The Soup’R Bowl: What football?
February 2, 2010 at 3:54 pm | In Activism, Veg*n | 4 Comments
The Humane Society of the High Plains held their annual Soup’R Bowl this past Sunday. This is our second time participating in it, representing the Western Kansas Vegetarian Society, and also our second time serving Harvest Chili (here’s the recipe, but we added butternut squash – yum). You may remember that Harvest Chili has been our centerpiece at Thanksgiving for the past two years as well.
Well, we didn’t place in the top three, but we did get lots of positive comments from people about how much they liked it. A lot of people would come up and get their sample, then pause as they were walking away and turn back around, as if they were simply shocked that vegetarian chili could be so delectable! Many who sampled it also came back and got a full bowl of it – some commenting that they were full from sampling soups, but our chili would be their dinner that evening.
Even if we didn’t place, it was definitely worth participating. The Soup’R Bowl raises money for a great cause, plus we raised awareness about vegetarian and vegan foods. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the competition, but the most important thing is remembering that we are doing this for the animals, and we helped the animals two-fold that day.
Rice and Double Peas
January 30, 2010 at 7:04 am | In Recipes, Veg*n | Leave a Comment
This was something I whipped up last week when there really wasn’t much to fix. Really simple too:
Prepare your brown rice; drain if needed. Add black eyed peas and one can of regular peas (drained); heat through.
Plus we had some homemade bread to go with it. The book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day is amazing! (More amazing is the fact that Ryan is in charge of the bread-making. I love it.)
Copious Free Time? Please?
January 23, 2010 at 11:36 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentAll right, here we go. In my infinite wisdom, I have started an additional blog called Marleah Reads. Which is, obviously, focused on the books that I read. I’ve been wanting to do a book blog for a long time now, and I figure this will prepare me for when my sister and I decide we are ready to do a reading project in the future.
But as you know, I have a busy life. Not socially, of course–ha! But between two part-time jobs (which actually means I work more than I would with a single full-time job and get paid less), an MLIS program, Project 365, and married life, I fill my time.
It seems that I just have an overwhelming desire to share my reading with people, and joining those sites like GoodReads or Shelfari just doesn’t feel right to me. I think it’s because some people I know are on one site, while others are on another site, so in order to share reading with all of them, I would have to join all the sites and then actually update all of them. But (light bulb!) with my own blog, I can actually share reading with everyone. Everyone who reads the blog, that is.
I’m part of a group on Flickr called The 25 Book Challenge, which is nice and personable. I’m planning to still update that, and I’m guessing that many of my book-specific posts on the new blog will be repeats of what I post for the group. But I am also planning on including lists of new books we order in at the library, interesting books I’ve found on the shelf and want to read, or regular library happenings.
If you are interested, please do check it out. I know it’s a lot to keep up with (haha, you’re telling me!), but I do appreciate it. So if you’re interested in things I make AND things I read, I hope it’s not too much.
Thanks, folks!
New Scarves in the Shop
January 15, 2010 at 9:30 pm | In Craft | Leave a Comment
All right everyone, I have added 3 more scarves to my Etsy shop! If you are looking to prepare for the next cold snap (for those of us in the Midwest) or just to dress up your winter wardrobe, be sure to take a look!
These scarves are extra cushy and comfy. Bulky and chunky enough to be both trendy and warm, but still slim enough to tuck inside a coat.
Gray Cumulus Scarf
January 9, 2010 at 2:48 pm | In Uncategorized | 4 Comments
I have been making scarves like crazy to sell on my Etsy due to popular demand. This is one that was sold in the past couple of weeks. I’m currently working on two more that are this same style (bulky, chunky, super soft) but in a different colorway (that features orange, sage green, blue, purple, fuschia). I really want to keep one for myself!
To Get Caught Up …
December 31, 2009 at 8:13 am | In Veg*n | 1 CommentTags: colleen patrick-goudreau, rice, tofu, vegan, vegetables
There are a whole bunch of food photos on my Flickr that I have not blogged about at all. Some of these were original recipes, but for the most part they are from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. So here’s a quick run-down of what I’ve been eating for the past 6 months or so.
Spring Vegetable Risotto (from Vegan Table) – yum!
and 
Grilled asparagus and tofu/veggie kabobs. These are heavenly and I could eat them all day.
No Queso Quesadillas, from Vegan Table. Mmm, guacamole.
Mushroom Gravy on top of Drop Biscuits (buried!). The gravy is from The Vegan Table, and the biscuits are from The Joy of Vegan Baking, by the same author.
If you’re interested in vegetarian cooking even in the slightest, these two cookbooks are the best ones to have, in my opinion. And looking at those grilled kabobs makes me really miss summer. We also did an all-vegan Thanksgiving again this year, but I didn’t take any photos. A lot of it was the same as we had last year, so that’s ok.
Our plans for New Year’s Eve include hanging out with the family and playing board games for as long as we can manage without getting too giddy from exhaustion. I’m going to fix Hoppin’ John (from The Vegan Table), which is basically black eyed peas and rice with some veggies and seasonings. In some parts of the country and the world, it’s good luck to have black eyed peas at midnight on New Year’s Eve – and it’s delicious, so who needs an excuse, right?
Anyone out there have any more exciting plans than me??
T-Shirt Quilt
December 30, 2009 at 6:41 am | In Craft | 6 Comments
So, it wouldn’t be the holidays without me deciding to take on some huge project that I really probably should have started back in August so that I had time (ha!), but instead I decide to wait until I’m on break from school, which means that I only have about one week to make said huge project.
I’ve had this idea for a long time, ever since my younger sister started outgrowing her horse shirts but refused to get rid of them. What better way to use them than a t-shirt quilt? This was my first time making a quilt in any form, and it turned out to be easier than I expected – of course, it also means that it’s a little wonky and off-centered, but oh well. I had some batting leftover from another project, and it’s backed with a plain brown bedsheet (brown is a horse color, of course). It’s all machine-sewn, but the details are hand-embroidered. I worked on it bit by bit over the course of a week (cutting the pieces, figuring out layout) and then one day spent about 6 hours watching season 5 of “Lost” and embroidering.
It’s a bit small, so not large enough for her whole bed or anything, but just about perfect to take in the car. And since it’s made with well-worn t-shirts, it’s super soft!
More photos from my Flickr:
Sugar Cookies
December 29, 2009 at 5:34 pm | In Uncategorized | 4 Comments
Here is some post-holiday cheer for my poor, neglected blog. The recipe is from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, of course, as is the recipe for the Royal Icing!
I have a New Year’s resolution (or at least for however long it lasts) to start updating this blog more, maybe even to start another one on a different subject. Not sure how I’m going to find time for that with two jobs and a master’s to work on, but at least one master’s has been completed now. I should have more time then, right?
Ryan is also starting to blog, with a bit of serial fiction here and there. Read his work at Partial Fiction. Maybe instead of a date night, we need to have a blogging night to keep us going!
Black Bean Salad
May 22, 2009 at 11:33 am | In Recipes, Veg*n | 1 CommentTags: appetizer, beans, chips, corn, dip, gathering, mexican, peppers, picnic, salad, salsa, side, vegetables
Black Bean Salad
Hungry yet? I’m quite proud of the photo I managed to take of this delicious side dish or appetizer. This was served at one of our Western Kansas Vegetarian Society discussions, and it went over quite well. I found a similar recipe from VegWeb and altered it a bit here and there. I’ve made a version both with and without the cilantro, and each time it has been a success. I of course prefer the version with cilantro, but when you know people who have allergies, what can you do?
Black Bean Salad (makes 8 servings or so)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
2 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 anaheim pepper
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chipotle peppers, chopped
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- Drain and rinse black beans well.
- Drain corn.
- Dice red onion, peppers, and tomatoes; chop cilantro.
- Mix all ingredients together, including the olive oil, garlic, and vinegar.
- Chill, covered, for at least 4 hours.
- Serve with tortilla chips, or wrap in a corn tortilla.
Moroccan Stew
May 20, 2009 at 11:31 am | In Recipes, Veg*n | Leave a CommentTags: Compassionate Cooks, vegan, quinoa, vegan table, stew, moroccan, middle east
Moroccan Stew 2 on Flickr
Just one of the many recipes from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s new cookbook, The Vegan Table! This stew turned out excellent. Ryan was skeptical about the sweet potatoes, as he had only ever had them years and years ago at a family Thanksgiving and could not stand them. Thankfully, he got over that! And yes, there are onions in this dish! I have decided that instead of just eliminating onions because I was convinced that I didn’t like them, I will actually include them in dishes when they are in the recipe. And what have I discovered? That I LIKE onions! I’m not sure if it was just my tastes changing or what, but I like them. I even was craving onion rings from Sonic, something I have NEVER purchased for myself. And I got them and they were so good! It’s like some crazy kind of alternate universe where we eat onions and sweet potatoes now. This is what Colleen has brought us to.
Anyway – this stew is being served over quinoa, which was prepped with vegetable broth instead of water (delectable). If you don’t have this cookbook yet, you need to get it!
About Me
I am a married vegan living in western Kansas and working on my master’s degree in clinical psychology. I love reading and creating new things, whether it is a crocheted scarf or a yummy new dinner.
-
Flickr Photos
More Photos
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
