tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84053787585551179332024-03-05T23:26:16.615-05:00Tea and TofuJenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-35258031342765305362011-10-07T19:25:00.000-04:002011-10-07T19:25:11.549-04:00Day Seven: Daydreaming about savory pumpkin tartsTomorrow, I think, I am making a savory pumpkin tart. Chiv had one at the Carrboro farmer's market a year or two ago, and every time I talk about making pumpkin-flavored anything, he asks me if I can recreate this dream tart. The problem is, though, that I've never had one; the tart he ate wasn't vegan, so I didn't try it. He doesn't remember what was in it, or what exactly it tasted like. I've just begun to look up different recipes to compare and contrast, and it seems like no two are alike. Tonight I am still playing catch-up from my day at the office, so I'm still kind of beat and boring, but I'm going to take a quick break, go grab a cocktail with the mister, and come home and try to come up with a plan. Recipe tomorrow. Wish me luck! Happy MoFoing! xoxo JenniJenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-33225606992076665292011-10-06T23:25:00.000-04:002011-10-06T23:25:35.117-04:00Day Six: Pumpkin Cornbread and Pumpkin "Turkey" ChiliYou guys? I feel like I can be honest with you. Work kicked me in the ass today. I had grand, pumpkiny plans for Day Six of VeganMoFo / Pumpkin Week, but I was way too exhausted to roll up my sleeves and mix anything together tonight. So, nothing fancy from my end. Instead, I would like to point you in the direction of Jes from <a href="http://eatingappalachia.com/">Eating Appalachia</a>, who has recently posted recipes for both <a href="http://eatingappalachia.com/2011/10/05/it-feels-like-autumn-pumpkin-cornbread/"><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin Cornbread</span></a> and <a href="http://eatingappalachia.com/2011/10/06/pumpkin-turkey-chili/"><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin "Turkey" Chili</span></a>.<br />
<br />
Jes always posts the most amazing recipes. Seriously, check out these ingredients. The chili calls for pumpkin beer and chocolate chips. I definitely plan on making both of these recipes this autumn, and if this sounds like your cup of tea, I think you should, too.<br />
<br />
xoxo JenniJenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-62607868590412796862011-10-05T23:36:00.000-04:002011-10-05T23:36:31.441-04:00Day Five: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtcFs1tW1b9hOEQEfzbdnKPLnSMf1NeaG32HAXQsmvt7c00JpBIKKtmwpLpkKz-gGVOk_mKEWw2J99ejzR7HubcCL0Ijd6hwYcNLIncBeoqAte5nyVoPqGKA-jwxDNFRGPtVzKB3dUdk/s1600/6154818532_0f74971115_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtcFs1tW1b9hOEQEfzbdnKPLnSMf1NeaG32HAXQsmvt7c00JpBIKKtmwpLpkKz-gGVOk_mKEWw2J99ejzR7HubcCL0Ijd6hwYcNLIncBeoqAte5nyVoPqGKA-jwxDNFRGPtVzKB3dUdk/s1600/6154818532_0f74971115_o.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />
<u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Pumpkin Pie Smoothie</span></strong></u><br />
<strong><br />
Ingredients:</strong><br />
1 cup nondairy milk. (I used almond milk.)<br />
1/2 cup pumpkin puree.<br />
2 frozen bananas, cut into chunks.<br />
1 scoop vegan protein powder.<br />
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.<br />
Pinch allspice.<br />
Pinch nutmeg.<br />
Pinch sea salt.<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions:<br />
</strong>Throw all ingredients into a blender. Blend. Drink!</div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-76658719314890135112011-10-04T08:15:00.000-04:002011-10-04T08:15:50.675-04:00Day Four: Pumpkin Bread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfp90yJRLoPVh1fJOcsIvLYvDHG7yyEIRWxQ80xAu5lD2CEV3aA47KkZaGhyFspP8qI67M3nM9acEpHWVge86KU_ZifYPDt8WyXyPxCHiQKDHSoTBvEymKpwIwCGbV5spLUxM48U5Lg4/s1600/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfp90yJRLoPVh1fJOcsIvLYvDHG7yyEIRWxQ80xAu5lD2CEV3aA47KkZaGhyFspP8qI67M3nM9acEpHWVge86KU_ZifYPDt8WyXyPxCHiQKDHSoTBvEymKpwIwCGbV5spLUxM48U5Lg4/s640/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiackwYqCoS3TtjFrB1y1vTESUodnPVTrZYUr_jI7P52V6Up5nlPTC4l4pcdEbB1YHKw2g9CG9pkF7KAmzjnudDCYPoUlO_phy4NIFxY3h3nNSh9aThyphenhyphenxEZPOHq68_g_XK5F_LsQKwNs8/s1600/PA030288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiackwYqCoS3TtjFrB1y1vTESUodnPVTrZYUr_jI7P52V6Up5nlPTC4l4pcdEbB1YHKw2g9CG9pkF7KAmzjnudDCYPoUlO_phy4NIFxY3h3nNSh9aThyphenhyphenxEZPOHq68_g_XK5F_LsQKwNs8/s640/PA030288.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
I took it easy last night and made pumpkin bread from a mix. A lot of mixes from Trader Joe's are vegan -- they call for you to add eggs, water, and oil to the mixture. If you use <a href="http://www.ener-g.com/gluten-free/egg-substitute.html">Ener-G Egg Replacer</a> in place of the eggs, it comes out just as well. I think if I make this again, I will make a ginger cream cheese glaze to put on top.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Ginger Cream Cheese Glaze</u></strong></span>This is the cream cheese frosting from the <a href="http://cupcakepunk.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/zucchini-cinnamon-rolls/">zucchini cinnamon rolls</a> that Jes from <a href="http://eatingappalachia.com/">Eating Appalacia</a> posted on her old blog, <a href="http://cupcakepunk.wordpress.com/">Cupcake Punk</a>. The only change I made was to add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.<br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
About 3/8 (3 oz) of a container of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese<br />
1/4 c Earth Balance margarine, softened<br />
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/8 tsp salt<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions: </strong>Beat all ingredients together and put on top of cooled pumpkin bread or muffins.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-941957214920623462011-10-03T19:09:00.001-04:002011-10-03T21:15:11.897-04:00Day Three: Smoky Pumpkin Hummus<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnN59FPVMIdb-g36MVb4vtTGldY0HVHAUmJ8VZHATlzuSqkH47lA7JbkiWRfJaeMGxYWmRY3rwEHnGMyEyvnCX1CZic-OX9fd-OkGQEoqqDlXQr9x3SHqrRd77LTm02e0PuAGo-NyU1o/s1600/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnN59FPVMIdb-g36MVb4vtTGldY0HVHAUmJ8VZHATlzuSqkH47lA7JbkiWRfJaeMGxYWmRY3rwEHnGMyEyvnCX1CZic-OX9fd-OkGQEoqqDlXQr9x3SHqrRd77LTm02e0PuAGo-NyU1o/s400/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>There are already a few different recipes for pumpkin hummus floating around online, but I wanted to come up with a little something myself. I'm really pleased with this. It's basically a smoked paprika hummus, with the perfect undertones of pumpkin. The first batch I made was <em>way</em> too garlicy, so I've changed the recipe to only include one small clove of garlic instead of two.<br />
<br />
On a related note, did you know that one shot of vodka gets rid of garlic breath? Even really, really bad garlic breath? I didn't believe it until I tried it (after tasting the original, 2 clove version of this recipe) and immediately my terrible garlic breath was gone. Vodka is magic.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVxrfV5qvrJM4vHcYCYvMROGC0LjqqLYWlapy2BwXJ0e1H993oEUjfZB9z3-g3NEVM7q1inXPAozwiF4ODNTImzZP0bgzsnusiPbsaPt-7Agxf-nCnZsvbL8NYj7g7IQXjUtm3duljec/s1600/The-More-You-Know.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVxrfV5qvrJM4vHcYCYvMROGC0LjqqLYWlapy2BwXJ0e1H993oEUjfZB9z3-g3NEVM7q1inXPAozwiF4ODNTImzZP0bgzsnusiPbsaPt-7Agxf-nCnZsvbL8NYj7g7IQXjUtm3duljec/s1600/The-More-You-Know.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Smoky Pumpkin Hummus</span></u></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">1 can of garbanzo beans</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup pumpkin</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 TB lemon juice</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 TB olive oil</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 TB tahini</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 clove garlic, minced</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 TB smoked paprika</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sea salt to taste</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)</div><br />
<strong>Directions:</strong><br />
1. Drain and rinse garbanzo beans, then pop them into your food processor along with the pumpkin, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini.<br />
2. Mince your garlic. If you have a garlic press, awesome. If not, you don't even necessarily have to <em>mince</em> the garlic -- just peel it and cut it up into smaller pieces to make sure that it incorporates well.<br />
3. Put your garlic and your smoked paprika into the food processor and mix until the hummus is smooth. If it's a little chunky, add a tiny bit of warm water to it and blend until you get the consistency you like. <br />
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I've been eating this on little wheat thins type crackers, but I bet this would be banging with some baby carrots or on some bagels.<br />
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xoxo Jenni</div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-67263412572092024072011-10-02T09:46:00.001-04:002011-10-03T21:16:25.341-04:00Day Two: Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVSJ38M1ikqBzmLzfiuo6Vpadp6iLQ6STUosc10ez1Ug46d0Par6_C8ngbW7BaIHp2WxW7F0rbaMrp4wB0CtVaQa4OnuevmjVgV1pi87uWqXc9jVvuQuJE0QIw6W3bA4RgynT7C8BNm8/s1600/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVSJ38M1ikqBzmLzfiuo6Vpadp6iLQ6STUosc10ez1Ug46d0Par6_C8ngbW7BaIHp2WxW7F0rbaMrp4wB0CtVaQa4OnuevmjVgV1pi87uWqXc9jVvuQuJE0QIw6W3bA4RgynT7C8BNm8/s400/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmlyL15eKV4tx1BlyagmF5JA69hYIzc2iDetGBktrrtBb4Lm2Wzpkk94EGJ0eBsx4Lk2D_UlRc50AHXRcGAJwEzUuRGfEMUNIqfoo-nKniHvJfTJ2HtbnoI6hun-QYIqFedi9nngGbR0/s1600/sellyoursoulpumpkincookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmlyL15eKV4tx1BlyagmF5JA69hYIzc2iDetGBktrrtBb4Lm2Wzpkk94EGJ0eBsx4Lk2D_UlRc50AHXRcGAJwEzUuRGfEMUNIqfoo-nKniHvJfTJ2HtbnoI6hun-QYIqFedi9nngGbR0/s640/sellyoursoulpumpkincookies.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
So, I don't know what happened. I made the Sell Your Soul Pumpkin Cookies from <strong><a href="http://www.theppk.com/books/vegan-cookies-invade-your-cookie-jar/">Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar</a></strong>, and... I messed up. I would not sell my soul for these cookies. They were not good. Everything else that I've made from <u>VCIYCJ</u> has been fantastic, though, so I think that maybe <strong>1)</strong> I didn't reduce the pumpkin down enough (though it did go from 1 cup to 1/2 cup, the cookies were still pretty cakey instead of crunchy) and also <strong>2)</strong> I think I overmixed the dough, because I could taste the flour. Bleh. I'll make these again someday, though, because I've read a lot of really good reviews about them. Also I'll put some pumpkin seeds on these bad boys in the future, too, because I think they look prettier that way.<br />
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So Day Two was kind of a miss... even though Chiv's bachelor party was last night, and when the guys came back home they ate a shit ton of these and liked them. But I still have five more pumpkin-flavored things to whip up this week, so I'm not too bummed out.<br />
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Happy MoFoing!<br />
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xoxo JenniJenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-67104389058049309272011-10-01T12:56:00.001-04:002011-10-03T21:17:03.716-04:00Day One: Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T9-KVH68PIAfkFhK3vs45tiOqQH06ccTrdncFOizxniItjrRgDexxqRnAb44UficVBoBZgTq9coxzG9mwH8W1AUsYpBJTO2w5nC_boDTLxRuFSatcGKv8hrX4uVBm_y-FugRSHeHtyg/s1600/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T9-KVH68PIAfkFhK3vs45tiOqQH06ccTrdncFOizxniItjrRgDexxqRnAb44UficVBoBZgTq9coxzG9mwH8W1AUsYpBJTO2w5nC_boDTLxRuFSatcGKv8hrX4uVBm_y-FugRSHeHtyg/s640/6154276337_2f0cb68c01_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><strong>It's VeganMoFo!</strong> I'm so excited! I'm trying to do theme weeks to make this year easier for me. I've never done themes before -- basically each year I would make a huge list of things that I wanted to make / post about, and then each day I'd be like, "Eh. I don't really want to write about this today... Maybe later in the month..." And then I didn't post. I think themes might make things a little more managable and will give me less wiggle room for slacking off.<br />
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So, starting today and ending on Friday, October 7th, it's <strong>Pumpkin Week</strong>. I bought a metric shit ton of canned pumpkin in preparation, and I'm whipping out a bunch of pumpkin recipes that I've been meaning to make, but just haven't yet. I'm really excited.<br />
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<img border="0" height="480" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSMRR319JOF2RuQjvhyphenhyphenOCEuGc04wib7zHfrsluTs_MG81u9Ju_xn5ywyPocefvsEaSekd95LXU8tcxZV6TAptpiLcLPfTJZ8eTv-Kw9XL0xC9TL5VZRXtYzzxndHqNt3u7SBEsIgoFVU/s640/mfpumpkinweek.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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Last night, I made the <strong>Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.theppk.com/books/veganomicon-the-ultimate-vegan-cookbook/">Veganomicon</a></strong>. And holy shit, it was amazing. You should make it. If you don't own a copy of V'con, you can <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=2&oq=Pumpkin+baked+ziti+with+carame&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS418US422&q=pumpkin+baked+ziti+with+caramelized+onions+and+sage+crumb+topping">use the powers of Google</a> to find this recipe. (<u>Veganomicon</u> is an amazing resource, though, so you really should buy it if you haven't yet.) The recipe calls for cashew ricotta, which I've made before for stuffed shells and which Chiv didn't really care for -- but when it's mixed with ziti, pumpkin, caramelized onions, paprika, sea salt, and three different kinds of ground pepper, and then baked for half an hour... You guys. It was really, really good. And also it makes your house smell <em>amazing</em>.<br />
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Here is a photo of our friend Kim, who came over to help us with some wedding crafts and who was super excited about the ziti:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UdnC-3D1IlitqzjOypBYl0hxU_vZZuPRWMhB9glNdaSdcKfblfqg_EZcOm9PoJ0xnFCzgodQTGNVA3_FBAa17TmtOTQSFnm-PKjNDu1fb0-OMTU88hC7X5XruBm_oK77ZufM-jtv_Gs/s1600/kimziti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UdnC-3D1IlitqzjOypBYl0hxU_vZZuPRWMhB9glNdaSdcKfblfqg_EZcOm9PoJ0xnFCzgodQTGNVA3_FBAa17TmtOTQSFnm-PKjNDu1fb0-OMTU88hC7X5XruBm_oK77ZufM-jtv_Gs/s640/kimziti.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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While I was making dinner, Chiv ran to the grocery store to buy dessert. He came home and made me a tower of presents:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_BGw7lZiLPU8IzUEztwhxs9_64Ss0mhlNXMgkedy5TwuwelD6odsPxHtsJDc9icYGbIdLhs48-Jkzy1Ndwy_jGxiBOAgjR_udwZdmw5hyBNbobP9OlYFaMiKx4nqFnaB0uIcLlX5IFo/s1600/treats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_BGw7lZiLPU8IzUEztwhxs9_64Ss0mhlNXMgkedy5TwuwelD6odsPxHtsJDc9icYGbIdLhs48-Jkzy1Ndwy_jGxiBOAgjR_udwZdmw5hyBNbobP9OlYFaMiKx4nqFnaB0uIcLlX5IFo/s640/treats.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
<br />
Did you know that Keebler Jumbo Peanut Butter Fudge Sticks are accidentally vegan? Apparently only the jumbo size, and only the peanut butter flavor. They taste a lot like Little Debbies Nutty Bars, which I basically grew up on and which I missed.<br />
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After dinner, we worked on wedding crafts. We're doing a ribbon wall to put up behind the dessert table. Kim came over to help me measure fabric, and after cutting the first yard of fabric carefully with a rotary cutter... we realized that we could just make a tiny snip in the fabric and rip the fabric along the grain to make ribbons much faster. Then we kind of went nuts tearing fabric all night. Chiv helped. And made himself a headband. So handsome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF0lvmsBl_LTixsShBXkBk3XkZRwnbERwhHRVYgAmYZFtfqwDqEJIfd-NdE-_hKfEMIO5sCwrnRM51CDS0G6Xwrx4av0XOdubrFEXydthqgf3QqGLOV4kVtz-nCQ2INUWkhwFoqhZqCo/s1600/amazing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijF0lvmsBl_LTixsShBXkBk3XkZRwnbERwhHRVYgAmYZFtfqwDqEJIfd-NdE-_hKfEMIO5sCwrnRM51CDS0G6Xwrx4av0XOdubrFEXydthqgf3QqGLOV4kVtz-nCQ2INUWkhwFoqhZqCo/s640/amazing.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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All right, guys. I am going to act like a housewife and clean up the house and do some baking today. I will see you with more pumpkin flavored food tomorrow! Happy MoFoing! <br />
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xoxo JenniJenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-56699978349624145852011-09-22T10:20:00.000-04:002011-09-22T10:20:38.984-04:00Vegan MoFo 2011!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCGRSyyPDmZfOQmq2o3hy0CBGdEhlinJ65gJDNU-x4q7s9ykQxha6VlrlCBxAwWUXRD5waao-UdWl87TXx6pszjlQMkLjI234BdS3EMdn6pMDy4px41u94xnS0ROeMuoenwnORocVeeY/s1600/6154818640_eb41d5c88f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCGRSyyPDmZfOQmq2o3hy0CBGdEhlinJ65gJDNU-x4q7s9ykQxha6VlrlCBxAwWUXRD5waao-UdWl87TXx6pszjlQMkLjI234BdS3EMdn6pMDy4px41u94xnS0ROeMuoenwnORocVeeY/s1600/6154818640_eb41d5c88f_o.jpg" /></a></div>Hi! It's been almost a whole year since I've posted last. I've decided to use this blog strictly for MoFo-ing. I've spent a little time going back and reading my posts from 2010 and 2009, and I am so pumped about writing again this year.<br />
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I have exciting news! (There are so many exclamation points in this post!) News that might make me sound crazy for wanting to do VeganMoFo this year: Chiv and I are getting married next month! On October 29th! He proposed last year on Thanksgiving when we went to the coast with his family. We're both really excited, and really ready for wedding planning to be over. And we're really excited about our honeymoon. We're going to San Francisco! I've never been to California. Also, we usually travel quite a bit, and we haven't really gone anywhere this year since we've been saving up for the wedding. So it will be so nice to get to go out and explore a new place.<br />
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So, yeah. I feel crazy for wanting to MoFo this year, but. You guys. It's VeganMoFo. I know I won't be as hard on myself for missing days this year ('Cause, you know. Weddings are kind of time consuming.), but I'm going to try to write as much as I possibly can, and I'm going to write up a bunch of posts out in advance so I have "fillers" on days that I can't try out a new recipe and write about it like I'd like to.<br />
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I am making my own cupcakes for the wedding, and my friend Stephanie is coming down from Chicago for the wedding and is helping me make our wedding cake. My dad is catering, and so a huge portion of the wedding food is going to be secretly vegan (including his amazing lasagna). We're also having tiny brownies and cookies made by Wendi at <a href="http://www.organicbakies.com/">Organic Bakies</a>. We met with her back in January for a tasting, and were completely blown away. Her vegan brownies are the best brownies I have ever had in my entire life. I will try to make a post specifically about Organic Bakies during MoFo, though. Just know that they are delicious, and if you live in North Carolina, you should totally order cookies and brownies and cakes from her.<br />
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I'm so excited. About everything. I'm excited about getting married. I'm excited about autumn. And pumpkin lattes. And VeganMoFo. I don't have many vegan friends, and the feeling of community with VeganMoFo is just really amazing.<br />
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Also, September 2011 marks 3 years of veganism for me. Confetti and party hats!<br />
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I think that is it. See you kids in October. :]Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-75517007875672847512010-11-14T22:54:00.000-05:002010-11-14T22:54:45.781-05:00Day Fourteen: Olive and Mochi.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUtrgurX5PZSNJ6WxdO-JsljTQsgvKg4TgIwpAMAUjmpELy6iPo6pwLoFQayiyS2QcZwikPDSawTT-ffsIDSfbzaXh98-F-ojEpCn70O9UAsoWqpSeXTzN30rj4m7pcgn9WeVSCXWxBE/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUtrgurX5PZSNJ6WxdO-JsljTQsgvKg4TgIwpAMAUjmpELy6iPo6pwLoFQayiyS2QcZwikPDSawTT-ffsIDSfbzaXh98-F-ojEpCn70O9UAsoWqpSeXTzN30rj4m7pcgn9WeVSCXWxBE/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So, I missed a week of MoFoing due to work being absolutely exhausting. I am back on the horse, though. And to make it up to you, here is a picture of our new puppy, Olive:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUlRsMw9xwIARhFtswFYpFuvXvxwlz2lwdF3qOE8BWtSuCo8qXc3Rpvgg8COC8Stq09_Exj7MpDXQ-fdDLiKn-cKTZyYhjH41rjW2ycdf0qUhCZaMs3YQZvZEB8fSsVC6M9YVHGo9GsM/s1600/100_6893.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUlRsMw9xwIARhFtswFYpFuvXvxwlz2lwdF3qOE8BWtSuCo8qXc3Rpvgg8COC8Stq09_Exj7MpDXQ-fdDLiKn-cKTZyYhjH41rjW2ycdf0qUhCZaMs3YQZvZEB8fSsVC6M9YVHGo9GsM/s400/100_6893.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We adopted her about a month ago. She's a rescue dog; someone found her in a field and turned her in to the pound. She has what I think is a breeder tattoo on her belly. I imagine her escaping some godforsaken puppy mill and roughing it by her lonesome until the day we picked her up and spoiled her rotten with cuddles, soft pillows, and a seemingly endless supply of sweet potato chews. This dog will cuddle against you like nobody's business.<br />
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In vegan food news: Chiv found vegan mochi at Trader Joe's today. I haven't had mochi in years. They come in a six pack of three flavors: coconut, mango, and chocolate. All of the milk used is coconut's milk. And they're pretty. I approve.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoc0OPUH2t9kLfMMJz1lXDyP37b6Z_D9G65uVPNkcJgjW33kMd_CseXqD5Dowz5V-HlshgdQqD8soM_nyCEG7sY7Ok5_2Ih3jZy59P0KEweKnkJX6XWXUaKPq8lkMASxWr-RPE_N8LJs/s1600/100_6915.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7cVk4iY3Ggl4mo7k0Fr_-jtBuGLnkU-H1rr-yVLxiaVHgE9ZH6Gg6nVEhS-lVcAiU7Atkt2K_woMRcN6jSyQFPf5JSlFLVnW2oitinwoJAR_fh8n5QfKXfK8p9loSWKZb6EMFnU1wQA/s1600/100_6918.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7cVk4iY3Ggl4mo7k0Fr_-jtBuGLnkU-H1rr-yVLxiaVHgE9ZH6Gg6nVEhS-lVcAiU7Atkt2K_woMRcN6jSyQFPf5JSlFLVnW2oitinwoJAR_fh8n5QfKXfK8p9loSWKZb6EMFnU1wQA/s400/100_6918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-53958089980693027292010-11-07T22:22:00.000-05:002010-11-07T22:22:24.157-05:00Day Seven: Raleigh's Farmer's Market + Remedy Diner + Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiJ6cZZG501G9qC8GuWOBSU7xQTedjj-oqMG7sXqGCGDpitGYxVJgTd_UDvvpNommSJQQ38N3AkaijVY0e52xft6aAn5mIhJsf-hCJbCQep_L2Zerx9-GjbRmXjPJKEAvivJfeWSxObU/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiJ6cZZG501G9qC8GuWOBSU7xQTedjj-oqMG7sXqGCGDpitGYxVJgTd_UDvvpNommSJQQ38N3AkaijVY0e52xft6aAn5mIhJsf-hCJbCQep_L2Zerx9-GjbRmXjPJKEAvivJfeWSxObU/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Quick entry before I head to bed. Today was <b>adorable</b>. Chiv and I drove out to Raleigh to go to the Farmer's Market with our friends Allison Gee and Kristal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLn5JRWkAeKMMkyIJ3efU2rRDyOibfcee83H6KFnb2DUQmlScIar5O7FOfuEAuAE0kpz0dhlFi6w1onhu-6ssBfJXKfw52DNgsQ44UzlW_jVzKB4_5gXCCXyw65z5NYw2-OAO0Ivj0Ow0/s320/100_6847.JPG" width="320" /><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chiv, Allison Gee, and Kristal</span></i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrxZC6dzms9UHs5k7S8cSBdzs-mTwpewKIcVZZiUHtPCHpkrnKk2hnBNP5fmjz84_YRlpFwf1KbKUYlD7ajxq_GOoOcaaxz5iBiBH2zIZvdyEGeIry9QoUenf9WbWsBAod-Py71fSSN0/s1600/100_6849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrxZC6dzms9UHs5k7S8cSBdzs-mTwpewKIcVZZiUHtPCHpkrnKk2hnBNP5fmjz84_YRlpFwf1KbKUYlD7ajxq_GOoOcaaxz5iBiBH2zIZvdyEGeIry9QoUenf9WbWsBAod-Py71fSSN0/s320/100_6849.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We bought so many apples. Our favorite was the Mutsu, which was almost as big as our faces. We also enjoyed their names: King Luscious, Candy Crisp, and Ginger Gold. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzetu5SUTQJUfCKdAPJaHS3hWtwEsdr1qC0KomfL29VtHcxoIa3hrYLGLudrG2ZMj_hv4XKgsRCAmRaYIaXDt1O4u82-QxfKrDy1alHhymD4mIsLjvH-csDXiOHPyXwDBYCbV9Idkw-0/s1600/HugeEffinApple.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzetu5SUTQJUfCKdAPJaHS3hWtwEsdr1qC0KomfL29VtHcxoIa3hrYLGLudrG2ZMj_hv4XKgsRCAmRaYIaXDt1O4u82-QxfKrDy1alHhymD4mIsLjvH-csDXiOHPyXwDBYCbV9Idkw-0/s320/HugeEffinApple.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHcLBqv0htDIreIs50uk-slTx0CR6jIpQFeUzlNc8jvBA_AGsGsCTyKMtCp_wKxu2RQjslYdQ9xjxJBEZ5NMiuqGZqpfFBgmo25fOgiED9vNzKQ714OBRRkdFH1r1I4Hnn7vOLip-BZc/s1600/100_6853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHcLBqv0htDIreIs50uk-slTx0CR6jIpQFeUzlNc8jvBA_AGsGsCTyKMtCp_wKxu2RQjslYdQ9xjxJBEZ5NMiuqGZqpfFBgmo25fOgiED9vNzKQ714OBRRkdFH1r1I4Hnn7vOLip-BZc/s320/100_6853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzn3j42CIGEgW-2zmjZC8HX8Bc21GsbUvKVV-ur5BIk-SxGRqUj5k9nkQfO7HBu2YeYXxp3o_lmbyJP2eTAGw6BmAi3eRrm-BEBMPd1BdG-NFTTS8ptWfK85NJH1K8nd7Gj_1XbVJLRdE/s1600/100_6855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzn3j42CIGEgW-2zmjZC8HX8Bc21GsbUvKVV-ur5BIk-SxGRqUj5k9nkQfO7HBu2YeYXxp3o_lmbyJP2eTAGw6BmAi3eRrm-BEBMPd1BdG-NFTTS8ptWfK85NJH1K8nd7Gj_1XbVJLRdE/s320/100_6855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJVDE161fESszwGlL7l70_5aTd9cUBptGJhEBXyYyMGK6YsgELbOIJumnjRgm5P74eE_W9xzukuvEFZUG-xQV1Nh5GfVaGzVXAlH-rJeARvicsNZ3wnvw0Xmz46nsiFb2UQEh2aEN9QY/s320/100_6856.JPG" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Allison Gee talked me into buying two heads of butter lettuce. It tastes so good, I could eat it raw and whole, without anything else.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMjqseNrq2p4U29_1hOe2RqblMxqfuxEXu_PAJ01puUH1QQfQK5LGbad6wv-q7cY4wa_MJeX7E-u7zwD_yC2u3wpDh7WIBtBMZUzfzLY81Dm2Z0nEZ_2_p8wbIRdaaZGhoCJZKIHKdKs/s320/100_6857b.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After the farmer's market, we all went to <a href="http://www.theremedydiner.com/">The Remedy Diner</a> in Raleigh. Remedy is one of the first really vegan friendly restaurants I've been to in the Triangle. Most of their food is vegetarian, and most of their vegetarian food can be made vegan. They were also the first place in all of North Carolina to get Daiya cheese. My absolute favorite thing is their Philly Fakesteak. Chiv and I split this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZj4FxiyeJDapNxAe_WO9TnoZGChs3pJMHtWsbjoGjS2JGtkYg9sNkvRiR-_kQ-fXU59qs9iYYQrywyfI9kjVadzRPc5YW1fDSU43tDQq97KtNa77CE2NqrGZN2OsfVoVM5W5zPWUn3ZA/s1600/100_6869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZj4FxiyeJDapNxAe_WO9TnoZGChs3pJMHtWsbjoGjS2JGtkYg9sNkvRiR-_kQ-fXU59qs9iYYQrywyfI9kjVadzRPc5YW1fDSU43tDQq97KtNa77CE2NqrGZN2OsfVoVM5W5zPWUn3ZA/s320/100_6869.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Then we looked at used books for awhile and went to <a href="http://www.foundationnc.com/">Foundation</a> for the most perfect Old Fashioneds ever.<br />
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When Chiv and I got home later, we decided to have something comforting and terrible for us for dinner. I sautéed some honeycrisp apples, sliced bananas, and Daiya and put it on top of rosemary sourdough bread. Healthy? Not really. Delicious? Yes!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-Xr5Kqp6xbNHmYAsxXXTqHbJx3CP7BOEGEMGzC2fWSsDS_LnYH4xxmPMoO9lBSxiR_4CLzLsyZmHwALe4XTL2TC0_DXBmDifQ1dwG1kJsB80SfD0ghGd2IvH8jHnpZRsJL0_abNGzsc/s1600/100_6879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-Xr5Kqp6xbNHmYAsxXXTqHbJx3CP7BOEGEMGzC2fWSsDS_LnYH4xxmPMoO9lBSxiR_4CLzLsyZmHwALe4XTL2TC0_DXBmDifQ1dwG1kJsB80SfD0ghGd2IvH8jHnpZRsJL0_abNGzsc/s320/100_6879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-39571306668482866692010-11-06T16:21:00.000-04:002010-11-06T16:21:35.394-04:00Day Six: Another Filler Survey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://veganmofo.wordpress.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKSauUuJXpdLYLA5NDZhqDHJ2VVV93E0quyJOaFf_rAjXGCF6hJWie_EWUTHUtaXKHs77GxW83quNNUM0WgJZDsEqlEaLPkQuNDk1J3mE6Gt9ULeC7DFt8rjld0lzROmCp_9W3qEUKOc/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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This survey is from <a href="http://ieattrees.com/your-thoughts-thursday-vegan-mofo/">I Eat Trees</a>.<br />
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<b>What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?</b><br />
Cheese. I used to eat cheese every day. I have fond memories of being a fat kid and coming home from school every day and eating a cheese sandwich with mayonaise and a bowl of ice cream. Cheese was definitely a comfort food. I hate when people say that they couldn't go vegan because <b>ohmygod they love cheese</b>. <i>I</i> loved cheese! Cheese is delicious. But when you decide that you don't want it anymore, and you have valid reasons for sticking to your guns... it becomes pretty unappealing, because you're used to avoiding it. Sometimes I'll see some fancy pants cheeses and kind of miss it, but never enough to eat any, or even think about eating any. (I'll usually think "How can I make that cranberry cheddar vegan?") For the most part, I don't even think about cheese anymore.<br />
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<b>What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?</b><br />
There are SO many foods that I love now that I hated as a little kid. I used to hate, but now adore: kale, green olives, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, onions, mushrooms, tofu, brussel sprouts, lima beans, beets. I mean, tastes evolve and all, but I think that when I went vegan, I originally felt like there was all of this food that I "couldn't have," so I became open to trying everything that I "could" eat.<br />
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<b>What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?</b><br />
I can't get into black beans. I don't dislike them, but I don't crave them, and I don't eat them unless there's nothing else to eat.<br />
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<b>What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?</b><br />
Water. I drink so much water.<br />
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<b>What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?</b><br />
Cupcakes! Cupcakes are perfect for parties, because I always feel like making them, but Chiv and I don't like having them around the house.<br />
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<b>Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?</b><br />
Nope.<br />
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<b>What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?</b><br />
Cereal and bread. We don't get these from the grocery store every time we go shopping for the week, because I can eat an entire box of cereal in a day, and I'd rather not.<br />
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<b>What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?</b><br />
Brown sugar. You just add molasses to sugar! I don't use it very often, so it doesn't make sense to use a little bit and then let it get hard and old in the cupboard.<br />
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<b>What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?</b><br />
Daiya cheese. Kombucha.<br />
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<b>Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?</b><br />
I am! Red grapes. Baby carrots and hummus. Cashews + dried hibiscus flowers. Baked potato chips with ketchup.<br />
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<b>What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?</b><br />
Daiya cheese, olive oil + garlic sauce, portobello mushrooms, and sliced Roma tomatoes. Or Daiya, red sauce, pineapple, spinach.<br />
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<b>What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?</b><br />
Red bell peppers. Red grapes.<br />
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<b>What is the best salad dressing?</b><br />
Annie's Naturals Organic Papaya Poppy Seed.<br />
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<b>What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?</b><br />
Earth Balance and raspberry preserves.<br />
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<b>What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?</b><br />
My dad makes a really excellent vegan stew based off of this beef stew that I used to like when I was little.<br />
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<b>What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?</b><br />
Lemon and lemon.<br />
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<b>What is your favorite kind of cookie?</b><br />
Chocolate chip.<br />
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<b>What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?</b><br />
Israeli couscous + tofu + whatever veggies are around + whatever spices mix well. Or a Boca Spicy Chik'n patty chopped up in a big salad. Or pomegranate BBQ seitan + coconut rice.<br />
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<b>What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?</b><br />
Chiv is pretty excellent about eating anything that I whip up, but he does not like avocado (though I <i>did</i> get him to eat -- and like -- avocado curry), artichoke hearts, or tempeh.<br />
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<b>How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?</b><br />
An hour or two? More on the weekends, when I have time to test out new recipes or bake things to take to parties.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-18443975586078249972010-11-05T20:04:00.000-04:002010-11-05T20:04:34.883-04:00Day Five: Tempeh Bacon Gets Another Chance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://veganmofo.wordpress.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPN4GCGXUnwbav9X2WxKHY_cfLhzbZLmlikrQ1gTulRhxZmxYDMGHjbwoN_9ngi3HcKzjOFYf_4y4guSShQ7474ZEQqKRdEJS6Zwf8U2_FwQqc92e9PEvcBLjWC72SeRM2C-smPzHNo10/s1600/5092467936_e11181c61d_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I decided, after over a year long break-up from tempeh, to give it another chance.<br />
<br />
I made the marinade for the tempeh bacon from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle----Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289001547&sr=8-1">Vegan Brunch</a> last night, and let the tempeh marinate until I got home from work this afternoon. I fried it up with some olive oil and...<br />
<br />
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe tempeh and I were meant to be. (As long as it is almost-burnt. And I think next time I'm going to bake it instead of fry it in oil.)<br />
</div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-45456200817655103942010-11-04T19:35:00.000-04:002010-11-04T19:35:24.635-04:00Day Four: Bull City Vegan Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHxPuyTWrRVe2TTvno_UyB544LgIBqBmgxkmJIKYPuLDaaA40Rr1n7zLHc2WIMVBDZeNJDbT8XzOQhjb45xUPd8tc5-VT7ZJMwGQrE4OYeDeML6k513DcY3ZKcXl_eFyy3GwAAhnEcYo/s1600/hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHxPuyTWrRVe2TTvno_UyB544LgIBqBmgxkmJIKYPuLDaaA40Rr1n7zLHc2WIMVBDZeNJDbT8XzOQhjb45xUPd8tc5-VT7ZJMwGQrE4OYeDeML6k513DcY3ZKcXl_eFyy3GwAAhnEcYo/s400/hdr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I am kind of enamored with North Carolina. While it's no vegan mecca, I usually don't have too much trouble finding something to munch on while dining out. Still, unless I'm at a restaurant that specializes in vegetarian food, it's slim pickings. I'm sure you've all become great friends with hummus and pita plates, garden burgers, and mysterious slices of stale carob cake.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPqYz25hH8EU5qDt4teoeT6Ct9_dGVg9O-Zk2gBubP3YA_ju4VSq6dbXe-oPcLeT-8YZshb8tFp5BO1xH3gY5T-zfVFlP4-Br9s9CFyH5kVYjy8DdKqtPS6SXpB0mSSjEWu5Ppz25iIg/s1600/BCVC-PR-Photo-300x265.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPqYz25hH8EU5qDt4teoeT6Ct9_dGVg9O-Zk2gBubP3YA_ju4VSq6dbXe-oPcLeT-8YZshb8tFp5BO1xH3gY5T-zfVFlP4-Br9s9CFyH5kVYjy8DdKqtPS6SXpB0mSSjEWu5Ppz25iIg/s200/BCVC-PR-Photo-300x265.jpg" width="200" /></a>Chef Shirlé Hale-Koslowski and Eleni Vlachos decided that there needed to be more vegan options in Durham's locally-owned restaurant scene. Instead of writing letters, emails, or passive aggressive Yelp reviews demanding more than sad, defrosted patties, they decided to tap into chefs' competitive natures and create a challenge to find out which local chefs could pull together the best vegan appetizer, entrée, and dessert.<br />
<br />
No hummus and pita plates allowed. No veggie or portobello burgers. No chocolate cake.<br />
<br />
The response was amazing. <br />
<br />
Now, admittedly, I didn't get to go out to try a lot of these places -- but I am really happy that it happened. I never got into cooking, really, until I went vegan. To me, cooking vegan is simple if you're willing to do your homework and try something new. I think that every good chef can make a good meal that's vegan. It was awesome seeing so many enthusiastic chefs get into the challenge, and seeing what they came up with.<br />
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You should check out the list of entries (with pictures!) <a href="http://bullcityveganchallenge.com/competing-dishes">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
When Stephanie Anne visited me in October, Chiv and I took her to <a href="http://noshfood.com/">Nosh</a>, because we were both the most excited about the fall slammer -- pumpkin pancakes, tempeh bacon with red onions, and your choice of fresh fruit or curried potatoes. It was amazing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://noshfood.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbl74aRkKf_-PPPibdh_ZGCJwO5dFbB-YIC7B-D-FmaWfM_tQXlDs9xQbXGiz_xjmbPlesaWVwC94OyNQ4b0nx995pLOBBMpqhZ4ZUa8z1aWqrcKGR9Y7HIGYqm0p7JU-dNNob5U6pZk/s1600/nosh.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrLG9uCFDQgu_Vwo_t3rRzSzMvHqFvI7bUA1wYlxVYNPpARbwJenni-dNO-OiNNuySp2Ov5owETmJsdjIDEYs1U-_ZDSPSU7X8ucmiwi25mae9l-Am6xfq81RxEBvLpBiYjesNZzyGek/s1600/Nosh-Entree-1024x768.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrLG9uCFDQgu_Vwo_t3rRzSzMvHqFvI7bUA1wYlxVYNPpARbwJenni-dNO-OiNNuySp2Ov5owETmJsdjIDEYs1U-_ZDSPSU7X8ucmiwi25mae9l-Am6xfq81RxEBvLpBiYjesNZzyGek/s320/Nosh-Entree-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was so nice to be able to go out to eat at a restaurant and have someone else make me pumpkin pancakes!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncEG0QEKcM9_x3pRRde_P7n2z1kzBRJAgsLNjOlGmhBNRaONj0oD5K2wiQf51pHBocHLGGUXnilKjR4zl4Yn1cfyTsgWPNDhXz8BwMcsIQ44nk216MiN8GJbnWxA3-MfiKyfrxBzOdHY/s1600/69116_520572784146_333500290_746612_1840057_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncEG0QEKcM9_x3pRRde_P7n2z1kzBRJAgsLNjOlGmhBNRaONj0oD5K2wiQf51pHBocHLGGUXnilKjR4zl4Yn1cfyTsgWPNDhXz8BwMcsIQ44nk216MiN8GJbnWxA3-MfiKyfrxBzOdHY/s320/69116_520572784146_333500290_746612_1840057_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Before our pancakes.</span></i></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxTnDwQYdfajSwQ8vWoX4XMhHDaS3VQvdv1RDCCDYTUjDzpZPj9ZC8mjOHB_7qg116YQFDZsqMmYfW6xcXVNSyb6Df-tS2q9xASM7ugT0XEPitVzh663pVaI_op440KYXCc6k1RtJYNU/s1600/66329_520572744226_333500290_746609_312577_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxTnDwQYdfajSwQ8vWoX4XMhHDaS3VQvdv1RDCCDYTUjDzpZPj9ZC8mjOHB_7qg116YQFDZsqMmYfW6xcXVNSyb6Df-tS2q9xASM7ugT0XEPitVzh663pVaI_op440KYXCc6k1RtJYNU/s320/66329_520572744226_333500290_746609_312577_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After our pancakes.</i></span></div><br />
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Shirlé and Eleni are revealing the winners Tuesday, November 9th at <a href="http://thepinhook.com/">The Pinhook</a> in Durham. If you are local, you should come out! From 5pm - 8pm they are having a "protein potluck," where they are asking everyone to bring their favorite (vegan, of course) protein. Go look at The Pinhook's website for more info!Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-10785478381738270632010-11-03T23:52:00.000-04:002010-11-03T23:52:47.538-04:00Day Three: A Short Survey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWdG99Y9P1pyHFd-U_ZcbtySHQs4_Ffk5fl0hsCx9j7HDdOsSWNdESgP2Tt02X82QWllmiXRSPWl0qvAUOH8LRzDwt7EpCVXUBd-fO8AqzjT_jYcg3mc3s-vpfEAXaFE-5ATlcDG1sRo/s1600/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWdG99Y9P1pyHFd-U_ZcbtySHQs4_Ffk5fl0hsCx9j7HDdOsSWNdESgP2Tt02X82QWllmiXRSPWl0qvAUOH8LRzDwt7EpCVXUBd-fO8AqzjT_jYcg3mc3s-vpfEAXaFE-5ATlcDG1sRo/s320/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It's 11:03pm. I had a very long day, and I'm feeling kind of like curling up in bed with the boyfriend and our puppies instead of finishing the post I'm going to write about Durham's Bull City Vegan Challenge. I promised myself that I would update every day, though, so... a survey it is! I will finish my other post tomorrow.<br />
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This short survey comes from <a href="http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1422">a post on the Post Punk Kitchen Forum</a>.<br />
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<b>What's your favorite spice or spice blend?</b><br />
I am a gigantic spice nerd and have filled an entire drawer in my kitchen full of spices. I put that fresh-ground lemon pepper from Trader Joe's on everything, but I am also pretty fond of Hungarian paprika, cardamom, cloves, and ginger.<br />
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<b>You have $20 to spend on fresh groceries and produce for the whole week (with a fairly well stocked pantry of dry goods, legumes, grains, and spices). What do you buy?</b><br />
Spinach, kale, cucumbers, red bell peppers, honeycrisp apples, bananas, red grapes, mushrooms, vidalia onions, olives, tofu, almond milk, crunchy peanut butter.<br />
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<b>What's your favorite way to make tofu?</b><br />
Extra firm, pressed forever so that most of the water is out -- then sliced in really thin little triangles, rubbed with a little olive oil and curry paste, and baked until crispy.<br />
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<b>Vegan guilty pleasure?</b><br />
Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream. Especially chocolate peanut butter swirl. I only eat it every few months, though.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgqQNSyk85rWHrdkOYPl7EzYyzWEP-S7SALijrNcUYFnyqJYbOnBi2XouCOALswYRYOoPBQnknEimY8Cvy5GIPyJXt0qRjpJ2A3kuW_R_gNGzMXcKgJrCPHolfj74a8Qy6Oo14E_ZzP0/s1600/pd_coconut_milk_chocolatepb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgqQNSyk85rWHrdkOYPl7EzYyzWEP-S7SALijrNcUYFnyqJYbOnBi2XouCOALswYRYOoPBQnknEimY8Cvy5GIPyJXt0qRjpJ2A3kuW_R_gNGzMXcKgJrCPHolfj74a8Qy6Oo14E_ZzP0/s320/pd_coconut_milk_chocolatepb.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<b>If you could make anyone vegan, who would it be?</b><br />
I've never thought about this. I sometimes think that it would be cute if Chiv was vegan, but... he doesn't have to be? I do most of the cooking at home, and he loves everything that I make, tells doubtful omnivores that seitan is fantastic, and he religiously checks labels for me when he goes grocery shopping. I might get a reduction in my vegan points for saying this, but I don't really mind if he eats a cheeseburger twice a month. <br />
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<b>If you could only read one other vegan blog, what would it be?</b><br />
I really like <a href="http://www.aliensdayout.com/">Alien's Day Out</a>.<br />
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<b>Were you always interested in cooking, or did veganism change the way you saw and interacted with food?</b><br />
I definitely started cooking more, and collecting recipes, once I went vegan. I did a bunch of baking pre-veganism, and knew some Italian dinner recipes from my dad, but... going vegan really got me excited about cooking for myself and other people. I'm not a very aggressive vegan. I'm not trying to recruit anyone. I like making delicious things from scratch, feeding them to omnivores, and reminding people that vegan food doesn't taste like whole wheat flour mixed with fermented soy beans. I like being able to cook anything. I never really thought about it before -- I didn't have to be able to cook, I could just go to a restaurant and get it. You can't always do that as a vegan. Vegan cooking can sometimes be a really fun treasure hunt and science experiment.<br />
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<b>What is the one vegan staple that everyone seems to love, but you can't get behind?</b><br />
I'm trying harder to like tempeh.<br />
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<b>What would you like to veganize, but haven't yet?</b><br />
French macarons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Aza3fsDc6MEp4PaPGgOWwYNHgvRfUkwF5-GftZ6AQtmlt6DY_PGKv8hnvDgXZDAjfgt7XkrCAJEAqpX-s61QDmlJ3IrcZ0PPcytL3mz2xFrxiSQLcDbsdSrF1CV7o3Dpf8Doxl_qss8/s1600/1545143803_64001aa027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Aza3fsDc6MEp4PaPGgOWwYNHgvRfUkwF5-GftZ6AQtmlt6DY_PGKv8hnvDgXZDAjfgt7XkrCAJEAqpX-s61QDmlJ3IrcZ0PPcytL3mz2xFrxiSQLcDbsdSrF1CV7o3Dpf8Doxl_qss8/s320/1545143803_64001aa027.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Favorite kitchen utensil/appliance?</b><br />
My stand mixer makes me feel fancy, but I love my blender.<br />
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<b>What question about being vegan do you HATE answering?</b><br />
"What can you eat? What's left?"<br />
"Where do you get your protein from?"<br />
"What about yeast?"<br />
<br />
<br />
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All right, kids. Bed time. Tomorrow will be better. <3Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-13184810970925903952010-11-02T07:31:00.000-04:002010-11-02T07:31:06.741-04:00Day Two: Zucchini Cinnamon Rolls with Ginger Cream Cheese Icing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.veganmofo.wordpress.com/"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP81C961_cHfCXazgWVXTRF7_HbmAic-r9aL8ohqn2ZcxQONMtPcUOZJOOaUiAE4oRqFP9AX-xN4cSifouJ_hF49k4HtZwhBWzN1CNcXibGTNkPAucqB43MRfd2wRa7nW3HStsbUDbUM/s320/5092572578_044222c0b0_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzT6mq8gdW5sOFacuycUUJQGCtDeqMtLiUuBxDK4MzlPGIfZvRXx6Vw30yundm6Q6yiB1DZpWM_-hXT9I41b9WIhyJRfnw3zyGZw9bZO7gETuNKzMBszlNjDXMG6PlRUQHqIJeSSBteY/s1600/zucchinicinnamonrolls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzT6mq8gdW5sOFacuycUUJQGCtDeqMtLiUuBxDK4MzlPGIfZvRXx6Vw30yundm6Q6yiB1DZpWM_-hXT9I41b9WIhyJRfnw3zyGZw9bZO7gETuNKzMBszlNjDXMG6PlRUQHqIJeSSBteY/s320/zucchinicinnamonrolls.png" width="292" /></a></div><br />
Last year, Jes from <a href="http://eatingappalachia.com/">Eating Appalachia</a> posted a recipe for zucchini cinnamon rolls on her old blog, <a href="http://cupcakepunk.wordpress.com/">Cupcake Punk</a>, that had me swooning. I didn't get around to trying it out until this past Sunday.<br />
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Since then, I have decided:<br />
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1) This is now my "go to" cinnamon rolls recipe.<br />
<br />
2) I am not allowed to make this more than once (okay, maybe twice) a year, out of fear of doing nothing but eating cinnamon rolls every single day for the rest of my life.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh61mEVA0i2aCsNBGHb3ajFtocVk9vQl1t4qGlt3WRlHlE0YLgF4pKjF6v-5RwPm-b_UQn_rsLnxexg-rsoHg7z0MG5TbmPbwCGbtJAAbXdeeVxJY_mURmgZ5EHHVn2kXca9XYiICEMzg/s1600/100_6808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh61mEVA0i2aCsNBGHb3ajFtocVk9vQl1t4qGlt3WRlHlE0YLgF4pKjF6v-5RwPm-b_UQn_rsLnxexg-rsoHg7z0MG5TbmPbwCGbtJAAbXdeeVxJY_mURmgZ5EHHVn2kXca9XYiICEMzg/s320/100_6808.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKshlK-PqoIKuS6iJ7xh_FYQMo6A3NAb5PGQrOUdwUINE9hUys90VIKWjkooNPsbNWnfc8rMkocV2pefTSvbGUqKEdbzAYq-RAqRFSejAQAVozOl4olQquIR888HXKeTvMnfq5ReEYoAw/s1600/100_6811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKshlK-PqoIKuS6iJ7xh_FYQMo6A3NAb5PGQrOUdwUINE9hUys90VIKWjkooNPsbNWnfc8rMkocV2pefTSvbGUqKEdbzAYq-RAqRFSejAQAVozOl4olQquIR888HXKeTvMnfq5ReEYoAw/s320/100_6811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Chiv being tough and eating vegan baked goods. He's a beast!</i></span></div><br />
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It was my first time making cinnamon buns from scratch in my own house (I worked at a bakery a few years ago and made cinnamon buns en masse with a few people at 3am, but didn't get the whole making-it-from-scratch experience then). It was also my first time making (and eating) zucchini bread.<br />
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The verdict was that these were too delicious to make often, and that we needed to get rid of them as soon as possible. I gave a fourth of these to Katie in addition to the birthday cupcakes I threw her way. I might make them again if I'm going to some sort of brunch thing. But... I am okay with just eating a lot of vegetables for the rest of the week and fondly remembering how perfect (and sugar-filled) these were. <br />
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Recipe is <a href="http://cupcakepunk.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/zucchini-cinnamon-rolls/">here</a>. I made only one change: I added about 1 teaspoon powdered ginger to the icing.<br />
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You should make these if: it is raining outside and you want to eat cinnamon buns and watch foreign movies, you want someone to fall in love with you, you feel like grating zucchini.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-39504588380455272652010-11-01T08:42:00.020-04:002010-11-01T10:13:52.823-04:00Day One: Rosewater Pistachio Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://veganmofo.wordpress.com/"><img border="0" height="181" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwmmC68ZX4khtSULLqZGi0iaG9r-NdfVzMeJ6Ywuz7CMcH9ioRoRiEDCpLSyJCqIk62Z9ScKU3PyMGPUzlhxAJro0H6ALJoGOEzaJSqeGlvO8HqFZQgTWMP3p-LAOa_F8LPCK3nTwGME/s200/5091869723_788f8300b6_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I love these cupcakes. I made them once before, about a year and a half ago, and hadn't made them since. I've been making a lot of dark chocolate cupcakes lately, and so when I needed to whip something up for a Halloween party, Chiv suggested that I make something not as rich and heavy. These are light and fluffy because of the soy yogurt, and they're full of crushed pistachios, two tablespoons of rosewater, and... well, the recipe calls for "a generous pinch" of cardamom, but I usually put in about 3/4 teaspoon of the stuff. I wound up making a batch for my friend Katie's birthday the next night, too.</div></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERKWoe7SFpSYoPr9oZJ_PGd1N-lw4DZJYYSlgwt8aVHk3IKsqwfUKpjP1KyzzhQSxD56T7wtqkVPCSln2JSUvZU6Hg8VQEpzUq4ZnJGYGlBrGsOHkLkVqhniwilzvUXRe89VEyOggRY0/s1600/rosewaterpistachio.png" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERKWoe7SFpSYoPr9oZJ_PGd1N-lw4DZJYYSlgwt8aVHk3IKsqwfUKpjP1KyzzhQSxD56T7wtqkVPCSln2JSUvZU6Hg8VQEpzUq4ZnJGYGlBrGsOHkLkVqhniwilzvUXRe89VEyOggRY0/s400/rosewaterpistachio.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The recipe can be found in Terry and Isa's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739">Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World</a>, which you should own if you like: cupcakes, nice things, all that is good in this world.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I also went crazy and made zucchini bread cinnamon rolls with ginger cream cheese icing while I was making Katie's birthday cupcakes. It was my first time making anything that required me to wait for dough to rise. Pictures and recipe of that tomorrow morning. :]</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Happy MoFo-ing!</div></div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-2921178277532540782010-10-28T13:57:00.001-04:002010-11-01T09:05:28.390-04:00VeganMofo 2010<div><a href="http://veganmofo.wordpress.com/"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533157786573849618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAEexX5c7tSeAp_GC0KAWQqqJ0UpWlpFR3OJXbYtMBgzjAy76Sk7Z8IR_K_alklmM0UwqZ7qZH_FSnc45OtTSYLX0ouubNW_vAeROhJTRykhA7MM9-kbcm6-_Kfu7qh-MttnIrwdHv1Y/s400/5091869723_788f8300b6_o.jpg" style="display: block; height: 198px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 218px;" /></a>You guys! <a href="http://veganmofo.wordpress.com/">VeganMofo 2010</a> is almost here!</div><br />
<div><br />
This November, my goal is to post every single day, as long as I'm in town and able. The boyfriend and I are headed to the coast for Thanksgiving, so we'll see what the wireless situation looks like while we're down there. I'm thinking about writing a few posts out in advance every few days and posting them in the mornings, instead of posting an entry every night like last year. That way, I if I have a rough day and don't feel like baking a coconut-lemon bundt cake and taking pictures and then editing pictures and then uploading pictures and then coming up with something that makes me sound cheerful and witty at 10pm, I don't have to -- I can just publish a pre-written post about ... I don't know. Puppies or seitan.<br />
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Anyway. So excited! See you kids on Monday. :)</div>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-1372550110153483082009-11-08T13:44:00.000-05:002009-11-08T14:16:29.550-05:00Curried Cauliflower SoupSaturdays are for being excited about having a paycheck and going grocery shopping, and Sundays are for cooking and cooking. I'm about to make a banana-mango-cardamom-protein smoothie, and I just made the espresso chip chocolate cookies from <u>Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar</u> because I'm going over to a friend's later (and - let's be honest here - just felt like making cookies), annnd I just made a pretty filling, lovely, spicy cauliflower soup. Here is the recipe:<br /><br /><b>Curried Cauliflower Soup<br /><br />Ingredients:</b><br />1 head of cauliflower<br />3 cups nondairy milk<br />1 TB garam masala<br />Curry powder to taste (I wound up using vanilla almond milk for my milk because it's all that I had at the house, so I used a bit of curry powder to overpower the uber-sweet combination of garam masala and vanilla almond milk. I'd say that I used about 1 TB of curry powder for this batch).<br />3/4 cup peas<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />(Next time I make it, I'm going to add:<br />1 diced carrot<br />1 diced potato<br />1 small diced onion)<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Put the milk in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Tear cauliflower into florets and add spices, salt and pepper to taste, and your diced carrot and potato. Do not put the peas in. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and let the pot hang out on the stove for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.<br />2. When veggies are tender, remove the pot from the burner and set aside for a few minutes to cool down. Put soup into a blender or food processor (might take a few batches) and blend it up a little bit. I like my soups creamy but still a little chunky -- if you like your soups like that, too, you could put about 3/4 of the soup into a blender / food processor and then add the smooth, blended soup to the 1/4 that you didn't blend.<br />3. Put soup back in the pot. Add peas. Add salt and pepper or whatever else strikes your fancy.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-51464491497668275162009-10-24T15:30:00.000-04:002009-10-24T15:49:25.583-04:00Vegan TreatsLast night, me and Chiv drove from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Nazareth, Pennsylvania. It was a fun 9 hour drive. We wound up getting into town at 4am, crawled into Chiv's brother's guest bedroom, and promptly passed out. TOTALLY WORTH IT, THOUGH, because Chiv's family lives about 15 minutes away from Vegan Treats (http://www.vegantreats.com/), which is this amazing vegan bakery in the middle of no where in Pennsylvania. They sell their baked goods to restaurants in DC, Philly, and NYC. They are AMAZING.<br /><br /><center><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2483/4039834341_b8b3a6ec68_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/4040584970_50f511a85b_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2696/4039834139_37215563c0_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4039834203_dbb40226e9_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2600/4040584842_59716e16fb_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2582/4039834501_cd5b56455e_o.jpg><br /><img src=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2579/4039834603_1a8bf0d100_o.jpg><br /><br />I bought a peanut butter bomb, a pumpkin cheesecake, and a white chocolate banana cheesecake. Chiv bought us both Boston cream donuts. I also bought a hoodie and some pins, and I was good and did NOT get any peanut butter soy soft serve, even though I think that that sounds great. I am glad that I don't live nearby, because I would gain five thousand pounds.</center>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-50944205324271463072009-10-19T23:05:00.000-04:002009-10-19T23:26:22.591-04:00Chickpea Cutlets<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/4028370076_f9d83da995.jpg" /></center><br /><br />I made chickpea cutlets for dinner! They weren't pretty, but I approve of them anyway.<br /><br />I have a laundry list of recipes that I feel like every vegan kid on the planet has tried, but I haven't. I've been cooking vegan for a year and still hadn't made any sort of faux cutlet thing. Tonight I made the chickpea cutlet from Veganomicon. They were pretty ugly (in a totally endearing way), but smelled lovely and I think - with the right sort of gravy - would be awesome with mashed potatoes and string beans. Definitely something that I'd like to make a bunch of and then nuke for an easy, old-fashioned kind of dinner... but not really something that I'd feed omnivores on the first date. I improvised a mustard-based sauce with some dijon and a splash of Annie's Naturals Woodstock dressing and ate a cutlet with my Chinese leftovers (coconut curried vegetables) from last night. Nothing too fancy pants, but it was nice and filling.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-91005271768654868052009-10-18T23:13:00.000-04:002009-10-18T23:17:07.768-04:00Hot Cocoa!Hi, Internet. I am too sleepy to be interesting. Instead, I'm going to share a photograph of me having my first vegan hot chocolate. Of course, no vegan hot chocolate is complete without marshmallows. I don't know how I survived last winter without having hot chocolate. I really don't.<br /><br /><center><img src=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/4020375141_88c09938ae.jpg></center><br /><br />I've been thinking about making the leek and bean cassoulet from Veganomicon lately. I have all of the ingredients just chilling out in my kitchen already, and it's been pretty cold, which leaves me wanting comfort food. But I've read a lot of reviews saying that it was too bland? And I don't want to be disappointed. I've been daydreaming about what spices I could throw in there. I will keep you kids posted.<br /><br />'Night!Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-4689939857890709232009-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:002009-10-17T22:53:39.402-04:00North Carolina State Fair!<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/4020378213_38d9b51ea5.jpg" /></center><br /><br />Today me and Mr. Chiavaroli went to the North Carolina State Fair with some friends. It was a pretty adorable time. It was also Chiv's first time at the fair! Don't worry; the fair was very gentle.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2632/4020379313_7aa0f1d94e.jpg" /><br />I showed that candy apple who was boss (hint: I was boss!).<br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/4020379869_d93707d7ac.jpg" /><br />Chiv helped.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/4021139020_8aab5b6d6f.jpg" /><br />I might have been excited about eating candy apples.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/4021137836_4e8e6136fb.jpg" /><br /></center>Um, I was going to take a picture of me eating the few things that I could eat at the fair (though I did get some good ideas -- Chiv told me about pumpkin-flavored funnel cake. I can veganize funnel cake and make it taste like pumpkins, can't I? I thought so, too). Then I realized that I could eat more than I thought I could. I could eat candy apples, could get roasted corn plain without any butter on it (and they had a million vegan seasonings to choose from), and then I found a pita place that made huge falafel sandwiches and advertised a "party in every pita." And then I rode rides until I felt like I was going to throw up.<center><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2431/4021135856_d614413fde.jpg" /><br />And then we looked at preserves.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4021136426_c89df04e29.jpg" /><br />And then we looked at all of the animals and I wanted to kidnap all of them and open a farm where everyone just chills out and looks adorable.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/4020377123_5eef19ff3b.jpg" /><br /></center>Being able to pet cows was pretty awesome and not something that I get to do everyday, but it was still pretty depressing because people are jerks.<br /><br />After we went home, I consulted the internets to see if maybe there was some sort of animal sanctuary around the Chapel Hill / Durham / Raleigh that could use volunteers. I found out about <a href="http://www.pigpals.com/">Pig Pals of NC</a>, which is a group that rehabilitates and shelters miniature pigs that have been neglected or abandoned, and I shot them an e-mail to see if they needed anyone to help out.<center><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/4020376955_9c54513c9f.jpg" /><br />In brighter news... unicorns.<br /></center>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-82987000206478334472009-10-14T21:04:00.000-04:002009-10-14T21:13:57.897-04:00Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/4012318375_57833a3a97.jpg" /></center><br /><br />I finally got around to making the Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles from Post Punk Kitchen (recipe <a href="http://www.theppk.com/blog/2009/09/16/mexican-hot-chocolate-snickerdoodles/">here</a>). They were amazing. I had almost everything in my kitchen already (except cocoa, which I'd just run out of), it took about a minute to get everything together, and they were super fluffy. I was all nerdy-surprised when I opened the oven and saw how much they fluffed out and how adorable they looked. This winter, I'm planning on making a metric shit ton of cookies and wrapping them up to give away to friends and family, and these cookies are definitely going to be included in the bunch.Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-75041638950883104162009-10-13T20:23:00.001-04:002009-10-13T21:01:05.578-04:00Pumpkin French ToastOnce upon a time, I made one million slices of the pumpkin French toast from Vegan Brunch. We had so many leftovers that the boyfriend brought some to work the next day and fed some to his boss, who told my boyfriend that he should marry me.<br /><br />It was so easy to make and so, so good. I hadn't had any kind of French toast in years, and I'd been craving pumpkin stuff, so it was just awesome.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2638/4006060809_85f66e7df7.jpg"></center>Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8405378758555117933.post-34697885782278838612009-10-12T20:02:00.000-04:002009-10-12T20:44:48.498-04:00Coffee Cakelings<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/4006827284_c286c0a640.jpg" /></center><br /><br />I think that sometimes one of the best parts of being vegan is revisiting food memories that you had long ago, but had forgotten about. I had no idea how comforting the feeling of dunking a piece of New York style coffee cake into a mug of tea was until this afternoon. When I was a little thing, I used to go over to my grandma's house and have a mug of black tea with milk (no sugar) and pick the crumbs off of the Entenmann's crumb cake she'd buy whenever she knew she was having people over for tea.<br /><br />The other day, I was all set to try out the coffee cake recipe from Vegan Brunch until I realized that I didn't have a pan to bake it in. Because I know that cupcakes are the solution to everything, I poured the cake batter into cupcake liners and had baby coffee cakes. Success! And they tasted even better the next day. Instead of making the plain coffee cake recipe, I added a mashed banana to the wet ingredients and after I poured the batter into the cupcake liners, I put some chocolate chips and crushed-up walnuts on top before added the layer of crumbs.<br /><br />Perfect for dunking in tea. :)Jenni Unicornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745196412730669525noreply@blogger.com0