vegan and organic cooking.

Hi All! welcome over here!
this is my personal blog for family to see what my hubby and I are up to. I figured it was best to post recipes over here, and leave the fashion over at the discerning fashionista. so, I have been asked by a few of you to post some recipes and recommendations for anyone looking to eat healthy. the recipe that I am going to share today is something I came up with over the weekend and its pretty simple. its also vegan AND organic! yum. before I dive in let me share a website where I find many great recipes. and its wonderful if you are thinking about going the vegan/vegetarian route at all. eating this way is good for you (skin, weight, heart, hair, etc), good for the earth, and good for the animals. I really cannot say enough about this life style. well, away we go. :)

lets chat about some snack options really quick, as well. its one thing to be able to get to the kitchen and have the time to cook a nice, healthy meal and another when you just need something quick to munch on. some of my favorite go-to's are....

granola mixed with some fruit (berries are best or a banana if your on the run)
soy yogurt (yes, its yummy and there are tons of flavas!)
seaweed (you can buy little packets of it, roasted, to carry with you)
soyjoy bars and larabars (MANY yummy flavors)
pita chips with hummus (spinach is a fav of mine)
nuts (raw almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc)
string cheese (soy cheese, people!)
hemp milk frozen yogurt (coffee and biscotti by living harvest is de-lish)
carrots and salsa (sounds crazy, but its awesome!)
raisins covered in soy yogurt (like chocolate covered raisins but for the vegan set)

I will leave it there for now, but if you are looking for some more, here is a list of snacks that are surprisingly vegan. and if your looking for a great store to pick some of these things up, this is where we shop: sunflower market.

tip: another great place to find veggies and fruit cheap is your local farmer's market. most places have them once a week, so just check!

and finally here is what I whipped up the other night. I apologize for the strangely lit photos and messy counters. we are still in the moving process. love me through it. :)

before I start cooking I always like to have a snack on hand. I know it seems strange, but if I don't then I will end up eating all of my dinner as I am making it. it just works better for me to regulate my eating by having a snack along for the ride. oh, would you look at that.... its those de-lish pita chips and spinach artichoke hummus that I was telling you about. good stuff, everyone.

eating veggies and salad is obviously a BIG part of eating vegan and/or organic. lucky enough for me, I don't mind munching on some leafy stuff. I tossed some spinach and lettuce together to start the salad off. I always enjoy having a mixture as opposed to one type.

then I sprinkled it with wheat croutons from the market and some raw walnuts. I then chopped up a combination of fresh green peppers, red peppers, avocado, and tomato and added that to the mix. the combination of the walnuts mixed with the spicy and tangy peppers works better than you think! I topped it off with a honey mustard vinaigrette. the dressing is easy to make and can be found here. the ingredients are simple and most will have all of them lying around.

after the salad is tossed up, move on to the main course. I took some veggie italian sausage and put it on the stove. use about 3 of them, if you are making a meal for two people. then I chopped up half an onion, 1 clove of garlic, and a handful of baby bella mushrooms and added them in with the sausage. let that all simmer at a medium/high temperature for about 15 minutes.

while that was simmering, I cooked a pot of wild mushroom rice. it takes the rice about 15 minutes to cook as well. once the sausage combo is complete, mix the two together.

after you mix them up, let them sit for about 5 minutes so the flavors can mix together. to finish off the meal, I made my oven baked veggies. For my veggies, I learned this little trick from my mom and its the best. So now I will share it with you. :)
I don't know why but this way of cooking them makes them taste 100 percent better. I can't figure it out, but I know I down them like they are going out of style. You would think I was eating chocolate chip cookies and not veggies.
Set your oven at 400 and grab your cookie sheets. For mine, I use my cupcake sheets. I like to section off the veggies so that they can cook better this way. Pour a little olive oil on the top of them and throw on some salt and pepper. Toss in the oven for 10 minutes. Each oven is different, so check them to make sure they are looking crispy before you take them out. You will love them. You are getting a personal Megan guarantee!

and there you have it! a delicious and healthy meal that should leave you stuffed! I hope that I have been able to help some of you! Please be sure to email me with any more questions. and I plan on posting many more recipes!

cheers and bon appetit!