About Me

My photo
I'm Shelly, a nature-worshipper, animal lover, mom, yogini, and adventure-seeker living in the great Northwest US! I share my life with an amazingly strong, kind man and a beautiful, compassionate and hilarious daughter. In 2009, we embarked on a new path of veganism, and are eating so many delicious, healthy foods, feeling great and finding the transition to be easy, exciting and fun! We also have the wanderlust! So this blog will include our journeys around the world!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Rodeo is hell for the animals!

Imagine this: a person jumps onto your back and then proceeds to snap a cord around your groin as tight as physically possible, or jab sharp metal objects into your sides, or kick or whip or beat you, maybe even electric-shock you, maybe even all of these things. When you try and run away, your head is jerked around by a rope around your face, or a bar of metal in your mouth, or a noose around your neck. There may be much shouting all around, and the more you try and get away, the more often the ordeal is repeated...Or, imagine this: you are a little toddler, still young enough to want to drink your mama's milk. You are taken from her and one day you are suddenly being chased by a huge horse. You run, and are suddenly jerked off your feet by a noose around your neck. Just as soon as you get to your feet, you are thrown down to the ground again, and your legs tied. This happens day after day, again and again sometimes. Sound like a horror show? It's called RODEO. I can't believe I used to take part in this horribly cruel shit.

I hate rodeos! I don't know why people think it's OK to abuse animals--horses and cows are very gentle creatures--until they are tortured into a frightened frenzy.

Please, just think about this! And don't support rodeos!! And if you go to them, or participate in them because you love to be around horses and cowboys (my old reasons)...Well, there are lots of humane and beautiful ways to be around cows and horses and even cowboys! Support or start an animal sanctuary! Go volunteer to brush, exercise, feed or clean stalls at a stable. Whip up some delicious vegan pancakes or pie and serve it at the local country diner with hot coffee...in your sexy jeans and a tight t-shirt... I don't know! Whatever, just please think about how an animal must feel in these situations and then decide if it's worth supporting the suffering to another being for "entertainment."

Whew, hope I can sleep now. I just had to get that out!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Fall is in the Air!

We had a cooler day, high of 80 yesterday, and I saw a few fallen leaves, so I got out my soup pot! I did an impromptu lentil soup with veggies I had on hand, plus tomatoes, thyme and a zucchini from our garden. But next time I will make Mom's Lentil Soup, it's delicious. Here's the recipe for her soup, and also a photo and recipe of a chili I made on our last cool day before summer! (Obviously it's been a whirlwind summer!)

Mom's Lentil Soup 


Ingredients:

1 cup small cubed carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small peeled and diced sweet potato
1 handful chopped cauliflower
1 tsp cumin
1.5 cups brown lentils
4 cups Vegetable broth
2 TB sweet red Thai chili sauce
1 TB paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Brown and sweat carrots, celery, sweet potato and cauliflower.
Add cumin.
Add lentils, Vege broth and chili sauce. Stir and bring to boil, then simmer on medium low for 45 minutes to one hours until lentils are soft.
Add 1 TB paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Done!

So easy and sooooo delicious! Thanks Mom!!



Shell's Organic Chili


Ingredients:
2 cans dark kidney beans - drained
2 cans black beans
1 yellow onion
2 carrots
4 TB olive or sunflower oil
1 TB cumin
2 TB chili powder (or more)
3 c Vegetable broth - low sodium
4 oz tomato paste (3/4 of can, use the rest for english muffin or tortilla pizzas!)
1 can tomatoes in Adobe sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
2 small jalapenos, sliced in thin in rings (you can add jals later too if you want chili mild)

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add carrots and saute 2 more minutes. Add cumin and chili powder, then broth, beans, tomato paste, Adobe tomatoes, chopped tomato and jalapenos. Bring to boil, then simmer for at least 2 hours on low.

Serve with a dollup of vegan sour cream  if desired and some cornbread! (The Kind Life Cookbook has an amazing cornbread recipe!)

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Oahu

Watching a Sea Turtle coming up onto the shore

The fam on Waimanalo Beach

North Shore Sunset

Delicious Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Chicken at Waimea Valley Waterfall
We had so much fun in Hawaii this last Spring. Jamison was lucky to get a job assignment in Oahu, and so Jossy and I were able to tag along for a great vacation! We started out in Honolulu, where we found some amazing vegan eats! It was really easy and fun to eat here, because there were lots of vegan/vegetarian choices at most places and some all vegan cafes too. We loved the Peace Cafe. They had amazing food, drinks and desserts! We also loved the Down to Earth All Vegetarian Organic and Natural Store! This place was awesome with a deli and even garage parking.  A place called Longhi's in the Ala Moana mall had the best fruit bowl I have ever had! Fresh pineapple of course, with all fresh blueberries, strawberries, bananas, cantaloupe, blackberries and more and HUGE! They didn't have vegan options on the menu but were great at working with us with things like fried potates, avocados, pastas and sauces, veggies and breads. (A lot of places are if you just ask the waiter to ask the cooks/chef what they can do for a non-meat and non-dairy eater! Plus, I think it helps when we tell them our daughter has a dairy allergy, then they usually help us out a lot and find someone in the kitchen that knows how to prepare dairy free food.

Another great little place was called Ruffage. The owner was really nice and they had a little health food store too, where I bought  a big tub of coconut oil to try as sunscreen. It worked great! I even used it on my 2 year old, even on our faces! We didn't burn at all, just tanned and were super moisturized. :) It was a little greasy, but who cares when you are on the beach and bumming around anyway! It felt so natural and I was just so surprised that none of us whiteys burned at all!

We stayed at the Ilikai, where we got upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite! Right on!! Although this place did not have a great pool, the place next door did, and when we went there thinking it was the Ilikai's pool...they let us stay and it was awesome. Can't remember the name of the hotel, but it looked fun. And on the other side of the Ilikai was the Hilton Hawaiian village, which was fun to explore with their flamingos and swans and Koi ponds, even if it was pretty fake. The beach was OK, but lots of people and very "groomed", but nice because the waves were small so we didn't have to worry about our daughter wading.

The second part of our trip started out...exciting shall we say?? Our first night on the North Shore we were evacuated for a Tsunami warning! We woke up at 1:00 AM to firemen shouting "EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY" in a megaphone, looked outside and ours was the only car left in the parking lot! We had gone to bed early and with the ocean noise, hadn't heard all of the commotion of people fleeing for higher ground! We grabbed our daughter and the diapers and took off. We asked the locals at the gas station where to go, and ended up sleeping in the car in a McDonald's parking lot in a town at about 900 feet above sea level. We were let back in to Haleiwa around noon the next day. There were 6 foot higher than normal waves that damaged a few boats in the harbor, but that's all thankfully. The condo where we stayed has a reef in front and the next day, the water would fully expose the reef about every hour or so, which I guess was unusual. Other than that, it was vacation as planned. :) We played in the sand, swam (only a little :) ) snorkeled, and watched the amazing huge waves. We hiked to a waterfall at Waimea Valley and swam, and it was beautiful! The Polynesian Cultural Center had a good show and a great Luau. There's a wonderful vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Haleiwa called Paradise Found. It is in the back of the health food store. Jossy loved the Acai smoothie and we played dominoes while we waited for our delicious grub.

I can't wait until I can go to Hawaii again. The fresh air, the ocean beaches, the laid-back friendly people, and smell of flowers. I love it!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Mom

I want to introduce you to my Mom, Sharyn. She means the world to me! 

She is my friend, and my confidant. She is so much fun to be around, so kind and a great listener! I feel I can tell her anything, and she is always there if I need to talk or just hang out. Mom loves my sister and I and her three grand kids more than anything in the world, and we are so blessed to have such a great little family. 

Lately, Mom and I spend a lot of our time just laughing with Jossy, my two-year-old daughter, and watching her antics. She really gets a kick out of her!  And Mom's laugh is so spontaneous and whole-hearted! It is so funny to watch Jossy copy her, throwing her head back in a loud "Ahhh Hahahaha!" 

We go on walks with the dogs, go visit Nana, or get together with the whole family for lively meals full of laughter and love. She's the one I call when I just want to chat or share something from my day.

Mom is an amateur photographer, a wonderful flower gardener, and she has turned her place into the cutest little house you have ever seen. She even put in a huge wrap-around brick patio by herself under her cherry tree. She loves the ocean, and has influenced everyone in the family in that aspect, we go to the beach whenever we can, and it's especially fun when we all go together on a vacation. 

I hope that I can grow into such an amazing woman, so giving and so fun. 

Thanks Mom for being you! I love you Mom




Sunday, April 24, 2011

Amazing spinach dip

My favorite spinach dip
1 Box frozen spinach, chopped
1 Can water chestnuts, chopped
1 C Tofutti Sour Supreme-Better than Sour Cream
1 C Vegannaise
1 1.8 oz package dried leek soup (or if you can't find vegan leek soup, there are vegan onion dried mixes)
Thaw spinach, combine all ingredients, mix, refrigerate and served in a hollowed-out sour dough bowl with veggies and crackers. It's great like this, or you can add chopped artichokes too.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

We don't miss meat at all

I'm not kidding! Tonight we had Garlic Maple Portobello Burgers that were so easy to make and to die for!! Of course, we skipped the cheese...
Here's the recipe, and a note about maple syrup:


When it comes to pure Maple Syrup, Grade B in no way denotes inferiority. The "B" stands for Black Amber, and indicates the syrup was made from sap tapped late in the maple sugaring season. Grade B maple syrup has a deeper color and more robust, complex maple flavor than the lighter grades, which makes it perfect for incorporating into savory recipes.
As a key ingredient in the marinade for these vegetarian portobello burgers, Grade B maple syrup provides a hint of earthy sweetness to balance the sharp garlic and salty tamari. Sweet potato friesmake a great accompaniment.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4.

Ingredients:

  • 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed.
  • For the marinade:
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pure Grade B maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • To assemble:
  • 4 ciabatta rolls or whole-wheat burger buns, split
  • 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 ounces aged sharp white cheddar, sliced
  • 1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 1 medium tomato, sliced

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425ยบ.
Lightly oil a medium roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold the mushroom caps without crowding.
Gently clean the mushrooms with a brush or damp paper towel. Place them gill-side up into the baking dish.
Whisk together the oil, syrup, tamari, and vinegar. Stir in the garlic.
Spoon the marinade evenly over the mushroom caps, topping each with some of the garlic. Allow the mushrooms to marinate at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. (This is a good time to prep the sandwich fixings if you haven't already).
Place the baking dish with the mushrooms and marinade into the preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked through and appear juicy and sizzling.
While the mushrooms are roasting, spread the ciabatta or burger rolls with Dijon mustard. Divide the cheese evenly among the rolls. (If you prefer toasted rolls and melted cheese, place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven during the last few minutes that the mushrooms cook.)
Remove the mushrooms and rolls from the oven. Layer each roll with avocado, tomato slices, and a portobello cap. Enjoy!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Banana Almond Pancakes - Vegan and Gluten Free

Yay! I made these babies up, from a combination of several recipes, and what I had in the fridge...and they turned out yummy! REALLY yummy! So I am motivated to blog again :)

I've been trying to avoid wheat per my doctor's orders, and am finding that I feel ALOT better, and it's not that hard! I didn't realize just how much wheat I had in my diet everyday, it was a lot. If you eat too much of one thing, you can develop an allergy to it, and if you cut it out for awhile, you may be able to add it back in in moderation later. So for now, I am avoiding it, and we are getting a better variety of whole grains, and more vegetables in our diet after cutting out some of the breads and wheat fillers. There are a lot of delicious alternatives to wheat products out there too. Some of my current faves are:

-Food for Life gluten-free bread, Millet
-Edward and Sons crackers, Brown Rice Snaps in Tamari Sesame
-Bionaturae pasta (pasta! it's really good too!) Organic Gluten Free made with rice, potato and soy

Oh yeah, back to the pancakes!

Here's the recipe:


Almond Banana Pancakes – Vegan and Gluten Free
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free All Purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Sucanat, or any granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground flax 
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • about 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
  • 1 tbsp Safflower oil
  • 1/2 cup almond butter (i used home-made)
  • 1 medium sized banana- thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp Braggs Apple Cider vinegar
  • coconut oil or vegan margarine for cooking
Directions:
Mix flours, sugar, ground flax, baking powder and salt together in large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup almond milk, almond butter and safflower oil and stir until well combined. Stir in sliced banana pieces, sort of smashing them into the batter as you stir. I left quite a few chunks in mine. Next add your vinegar and about 1/3 cup more almond milk until a batter consistency is reached. You may need more or less milk depending on how thick your almond butter is… and on your preference for batter thickness. I don't like too-thick pancakes, I like them so thin they form a crispy edge!
I use an electric griddle on about 325 F, and ladle the batter out to make sure each pancake has banana in it. Enjoy!
Note: To make your own delicious almond butter, just put a couple of cups of organic almonds into a food processor and process until smooth. It will take around 12 minutes, but it is so easy and you only have to scrape the sides a few times during the process. Make sure you process until the oil is released, you will know when it gets really creamy and looks like a butter! Store in airtight container in the fridge. Some people soak and re-hydrate the almonds first, and I think I read that it is healthier to do this...but I need to research this some more. In the mean time, it's still fresher and cheaper than store-bought almond butter.