Vegan Mofo 2012 #8 Vega Energy Bar Review

VEGA ENERGY BARS

I love love love these things. If you're away from home and don't have any vegan resources nearby, this bar will make you feel like you've just eaten a grand meal full of revitalizing nutrients. All of a sudden you're not starving, you've got more energy, and you can take on the rest of the day. Recently I went on a day-trip and the place that I went to didn't have much for vegans to choose from (MAYBE I could have found a salad somewhere...) and the Energy bar saved my life (at least, that's how it felt!). Anyway, I've only tried the berry flavor and I love it. They're chewy and flavorful but if you like a bit of crunch (as my boyfriend does) then bring a trailmix or a few nuts with you to eat along with the bar. If you haven't tried it, DO IT. I plan on going on a hiking trip soon and of course these will be in my pack!
Click here to view the website for Vega Energy Bars.

Happy Trails
--Kyndal

Vegan MoFo 2012 #7! Field Roast Celebration Loaf Stew!

Today I decided to try this Field Roast Celebration Loaf and I'm so glad I did! It has no soy and is full of nutrients and tastes amazing. I even tried it cold and it would make the best sandwiches. It has a texture similar to turkey. To see what I'm talking about and to find it near you, click here.

Field Roast Celebration Loaf Stew!

Field Roast Slices after baking. Yum!

What I did was throw it in a glass dish and baste it with some day-old home made soup. I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (as per the directions) and when it came out it was the perfect fall stew! Give it a try, it's completely worth the cost ($6-$7) and I could barely eat two slices so it will go a long way. Hope you enjoy it!

--Kyndal

Vegan MoFo 2012 #6 Vegan Chicken Scallopini

Vegan Chicken Scallopini with pasta and red wine/olive oil sauce.

Vegan Chicken Scallopini with pasta and red wine/ olive oil sauce.

To make:
Gardein Frozen Chicken Scallopini patties Click to visit the Gardein Website!
Annie's Red wine/olive oil dressing Click here! (It does contain soy, but I haven't found an alternative dressing. If you know one please let me know!)
Your favorite pasta.
Spices that you love; We use Citrus-A-Peel (Click me! ), pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, all purpose italian, and whatever else we feel like throwing on at the time. All of our spices are organic.

If you use the entire packet of Gardein patties (4 total) you will only need about half a box of noodles or 1 cup. How much dressing and seasoning you use depends on your tastes and what you like. We simmer the frozen patties in the dressing as we cover them with spices and then flip to cook the other side and then cut them into small bite-size portions so that the oils and spices really soak into every side of the patties.
Toss in the noddles and stir and you are done! Make some toast if you like and chow down. Yum!!

Warning: This recipe contains soy. I haven't been able to make it lately so if you have an idea to make it without the soy-based products, please let me know! :)

Vegan MOFO 2012 #4!

VEGAN/ORGANIC GRAVY POTATOES!

It's like mashed potatoes and gravy, only the potatoes aren't mashed. Haha.


Ingredients: (*=Organic)
Potato, russet, diced (*)
Spices and Herbs (Simply Organic/Spicely *)
-Secret ingredient- Curry Powder ;) ..shhh..
Raw Coconut Oil (Artrisana *)

Bean Gravy:
Black/Red/Pinto/Garbanzo Bean Juice (*)
Spices and Herbs (Simply Organic/Spicely *)
Unbleached, Unrefined Flour (Arrowhead Mills *)
Coconut Butter (Earth Balance *)

If you already have some bean water left from cooking beans, save it for this gravy!

To Make Oven-Roasted Potatoes:

Turn oven to 400 degrees F. Dice your potato and place it in an oven-safe glass pan coated in coconut oil. Sprinkle on your spices of choice and put the potatoes right into the oven (no need to pre-heat). Check occasionally to mix up potatoes-some may stick. Oven times vary so to check that they are done (20-30 minutes) choose the largest piece of potato and cut into it (or you could always do a taste-test). If it smashes, it's done!

To Make Gravy:

In a small sauce-pan put two tablespoons of coconut butter, let melt. When it's pretty much melted, put two tablespoons of flour and stir until mixed. You are making a roux. Once combined, add at least a cup of bean juice (or more depending on how thick you like your gravy) and any spices/herbs you like in your gravy. I use Salt, Pepper, and even chili powder sometimes. Stir until it boils then take it off the flame and cover/let sit for a few minutes until it reaches desired thickness.

Pour gravy over potatoes and you are DONE! YUM!
(Optional- Take it to the next level with a few squirts of ketchup.)

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions or want to tell me how you liked the recipe, leave a comment! Subscribe (via Google Friend Connect or E-mail!) if you'd like to be notified of new recipes from Viva La Vida Vegan!

Have a great day!

--Kyndal

VEGAN MOFO 2012 #3!

RAW/ORGANIC/VEGAN CHOCOLATE TART!!!!!

Completely raw, and amazingly YUM!

I just throw a bunch of raw superfood powders in to give the tarts some taste dimension and extra vitamins but you can make the filling with only raw cacao powder and maple (and/or) agave syrup, and they will still taste great!


Ingredients: (* = Organic)

Filling: (Just mix everything together)
Raw Cacao Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Acai Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Lacuma Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Maca Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Goji Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Maqui Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Raw Camu Powder (Navitas Naturals *)
Pure Maple Syrup ((Grade A) Shady Maple Farms *)
Raw Blue Agave Nectar (Ohgave *)

Crust:
Filling (*)
Raw Almonds, Crushed (*)
Raw Pecans, Crushed (*)

Topping:
Raw Walnuts, Chopped (*)

Get out a piece of parchment paper to place the tarts on and mix the almond/pecan flour in with some of the filling and mold into tart shape. You can use a small bowl or just your hands to mold them into a small bowl-shape. The smaller (bite-sized!) the better. Then pour the filling into the molded flour mixture. Put some crunchy walnuts on top if you like them. Then place the tarts on the parchment into the fridge to chill for a while. I like them super cold because the filling gets fudge-y. Yum!! 

They're so delicious and you can have as many as you want because of all the nutrients you get from them. It's my "This-feels-wrong-but-is-so-right" snack!

If you try it let me know how it works for ya!

Thanks for reading and happy Mofo-ing to all of you!

O.C.C. Lip Tar Review

Today's post is a product review! *Que cheering sounds* What I want to review is a new product by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.

O.C.C.-LIP TAR!

Lip Tar in-"Hush" shade.

I've been wanting to try them out for so long but I wince at the thought of buying makeup online. Unless you're a daring, lover-of-mystery type of person, I'm sure you like to actually see the colors before you buy them also.

I went to Sephora to exchange a product and met a great new girl who helped me out by showing me the Lip Tars before they've hit the shelves. I didn't ask her to, she just wanted to find me a new VEGAN lipstick so badly that she searched the entire stock room for it. I love this girl! Now that I think about it, the color pretty much matches exactly what's shown on the Sephora website. The tube looks dark and kind of dull but the lip tar goes on really bright and pretty. I'd have no problem ordering online now. (Funny how that goes.)

Anyhoosels....

I have medium toned skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. This is what it looked like on me:

Me wearing O.C.C. Lip Tar. 

It's very "peach" (almost too peach for my tone.) and nice but when I add a little bit of a berry color to the center it looks amazing. It comes with a little lip brush and even though it's only .33 ounces, the tiniest drop imaginable goes a LONG LONG way!!! I'm the girl that will spend a minute or more slathering my lips in balms and glosses because it takes a lot to get my lips covered. That fact is completely irrelevant with the lip tars! This tube is going to last me forever, I can just tell. Also, It was completely inexpensive given these details. I have paid way more for a lot less product from other companies. I also love that O.C.C. is 100% Vegan friendly. There's no guess work here. I will buy all of their stuff without a worry. I just love it!

All in all, my review is simple--GET IT WHILE YOU CAN! It's amazing stuff.

--Kyndal

By the way, this comes to my mind every time I think of "Lip-Tar":

(Reptar)

  

Am I the only one? Really? Oh...

Vegan MOFO 2012 #2!

Today I want to talk about a discovery that I made this week. I randomly found it whilst perusing the cereal isle at Whole Foods. I'm always trying to find something new without soy and I think I've found the ultimate childhood snack (In my personal opinion anyway!).

Vegan/Organic "Sugar Smacks"!!
(Nature's Path Organic Kamut Puffs)

The set-up. Obviously, I've eaten quite a bit of the cereal already! Read on for more pics.

Cereal with nutrition info.

What the bag looks like

Just One of the brands of Raw Agave that I like. (It has a pop-top so of course I love it!)

Do any of you remember eating sugar smacks as a child? It was one of my favorite cereals because well, it was my mom's favorite! The cereal is nothing but wheat BUT I like it that way because instead of ingesting loads of sugar, I can pour on some raw agave nectar (my favorite!). I know there is a lot of drama surrounding rice and all rice products right now (possible arsenic outbreak-google it), but Rice Milk is really my favorite so I splurged just a bit. Almond and coconut milk are really good too.

I know this post really isn't a recipe and doesn't have much detail but I had to tell someone about this find! Haha, I hope this helps anyone out there with a craving for "Sugar Smacks" cereal. Let me know if you can find it!