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Product Review: LUSH Jungle Solid Conditioner

September 4, 2010 //
2

If you’ve read my other reviews, you know that I’m a big fan of LUSH products for a myriad of reasons. Upon a recent trip to pick up a new shampoo bar, I asked for a sample of the Jungle solid conditioner. I’ve been using Vegenese as a conditioner for a while now, and I love it, but I also love the idea of a package-less conditioner.

Like the Herbalism cleanser, Jungle defies any notion of what a conditioner typically looks and feels like. It takes a little practice to use it; I run it under hot water while in the shower to soften it a bit and then roll it between my hands like soap to form a light lather. It doesn’t have a thick consistency and when applied to your hair, it doesn’t feel like there’s anything there. But Jungle successfully detangles my super-straight hair and doesn’t leave a build-up. It has a very fresh and clean smell, which I absolutely love.

According to the LUSH site, Jungle is suitable for all hair types, but I couldn’t imagine using it on dry hair. It doesn’t seem like it would condition it enough, but like most LUSH products, it can be sampled first to see if you like it.

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Categories beauty, natural, product review, vegan

New Blog Post: The Peaceful Pantry

September 1, 2010 //
0

Hello everyone! If you’re a fan of delicious vegan food, be sure to check out The Peaceful Pantry — my new all-vegan blog.

Hope you’re having a great week so far!

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Categories food, music, vegan

New Vegan Blog: The Peaceful Pantry

August 12, 2010 //
0

My new, all-vegan blog, The Peaceful Pantry is up! It’s pretty bare bones right now and I’m still trying to figure out the logistics of my posts, but it’s up and running! From here on out, I’ll be posting all my vegan food stuff on there. But don’t worry, I plan on posting regularly here on Happy Introvert, too.

I hope you’re having a great week!

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Categories food, music, vegan

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

August 11, 2010 //
0

I love stir-fry because it’s so versatile and it’s a great way to use up extra veggies. For this recipe, I used Lauren Ulm’s sweet and sour sauce recipe from Vegan Yum Yum. To it, I added fried tofu, shelled edamame, broccoli, and red and yellow peppers.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups cooked brown rice (2 cups uncooked)

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 yellow pepper, cut into large pieces

1 red pepper, cut into large pieces

1 cup shelled, frozen edamame

2 cups broccoli

Double recipe of sweet and sour sauce

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Cook the rice according to the directions. Mix together the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce and set aside. Add the oil to a wok or non-stick skillet set to medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up, add your tofu and stir constantly until browned on all sides. Add the shelled edamame to the tofu and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the veggies until stir for a couple more minutes. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and stir until it thickens. As soon as the sauce thickens to coat the veggies, take off the heat. Serve immediately over the cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Quinoa Loaf With Mushrooms and Peas

August 7, 2010 //
0

You know a recipe is good when you wake up the next day and can’t wait to get through breakfast and lunch just so you can eat the leftovers for dinner. And then you decide, “Why wait for dinner?” and eat it for lunch instead.

I’ve been searching for a good vegan meatloaf recipe for quite some time and found this on the Whole Foods website. I wasn’t sure if it would cut it as a meatloaf alternative, but it was delicious. And easy to make. And budget-friendly. And healthy. I’d even go so far as to say that it’s one of my favorite recipes.

I will say that the quinoa loaf holds up better the next day. It kept falling apart on me when I served it the first night, but it still tasted great. The next day, the loaf was a lot firmer and easier to remove from the pan in a single piece.

The original recipe didn’t call for it, but I added ketchup to the top of my quinoa loaf for a more authentic “meatloaf” taste.

Quinoa Loaf With Mushrooms and Peas

(adapted from the Whole Foods recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup rolled oats

2 cups cooked quinoa ( Learn to Cook: Quinoa)

1 cup frozen green peas

1 teaspoon minced dried thyme, crushed with your fingers

10 sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped

1 cup (about 1 onion) chopped red onion

1/2 cup ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch loaf pan with oil; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, put beans, oats and 1/2 cup water into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. In a large bowl, combine mushrooms, bean mixture, quinoa, peas, parsley, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, gently pressing down and mounding it in the middle. Bake until firm and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. About 15 minutes before it’s finished baking, take the loaf out of the oven and spread the ketchup on top. Put back in the oven for the remaining time. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I served my quinoa loaf with a side of mashed potatoes and carrots that had a brown sugar and butter (Earth Balance) glaze.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Breakfast, Lunch, and a New Blog

August 6, 2010 //
2

Sorry for the lack of posts. My cooking has been pretty uninspired this week. For one, it’s been extremely hot, with a heat index over 100 degrees for most the week. The last thing I’ve wanted to do is turn on the oven, so I’ve been sticking to no-cook meals such as yogurt, berries, and granola for breakfast, and tabouli salad for lunch. And two, we’ve been on a tight budget this week, so our meals have been very basic, and not really blog-worthy.

But some good news: I’m working on a new, all-vegan blog. I want to show people just how easy and budget-friendly a vegan lifestyle can be. I want to take out the guesswork and intimidation that can come with vegan meal planning by including weekly meal plans and respective shopping lists, and all on a budget. Right now, I’m messing around with the layout and whatnot, but I hope to have it up for public view in the next few weeks.

I’m not sure what that means for Happy Introvert. When I started this blog, I wasn’t really sure what direction it was going to take. But I’ve discovered that I have a real passion for vegan food and I love to write about it. I hope you’ll follow me over to the new site when it’s up and running.

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Categories food, vegan

Coconut Curry Tofu

July 29, 2010 //
8

Our downstairs friends and neighbors, Erin and Neil, were kind enough to invite me over for dinner last week and served this recipe for Coconut Curry Tofu, which Erin had found on allrecipes.com. It was delicious, and I’ve been craving it ever since! The dish is full of bright, colorful veggies and tofu that are simmered in a luscious coconut curry sauce. Of course, I think Erin’s version tasted better than mine, but it still turned out really well.

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches green onions
  • 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup soy or tamari sauce, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons chile paste
  • 1 pound extra firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 4 cups chopped bok choy
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Press tofu for at least 20 minutes to remove any liquid. Chop into 3/4-inch cubes.
  2. In a wok or deep skillet, fry the tofu cubes in a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat until golden-brown on all sides.
  3. Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2 inch pieces and set aside for garnish.
  4. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.
  5. Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Serve with white rice and garnish with green onion.

Enjoy!
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Categories food, vegan

Olive Nut Spread

July 28, 2010 //
1

I met some friends for lunch last week at the Butterfly Garden Cafe, a local lunch spot that offers delicious soups, sandwiches, and salads. Oh, and some ridiculously good desserts. My friend, Erin, and I each ordered the Olive Nut Sandwich and a cup of chilled strawberry soup that was divine. Neither was vegan, but both the sandwich and the soup inspired me to create vegan versions.

I’m still working on the chilled strawberry soup recipe, but recreating the olive nut spread was very easy. It was simply a matter of mixing chopped pecans, pimentos, and green olives in with Tofutti cream cheese. The result tasted almost exactly like the original. I served mine with spicy baby arugula instead of the red lettuce they used on their version, but just because that’s what I had on-hand.

Olive Nut Spread

Ingredients:

2 containers of plain Tofutti Non-Hydrogenated Better Than Cream Cheese

3/4 cup pecans chopped

3/4 cup large green olives stuffed with pimentos (I picked up some gorgeous, meaty green olives from the Whole Foods’ olive bar — much cheaper that way)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Empty both tubs of cream cheese into a bowl. Add the chopped pecans, olives, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate. When using, spread generously onto good bread and add greens of your choice.

That’s it! Super easy and cheap — my kind of meal!

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Double Feature: Tahini Lime Cookies and Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins

July 22, 2010 //
2

It was a baking bonanza in my kitchen yesterday with me making not one, but two kinds of baked goods: Tahini Lime Cookies and Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins.

The cookies are adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I’ve made a few different cookie recipes from their cookbook and haven’t had a bad one yet. The Tahini Lime Cookies reminded me of a shortbread cookie, but not as dense. They weren’t super sweet, which I liked, but they were surprisingly rich. However, the lime zest cut through the cookie’s richness and added a wonderful punch of flavor.

Tahini Lime Cookies

Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/2c non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3/4c sugar

1/2c tahini, at room temperature

3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk

Grated zest from 3 limes (~ 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4c all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4c of black sesame seeds (I only had white sesame seeds on hand)

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat together shortening and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the tahini, 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk, lime zest, and vanilla.  Then mix in all of the dry ingredients. Mix in remaining flour. Dough should hold together at this point, but if not, add up to 2 additional tablespoons of the remaining non-dairy milk.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and flatten slightly. Place on cookie sheets and flatten a bit more. Sprinkle and lightly press sesame seeds into top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned.

After I made the cookies, I decided that I might as well throw together some blueberry muffins for breakfast. I had already made a big mess in the kitchen from the cookies, so what’s a few more bowls?

This blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I’ve made it several times and it’s my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. The spelt flour adds a wonderful heartiness to the muffins without being too heavy or dense. And the ginger (I used freshly grated ginger) adds a nice spicy kick as you devour them.

Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins

Adapted from Vegan Brunch

Makes about a dozen muffins

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups soymilk (0r your favorite non-dairy milk)

1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt

1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups spelt flour

Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin (I used silicone muffin cups instead).

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and grated fresh ginger in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk or a fork to combine. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the blueberries

Scoop into muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or so (check doneness by inserting a small knife or toothpick into the center of a muffin and seeing if it comes out clean). Try to let them cool a bit before eating. Try.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Veggie Calzones

July 19, 2010 //
2

Calzones are extremely easy to make and a great way to use up veggies that are a little past their prime. For this batch of calzones, I used red and green peppers, kalamata olives, onion, and spinach. I also used mozzarella-style Daiya cheese, which I highly recommend. It’s the closest thing to cheese that I’ve had since becoming vegan. Most Whole Foods now carry it, but if you aren’t near one, I know that you can buy it at Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe and at The Vegan Store.

For the calzone dough, I used the same pizza dough recipe that I used for the Za’atar Pizzas I made a few months back. I also used a little za’atar seasoning for the top of the calzones.

Veggie Calzones

Ingredients:

1 batch of pizza dough, divided into four balls when ready

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

½ small yellow onion

Baby spinach

Daiya mozzarella-style cheese

Za’atar

Cornmeal for dusting

Directions:

Make the dough according to the directions. You’ll need to allow 2 ½ hours for the dough to rise.

During the last half-hour needed for the dough to rise, make the marinara and chop the veggies. Pour the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Chopped the garlic cloves and add them to the pan. Once you start to smell the garlic (after about a minute), add the crush tomatoes, thyme, oregano, basil, and salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, roughly chopped the peppers and onion and add them to the marinara, turn down the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Also during this time, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Brush a little olive oil on a sheet pan and sprinkle cornmeal onto the pan. Using a rolling pin, lightly and quickly roll out each of the four dough balls into a circle roughly 8 inches across (don’t worry if they aren’t uniform, just be sure not to roll the dough too much). Place each circle onto the pan and spread the filling on half of the dough. Add a small handful of the cheese, and top with the spinach. Fold the other half of the dough over and try to seal it, but don’t worry if it comes apart. Two of my calzones came apart during the baking process and they were still tasty. Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle some of the za’atar on top.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan
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