Chana Masala

It's funny how taste buds change.  Back in my vegan teenager days I hated chickpeas.  Actually I hated all beans which made it very hard to get my complete proteins.  I used to force them down my throat because I knew they were healthy but I hated every minute of it!  Now, not only do I not mind black beans and kidney beans but I am also completely in love with chickpeas!  One of my favourite vegan dishes to make is Chana Masala because it's quick, easy and cheap!

Here is the recipe I follow (I believe I got it off the world wide web somewhere and modified it a little bit!):

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed (I use the largest can I can buy)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala (I use a spice just called Indian Spices)
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed
• vegetable broth (to taste)
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chickpeas, spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding 2 tbsp of vegetable broth at a time if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.

Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the ground flax (I try to put ground flax in all of my cooking to get my Omega 3's.  Enjoy!

Magical Coconut Cookie Bars

While watching tv the other night, a Bueno commercial came on.  Being full vegans Buenos are off our 'edible' list but Hubby asked me if I could find something yummy that incorporated chocolate and coconut.  Immediately I began flipping through one of my favourite sweet-tooth books - Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and found a yummy sounding recipe titled Magical Coconut Cookie Bars.  I picked up the ingredients and set to work assembling the bars later the next day.  It didn't take long to prepare - the hardest part was letting them sit overnight since they looked so incredibly delicious!  When we cut into them the following day and had our first taste, we were literally making little hmmmming noises!  Utterly fab!

26.

It's birthday week at our house!  Hubby and I are a whole 48 hours apart in age so we always celebrate together!  It began with family festivities at the beginning of the week and I took care of dessert!

I made vegan cupcakes (actually the first cupcakes I've ever made in my life), following the recipe off one of my favourite veg chef's website here:

http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/vanilla-bean-cupcakes-with-chocolate-ganache/

I found these to taste a little more like a muffin than a super sweet cupcake but the chocolate sauce added just the right amount of sweet.

Then on my birthday I woke up to a beautiful bouquet of flowers!

Hubby had already taken the dogs to the dog park when he jumped back in bed to deliver sweet birthday kisses and then we were off to Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton, Ontario.

We had spent a few days there last year for our wedding anniversary and fell in love with the place.  Since we are both in retail this time of the year is particularly busy and a day off to be pampered with not a care in the world was most welcomed!

Amidst swimming in the pool, relaxing in the hot tubs and breathing deep in the eucalyptus room I enjoyed a morning seaweed body wrap and a late afternoon hot stone massage.  Oh and there may have been an enjoyable nap on a swinging hammock in there somewhere too!

Lazy Sundays

Well I survived my first week at work which was a welcome relief.  I was really nervous of how my body would react to 8 hours of running around on my feet, especially with the uncontrollable pain I had experienced right before leaving in the first place but it went really well!  I experienced some minor neck pain and by Friday I was pretty sore but I made it through the entire week.

On a completely unrelated note I added some bangs to my 'do but haven't gotten a chance to wear them down all week since it's been so hot out they get curly by the time I get to work!  Not sure if I like them more or less, but they're a change at least.  Now if only my hair would grow faster!


Anyways......so life sure seems busy now!  Back to working full time means a lot less 'Me' time!  I got off track the last month or so with my weight loss and exercise goals so I've been trying to get to the gym more this week.  I want to make delicious meals for Hubby and I but am so tired it's been a challenge not to grab fast food on the way home.

Then there's the cleaning!  The last thing I want to do after I've worked all day, went to the gym and made dinner is clean but I also like having a clean house and I enjoyed how neat and tidy everything was while I was off.  I've also been trying all week to keep a balance with the animals.  I feel so guilty leaving them behind every morning!

Since these are all part of my routine again I bought myself an agenda.  I spent an hour yesterday planning out my week - gym, cleaning, meals etc.  I'm a list maker so even if I don't stick to everything just writing and organizing my life takes that extra weight off....plus it's super cute!

Now that it's a rainy Sunday I feel so exhausted I just want some me time!  But there's cleaning to do, animals to love, the gym to get to....I guess that's life but sometimes I wish it just wasn't so BUSY!  Although it couldn't hurt to sit on the couch with a cup of tea and my book and read....just for a little bit!

Dog Days of Summer

Hubby and I vacationed most of the week, it was wonderful!

If you've been reading the blog you'll know we started our vaycay at a family cottage in Bancroft, Ontario.  We love going up there because the dogs are just as happy as we are.  Unfortunately we didn't get the best weather so Hubby and I spent part of it making up new rules to Monopoly.  When the sun was shining or it just wasn't raining we were outdoors with the pups.

Genevieve & Murray retrieving the ball.

Enjoying a canoe ride while the rain held off.

 

Weather cleared up for a beautiful sunset.

And stayed beautiful in to the next day.

Sunning on the dock with Genevieve.

The dogs spent all of their time in the water.  We haven't gotten much rain this summer so they had to go out really far to get where they couldn't touch.  Murray spent hours doing circles in the water - this tiny speck moving in the distance.  Every once in a while you would see him stop and his head pop up, just to make sure we were still around.  Genevieve likes to retrieve.  Even if she's completely exhausted she can't resist swimming after her toy and bringing it back to us.  Eventually to give her a break we had to leash her and bring her on the dock with us.  With a ball in her mouth, she settled down quickly.

 After some R&R at the cottage, we spent some time at my Dad's boat with him, my Stepmom and little Brother.  We had gorgeous weather and picked an island close to the marina to anchor off of with some friends to enjoy the day.  My little Brother and Hubby spent their time pretending they were pirates (my brother is 4).  I spent my time floating around on an inner tube, sipping my wine and soaking up the sun.  My Stepmom came up late, she slept in and we wanted to get out on the water so Dad was trying to figure out a plan to go back and get her later on.  Instead she found someone boating our way and hitched a ride with them to us!

Brother and Hubby.

Hubby walks the 'plank' and does a cannonball!

 We've been back for a few days now.  Although our vacation was relaxing being a Beach Bum just wears me out!  I've been lazing around here when there's tons to do - but I have a great tan now!  I'm nervous to start work again tomorrow.  I've been off for almost 4 months after pain problems following a car accident we were in last Christmas.  Keeping fingers crossed it all goes well and no one yells at me!

Vegan Pizza

Unfortunately for us vegans, pizza covered in loads of yummy, stringy cheese is not an option.  For me, cheese has been the most difficult temptation to overcome.  Even after all of these years I still find cheese lures me!  One day when I had been missing pizza terribly, I came across a mushroom and veggie no cheese pizza by Amy.  Even without the cheese it was delicious but also $11 for a small!  For a while when the temptation for pizza hit I would pick one up but it didn't seem worth the money.

 When visiting my sister one afternoon she offered to make us pizzas.  She would buy the pizza crusts from the grocery store which also came with the marinara sauce, then put whatever toppings she wanted on them!  Why I never thought of this before I wasn't sure but I was ready to give it a shot!  I got 2 crusts and the sauce for $4, then would just buy whatever veggies I wanted to top it with.  I still missed 'real' pizza but this satisfied the majority of my pizza cravings.

Now it's been a year since I started making my own pizzas and I'm still missing the cheese!  Pizza just isn't pizza without the ooey gooey goodness of cheese!  Sure there are vegetarian cheeses available but many of them aren't vegan.  The few that I've found that are, taste like chemicals or don't melt.  So lately I've started crumbling seasoned tofu over my pizza.  Although it doesn't necessarily taste like cheese it does adds some extra density to the pizza kind of tricking my brain in to believing the pizza isn't missing anything.  Plus it is pretty yummy!


To make your own pizza with crumbled tofu first get a bowl out and put a few shakes of parsley, oregano, sage and basil in it.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then go on to crumbling 1/3 package of firm tofu in to the bowl.  Use your fingers to mix the tofu, making sure the spices cover it well.  Set aside.  Next cover your pizza crust in sauce and toppings of your choice.  Finally sprinkle your crumbled tofu on top of your pizza, cook and enjoy!

Chatty Birdies

On a whim, I decided to bring Ella to the cottage with us.  We were loading everything in to the truck and Ella was playing and chirping in her cage while I carried everything down from the kitchen.  At that moment I decided I couldn't leave her behind.  Unlike our bunnies, cats and hammy, Ella would enjoy the hot weather, being outdoors and listening to the noises outside.  So I emptied her food and water dishes, then managed to squeeze her cage behind my seat and we were off.

She loved it! The deck gets the morning sun so I set her on a table in the far corner.  That way the wind could blow through her cage but wouldn't be strong enough to shake her.  It was warm and sunny, perfect weather for her!  She chirped and sang, rang her bells and played with toys while she listened to the other birds chirping and flying overhead.  Even down at the lake, we could hear her on the deck.

In the early evening when the bugs would start to get bad, I'd move her inside and put her at the patio doors so she could still see outside.  Hubby and I would eat dinner near her - sharing veggies, fruit and a few pieces of naan with her.  The whole time she danced and sang away.  It was adorable!

At night when she was settling in for the night, I'd move her to a table in another corner of the cottage.  It was still close to us but didn't get the early morning sunlight.  I didn't want her to wake up at 5am!  She would sit there clicking her beak contentedly while her eyes drooped.

So Ella adjusted to cottage life easily.  And Hubby and I delighted in watching her enjoy it so much.