Love Nog and Avo Toast

Recipe 18 & 19 For The Love Of Nog pg. 97 & Avo Toast

Have you ever played the game "I never?"  Someone says something they "I Never" did...  if you answer no, you are safe.  If you answer yes, usually you drink a shot of tequila.  I like to play games.  Especially around the holidays.  So lets play a couple of rounds.  Ready?

I never joined the mile high club...
I never bungee jumped...
I never tried eggnog...

It's true I have never had a drink of eggnog.  Year after year I bought it thinking this would be the year, and each time I just kept thinking ick!  So I would end up giving it to guests, but never having any myself.   That is until I made For The Love Of Nog from Crazy Sexy Kitchen.  What a treat!  This is the most delicious drink ever!  I know I have nothing to compare it to, but I pinky promise you that this Nog is dessert in a glass.  I would drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Here is what you will need for your Nog:

I did use a frozen banana in my Nog.  I had never ground fresh nutmeg before.  It was incredibly fresh and flavorful. So good!

For The Love Of Nog

The look on my face shows how happy this drink made me.  I was left with a Nog mustache!

Because it is Tuesday, here is your bonus Two for Tuesday recipe, Avo Toast.  I know how busy this week can get with all the grocery shopping and cooking.  This recipe is quick and easy.  My son LOVED it.  It is funny how something so simple can be so satisfying.  I bought some gluten free bread to put it on.  The bread was awesome.  The perfect amount of graininess.  Here are the few things you will need for a quick snack:

Avo Toast

The Millet and Chia Udis was so good.  I have tried other Udis which were all good, but this is my favorite.  If you want your toast to have a bit more kick just add a little extra red pepper flakes.  This snack will keep you going as you prepare for the holiday.

So now I am curious what "I Never" would you ask? Leave me a comment and tell me... We can take shot of our Nog when you win!

Rustic Cranberry Relish

Recipe 17 Rustic Cranberry Relish pg. 238

Rustic Cranberry relish

Thanksgiving is almost here! I really love this holiday.  No gifts to shop for, just family and friend getting together to eat.  I am devoting this week to some dishes that would compliment your Thanksgiving gathering.  Cranberry sauce is something I always felt was one of my signature dishes.  The problem was mine is loaded with sugar and alcohol!  Seriously, I put a bottle of cheap red wine in it, and about a half a box of sugar.  It is delicious but not very healthy. 

The Rustic Cranberry Relish I made from Crazy Sexy Kitchen was amazing, and so much healthier than my recipe!  The jalapeno is the key and kicker to this recipe.  It gives it a zest that is quite good.  I did have to add a bit more agave to my relish.  The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of agave, but I used about double the amount.  Now to my defense I am coming from a place of pure sugar addiction as you know!  Think about it, I used half a box of sugar in my old cranberry recipe. This recipe in comparison to my old recipe is so much better for you and frankly it tastes better too!  Here is what you will need to add some spice to your cranberries:

When I combined the ingredients I was a little sceptical to whether their would be a enough liquid to cook it.  My recipe had massive amounts of wine and orange juice to simmer the cranberries for at least a hour.  This recipe had very little liquid, yet it cooked beautifully and fast.  It was done in 15 minutes.  I smashed any cranberries that may not have burst.  The thing about this relish is you can serve it right away, or you can make it the day before.  The longer you let it sit the spicier it gets.  The jalapeno really come to life the more it marinates.

Now totally unrelated to cranberries. Today is my wedding anniversary.  My husband and I celebrated this weekend in Chicago.  We had the best time.  The weather was awesome.  Cold by California standards, but I guess we missed a massive rain storm in CA, and a very depressing UCLA vs USC game.  We lounged in bed, shopped, walked the city, saw movies, and dined on amazing food.

An anniversary gift from our hotel!

Here is the really great thing about being married for 18 years, we still have the most fun together.  I am really in love, and feel very blessed to have such a great husband. He spoils me, and is such a wonderful dad to our kids.

November 19, 1994

18 years later!

Happy Anniversary babe!

License Plates

I have been cooking my way through Crazy Sexy Kitchen for 2 weeks now.  I have been learning the ins  and outs of blogging.  Figuring out how to stay current on Facebook.  Even posting pictures to Instagram.  Which is actually my favorite picture app. It is so easy and fun!  Even so, I still can't seem to figure out The Twitter as Betty White calls it?? Any help there would really be appreciated.  I don't get how it works?

I have been to Whole Foods a few time since this journey began.  A couple of times as I was walking back to my car in the parking lot I have stumbled upon veggie themed license plates.  Now I just feel compelled to search for more.  It is as if a collection has begun.  How many will I find before I cook my way through CSK? Only time will tell...

Here are the plates I have seen so far:

I can't wait to see what I find next!  It feels like little signs of encouragement.  I love that!

Back from Chicago tomorrow.  Then Thanksgiving prep!  The holidays are almost here. 

Immune Me

Recipe 16 Immune Me pg.83

Immune Me

I am traveling this weekend.  Not because of Thanksgiving, but because my hubby and I are celebrating 18 years of marriage!  Yes, we got married when we were kids.  No, not really but we were pretty young by today's standards.  I would pretty much freak if my son said he was getting married at 23! Truthfully, Andrew my husband  had business out of town, and we thought it was a great way to combine business and pleasure. Ya baby!  So I will give you a hint where we are hanging out...

View from our room!

 Can you guess?  Let me just say it is a bit colder than California.  Yes, we are in Chicago.

I love this city.  It is really beautiful.  Not as busy as Manhattan which I love, but still full of great shopping.  I hoped it might snow while we were here, but that doesn't seem like it is going to happen. Although it is cold enough.  Burrrrr!

Since we were traveling I thought it would be a great idea to make Immune Me juice.  According to Crazy Sexy Kitchen this juice is jammed packed with antiviral and antifungal properties.  It seemed like the perfect thing to drink before we got on an airplane.  Here are the ingredients for this juice:

Also, I wanted to talk about a comment I got on the blog. The other day I received a comment asking why I didn't have the recipes on the blog?  I thought it was a really great question, and wanted to let everyone know that all of these recipes are from the Crazy Sexy Kitchen cookbook. I am just cooking my way through the cookbook.  I am showing you what the recipes will look like.  Providing tips I may have picked up along the way, and letting you know what I think about each recipe.  All along hoping to become the most awesome vegan cook ever!! ;) Also, let me remind you if you sign up to follow this blog you could win a CSK cookbook.  Whooohooo! I am going to randomly draw a winner December 1st!  So sign your cute self up!

Immune Me juice is smooth.  It goes down super easy.  The cucumber makes it ultra sweet.  Plus all that alkaline goodness is so amazing for your body.  Not sure why I photographed it in a margarita glass other than it looked fun.  I drink a lot of green juice.  Some tasting pretty funky.  This one is a great way to get your toes wet to green juice. Don't be afraid try it.  You will like this one.

Have a great weekend!

Chocolate Walnut Cake

If I had more willpower I wouldn't watch so much reality TV.
If I had more willpower I would resist checking my text messages as often.
Willpower is overrated!  I made Chocolate Walnut Cake!

Recipe 15 Chocolate Walnut Cake pg. 265

Chocolate Walnut Cake

I think eating healthy is really important most of the time.  Even so, life would be so boring if we didn't break the rules from time to time.  I am never going to pass up a great glass of red wine, and I will never not eat chocolate.  So when I saw this picture is Crazy Sexy Kitchen I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had to make it.  Here is what you will need to find yourself in chocolate bliss:

 I really wasn't sure how this cake would hold together without the eggs? I was afraid it would just crumble into pieces. I was careful to follow the instructions not to over stir the cake.  I folded the ingredients together.  Ya know what I got in return?  The most moist cake ever!  Not to mention when my kids wanted to lick the batter from the bowl, I could say go for it because there weren't any eggs.

I did have some issues with the frosting for some reason.  I poured all my ingredients together to make the frosting, but it just became a liquidity mess.  So I started over adding my dry ingredients first, and then adding the liquid ingredients a little at a time.  That time it came out great. The cake was addicting.  It wasn't as sweet as most chocolate cakes, and the walnuts in the batter really made this cake taste amazing.  

I bet you want a piece huh! 

Fresh Citrus Olives

Recipe 14 Fresh Citrus Olives pg. 248

Fresh Citrus Olives

A staple growing up on our Thanksgiving table was a tray of olives.  We had black olives and green olives.  I took pleasure putting them on the tips of my fingers and then eating them one by one.  To this day I always have a bowl of olives to serve on Thanksgiving.

This recipe is pretty awesome.  It is such an easy way to make a bowl full of olives fancy!  I bought just a cheap can of organic green olives.  I figured if I could doll up these babies then this recipe was golden.  I put all the ingredients in a mason jar, gave it a good shake and stuck it in the refrigerator for the night.  The next day I caught my husband dipping into them.  I may or may not have yelled at him to stop eating them.  I still needed to take pictures for you, and I am not admitting anything!  When marinated they were so delicious.  Here is what you will need for this easy and yummy recipe:

Here is what it will look like when you put them in the refrigerator:

The thing about this recipe is it just keeps getting better the longer they sit.  We have been snacking on them every time we open the refrigerator.  This could be a nice treat to bring someone on Thanksgiving, or impress your guests by leaving a bowl full to snack on at your house when hosting a gathering.  I am telling you their won't be any left when the night is over.  You can always put one on each finger and see how that goes over.   I dare you!

2 for Tuesday! Soup and Salad

Recipe 12 & 13 Tomatoes and Herbs pg. 165 & Split Pea Soup pg. 125

I thought I would give you 2 recipes today.  First off before I talk about the food I made I have to just give tons of love to all you photographers and food bloggers out there.  Taking pictures is so much harder than it looks. Getting the right light and angles is NOT easy! I am inspired to take a class and get better.  I have always been a bit of a historian with my family pictures, but it is totally different when you are attempting to make it visually stimulating for others.  Also, to all the food bloggers who create recipes, cook, take pictures and write about it.  All I can say is wow! Great job!

OK now down to the food! The Tomato and Herbs were great and super easy to put together.  All you need are 5 ingredients.  How simple is that? Then arrange them all pretty and walla!

Tomato and Herbs

Next was the Split Pea Soup with Dulse and Kale.  Except mine didn't have Dulse.  The recipe said add applewood Dulce, but my Whole Foods didn't carry it.  So as a replacement it was recommended to use smoked paprika.  I am not sure my kids would have liked the Dulse anyway? The soup was great as is.  I didn't see where it needed anything else.

Any guess what Dulce is? I had to ask someone at Whole Foods again.  It is red alga.  It is also know as palmaria palmata.  It grows in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  It basically looks like seaweed to me.  Another little factoid for ya!

I have learned split pea soup doesn't need meat to be good.  A vegan split pea soup is really flavorful.  It was easy to make, and tasted delicious leftover for lunch!  Here are the ingredients for the soup:

My only issue with this soup, it was harder to photograph than the other recipes.  No matter what angle I shot the soup was still green!

Split Pea Soup with Dulse and Kale

Not to mention this is what my daughter and her friend were doing to me as I was trying to be a serious photographer... I think they were making fun of me!

In other news, I posted a comment on Kris Carr's website today.  Guess what?  She responded!  Now I know she didn't have a lot to say, but she still gave me a shout out!  This is a busy woman. She is flying to CA this week to be on Access Hollywood and The Doctors.  So I feel very honored to have received any acknowledgement at all!

Tell your friends to sign up and follow my CSK Project.  Remember a CSK cookbook could be yours!  I will be having a random drawing for all my followers very soon!