What kind of blogger am I?

So I saw this on one of the many blogs I like to look at (Expiration Date) and decided to try it for myself.



I'm not at all surprised at my results as I'm very touch and go in the blogging world.
So, what kind of blogger are you?

TGIF

Well thank goodness it is Friday again but unfortunately I still do not find myself with anything interesting to report. So what do I do? Ignore blogger and will something interesting or thought provoking to come into my life. Of which nothing does of course. I'll just update with some of the great food I've been indulging in all week for all you food porn fanatics out there (you know who you are!). And do I even need to mention that they're all from Vegan with a Vengeance? I think we all know I have what some might call an unhealthy obsession with it at the moment.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Maple Walnut Cookies (You might be inclined to ask why I have two admittedly large batches of cookies on here in one week. And the honest answer is that I ate off single handedly the first batch of cookies in about 3 days. Yes I'm very ashamed... So ashamed in fact that the second batch has almost gone the way of the first...)
Ethiopian Seitan and Peppers
Green Thai Curry (admittedly not very green)
Brooklyn Pad Thai (Last night's dinner)
Pictures of delicious cupcakes I would like to make from my wonderful cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It finally arrived in the mail! Unfortunately Chapters forgot to put my other book in the same box so that will be arriving next week. I can't wait!

And last but not least, if you take a look in the picture above you'll see a ball of yarn and part of my current project. I'm knitting a scarf. It's taking awhile as I'm a very slow knitter but it's coming along great. I can't wait to finish it. I got it from this pattern. Easy enough for a beginner, I didn't want to waste good money on yarn in case I didn't finish it or it turned out like crap not unlike my many other knitting projects so this yarn is cheap stuff from Wal-Mart. I'll need two skeins though so I wonder if I'm really saving... Sorry for the blurry pictures, you know how lazy I can really get.

Coconut heaven

I know I said I wouldn't make another cupcake till my book arrived. But there was only one left to be made in VwaV and I couldn't let it go untested. And boy am I glad I didn't! Holy coconut! I made the Coconut Heaven Cupcakes and they are divine! If you are a fan of coconut (as I am) then you'll absolutely go crazy over these.
I also tried the Beet, Barley and Black Soybean Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons (say that five times fast). It was good and I don't think I've ever tasted a soup that shade of red! Sorry about the blurry picture. I was hungry and not paying attention but you get the idea.

Thrifty Thursday

In an effort to be more environmentally conscious I decided to go thrifting today at one of the local thrift shops. "One man's junk is the next man's treasure" they say and indeed it was today. I got an arm load of stuff and most of it will be remade into something new, something to treasure hopefully. The thing I love about thrifting and I'm sure what most people love about thrifting is the amount of things you can get for so little. I think most of these fabrics will go for the inner fabric in some of the purses and bags that I'll be making once I get my new book. =)

I also got some knitting needles for 10 cents and a practically brand new spring form pan! I already had one that I paid way too much for considering the one I got from the thrift store was only 50 cents. I couldn't help myself and got some books for my little angel as well. I just hope she'll be really into books like I am because I've collected quite a bit for her. I'll post about that another time.

Cupcake madness and other food porn

So I'm on a cupcake binge. I can't get enough of the stuff. I finally got around to making that Chapters Wishlist and Vegan Cupcakes take Over the World was on it. But I couldn't help myself and I ordered it yesterday. I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival in the mail. I shall not make another cupcake until I receive it. I also ordered Veganomicon, Isa's newest cookbook which isn't even released yet and Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, for the crafty woman in me. I saw a really cute purse/bag on a flicr group the other day and realized that I must make it immediately so I didn't put off buying the book for another second. I actually flipped thru the pages last Saturday with Meese on my unplanned trip to Calgary. But back to the matter at hand. Cupcakes. I love them. They're so wonderful. It's like a cake for one. And not just a measly slice, but something you can devour with your eyes before plunging into it's moist deliciousness. So I caved and made the Fauxstess cupcake in VwaV. Well not really caved, I don't have the black chocolate so I decided to just make a regular chocolate cupcake with a ganache frosting and none of the other fixings. I had a raspberry chocolate bar from Tropical Source hanging around that I wasn't sure what to do with so I used it to make the ganache (hence the little flecks in the frosting). It all turned out heavenly. My mouth waters just thinking of it now. Alex was thrilled and couldn't get enough... he loves chocolate. He asked me if I couldn't make some for his coworkers. He likes when I make things that are unbelievably good cause then he tries to get me to share it with the non-vegan world. As if to say 'Can you believe this is vegan!?' LOL.

Yes, yes it is my dear. I also made the Carrot Bisque and the BBQ Pomegranate Tofu. Both turned out excellent! Except I didn't have any pomegranate molasses, so I subbed in some blackstrap molasses. I know it's totally not the same but I'd have to order pomegranate molasses online because there's no way I'd find that in Red Deer. Maybe Calgary or Edmonton though, I'll have to think of it the next time I go to either of those cities.

And finally today's breakfast and dinner. Oh my! I made the Lemon Corn Waffles with Blueberry sauce also from you guessed it VwaV. I can't say enough good stuff about it! I'll definitely be having seconds tomorrow morning.

I decided to digress from VwaV for a moment and make a spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight. In our family spaghetti sauces are usually Alex's domain. But I decided that I would make my first real sauce using a cookbook I bought especially for him. Nonna's Italian Kitchen by Bryanna Clark Grogan. And you guessed it, it's a vegan Italian cookbook. I must say, it's a phenomenal cookbook. I mean all of my cookbooks are great but I just love the stories behind almost all the recipes and the fact that most people would think you couldn't veganize anything Italian. But she has and to great success. So I made the Ragu alla Nepoletana, it was delicious! She recommends simmering it for 2 hours but I had mine simmering for practically the whole day.

Hopefully I can get to crafting once my book arrives. I know this has all been about cooking so far but as involved as it looks that's all I seem to have time for lately.

Lazy sunday

Today I had my head filled with all of the things I wanted to do but unfortunately that is usually my problem. Too much to do so nothing gets done. But luckily I have been keeping busy the last few days that I didn't post. On Thursday night I believe, I decided to make some cupcakes. What happened to those lovely muffins you ask? Well I ate all 9 of them. Yes I fully admit it. Not to take the full blame for being so gluttonous I must say that I did try to give one to Alex for his lunch but he never ate it, so I helped him out. Anyway, I'm a big dessert person and I can't have a pantry devoid of sweets. And seeing as how I'm on a big cooking binge right now I made the Lemon Gem Cupcakes in VwaV. Can I mention now that I've decided to make Vegan with a Vengeance my cookbook of the month. It's so incredible and about 90% of the things I've been making have come from it. And so far I haven't been disappointed.

The cupcakes turned out delish even Alex had one and proclaimed that they were 'really good!' He's a sucker for anything with icing on it though. The next cupcake I would like to make is her Fauxtess one. You know in replica of those Hostess cakes they sell. But I haven't been able to find anywhere that sells black cocoa in Canada (not even online). Not Dutch process, but black. Like the kind they make Oreo cookies with. So I'll keep looking and if not I'll just have to order them to someone who lives in the States and then get it shipped to me. A real hassle!

So this morning I was itching for some scrambled tofu and I really wanted to try that recipe again in VwaV for Tempeh Bacon. I had some tempeh that I bought that was cooling it's heels in my freezer for quite some time. It turned out pretty good. I would say that it's a definite bonus since I haven't been able to find the veggie bacon that Yves makes at my grocery store anymore. So this could be a good second for when I'm in a pinch and craving it. I think that I would still tweak some things here and there in the recipe to suit my palate even better. And well my scrambled tofu that's just my own creation. I don't like the scrambled tofu recipes that I've found in most cookbooks and on the web. To be honest I like the plain taste that's closer to scrambled eggs than anything. I can't take strong flavors so early in the morning. So here's my recipe for the more delicate morning taste buds.

Eesh's Scrambled Tofu

1 package of Mori-Nu silken tofu (firm or extra firm)
3 scallions chopped
1 small tomato chopped
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2 slices of Yves veggie ham chopped finely (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined (the nutritional yeast flakes will 'dissolve' into everything). I usually use my cast iron pan but you can use whatever frying pan you have on hand. Spray lightly with vegetable oil first. Fry for 10-15 mins or until some of the tofu starts to get a golden brown. Enjoy!

Yesterday I took an unplanned trip to Calgary to visit Meese. It was so lovely being out of the house. We went to the mall and I carried Ayla in my sling for the first time. She didn't fuss at all and fell asleep shortly after getting there. While we were walking around I got it in my head that I'm going to make a diaper bag. I couldn't get the thought out of my head once I came up with it and spent the better half of the day and night thinking about designs and color schemes. So maybe in the near future you'll be seeing fabrics and then a finished diaper bag on this blog.

Name changes and sleepless nights

First things first, I must mention that I decided to change the name of this blog. I wanted something more catchy. I almost knew from the very start that I wouldn't keep Eat, Love, Create. Although it is cute I think Crafty Vegan is much better. Now I don't have to lie awake at night mulling over my blog name and wondering what I should change it to. You'd be surprised the things that keep me up!

So yesterday was very tiring for me. My little angel decided that nap times are optional at 6 weeks old and was up for 11 hrs straight. Actually to steal the words from another mom, she was cranking for 11 hr straight. Needless to say I didn't get anything done and dinner was shot. You might be saying 'well at least you had some leftover soup' but did I mention that I put broccoli in it and that broccoli is on my list of 'What I cannot eat while breastfeeding' list. Yes I totally forgot about that little list when adding the broccoli to a soup that didn't call for broccoli in the first place. That's what happens when you tinker with an otherwise perfect recipe.

Taking a page from yesterday's book I decided to start preparing dinner early today before Alex left for work. Once again from Vegan with a Vengeance I made up some jerk tofu and coconut rice. Well actually it's Jerk Seitan but my seitan was frozen and I couldn't be bothered with that. Some things take planning in advance nowadays. I must say that this doesn't actually taste like the jerk you'd find in let's say, Jamaica. But it's still a very good marinade and dinner turned out amazing! The recipe says to marinate for 1hr but seeing as I started very early it marinated all day so the tofu was really flavorful. And man do I ever love coconut rice!

I was thinking that this would have gone very well with some okra or some other West Indian type vegetables but I don't even think they have okra here in Red Deer and I'll be lucky to find anything more exotic than a papaya. One thing about this recipe. Next time I'll have to fry my tofu first and then do the onions and green peppers. While my tofu was browning the onions started to burn so I had to take everything out the pan then fry the tofu separately. Not fun.

Thanksgiving and posting delays

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and it reminded me that this time last year I was writing my last post on Vegan Engineer. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same spread I prepared last year. Not only do I not have the time to get so elaborate but Alex was working and so I would have just been preparing it for me. But I wasn't without a fully home cooked meal yesterday. I've been looking thru my many cookbooks and I pulled out Vegan with a Vengeance to get some ideas for dinner. As some of you may know I fell completely off the vegan bandwagon when I got pregnant and would occasionally be found eating eating dairy or fish (and can I just say how the guilt overtook me every single time). But now that I don't have any more raging hormones, all day sickness or constant food cravings I'm getting back on my high horse. So last night I wanted to make something fast and easy and stumbled upon the Asparagus and Potato soup in VwaV. I had all the ingredients on hand so it was a perfect fit. Except as I started making it I thought to myself, wouldn't it be wonderful if there was some broccoli in this. Then I thought maybe I'll add some grated carrots for color and then since I hadn't eaten lunch I thought maybe I'll add some silken tofu for that extra punch. So when it was all said and done I had my own little soup going on. It tasted amazing! I still pureed 3/4 of it at the end so it was very creamy just the way I wanted it. After all that I decided I needed something bread like to go with the soup and wouldn't know you Isa had a wonderful biscuit recipe ready to go in that wonderful cookbook of hers! And they turned out so yummy! They were kind of flaky and very buttery tasting. So good! For dessert I decided to make the Carob Chip Muffins from Vive le Vegan! again. Except I didn't have any carob chips so I subbed in some chocolate chips. Oh I just love this recipe. I can't get enough of the little crunch the shredded coconut gives. As you can see I still had a great dinner last night that I could not complain about at all.

Speaking of all this food, I've decided I want to try to make as many recipes from my cookbooks as possible. I would have to say that's my other great addiction. Buying cookbooks. I'll have to make a post about all the ones I do have just in case anyone is interested in trying them out. So far I haven't been disappointed in any of them. I need to make a wish list on Chapters to keep track of all the ones I want to get. Every time I go to buy one I know I'm forgetting one I want even more.

I would like to add here that I started this post this afternoon at around lunch time. It is now past 9pm! Yes people, I didn't get a moment of peace to myself all day. So I'm going to just wrap up this post so I can go and finally relax. Maybe I'll have something more interesting to say tomorrow after a good night's rest!

Sunday morning

It's such a lovely morning and I'm happy to report that the snow didn't last very long on Friday. It was gone by afternoon. In my last post I made a comment about my life changing drastically for the better in this city I now call 'home'. Well if you don't know already... sometime in December of last year I discovered that Alex and I were going to have a baby! And on August 27th at 11:42pm she finally arrived!

Ayla Jade 7lbs 5oz

I'm totally in LOVE I mean honestly can she be any more precious. I don't want to be one of those people that can't stop talking about their kids and boring everyone to death. But I can fully admit that I am a very proud mama of a lovely little girl. She'll be 6 weeks on Monday and I can't believe how the time has flown by! Every time I look at her, I can't believe she was the little thing kicking the hell out of my ribs for those last few months! As many of you know I absolutely thought that she was going to be a boy and she has many 'boy' colored clothing to prove it. But I'm so happy that I was wrong because in my heart I secretly wished for a girl. The name Ayla comes from my favorite book series by Jean Auel. The clan of the cave bear. If you haven't read it yet I suggest you go peruse the aisles of your local bookstore or library to find it because it's an amazing book and an incredible series. After you've finished reading it you'll understand why I was drawn to this name besides it being so pretty. I like unusual things.

So on that note, I'd like to mention that a lot of the inspiration for my crafts and creations will largely be due to Ayla. At the moment I'm fully immersed in making her diapers. Now I know that's not exactly the creative spirit I was talking about when starting this blog. But really it can come in any form! I'm actually enjoying making them. It's been a real trial and error process trying to make them waterproof and free of leaks or blowouts. I think I've finally found the right combination. Every time I sew a new one I think my stitching gets better and better. My mother, bless her heart, thinks that I should start a business and sell them. I'm not that keen on it. I mean I would love to do it as a side. But I'm just not that confident in my sewing skills. It's ok for Ayla because what does she care. But I don't want to sell mediocre work to a stranger. That's just not cool. Maybe if friends wanted me to make some I'd do it because at least they can see them and know what they're getting. In any case, here's a picture of my labors. It's called a pocket diaper in case you were wondering because it has a pocket opening at the back where you can stuff it with the required level of absorbent fabric.

Not bad I think. And constantly improving. She'll fit these for a couple of months still. She's already grown out of the newborn ones I made for her when she was born. Those weren't waterproof and I had to buy a diaper cover.

The next thing I'll be starting on is a Mei Tai. A traditional Asian baby carrier. I've been having a great time wearing her in my wrap. I even got Alex to wear it yesterday to put her to sleep. I just loved seeing them together that way.

Anyway, I think that I have an addiction creeping up on me because I can't stop thinking about all the different carriers I want to make or own. I told Alex the other day that fabric stores and bookstores are my greatest weakness. I can spend hours in either one just going through all the aisles. Naturally he gets frustrated with me and always wants to leave hours before I'm ready. I'm also in love with thrift stores. I've always thought of myself as a little thrifty and environmentally conscious so you can imagine my delight when I do find something worthwhile. Such as this rocking horse and this sled I found for Ayla way before she was even born.

I'm just totally in love with everything wood and vintage or retro. So far all of the toys I've bought for her have been wooden either new or vintage. No plastics thank you. I'm really into softies as well and plan on making some for her. Actually I've bought two patterns from one of my favorite blogs around Wee Wonderfuls. But who knows when I'll get onto making those. I have a book where I write down all my ideas. I have too many things I want to do! Plus I'm knitting her a sweater. Yea, that's going very slowly.

Well I'm off to finish the laundry that's always piling up!

An introduction

Hello Blogworld!

Once again I am attempting to create a blog. I can't tell you how many of these I've started and never followed through on. Well I did give it an honest try with Vegan Engineer. The problem with that one was that I thought no one was reading it. Sometimes I hate doing things just for me. I wanted it to be something that people (anyone out there?) would read. Family, friends or strangers. So in the end I figured there was no interest and took it offline. But yesterday upon deciding to start this one, I went over to my old blog and wouldn't you know people were interested! I had comments that needed to be moderated as in accepted before they're posted. Well you can understand how happy and yet sad that made me. These comments were from way back in September and October of last year! People had even asked me questions that I never even got back to! I felt bad that I left them hanging but happy that YES someone cared! So here we are.

The inspiration for this new blog? Well for one thing my life has taken a 180 degree turn from last year and I might actually have something interesting to write about this time! So in essence, this blog will be about my life now with maybe sometimes a look back on what it used to be. Isn't it funny how sometimes you can regret something but when the moment has passed and time has moved on you look back and realize you learned something valuable that was worth it in the end. Last year on Vegan Engineer I literally cried about the hand fate had dealt me. Then I realized there was a reason I came here and when I discovered it, it became the most defining moment of my life (but I'll elaborate on this more in another post). So why Eat, Love, Create you ask? Well in keeping with Vegan Engineer I wanted to continue writing about my saga (ie. ups and downs) with being a vegan, hence the Eat. And Love, well because love just anchors everything now doesn't it? And Create because I've always been creative and I've finally been able to get off the couch long enough to do something about it.

I'll end this post on a good note with a picture of what I woke up to find outside my door on this bright yet chilly October morning.

Yes people! A light dust of snow! Now you might be wondering why I said 'a good note' let's just say it was so sunny out I couldn't possibly be mad about it. :)