Crunky testers and CHOCOLATE!

I tested two side dishes for Vegan Crunk's upcoming cookbook this week - Mess O' Greens with Turnips and Mashed Sweet Taters. Both of these recipes were freakin' delicious, but seriously - the greens recipe would be worth the purchase price alone! I doubt I will ever make greens another way again. I enjoyed them with baked tofu. Oh yeeeeaaaahhhhh.

More greens n' turnips with a tempeh sandwich

I told you I really like 'em! I made them again last night to go with Jesse's new favorite sandwich - marinated tempeh and onion. I found some Annie's marinade's at Grocery Outlet a few weeks ago for $1.49! I should have bought more...

Pretty place setting!

I spent a few hours yesterday reclaiming the dining room table for eating. Well, most of it at least. There's still a drill press on the corner of it. You see, living in a one bedroom apartment, our dining room also serves as our office and Jesse's workspace/hobby space. Moving and organizing everything was a pain in the butt, but the room feels twice as big and it just makes me happy! Yay :)

Chocolate pancakes topped with Special Cocoa Spread and maple syrup and hashbrowns

I did a swap on the PPK last month, and got a box full of awesome stuff from New Jersey! One of these awesome things is a chocolate spread from Israel, very similar to Nutella but without the nuts. It is quite delicious on pancakes as well as on cookies, in a peanut butter sandwich, and of course - right out of the jar! I am in chocolate heaven!!!

Happy Easter if you celebrate, and if you're a heathen like me - you should eat some chocolate anyway! xoxo Chelsea

Happy New Year!

Today is my 4 year veganniversary. Though the transition from vegetarian to vegan took me (literally!) years, going vegan is the best decision I have ever made. It is better for the animals, better for the environment, and better for my own body and soul. Thank you all for your commitment to veganism, and to changing the world through delicious food. Cheers!

Salud! Strawberry chocolate chip pancakes and a mimosa

My latest obsession - pancakes!

It's been snowing like the dickens here in Portland! Actual snow is a pretty rare occurrence here, so the city basically shuts down when the roads get slick. PSU was closed for 2 days last week, and had late openings for 2! It was sort of annoying because my vacation is supposed to be most of this week and all of next week (we're closed for children, so it's optional inservice time), and now I'll have to make some of that time up or just not get paid... I was planning to go in tomorrow, but I just found out we're closed again! Yikes!

One awesome perk of being around the house unexpectedly last week (other than frolicking in the snow) was that I actually had time to make breakfast! I read on one of your awesome blogs that Bisquick is vegan (sorry don't remember which...), so I decided to pick some up and try it out. Pancakes have always been a big frustration for me; I've tried a ton of recipes and they've all turned out like crap! Recently I had a breakthrough with the basic recipe from VWAV, and finally figured out what the batter is supposed to look like and when to flip the damn things (thank you so much Isa!). I have a dinky kitchen with NO counter space, so I thought I'd try the Bisquick out to cut down on dishes to wash and all that. Oh man, is it easy! And the Heart Smart kind doesn't have any weird crap in it. I've found that replacing the egg is totally unnecessary, just use equal parts Bisquick and soymilk. Here are some of my recent pancakes:

Chocolate chip soynog pancakes

Strawberry blueberry pancakes with tofu scramble and hashbrowns in the background

Strawberry flax walnut pancakes

I recently moved the living room furniture around a bit to make space for the Solstice Tree, and the kitties seem to love it! I actually really like it, too. It isn't a whole lot different, but I moved the big cozy chair into a corner where you can't see the tv, and it makes a really lovely spot for reading, and also creates a view out the window in a different direction than I've really looked before.

The cuties!

Lights on!

Lights off! Yay!

Happy Holidays everyone! Peace, love, vegan, and all that good shit :)