The best tofu scramble recipe!

On Monday, the Pensacola Vegan Association put together a workshop at the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA to answer any questions that people might have about going plant-based or practicing a vegan lifestyle.  First of all, I have never been in the YMCA and it is crazy!  There's a water slide! Second, we had a great turnout of like sixty people.  Perhaps they were lured in by our free food, but I talked to a pretty decent amount of people about vegan cooking and how you really don't need ANYTHING derived from an animal to make delicious food.  

One of the food items that I brought was my tofu scramble, which I have perfected over the course of a few years, trying out every tofu scramble recipe that I could find online and in cookbooks.  This is the result!  I hope you like it!

Ingredients: 

1 block of extra firm tofu

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow or red onion, diced 

1/2 bell pepper, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

2 cremini mushroom, diced 

1/2 cup baby spinach, chopped

paprika, cumin, chili powder

2 tbsp hummus 

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp soy sauce 

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt with a sulfuric flavor) 

1/4 tsp turmeric (anti-inflammatory and yellow color!)

Salt 

Press the tofu really well!  I have a tofu press, and I wrap the tofu in paper towels or a dishcloth, and press it down as far as it can go.  Usually when you are pressing tofu, you want to make sure it kind of stays together, but since you are crumbling this up anyways, it doesn't really matter.  If you don't have a tofu press, you can put it on a plate and stack other plates on top or some heavy books.  This part is really important to get the right texture, so if you think it's done, just keep pressing it for another five minutes or so.  

In the mean time, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-heat.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent.  Then add the garlic and sauté for another minute.  It should smell really good.  I usually add a little bit of salt as I go.  Then add the peppers and mushrooms.  If you like spicy stuff, you can always add a jalapeño pepper at this stage as well.  While the veggies are cooking, add a good pinch each of cumin, paprika, chili powder, and black pepper.  

Mix the ingredients from hummus until turmeric in a mug.  I know it sounds kind of weird, but just trust me.  Depending on how thick your hummus is, you might want to add a little water, because you want it to pour easily.  

Push the cooked veggies to the side of the pan.  Once the tofu is done pressing, you can crumble it with your hands straight into the pan.  Turn up the heat a little bit and cook the tofu for about three minutes, then mix it up (but not the veggies yet) and cook another three minutes, mix it up.  It should get a little brown.  Pour the hummus mixture over the tofu, mix it up and let it cook for about another three minutes.  Finally, you can mix up the whole pan!  Lower the heat a little and let the mixture cook until some of the liquid has evaporated it looks drier than it was.  Mix in the baby spinach and serve when it has wilted! 

Don't forget to salt and taste as you go!  You can add in whatever veggies you have on hand.  Sometimes I add some chopped seitan in as well.  Goes really well in a burrito with some hash browns!

Here are some bonus pics of the workshop!  We had a section on cruelty-free beauty, baking, the environment, factory farming.  Kris Howell was there as our resident vegan health coach, spreading that nutritional knowledge! It was seriously such a wealth of information and I loved being able to share it with the community.  I think we are going to plan another one, so if you missed the first one, come to the second! 

I finally got a chance to show off my cookbook collection

Courtney Northington seriously laid down the cruelty-free beauty knowledge

Vegan queen

Thanks for reading!  Let me know if you try my recipe! Ciao ciao :) 

Easy Peasy Dairy Swaps

So, since my last blog post, I've had a lot of people reach out asking for dairy-free alternatives to your basic every day dairy items.  So here's my take on some dairy substitutes! :)

1)  Dairy creamer!  Okay, so I put this one first on the list because it's so easy!  A lot of creamers on the market are already dairy-free.  However, you have to watch out for one ingredient: caseinate.  It is a milk protein that is commonly used in processed foods and no, it is not vegan.  I know that it's found in International Delight, Coffeemate etc.  It is also usually found in the powdered versions.  Even the kinds that are labeled "non-dairy."

I personally hate the flavor of coconut in my coffee so I tend to gravitate towards the almond-based non-dairy coffee creamers.  My current favorite is the Silk Almond Creamer in Vanilla.  I usually drink my coffee black, but if I'm going to have creamer, it's going to be this one.

2) Milk.  Seriously, who even drinks milk anymore?  My mom started buying me soy milk when I was like 12 and I never looked back.  It might have been because soy milk was a delicious alternative to the gross, watery, non-fat dairy milk that my mom made my sister and I drink, but who knows?

There are so many alternatives on the market now!  You can buy cashewmilk, coconutmilk, almondmilk, oatmilk, ricemilk, hazelnutmilk and pick which one works for you! I've tried cashew, coconut, almond, oat and rice and my favorite will always be almond!  Cashew is a little bit too much on the creamy side--- but perfect for those of you used to drinking full fat milk!

However, it's not all about taste preference.  Milk is not a health beverage.  You, your parents and your grandparents have been conditioned to think otherwise for the past 60+ years.  But milk is supposed to build strong bones right?  Actually, multiple studies have shown no benefits in bone density among adolescents who consume milk (source).  The number one way to increase bone density and safeguard against osteoporosis is exercise (source).  Instead of that glass of milk, maybe go for a walk!

But what about Vitamin D?  Vitamin D does not naturally occur in dairy products.  They are fortified with it.  You can buy other fortified foods or even a multitvitamin.  My absolute number one favorite multi-vitamin that I've ever taken in my 5 year journey through veganism is Mary Ruth's D3 and B12 Plant-Based Multivitamin.  It's a gummy vitamin and it's so tasty I wish I could take it more than one time a day.

What about fat?  Eat a freaking avocado and some chia seeds.  Americans do seem to be catching on though, since 1970, cow's milk consumption has fallen 40% (source)!  The consumption continues to fall, yet the dairy industry continues to receive funds from the US government to keep it in business.  In 2015, 73% of profits received by dairy farms came from government subsidies.  This is up from 62% in 2010 (source).

Recently, the US government partnered with McDonald's to increase its dairy use in its over 14,000 locations nationwide.  The changes include more than 30% larger cheese slices and three new additions to their already heavily dairy-laden line-up of beverages (source).  How completely irresponsible is it that our own government is partnering with companies to promote more items that encourage heart disease and contribute to the obesity epidemic? It's almost like they want us to get sick...? (Insert eye roll here)

Vote with your $$$ and maybe one day our overlords will understand that they need to stop bailing out this industry and instead invest in the actual health of Americans.

3) Cheese - Ah yes, CHEESE GLORIOUS CHEESE!  Every time I tell someone I'm vegan I get the "but I just love cheese too much."  Don't worry, you are not alone.  I was once like you.  I put feta cheese on everything, mozzarella cheese was my go-to protein source.  Granted, I was living in Italy and the cheese there is just a "cultural" thing.  Just like burgers and hot dogs are cultural things for America (yuck).  I woke up.  Cheese is a byproduct of the dairy industry.  I'm not going to get into it on this post (I'll save it for later) but cheese is just as bad as meat.  It's just as bad.  Here are 12 reasons why: here.  Also, just for good measure, "Cheese is the number 1 source of saturated fat in the American diet, which contributes to America's number 1 killer: heart disease." (source)

My favorite cheese alternative is making my own (I'm a total DIYer, if you haven't noticed).  I love making cashew cheeses.  I've tried a few tofu cheeses too and they were aight.  I'm still looking for the perfect faux-feta.  My absolute favorite vegan blogger is Vegan Richa.  She is a vegan goddess.  She has an almond feta that is PRETTY great.  I worship at her feet.  I've made her pepperjack, her mozzarella, her mozzarella sticks and I have her most recent cookbook (not the first one) and it changed my life.   All AMAZING!  The level of satisfaction that you get from making your own cheese is just off the charts!  Like it's probably more satisfying than going out and milking a cow and culturing the milk/whatever you call it yourself.  I guess I wouldn't know, but I can imagine.

Recipe Here

Recipe Here

If you're not into that, you can get all sorts from the grocery store!  I'm talking actual mainstream grocery stores and it is like we have reached the dawn of a new age for those choosing to abstain from dairy!  Here are my personal faves.  For slices: Chao, Daiya (especially American and Cheddar for grilled cheese) and Follow Your Heart (especially smoked gouda)!  For shreds:  Daiya Mozzarella and Cheddar slices are not terrible for topping lasagna or sprinkling on top of tacos.  I'm a huge fan of Follow Your Heart shreds as well, and I know Peter prefers them.  I've seen a lot of other brands on vegan Twitter (follow me!), especially in the United Kingdom, but  these are the only ones that I have experience with!   

These are Peter's favorite

I like these guys! 

Although the whole "cheese is addictive" thing may have been overstated, the casomorphins do activate your opioid system (source) and few can deny that a big bite of cheese pizza is pretty close to heaven on earth. After a while, you don't even miss it!  I say that truly because I've gone months without eating cheese, lapsed and then felt absolutely like garbage.  I think that you miss the comfort that your brain associates with it more than the ooey-gooeyness.

Yes I know that cheese is delicious, I'm not going to deny that, but I would rather deny myself a moment of pleasure than contribute to a literal lifetime of pain for these animals.  That is really what it boils down to.  Yes, "Mmmmm cheese," but you are choosing to bankroll an industry that enslaves and tortures billions of animals, just so you can have an extra ingredient in your salad or on your sandwich.  Is it worth it?

4) When I lived in Italy, Pizza Marinara was a staple of Italian cuisine.  It's just a pizza with sauce, garlic, oregano, EVOO and fresh basil.  If you ask for something even kind of similar in America you are met with a blank stare and, "Are you sure?"  I can say with 100% certainty that a Papa John's pizza with no cheese, extra sauce and tons of veggies is GREAT.  It has nothing on Italian pizza, but it definitely satisfies a certain craving aaaand the garlic dipping sauce is 100% vegan!  Peter and I went to Sky's Pizza Pie, a local joint and tried to recreate a Pizza Marinara and it really wasn't half bad!  See for yourself!  Could have done with some more sauce but oh well!

My attempt to recreate Pizza Marinara @ Sky's Pizza Pie 

In 2010, Dominos pizza was on its way out.  People had complained that their pizza tasted like "ketchup covered cardboard" and their sales were seriously declining.  Then, Dominos was blessed with a $12 million dollar USDA-funded marketing campaign resulting in pizzas with almost twice as much cheese.  After this year's Cow Appreciation Day, and seeing Dominos' tasteless tweets citing #Undeniablydairy it's just a LITTLE infuriating that Dominos continues to rebuff pleas for vegan toppings.  Especially when the tide seems to be turning for vegan acceptance in the United States.  Dominos already offers vegan cheese in Australia.  It's just frustrating that the lack of alternatives probably lies in the fact that Dominos was literally bailed out by the US government in 2010 in exchange for picking up the slack of cheese-consumption (source).

5)  Sour cream - I know that there are vegan sour cream alternatives on the market but I refuse to use any of them because it is just so darn easy to make your own!  This is my absolute go-to, from Angela Liddon's blog Oh She Glows.  I have both of her cookbooks and they are indispensable.  Seriously, if you are trying to head the "Whole Foods Plant Based" route to veganism or just want to incorporate more vegetables and less processed foods into your diet, I highly recommend checking out her books!

Recipe here

 This recipe works in dips, in dressings, on tacos... you will not be disappointed!

6) Cream cheese -  I've never been a big cream cheese eater.  Just the idea of it usually make sme want to vom.  I see Tasty videos on Facebook featuring cream cheese in Buffalo-chicken bacon wrapped pasta casserole and that is how I will forever think of cream cheese.  However, some vegan recipes that I've experimented with have called for vegan cream cheese.  I know of two brands, Tofutti and Kite Hill.  I have tried both and they're both great!

However, it's much easier for me (thanks to my monthly subscription of 4 lbs of cashews) to make my own.  I'm a big fan of this recipe from Connoisseurus Veg: recipe here.  It really does take forever to blend smooth but it's worth it!  My absolute favorite recipe to use it with are these Vegan Jalapeño Popper Quesadillas which I have made again and again thanks to my over-productive jalapeño plants!

Recipe here!

I prefer my bagels with hummus and avocado, but I bet this cream cheese would be to die for on a good everything bagel! 

It is absolutely easier to just maintain the status quo and keep buying dairy but I would rather blend some nuts in a blender with lemon juice for 5 minutes than give my money to a corrupt, cruel industry that has made its money off of animal exploitation.  Especially when it's healthier and so much more ethical to just make the vegan choice!

Please, I implore you to reach out to me if you have any questions and I will try my hardest to answer your questions or at least point you in the right directions!

Ciao ciao!
Katelyn

I'm back! The State of Katelyn

Hello world!  It's been about three years since I've typed up a blog post and it feels good!  Things have been pretty good here.  I was working at Target until about February of this year and now I'm working at the auto auction that Peter works at part time, and I work for an app on the side.  It's not much but it pays the bills and I get to spend a lot of time at home with my beautiful angel animals.  I can barely describe the feeling of relief that I get when I go into Target knowing that I don't work there anymore.  I still make sure I'm not wearing red when I go in there,  just in case one of my regulars recognize me and ask me where something is at.  Here are some pictures of Peter, Marina and I so you know that we are all alive and well.

Additionally, I registered for my last three college classes (FINALLY).  I feel like I kind of have been putting it off because it signifies my entrance into the real world, but I just need to get it over with already and you have to get a masters to do pretty much anything anyways...

Much to the dismay of my parents, the only things that I feel truly passionate about are animal rights and animal liberation by way of veganism.  While I am vegan mainly for ethical reasons, there is no denying that it has numerous health benefits which I love to educate people about.  As much as it annoys my mother to hear how terrible cheese is for you, I will never stop being that "annoying vegan," because believe it or not, I want her to be her healthiest self and live as long as possible.  You don't NEED cheese and most Americans consume more protein than their body actually needs.

Does anything about this vegan burger look like it's lacking in protein?

This is purely anecdotal, but since I went vegan, my eczema and allergies have almost completely cleared up.  Since I was a child I was doused in Aquaphor and Eucerin and I was on basically every allergy medicine available to man with little relief, when all I had to do was give up dairy!

I know my family is sick of it and because I am an empathetic person, I can see why it would be troubling to see these very real truths about the cruelty that goes into things you eat every day, but the only way to do SOMETHING about it is to educate about it.  So if my "annoying" vegan posts inspire just one person to rethink that bacon with their eggs or the chicken in their salad, then I'll consider it worth it.

Since I've last posted on here, there have been a few mainstream documentaries to make the rounds!  They include:  What The Health, Cowspiracy, Before the Flood, Speciesism and Dominion.  Dominion is brand new and right now it's pretty much only offering private screenings.  There is one at the Pensacola Downtown Library on July 27 which I highly recommend checking out if you are truly interested in learning about the way animal agriculture operates.  You can RSVP for the screening here.  It's pretty much the Earthlings of Australia.  However, Earthlings really had me ugly crying and Dominion had me at a more tears streaming down my face kind of deal, so maybe Dominion wasn't so bad for me because I was prepared for it.  I encourage you to watch the other ones I listed in addition to Forks over Knives, Earthlings, and Vegucated. 

I've become involved with the Anonymous for the Voiceless chapter here in Pensacola and it has been so inspiring to meet so many individuals who feel the same passion and empathy for animals that I do and want to do something about it!  It definitely takes a toll on one's mental health when your cries for compassion are met with, "But bacon" or "What about plants rights?"

Banana nut cupcake w/praline frosting @ EOTL Cafe

Although I'm in Florida, they don't call Pensacola the "Redneck Riviera" for nothin'.  It's hard to find vegan options at more established restaurants, where it's a little easier at newer restaurants.  End of The Line Cafe, Skopelos, Single Fin Cafe and Nom Sushi are favorite go-to's for vegan eats and the fact that there are so many options in this small city is inspiring and motivating.  Skopelos even hosts these high class fancy 6/7 course wine and dinner nights and every Sunday night from 4-close they feature a different vegan menu called Vegan & Vino! I have a few friends in Columbus, Georgia (the second most populated city in the state) and there is not ONE vegan restaurant there.  Not one.  So I do feel very lucky.

Vegan miso ramen, nomaste roll & spicy veggie rolls @ Nom Sushi Izakaya

The main course of probably the best brunch I've ever had @ End of the Line Cafe 

ELT (Eggplant Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) Sandwich @ Skopelos

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you may have noticed that my shares have become a little more vegan-centric.  That isn't going to change because I TRULY believe it is in your best interest, the best interest of the planet and the best interest of the billions of farmed animals bred into existence just to be slaughtered for food for people to know what is going on.  What you choose to do with that information is up to you!  I went like 15 years thinking that dairy cows HAD to be milked daily or they would get sick and die.  In reality, we impregnate the cows (forcibly) and take away her baby so that we can take her milk for ourselves.  Where do the babies go?  Veal or they become the replacement cows for their mothers.  So, as much as I tried to convince myself of it for years, nothing about dairy is ethical and all that is required on our parts as highly evolved human beings is to make a conscious choice to not support this cruel industry.

Also, the government subsidizes the you know what out of these industries when around 80% of people of Asian descent, 75% of people of African descent and 50% of people of Latino descent are lactose intolerant (source).  These subsidies go to profits, go to advertisements (propaganda) and in 2017 the USDA spent $20 million dollars buying up excess cheese that NO ONE WANTS.  Cue the Dominoes commercials advertising pizzas with 40% more cheese (insert eye roll here).  Dairy is making people sick and the government doesn't care, the USDA doesn't care, the "MyPlate" (aka the new food pyramid) doesn't care.  The USDA rejected the advice of its own panel to consider environmental sustainability when formulating the newest Dietary Guidelines (source).  Is that surprising when the meat industry contributes almost $900 billion in total to the U.S. economy and almost $2 million dollars to candidates for federal office (source)?

Choose almond milk instead of normal milk, try out a cheese alternative (you literally cannot tell the difference between Daiya American slices and Kraft American slices except that they're better tasting).  I'm sorry if the animal abuse graphics are too much for you, but that's the reality for the majority of the meat on your supermarket shelves.  The only way to change anything is to get people fired up!   You might say that we as a society have bigger things to get fired up about.  To that I say, the whole idea behind veganism is that one life isn't worth more than another.  From the mouth of Earthling Ed, "The root of all oppression and all evil is the idea that some lives are worth more than others.  As long as there is violence on our plates, we will always have violence on the streets as well."

Okay! End Rant!  It's good to be back and I can't wait to post more and share some new recipes that I've been working on.  Not going to lie, I have a lot of free time and about 35 vegan cookbooks, so I've become something of a professional.  Thanks for reading!

Ciao ciao!
Katelyn

Palafox Market, Around Pensacola and my fave stir fry recipe!

Yes I know I haven't written a blog post in a while.  My intentions are always good, but I never end up writing one or never write enough to constitute a full post.  This week I have finally done it! I have accumulated enough experiences to share with whoever reads my blog!

In the past months I've had two weekends off, which is nice because it gives me time to do actually fun things.  It's bad because I'm poor and I would like the hours, but I make the most of it! The first weekend Peter and I planned on going to the farmer's market to just see what was up but we didn't make it out of the house before it closed at 2:00.  Instead, we went to walk on the beach because I have never stepped on it before.  We held up the line at the toll on the bridge because neither of us had $1 and the toll man didn't take cards.  He was not interested in my 63 cents that I scrounged up from the bottom of my bag and waved us through and told us to give him $2 next time- which I thought was nice of him.

The sand was SO WHITE and so soft! The last time I was on a beach was the heroin needle and condom scattered beach of Lago Patria.  This was a nice change of scenery.  I wish I didn't wear shorts because it was still pretty chilly but it was beautiful.  There are a lot of things that Pensacola does not have but what it DOES HAVE is a bad ass beach.

We decided to go to End of The Line cafe which is the only vegan restaurant in town other than Sluggo's.  Peter's sister Anne said it was good and it shows up on the Happy Cow app on my phone, and people rave about it.  We had a hard time figuring out what to order and Peter ended up getting a vegan Reuben sandwich and I got a caprese sandwich and it was pretty amazing.  It's nice not having to worry about what I'm eating.  

Peter's was better.  The portions were really good for what we paid and we went there again last weekend.  It's like right across the street from the Convention Center where coincidentally, Pensacon was going on.  It was like nerd central but some of the cosplay we saw walking around outside seemed pretty cool.  No one famous was there (which basically means no one I recognized) except Loras Tyrell, Gendry Baratheon and Podrick Payne from Game of Thrones.  ANYWAYS. This time I got a "Knuckle Sandwich" and Peter got the special which was this sub.  His was better again.  They have a cooking class every Sunday for $25 that I am really interested in signing up for.    

Knuckle Sandwich

Sub!

One day I'm going to have to try their coffee and baked goods but this time we had to just go with the necessary.... sandwiches.  I love sandwiches so much.  As a kid... and part of the way into my adulthood, I could not eat sandwiches.  Something about them just grossed me out.  One time we ran out of hamburger buns so my mom tried to make me eat my veggie burger between two slices of bread and I was like, "Hell no, that's gross."  Sometime between then and now something has changed and I eat sandwiches basically every day.  This isn't great news for my bikini bod, but my stomach is happy.  

We finally made it to the farmer's market this past Saturday.  I was hoping it would be like the one I went to in Santa Rosa when I was visiting my Aunt Maggie in California and it was! It was actually bigger!  It's called the Palafox Market and all of Martin Luther King Square was lined with vendors selling all sorts of stuff! There were farm fresh veggies, fresh milk, mustard, so much salsa, jewelry and all sorts of arts and crafts.

  

I especially liked this one artist who used recycled steel to make these pretty flowers to put in your garden or yard or wherever.  She also had a few pieces of really beautiful metalwork on display.  After searching a little bit, I found out her name is Amy Hines and HERE is her website.  I bought a red flower that spins and we put it in my garden. I feel like it really brings it to the next level.  

  

We made it to the end of the market at the corner of Palafox and Wright Street and made our walk back.  We were stopped by this little old man who asked us if we liked to read.  At first I was a little scared that I was going to be sucked in by this old man's cuteness and then suckered into buying one of his books.  But this man, Frits Forrer had a really interesting story! As a child, he lived in Holland when it was occupied by the Nazi's for five years and endured bombings almost daily and then once the Americans took over he decided he wanted to become a fighter pilot for the US military and that's exactly what he did.  I didn't have any cash on me to buy his book, but I hope he's there the next time I make it to the market.  His website is HERE.  He's also written a bunch of other books, but the one Peter and I were most interested in was his account of being a Dutch boy during World War II in Five Years Under The Swastika.  

There were SOOO many things I wanted to buy so I know I need to save up for next time.  There was especially this one artist who made paintings on old windows of wine bottles and other things.  Obviously I liked the wine bottle ones the best.  I didn't take a picture because I am a terrible blogger and I've been trying to find his name but I'm working on it.  During my search, I found The Blue Morning Gallery (link HERE) which looks like somewhere I need to check out.  They do classes and stuff too. 

Okay, last but not least! I have a recipe that I made up! I make a stir fry about twice a week.  Ever since Peter got me that wok for my birthday, it is basically a crime not to use it every week.  Over the past few months I have been tweaking my stir fry sauce recipe until I perfected it.  This is the result! It only takes like 30 minutes from start to finish and it's so good! 

Peanut Butter & Miso Stir Fry 

Ingredients: 

For the Stir Fry 

8 oz of rice noodles or udon noodles

A handful each of vegetables of your choosing - I used carrots, broccoli, green onions, red peppers and mushrooms.  I also add spinach at the last stage.  

One package of extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes

One tablespoon of sesame oil

For the Sauce

1/4 C Rice vinegar

1/4 C soy sauce 

2 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp asian chili paste

2 cloves of garlic 

1/2 inch section of ginger

1 tbsp light miso paste

1 tablespoon of corn starch dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in the food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.  If you don't have miso paste, you can omit it, but I feel like it really makes the dish.  I got some from Amazon.com for like 11 dollars.  Here's one HERE. 

Boil water for the rice noodles.  Once the water is boiling, remove it from heat and then add the noodles.  Let them soak for about 3/4 minutes.  You don't want them to be completely softened.  Drain them and then immediately rinse with cold water and set aside.  

Heat the oil in a wok and when shiny, add the tofu.  Stir fry for about eight minutes or until it reaches your desired fried-ness.  Then set aside.  

Add all of the vegetables and stir fry in the remaining oil until soft.  I like to add a little bit of water to the stir fry to steam it a little.  When all done, take off the wok and set aside.  

Then add the noodles into the wok and push around and stuff.  Add the sauce and stir fry until the noodles are soft.  Then toss with the tofu and vegetables (and add the spinach) and cook a little more until heated throughout.  

I like to garnish with crushed peanuts and cilantro but you could really choose whatever! Enjoy! 

yum yum yum 

Happy New Year!

So it has been MONTHS since I wrote on here.  I'd like to say it was because I am just too busy, but in reality I don't have that much going on.  I'm always doing something, but it's not exactly news worthy.  However, I've realized that no one's life is crazy exciting like a movie and that you should appreciate the little things.

Let me update everyone who is interested in my life with what it's like right now:

1) I work at Target.  I was a seasonal employee at Target, which basically means they reserved the right to fire me after the holiday rush was over.  The other day I was informed that they would like to keep me!  So I am officially a Target employee (given I pass the 90 day probation period).  I am Katelyn from Target.  I guess the NEX taught me something about working in retail after all.   However, it's part of my job to get people to sign up for a RedCard and I am so bad at it.  People think I am trying to trick them.

2) I have hit a lot of bumps in the road in my quest to have a plant-based diet.  If you put me in a room with Cheez-its, I'm probably going to eat them.  It's one of my biggest weaknesses.  But I'm working on it.  For Christmas, I got a bunch of vegan cookbooks to add to my collection!

Part of my impressive collection!! Not pictured is my new favorite, Vegan Eats World! 

3) I've gotten pretty experimental with my food-making! For Thanksgiving, I made a seitan mushroom wellington with puff pastry and the other day I made a vegan spanakopita using filo dough.  Working with intimidating ingredients is kind of like running.  I've noticed I have to work up to it.

seitan wellington with sunflower seed mac and "cheese"

4) Speaking of working out, I started to work out! I'm doing the Tone It Up Love Your Body Challenge.  I'd never really heard of the Tone It Up program before, but I really like it! My favorite thing about it is that every night they post the work out for the next day.  The biggest reason that I don't exercise that much is because I run out of ideas for stuff to do and I just give up.  The Tone It Up community is also really big so there's a lot of support.  I'm not quite ready to get on board with the nutrition plan (No starches past 3? No thank youuuu) but I'm really enjoying exercising more.

5) We found a dog! Peter found this dog in the front yard and it was almost morbidly obese and her teeth were very clean so I figured that she belonged to someone.  We posted that we found her on Craigslist and on the Pensacola lost dogs website.  She ended up staying a night (we put her in the playroom which is all tile) and within like twelve hours I had five phone calls from people notifying me that someone had posted a "Lost Dog" ad without seeing my "Found Dog" ad and we got it all figured out.  But she was fun to have around!

6) I finally tried one of the vegan restaurants in Pensacola!  Peter and I went on a date to Sluggo's which downtown and we got seitan buffalo wings as an appetizer and I got the walnut veggie burger and Peter got a seitan barbecue sandwich.  Everything was so good! Especially the wings.  I still need to make it out to End of the Line Cafe, but soon! I enjoy shopping at Ever'man's when I get the chance, especially because they have VEGAN HOT POCKETS.

7. My garden is doing really well! My tomatoes died, because I didn't cover them up one night and it was my bad and I feel really bad about it.  My beans also suffered a little frost bite, but they bounced back and they're doing well.  I probably should have followed the directions for the spinach and kale and placed them farther apart, but they're still doing well, I can't wait to plant my spring garden!

Since my last post, I turned 23, I got a 4.0 in my last semester of classes, I am forty followers away from 1,000 followers on Pinterest and that's about it! So basically my life isn't that exciting, but I plan on getting back into posting more regularly!