Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Winners!

The random winner is

“I’ve never had the opportunity to try Coconut Bliss, so I’ll have to hope for luck of the draw…and wow, chocolate hazelnut fudge sounds heavenly.

Comment by Bekki — October 4, 2009 @ 10:56 AM”

 
The most creative winner is

“My favorite flavor of Coconut Bliss is the dark chocolate and I enjoy it with some organic locally grown raspberries and a glass of Malbec wine on the side. It’s the ultimate indulgence!

Comment by Sarah — October 1, 2009 @ 12:18 AM “

 

Thanks to all of you that commented and entered the contest. There were several creative ideas and it was hard just picking one. Enjoy the Bliss!

á Vegano’s take on Eeny Meeny Chili Beany On Toast from “Vegan á Go-Go!”

Tonight for dinner I made Eeny Meeny Chili Beany On Toast from Vegan á Go-Go! (originally from La Dolce Vegan I believe) but as usual I made my own changes and it is a bit different (different amount of items and included some items not in the recipe). The original can be found online if you do a search but I am not going to post it here.

 
1 15 oz can chili beans (including liquid)
1 15 oz can black beans (including liquid)
1 Tbsp Mexican chili powder
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 Cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Tamari or soy sauce

Serve on toast, 2-2 1/2 pieces per person.

Put all ingredients (except the toast of course) into the pot and stir them together. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to let the chili simmer for about 10 minutes.

We like to rip our toast into small pieces and then cover it with the chili, but you can do yours however you like. I like to spread Earth Balance on my toast before I rip it apart.

 
From the back of the book:

This book includes recipes both new and adapted from her previous books; all are a cinch to prepare with easy-to-find ingredients but guaranteed to deliver energy, nutrition, and great flavor. The book also contains information and advice pertinent to Vegan travels, and is small enough to slip into one’s pocket or purse with ease. Full of Sarah’s high-energy with and verve, Vegan á Go-Go! makes life for Vegans on the go-go a lot less stressful and a lot more fun.

 

We highly suggest getting this book as it has a lot recipes that are quick and simple yet filling and delicious.

Wandering Goat: A “Wanderful Goatoo” (Remembering Eugene – Pt. 3)

One of our favorite places ever is Wandering Goat in Eugene,Oregon. Sadly, we no longer live there and can just get on our bikes and be there in 10 minutes. I am reminiscing because my 4 year Veganniversary is on October 10 and last year on my Veganniversary we stopped at the Wandering Goat for some Danishes and hot drinks.

AND Woz surprised me with an awesome Wandering Goat mug that I love. I haven’t used it much recently,but when I was on a coffee kick I used it all the time. We were told there are some very good places to get coffee here in Albuquerque so I hope to use it soon .

Wandering Goat is just a little place but it has a big presence. So many different types of people can be seen there throughout the day. White collar people, blue collar people, vagabonds, students, younger people, older people, and the list goes on. People just go there to sit and relax, read, do homework, and to listen to the live entertainment. We usually went there for the tasty treats and to talk, but we also liked to play Connect Four which we found in the Goat’s collection of board games. The games just sit there, waiting and hoping that some customer will come and remove them from their boxes and get some enjoyment.

Wandering Goat isn’t 100% Vegan as they offer the choice of dairy for their hot drinks (which they actually charged a premium for compared to the soy and rice milks),but all of the baked goods and the soup that they offer are Vegan. I never checked out all of their cold drinks in the refrigerator so I do not know if any of those happened to contain honey or dairy.

If you are ever in Eugene we highly suggest you check out the Wandering Goat. They have delicious baked goods, great coffee and tea, and an awesome atmosphere that you will only find in the Eug.

We miss you Wandering Goat!

(these two pictures are from Wandering Goat website)

“So So Vegan”

You will probably notice throughout the month that all of our Vegan MoFo posts will not involve food. I realize it is “Month of Food” but for us Veganism is more than just food (which it should be to anyone that is Vegan as Veganism goes beyond just diet). The majority of our posts have been and probably will continue to be food related, but we would just like to make it clear that Veganism includes what you eat, wear, type of entertainment you avoid (such as rodeos), type of hygiene items you use, avoiding items tested on animals as best as possible, not participating in “sports” that harm animals (such as hunting and fishing),etc.

Now that the serious part is out of the way I would like to post these two videos. They are videos actually making fun of Vegans but they are still pretty hilarious. Most Vegans seem to agree. If you are Vegan and these offend you I apologize.

What Could Possibly be Better Than Vegan Gourmet EnglishToffee?

Vegan Gourmet Merikan Toffee that’s what. No,but seriously, FREE Vegan Gourmet English Toffee is better!

I (rahzh) entered a little contest that @foodoro tweeted on Twitter which was actually being held on their Facebook page for a prize on their website (confusing I know but try to keep up because it is worth it). The first two people to guess what the Mystery Item was had the choice of Vegan Gourmet English Toffee or Vegan Gourmet Coconut Brittle. The toffee is made by Chocolate Inspirations, INC and you can find several other delicious looking Vegan options on their site as well. I chose the toffee because chocolate covered toffee is one of my most favorite things ever. I used to love Heath and Skorr bars. And I am pretty sure I haven’t had any toffee (chocolate covered or uncovered) since becoming Vegan almost exactly four years ago. If I have had it I do not remember, that is for sure.

The toffee and the brittle come in a bulk 1 pound bag or a 1/2 pound gold tent box.

They are $15.00 and $20.50 respectively. The 1 pound bag is a much better buy at about $1.29 per ounce compared to the 1/2 pound which is around $1.86 per ounce. The toffee is crunchy and nomilicious while the Swiss dark chocolate couverture covering is rich and smooth. The chopped pecan topping is just the right amount making this dessert all around delectable. The toffee and brittle are just two of the many Vegan products Foodoro carries and if the rest are even half as good as the toffee then they are worth trying.

As of this post Foodro has 278 Vegan items, but be careful as they do have a lot of non-Vegan items and I do not recommend those as the animals would not appreciate it . Just make sure to search the term Vegan and you shouldn’t have any worries.

*Edit*

*Foodoro now has a Vegan Shopping Guide that can break items down into multiple categories based on price, craft, health&nutrition, foodmaker,etc.*

Finally,here is what you have been waiting for, the toffee and all its glory.

Two MoFos, a blog, and a webspace.

Hi, everybody (said in my best Dr. Nick voice)!  Happy Vegan MoFo.  Can you believe this is our second year as part of Vegan MoFo?  We actually started the blog last year in honor of Vegan MoFo II (and as part of Woztober ) If you whip out your calculator, divide by 3, carry the 1, and round up (or something like that) you will have calculated that this is indeed Vegan MoFo III.

We have come a very long way in a year (In real life and online) and have also moved beyond just being a blog.  We have many visitors, readers, and posters involved with HHV.  In the last few months we created a Twitter account and we now have over 1,200 followers!  If you follow us on Twitter  you will get to see things that you wouldn’t on the blog such as links to contests, articles, recipes, giveaways, and other people’s blogs.  You, of course, will get a daily serving of the Hungry Hungry Veganos by following us there as well.  We have a Facebook page where we make sure to post our new blog posts and occasionally link to other info (and others have posted some information as well). Don’t forget to become a fan!

This last year has had a lot going on for the Veganos (our wedding,multiple moves, job changes,etc) so we didn’t get to post nearly as much as we wanted to. We were cooking,eating, taking pictures, and making recipes the whole time though which means we have many posts in queue. We plan on posting much more this upcoming year and Vegan MoFo is a good time to start.

The idea behind Vegan MoFo is to write as much as you can during October. There aren’t really any strict guidelines but most aim for 20 posts during the month. Some set the goal higher and go for a post every day of the month. MoFo should be a good jump start in our posting for the year and that means much more noms for you.

We Heart Coconut Bliss (Remembering Eugene – Pt. 2)

There are few things we love love love like we love love love Coconut Bliss. It is hands down, no ifs ands or buts, the BEST non-dairy ice cream on the market (and made in our beloved Eugene!). We are going to say this once, and only once, so pay close attention…all vegan ice creams are NOT created equal. We admit that there are some other yummy non-dairy frozen desserts out there, but nothing, and we mean nothing, comes close to Coconut Bliss.

The good folks at Luna & Larry’s (the creators of Coconut Bliss) were kind enough to send Wozzie a t-shirt for being such a fan. Say soy cheeeeeeeese!

In addition to the fabby shirt, they also sent coupons for their yummy dessert. Oh how we heart them! So, although we’d LOVE to use those coupons to get our little hands on the Bliss, we are going to pass along the happiness to YOU! We promised you a contest and here are the details to win a pint of any flavor Coconut Bliss your tummy desires. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us your favorite Coconut Bliss flavor and how you like to eat it (in a float? in a cookie sammie? in a bowl at 5 a.m.? You get the picture…) Haven’t tried the Bliss? No worries! Simply go to their site and pick a flavor you’d like to try and let us know why! We will be choosing TWO winners; one will be chosen at random from the comments and one will be for the most creative way to partake in the Coconut Bliss. We’ll be choosing the winners on October 10 (which happens to be Rahzh’s 4 year Veganniversary).

Still craving more Bliss…and really, who wouldn’t? Be sure to enter Luna & Larry’s A Night of Bliss contest! On November 7th, Coconut Bliss will be making people smile with fifty simultaneous parties across the United States. They’ll provide the Coconut Bliss and you host the party. Together you’ll create a critical mass of ecstasy that will ripple across the country, awakening joy and delight from Petaluma to Poughkeepsie. Not a bad way to spend an evening, eh? Click here for complete details. Be sure to hurry, the deadline has been slightly extended until October 7!

With so many ways to get your hands on Coconut Bliss, what are you waiting for?

NOM.

Empanadas: A Twist on a Childhood Favorite

Woz is no stranger to empanadas. Growing up she adored these treats, mainly during the winter holiday season, as she loved the fruity goodness with which they were filled. By far her favorite is her Grams’ pumpkin empanadas but she was intrigued at the idea of making them a main course rather than a dessert as seemed to be perfected here.

The Little Kitchen that Could gave the Flavor Vegan recipe a whirl with a few changes according to Rahzh:

“In the shell I substituted 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance for the oil and I added some garlic powder. In the filling I used 6 cloves of garlic, 1 green bell pepper, 2 cups of mushrooms, and used Earth Balance instead of oil. I also splashed a few dashes of Cholula Hot Sauce in for some extra flavor.”

Pictures of the empanada adventure:

And the final creation:

Woz loves her Cholula so opted to add more before munching on this new tasty version of a childhood favorite. We both loved it and it made enough for lunch for the next two days. Woz even got comments from office colleagues about how good they looked. (Too bad she didn’t have any to share. They had suffer through the eating of a paltry Hot Pocket instead).

Thank you Flavor Vegan for introducing us to this delicious recipe! It’s definitely going to be in rotation in the Little Kitchen that Could!

Woz Day

Warning! The following post contains more yummy, deep fried, delicious vegan yummies than may be allowed in some states. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

The month of October is coming to a close and I assure you that a new weight loss program may soon be in sight for me (okay, maybe not really, but every good vegan should be getting some exercise in so I thought I’d mention it for good measure!). But when I do hop on my bike or go for after dinner walks, it will make me feel less guilty about eating feasts like the one presented on my birthday a week ago today.

I present to you, the Woz Day Feast:

Oh, how happy this gal was when my birthday feast was unveiled! Rahzh said he wasn’t sure what to make me for my special day so he opted to make me a little bit of all my favorites! Above you’ll find deep fried mushrooms, sushi, meatballs in marinara, bread sticks, pizza, and the yummiest of all, deep fried “cheese”. Wash all that down with a yummy Orange Crush call it a night because you are dreaming of good stuff! But it wasn’t over yet! As Rahzh mentioned, his veganniversary cake took the backseat to the new vegan delight to enter the house:

Can you say vegan ganache with a caramel mousse?? Sinful, yes. Perfect, you know it.

I swear we will be back soon with some healthier vegan fare but this month has just been one of gluttonous celebration. And we like it that way.

Rahzh’s Third Veganniversary aka Vegany Goodness

As Woz mentioned in the previous post we have been busy but eating plenty of Vegan treats. One of the main things that happened recently was my three year Veganniversary (October 10), and it was the best one yet!!!

We started the morning off at Wandering Goat. I got an apple Danish and the special coffee of the day (Guatemalan), and Woz went for the pumpkin bread (she loves her some pumpkin) and a soy Chai. Obviously we made sure to trade some sips and bites, as is the case most times when we go for different options.

I had classes to attend so Woz dropped me off at LCC. (I will skip the boring class part and get right to the food!) The cafeteria area of LCC is VAIR Vegan friendly. They have basic things like fruit, fruits bowls, salads, juices, chips, fries, tots, baked potatoes, etc. but it doesn’t end there. Every day there is a Pan Asian area and they offer tempeh along with a choice of white or brown rice or noodles with mixed vegetables. They also have various energy/protein bars that are Vegan. The best part is the area that they call the Vegeteria because the menu changes daily and there is always some delicious Vegan option. That day happened to be tempeh loaf with shitaki gravy and baked beans. I grabbed an Odwalla OJ to go along with it. It doesn’t end there though my friends, oh no. I forgot to mention that in the cafeteria there is also Blenders Cafe. They serve hot, cold, and frosted/blended tea and coffee (from Wandering Goat) as well as smoothies. They even sell Vegan sushi. The best part, however, is the fact they sell Divine Cupcakes, Holy Donuts!, and Muffin Mill Vegan cookies and scones. I went for the raspberry scone. Mmmm mmmm delicious.

Later in the day Woz came home from work and had the tastiest sooprise in the world. She got me a cake from Sweet Life. It was not just an ordinary cake because Woz made sure to tell them to make it as chocolaty as possible (I may have an addiction, but that is for another post)! It was a little funny though because usually they put chocolate chunks on top of the cake but as you can see in the picture they put raspberries. Apparently I had enough and they were cutting me off? Sadly this was too much cake for us to completely finish especially because Woz Day was only 10 days later and that of course called for another dessert .

After dessert we decided to go ahead and get something to eat for dinner. My choice was Pizza Research Institute (PRI) much to Woz’s surprise because I ranked 4 other places above them in the overall category and 7 other places over them in the best option category in this post. Not to mention there are multiple places we still haven’t tried. At PRI we ordered The 3P (potatoes, pesto, and pears). It sounds odd and even like it might not taste very good, but it is one of the BEST pizzas I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Besides the 3Ps it has a tasty and crunchy crust, red sauce, white “cheese” sauce, and spinach.

As you can see I enjoyed the pizza. I should also add that The 3P is good reheated or even cold. We ate our cold leftovers the next day on our way to the coast.

Wandering Goat has some nice travel mugs with their logo on them and I had been eyeing them for a while. Woz was going to get me one to give me on my Veganniversary but their supply ran out and the new batch didn’t come in when it was due. So a few days after my Veganniversary Woz gave me one last giftie.

We ended the day by going to our friends’ house for a game night/going away party for one of our other friends. It was one of the best days I have ever had and definitely the best Veganniversary I have had and it is all thanks to my Sweetie and Fioshayy Wozzie .

Just For Fun

Sorry we’ve been MIA lately. A lot has been going on – Veganniversary (Rahzh) and Birthday (Woz) – so make no mistake that we have been eating lots of yummy vegan treats!

When we find something that makes cooking easier or more fun we’ve decided we’ll pass it along. Without further ado, you’ll see our latest find:

Rahzh has had one hell of a time finding an oven mitt that lives up to his standards. And I think his standards are quite fair; find a mitt that protects him from being burned by the lava hot pans he pulls out of the oven. Oddly enough, this wasn’t as easy as it seemed to find a winner. We happened to be browsing in Tuesday Morning one day and saw the oven mitts of all oven mitts that you see above. Not only is this mitt functional but it’s adorable.

Although, as you see below, Dewey wasn’t nearly as excited about this find as we were.

Soysage, Biscuits, and Gravy Is Oh So Vair Tasty

This has come to be our Saturday morning breakfast. And if we can’t have it on Saturday well then it becomes Sunday breakfast. And guess what happens if we can’t have it Sunday? It becomes dinner one night of the week! Yes, this is one delish and versatile dish.

Soysage, biscuits, and gravy is extremely easy to make and extremely customizable (every time we make it, it is slightly different). It all really depends on the spices/sauces that you add to the biscuits and to the gravy. Sometimes what we add, or don’t add, is just based off of what we have on hand that day. So feel free to experiment and remember that the spice is the limit!

We mess around with various ingredients, so below is the basic recipe with mention of what we like to do. You can use the recipe as a base to make your own version or make them the way we do.

The gravy recipe originated from this other biscuit and gravy recipe on Vegweb but is now much different.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12230.0

Gravy:

1/3-1/2 tube Gimme Lean, Ground Sausage Style
1 Tbl Earth Balance (or oil of choice)
3 Tbl flour
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable broth
Pepper

Drop Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 cup soymilk
1 Tbl vinegar
1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (or canola oil)

Put Earth Balance in a pan and turn on medium heat. Add the Gimme Lean and break into small pieces. Next, add whatever amount of pepper to taste and stir fry (you may need to lower the heat depending on how long you take to prepare everything else).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. At this point we add spices such as garlic powder (this is always the main spice for us), onion powder, pepper, cumin, and paprika, but again, these are all just suggestions. Next, mix the soymilk and vinegar together and then add it to the dry ingredients along with the melted Earth Balance. Stir until just moistened then spoon into 4 or 5 piles on baking sheet. Bake for around 8 minutes or until the bottoms are browned.

When the biscuits are nearly finished, complete gravy preparation. The Gimme Lean should be nice and browned. Add 1 cup of the broth to the pan for the base of the gravy and to deglaze the pan if that is needed. Mix the rest of the broth in a bowl with the flour to make a paste like consistency. Add this mixture to the pan and mix. This next part is what we do and is entirely optional and always varies. Depending on what we have on hand, we add things such as a couple teaspoons of A1 sauce, mustard, soy sauce (Woz’s favorite!), and/or vinegar.

Makes enough for 2 large servings or 3 smaller servings.

We take requests

Or should I say that we take recipes and ideas. If you have recipes or even just an idea for us feel free to send them. You can post it as a comment to this topic or email them to us. If you find a recipe that you haven’t tried and would rather have someone else try it first for a review then we are your people!

It can’t hurt to have a surplus of recipes and ideas to try. Tell us where you got the recipe (a link if it is online) and if it is yours let us know if you would like recognition ( just a mention of your name or a link to your blog/site or anything else you would like). We can’t guarantee we will be able to try everything or even like everything,but we will try

Send Away

Vegweb.com

We highly suggest Vegweb. It has a lot of delicious Vegan recipes. The site is nice because you can type in a specific ingredient and it brings up the recipes that contain the ingredient.

Sometimes we find a recipe on there that we like and we follow it word for word (unless we see a comment that suggests an alteration that we like). Then as we continue to make it we alter it until we feel it is the best possible. So don’t feel like you have to follow recipes word for word (including the recipes that we post). Be creative and add and remove ingredients, change cooking containers (such as cooking banana bread in a muffin pan),etc.

Scrumptious Pizza Made Simple

When both of us became vegan we got pretty used to eating pizza without cheese but after a trip to Seattle and indulging in one made at Juliano’s we decided it was worth another try to recreate the pie we know and love. We’ve tried different doughs (we know we can make it but we are going for really super easy here), different “cheeses” (after much debate Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet is by far our favorite!), and even different sauces. After a good amount of trial and error, we share another comfort food with you that has become the Sunday night favorite straight out of the Little Kitchen That Could.

Ingredients:

16 oz pizza dough (we like Eugene’s very own New Day best)
3/4 block Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative grated (Vegan Gourmet is the best we have tried, but if you prefer another brand of Vegan cheese use it.)
16 oz pizza sauce (we use 16 oz canned tomato sauce and add spices such as Garlic Powder, Oregano, Basil, Onion Powder, Red Pepper flakes, Black Pepper to taste)
1 Tbl Earth Balance (or oil of choice)
1 1/2 – 2 cups sliced mushrooms (we also like to use Tofurky Italian Sausage, LightLife Smart Bacon, or LightLife Smart Deli Pepperoni)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the dough on a standard cookie sheet (you can use whatever type of stone or pan that you prefer). Next, evenly cover the dough with grated Vegan Gourmet (Monterey Jack is our favorite). Next, spread the pizza sauce on top of the Vegan Gourmet. We have found this to be the KEY to a nice melted cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. While the pizza is cooking saute the mushrooms in Earth Balance. Take out the pizza and cover with the mushrooms and then put back into the oven for 5-7 minutes. What comes out is pure tasty!