anything! You can make a nice Pho... which is a vietnamese soup... and the vegan version is called Pho Chay (Pho is actually a beef or chicken soup with Pho noodles, but Pho Chay was actually created for the buddhist temple since they do not eat meat). Vegetable stock can used to make any noodle soup, a miso, a curry, a Thai Tom Yum, a mushroom and barely soup, or even to cook couscous or saute vegetables... the options are endless!

Ingredients
You will need: Cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer, stock pot
20 cups filtered water
3 yellow onions, roughly cut, skin on
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 carrots (large/med), roughly cut, peeled
3 parsnips, peeled, roughly chopped
3 medium turnips, roughly chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup dill - loosely chopped
1 cup parsley - loosely chopped
6-8 springs thyme
a handful of basil leaves
4 bay leaves
garlic powder
onion powder
sea salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions
Chop up all of the vegetables. They can be chopped in large pieces, so there is no need to spend time chopping many pieces or worrying about making them look pretty. In a large stockpot, heat the oil. Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes on medium heat. I learned this from Post Punk Kitchen. Cooking the onion and garlic first really does help to bring out the onion flavor, and leaving the skin on the onion gives the soup a fabulous golden color. When you are finished, add all other vegetables and fresh herbs, and bring to a boil. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and let simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.

Let broth cool until it's an okay temperature to handle. Strain into a large bowl or pot with cheese cloth or a very fine mesh strainer. Press the vegetables with a gentle but firm pressure to get all the moisture out. Using the cheese cloth is easier. Just keep squeezing until you get all of the juices out from the vegetables to get a savory stock. Then discard veggies, and keep enough stock in your fridge that you will use up to 3 days, and freeze the rest.

Some Afterthoughts:

A good vegetable stock is something that can be a a little time consuming to make, but that's why you make so much at once... so you always have it on hand. It's way better than using the store bought ones because then you end up with a broth loaded with sodium, msg, or "flavoring". However, I use store bought stock a lot, and there are some decent ones if you take the time to read the ingredients, but you still don't get away with a preservative free one! You can add other vegetables such as mushrooms, kale, or other seasonings for a deeper flavor. You can really add anything that is in your fridge so that it doesn't go bad and get wasted. Anyways, I ended up making a two-noodle soup with kasha and vegetables for Chanukkah instead of matzoh ball soup. I didn't have the motivation to make homemade matzoh balls this year, but I will eventually! I hope you enjoy!

Orecchiette Onion Pasta with Kale and Garlic Sauce

Hi Everyone! I hope you are having a great week. Last night I went to a yoga studio that I had never been before called Shine on Yoga . I had one of the best yoga classes in a long time. They have a great special right now.... $20 for unlimited yoga for 2 weeks for new students, so I am definitely going to take advantage of that. I love yoga, and trying out new classes and instructors.... you learn something new every time and it's a great way to calm your mind. I really think that if everyone did yoga... then we would have world peace.

Anyways... On the way home, I knew I wanted to make something simple and delicious, and had a great idea for a garlic sauce. I also remembered that I had orecchiette pasta in my pantry and knew that I was going to put these two together. Below is my garlic masterpiece:

Ingredients to Roast:
2 Leeks
1 bunch green onions
about 15 shallot cloves

Ingredients to Boil:
3 leaves of kale
Orecchiette Pasta

Sauce:
3 tbls lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt
red pepper flakes
about 10-15 garlic cloves

Start by preheating the oven to 375

Peel the shallots, and cut the big ones in half, but leave the small ones whole. Slice the leeks in half, then slice each half width-wise. Peel and cut the green onions into about 1 inch pieces. My goal was to make the veggies chunky. Also, peel the garlic cloves... using big and small cloves...whatever you have. Place everything, except the garlic, in a bowl and pour some olive oil and a pinch of salt on the onions and mix to coat. Place on the baking sheet, and use a spatula or spoon to flatten out so it is a single layer. Add the garlic to the oily bowl and coat them as well. Place that on the baking sheet in a separate corner. When the oven is preheated, put the veggies in there for about 20-30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and flip if needed with a spatula. Any garlic or pieces that are too dark...remove and you will add this to the dish later because you do not want to burn anything. When I did this... I only had to remove a small piece of garlic so it would not burn. keep checking and take out when everything is cooked through and slightly brown. The garlic should be browned and soft so you can mash it.

While the veggies are cooking... start the water for the pasta. I added a small amount of olive oil and salt to the water just for taste. While you are waiting for it to boil, prepare the kale. I used 3 leaves.. devained... and I actually just ripped them into pieces rather than cutting it. Maybe I was lazy, but it worked fine for me! Set the kale aside.

When the water boils... cook the orecchiette according to package. I used a box, and I used a little over 2/3 of the box. The only reason for this is because I thought I would save a little extra for some soup. But, you can make as much as you want... you might just have to adjust the sauce ingredients... which is no problem! The box I used said to cook for 11-13 minutes. I cooked the full 13 minutes. When the orecchiette has about 40 more seconds to cook... add the kale to the pot. Just let it cook down in the water... this takes about 30-60 seconds. Just continue to mix and push down....it will cook down quick and fit into the pot. When it is cooked down... no more than a minute.... drain the pasta and kale.

When the onions and garlic are finished... Pour the pasta, kale, and onions into a big enough bowl. Now, you can start to make the sauce. Get a bowl and mash the garlic. Pour in the olive oil and lemon juice. Mix everything together well. You can probably use a food processor, but I just mashed and mixed. It won't be totally smooth because you will have chunks of the garlic skin and won't mash totally... but that's why it's so good! Pour that over the pasta and onions. Add some salt, red pepper flakes, and then mix together. You might have to taste and add more lemon juice or salt to adjust to your liking. It's better to start small and add to it. When you have adusted the taste to your liking... serve in a bowl... and enjoy!


This was the perfect dish for a late night meal after a yoga class. The sauce is not too involved, but has just enough flavor. It was totally simple, but did take some time since there was chopping and roasting involved... but it is totally worth it. Just pour a glass of wine and play sodoku while you are cooking... that's what I did. I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Vietnamese Pepper and Garlic Noodle Bowl with Spicy Tofu

Who doesn't love Vietnamese food?!? Everything about it has so much flavor and is so refreshing.....especially the noodle bowls. One place that makes one of the best is called Little Saigon in Orlando, FL. I have been ordering and eating their noodle bowls for a few years now, and I think I finally have mastered how to make a good vegan vietnamese noodle bowl. This recipe seems complicated, but it's actually pretty simple. You just have to be good at timing things out when cooking different ingrediants. It does take some time because of the draining of the tofu and chopping of vegetables, but well well worth it! You can always skip the tofu if you are short on time, and have the same wonderful outcome!

Just some quick notes: I used what I had in my fridge... feel free to experiment with whatever vegetables you have available. I happened to have baby bella mushrooms, but this would be great with shiitake, or any other Asian mushroom. But, I was very pleased with how the baby bella mushrooms turned out.

I use Braggs liquid amino just because it is lower in sodium than soy sauce, and I can't tell the difference much in taste, but any type of soy sauce will do. If you use soy sauce... try to use tamari or shoyu vs any type with preservatives.

As far as the vegetable broth goes... use any kind you like. I use Kitchen Basics. There is way less sodium and they don't use MSG. It's totally natural. I used to use Swanson until I realized they used MSG. If you don't have it available, use water, and just adjust the ingrediants to taste.

I don't use a lot of salt ever. As you can see, I didn't mention using any except for flavoring the tofu. The Braggs and vegetable broth have enough sodium so there is no need to ever use salt in this dish. I originally did not cook the tofu with salt, and it was a little bland, so I added it in the recipe. Just use a small amount to taste.

As far as heat goes on the stove.... I use medium to high heat... you want to hear everything sizzle, but you don't want it to be so hot that it smokes and your food starts to burn. So, use your judgment on that.

Good Luck!

Vegan Vietnamese Pepper and Garlic Noodle Bowl with Spicy Tofu

Rice Sticks (1/2 of a bunch) - You can find these at your local Asian grocery store. Buy a lot of them and use them often!

Vegetables:
4 to 6 Baby Bella Mushrooms (or any kind of mushroom you like), sliced
1 bunch of Broccoli
1/2 red pepper (cut into big cubes)
1/2 green pepper (cut into big cubes)
1 bunch green onions (white parts and green), cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the green slices longer since they cook different
1 Yellow Onion (small or half of a big onion, cut into med to large cubes)
4 good size cloves garlic, chopped

Sauce:
2 tablspoons Braggs liquid amino or soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable broth (or water)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
black pepper

For the Tofu:
Firm or Extra Firm Tofu (not silken)
minced onion
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
sea salt to taste
sesame oil
olive oil

The Uncooked:
a handful of chopped lettuce
a small handful of chopped cucumber
about a tablespoon of fresh cilantro
about a tablespoon of fresh basil, cut into slices

Directions:
You have to be able to time this dish right so that the veggies stay crisp while you are cooking the tofu and noodles. But, if you have a hard time cooking a lot of things at once, you can always cook the tofu first, then the veggies second, and noodles last. You know how you work best in the kitchen, so use your judgment. It might take some practice, but I know you can do it!

Fist you have to drain the tofu. It's pretty simple. Use about three paper towels folded on a plate. Place the tofu on top of the folded paper towels. Then, use the same amount of paper towels on top of the tofu, and place something heavy on top of that. You might want to use a large freezer bag in between the top paper towel and whatever you are using to drain the tofu. The reason for this is that if you are using a book you like, you want to avoid a water stain on it. I used a phone book, so I could care less. You want to flip the tofu about 10-15 minutes in and change out the paper towels. Continue to drain on the other side. Once drained, cut into med to thin slices length-wise.

While the tofu is draining, start chopping up the vegetables as mentioned above. During that time you might be able to flip the tofu, and start draining the other side. You will eventually cook the veggies and tofu in a separate pan. For the veggies I use a wok, and the tofu I use a big skillet. ....but use what you have.

Don't start cooking the veggies until you get the tofu started. After you have sliced the tofu - it's time to season it. Sprinkle your desired amount of garlic powder, minced onion, red pepper flakes, and sea salt on the tofu. Take your fingers and pat the seasonings in. Then flip the tofu over and do the same on the other side.

Get everything ready on the stove
-a pot ready with water in it for the noodles
-the wok - with the liquid ingrediants in it.
-the skillet

Coat the large skillet with sesame oil and olive oil... not too much... just enough to coat the pan. Heat the pan to med-high heat and when it is hot, place the tofu in carefully. You can cook in two batches if you can't fit it all in the pan. You want to cook about 10-15 minutes on each side, flipping carefully. You might have to go back and forth between cooking the veggies in the wok to flip the tofu. The tofu should be a golden brown, and crispy on the outside when finished. Some pieces, depending how thin and what part of the skillet it's on, take longer, so just be patient.

While that is cooking, heat the liquid ingredients in the wok on medium-high heat, and when it is hot start by putting in the garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes and put in the onions and cook for about 3-5 minutes until cooked through, but crispy. This might be a good time to boil the water in the pot and begin to cook the noodles according to the instructions on the bag. While you are waiting for the water to boil for the noodles, continue to cook the veggies in the wok. Throw in the peppers and until desired doneness (about 2-3 minutes), then the mushrooms, then the green onion, and last the broccoli. Then, top with the black pepper. I used probably about one teaspoon. Mix everything together and continue to stir-fry for a few more minutes. You want everything to be cooked through, but crispy....the broccoli should be bright green and the mushrooms should be sauteed. Even though I say 3 to 5 minutes... you are the judge of when something looks cooked. Don't forget about the tofu!

Drain the noodles when they are finished cooking. When the tofu is done, remove it from the pan and place on cutting board or paper towel or plate... your choice. Turn the wok on low heat at this point, and pour the drained noodles into the wok. There still should be some liquid, so toss everything together until the noodles are coated with the sauce. I like to cut them in half... it makes it easier to toss. Turn off the wok and remove from heat. If you leave it on the heat, then the noodles will start to stick... so remove immediately.

Transfer the noodles and veggies to a bowl. throw in a handful of lettuce and cucumber, a pinch of cilantro, and about two leaves of sliced basil. I cut two pieces of tofu into matchstick slices and placed on top. Mix together

Enjoy!

Afterthoughts:

I love this dish because there is so much flavor involved depending on what you get in each bite whether it is a refreshing piece of cucumber, the spiciness of the red pepper on the tofu, or the freshness of the cilantro and basil. You can't go wrong with this dish, and you will probably have left over tofu for about three more meals... so you don't have to go through all of the work of draining and cooking it again for awhile. Please try it out and let me know what you think. Afterwords... you can do what I did... make some Rooibos tea and sit on your porch and watch the storm while typing up a recipe. It makes for a peaceful and fulfilling night.

Namaste

Roasted Vegetable and Potato Salad

Hi Everyone! Happy Holidays!

Okay... so I know it's been almost a year since I have updated the blog, but I am back and back for good with a new format and everything. One thing that I can't stand is measuring out ingredients! It's too complicated and I make a mess of everything! I'm more of a dash of this.... a handful of that kind of girl... so that's what you can expect from now on. My recipes are pretty simple... that's how I roll... so you should be able to keep up. I'll try to be as exact as possible.

Moving on..... I know that Thanksgiving just ended, but being my second vegan Thanksgiving, I was looking to make some dishes that I can bring to the table every year. I'm not into fake meats... processed food in the shape of a turkey, or friend veggie protein to look like chicken... so you won't find that here. But, you will find some very healthy and delicious meals that can be served for any occasion.

One of my biggest inspirations is Heidi Swanson, of Super Natural Cooking. The recipe that I am posting is based on a potato salad that used off of her website. It turned out pretty awesome and was a big hit with everyone.

Here it is:

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes... quartered
1/2 pound baby carrots, halved
1/2 pound parsnips, cut in half, and chopped into pieces the size of about an inch
6 medium shallots, peeled and cut in half
about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 big pinches of sea salt
about 10 scallions, greens cut off, and halved

Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup of olive oil

2 cups cooked rice mix (I used a red, white, wild rice mix)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
In a large bowl toss the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and shallots with the olive oil and 2 big pinches of salt. When everything is well coated, lay out on a baking sheet. Make sure that it is spread out pretty good so that it's a single layer. Coat the green onions in the bowl with the left over oil from the other ingredients. Place everything in the oven. The green onions will be finished first, so take them out after about 20 minutes. Continue to roast the veggies for about 30-40 more minutes, but keep checking since other veggies might finish before the others. For example, the carrots might finish and start to turn black... that is what you want to avoid. You want to let the veggies go until they are deeply golden and tender. You might want to flip the veggies once or twice along the way.

While the vegetables are roasting, start the dressing by pouring the red wine vinegar into a small bowl along with the chopped shallot. Then whisk in the mustard and salt, and olive oil. Make sure everything is mixed until smooth.

When they are done roasting, remove the vegetables from the oven. In the bowl that you cooked the rice, pour a splash of the vinaigrette and mix together. Transfer the rice to a serving platter as a bed for the vegetables. Turn everything out onto the platter and serve topped with the remaining roasted scallions. Then, drizzle the rest of the dressing over and throughout the dish.

Afterthoughts:

I can't take total credit for this recipe since it was based off of a Heidi Swanson original, but you can definitely make this your own. All of the recipes I post can be used as roadmaps to create your own personalized version. While I was indulging on the roasted vegetables I realized that I don't cook like that enough. Roasted vegetables are sweet and crispy, and I decided that I was going to roast veggies more often, so you can expect to see more of that. You can really make this dish for any occasion... and you can change up the veggies in this dish.....I think roasted brussel sprouts or sweet potatoes would have been a great addition or substitution! Let me know what you think!

Namaste-
Monica

Go Green for the New Year

So........2009 is about to roll around, and it's that time when we all start to think about making New Years Resolutions. I used to always make them, but now I just make changes whenever I feel I need to. I mean, why wait until New Years to change something? When you want to change something in your life, you should do it as soon as you can motivate yourself, right? And, it's not like you have to just do it once a year, but do it as many times through the year as you want. Don't make unrealistic promises to yourself. So many people go full force into something totally new and different, and it ends up fading away. Sometimes changes or additions need to be gradual. And, if you screw up...no biggie... just pick yourself up again and start over.

Speaking of resolutions, one thing that I think everyone should incorporate into their lifestyle is to start living environmentally friendly. Why wait until new years... go green now!

Now, I know as much as you that it's impossible to care 100% all of the time for the environment, but as long as we can realize that there is a time and a place for paper plates, plastic utensils, plastic bags, and so on... and at least cut down, then we can start to make some noticeable changes together.

Below I have outlined some small changes that you can start to incorporate into your life that will make you and the earth feel a little healthier:

**Shop at your local farmers market: If you've have been to your farmers market, then you know what a delight is. Shopping at the farmers market keeps the money local and in the community. It saves energy and pollution since the produce does not have to travel over long distances. Not all of the produce is organic, so you'll have to ask around. But, buying local is the key. Also, if you can walk to the farmers market... that saves energy as well. Don't forget to bring your own shopping bags!

**Bring your own silverware, plate, bowl, and cup to work. This way, you won't have to throw away plastic utensils everyday, and paper, and styrofoam. The water that you will use to wash the dishes is still better than throwing all of that stuff into a landfill. Wash with warm water and don't let the water run for too long.

**Keep your A/C off as much as you can and open windows and use fans. There is a myth that if you turn on and off the A/C then it costs more. That is not true... I tested it myself and cut my electric bill in half!

**If you have an older dishwasher, and you live alone or with one other person, try washing your dishes by hand rather than running the dishwasher. Chances are... you will save some money and water. If you are a family of 4, then it might be harder and the circumstances might be a little different.

** Buy compact florescent light bulbs and count on natural sunlight as much as you can to light your home rather than lamps or other artificial lighting.

**Buy a water filter and buy an environmentally friendly water bottle (like the sigg cup) rather than buying plastic water bottles. This way, you can cut down on the amount of plastics you throw away, and when you drink water out of a filter, then it doesn't have the plastic leeching into your water, which causes cancer. Also, if you have a water filter on your refrigerator then drink out of that. The water coolers are a #7 plastic, which is the worst for you. Plus, if you have a fridge with a water filter... why spend the extra money on the water cooler?

**Buy glass or ceramic tupperware. You'll end up throwing away the plastic eventually, and the more that plastic is used and heated, the more it will leech into your food and put you at risk for health problems later in life.

**Make a point to start reading the ingrediants on household soaps and cleaners. Pick out the ones with the least ingrediants where you can understand what they are and what they mean. Do research and try making your own household cleaners, or go to the health food store and buy natural cleaners.

**Save your junk mail and use those coupon books or chain letters as wrapping paper, or paper to wrap glass and ceramic when you are moving or when you're helping a friend move.

**When going to the grocery store, use your own bags. Also, don't use the plastic in the produce section to bag your fruits and veggies. You're just going to end up throwing them away anyways.

**If you have a bike, try riding that more than your car if you aren't going long distances.

**Cut down on manicures and pedicures. Those places waste so much water, so if you're getting them once a week... try taking care of your own nails, and get them once a month instead. You'll save so much money too!

**Of course... if you're not vegan or vegetarian, try to go vegetarian for a few days a week. The animal agriculture industry produces more greenhouse gasses than cars, trucks, and planes combined!

**RECYCLE & REUSE EVERYTHING!!!!

The list can go on and on, but pick one at a time... and just start to incorporate these changes into your life! What else can you think of? Let's keep the list going!

Tomato Gazpacho

This recipe serves 4 as a meal, and 6 as an appetizer.

Ingrediants
2 cans of 14.5 organic diced tomatoes with juice
1 hothouse cucumber, diced (see below-save about 1/2 cup for garnish)
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and cut in half
2 tablespoons of cilantro, plus a handful for garnish
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
black pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (see below for garnish)
18 small cherry tomatoes, cut in half
-1 tomato on the vine, cut in half and quartered
-1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

Set aside for Garnish
- a few leaves of cilantro (about 6 per bowl)
-a tablespoon red bell pepper, diced
-diced cucumber (about 1/4 cup per bowl)
-yellow onion
-tomato on the vine


This is a pretty simple recipe. You pretty much just have to chop the veggies, blend, pour in a bowl, and garnish! The first thing you have to do is chop and dice the cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Prepare the jalapeno, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Make sure to set aside some of the cucumber, cilantro, and bell pepper for garnish. Chop the vine tomato and set aside with the garnish and onion for later.

The soup is made in two batches. In a blender, add 1 can of the tomatoes with the juice, and add half of each: cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and some black pepper to taste. Process in the blender on the lowest speed until broken down. Turn the speed up to high and puree until the soup is completely smooth. Repeat with the second half and mix together.

Pour the soup in bowls, and add a handful of the yellow onion, cucumber, a few leaves of cilantro, a few pieces of the chopped vine tomato, and some red bell pepper. You can eat right away, or chill and eat very cold the next day.

Delights and afterthoughts:

I got this awesome cookbook for my birthday called Great Chefs cook Vegan. This recipe is basically a variation from a chef named Suzanne Goin from this cookbook, but with some differences. The recipe originally called for yellow tomatoes, but this one uses canned red diced tomatoes. We also used yellow onion instead of red onion. There is so much that you can do with gazpacho, and I think you can probably make it different every time. I was really happy and amazed with how flavorful this gazpacho turned out, and I think you will be too. The best thing about it is that you get a full serving of vegetables and it's all raw (well, the canned tomatoes may not be raw, but close!) so you are not cooking out any of the enzymes. Also, you can really taste the garlic in this, but feel free to add more since garlic is such a good antioxidant when raw. I also had a thought that if you wanted to substitute one can of fire roasted tomatoes, or add cayenne pepper, then you can can make spicy tomato gazpacho. Or, maybe you like to have chunks in your soup, so don't puree until completely smooth... just blend until desired consistancy. You can really put your own variation on it... like adding some basil and some grated follow-your-heart mozzarella "cheese" to make a tomato caprese gazpacho... that sounds yummy! Or, maybe add some chunks of avocado... that sounds good too. Seriously... try it out and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear about it!