Southern Vegan Cornbread

Southern Vegan Cornbread

With Thanksgiving in our rear-view mirror, I was reminded how much we all enjoyed our Southern Vegan Cornbread.  It is a recipe that I have made for most of my life and always shared on holidays with my family.  It is one they always expect and request.  Many years ago, it was found on the Quaker Corn Meal box but over the years the recipe was changed and is now listed as Easy Corn Bread but it is not the original recipe that I used previously.  The later one increased the flour and decreased the cornmeal.  I took the old recipe that I have made for years and veganized it.  We had it for yesterday's Thanksgiving lunch and it was enjoyed by all.  Here is a copy for you:

1 cup organic all purpose flour

1 cup organic yellow corn meal

1/4 cup organic sugar

2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt 

1 cup almond milk  plus 2 Tablespoons

1/4 cup canola oil (or oil of choice)

1 tsp egg replacer

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch pan for thicker cornbread or use a 9 by 13 inch pan for thin cornbread.  Stir all dry ingredients together, then make a little hole in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients.   Stir until all ingredients are moist.  Bake 25 minutes or until cornbread is light golden brown and a toothpick goes in and is removed clean.  Great warm, right out of the oven! 

Vegan Makeup - Everyday Minerals - Cruelty Free

Everyday Minerals

Several years ago, (2011), I was looking for a cruelty-free makeup that would not breakout my sensitive mature skin.  I found Everyday Minerals online and ordered their sample kits to try out base shades.  I went crazy over their products and have been using them ever since.  Even though I am older, my skin breaks out with many of the liquid products.  I have tried several of the vegan liquid foundation brands but always come back to my favorite, that never breaks out my skin and seems to improve the color and texture, even when I am not wearing it.  

They have products for young and old, but my main focus was to find a product that keeps me looking as close to natural as possible, balancing my skin tones.  I turned 60 this year, but I have taken good care of my skin by moisturizing it several times a day.  Even though you do your best, your skin naturally ages and picks up dark spots of red tones.  We all are different, but a great foundation will even out the skin tones and compliment your skin.

Several things that I've learned using this product is that if you are older, you do not want to use the base or shadows with sparkle, iridescent colors, because this emphasizes wrinkles. For example, if I wear their eye shadow, I will apply it first, before the base product, with the goal of not leaving the iridescent color on top.  The second thing I've learned is to choose at least two shades of base color... preferably three, to "paint" your face because your face naturally is not a two dimensional flat color.    With the lightest shade, I work around my nose and eyes, (it can be used as a natural eye shadow), then use the next shade for most of my face and then add the darkest shade around the edges of my face.  Using three colors that are very close in shades will give you a natural looking face, making it look three dimensional.  Now, I am not a cosmetic specialist.  However, I do love art and I know from working with color that you have to shade items.  My experience with this makeup is to choose three base colors, close in shade, and work your natural paint brush on your face.  

Not only do I love this makeup company and their fabulous brushes, but it is vegan and cruelty-free!!! It is a win-win.  Here is more information on Everyday Minerals.  I order directly from the company and they ship quickly.  I usually have my order within the week.  

Sweet and Salty

Today, I'm going to share more vegan grocery items that appeal to your sweet and salty taste buds.  The Enjoy Life dark chocolate boomCHOCOboom is a great chocolate bar.  It is also gluten free. They had three different flavors; I purchased the dark chocolate. Usually, I purchase the Endangered Species chocolate and have a few of those on hand, however, this week I found this new bar and it was delicious.... so I thought I would share it with you as my "sweet" for today.  

Under the "salty" category,  I found and tried Late July's Classic Saltine.  It is exactly as the title states and reminds you of the old fashion saltines I grew up eating, as a kid.  They are crisp and tasty with a little sea salt for flavor.  I ate mine with a little garlic and jalapeno pepper vegan (cheese) spread.  So good!!

Both of these items I found in my local Publix grocery store.  Yummy!  If you have not tried either one, you may want to swing by and pick up your sweet and salty for this week, vegan style.  

:-)

During the last few years, I've eaten at least two of my meals each day raw vegan.  The first meal of the day is a smoothie with bananas, hemp seeds, cherries or blueberries, almond milk, and ice.  Then for dinner, I have a huge salad with all of the fresh organic vegetables I can find.

However, for that meal which occurs during the middle of the day,  I need a vegan "travel"-type meal, such as a sandwich. I live in an area where there are very few vegan restaurants and even fewer vegan choices on standard restaurant menus. I'm always shocked to find out that a waitress has no idea what vegan options even mean.  So, I usually bring my meal with me when on the road.  Yesterday, when I was heading out on the road with my family, I took a classic peanut butter sandwich with organic peanut butter and my favorite bread: Genesis 1:29. Click on the link to read the details about this bread.

This bread is usually in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. It is not one of those breads marked vegan on the package. I found on the bread ingredients and information on the link above and was SO happy to find out it is vegan.  Since it is kept frozen, it is always ready for you to pull two pieces out of the freezer, thaw, then create your sandwich.  Give it a try!  It is an excellent vegan bread.  

Purely Elizabeth: Pumpkin Fig Ancient Grain Granola Cereal

Purely Elizabeth makes the BEST granola around.... Yes, it may be sweeter than some others, however, it is in a class all by itself.  It is made with organic, certified vegan ingredients! 

I have to be careful with this cereal because I want to sit down and eat half the bag.  

I have read a few reviews and a couple of people had trouble with the hardness of the dried figs.  It is true that there are harder small pieces but I have not found it to be a problem.  Everything about this cereal is excellent.  I have also purchased the other flavors and like them, as well. I always come back to this one which is my favorite.  

These are the ingredients, which are listed on the Purely Elizabeth website for this flavor:

organic certified gluten-free oats, organic coconut

palm sugar, organic raw virgin coconut oil, organic puffed amaranth,

organic quinoa flakes, organic pumpkin seeds, dried figs,

organic sunflower seeds, organic chia seeds, organic cinnamon, sea salt.

Here is a link to the Purely Elizabeth website for you to review.

I usually order this cereal from the Vitacost website for around 60 cents less, however, you can order it directly from the company. 

If you want to have a wonderful, hand-baked granola with a terrific flavor, give Purely Elizabeth's vegan cereals a try...

Until next time... :-)

Endangered Species Chocolate: Natural Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds

Well, here I am again writing about something sweet... but, I had to share this wonderful chocolate bar which is vegan.  There are many excellent flavors but you must read the ingredients or website carefully to find the ones that are vegan.  This is one of them.  I have tried many and I keep coming back to the Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds.  

Check out Endangered Species Chocolate: Natural Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds.

If you get a chance and love dark chocolate, give this bar a try... plus 10% of net profits are donated to species conservation each year. 

NuGo Organic Double Dark Chocolate VEGAN bars

Most of my posts, to date, are sharing favorite products and this post is no exception.  NuGo vegan bars are my favorite meal replacement or snack bar when I need something to eat on the run.  I have re-ordered this box of 12 bars many times because not only is it my favorite bar but my family likes it, as well.  I love that they are also organic. 

NuGo has a line of bars but you have to look closely for the vegan symbol if you are buying them at the grocery or health food store where many are sold individually.  If you would like to look at all of their vegan bars, here is that link: NuGo Nutrition Vegan Bars. 

I have ordered these bars from Amazon, when I want them quickly, as I have Prime and can get them in two days.  But, if I keep up on my ordering, I have primarily used Vitacost, as they were about five dollars less than the listed price per box.  

As you can tell by my previous posts, I love chocolate and have a sweet tooth.  These bars have 10 grams of protein so they satisfy your hunger for several hours.  The chocolate is delicious!! Give them a try, you will really enjoy them.  This flavor is my favorite because of the heavier dark chocolate taste, but they have a nice variety.  Enjoy!

Favorite Vegan Skin and Face Products

As a person with mature skin, I'm always looking for great moisturizing products.  I also have sensitive skin, so many products will make my skin red or burn.  For that reason, I am always trying new products and when I find a new vegan product that works for my skin and makes it soft and healthy-looking, then I have to share.

First, the Cleansing Cream from Aubrey contains organic ingredients and is for normal to dry skin.  I loved it from day one because when you put it on your skin it feels cool and fresh.  It has organic menthol oils and this just makes your face feel so good.  In addition, it takes off my eye make-up without burning my eyes.  Most of the cleansing creams that I have burn my eyes but this does not.  It is made with aloe vera, camphor, coconut, jojoba and olive soap.  The product is vegan and cruelty free.  I really love this product and am now on my second container.  The only con with this product is the dispenser.  I don't want to waste a drop and I think I would prefer a tube.  It is 3.4 oz. I purchased it from Vitacost for around seven dollars.

Second, the C for Yourself from Nature's Gate is an exciting new product for me.  It is a clarifying lotion. It is for all skin types and I found it at TJ Maxx for under ten dollars.  I've seen it online for up to thirty dollars.  The best part is that it works on my skin.  When I use it, my skin has less red and the pores in my skin are reduced.  I can see a visible difference when I use it. The packaging says that it is paraben free and is also used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.  I can tell you first hand that when I use it, I can visibly see the difference in my skin.  I cleanse my face and apply this first, then after it soaks in, I apply my moisturizer.  I take good care of my sixty year old skin so I'm always looking for great vegan products.  I love this product and I will be purchasing it again.  

Vegan Milk and Cookies

I am going to share two products with you that are vegan.  One I have been using for quite a while and the other I just found this past week.  That doesn't mean it is a new product, just new to me.

First, it is great to make your own almond milk and I have done this in the past with great success but most of the time, I want to go into my fridge and pull out a purchased almond milk.  At my local grocery, there are two brands of almond milk on the shelf and there was a time when I would purchase which ever one was on sale because they both say "dairy-free".  One day, I decided to go online and research both companies to find out which was the healthiest and I was amazed to learn that one was not vegan.  So, now I only purchase Blue Diamond Almond Milk from the local grocery because it is vegan AND dairy-free.  If you look at the photo below, you will see that vegan is the last item on the list.

Almond Milk - Original Unsweetened

Second, while searching online sites for vegan options last week, I ran across the vegan cookie made by Erin Baker at Amazon.  It is not a sweet cookie. It is advertised on their site as a breakfast cookie on the go with whole grains.  It is a meal replacement so if you are eating it for a snack, you may want to share with a friend or just break it in half because it is 300 calories for one 3 oz. cookie.  The first flavor I tried was Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk.  If you are thinking "sweet cookie" when you eat it, you will be disappointed.  But, if you are thinking "cereal bar", then you will enjoy it.  The first one I tried right out of the wrapper. It was okay and I was wondering if I would use this item as much as I originally thought. Then, after reading over their site, it suggests you pop it in the toaster.  This was when I was sold.  The chocolate chunks melt in the toaster but leave the outside crispy. Then I tried the Chocolate Chunk.  It is my favorite!  It has more chocolate and taken directly from the toaster is a real treat.  I'm a huge fan of peanut butter but the Chocolate Chunk gets my vote.

I ordered the cookies from Amazon.  They come 12 to a package and the directions from the site clearly state they should be frozen.  That is because they have no preservatives so the shelf-life is about 90 days.  Since you pop them into the toaster anyway, this works out great.  Plus, twelve cookies at once is a lot of meals on the go.  

So.... if you would like a quick meal of milk and cookies, check out Erin Baker's VEGAN breakfast cookies (be sure to search vegan because the company makes other cookies which are not vegan), see the specific link below:  

Chocolate Chunk - Vegan

Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Bars - So Delicious!

Okay... today, I found this frozen dessert at my local health food store and even though they were a tad expensive, they were absolutely delicious... just like the name suggests!

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for new vegan products.  Unfortunately, for me, my eyes seems to always look towards the desserts.  In this case, as I walked past the dessert isle, this box caught my eye.  The "vegan" label jumped out at me and I decided to splurge and purchase these frozen treats.

They are only 150 calories each and are wonderful.  Vegan or not, everyone who tries these will love them. 

This is their official website which offers coupons: 

http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/almond-milk-frozen-desserts/mocha-almond-fudge-bars

Do you have a favorite vegan food that you have found and would like to share? 

I would love to hear from you at talkvegancom@gmail.com.

ENJOY!

Best Chocolate Birthday Cake!

For my birthday, this past January, I wanted to have a vegan birthday cake.  I decided to make my own and have it for my birthday celebration.  I looked through all of my cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  I found one that sounded perfect.  It was in her Vegan With A Vengeance cookbook. I LOVE chocolate and as the title above states, it is her Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting.  

The first paragraph of her recipe shared that it is a great birthday cake.  Everyone who tried it loved it and I made it again a few weeks later.

I used the ingredients stated below (unless changed in parenthesis), vegan, and organic.   

Here are the ingredients for the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used pastry)

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa power (I used cacao)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups rice or soy milk (I used almond)

1/2 cup canola oil

1 (10 oz) jar raspberry preserves (reserve 1/2 for batter)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sugar ( I used 1 cup)

Here are the ingredients for the icing:

3/4 cup soy creamer (I used 1/2 cup almond milk)

6 TBS non-hydrogenated margarine (I used 4 TSP)

10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

If this recipe sounds like one you would love, check out her book Vegan with a Vengeance.  I found it in paperback on Amazon.  I only wish I had my birthday cake photo to share with you, but I can tell you that it was ALL gone by the end of the evening.  (HINT: When you make the icing, don't melt the margarine all the way so that it has a spreadable consistency.) This will be one of my favorite cakes to make again and again, particularly on special occasions.  LOVE IT! :-)

I've included a link below from a recipe/cooking vegan blog which includes photos of the baking of this cake; step by step.  If you would like to see the photos of the cake and read the step-by-step directions (ingredients may vary slightly on this blog from the original Isa recipe), then check out this link: Raspberry Blackout Cake

Favorite Vegan Cookbooks

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is my favorite vegan cookbook author!  I purchased Isa Does It, her latest cookbook in November (2013), and she never fails to disappoint with her excellent, tasty recipes, and easy to find ingredients.  I don't know about you, but when I want to try and create a new vegan recipe, I don't want to have to look up most of the ingredients on the internet first.... 

I have made many recipes from her cookbooks for my vegan and non-vegan family members, and everyone loves her recipes.  Prior to her new book, my favorite was Vegan with a Vengeance.  

My collection of Isa's books are Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, and Vegan Brunch.

If you are new to vegan cooking or Isa, give her latest book a try, you will LOVE it!  

How to grow your own celery plants

This post explains in detail about how to grow your own celery plants from organic produce. Check out the link below:

Celery Plants: Organic Celery Plants from Scratch.: The purpose of this post is to demonstrate how to grow your own celery at no cost.  Actually there are cost for supplies that can be reused ...

Nature's Gate Skin Products -> Vegan

One of my favorite stores is TJ Maxx.  The reason I love this store is because I usually can find several vegan products hiding on their shelves.  Today, I found three!

Just last week, I ordered the night cream from Vitacost, which is my favorite ONLINE store, regular price $26.94 - discounted to $16.49.  It was Nature's Gate Organics "Oh What A Night" Walnut Therapy for Overnight Renewal.  Today, I found the exact item for $7.99.  They had three of the Nature's Gate products on their shelf which were clearly marked Paraben-Free, Cruelty-Free, and Vegan!

On recent TV commercials for this store, they compare Marshall's as an equal rival, but for vegan products, I never find the sales at Marshall's that TJ Maxx offers.  Maybe you will in your area, but in mine, there is no contest.

Prior to Christmas, I found my favorite purse at the same store.  It is a Sherpani vegan bag.  It was originally $70 and I found it for under $30 at TJ Maxx.  I looked again today and they did not have any Sherpani bags.  (Not all Sherpani bags are vegan so you need to do your research.)  They claim to be eco-friendly but not all vegan.

Another great shopping day at this store for vegan shoppers.

Talk Vegan

My thoughts, as I begin this blog, are that I am always searching for vegan websites and blogs where I can read about positive personal vegan experiences.  I will share anything that I find that will help you and at the same time, log information that I have collected for myself and others for future reference.

I am a newly retired teacher who loves to write, take nature photos, work in my garden, and mostly spend time with my family. I love God. I have six dogs and a cat; most were rescued, and two parrots almost 30 years old (update: now, only one parrot :-( ).  I love animals!

 I love animals so much that even though I know it is important to share the horrible abuse of animals with others, such as within factory farms, etc., I can not post horrific photos of the torture that happens all around us. If I did, I would be physically sick all the time. My goal with this blog is to share day-to-day products, videos, books, and my personal thoughts about living vegan in today's world in the hopes that my thoughts will make you think, wonder, and help as you look into, walk through, and/or continue your vegan lifestyle. I hope you visit often.

Jen :-)