Delicious Vegan Rice Salad

I got this recipe from my friend Jennifer when she was over a few weeks back for a little "mom's night in".  Jenn adapted it from the cookbook Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson.  This recipe is vegan, delicious, healthy, and so flavorful!  A big plus is that everything is soft enough for a little toddler's mouth to chew on!  I usually end up making a double batch and pairing it with something like these awesome quinoa cakes for a healthy, vegetarian meal.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 16 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 roasted bell peppers, diced (I use orange and yellow - here's a link on how to roast the peppers.  It's super easy, I promise!) 
2 scallions, minced
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (more or less to your own taste)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro (I use cilantro.)


Directions:
1) Cook rice according to the directions on your rice cooker and set aside.
2) While the rice is cooking, roast the bell peppers.  (You can use jarred roasted bell peppers, but roasting your own is very easy.)
3) In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, bell peppers, and scallions.
4) Whisk together the lime juice, chili powder, salt, and olive oil.
5) Add the cooled rice (doesn't have to be cold, just cooled a little) to the bean mixture.  Toss with the dressing mixture and cilantro or parsley.  
6) Serve and enjoy!


I've recently decided to slowly make my way to becoming a vegetarian, and maybe a vegan.  My first step was to give up all processed meats/meats with nitrites (bacon, sausage, lunch meat, etc.), and I did that successfully about 4 months ago.  My second step is to eat less meat and more vegetables.  I started that this week - 5 out of 7 meals were meatless and included way more vegetables.  I can't just go from omnivore to vegan in one step.  I first have to find more recipes that will support my new eating choices.  The recipe that I've described above is one such recipe.  It is in my recipe book and will be made for years to come!

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

The other day, I made some homemade coffee creamer.  The recipe called for 4 tbsp of pumpkin puree, so after cracking open a large can, I had quite a bit leftover.  I could have frozen it, but I decided to turn it into a healthy, vegan muffin.  These muffins are packed full of healthy ingredients and while they remain moist, they are a dense muffin.  Don't expect a fluffy cupcake to come out of the oven, because you won't find that here!  Feel free to freeze these puppies and warm them up as you like!

Makes about 16 medium muffins; can be frozen - make in mini muffin tins for a bite-sized treat!


Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
3 tbsp flax meal
15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 ripe banana (about 1/3 cup), smashed
4 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1) Combine dry ingredients (flour through flax meal) in a large bowl.
2) Combine wet ingredients (pumpkin through vanilla) in a small bowl.
3) Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl and thoroughly mix with the dry ingredients.
4) Drop batter into muffin tin lined with paper liners, about 2/3 full (batter will be thick).
5) Bake muffins at 375F for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pour a cup of coffee with some homemade creamer and enjoy one (or more) of these healthy muffins for a yummy treat!

Animal Acres Farm Sanctuary

This past weekend, we visited the Animal Acres Farm Sanctuary about a half hour outside of Los Angeles.  My mom has been trying to get us to go for a few months now.  It takes us 1 1/2 hours to get there, so it's not exactly a last minute kind of thing.  We packed a picnic, loaded the bag full of diapers and snacks, and hit the road!

Animal Acres is a sanctuary for the rescue of farm animals that have been abused, neglected, or otherwise improperly treated.  Most of the animals were headed for slaughter when they were rescued and given refuse at the sanctuary.  Even with their severe mistreatment, most of the animals are sweet, personable, loving, and will willingly come up to your for a little pet.  The coolest part is that you actually get to walk through their areas, rather than just looking at them through a fence.  It is not a petting zoo by any means, but you certainly get to do a lot of petting!

Our first animal encounter: a huge, monstrous, terrifying chicken!  Or at least that's how Olive treated it.  She warmed up as we saw more animals.

These pigs were HUGE, I mean like 900 pounds huge.  As you can see, they like to have their bellies rubbed.

My stepdad is getting his shirt eaten by a baby cow.  Uh oh!  And what's with the guy in the background wearing the LEATHER jacket?  I mean, I'm not a vegetarian but if you're going to a place like this, maybe you think twice about the clothes you pick out to wear.  Right?

One of the only animals that we had to pet through a fence was a horse.  This one seemed a little timid, which is probably why we couldn't go in.

This picture does not do the size of this cow justice.  These cows were really large, much more than I expected!

Olive sharing a special moment with a very friendly goat.  She was trying to give it a kiss.

Olive had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow....Well, off-white anyway.  This little lamb's fleece was so, so soft.  Again, notice this girl's arm on the right?  What is with wearing the leather jacket to an animal sanctuary that promotes veganism?!  Ay carumba!

Grandma and Olive observing a chicken.

We had a really nice day there.  We plan on going back in the future as their mix of animals is constantly changing.  If you have a place like this in your area, I highly recommend you go.  It is an eye opening experience.  I am not vegan or vegetarian, but going to a place like this definitely makes you think about where your food comes from.