Knock, Knock. Who’s there? February 2, 2010
Posted by tahinitoo in February 2010.Tags: animal sanctuary, bake sale, birthday, cookies, cupcakes, Jasmin Singer, Out to Pasture, pretzels, vegan, video
14 comments
Tahini.
Tahini who?
Tahihitoo!
Ah hahaaa! Lame (not really a joke) joke. Goodness, it’s been awhile, huh? Let’s catch up on the last month, shall we?
First, Tim and I celebrated his birthday with cupcakes and lots of laziness:
Jaffa Cupcakes: Chocolate-orange cupcakes with orange frosting and drizzles of chocolate ganache. These were yummy.
Next, I attended an inspirational talk given by Jasmin Singer (big thanks to the Let Live Foundation for organizing this event!). The talk focused on how we can extend our advocacy beyond just the food on our plates, and speak up for animals in our daily lives. It was really wonderful to sit in a room full of people with a passion for animal activism. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and forget that we can all do more than just eat vegan food. Watch the talk and learn how you can use your talents to further help those without a voice:
Then, I baked up a few storms for Portland’s Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti. The sale made over $3,000!!! Woohoo!! Here are a few photos of the treats I made (with plenty of help from Tim!!!):
Rocky Road Cookies: Chocolate cookies with toasted almonds, dried sweet cherries, and vegan marshmallows.
Savory Soft Pretzels: Chewy, soft pretzels sprinkled with lots of yummy seeds.
Chocolate Almond Sandwich Cookies: Dark chocolate sandwiched between chewy almond cookie wafers.
And finally, Tim and I visited Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary in Estacada, OR. There was a big open house and lots of people showed up to meet, feed, and play with the resident animals. This was my first time visiting an animal sanctuary and I absolutely LOVED the experience!! My favorite animal was this sweet lil’ piggie who walked right up to me and gently snorted his wet snout in my face:
Here are some more photos of the animals we met:
My favorite part of the day was feeding the pigs lettuce and seeing just how happy they were waddling around in the mud!
My birthday is Wednesday, so stay tuned for photos of the cupcakes Tim will be baking!!!
Winner, Winner!!! December 31, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009.Tags: winner
4 comments
Hello! This will be a mighty short post. It’s finally time to announce the winner of the My Sweet Vegan giveaway… Commenter #14!!! That’s Jes from the Cupcake Punk blog!!!! Congratulations Jes!!! I will contact you via e-mail so that we can arrange shipping of your new book. Thanks to everybody who entered the contest. I enjoyed reading about your favorite baked treats and I am excited to check out all the recipe links!!!
Happy New Year!
Year-End Giveaway!!!! December 23, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009.Tags: book review, giveaway, My Sweet Vegan
35 comments
Hey everybody, what’s up?! This year is quickly coming to a close and I’m still back a few months trying to reach the present… My holiday cookie baking intentions are simmering somewhere in outer space (well, except for a few batches I managed to whip up last weekend). I mentioned in a previous post that I would be reviewing My Sweet Vegan by the lovely Hannah Kaminsky and this post is dedicated to that decadently yummy book.
Lately I have been trying to reduce my sugar intake so this review was a test of my will power against sweets. Don’t misunderstand, I do love treats, but my body responds much differently than my taste buds. Anyways, Hannah’s book is impressive from the start. An extensive ingredient guide will familiarize you with items you may not know much about. There is a color photograph accompanying each recipe (taken by Hannah herself!) so you know how the final treat should look. The recipes range from muffins, scones, cakes, pies, tarts, crumbles, and even parfaits!!! There is definitely a recipe for everybody (and a food allergy index at the back of the book to help you choose appropriately) and every season. I have made a handful of wonderful recipes from My Sweet Vegan: Whoopie Pies, Rootbeer Float Cupcakes, Power Hungry Granola, and Orange Hazelnut Biscotti. Several recipes are marked for future baking binges: Strawberry Spirals, Sweet & Simple French Toast, and Dried Fruit Focaccia. While the ingredients for the recipes can be expensive to purchase and are not always in your pantry, it is fun to whip up some seriously indulgent desserts once in awhile. I keep my copy on hand for special occasions and have found that you can make them a bit healthier by substituting different flours, milks, sweeteners, etc. But, it is a dessert book, so don’t expect low fat recipes!!! Treat yourself, friends, family, and co-workers!!!! Yes indeed.
Orange Hazelnut Biscotti – pretty addictive and perfectly enhanced with orange zest and juice. Have some with a cup of tea, why don’t you?
And here comes the best part – I am giving away one copy of My Sweet Vegan to a lucky reader (thanks to Alisa from Go Dairy Free for providing the copy)!!!!! Woohoo! I meant to have the giveaway earlier so I could mail the book out before the holidays, but we bake all year, so I guess it doesn’t matter much, right? Good! To enter the drawing, just leave a comment telling me your favorite baked treat (recipe links would be awesome!!!). I will happily ship overseas so don’t let that stop you from trying to win!!! I will choose a winner on Wednesday, December 30th. Hurry up already and leave a comment!!!! Get excited to bake up some seriously sweet treats!!!! Good luck!
I hope everybody enjoys the remainder of 2009. I am partial to even numbers, so I am mighty happy about the approach of 2010. Best wishes to each of you in 2010.
A Book Review December 14, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009, Uncategorized.Tags: Alisa Marie Fleming, book review, Go Dairy Free, My Sweet Vegan
6 comments
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Alisa Marie Fleming from the Go Dairy Free website and asked to review a few books, My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky and Go Dairy Free by Alisa herself. What a wonderfully generous opportunity, right?! When the books arrived in my mailbox, I immediately cozied up on the futon with a blanket and started reading. I had the pleasure of meeting Hannah when she was in Portland in 2008 for a book signing event at Herbivore. She was so sweet and made treats for everybody to enjoy, including some yummy whoopie pies! Since I already own a copy of My Sweet Vegan, I will be having a giveaway soon (everybody can enter too!!!). But first I want to review Go Dairy Free.
Go Dairy Free is an incredible resource for vegans, vegetarians, and any individuals wanting (or needing) to reduce/eliminate dairy from their diet. The book begins with an introduction about dairy (what it is, why we don’t need it, allergies, etc) and ends with an abundance of wonderful recipes! In between are chapters about eating dairy-free away from home, grocery shopping, and dairy alternatives. There are plenty of tips, links, and recommendations for both online and offline reading resources too. This book is so well organized!!! I marked about a zillion recipes to make! Time is seriously disappearing in my life but I still found enough to make a few recipes (well actually, Tim made the second one, but still…):
Light Apricot Scones – Oh my goodness, these are delicious!! I made them twice, once for Tim and I to enjoy and once for a vegan bake sale. They are so simple, quick, and addictive.
Sesame Soba Noodles – Insanely quick, healthy, and so very tasty. If you are pressed for time this is the perfect recipe for lunch or dinner. It’s also a great meal for adaptability, you can add veggies, tofu, tempeh, other seeds… Whatever your lil’ non-dairy heart desires!!!
I have marked plenty more recipes to try from Go Dairy Free: Oatmeal Blender Waffles, Peanut Buttery African Stew, Sunflower Seed Cheese, Cashew Gravy, and Portobello-Ricotta Ravioli just to name a few!!! Yummy sounding stuff, right?
I have been enjoying Go Dairy Free so much that it keeps moving from my cookbook shelf to my bedroom to my living room and back to the cookbook shelf… Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you don’t own a copy of Go Dairy Free, you should. It is so packed full of tips, and I love tips!!!
I hope to have a review of My Sweet Vegan posted before the end of the week. Keep your eyes peeled because I will be giving away a copy (thanks Alisa!!) to one lucky reader. It would make a super gift for the holidays (or for yourself of course!).
Keep cozy in the cold if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, or cool in the heat if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Go have some tea and a scone.
Chili for Chilly Nights December 8, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009, Uncategorized.Tags: 500 Vegan Recipes
7 comments
Do you have your copy of 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen & Joni Marie Newman yet? You don’t? Well you should probably hurry up and get one because all those recipes will be mighty sad if you don’t make them soon. For example, if the weather has you huddled under blankets or planted next to a space heater, you could warm up your insides with a bowl of Cranberry Chili and a side of Sweet Skillet Cornbread:
Or, maybe you are addicted to tahini like I am, and also happen to love chocolate? Well then you should probably make the Chocolate Tahini Quick Bread:
Or maybe you are a cookie addict? Well then, you should without a doubt make the Caraque Pastries (which kind of resemble boobies, but don’t let that deter you):
Or, maybe you are terribly sluggish in the morning and you drag yourself from one room to the next seeking some revitalization? Well goodness, I’d suggest whipping up a batch of Energy Bars!!!
Or, maybe you just want to make sammies for lunch and need some bread? How about the Dijon Thyme Bread?
Or, maybe you just want to cozy up with a good book and read? Well then you better get a copy of 500 Vegan Recipes because it’s a dandy fine novel. Hurry up already before Santa (or your respective holiday-themed dude) gets the last one.
Giveaway Winner!!! December 6, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009.Tags: giveaway winner
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Oooooops! I meant to post the winner of my Xagave giveaway earlier today but time was consumed too quickly. Anyways, the winner is commenter #17, Claryn, from the Hell Yeah It’s Vegan blog. Congratulations! Here is what Claryn had to say about her favorite use for agave:
“I like to use agave nectar in candy — particularly macadamia caramel clusters (drizzled with dark chocolate), which I’ve blogged about before. Yum!”
There are so many wonderful recipes on Claryn’s blog – you should take a peek and see for yourself. I will contact you via e-mail Claryn so that we can arrange shipping of your prize!! And, for everybody else, if you are interested in purchasing some Xagave, head over to their website and you can get free shipping by typing TAHINITOO into the payment information page!! How grand is that?! Now we can all have a little extra sweetness in our lives. Big thanks to Robyn at BetterBody Foods & Nutrition for her generosity.
Oh, and speaking of sweetness, I have been busy testing recipes for Celine and Joni’s second (!!!!!) cookbook, The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions. Here is a photo of a delicious Cranberry Banana Cake that disappeared pretty quickly after Tim found it in the kitchen:
It’s like banana bread in cake form, studded with tart cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate chips.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!
Swell Swappings December 5, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in December 2009.Tags: package swap, weekend photos
7 comments
While November was a rather mild month temperature-wise in Portland, December has pretty much planted chilly mornings and near-freezing nights right at my doorstep (literally, considering my apartment building no longer heats the hallways or stairwells… Really…). I have started thinking more seriously about whether to continue riding my bike to work because frosty/icy patches on the streets don’t mix well with me and my bike. We’ll see…
Before we get to the swappiness, here are a few photos from a bike ride Tim and I took last weekend (we rode our bikes to one of our favorite parks to have lunch under a bridge and enjoy the last traces of Fall slowly slipping away…):
Picnic tables at Cathedral Park
The Willamette River peeking through some gorgeous fall foliage
The St. John’s Bridge
Anyways, it’s time to focus on the title of this post!!! Vegan package swaps are mighty fun and addictive and I recently participated in one started by Lindsay from the Cooking for a Vegan Lover blog. Lindsay has a wonderful blog and generously hosts lots of giveaways so you should visit her site!!! I was paired with Carrie from the Happy Vegan Yogini blog and my package arrived yesterday. It was an exciting end to a rather busy day at work. Do you want to know what was inside?
Banana Coconut Curry Sauce from Hawaii
Roasted Nori Snacks
Apple Chips
A local cabbage-y treat from where Carrie lives (good on beans she says!!!)
Pepperoncini, canned by Carrie!!
Apple Banana Butter from Hawaii
Coconut Candy from Hawaii
Also included was some incredible lip balm by Lush called None of Your Beeswax. It is lemony, vanilla-y, lovely. It is also the first Lush product I have tried – I want to try more now!!! Carrie tucked some Hawaiian coffee, dried fruit strips, and a reusable grocery bag from an all-veg grocery in Hawaii into my package as well (and some soup that sadly exploded from its carton in transit, but I will locate some at my grocery store because it smelled so good!). I was very lucky to be paired with Carrie right before she took a vacation to Hawaii, right? Fun stuff! The coconut candy disappeared quickly and Tim is eager to sample the hot sauce (perfect for warming our insides this winter!). Thank you so much Carrie!!!!!
Stay tuned for my next post which will announce the winner of my latest giveaway!!! Hurry up and enter if you haven’t already, I draw a winner on Saturday the 5th!!!! Also, I am in the midst of reviewing two cookbooks and testing recipes for another one, so December will feature lots of food stuff. Good for everybody, right?!
Sweetness (=Giveaway!!!) November 29, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in November 2009.Tags: agave nectar, giveaway, sweetener, vegan, Xagave
22 comments
Do you remember when I reviewed a wonderful product called Xagave? Well, Robyn from BetterBody Foods & Nutrition has graciously offered to send one lucky reader a free 18-ounce bottle of Xagave! Nice huh? If you would like to participate in the giveaway, simply leave a comment telling me about your favorite use for agave nectar (recipes are always a good idea!). I know lots of us are planning to bake up a few storms with the onset of the holidays and some free agave nectar would certainly make life a bit sweeter, right? Right. Oh, and please make sure to leave your comment by Friday, December 4th. I will randomly select a winner on December 5th. Good luck everybody!!
Agave nectar makes pretty cupcakes:
Hey Winner! November 25, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in November 2009.Tags: giveaway, soup, winner
2 comments
Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Make Your Place book giveaway… Random Number Generator says… Comment #24. That’s Kim from the Veg-in-Training blog!!!! Kim’s favorite eco-friendly cleaning tips: “I am in the lemon/baking soda fan club for cleaning porcelain sinks and tubs. I also like to sprinkle lavender oil in baking soda and use it as a carpet freshener. I use lavender oil and vinegar for fabric softener on occasion too”. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Kim over the summer when she was in Portland with her husband and she was sweet enough to bring me jalapeno salt and chili powder from Arizona!!! Nice! I will contact you via e-mail Kim so we can arrange shipping of your book. Woohooo!!!! Congratulations!
On a side note, if it’s getting a bit chilly in your neighborhood, make this soup. (You could probably find a tasty bread recipe to go along with it while you are visiting Seitan is My Motor):
Curried Pumpkin Soup with Seitan – A perfectly warming, smoky, spicy, flavorful soup.
And, on Friday I will be hosting yet another giveaway, so keep your eyes on the screen. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Make Your Place – A Book Giveaway!!!! November 18, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in November 2009.Tags: book, eco-friendly cleaning, giveaway, Make Your Place
44 comments
Hey everybody, what’s up? I’ve been taking some time away from posting to enjoy the lovely rainy weather that rolls around this time of year (yay!!!). My time has also been consumed by pure relaxation (laziness) and cleaning my apartment from ceiling to floor, literally. Transition to the topic of this post: green cleaning. Commercial household cleaners are evil toxic blends of death. The smell alone burns my lungs. In an effort to avoid sacrificing essential organs for a clean home, Tim and I make our own cleaners (laundry detergent, floor cleaner, bathroom scrub, wall disinfectant, etc) and we love them and their effectiveness. Most of the recipes we use come from the handiest, dandiest little book called Make Your Place by Raleigh Briggs. The book includes recipes/tips/skills for health & first aid, cleaning & body care, and gardening. And, everything is so easy to make. The book is written with charm and humor – I just love this book! I love it so much that I am giving a copy away to one lucky reader!!!! Make your place clean too! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite eco-friendly cleaning tip, recipe, whatever. I will ship the book overseas, so EVERYBODY can enter. I will randomly select a winner on Tuesday, November 24th (11:59 pm Pacific time). Good luck and I can’t wait to hear all of your green cleaning tips!
