Recipe | Winter White Sangria

0

Okay, I know I'm bad at keeping promises when it comes to this blog (*cough* fotd friday *cough*)... so here's a sangria recipe to help you get over it.

1.5 liter of Moscato, or your favorite white wine
1 Granny Smith, or any other tart apple, sliced
the juice of one orange
another orange, sliced
about 2 cups of fresh cherries
1 pear, sliced
1/4 cup grenadine
juice of half a lime, the other half sliced
1/4-1/2 cup honey whiskey
optional - club soda to top off the glasses once served.

Combine all of the fruits, whiskey, and juices with the wine in a large pitcher or punch bowl. You can make it a sparkling sangria by adding the club soda to the pitcher, or you can just use it to top off each glass of sangria served. This step is also totally optional as the sangria will taste just fine without the bubbly.

Let the sangria sit and chill for at least an hour before you plan on serving it!

Enjoy :)

Read More »

Recipe | Vegan Pumpkin Maple Walnut Scones

0

This recipe was loosely based on this pumpkin scone I found here. I had never made scones before, let alone vegan ones, and needed something to base my measurements off of.

Makes 10 scones.

1 cup raw walnuts
2 cups brown rice flour (or any flour you have on hand, really)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup solid coconut oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit

Spread your walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast them for 3-5 minutes in your preheated oven. Remove them and chop them into tiny pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and walnuts.

In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract.

Cut the solid coconut oil into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly and lumpy. You can do this with a fork or if you're fancy, with a pastry cutter. The you can introduce the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Remove from the bowl and onto a lightly floured clean surface. Form the dough into a about a 1 inch thick circle.

Use a circular cookie cutter, a cup, mug, or some sort of small circular object to cut your scones into rounds. You could also cut them into triangles, but I'm partial to the round scone... I think it's because Ireland really only had round ones when I was there.

Place your scones on a lightly greased, or lined with parchment paper, baking sheet.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven, or until lightly golden brown.

And there you go! A delicious addition to your morning coffee routine, afternoon snack, or just an anytime treat.

Enjoy! :)

Read More »

Recipe | Chana Masala (non-traditional)

0

Before I get any hate from hard core Indian food snobs about this not being a traditional Chana Masala recipe - I AM NOT CLAIMING IT IS. I understand that some key ingredients are left out ( It's not exactly easy to obtain an ingredient like amchoor powder for me). I am also aware that I introduced some new ingredients (I like zucchini, so what?). I was just working with what I had on hand and catering the recipe to what I like. I wanted this to be relatively easy and equally as tasty. I hope you can look past these minor details and try this recipe out for yourself. It's quite good, if I do say so myself, even if it isn't traditional. One day I'll try my hand at a traditional recipe, but for now this is a great alternative.

1 large white onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
2-3 small potatoes, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 heaping tbsp mango-ginger chutney
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large skillet to medium heat with some olive oil. Start off by sauteing the potatoes because they'll take the longest to soften up. After about 5-7 minutes, add in the other vegetables. Saute together with some salt and pepper for another 5-7 minutes.

Introduce the drained and rinsed chickpeas to the veggie mix. Then add the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, and turmeric to the pan to wake them up a bit. Stir to coat all the veggies with the spices.

Now you can stir in the tomato paste. When the tomato paste becomes fragrant, add the mango-ginger chutney and the chili-garlic sauce. Stir to combine everything.

Add in the vegetable stock and simmer until the liquid reduces by about half (15 minutes or so) Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. 

(what it should look like BEFORE it has reduced)

Serve over jasmine rice or just eat on its own.

Enjoy! :)

Read More »

Update + Recipe | Happy Thanksgiving!

0

No, this Friday I am not bringing you my face or the products used on it... mainly because I didn't feel like doing my make up. Instead, I thought I'd just make a little Thanksgiving-themed post since yesterday WAS Thanksgiving and all... for Americans at least.

My mom, sister, nephew and I drove up to my aunt and uncle's house for the holiday and it was really a nice time. I hadn't seen my cousins, aunt, and uncle all together since Liam's baptism back in September, so it was nice to see everyone again.

The night progressed as usual for our family get-togethers... political arguments, making fun of each other, and attacking the vegetarians of the family, and eating delicious food... just the way it's supposed to be!

Liam and I, before heading out to Thanksgiving Dinner

I am so thankful for the family I have been blessed with. They've helped me get through the roughest points in my life and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to raise me and watch me grow up into the woman I am today :)

Now, for a recipe.

My mom gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted with the sweet potatoes we were bringing for the dinner, so I came up with this easy and delicious recipe for spiced, mashed sweet potatoes

8-10 sweet potatoes

2 tbsp butter OR butter substitute to make this a vegan recipe

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp dried, ground sage

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit 

*You can peel the sweet potatoes if you want. If you choose not to, make sure you scrub them really well

Bake the sweet potatoes for an hour, or until they are soft and mashable. Transfer them to a bowl and add the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or with a hand-held or stand mixer... whatever's easiest for you... until you reach the desired consistency.

Enjoy letting people guess what the spices you used are!

Read More »

FOTD | Friday

0

So, I want to make this a normal thing... Face of the Day Friday. Quite simply a day where I show you my face, tell you what make up I used to create said face, and you can do with that information what you will.

Will I stick to this for every Friday? Probably not... but here's to an honest try, right?

1. e.l.f Flawless Finish Foundation
After moisturizing, I applied a thin layer of my favorite foundation all over my face and neck with my favorite e.l.f Kabuki foundation brush

2. Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder
After my foundation is evenly distributed, I set it with this matte powder. It makes my foundation last all day without looking oily or dewy. Plus, this foundation/powder combo has gotten me a few compliments on my complexion since I've started using it :)

3. Pixi Beauty Bronzer - Subtly Suntouched
Okay, I'm not entirely sure if this is a straight up bronzer or a bronzing/blush duo thing but I apply this to the apples of my cheeks like a blush, and sort of blend a tiny bit upwards toward my temples and down into the hollows of my cheeks. It's not intensely pigmented so you can get away with a light dusting wherever you feel you need a little color

4. Benefit Watt's Up Face Highlighter
I apply this to my cheekbones every day to add a little shine to to my look. The matte-ness of my pressed powder and the shimmery-ness of this highlighter work very well together

5. Lorac Pro Palette
My favorite palette at the moment is my Lorac Pro Palette... Sorry Naked Palette! Today I dusted the color Champagne all over my lid, blended Pewter into my crease, and added a bit of Deep Purple to my outer Corners. I then finished off this eye look with White as my brow and inner corner highlight.

6. Starlooks Gem Pencil - Topaz
After the eyeshadow, I smudged on some of this silvery eyeliner at the base of my top lashes.

7. E.M Waterliner - Royal Amethyst
I took some of this dark purple waterliner and smudged in into my lower lashes.

8. Rimmel London Extra Super Lash Mascara
My favorite mascara at the moment - lengthens AND adds volume :)

9. Chella Dazzling Dark Brown Eyebrow Color
I lightly filled in my eyebrows with my favorite eyebrow pencil. Be light handed with this, because your eyebrows can go from natural to dramatic within a few sweeps of this across them.

10. Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon - Shameless
I felt like this lighter maroon shade was the perfect lip color to bring the whole look together

Read More »

Recipe | Baked Vegetable Eggrolls

0

This is more of a process suggestion rather than a recipe. You can add whatever vegetables you have on hand in your egg rolls, this is just how I chose to prepare mine.

This will yield 6 egg rolls.

6 egg roll sheets... mine were vegan but that's up to you
1 bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks, or julienned
1 cup alfalfa sprouts, or any kind of sprout
a couple tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 425°F

Evenly distribute your veggies among the 6 egg roll sheets, layering a few pieces of each veg ontop each other

To wrap up your egg rolls, fold in the left and right sides of the egg roll sheet, so that your filling is partially covered. Then just roll over your filling until the bottom of the wrapper is facing up at at you. Then take a dab of water on your finger, and run it across the final edge of the wrapper so that it sticks to itself and doesn't come undone in the oven

Repeat this for all of your egg rolls. Place them seam side down on a baking sheet prepared with tinfoil/parchment paper and/or spray cooking oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown.

I didn't salt the veggies inside the wrappers because I didn't want to bring out all of their moisture and make my egg rolls soggy. I served mine with some soy sauce mixed with grated fresh ginger, honey, and crunchy peanut butter and that was all the seasoning I needed.

Enjoy! :)

Read More »

Recipe | Cinnamon Banana Butter

0

When I buy bananas for myself, there's a very small threshold of time where I can eat them and actually enjoy them. I love slightly green bananas... just under their ideal ripeness. Once the green is gone, so is my appetite for them.

Because of this weird banana preference that I have, I'm often left with 2-3 bananas on hand that are too ripe for my liking. I usually will give them to my mom to make her delicious vegan banana bread, but if I won't be seeing her for a while, I thought up a VERY easy and VERY delicious way to use them up so they're not just sitting around.

Makes about a pint of "butter"

3 ripe bananas, mashed
*my bananas were on the larger side. if your bananas are looking a little skimpy, just add another one.
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until they are thoroughly incorporated and the bananas are mashed to a smooth but chunky consistency.

Spread over toast, add to your oatmeal, or just eat it up with a spoon! Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week (if it even lasts that long)

Enjoy! :)

Read More »

Recipe | Vegan Apple Pumpkin Muffins

0

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup raw cane sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2-3 tbsp plain, unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*optionl* 2-3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (brown rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, almond milk, canola oil) in a separate mixing bowl.

Once both are separately combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients gradually until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The batter will be relatively thick.

You can either lie your muffin tin with muffin cups, or you can just spray the tin with some canola oil cooking spray to ensure that the muffins don't stick when you try to take them out. Scoop the better into each muffin mold about 3/4 of the way up.

*If you want, you can top each muffin with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds before you bake them off. The pumpkin seeds will roast in the oven a little bit and provide a nice contrast in flavor with the slight sweetness of the muffins*

Pop those bad boys in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine were perfect at 15 minutes. Just keep checking on them after the 15 minute mark by sticking a toothpick or a knife or fork through the center of a muffin to see if the inside isn't a gooey mess.

Enjoy! :)

Read More »

Update | Sick Sunday

0

I've been feeling a cold coming on for a few days now (thanks, Chris) but today it hit me hardest when I got home from work. Luckily I had no other plans for the day and just got to relax.

I threw on some comfy clothes and set myself up on my couch with a quick and easy dinner, some HGTV, and just let myself rest for the night.

Just some warmed up tomato and roasted red pepper soup and some toast with avocado topped with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a little onion powder.

Oh yeah, and Benji kept me company all night.

How could I be mad about being sick if this little guy was snuggled up next to me?!

I hope your Sunday was slightly less sick, but just as snuggly :)

<3 Sam

Read More »

Fashion Tip | Simple Outfit Ideas for Fall

0

Pumpkin EVERYTHING, brisk weather, apple picking, apple cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving... what's not to love about Autumn? It's definitely my favorite season. I especially get excited about the fashion trends that come with fall - sweaters, boots, layering, scarves. The weather is just brisk enough to bring out your favorite faux leather jacket and and pair it with your favorite pair of knee high boots. AND you don't have to hide your awesome fashion sense under a big bulky winter coat. Perfect!

Here are a few outfit ideas I put together that I thought could cater to a bunch of different scenarios you might find yourself in this fall. Whether you're out pumpkin picking with your best friends, or going out on a date with your favorite guy, these outfits will keep you cozy while still looking fabulous.

Outfit #1: Cute & Casual
perfect for a girls' day out

Plaid is a very fall/winter trend. Pair your favorite plaid shirt or flannel (it might even be the one you stole from your boyfriend or your best guy friend) with some skinny jeans/jeggings, a pair of knee high boots, and a light scarf. If it's a warmer fall day, throw a tank top under the plaid and leave it unbuttoned for a looser and cooler look.

Outfit #2: Cozy Layers
for those chillier autumn days and nights

This look can be easily dressed up or down. The colored jeans and flats give the outfit a classier look with the denim shirt thrown over a chunky sweater. Pair the tops with some leggings or denim/black jeans for a more casual, but equally as cozy, look. A fluffy infinity scarf completes the look with some extra warmth.

Outfit #3: Date Night
...or going to the bar with your girlfriends

Circle skirts are my favorite skirt for any season. In the fall, they can be paired with leg warmers and high boots, or some tights and flats. Either way you keep your legs warm, you'll look cute sporting a circle skirt. Throw on your favorite crop top to accentuate the high waisted skirt. If it's a chilly night, add your favorite denim shirt or sweater to stay warm but still look good.

Outfit #4: Plain and Simple

My favorite look for fall is just a big ole sweater over some black skinny jeans or leggings. Pair this outfit with some cute ankle booties and you've instantly dressed it up. I also like pairing this outfit with some knee high boots.

Put your own spin on these outfits and have fun with the flexibility that fall fashion gives you!

<3 Sam

Read More »

Recipe | Chunky Vegetable Soup with Cannellini Beans

0

This recipe yields roughly 7 pints (I stored all my leftovers in handy pint-sized Mason jars- I suggest you do the same to portion everything out and have easy, quick dinners for the week!)

1 quart of Vegetable Stock (you might want to get a low sodium one so you can control the saltiness level of your soup)
a couple tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups water
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 zucchini, cut into fourths, length-wise, and then chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (use whatever colors you have - I had a green and a red so that's what I used)
2 cups frozen broccoli
1 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
1 cup pasta (I used broken up pieces of linguine)
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (not photographed - this was a last minute addition)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large stock pot over medium heat and add some olive oil. Sautee the carrots for about 7 minutes. Then add the chopped bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic and sautee for another 5-7 minutes, or until they start getting tender. Add some salt and pepper and the cumin, turmeric, and hot sauce. Stir to incorporate the spices and then add your stock and water. Add your broccoli, beans, and soy sauce to the pot. Cover with a lid and bring the soup up to a boil. Once at a boil, drop your pasta in and cook until the pasta is al dente (or of desired consistency). Adjust seasonings to taste and enjoy! The soup gets better the longer it sits - so left overs are GREAT :)

Read More »

Recipe | Garam Masala-Spiced Roasted Potatoes

0

4-5 white potatoes, diced
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Toss the diced potatoes with the seasonings and oil. Spread out on a tin foil-lined and oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking and stirring around about halfway through the cooking process.

I served my potatoes with some quinoa and steamed broccoli, corn, and peas. You can incorporate them into a soup or stew or serve along side your favorite veggie burger.

Enjoy!

Read More »

Recipe | Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Burgers

0

1 small eggplant
1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chili lime spiced cashews
1/2 cup quick-cooking or instant oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

To start off these burgers, you're gonna want to roast your eggplant. I used a small one, but whatever size looks good at the grocery store will work fine. A larger eggplant will yield you an extra burger or two and you might need to add a little more of the spices.

Anyway, preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Slice your eggplant in about 1/2 inch slices and line them on the baking sheet. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on them. Roast them for about 5-7 minutes on one side, flip them, and then roast the other side for about 3-5 minutes.

While your eggplant is roasting, you can start processing your other ingredients. I have a really small food processor, so I needed to process everything in steps - that's how I'll write out this recipe. If you have a large food processor, go ahead and just dump all the ingredients into it and pulse away.

Anyone with a small food processor, here's what you can do:

Start off with the cashews - you want to get them to a crumbly consistency, but not like bread crumbs. Pulse them for 10-15 seconds to achieve this texture and then add them to a big bowl.

Next, you might have to do your can of beans in two steps. Just pulse it until the beans are mashed up a little bit. I like a chunkier burger, so I didn't process my beans for a long time. It's up to your personal preference though. Add your mashed up chickpeas to the bowl with the ground up cashews.

Take your roughly chopped scallions, oats, chia seeds, cumin, coriander, turmeric, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds, or until everything looks evenly combined. Add this mixture to the bowl. 

You can add the sriracha, or whatever hot sauce you chose, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and vegetable stock right to the bowl and bypass the food processor. Stir up all the ingredients to combine and evenly distribute all the spices.

At this point, your eggplant should be finished roasting  Remove the eggplant from the oven and turn the temperature down to 400°.

Go ahead and roughly chop up the eggplant - CAREFULLY since you just took it out of the oven and it will be hot! (feel free to let it cool off for a little while) - and then add it to the food processor. Pulse for 15-20 seconds, or until it's at your desired consistency. Add the eggplant to the bowl with all the other ingredients and give it one last stir and a taste to check for seasoning.

Grab a handful of the mix and start forming your patties. I was able to get 7 burgers when I made this. I just put the patties on the same baking sheet and foil I used to roast my eggplant - I just added a little more non-stick spray. Line your patties up and bake them for 7 minutes one one side, flip them, and bake for another 5-7 minutes on the other side. 

While your patties are cooking, you can get your burger toppings ready. I just served mine on some toasted organic whole grain bread with mixed baby greens and tomato slices topped with honey mustard.

Enjoy!

- Sam :)

Read More »