This week, I’m thankful for:

♥ visiting friends from Indiana
♥ belated Valentine’s flowers from the Omnivore
♥ fun game nights w/ friends
♥ tulips given by strangers who love my pink hair

Currently on Chicago Diner’s specialty menu & so delicious I could die: The Tipsy Turtle!

Vegan vanilla ice cream [we chose chocolate instead] blended with Jameson® Whiskey,
chocolate chip cookie chunks, & topped with whipped cream & chopped pecans.

Hurry, as part of their Valentine’s week menu, it may not last much longer!

simple. good.

Toast. Earth Balance. Avocado slices. Ground pepper. Himalayan salt. Nutritional yeast.

Enjoy.

So, to tide you over, here’s the rundown on one of my favorite past ensembles, photographed by a girl who DOES know her way around a camera:

new york is for lovers (photo by Lauren Oosterlinck @ www.laisallyouneed.com)

dress - zara trf  [thrifted from crossroads trading co.]
jacket - kenneth cole [thrifted from buffalo exchange]
tights - target
socks - target
boots - target
scarf - purchased @ Chicago’s Field Museum

cute boy accessory - limited edition from San Antonio

On the to do list for next week: practice self-shots. Stay tuned for the results next Friday.

This week, I’m thankful for:

♥ delicious thai iced tea @ Urban Vegan
♥ AMAZING new movies like The Artist
♥ a romantic date @ Sushi Mon for Valentine’s day
♥ everything heart-shaped that goes on sale Feb. 15th

What are you thankful for?

little bell pepper (from our garden), lots of vitamin C

Does the winter cold have your nose on the run? Skip the orange juice & snack on a few slices of red bell pepper. Not only does this sweet little veggie help boost your antioxidant levels, it also contains 2-3 times more vitamin C than citrus fruit. And since vitamin C is nature’s antihistamine, it’s your strongest ally in the battle against the sniffles.

I suggest you grab your love and hurry to Chicago Diner for this special menu item [and if you're unattached, this dish can be your boyfriend.]

The new strawberry stuffed french toast may only be available this week and it is AMAZING! The cream cheese filling and strawberry topping even made the too thick vegan bacon better. Add on the side hash browns & fruit and you’ll leave full & happy. What are you waiting for? Go now, go!

The Big O.

Thank God for Babycakes! Without Erin McKenna’s tutelage, I would never have had the courage to venture into gluten-free baking & my tummy thanks her!

Despite my initial reservations, her gluten-free donuts turned out amazingly well with just a few substitutions. I actually prefer them plain [without the glaze] because they’re just that delicious, but the glaze is super simple if you’d like to give it a try.

Donut Ingredients

1 1/3 c vegan sugar*
[*I was running low on all of my dry sweeteners so I used 1/3 c beet sugar, 1/3 c Sun Crystals (which are twice as sweet as sugar), & 1/3 c raw turbinado sugar]
1/2 c brown rice flour
1/3 c all purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c  + 2 tbsp arrowroot
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c vanilla extract
1/2 c hot water
1/3 c melted coconut oil + a touch more for the pan

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush 2 6-mold donut trays with melted coconut oil & set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients [sugars, flours, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & xanthan gum].
In a smaller bowl, mix applesauce, vanilla, hot water, & coconut oil.
Add wet ingredients to dry & stir until just combined.
Using a spoon, carefully drop approximately 2 1/2 tbsp of batter into each donut mold & distribute evenly around the circle.
Bake for 8 minutes, rotate, & bake for 8 minutes more. Let cool before removing from molds by loosening edges with a butter knife.
If desired, top with glaze.

Glaze Ingredients*
[* This recipe makes more than enough glaze for one batch of 12 donuts.
It will keep for up to 4 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.]

3 c vegan powdered sugar
1/3 c hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients & whisk until smooth.
Spread over top or dip donuts into bowl to glaze. Enjoy!

lounging in leopard boots: January 2010

I know, I know…but this is a food blog, right? It’s about recipes & restaurants, not tights & tops…but will you humor me, dear readers? Will you join me for Faux Fashion Fridays?

Why “faux,” you ask? Because faux sums up the 3 requirements for all of the fashion I will be posting:

1. Cruelty-free. Faux fur. Faux leather. Faux shearling. Since going vegan with my diet, I have been slowly trying to make my lifestyle the same. I do my absolute best to avoid purchasing any new clothing items made from leather, silk, wool, fur, etc. However, if by some mistake I feature a newly-purchased item that is NOT vegan, please feel free to kindly give me a heads up. [No accusatory tone needed, thank you.]

2. Re-used. As a thrifty girl on a budget, I tend to wear some of my clothing until it is near disintegration. This means that there are several items in my closet from BV [before vegan]: Ugg boots from 2004, wool sweaters from 2010, etc. Despite their non-vegan origins, I plan to wear these items until they fall apart, both for the sake of my wallet & out of respect for animal that suffered to make them.

3. Recycled. While I refuse to purchase new items made from non-vegan materials, I do occasionally purchase such items second hand. When buying from a thrift shop, the money no longer supports the industry that made the clothing, it now supports the cause of that shop. So, instead of funding cruelty, my thrift shop cashmere sweater pays for research in children’s medicine, support for military families & veterans, & STD prevention for LGBT communities.

The faux fashion fun starts next Friday…stay tuned.

This week, I’m thankful for:
♥ pink hair dye
♥ my mother & her fabulous haircutting skills
♥ cuddle nights with Zooey
&
♥ the handsomely bespectacled Omnivore

What are you thankful for?