stay tuned...

Hello my lovely, glittery, rainbow filled blog world. Sorry I haven't been posting much food lately..having the jumbled, uninspired, too much on my plate syndrome.... Luckily my Europe trip is around the corner and I will be back with new ideas, recipes, pictures, and LOVE. So don't miss me too much for I will be back in two weeks. Stay tuned for my soon to come picture explosion! Love you all. See ya later alligators.

ps: I don't think you guys know how much your love and continuous support has affected me. =) Thank you!

worth a thousand words...

San Francisco Hugs

San Diego Kisses

xoxo

Happy Thursday

I spent the whole day doing nothing..it felt great.

Happy day to you and you and you!

Red Lobster

So I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday. If you are selling at a flea market, you should, no wait, you MUST wear sun block. It is not only advised, it is necessary. Especially when it's 100 degrees outside. Sigh... I am currently a red lobster. A very, very in pain red lobster. So I guess it's surprising I made muffins this morning. Every time I opened the oven and the blaring heat touched my skin..ouch..not cool (literally)..but the end result was definitely worth it. These muffins, these magnificent muffins are not only scrumptious but they are also vegan. Mmm happy day!

 Vegan Whole Wheat Banana and Blueberry Muffins

2c whole wheat flour

1TB baking powder

1/2tsp sea salt

1/3c organic cane sugar

1/3c light brown sugar

2 ripe bananas(mashed)

1tsp vanilla

1c soy milk

1c frozen blueberries

streusel topping

1/3c rolled oats

2TB whole wheat flour

4TB brown sugar

3TB Earth Balance butter, room temperature, cut into little pieces.

1tsp cinnamon

wet into dry,

line muffin tin, put mix 3/4 to the top, and topped with streusel topping.

Bake at 400 degrees f

For 20 mins

Enjoy happy people!

Cupcakes With Mad Vegan Steez

I am seriously cocoNUTS about these cupcakes. I am giving myself an intense pat on the back for my first attempt on vegan cupcakes. How can a cupcake be moist, buttery, creamy, soft without using eggs, butter, and milk? Well my friends, it can be done.
Here's the proof.

This was suppose to be a one biter picture..but it ended up being 3-4 bites. Yes, it's that good!

Coconut Cupcakes

1 3/4c all purpose flour

1c sugar

1tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1c coconut milk( the key that unlocks the amazingness of these cupcakes)

1/2c canola oil

2TB vanilla extract

1TB apple cider vinegar

Coconut glaze

1/2c coconut milk

1/4c powdered sugar

1/4c sweetened shredded coconut

1tsp vanilla

Bake at 350F for 15-20mins. You can check if it's done with a toothpick.

Top with toasted shredded coconut.

Now waiting for my ice cream to set so I can make some gnarly sundaes! Today is a great day!!

Happy chow chow time to you all!

Literary Bliss..

Since this is The Happiness Space I guess it's only right to tell you one of the many things that brings me true and utter happiness..Books. As you can tell I am really into cooking books, books about chefs, umm.. anything about FOOD. Seriously, this is my version of crack...Oh, by the way how awesome are libraries? Free books..yeah definitely loves that.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to share that with ya'll. 

Happy day to you!

Back Attack

Whoa, just realized I spent the WHOLE day in the kitchen...Anyways, I recently attended, or actually helped out a friend whom is a wedding planner, Catherine Cindy Leo Weddings (click on her name to check her out she's absolutely amazing), for a 600 people wedding. The whole menu consisted of vegetarian and vegan yummy goodness. The appetizer and dinner was an Indian buffet, and the extravagant dessert table catered by Jamaica's Cakes was filled with various cakes and brownies that were..wait for it... ALL VEGAN! They even had Cool Haus (gourmet ice cream sandwiches) cater! Oh my goodness!! I seriously ate so much I thought I was going to pop! After the event I became truly inspired to start baking vegan desserts, and also try my hand at homemade ice cream. Cool Haus seriously had the most amazing flavors like fig and balsamic with mascarpone..drool..I can't wait to start experimenting. I hope I come up with some good combos.

Here are some awesome pictures of the vegan dessert station.

 cheesecake with blueberry topping, red velvet cupcakes, carrot cupcakes, white chocolate strawberries, and brownies with white chocolate chunks...ALL VEGAN!!

Did I mention the 4 tiered cake was also vegan???

Uh oh I'm starting to crave cake..need distractions..Oh yeah, let's talk about what I had for lunch. I had to make a quick stop at Trader Joe's and came across black figs, and whole wheat pizza dough. It seriously seemed like a sign..I almost could hear a faint voice from the sky saying.. "make pizza Liz." 

So I did.

Whole wheat pizza dough, caramelized onions, goat cheese, black figs. 

To finish it off I reduced some balsamic vinegar, and drizzled it on top. I also drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.

A simple salad to accompany the pizza. 

 Crispy crust, creamy goat cheese, the sweet balance of roasted figs, and the acidity from the caramelized onions. Mmmm Mmmm.

25 and I Choose Life..

A couple weeks back I had a horrible experience with booze. I took that as a sign.
I know now that I need to be kinder to my body. I need treat my body with respect, give it love, and ultimately take care of myself. I want to be able to grow old and live a vigorous/healthy/virtuous life. So I'm trading a schooner of beer for a spatula. I am trading a martini glass for a rolling pin. I am trading night out at bars for kayaking, yoga, running, and ice cream making.  Seriously, fun still exist without being intoxicated! I am finding out so much about myself and I think it's because my mind is clearer. No more haze that once blinded me. Oh, it feels soooo good.

Anyways back to my August bakeathon... I was definitely not lying about my baking bonanza partay. Here's the proof.
Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Love and Olive Oil blog

Recipe
1/2c butter(softened)
1/2c granulated sugar
1/2c brown sugar(firmly packed)
1/2c Nutella
1 egg
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1c all purpose flour
1/2c whole wheat flour(the recipe called for 1 1/2c all purpose flour but I wanted to add whole wheat)
1tsp baking soda
1/4tsp fine grain sea salt
1/3c chocolate chip

 Healthiest Banana Oatmeal cookies
adapted from 101cookbooks

Recipe
2 large, ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4c olive oil
1/4c unsweetened apple sauce
2 c rolled oats
2/3 almond meal
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp fine grain sea salt
1tsp baking powder
1/2c semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Sorry the picture isn't that grand.. I was having horrible lighting. But seriously.. don't let this picture deceive you.. these cookies are the bomb..No seriously these cookies are so freaking good. I can't stop eating them. I might gain 30 pounds from this baking experiment. eeeks! Just have to remember to be balanced. Eat, work out, eat, work out, and sleep. Stay tuned for the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly.

smiles!

Spring Rolls or Summer Rolls?

Oh my goodness it is blazing hot here in Cali. I'm sweating bullets! When the weather gets this deadly I only want to eat cold, cold things. Spring rolls were definitely calling my name. I love the fact that it's a salad rolled up into one giant Asian style burrito. I tend to pack my rolls with as much veggies as I can fit ...today was no exception. Veggie explosion!!.....no seriously. I packed one roll with soo many veggies that it literally exploded. haha Good stuff.

I made three different types of spring rolls.
1. portobello mushroom, iceberg lettuce, spinach, cucumbers.
2. yellow nectarines, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce
3. portobello mushroom, carrots, roots(not too sure what it's called, it might be garlic stems?), spinach, iceberg lettuce, and bean sprouts.
To accompany the rolls, I made a sweet soy sauce (soy sauce, sugar, water).Dip, dip, eat!

mmm.. so good.

First of the Month..

Since it's the beginning of a new month I decided I would try something new. Baking! I was never much of a baker. I don't have the necessary qualities for a baker..you know like patience, following directions, being exact etc...So for the month of August I dare to challenge myself and bake, bake, bake.

Here is my first attempt.

Madeleine topped with Orange sugar (orange zest, gr adulated sugar)

I loved the crunchy texture and how it was soft and fluffy on the inside. It almost tasted like the top of a orange flavored muffin, which is seriously my favorite part! Not too bad for my first attempt. I think next time I definitely want to try using lemons or maybe even incorporating chocolate! Maybe putting less batter in the molds? There are so many things I need to learn. But at least you can join me while I make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. =) All right stay tuned for my bakingventures. Toodles!