House Vegan

Frankenstein's GuacaMonster | Boris Karloff's Guacamole

2018-10-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about Boris Karloff's Guacamole we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Happy (almost) Halloween, friends! Truth be told, I'm in denial that it's tomorrow already. We'll probably keep our decorations out a little longer than normal because the Halloween FOMO is real. Although, it's been a fun season so far. I don't know how, but my husband and best friends somehow convinced me to watch three scary movies this month, which is for sure a personal record. I hate scary movies! Is that surprising considering how much I love Halloween? It's because I love kids Halloween which usually doesn't get any scarier than Hocus Pocus.

We watched Get Out, Invaders from Mars, and The Shining. The Shining! Like one of the scariest movies ever. I watched a lot of it between my fingers and under a blanket with my husband holding me and telling me what was happening. Like a normal person, you know?

While we don't usually watch scary movies for Halloween, we do watch a ton of classics. One of our favorite horror movies is The Bride of Frankenstein. It's visually beautiful, and the storytelling is unique and thoughtful. It's really great, and you should watch it if you've never seen it.

In a fun homage to our recent spooky movie watching, my favorite holiday, and an old film that we love, I thought I would make this recipe written by Boris Karloff - Frankenstein's monster himself.

Karloff shared his recipe with a newspaper in what I'm guessing was sometime in the late 50's/early 60's. It's an interesting rendition of guac, using sherry and pepper and omitting cilantro and lime. I wasn't sure what to think while making it, but the table of Texans I served it to loved it (including me!). It's tangy and salty and super oniony, and although the ingredients are different, the taste is wonderful and recognizably guacamole. Try it! It's retro in a very good way.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

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🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

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DIY Count Chocula | Vegan

2018-10-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this DIY Count Chocula we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Halloween is so soon! Are you ready?? M and I spent an entire week in Portland this month, so to be honest, Halloween stuff was put on hold. But now that we're back, we're trying to get in as much spooky stuff as we can. Mostly, we've been watching Halloween specials and old commercials and eating plenty of sugar. Traditions, right?

Another Halloween tradition we have is checking the first Count Chocula box we see with hopes that they changed the formula to be vegan. They never do, and they likely never will. After my Unicorn Cereal success, I decided that this was the year we would finally have our vegan Count Chocula. Even if I had to make it myself.

Make it I did, and oh my God, y'all. Omg.

It's PERFECT! The cereal is SO chocolatey, and the marshmallows are crunchy and a great contrast to the harder pieces. I had never dehydrated marshmallows before this, and it's so easy. Like, I can't wait for another project that requires it.

This DIY Count Chocula is not hard to make, but it is tedious. You have to really want it, but the effort is worth the reward, I think. The homemade cereal stays crunchy in milk, and the flavor will take you right back to your childhood. Which brings me to the answer to a question I know you're all asking. Yes, it turns the milk chocolatey.

I hope you all are having a wonderful fall and spooky October. I have a few more recipes that I'm hoping to get up before Halloween so keep checking back! And be sure to follow me on IG for more HV.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

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🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

print recipe Vegan Count Chocula

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oat flour, use GF if needed
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup vegan chocolate cake mix, use GF if needed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
13-14 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 10oz bag vegan miniature marshmallows (like Dandies)

Special Equipment

parchment paper
miniature moon cookie cutter (as seen in this set)
a chopstick

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl combine the oat flour, brown rice flour, cake mix, cocoa powder, sugar, sea salt, and baking powder.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the boiling water and extract. Using a large a spatula, mix the dry and wet ingredients until no lumps remain.

4. Tape a large piece of parchment your workspace. Add half of the dough to the parchment, and cover it with another large piece of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Remove the parchment paper and, use the miniature cookie cutter to cut out shapes. The dough won't come out of the cutter easily since it's so small. Use the chopstick to push the cereal shapes out onto the prepared baking sheet. This step will be tedious, but not difficult.

5. Repeat step 4 with the second half of dough.

6. Bake your Count Chocula for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, and put it back in the oven for 7 more minutes, or until the cereal is very hard and very slightly browned. Allow the cereal to cool completely.

7. While the cereal cools, prepare your marshmallows. Cut each miniature marshmallow into quarters. Then dehydrate them using the oven method shown here. It is seriously so foolproof so don't be intimidated! Allow the marshmallows to cool completely.

8. Combine the cereal and marshmallows (I used a large bowl), then transfer your DIY Count Chocula to an airtight container. Store it at room temperature. To eat: pour in a bowl, top with milk, and enjoy. This cereal stays crunchy in milk like any standard store-bought cereal.

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Great Pumpkin Cookie Recipe | 80s Halloween Recipe

2018-10-05T14:08:00.001-07:00

Before telling you about this Great Pumpkin Cookie Recipe we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Isn't October just the best? We're only a few days in, but I feel like it's basically Halloween already. I spend all year waiting for this month, and when it gets here I freak out because I feel like it lasts for like a day. We're doing our best to get in as much Halloween fun as we can!

In our house, that means many things, including tapping into my love of the 80s.

Let me rephrase. It inspires me to extra tap into my love of the 80s. I pretty much live in an 80s way every day anyway, but there's something special about 80s Halloween that gets me.

I just can't get enough. The decade had the best spooky episodes on TV, and my some of my favorite kid Halloween movies. Teen Witch, E.T., Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, the list goes on.

It actually wasn't my favorite holiday until I realized that I could focus on kid Halloween, and ignore the stuff I didn't like. I mean obviously, right? Halloween is the best when you're a kid. It's so exciting to dress up, go wild, act a fool in front of your neighbors, and then go home to eat candy and pizza while you watch movies. Like, that's honestly what I want to do all October long.

Because I'm extra, I take this appreciation almost a little too far. Like, I love putting on retro Halloween commercials and searching for era-published recipes. Especially recipes like the one above. Cute and old and pleasantly cheesy (noochy?). This adorable recipe kept popping up in my searches, and it caught my eye for clear reasons. I believe it was originally published in The Great Pumpkin Cookbook from Libby's in 1984. Well obviously I had to veganize it.

This isn't the only 80s recipe that I've veganized, so I was a little concerned about how these would come out. The 80s was a weird time for food, and these are pretty old school. But you know what? Sometimes old school really = timeless. Man, these are SO good. They're soft and chewy with a pumpkin flavor that isn't overwhelming. The only spice added is cinnamon which means that these are pretty universal. Pumpkin spice haters would have no problem enjoying these. They're kind of like really delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but they have a clear leg up being pumpkin-shaped and all.

This one is going on record as one of my top 5 favorite Halloween cookies. It's hard to crack that list, but dang these are good. Give them a try for yourself. And put some retro Halloween commercials on YouTube while you do it. You'll feel just like a kid in the kitchen again. And since the dough is egg-free, you can sneak a little taste.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

Get my book!

Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

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Fall Hosting on a Whim and a Dime | 3 New Vegan Recipes!

2018-09-30T19:30:00.001-07:00

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PrepNowSavorLater #CollectiveBias #StockPrepWin

I'm so excited about this post, and truthfully, it's a long time coming! I've never really delved into it on here, but my husband and I love to entertain. For example, my mom's 50th birthday was last month, so to celebrate we made a 5-course Italian feast for the entire family. We fit 14 people in our little condo, and everyone had a great time drinking wine, snacking on vegan cheeses, and stuffing their faces with simple and authentic Italian fare. It was amazing.

We know that not every dinner party can be like that, so we also embrace more loosy-goosy hosting opportunities, especially as we get into fall (and the holidays) when entertaining can become more frequent and last minute. With out-of-town visitors, family popping in, and friends who just want to hang, you never really know when you're going to find people in your house. I love this about fall and winter. Staying in and eating with loved ones is a perfect time to enjoy company and relax and reflect. Because of this, my husband and I have developed some tricks over the years to make sure we're always ready to host cheaply and on a whim.

The most important step to last-minute hosting is being stocked ahead of time. It's totally doable in any sized space, and it saves you time and money in the long run. When we first moved into our beloved Hyde Park apartment, we had absolutely no kitchen storage. Still, I managed to make and store fall cookie plates, Christmas cookie plates, Chex Mix, etc. Where there's a will there's a way.

That brings me to my top three tips to Fall Hosting on a Whim and a Dime.

Make, Appreciate, and Love Freezer Meals
Batch Cook Goods Ahead of Time
Stock the Fridge and Pantry Early and Cheaply (w/ coupons and sales)

Tip 1: Make, Appreciate, and Love Freezer Meals

Freezer meals are exactly as they sound. They are meals stored in the freezer. Some are fully cooked and only need to be re-heated. Some are prepared and then frozen so they can be thawed and fully cooked at a later date. Soup, lasagna, baked pasta, enchiladas, pierogis - these are all great examples of freezer meals.

Having meals frozen and ready to go is a must if you host a lot in the fall. Today I'm sharing two excellent freezer meals to get you started: Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas and Fall Vegetables w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Autumn Pad Thai w/ Vegan Red Thai Curry Rice Balls.

The Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas and Fall Vegetables w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy is pure fall in a bowl. Roasted seasonal vegetables and warm chickpeas served over mashed potatoes, covered in a savory herby gravy - how good does that sound? This freezer recipe contains components that are already cooked as well as components that will need to be cooked day of. Everything is prepared and ready to go, though, so the energy it takes to prepare from the freezer is minimal.

Plus it's going to make your kitchen smell divine.

The Autumn Pad Thai with Red Curry Rice Balls is something really special to serve guests. The rice ball appetizers are crunchy on the outside and hot and flavorful on the inside. If you've never had a breaded and fried rice ball, you're in for such a treat!

My Autumn Pad Thai is great, although it is not bona fide at all. However, it does borrow from authenticity. It contains tamarind and vegetarian fish sauce which is legit, but it also uses walnuts instead of peanuts, portobello mushrooms, and parsley, so yeah - I'm doing my own thing with this recipe. It's so good though! People go nuts for it, and it freezes really well when fully cooked.

You can store freezer meals in freezer-safe plastic or Tupperware. I did for years, and it works just fine. However, this fall I've been using the FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer FM5330 to save and preserve our food, and the difference it makes has really surprised me. With standard packaging, I would carefully label and date everything I made and was sure to serve it within a couple weeks. After that, we would run into freezer burn and freezer taste. You know that "taste" I'm talking about? When something is in there for too long and it starts to taste like dry cold air?

But with a FoodSaver®, I'm working with a tool that is best for items needing long-term freezer storage. The FoodSaver® and its multi-layer, BPA-free vacuum-seal bags seal effectively without gaps and are literally designed to block out air (and that taste). This means that the freezer meals we make can stay fresh up to 5 times longer than standard plastic bags, Tupperware, foil, etc.. This is great news if you're into batch cooking.

(Psst - if you were thinking about buying a FoodSaver®, doing so could win you a trip to NYC with the FoodSaver® Sweepstakes below. Keep reading!)

Tip 2: Batch Cook Goods Ahead of Time

Family members who visit us from out of town expect to find two things in our house this time of year: Chex Mix and cookie plates. I think it's my grandma's influence. She always has little bowls of homemade Chex Mix on her side tables and plates of cookies just hanging out. I always feel comfortable and happy at her house, and I feel like most of my efforts in our own home is to just replicate the feeling of Grandma's.

Cookie plates can be easy to assemble if you let them be easy. The secret to a good cookie plate is the assortment, right? I want a lot of variety, and I used to insist on making all the cookies myself. Not anymore. That was crazy and just made more work. So now I cheat: I make two or three different cookies, and then fill in the rest of the plate with store-bought. Yes, people can tell, but no one cares. Especially if you include their favorites. Right now, our freezer cookie plate includes two types of homemade pumpkin cookies, store-bought whoopie pies, and store-bought fudge striped shortbread. It's all delicious.

You can totally freeze a cookie plate as is (see the pic below). I like to do this because it just makes things easier. To serve your freezer cookie plate, just take it out of the freezer, remove it from the bag, and allow it to thaw at room temperature. It doesn't take very long at all! Under an hour, usually.

For the Chex Mix, I make huge, ginormous batches. I need some for us to snack on, to put out for guests, to take to people for host gifts, etc.. The only option is to make a ridiculous amount. While I make more Chex Mix than anything else, I also like to make the following in batches for visitors. Like I said, we're extra:

cheese
wheat crackers
cheese crackers
candy corn
roasted nuts
cookies

Snacks we prefer to make the day of (with stocked pantry goods) include

popcorn (guests love popcorn!)
cheese plates
chips and salsa
chocolate, fruit, and nut plates

Having snacks that you can put out is essential. It comes in handy when you have casual get-togethers for cocktails or to watch football. They also help keep folks happy while you're in the kitchen preparing dinner. And the cookie plate can serve as both snack and dessert. Efficient! Just pair it with some after dinner coffee, and watch absolutely no one complain.

Tip 3: Stock the Fridge and Pantry Early and Cheaply (w/ Coupons and Sales)

This is key to staying prepared for guests. Even if you have no freezer meals, even if you haven't gotten around to batch cooking snacks. If you have a stocked pantry, you can feed anybody.

The real trick to stocking your pantry well is to do so inexpensively. Buy items on sale, wholesale, or even at discount stores. Don't sleep on places like Dollar Tree or Big Lots. They often have brand name foods for a lot cheaper than the grocery store. Just check those expiration dates to make sure the food you buy isn't expiring like tomorrow.

A lot of food goes on sale in the fall too. That's because it's a big season for cooking. Check your grocery stores for sales on these items and stock up when they're cheapest:

baking chips
candy and chocolates
non-dairy whipped cream
canned and fresh pumpkin
nuts
canned and fresh cranberries
coffee
tea
hot chocolate
cake mixes
canned and boxed soups and broth
thanksgiving food like potatoes, stuffing, pie crusts, pies, etc.

The following may or may not be on sale, but you need them in your pantry. Look for these at wholesale stores, discount stores, or use coupons:

crackers
tortilla chips
potato chips
salsa
garbanzo beans and tahini (for hummus)
popcorn
nut mixes
nice chocolates
vegan sprinkles
soda
sparkling water
pasta
good olive oil
plenty of good quality dried herbs
garlic
lemons and limes
canned tomatoes
lentils
split peas

This pantry list has the makings that we need for an impromptu dinner party. Of course, everyone is different. If you have certain meals that you like to throw together for guests, stock ingredients for those as well. A stocked kitchen is a comfortable kitchen whether you have guests coming, or you just find yourself too busy to think about food.

Bonus Tip: Utilize a FoodSaver®
A FoodSaver® is genuinely made to make entertaining easier. If you host a lot this time of year, I recommend going down to Kohl's to take a look at the system I use here. It can make cooking ahead, batch cooking, and preserving more effective and affordable than standard food storing. Personally, it's really opened up my options for planning ahead.

Additionally, it's lightweight (although a little bulky for storage, but not too bad), and incredibly easy to use. I'm a notorious manual ignorer, and even I could do it. See the process step-by-step:

First, you need to turn it on. Just plug it in and press the power button. Easy!

If you're using the Heat-Seal Rolls (as opposed to the vacuum seal bags or vacuum zipper bags), you'll need to load it. All you need to do is the place the roll in the round opening in the back...

... and then pull the plastic through the bottom.

From here, you make the first seal for the bag by flipping the switch on the bottom left to "Seal".

You'll see this red light appear on top of the FoodSaver®. Don't touch anything until it goes off on its own.

Now, pull out the sealed plastic to the size that you want, adding about two extra inches to the top. Once you have the correct size, use the slider to cut the roll.

Congrats! You've made a bag.

Time to fill it up. Here, I vacuum sealed our favorite Chex Mix. Because it's easily crunched, I recommend freezing cereal mixes before vacuum sealing. Just pour the mix onto a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer until frozen. That will give the mix a little more heft to minimize squeezing from the vacuum seal.

Once your bag is appropriately filled, place it under the little window. You don't have to "insert it" or anything crazy. Just lift the window, place the bag there (keep it straight), and then close the window.

Push the spot that says "Push to Vacuum and Seal", and watch the magic happen.

Look at that vacuum! When it's done vacuuming, it will automatically seal - turning on that red light again. Like before, don't touch anything until the red light turns off. And that's it! Easy, right?

A few more things to note about the FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealer FM5330:

It keeps food fresh in less time and fewer steps* than previous FoodSaver® systems.
The system comes with vacuum seal bags and rolls, vacuum zipper bags and containers designed to work together with vacuum sealers for optimal performance. The premade bags are great for when you're in a rush!
It works differently for dry and wet foods, so be sure to indicate which you're sealing by using the button on top. Wet items can sometimes get messy if any liquid is vacuumed out. Luckily there is an easy to remove drip tray under the aforementioned window.

Are you going to buy a FoodSaver® soon? If so, be sure to enter the FoodSaver Sweepstakes between 9/23/18 - 10/21/18 for a chance to win a weekend for two in New York City. Stocking up with FoodSaver® bags and rolls this harvest and holiday season has its perks. Every bag and roll purchase gets you closer to NYC!

As a reminder, you can get the same model that they sent me, the FoodSaver® FM5330 and the FoodSaver® 6-pk. Heat-Seal Rolls at Kohl's.

*Compared to FoodSaver® V4440 Models

I really truly love fall cooking. It's the coziest, homiest, and warmest time to be in the kitchen, and the foods are just the most delicious. Having wonderful dishes prepared and ready to go helps us share with loved ones what we adore about this time of year: the opportunity to relax and renew. I hope that as you get ready for the harvest season you can experience these joys on your own 💛. So go forth, and prepare, shop, preserve, and freeze. From there all you have to do is invite people over, and you'll be on your way to a truly abundant fall.

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Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas and Fall Vegetables w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas and Fall Vegetables
Ingredients

2 15 oz cans chickpeas
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, cut into medium-sized chunks
1 medium-sized onion, cut into medium-sized chunks
2 large carrots, cut into medium-sized chunks
1 large parsnip. cut into medium-sized chunks
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas with cold water. Pour them into a large mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Use a spatula to combine everything, making sure the vegetables are well coated in the oil. Transfer the chickpea/vegetable mix to a vacuum seal bag, and vacuum seal the mix using your FoodSaver®. Alternatively, you can transfer the chickpea/vegetable mix to a large ziplock freezer bag. Just push out as much air as possible before sealing.

Vegan Freezer Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Ingredients

3lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
water for boiling
salt
2-3 tablespoons plant-based butter or margarine
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 cup or more of original unsweetened plant-based milk
1 medium sized onion, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups vegetable broth

Instructions

1. Add the potatoes to a large pot with enough water to cover them by a few inches. Sprinkle in a few hefty shakes of salt, and bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Let the potatoes boil until they pierce easily with a fork - about 20-30 minutes.

2. Drain the potatoes, and transfer them back to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until you have medium to large chunks. Add the butter, garlic powder, and milk, and continue mashing until you reach a smooth consistency. Season with salt to taste, and set them aside to cool almost completely. Meanwhile, make the gravy.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn translucent. Add the garlic, flour, nutritional yeast, and herbs to the pan, and stir them in to coat the onions. When the garlic is quite fragrant whisk in the vegetable broth. Whisk continuously until the gravy has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season it with salt to taste. At this point, you can leave the gravy as is, or puree it for a smoother consistency. It’s up to you.

4. Store the potatoes and gravy separately in vacuum sealed bags. Remember to use the "moist" option for these. You can also store them in ziplock freezer bags if you're not using a FoodSaver®. As always, just be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing and freezing.

How To Make and Serve Rosemary Roasted Chickpeas and Fall Vegetables w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy from the freezer

1. Remove the chickpea/vegetable mix, mashed potatoes, and gravy from the freezer, and heat your oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. While your oven preheats, place the bag of chickpeas and vegetables in a bowl of hot water. This will thaw them enough to work with. Once the oven is preheated, pour the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet. Place the vegetables in the oven, and allow them to roast for 60-90 minutes. To ensure even roasting, stir the vegetables every 20 minutes. The vegetables are done with they're soft and caramelized. The chickpeas may dry out a little bit, and that is totally fine! When the vegetables and chickpeas are almost done (about ten minutes away), reheat your mashed potatoes and gravy.

3. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a saucepan over low heat, and stir often until they are heated through. Feel free to add more plant-based butter or milk if they have dried out.

4. Pour the gravy into a separate saucepan over low heat, and whisk occasionally until the gravy is heated through and smooth.

5. Remove the chickpeas and vegetables from the oven, and taste them for salt and pepper.

6. To serve, add mashed potatoes to each guest's bowl, and top with a good scoop of the chickpeas and vegetables. Drizzle with plenty of gravy and a little fresh parsley if you have it.

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Autumn Pad Thai w/ Vegan Red Thai Curry Rice Balls

Autumn Pad Thai
Ingredients

1/2 cup tamarind concentrate (available in well-stocked grocery stores, Asian markets, and online)
1/2 cup vegetarian fish sauce (available in Asian markets and online or make your own)
splash soy sauce
2 tablespoons palm or brown sugar
ground cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
8 oz portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces dried rice stick noodles, made according to the package directions
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 scallions, cut into ½ inch segments

Instructions

1. In a small pot, mix together the tamarind, fish sauce, sugar, and cayenne. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the sweetness/saltiness to your preferences. Tamarind concentrate and vegetarian fish sauce can vary in sweetness and saltiness so it's best to add sugar/soy sauce according to your taste. Put the sauce over low heat and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the sauce from the heat.

2. In a large pan or wok, heat your oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and portobello mushrooms and stir-fry until they're nice and golden. Add more oil if need be.

3. Add the garlic, noodles, and the walnuts. Give the whole thing a good stir with a few choice tosses.

4. Add the sauce and toss everything to combine. Stir in the scallions, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

5. Take the Autumn Pad Thai off the heat and allow it to cool to the touch. Once cool, vacuum seal the dish using your FoodSaver®. Alternatively, you can store it in a ziplock freezer bag.

Vegan Red Thai Curry Rice Balls

Ingredients

3 cups water
15 oz full-fat coconut milk
2 cups medium grain white rice
pinch of salt
1/4 cup red Thai curry paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
15oz canned diced tomatoes, drained
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
16-24 oz vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
few shakes vegetarian fish sauce
panko

Instructions

1. Bring the water and 1 cup of the coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and a pinch of salt, and return the mixture to a boil.

2. Lower the heat to a low and cover the pot. Cook for 18-20 minutes, until the liquid is fully absorbed and rice is tender. While the rice cooks, make the curry sauce.

3. In a blender combine the remaining coconut milk, red curry paste, garlic powder, onion powder, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro. Blend until you get a smooth sauce.

4. When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork. Add the curry sauce, and carefully fold it in until every piece of rice is covered. Use to the back of a spatula to pack the rice down into the pot. You want to pack it pretty tightly to ensure easy balling later. Store the rice in the refrigerator to cool completely.

5. Once the rice is cool, pull it out of the fridge to make the balls. Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to make 2 inch sized rice balls. They should hold together easily to allow you to scoop and roll them into the right shape and size. Once you roll all of the rice into balls (you should get about 15-20), place them back in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

6. While your rice balls rest, set up your oil and breading station. Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot over medium heat and heat the oil to 350ºF.

7. While the oil heats up, whisk together the milk, flour, flax seed and vegetarian fish sauce in a mixing bowl. The texture should be like a thinner pancake batter. Add more milk if need be. Pour the panko into a separate mixing bowl.

8. Remove the rice balls from the fridge, and start breading. First, dip a rice ball into the flour/milk batter. Then roll it in the panko. Continue the process until each rice ball is breaded.

9. Once the oil reaches 350ºF, fry 3-4 balls at a time until they are golden brown all around. Allow the fried ball to drain on a cooling rack over paper towels. Continue until each ball is fried.

10. Let the rice balls cool completely before vacuum sealing using your FoodSaver®, or storing in a ziplock freezer bag.

How To Make and Serve Autumn Pad Thai w/ Vegan Red Thai Curry Rice Balls from the freezer

Ingredients

4 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
Lime wedges

1. Remove the Autumn Pad Thai and Red Thai Curry Rice Balls from the freezer and allow them to thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350ºF.

2. Place the frozen rice balls on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until they are completely heated through. Serve immediately - no dipping sauce required!

3. While the rice balls bake, pour the Pad Thai into a large wok or saucepan over medium-high heat, and stir and toss with tongs until it is completely heated through. Stir in two cups of the bean sprouts. When you're ready to serve, evenly distribute the Pad Thai among 4-6 plates. Top with the remaining bean sprouts, walnuts, and parsley. Serve with lime wedges.

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DIY Vegan Double Decker Taco

2018-09-19T07:25:00.001-07:00

Before telling you about this DIY Vegan Double Decker Taco we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Ok, so I know when you think of delicious vegan food, you might not think of Taco Bell, but it will always have a place in my food-loving heart. Growing up in the 90s, everyone I knew ate fast food, and although our family was perpetually broke, we still found ways to order in. To nine year old me, those drive-thru meals felt like true feasts. It was so exciting to get food from somewhere other than home. Do you remember that feeling? I certainly do.

We all had our favorite places, but I was pretty happy to go anywhere. I loved Schlotzsky's and Taco Bueno, but I never scoffed at my sister's first choice, Taco Bell.

While others ordered fancy, I kept it simple. A bean burrito, no cheese or a crunchy taco, no cheese. I hated pretty much all dairy (except for ice cream) so there wasn't much I could order without annoying the employees. It was kind of a bummer seeing all the menu options and knowing I'd only really be happy with the most basic items.

For this reason, I totally remember when they introduced the Double Decker Taco. I was little, but like, crazy impressed with the marketing geniuses that came up with it. Even back then, I didn't consider that it came from the minds of Taco Bell's chefs. A bean burrito wrapped around a crispy taco?? It was pure marketing, any nine year old could see that.

And I. Was. Here. For it.

TW: Not a vegan commercial, obviously.

The next time we pulled into Taco Bell, I announced that, like Shaq, I would be enjoying a Double Decker Taco. My sister gave no reaction, and my dad said: "absolutely not". He rightfully assumed I would hate it (I was so picky!) and refuse to finish it - leaving him with a hangry little girl demanding a plain burrito only after we got home. My mom, though, was pleased to see me branch out, and she convinced my dad to let me try.

I ordered two and I ate two with absolute enthusiasm. I knew I would love it, and I finally had a fancy order: a Double Decker Taco, no cheese, mild taco sauce on the side.

I hadn't had one of these in years, but I was feeling very 90s recently and decided to make my own. They are just as good as I recall! Very kitschy and fun like my childhood decade. I may be in my 30s, reasonably healthy, and vegan, but occasionally I gotta do something for that little kid who loved sweating in the Texas heat while eating her fancy Taco Bell tacos and blasting the Now and Then Soundtrack.

🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

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Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

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DIY Vegan Double Decker Taco

Makes 2 Vegan Double Decker Tacos
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
12-14 oz vegan ground (I used Gardein)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup water
salt to taste
2 flour tortillas
2 hard shell tortillas
1/3 - 1/2 cup refried bean (canned or homemade)
shredded vegan cheddar (use my recipe if you'd like!)
shredded lettuce
salsa or taco sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, until it softens and just begins to brown. Add the vegan ground, and cook (again stirring often) until the ground is fully cooked and starting to brown, about 5-10 minutes.

2. While the ground cooks, combine the flour, taco seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. When the ground is cooked through, sprinkle the flour mixture over the ground and onions, and use a wooden spoon to completely incorporate the flour and seasonings. The ingredients should start to thicken and look a bit pasty.

3. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of the water to the skillet and quickly stir it into the ground. Once it is absorbed (it should happen quickly), repeat this process until you've incorporated all of the water, or reached the desired consistency. You want to have a wet taco meat situation. From here, add salt to taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

4. To assemble your Vegan Double Decker Tacos, start by making sure that your flour tortillas will fit your hard shells. If they're too big, trim them to the correct size. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of refried beans onto the flour tortillas. Then wrap each of those beany flour tortillas around a hard shell tortilla, bean side in.

5. Fill the inside of the hard shell with a few tablespoons of taco ground, shredded lettuce, and cheese. Drizzle some salsa or taco sauce on top, and serve.

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Everyday Nut-Free Vegan Cheddar

2018-09-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this Everyday Nut-Free Vegan Cheddar we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi friends! Y'all, I know it's not technically fall yet, but the weather in ATX has been rainy and cool and really cozy. By "cool" I mean like high 70s low 80s, which is a lot cooler than 100 in my defense.

The feeling outside has been inspiring me to get in the kitchen to food prep. I've been cooking up so many new and wonderful things, stocking the fridge and pantry, and celebrating the flavors and textures of the upcoming season.

While we usually have things like soy milk, vegan butter, and grains and pasta on hand, one standard item that we don't always have is cheddar cheese. As much as we love it (like the good Texans that we are) it's kind of a pain to buy. Vegan cheddar widely available, but it's either too pricey for us to justify using every day, or I just don't like it enough to consider it versatile. I'm really picky about cheese.

Enter this beautiful staple recipe.

I really like cheddar, but only some cheddar used in some ways. I made this because I wanted a vegan cheddar cheese that we could love unconditionally and keep on hand for cheap.

I modeled our perfect cheddar off of my Wisconson Cheese Soup because it is so cheesy and wonderful and basic in flavor. Meaning it could be used in a variety of ways. Texturally, it's soft, but it does cut, slice, and shred.

Because I use sunflower seeds, my Everyday Vegan Cheddar is both affordable and nut-free. The only possibly difficult-to-find ingredient is agar powder. However, any Asian market should have it, or you can order it off Amazon. Just be sure to use powder and NOT flakes. It won't firm up correctly with flakes and the texture will be all wrong.

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

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Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

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Everyday Nut-Free Vegan Cheddar

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cooking oil
1/2 small onion, small diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, small diced
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons agar powder (not flakes)
3/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
6 tablespoons original unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until the veggies soften, and just barely start to brown. Remove the vegetables from the heat and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before proceeding.

2. In a high powered blender, add the sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, and black pepper. Pulse on a medium speed about 4-5 times just to break up the seeds.

3. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the agar powder, vegetable broth, and milk. Whisk continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. The agar powder should be dissolved, and the liquid should have a shiny sheen to it. It should also be thicker.

4. Add the agar mixture, white miso paste, and mustard to the sunflower seed mixture in the blender, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Give it a taste for salt.

5. Pour the cheese into a mold (a bowl, Tupperware, or ramekin all work), place the cheese in the fridge to fully harden (around 2-3 hours). After the cheese has hardened, you can remove it from your mold by running a knife along the edge, and popping it out. From here it's ready to use on sandwiches, in mac and cheese, on tacos, whatever you want!

6. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. You'll probably eat it all before then though!

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Super Easy DIY Canvas Print | Spooky "Snow White's Adventures" Mantle

2018-09-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this Super Easy DIY Canvas Print we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Good morning, friends! Today I'm so excited to share a little piece of our home with you. As a surprise to no one, we do a lot of decorating in the fall and for Halloween. This year I decided to really go all out with the mantle. Why not?

I wanted something more Autumnal than Halloweenish, but still somehow witchy and spooky.

Snow White was kind of a perfect and natural go to for a theme. For one thing, she's my favorite Disney princess. Dark hair, loves to cook and clean for those she loves... we're basically the same. Plus, the artwork is easy to bring into a fall motif, and, c'mon The Evil Queen? She's one of the best witches ever and is definitely my favorite villain. This mantle is our ode to Fall, Snow White, The Evil Queen, and Disneyland at once.

First, we'll start with what I didn't actually make so there's no confusion. The owls, pumpkins, mesh runner, florals, and vase were all bought at Dollar Tee. The apples are from Michaels, the Moira pic was drawn by our incredible friend, Alice, and the paw prints are Moira's and Eddie's. They get incorporated into every mantle design we do!

Ok, now for the DIYs.

Let's start with the cauldrons. How cute are those?? I honestly threw them together. No, I'm not amazing, I just look at a lot of Halloween crafts so the inspiration was there. Each was made out of:

a Round Glass Floral Bowl
3 marbles as the feet
rubber toy snakes for the handles
superglue
hot glue
spray paint

I bought everything but the paint at Dollar Tree and they took less than 20 minutes to make.

Next, we needed a spooky looking spell book. Not one of these colorful glittery things you can buy, but something that looked steeped in magic and mystery. Our's is made out of Dollar Tree journals, hot glue, old plastic Halloween rings (that I bought last year), paper towels, Mod Podge, and paint. See the tutorial here, and make your own! I had this craft bookmarked for years but felt too intimidated to give it a go. So silly. They're actually really easy to make and they look BEAUTIFUL.

Now, you can't have a Snow White mantle without a mirror or two. I made these magic mirrors using this tutorial from Bargain Bethany. Again, everything but the paint came from the Dollar Tree. They look absolutely stunning in person.

And last but not least for the DIYs was this print. Y'all, this print! Let's talk about this print.

I really wanted a big vintage Snow White picture right in the middle of the mantle. Not only was it hard to find one that matched our aesthetic, but those that came close were just too expensive to justify. I knew a DIY was the way to go.

This piece is all about decoupage. It allows you to turn any high-quality image into a beautiful piece of art for a fraction of the cost of buying one custom. You can do this with family pictures, vintage images, unique posters, etc. Our piece is actually an old poster for the Snow White dark ride at Tokyo Disneyland, and I think it's just perfect. The colors are right, it looks old, and the art is wonderful. It totally captures what we adore about one of our favorite rides ever.

🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎

I hope you like our Spooky "Snow White's Adventures" Mantle as much as we do! And if you do decide to make your own canvas print, be sure to tag #housevegan on those social media pics so I can see!

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

Get my book!

Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

print tutorial

Super Easy DIY Canvas Print

Materials

1 stretched canvas, your preferred size
high-def image
paper trimmer or quality scissors and a steady hand
spray adhesive (make sure it's ok for canvas)
newspaper to protect your workspace
Mod Podge
sponge brush
rolling pin

Instructions

1. The first thing you need to do is size your image. To do this, find out the size of your canvas and google that number in pixels. For example, let's say your canvas is 16x20". Google "16x20" in pixels". The result for this says 2980x2384 pixels.

2. Open your high-def image in a photo editor like PicMonkey.com, and resize your image to the appropriate pixel size. You may have to crop it a bit. Play around until you get it just right. Export the image as a JPG file.

3. Go to blockposters.com, and upload your image. To customize your image, choose:

My poster should be… 2 PAGES WIDE
The orientation should be… Portrait
And my paper format is…A4 Letter (U.S.)
Each page printed should…Have a border
Remove Watermark. This costs $5 to do which I think is worth it. If you don't want to pay, your image will have a watermark. You can get around this through clever resizing, but that would be based on each individual case. In other words, you're on your own there!

4. Click "Create My Poster" then "Download my poster" which will download your images in PDF form. Print your poster pages out in color if preferred. Recycle the settings page from block poster (or don't print it at all), and get to work on the image pages.

5. You want to cut all of the white borders off of the images. This is best done using a paper trimmer, but it can be done by hand. Just keep your hand as steady as possible to achieve a straight cut.

6. Once your images are borderless, place them on the canvas in their correct positions. Make sure the sizing is right, etc. If everything looks good, then it's time to glue.

7. In a well-ventilated area, lay down the newspaper - enough to protect your surface. Place the canvas on the newspaper. Use the spray adhesive according to your brand's directions. The goal is to use it to glue the images properly (and in their correct positions) onto the canvas. Make sure those prints are aligned exactly where you want them! I can't stress this enough. If you see bubbles beginning to form, press them out as best you can for a smooth surface. Allow the prints to dry for as long as directed.

8. Now you need to seal your prints with Mod Podge. I'm honestly an animal when it comes to crafts. I just pour a huge glob of Mod Podge onto the images and use the sponge brush to spread it out. Make sure that the product is applied in a thin layer using long even strokes. Pay attention along the edges, really using the Mod Podge to seal those down. From there, use the rolling pin over the entire canvas print to roll the bubbles out. Bubbles will happen if you're new to decoupage. Just do the best you can. Also, keep in mind that the Mod Podge will go on white, but it clears up when it dries.

9. The print will likely feel totally dry after an hour or so, but let it sit to really really dry for 24 hours. Then your DIY Canvas Print is ready to display!

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DIY Unicorn Cereal | Vegan

2018-09-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this DIY Unicorn Cereal we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I first saw Kellogg's Unicorn Cereal on an Instagram post, and basically freaked about as much as someone can freak about a cereal. I LOVE unicorns. This moment we're having with unicorn stuff is right up my alley. As sick as some people are with unicorn food, pillows, toothbrushes, shoe horns, what-have-yous, I'm fully into it.

❤💙💚💛💜

I immediately grabbed my purse and went to all the surrounding stores I could think of in search of this beautiful breakfast, but to no avail. I came home empty-handed and totally bummed until I realized something annoying. Even if I did find the cereal, it probably wouldn't be vegan anyway. Thanks, D3 😒.

So what else could I do, but make my own? I have no chill.

Let's talk about homemade cereal. It can be a fickle project. It's a little tedious which is fine if it works. However, it's not fine if you go through all the trouble of making the stuff only to have it completely dissolve once it gets in the milk. What we have here is not one of those failing recipes.

This DIY Unicorn Cereal stays together in milk for as long as any store-bought variety. Is it the oat flour, the cake mix? I don't know, but it just works.

You're ready to settle into Saturday morning cartoons now, aren't you? Pro tip: She-Ra, He-Man, and The Real Ghostbusters are all on Netflix. You can also find Rainbow Brite and Carebears on YouTube!

This gorgeous technicolor bowl of magic is barely good for you and is made with actual cake mix for authenticity. I don't know what the OG cereal tastes like, but it's probably way sweeter and more artificially vanilla-ey. My version is sweet and vanilla-ey and cakey, but probably a little less so than Kelloggs'. So it's a more sophisticated type of junk food.

print recipe DIY Unicorn Cereal | Vegan

Inspired by these Homemade Cherrios by NourishingJoy.com
Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oat flour (plus more for sprinkling), use GF if needed
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup vegan vanilla cake mix, use GF if needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoons boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
vegan pink and teal food coloring
vegan sprinkles

Special Equipment

parchment paper
3/4 inch round piping tip

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl combine the oat flour, brown rice flour, cake mix, sugar, sea salt, and baking powder.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the boiling water and extracts. Using a large a spatula, mix the dry and wet ingredients until no lumps remain.

4. Separate the dough into three equal portions. Sprinkle your workspace with oat flour. Add the first portion of dough to the floured space. Drop a small amount of the pink food coloring into the dough and knead it in. Once the dough is evenly colored, shape it into a small bowl shape in the palm of your hand. Add a few shakes for sprinkles to the center of the well and proceed to knead them in until evenly distributed. Set this pink dough aside, and wipe down your workspace to get rid of any color that may have transferred. Repeat this step making teal dough with one of the remaining portions, and purple with the other remaining portion. To make purple, just use a little of the teal and pink food coloring together. Once your doughs are all colored and sprinkled, wipe down your workspace to ensure no color transfers.

5. Tape a large piece of parchment your workspace. Add one of the colored doughs to the parchment, and cover it with another large piece of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Remove the parchment paper and, using the big side of a 3/4 inch round piping tip, cut out circles of the dough. Turn the tip around to the smaller round opening, and press that into the center of one of your cutouts to make a hole in the middle. You should be left with a ring-shaped piece of cereal dough. Transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cutout circles.

6. Repeat step 5 with the remaining pieces of dough.

7. Bake your unicorn cereal for 13 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, and put it back in the oven for 12 more minutes, or until the cereal is very hard and very slightly browned.

8. Once done, allow the cereal the cool completely on the baking pan. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. To eat, pour in a bowl, top with milk, and enjoy. This cereal stays crunchy in milk like any standard store-bought cereal.

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DIY Dollar Tree Wall Chalkboard Planner for Under $10

2018-08-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this DIY Dollar Tree Wall Chalkboard Planner for Under $10 we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

How cute is this Wall Chalkboard Planner? Here's the deal: I love to craft and I love to decorate our home with awesome DIYs on a budget. The only thing is, I'm not a natural crafter. Some people have craft rooms and supply budgets and patience. I have none of those things. I have a smallish box of supplies and a low tolerance for projects with a million precise steps.

I know a craft post is totally different from what I normally do, but I want to bring y'all into my life. I do more than eat, and I have lots that I want to share with you!

So although I'm not an expert crafter, I want to occasionally bring you along for the ride. Which, by the way, will almost always include:

Lots of mistakes
Stuff from Dollar Tree
Confusing "action" pics
Me taking shortcuts, likely regretting it, and then possibly doing it over
Hot glue burns
Overbuying materials
Beaming childlike smiles for the masterpiece made

This DIY is a great example of all these things. Especially #5. I didn't take a picture of the burn, but let's just say that blistering occurred.

Jay Munee DIY on YouTube is the genius behind this project. I've linked to her social media below, and definitely recommend checking her out. Her DIYs are pretty incredible!

I followed her tutorial for this almost exactly. Some changes I made included:

Leaving off the hooks
Making the piece vertical
Coffee staining the wood

Oh speaking of coffee staining the wood, did you notice that beautiful stain up there? The left piece is untouched, and the right piece was soaked in coffee grounds for 2 hours. Not bad considering I was too lazy to buy actual wood stain. (Step 4: Me taking shortcuts).

As far as DIYs go, this was simple and fun, and the result looks really beautiful and high-end. Only it's not high-end at all. Every piece of material was bought at Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree! I love that store. And aside from the time it took to stain and air-dry the wood pieces, it came together really quickly.

I'll let you go to Jay's channel for the tutorial, but I'll tell you how I stained the wood. I'm not even going to make a project card because, frankly, crafting with me is often loosey-goosey. Let's keep this authentic.

Step 1: Combine 4 cups of warm water and 1 1/2 cups of ground coffee in a large bowl.

Step 2: Add the wood blocks.

Step 3: Cover the blocks with a plate to make sure they are completely submerged. Let the pieces soak for at least two hours or longer depending on how dark you want them to be.

Step 4: Remove the blocks from the coffee, and allow them to air dry overnight. Do not use until they are completely dry. You'll need to wipe off some grounds too. This is easier to do when the wood is dry.

Step 5: Discard the coffee and water mixture.

DONE.

This tip is definitely going to come in handy for future projects. The Dollar Tree Tumbling Tower Game (aka Dollar Tree's tiny version of Jenga) is excellent for crafting, but the odds of me ever going out of my way to buy wood stain are slim. Cheap coffee though? Easy.

Be sure to check out Jay if you like crafting on the cheap!

YouTube: JayMunee | Instagram: peebeenjay

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Vegan BBQ Bacon Chicken Naan Pizza (Naanzza? Pizaan?)

2018-08-28T09:05:00.003-07:00

Before telling you about this Vegan BBQ Bacon Chicken Naan Pizza we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I'm not sure how many of y'all care, but college football season is around the corner and hockey preseason is around the other corner, and I'm stoked. Not only because I enjoy sports. Not only because I'm a rabid USC fan. Not only because I follow the LA Kings faithfully. Not only because game food is so great.

I really love how things calm down when fall and winter sports start. Summer is great, but it's hot and people get all riled up. When the weather cools and the games are on, people can chill out and focus their intense energies into their fandom. Maybe I'm projecting. Who knows? But I love it.

Our favorite teams are getting ready for their seasons, and we're getting ready right along with them. The first game is on Saturday which means USC paraphernalia can be seen peppered throughout our home. From the porcelain Tommy Trojan on our bar, to the USC pillows and throw blankets on our couch. All that's left now is to make the Chex Mix and pick up a few beers. We're so ready.

This Vegan BBQ Bacon Chicken Naan Pizza is inspired totally by our anticipation for fall and winter sports. We love making game day food to enjoy during games, and the easier and more flavorful the better. This recipe is more of an assembly guide than actual cooking instructions, but it does include of my trick for taking vegan pizza to the next level: adding seasoning directly to the cheese. That little step gives our pizzas extra oomph and it's so simple. You'll see what I mean. And since this pizza is all about BBQ flavors, I opted to include some jalapeno. You know, to make it just a little more Texan and a lot more delicious.

We don't want to be in the kitchen forever when a game is on so we like to use naan for crust. They make for great personal sized pizzas in no time. Our local grocery store sells labeled vegan naan in their bakery, but if your's doesn't just make sure to check the ingredients before you buy. Many naans aren't vegan. If you can't find naan, a soft pita would work as well.

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

Get my book!

Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

print recipe

Vegan BBQ Bacon Chicken Naan Pizza

Ingredients

9 oz vegan chicken tenders (we use Gardein)
1 1/2 cups shredded vegan mozzarella (we love Follow Your Heart)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos
2 teaspoons jalapeno pickling juice
1/4 cup favorite bbq sauce (plus more for drizzling)
3 slices favorite vegan bacon, coarsely chopped
1 batch favorite White Pizza Sauce (I used this recipe from Vegan in the Freezer and left out the herbs)
3 store-bought vegan naans

Instructions

1. Cook the tenders according to the package directions. While the tenders cook, prepare your cheese.

2. In a mixing bowl combine the vegan mozzarella, onion powder, garlic powder, chopped jalapenos, and jalapeno pickling juice. Use a spatula to mix it all up until the seasonings are evenly distributed among the cheese.

3. When the tenders are done, remove them from the oven and turn the heat down to 350ºF if it's not there already. Allow the tenders to cool to the touch before proceeding.

4. When the tenders are cool enough to handle, chop them into bite-sized pieces. Toss them into a mixing bowl with the BBQ sauce, and carefully toss them to coat.

5. To assemble the pizza, spread a layer of the white sauce on each naan. Follow with a layer of cheese, then the coated vegan chicken and chopped vegan bacon.

6. Bake the Vegan BBQ Bacon Chicken Naan Pizzas until the cheese has melted and the pizzas are a little crispy along the edges - around 8-10 minutes.

7. Remove the pizzas from the oven and drizzle with more BBQ sauce. Serve immediately.

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Easy DIY Two Ingredient Flaxseed Hair Gel

2018-08-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this Easy DIY Two Ingredient Flaxseed Hair Gel we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi friends! I have a super simple recipe to share today for Easy DIY Two Ingredient Flaxseed Hair Gel. This stuff may or may not change your entire hair game. It changed mine, I can tell you that.

I love love love doing my hair in vintage styles. I love vintage beauty in general, but specifically hair. It's not uncommon to find me cleaning with curlers in my hair, and I've definitely left the house with my pincurls tied up in a scarf.

Grainy IG pic, it's fine!

When you've been setting your hair for as long as I have you start to just not care about such things because you know the end result is going to be beautiful.

The thing about me and vintage curls is that I need something in my hair to give it oomph and hold. Just putting my hair in curlers will do absolutely nothing. They'll be gone before I'm even done brushing out. So years ago I started the search for my favorite hair gel, setting lotion, or mousse. However, that search went on for far too long and yielded basically no results. They were always too expensive, too heavy, too light, too sticky, too weak, too stiff, too etc.. After years of this nonsense, I just decided to try making my own.

I figured I'd try a basic flaxseed hair gel based on advice from my favorite vintage hair facebook group. I thought I'd make a test batch, and adjust it until I made something that worked.

I ended up loving it at first try.

This DIY flaxseed hair gel is perfect for my hair. It holds my curls but allows them to be flexible. Not just flexible but soft. I swear this gel conditions a bit too! And because I don't curl my hair all of the time (I wish!) I can still use this flaxseed gel to give my straight, unstyled hair a little more body and mold-ability should I decide to wear it up.

It feels a bit thin out of the bottle and because the consistency is looser than traditional gel it can get messy. And by messy I mean snotty. I know that's gross, but it is a little reminiscent of snot. The only surprise I want you to experience here is its surprising effectiveness.

I can't say how it'll work for your hair, but my hair loves it. For the record, my hair is of medium thickness, very straight, and I have a lot of it on my head.

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Easy DIY Two Ingredient Flaxseed Hair Gel

Ingredients

3 cups water
1/4 tablespoons whole flaxseeds

Instructions

1. Combine the water and flaxseeds in a saucepan, and place it over medium heat.

2. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and allow it to boil for 10-13 minutes until becomes thicker and gelatinous.

3. Strain the mixture over a bowl using a fine mesh strainer. Use a spoon to stir and push the gel through the strainer. This may get a little messy, but keep going.

4. Discard the leftover flaxseeds, and store the hair gel in a container in the fridge. I used this handy squeeze bottle, but you can use a jar, Tupperware, whatever.

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Iced Apple Chai Latte

2018-08-09T09:28:00.003-07:00

Before telling you about this Iced Apple Chai Latte we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

One of my first real jobs in the early 2000s was at a coffee shop located in a trailer on the side of a busy Texas highway. We had a drive-thru, blended drinks, sandwiches, espresso, soymilk, and a stereo system that blasted Motown anytime I had control of the tunes. While it wasn't the hip or artistic coffee house that I always dreamt of working in, it was a coffee shop and I loved it.

As you can imagine, it wasn't the most sophisticated operation. We did have a quality espresso situation, but we also used a lot of drink mixes for blended drinks, mochas, etc., and this included a large selection of flavored chai tea lattes. Vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and hazelnut to name a few. The drink mixes weren't vegan so while I never tasted them, I did enjoy making them because they all smelled incredible. And my favorite mix by far was for apple chai lattes.

Whether hot, cold or blended, the apple chai mix would fill our tiny kitchen with a sweet and spicy aroma that made you feel like you were drinking spiced cider in a North Eastern apple orchard in October. Even if it was July, and you were working in a sweltering trailer on the side of the highway.

I was only about a year into veganism at that point so I'll admit that cravings were plentiful and difficult. This dumb little drink mix was an item that I honestly had a lot of trouble saying no to. It was different back then, you know? I was young and I didn't know how to veganize anything. A lot of what kept me on track was just the stubborn will to make it work for the animals. And I'm so glad I did. Because now I'm 14 years into veganism and can veganize any damn thing I want. Including, at long last, an Apple Chai Latte.

This drink is refreshing and sweet, and absolutely gives me that apple-orchard-in-October kind of feeling. However, don't think that makes it inappropriate for the current weather. It's a great alternative to iced coffee or any other iced tea or lattes you may be enjoying this summer. And I think it's pretty obvious why apple works so well with chai. I mean really. Apple, sugar, spices, c'mon. It's a win, win, win.

print recipe Iced Apple Chai Latte
Makes 1 Iced Apple Chai Latte

Ingredients

1 large green apple, cored and sliced
1 cup apple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
2 bags chai tea
splash non-dairy creamer

lots of ice

Instructions

1. Place the apple slices, apple juice, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and allow it to boil until the syrup reduces considerably and becomes thick.

2. When the syrup appears done, take it off the heat to cool. Once cooled, remove the apple pieces, and pour the remaining syrup into an airtight container or jar with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to a month. This is the syrup for your tea, but it can also be used on biscuits, pancakes, waffles, whatever you want.

3. To make the latte, place the tea bags in the boiling water to steep. Steeping time depends on your tea's directions. I used the Organic Chai Black Tea from steep by Bigelow so I steep mine for 4 minutes. This seems like it'll be too strong, but the tea will be diluted later.

4. Once the tea is brewed, remove and discard the tea bags. Add in apple syrup (I like about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and creamer to taste. Fill a tall pint glass with ice, and add the brewed tea. The tea will melt the ice which is what you want. Add some more ice to your glass to make the drink iced.

5. Enjoy!

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Home-Smoked Sunflower Cheese

2018-08-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this Smoked Sunflower Cheese we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Man, I'm so happy to finally be back to sharing homemade goods with y'all! And I'm back with a dynamite recipe for Home-Smoked Sunflower Cheese. Have you done indoor smoking? How about made your own cheese? Had sunflower seed cheese? I'm going to tell you how to do it all, and why it's worth it.

I started using sunflower seeds for cheese after reading But I Could Never Go Vegan by Kristy Turner. She has a recipe in her book for sunflower seed cheese that melts and grates and is honestly so delicious that you don't miss the cashews at all. Raw cashews are so expensive compared to sunflower seeds, so I was stoked to have an alternative.

And on the subject of economic relief, let's discuss the issue of vegan cheese. First and foremost, I absolutely think artisan foods are worth the price they set. Having worked in food manufacturing, I understand that companies like Miyoko's strive to make great products that can be bought by as many people as possible. Prices are as low as they can go while still ensuring the product is made with integrity, and the business has enough profit to run. This boring business lesson is all to say that that stuff is expensive, and while I'm not mad about it, I can't justify spending that much every time we want cheese. Which is always.

What else could I do but make our own? Our favorite cheese from Miyoko is her Smoked Farmhouse. It's nutty, sharp, and smokey, and just about the most perfect vegan cheese there is IMO. Cost aside though, we haven't been able to find it anywhere in months! Thankfully, I started testing this recipe almost a year ago when our cheese habit was starting to get out of control. But really, what's better on a weekend afternoon than drinking a glass of wine and snacking on crisp salty crackers topped with rich vegan cheese?

This cheese is creamy and full, and truly smoked - not just smoke flavored. This distinction is important. Without actually smoking the cheese, what you'll have is a basic smoked flavored snack that is just kinda ehn. Don't get me wrong, the recipe is great. But the flavors are mild because they are meant to complement the main flavor of the smoke.

Don't be intimidated by indoor smoking. Not only is this cheese worth the adventure, but the world of easily smoked foods is a gift. Once you see how easy it is, your mind will start reeling on what else you can do. Smoked vegan bacon? Sure. Smoked vegan ribs? Why not? All it takes is a pot, a steamer, some woodchips, foil, and a dream.

print recipe Smoked Sunflower Cheese | Vegan

Ingredients

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon agar powder (not flakes)
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons original unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Special Equipment

1/2 cup smoking chips
foil
1 medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid
1 standard sized metal vegetable steamer

Instructions

1. In a high powered blender, add the sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Pulse on a medium speed about 4-5 times just to break up the seeds.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat whisk together the agar powder, water, and milk. Whisk continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. The agar powder should be dissolved, and the liquid should have a shiny sheen to it. It should also be thicker.

3. Add the agar mixture, white miso paste, and dijon mustard to the sunflower seed mixture in the blender, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Give it a taste for salt.

4. Divide the cheese equally among two or three ramekins, and place them in the fridge to fully harden (around 2-3 hours). After the cheese has hardened, you can remove them from their ramekins by running a knife along the edge, and popping them out. They should come out really easily. Now you can start getting ready to smoke.

5. Combine the smoking chips and water in a bowl, and allow the chips to soak for ten minutes. Drain the water and save the chips.

6. Tear off 2 approximately 6 inch wide pieces of foil, and fold each piece of foil in half long ways. Place one piece of foil in the bottom of your pot. Transfer the drained wood chips to the pot over the first piece of foil. Top the wood chips with the second piece of folded foil.

7. Take your metal steamer, and slide it into the pot over the foil covered wood chips. Open it up. Your indoor smoker is now assembled!

8. Cover just the bottom of the steamer with a piece of parchment just big enough to hold the wheels of cheese. Place the cheese in the parchment-lined steamer with about an inch of room between each if you can manage it. Place the lid on top of the pot.

9. Put the smoker on the stove over high heat until it starts to smoke - this should take about five minutes. You'll know when it's smoking by the smell and sound (and if your seal wasn't great, the escaping smoke). Turn the heat down to medium-low, and continue to smoke the cheese for 10 minutes.

10. Remove the smoker from the heat, and let the cheese sit, still covered, for 20 minutes.

11. When the cheese is done smoking, carefully remove each wheel from the steamer, and onto a plate. Place the cheese in the fridge to re-harden and cool down. Wrap each wheel tightly in plastic wrap and/or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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Where Have I Been?

2018-08-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Tl:dr, I was sick, I'm on medicine, I miss Moira, we adopted two weirdos, I'm back, I missed you all so much, IT'S ALMOST FALL.

Hi Friends,

Long time no talk! House Vegan has been more or less empty for 10 months. 10 months! That's almost a year! It's crazy, right? You might be wondering what could possess someone who has been blogging consistently for 5 years to just stop in the middle of the best blogging season ever.

Many people have asked me what happened, and I had reason after reason, but I'm going to get to the core of it with you. What happened was: depression, anxiety, confusion, and feelings of being adrift. Like I didn't know who I was as a blogger, content creator, writer, or housewife anymore. I started to feel overwhelmed, disoriented, and unmotivated.

I was spending 40-60 hours a week on HV on top of my other job. To be frank, I wanted to make more money here. And among entrepreneurs, there's the ever-present idea that it's all about the hustle. If you aren't seeing the success you want, it's because you aren't working hard enough. And I truly believed that. I believed it was my fault because I was too lazy to do the work. At 40-60 hours I believed that I wasn't a hard worker, and I didn't deserve the success. I was constantly beating myself up and doubting who I was on my own website. How backward is that? The truth is my blog is perfect because it is me. I was too cloudy and tired to see that.

Then my other work started to pile on. That + feeling like a failure anyway made it easy for me to do less blogging. And all the sudden, out of nowhere, I wasn't doing it at all.

Then we lost Moira, and nothing at all mattered anyway. Not work, not the blog, not fall, not Christmas, not the changing seasons. Nothing. And even as the days went one, and nothing got better, I still didn't notice the symptoms of depression set in.

Fast forward to January of this year: I'm exhausted all the time, my heart aches for Moira every waking moment, I have no creative outlet whatsoever and my work is demanding. I can barely make it through a regular workday without taking a giant nap. My hair started to thin, and I just knew I was deficient in something. My mother just knew something was wrong with my thyroid. My husband just knew that I would never call the doctor without constant reminders. So he reminded me every day until I made an appointment.

I get to my appointment and my doctor listened patiently as I listed all of my symptoms. She then listened as I diagnosed myself with "some sort of deficiency" and then asked to take a thyroid test.

The first thing out of her mouth was "did you have something troubling happen in your life recently?". And it hit me, oh my god, she's right. I immediately knew exactly where she was going with that question. I was depressed. So I opened my mouth to answer and all that came out was blubbering tears, and an attempt to relive my short life with Moira. 16 months was all we got. It's bullshit, isn't it? Such bullshit.

So long story short (too late!), I've been on anti-depressants for 7 months and it's helped a ton. In that 7 months, I've been taking it relatively easy. I work, I clean, I cook. I've cooked a lot. I even made vegan deviled eggs:

I also workout sometimes and drink a lot of green tea lattes.

We also go to the arcade a lot. Like a lot a lot.

Oh yeah, and we adopted a couple weirdos:

This is Mittens.

And this is Jagger.

But I've missed this space, y'all, and the other blogs I follow. I've missed sharing what I love. So here I am! I have recipes, roundups, and DIYs all scheduled, and ready to share. There's a lot too because we have 10 months to catch up on, friends. And it's no coincidence that I chose August to come back. Fall!!!

And in all honesty, I needed the break. I needed to grow up a little bit and take some time to remember why I started blogging - to share with the world the things that I do in our home that make me happy.

So here I am, saying hello and I've missed you. Come back later this week for a brand new recipe!

Love,
HV

Vegan Bacon Cheese Dip

2018-01-28T14:30:00.002-08:00

Before telling you about this Vegan Bacon Cheese Dip we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I've got a delicious new recipe to share with you guys, and frankly, it's about time! This Vegan Bacon Cheese Dip was created last fall, and as a write this I'm just thinking about how I can't wait to make it again. This recipe came together because I wanted an easy but delicious appetizer for something we do with our best friends called "Sh*tty Dinner Parties".

Basically, we got sick of our get-togethers being a production. Like fully cleaning our homes and creating these big beautiful menus. The effort involved was keeping us from hanging out as often as we wanted to so we started doing "Sh*tty Dinner Parties". For it to be accurate, you only clean your home to the level you would for yourself, not the Queen (we're guilty of Queen-cleaning). Snacks are easy AF, and the meals should come together quickly and use mostly what you have on hand. Honestly, these dinner parties have upped our quality of friendship and hangs by 1000.

See also: Loaded Cashew Queso (Dairy Free!)

This dip uses ingredients we always have on hand (except for the round loaf). It's very creamy, offering the perfect consistency for max dip-ability. The flavor is savory, cheesy, and a little smokey and tangy. It contains Sriracha, but only a tiny amount - it isn't spicy at all. But it certainly could be! Feel free to up the Sriracha or add your favorite hot sauce to taste.

print recipe Vegan Bacon Cheese Dip

Ingredients

1 round bread loaf
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6 slices vegan bacon, small diced
2 scallions, sliced (white and greens separated)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 1/2 cups unsweetened original non-dairy milk
1 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare your bread bowl by slicing a 1/2 inch slice off the top of your round loaf. Scoop out the inside leaving the bread bowl about an inch thick. Take the bread insides that you scooped out and tear them into dippable pieces. A little bigger than bite-sized!

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until it crisps up. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl.

3. In that same pan, add the remaining oil and the white scallion slices. Cook for only a minute or so. Take the pan off the heat.

4. To the cooked scallions add the flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, liquid smoke, milk and broth. Whisk the ingredients to combine and make sure no lumps remain.

5. Place the saucepan back over medium heat, and whisk the dip continuously until it thickens to a creamy cheese dip-like consistency.

6. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the mustard, Sriracha, cooked bacon, and the remaining scallions. Taste the dip for salt, and adjust as desired.

7. Pour your Vegan Bacon Cheese Dip into your prepared bread bowl and serve with the torn bread pieces.

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Vegan Potato, Tofu, and Bacon Freezer Breakfast Tacos

2017-09-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

Before telling you about these Vegan Potato, Tofu, and Bacon Freezer Breakfast Tacos we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi, friends! I'm happily bringing you this easy vegan recipe because if your schedule is anything like ours, you need it. I feel like I'm always on here saying "we're so busy!!!!1!". You'd think we'd be pros by now. I think it's the fluctuation that makes it challenging.

We've been trying some new things to simplify our day-to-days which is how we found ourselves delving into freezer meals.

These breakfast tacos came about when I was on a freezer cooking kick thanks to The Make Ahead Vegan Cookbook, written by fellow vegan blogger, Ginny McMean (from Vegan in the Freezer). We picked up the book at the library and started cooking our way through. We made Rigatoni and Vegan Sausage Casserole, Onion Soup, Creamy Broccoli Bake (subbed green beans/added tofu!), Chickpea Balls and more. I spent days making double batches of recipes and storing one batch in the fridge and the other in the freezer for later. Y'all, the recipes fed us for literally weeks. It was amazing.

While I was freezer-meal planning, I realized that we needed an easy breakfast option. You know, for those early mornings when we roll out of bed 20 minutes before my husband needs to be on his way to work. We love breakfast tacos, but rarely have time for them during the week. I thought that they would be perfect for pre-making and freezing, and they were! They also reheat beautifully.

It's great being just minutes away from breakfast tacos no matter how rushed we are in the morning.

Honestly, if it weren't for these, we would be having smoothies for breakfast every day, and that's kind of a bummer. Even a simple tofu scramble can take too long when you're flying out the door. I mean, smoothies are great, but c'mon. Tacos > smoothies every time.

I feel very strongly that a breakfast taco isn't a breakfast taco without tofu or potatoes, but that's me. You do you - change out the fillings per your preferences. But maybe consider definitely including tofu and potatoes. Trust me! Or don't. (But you probably should)

I hope that you all are enjoying your late summer/early fall. It is absolutely fall in our house, but technically we have a week of summer left. You know what that means right? It means it's time to start planning your fall while your FoMo is still manageable. Mine is off the charts, but that should be obvious!

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

Get my book!

Includes:

🍂15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes (like Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk)

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂Immediate download so let's get planning!

Vegan Potato, Tofu, and Bacon Freezer Breakfast Tacos
Makes 12 breakfast tacos

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 cups frozen diced potatoes
6 strips vegan bacon (we like this recipe)
2 blocks firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Kala Namak (or regular salt)
black pepper
12 flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers, and cook, stirring often, just until the onion begins to soften. Add the potatoes to the skillet and stir them into the vegetables.

2. Turn the heat down to medium, and cover the skillet. Allow the mixture to cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the skillet, give the contents a stir, re-cover, and cook for another five minutes. Repeat this process until the potatoes are cooked through. Salt the potatoes and vegetables to taste and transfer them from the skillet to a bowl. Set aside. 3. Add the remaining oil to the skillet.Carefully add the tofu and stir it around to get it evenly coated in oil. It's fine if the tofu pieces are large. They'll break down during cooking. Cook the tofu, stirring and scrambling frequently until the liquid begins to evaporate. Add the vegan bacon.

4. Continue to stir the tofu and vegan bacon until and the tofu starts to brown. I use a metal spatula to do this so I can scrape up every bit of tofu that sticks as it browns. When the tofu is browned to your liking stir in the nutritional yeast and garlic powder.

5. Turn off the heat and season the tofu scramble with kala namak and pepper to taste.

6. Take a tortilla and add about a spoonful of the potatoes to the center. Add a similar amount of the tofu scramble, and carefully roll up the taco. Wrap the taco in foil, and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
7. Place the wrapped breakfast tacos in a plastic freezer bag, and store them in the freezer.

To reheat: Unwrap a frozen breakfast taco, and re-wrap it in a paper towel. Place the paper towel-wrapped taco in the microwave, and microwave for 1 minutes, or until it is cooked throughout. Serve immediately with salsa and other fixins (if you have time!).

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Free Fall Planner Printables | Download Now!

2017-09-05T17:19:00.001-07:00

Happy September, friends! It's that time of year again - the time when I talk about fall, fall foods, and fall planning non-stop. I am so ready to bring you homey cozy recipes and tips to make this season as wonderful as it should be.

If you're new here, let me catch you up: two years ago I wrote an eBook called House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More. It is designed to help fall lovers achieve their ultimate fall goals through organizing, list making, and realistic expectations. I truly believe that an amazing season is just a few checklists away.

It is because I'm such a believer in checklists that I'm thrilled to offer three different sets of FREE fall planner printables! All you have to do is download whatever set inspires you, print the pages out, and get your plan on.It is absolutely possible to eliminate Fall FoMo, and these printables will get you well on your way.

Visions of Fall

Simple Fall Planner

Fall Planner: Chevron

While they are designed to be used with House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More, the book is not required. These planner pages are free for everybody, easy to use, and include the following pages:

Blank Calendar

Fall Traditions

Here you can write down your fall traditions to reflect on the ones you love and which ones you might want to rethink.

Fall Aspirations List (FAL)

This is where all the magic happens. This is where you write down everything you want to do this fall (more info here).

Halloween FAL

Just like the original FAL, but for your Halloween plans.

Fall Shopping List

You can use this page to write down all the ingredients, craft supplies, clothes, decor, etc. you're going to need this fall. This will help you budget well for your fall while ensuring that you don't forget to pick up what you need.

Fall Cooking Schedule

Fact: Fall is the best time for cooking because it has the greatest seasonal flavors. A cooking schedule will help keep your cooking projects organized.

Thanksgiving Prep Schedule

Thanksgiving is not a time for winging it, y'all. This page allows you to organize dates and times for what you need to prepare.

Thanksgiving Shopping List

Organizing is key to a successful and affordable Thanksgiving. Use this page to track what you need to buy, how much it costs, and if there are any sales or coupons available.
＿＿＿＿＿＿

I've had Fall FoMo since June, so I'm beyond ready to get to planning. If you're ready too, download your favorite design to get started:

If you need a little guidance on how to use some of these fall planner printables, read my article "How to Have The Best Vegan Fall Ever". If you want a lot more guidance, please feel free to check out my book!

House Vegan: Fall FoMo No More $5.99

🍂 15+ cozy and delicious fall-inspired recipes

🍂 Helpful tips to make this your best fall yet

🍂 Step-by-step instructions to ensure that you don't miss out on any of your favorite fall activities or pastimes

🍂 Guides to celebrating Halloween and Thanksgiving the vegan way

🍂 Extra special bonus recipes for bath and kitchen products

🍂 How-tos on making Chickpeas and Dumplings, Chili Con Cashew Queso, Salted Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk, and more!

🍂Immediate download on Amazon Kindle or in a PDF, ePub, or mobi format on Gumroad!

If you have any questions, comment below, send me an email or find me on Facebook or IG: @housevegan. If you take any pictures of your fall planning use #hvfallfomo to be featured!

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Vegan Apple Cider Popsicles

2017-08-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Not to toot my own horn here, but I think I really made something super delicious with these popsicles. They're truly delectable, and they serve a need - need - to taste fall flavors despite the Texas heat. August = fall in the Teson household and things like "weather" aren't going to bring my cinnamon dusted mood down.

I'm getting ready for full-blown fall mode, but I can't ignore that it's 100 degrees outside. On the days that I have to brave the heat, these fall popsicles are refreshing while satisfying my hunger for autumny things.

Let's talk about fall-mode for a second. This past weekend, my bestie and I did a Halloween window shopping tour (for the second time this month), and at the end of our afternoon we were like "The time for decorating is now.". I came home, marched up the stairs, pulled out our holiday boxes and waded through Christmas stockings and Halloween pillows to get to our generic fall decor. At the end of my excavation, you know what I realized? I realized that we have almost no fall decorations. How is this even possible?

In 2014 I completed a fall-themed Vegan Mofo. In 2015 I wrote a book about having your best fall yet. In 2016 I created some of my most beautiful fall recipes ever while crafting my way through the season. I think that I've thoroughly demonstrated that fall is my time to thrive. It's when I'm the most creative, renewed, balanced, and joyful.

I'm obsessed with it, mkay? So why (WHY) does my collection of fall decor consist of only four small ceramic pumpkins, some florals, and one small pumpkin bowl? That's about six to seven pieces total for the person who literally wrote the book on fall.

This is embarrassing.

It could be because we love to decorate in organic matter like fresh pumpkins and bright green apples. It could be because our old place was so tiny that seven pieces were enough. Maybe we got rid of some stuff when we moved? Who knows. The only thing I do know is that we need more decor. The four pumpkins and florals aren't quite creating the fall wonderland that I was envisioning.

Back to these apple cider popsicles though. These babies are homey and fresh creating a wonderful balance between cozy flavors and cooling treats. They include quickly cooked spiced apples as well as a secret optional ingredient: apple cider mix. You could just pour fresh apple cider into popsicle molds and call it a day, but the apple cider mix makes it more decadent and bright. I got the idea from All Things Home Related, and I thought it was pretty genius. Plus I embarrassingly love those little apple cider mixes. I know they're terrible, but they remind me of my Oma's house so I don't care.

Are y'all excited for fall? Have you been defiantly drinking hot beverages while listening to Vince Guaraldi in your air conditioned homes? Or is that just me?

Oh in case you were wondering:

print recipe Vegan Apple Cider Popsicles
Makes 6 popsicles

Ingredients

1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled and small diced
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1 cup apple cider
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 .57 packet apple cider drink mix (optional)

Instructions

1. In a microwave-safe dish combine the diced apple, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes until the apples have softened a bit. You don't want them to be mushy, just a little soft. Set them aside to cool.

2. If you're using the apple cider drink mix, combine the apple cider and cinnamon in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup, and microwave the mixture for 45-60 seconds - just until it's warm. Add the apple cider drink mix, and stir it to dissolve. If you're not using the apple cider drink mix, just combine the apple cider and cinnamon in a liquid measuring cup, but do not heat it up.

3. Evenly distribute the apples among your popsicle molds. Pour the cinnamon apple cider over the apples in each mold. Carefully place the popsicles in the freezer for a few hours, or until they're completely frozen. Enjoy cold (obviously!).

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Vegan Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa w/ Chewy Chips | Malo Copycat!

2017-08-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hi, friends and happy August! Happy August, indeed. It's only the second day, and our schedule is filling up. Last night we celebrated our wedding anniversary with Impossible Burgers at Hopdoddy, and this weekend is going to be filled to the brim with super fun things like arcades, games, and dinner parties. August is always a busy month in our home as we balance those last bits of summer fun with back-to-school. Among other things that back-to-school brings, we like the routine of it. It's been a full summer for us, and we're both ready to enjoy this remaining bit of the season while moving on to the next.

A big part of our full summer this year was our trip to California. The very last thing we did before heading to the airport was settle into LA's finest chips and salsa flight at Malo in Silverlake.

When we lived there, Malo was a Teson staple whether we were meeting friends for drinks, taking out visitors, grabbing an easy brunch or enjoying an intimate dinner by ourselves. It was one of my favorite restaurants back in the day because it was one of the only restaurants that satisfied my Mexican food cravings. LA had Austin beat in vegan food yet I couldn't find a decent taco with fake meat and grease until we found Malo. And let me tell you, when we found Malo we also found the revelation that is chewy (or Chuey) chips.

Chewy chips are made-to-order tortilla chips that aren't fried completely so they're left a little chewy. Sometimes you'll get a chewy chip that has a little give and other times you'll get a chewy chip that is basically just an oiled-up piece of tortilla. No matter what you get, chewy chips are always bendable, chewy, salty, warm, and addicting. Everyone who tries them gets it - no matter how skeptical they were going in. My recipe will give you a glimpse - a good glimpse, but still a glimpse - into the magic that is a chewy chip.

Look at this bend, you guys. That's what you want. Bendable without breaking (a little cracking is acceptable).

The other part of this recipe is brought to you by my husband who, by the way, is a genius. Before he stopped eating dairy, the Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa was his favorite thing on Malo's menu, and he often lamented that I would never know the glory of dipping a chewy chip into the spicy sweet cream sauce.

After revisiting Malo, an itch for the salsa developed and he was determined to create a vegan version that we could both enjoy. I was skeptical because I don't love tangy creamy sauces, but I wanted to go with him on this journey. HOLY FREAKIN MOLY I'm so glad I did. We Can. Not. Get enough of this stuff.

I struggle to call it salsa, but that's what they call it so go with me on this. If you can handle spice, this salsa is something you don't know you need, but trust me, you do. The base is vegan sour cream which gives the other strongly flavored ingredients a nice velvety back drop. Those little flecks? Those are the burnt skins from whole roasted habaneros and toasted arbol chiles, both of which lend their wonderful flavors to this unique sauce. On top of those, the salsa also includes chipotles in adobo for a little smoke, and agave nectar to balance it all out. Our vegan Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa is sweet and incredibly spicy with a deep charred flavor that you'll love. It's so hot, but you'll find yourself going back in for more. Your tongue will be on fire, but you won't be able to stop. You'll be so full of the water you gulped for relief, and yet you'll return for more.

My husband spent two evenings in the kitchen toasting, roasting, adding, and measuring, and every time he gave me something to taste I understood more and more the cult following that this salsa has. The recipe below is perfect, he says. And while I've never had the OG, I have to agree. It is absolutely perfect.

print recipe Vegan Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa w/ Chewy Chips | Malo Copycat!

Vegan Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa
Ingredients

4 fresh habanero peppers, cut in half, stemmed and seeded
8 dry arbol chiles
1 12 oz container vegan sour cream
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar
salt

Instructions

1. Turn on your broiler. Place the habaneros open side down onto a cast iron skillet, and carefully broil them until they're black, around 5-10 minutes depending on your oven.

2. When the habaneros are done, remove the skillet from the broiler, and turn the oven to 400°F. Carefully transfer the habaneros to a bowl to cool and place the arbol chiles in the skillet. When the oven has reached 400°F add the arbol chiles to toast for 3-5 minutes, checking on them after every minute. They will inflate and start to brown quickly. This is when you want to pull them out and let them cool.

3. Once the arbol chiles are cool to the touch, pop off the tops and discard the seeds (they should fall right out). Place the peppers in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind them into a powder.

4. To your blender add 2 tablespoons of the arbol chile powder, the burnt habaneros, vegan sour cream, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, and agave nectar. Blend the mixture until it's smooth, and season with salt to taste. Place your Vegan Burnt Habanero Cream Salsa in the fridge to cool and thicken.

5. Serve cold with chewy chips, regular chips, tacos, french fries, pizza, whatever you want. Just make sure that you have a cooling beverage nearby!

Chewy Chips
Ingredients

12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl toss the tortillas with the vegetable oil and salt. Spread the tortillas out on the baking sheets in single layers.

3. Bake the tortillas for 5 minutes. Carefully rotate the pans, and bake for another 4-5 minutes. The chips will be bendy and soft, but they will firm up to a decent chewy texture as they cool. Serve immediately.

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Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate Chip Waffles - Happy Christmas in July!

2017-07-25T17:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Christmas in July, friends! It certainly has felt like Christmas in July for us. We just got back from a week long vacation in California which included trips to Disneyland and a mountain top resort. Pure magic all around! We also spent a ton of time in LA which is just one of my all time favorite cities. We tried Impossible Burgers at Crossroads, ate produce from the Hollywood Farmer's Market, tried Veggie Grill for the first time, and enjoyed beautiful wine and cats on the Central Coast. Southern California is so invigorating and renewing. Whenever we visit we come home super inspired in food, lifestyle, and health.

Speaking of health, let's talk about this ludicrously unhealthy recipe, Christmas in July, and upcoming seasons.

I adore Christmas in July even if it isn't much of a thing in the states. Last year we went all out by getting into our Christmas decorations, making Christmas cookies, and having friends over to watch Elf and drink Gingerbread White Wine Cocktails. Like, I will never be able to just kind of do something, you know? I'm a go big or go home kind of girl.

We didn't do anything for Christmas in July this year, but I couldn't just let it pass us by. That's where this insane recipe comes in. Let me tell you about these peppermint hot chocolate inspired waffles.

Who was the famous chef that recently said something about how Americans don't eat breakfast, they eat dessert in the morning? This is dessert in the morning 100%. I wanted to make something decadent, over the top, and super reminiscent of Christmas morning. To me, peppermint hot chocolate is one of the most Christmassy flavors in existence.

These Peppermint Hot Chocolate Chip Waffles will transport you to cold mornings, marshmallow covered everything and sweet sticky candy canes. And should you make them around actual Christmas, you'll find that they fit right into those lazy winter mornings that are meant for comfort and happiness.

Listening to Christmas music and writing this post has been a wonderful reminder of the seasons to come. Long time readers know that I've been ready for fall since May, and now those autumn months are just around the corner. Teachers are preparing for back-to-school and craft stores are stocking up on next season's decor. Fall and winter will be here before we know it.

I'm going to enjoy this little bit of Christmas in July, savor the last bits of summer, and get excited about fall here on the blog. I've already started planning fall recipe tests, and let me tell you, it's going to be a delicious season over here on House Vegan. Don't worry though, we still have a few weeks of summer left over here!

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Peppermint Hot Chocolate Chip Waffles
Adapted from Chocolate Beer Waffles in Vegan Brunch
Ingredients
Waffles

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unflavored sparkling water
1/4 cup melted vegan butter or margarine
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (or chunks)

Vanilla Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon nondairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Optional Toppings

vegan marshmallows (I use Dandies)
crushed candy canes (or red and white peppermints)
extra vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together the soy milk and vinegar. Set this aside for later.

2. In a large bowl stir together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

3. To the vinegar and milk mixture whisk in the sugar, unflavored sparkling water, melted vegan butter or margarine, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract.

4. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, and preheat your waffle iron.

5. While your waffle iron preheats make your glazes. For the vanilla glaze, whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl. For the chocolate glaze place the nondairy milk and chocolate chips in a small pot over medium heat. Stir continuously until the chocolate is melted. Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in the peppermint extract.

6. Cook the waffles in your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's directions. Serve the waffles warm, drizzled with the glazes, and (if desired) topped with marshmallows, crushed candy canes (or mints), and chocolate chips.

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Quinoa Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers w/ a Creamy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

2017-07-19T09:44:00.002-07:00

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RediscoverLaMorena #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias

Hello, friends! Can you believe how quickly this summer has gone by? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was making summer pumpkin desserts in a desperate attempt to channel a little fall into the overbearing Texas heat. That was almost two months ago! This summer has been hectic, but as always, it's been fun, and the food has been great.

Before delving in, I want to talk about this post. As noted above, this post is sponsored by LA MORENA®. It's a little new for House Vegan, but I'm so happy to be partnering with this brand that opened my eyes in ways I did not imagine. I invite you to read along because this post got unexpectedly personal for me. I'm so happy to share my food journey with you in partnership with these great products. So please, pour some coffee, settle in, enter this exciting sweepstakes if you'd like, and let me take you on a journey.

As you guys know, my husband and I bought a house earlier this year, and something about home-ownership has brought out the full Texan in us. Through house guests, a party or two, and home emergencies like a failing AC in the middle of summer (and the removal of 8 wasps nests), we've each tackled the task like true Austinites - with a slightly salty attitude, a major sense of humor, and a Lone Star to wash it all down. It's been a good summer, and I feel like I've connected with my roots in a new way, while my non-native husband happily planted his own.

Through out all of these very adult adventures, the importance of food has been ever-present. It's interesting though. Right now we're on vacation in California, and the differences between the CA Tesons and the TX Tesons are stark, but so are the similarities.

When we lived in CA we entertained a lot, and our day-to-day lifestyle was almost curated. That sounds weird, right? But when you're in your 20s and trying new things to discover what kind of grown-up you want to be, I think it's normal. In CA we got into wine and we learned about the importance of a well-rounded menu when serving guests. We learned about enjoying and caring for our living space whether we rented or owned. We embraced pretentiousness, and in doing so we elevated our experiences in food and in life. California is an amazing place for this because, frankly, it's beautiful here.

Top: CA Tesons in 2006 Bottom: TX Tesons visiting CA in 2015

When we moved to Texas we were adamant about holding on to these things, but what actually happened is kind of funny: just like in California where we adopted the pretentious lifestyle of Californians, in Texas we adopted the ostentatious lifestyle of Texans, which is very different than that of our friends on the west coast. For my husband, the change is an adventure, but for me, the change is all about acceptance - accepting who I am, where I came from, and the things I ran away from when I traded big open skies for sprawling land and magic.

We'll always have a home in California. It shaped both of us, and we'll never not call it one of our homes. It's a place to recharge, reinvigorate our souls, and remember the choices we made that make us who we are today. We love it so much, and while it holds so much of our hearts, the truth is we have planted ourselves in Texas, and you know what? We love it.

California taught us that we can be or do anything we want to, even if we just fake it till we make it. Texas is teaching us how to roll with things, accept what we cannot change, and love things for what they are and not what they could be. That sounds poetic but I'm mostly talking about food right now.

In California, we were all about that fancy Farmer's Market and Whole Foods life, but when we moved to Texas we were very "when in Rome" about it. We re-embraced Tex-Mex, honestly-made authentic comfort foods, and good old fashioned grocery stores. I missed being able to go into an HEB or Fiesta, and just grab what I needed. There were products that I always had in my cupboard growing up that I hadn't used in years.

I was reminded of how lucky I am to have discerning tastes with a Frito-pie palate. But mostly I was reminded of how blessed we are to have options on what kind of foodies we want to be.

As I mentioned, this is a sponsored post, and I'm so happy to be partnering with LA MORENA® to bring you this recipe and story. It came at an ideal time when the things that made me who I am in food are merging. I have learned to fully love who I am as a Texan food-lover while appreciating everything California has done for me. LA MORENA® is a brand I grew up on, and it's a brand that I rediscovered when I moved home.

This recipe was an idea I had in the pipe lines, and I knew it would be a perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with LA MORENA®.

The peppers are hollowed out and filled with a mixture of Mexican-inspired quinoa ground, black beans, tomatoes, and tortillas that I coated with a spicy Creamy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce. This sauce is key, y'all. It's so flavorful, and when the stuffed peppers cook, the sauce browns and crisps almost like cheese while keeping the insides so, so creamy. These enchiladas may be unconventional and a little fancified in execution, but they still carry the taste, mouthfeel, and comfort of their more traditional inspiration.

Hey, kind of like my taste in food. A little fancier on the outside, but pure comfort at the core.

Thank you California for teaching me how to love the finer things, thank you Texas for reminding me to feed my soul, and thank you LA MORENA® for helping me make the connection.

If you'd like to actually follow my current California adventures, follow me on Instagram! Keep an eye out because LA MORENA® is taking me somewhere adorable when I return home. And be sure to check out VivaLaMorena.com/SummerRecipes for more inspiration!

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Quinoa Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers w/ a Creamy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients

Quinoa Ground

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium sized onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup uncooked red quinoa
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
pinch salt

Enchilada Sauce

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups water
2 tablespoons LA MORENA® Chipotle Peppers in Adobo (7oz), chopped

Filling

1 14 oz can whole black beans, drained
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
4 medium-sized corn tortillas, small diced

Garnish

2 LA MORENA® Whole Jalapeños (from their 7oz & 28oz cans), chopped
1 avocado, diced

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them until they begin to brown. Stir in the garlic, and add the uncooked quinoa and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the mixture to simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.

2. While the quinoa cooks preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a blender combine all of the sauce ingredients, and blend until it's smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan over medium heat, and whisk the sauce continuously until it thickens considerably, but is still pourable. Remove the pan from the heat, and taste the sauce for salt. Set it aside for later.

3. Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Add the quinoa ground, and 2/3 of the sauce, and stir everything to combine. Taste the mixture for salt and set aside.

4. Take your bell peppers, and cut off the tops. Pull out the seeds to make a hollow vessel. Stuff the peppers with the filling mixture (you'll have leftovers), and place them in an oven-safe dish. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the peppers, and bake them uncovered for 30 minutes.

5. Serve immediately garnished with the pickled jalapeños and avocado.

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{Round-Up} 10 Vegan Summer Coffee Recipes

2017-06-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share this summer coffee round-up featuring gorgeous vegan coffee recipes! If you love flavorful iced coffee, dairy-free cold brew, or vegan frappuccinos then this round-up is for you.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Girl, you've been gone for weeks and you return with a round-up??". Listen guys, we need to talk.

While House Vegan is my number one passion, I decided to pick up a couple of side hustles. Both have had their own time-intensive learning periods, and I've dedicated the majority of June so far to these little money-making endeavors. It hasn't been for naught though! While they haven't made us millionaires, I have seen some ROI which is so nice. Sometimes you just need a small professional win, you know?

Because I've been hustling, I've been extra dedicated to my coffee this summer. While I'm usually all about hot black coffee, warm weather does something to my tastes and I can't get enough of summer coffee drinks. I adore iced coffee, coconutty coffee, cold brew... you name the summer brew and I probably want it. Check out the gorgeous vegan summer coffee recipes that I'm completely drooling over right now:

Cold Brew Coffee Milk from Fried Dandelions

Cold Brew Cooler from Vegan Dollhouse

Orange French Press Coffee Milkshake from Glue and Glitter

Homemade Iced Caramel Macchiato from Veggie Inspired

Gluten-Free Cookies & Cream Frappuccino from Strength and Sunshine

Middle Eastern Iced Coffee with Homemade Cardamom Vanilla Syrup and Rosewater from Healthy Slow Cooking

Skinny Coffee Smoothie from The Petite Cook

Boozy Frozen Mocha Popsicles from My Darling Vegan

And because you can take your girl out of fall, but you can't take fall out of your girl:

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino from Vegan Richa

Pumpkin Spice Thai Iced Coffee {Dairy & Refined Sugar-Free} from Unconventional Baker

I hope you guys are having a great summer so far! Whip up one of these amazing looking summer coffee treats to make it even better.

As for my side hustles, I know many other homemakers are interested in ways to make money from home so if I find any worthwhile success in what I'm doing then I'll go into more details on a later date. In the meantime, pass the coffee!

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Vegan Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake

2017-05-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Before telling you about this Vegan Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi friends! A while back on Instagram I asked if anyone would be opposed to fall-ish recipes before we actually get to the season. The response was so positive, and it affirmed just how much I love y'all. Don't worry though, I'm not going full fall before we even get to June. I'm a fan of summer, and August will be here soon enough. What I can say is that I'm already working on fall projects, and my advice is to get excited.

But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that it's hot outside and I'm feeling summer flavors and frozen desserts.

However, I am who I am and I was starting to get sick of not eating pumpkin. Maybe it's the gemini in me, but I truly am able and happy to wear shorts and tanks, and listen to the Beach Boys while burning a fall candle and eating pumpkin. I even wrote my book, Fall FoMo No More, in the summer of 2015 when it was consistently over 100 degrees. It may have felt like the surface of the sun outside, but I was inside drinking rosé, listening to the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, and testing recipes for Gravy-Smothered Stuffed Seitan Sausages and Apple Cider Donuts. Honestly, writing that book in summer was so fun.

Apple Cider Donuts from Fall FoMo No More

So as you can see, creating a fall-inspired summer dessert would not be out of the ordinary for this gal.

The other day I was combing the baking aisle when I spotted this adorable can of pumpkin from Libby's, and I was absolutely smitten. It's 8oz, you guys! Is this new? I swear I've never seen a small can of pumpkin before, but it's such a good idea. It seems like I always have just a small amount of pumpkin puree leftover whenever I open a can (I even created these Savory Whole Grain Pumpkin Crackers with that fact in mind), but this little can provides just the right amount of pumpkin for many recipes - including this one for Vegan Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake.

This vegan icebox cake may have pumpkin in it, but it's definitely a summertime dessert. The pumpkin is present but not over-bearing next to the graham crackers, chocolate chips, and marshmallows. It's just enough to keep your gourd loving heart happy while not ruining your summer buzz.

I enjoy summer, but I'm always open to bringing more pumpkin into my kitchen. Y'all know how I do.

Oh and in case you were wondering:

Mentioned in This Post and Recipe:

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Vegan Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake
Ingredients

2 9oz containers So Delicious CocoWhip! (or 5 1/2 cups homemade vegan whipped cream)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6-8 vegan graham crackers (like Nabisco's Graham Original) (plus more for garnish)
2 cups vegan marshmallows (plus more for garnish)
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more for garnish)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 3.5oz box vegan chocolate pudding mix

Instructions
1. Line a loaf pan with wax paper. It doesn't have to be beautiful, it just needs to do the job of making it easy to remove the cake from the pan after the first freeze.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 1 container of CocoWhip! (or 2 3/4 cup vegan whipped cream) with the pureed pumpkin and cinnamon.

3. Spoon a 1/4 of the pumpkin whipped cream into the lined loaf pan, and spread it out to the edges of the pan to create the first layer.

4. Layer half of the graham crackers over the pumpkin whipped cream. You'll need to break them into halves and quarters to do this, but again, it doesn't need to look pretty. Top the graham crackers with another layer of pumpkin whipped cream by spooning another 1/4 of the cream on top and spreading it to the edges.

5. Top that pumpkin whipped cream layer with the marshmallows and chocolate chips. Cover those with another layer of pumpkin whipped cream by using half of what's left of the batch.

6. Add the last layer of graham crackers, and top that with the last layer of pumpkin whipped cream. Place the cake in the freezer for 1-2 hours - or until it's completely frozen.

7. When the cake is completely frozen remove it from the freezer and turn it upside down onto a large platter. Take a dish towel and soak it under hot water. Ring out the towel, and place it over the loaf pan. Let the cake sit like this until it thaws enough to pop out of the pan. This took about 20-30 minutes for me.

8. While the Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake thaws, make the outer layer of chocolate whipped cream frosting by adding the second container of CocoWhip! (or the remaining vegan whipped cream), powdered sugar, and chocolate pudding mix to the bowl of your stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, start mixing the ingredients on low until the powders are mostly mixed into the whipped cream. Increase the speed and mix until the ingredients are fully combined.

9. When the icebox cake has popped out of the loaf pan remove the wax paper, and frost the cake with the chocolate whipped cream frosting. I loved how fluffy the cream was so I just did a messy and swirly sort of frost job. Once frosted, garnish the cake with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

10. Place the Pumpkin S'mores Icebox Cake in the freezer for an hour. To serve, use a sharp heavy knife to cut slices. Serve cold.

Shared to:
Snickerdoodle Create~Bake~Make Party #183

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Easy DIY No-Sew Reusable Facial Wipes

2017-05-09T12:42:00.002-07:00

Before telling you about these Easy DIY No-Sew Reusable Facial Wipes we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi, friends! I hope you're doing well. I hope your spring has been relaxing, sunny, and full of flowers. Ours has been busy, rainy, and kind of buggy. Experiencing this season for the first time in the condo has brought on a few surprises. For instance, our parking spots happen to be under this big beautiful tree that beautifully sheds...I don't know...pollen? It only takes 2-3 days after washing for my car to look super dirty again. And entering my car is always a little adventure because the spring weather and the big tree has basically turned the inside of it into Jumanji.

It's ok though because by and large it's been a fun spring. We actually had house guests all weekend which was a blast. Firstly, we loved turning our second bedroom into an adorable office/guestroom. Secondly, house guests are fun! We ate pizza, played games, went to the arcade, drank beer, and attended a Three Amigos party at Alamo Drafthouse. We're old so we're exhausted now, but it was all so worth it.

The only thing that hasn't been fun is my skin's new fun personality. Since moving to the condo, my skin has decided that it wants to be normal in some places and really dry in others. It's not fun at any point, but especially not when you have house guests. I'm not one to deny my vanity.

Honestly, I don't blame my skin for being so finicky right now. Texas weather and allergies play a role I'm sure, but I know my daily doings aren't helping. As a housewife, my skin at the end of the day features makeup, a little bit of sweat, probably some cat hair, a light coating of flour and dust, and most likely a little bit of olive oil too. Merely washing my face is just not enough to remove everything. For a while, I was using facial wipes before my face wash, but they always kind of dried out my skin, and I felt bad about throwing them away after every use. So I started making my own, and I haven't looked back. It's great, you guys.

These Easy DIY No-Sew Reusable Facial Wipes take about ten minutes to make and use easy-to-find ingredients.

I used microfiber towels which are inexpensive and don't need to be sewn after cutting. They will shed a bit after the first wash in your washing machine, but after that, you're good to go.
The wash is just three ingredients: oil, aloe vera gel, and baby shampoo. It wasn't easy to find a fancy baby shampoo that was under $1000 dollars so thank goodness for Baby Magic. It's a normal grocery store buy, and it's vegan-friendly.

What's great is that you can customize these facial wipes however you like with different oils and scents. I just used a lightly scented baby shampoo, but you can use essential oils if you know what you're doing. Because I have cats I'm weird about essential oils, but if you're not, have at it.

These wipes are really effective in removing daily build-up, and they're reusable so they're also cheap and waste-reducing. I just let each cloth dry after I use it, and then I toss it in the dirty clothes. Once washed, I store them all in a little makeup bag (which may or may not be Disney princess themed) until I need to make another batch.

Taking that small amount of time to remove the daily sediment off of your face before washing is a really quick step that can make a big difference in your skin-care routine. It ensures a truly clean face and allows your facewash the opportunity to do its good.

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Easy DIY No-Sew Reusable Facial Wipes

Ingredients

2 12x12 inch microfiber towels
1 24oz mason jar
1 cup baby shampoo
3/4 cup almond oil
1/4 cup aloe vera gel

Instructions

1. Take the first microfiber towel and cut it in half. Cut those halves in half for 4 equal squares. Cut each square in half for 8 thick strips. Repeat this process with the second microfiber towel.

2. Pour the baby shampoo, oil, and aloe vera gel into the mason jar. Screw the lid on top, and shake the jar to mix things up.

3. Open the jar, and stuff the cut clothes into the jar with the solution. If the solution doesn't completely cover the cloth strips, add enough water to cover them. Then screw the lid onto the jar and give it a shake to mix up the liquids.

To Use: Remove a cloth from the jar and squeeze out the excess moisture. Wipe your face thoroughly with the cloth before washing your face. Let the cloth air dry before tossing it into the dirty clothes!

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Vegan Hello Dollies

2017-04-25T09:29:00.003-07:00

Before telling you about these Vegan Hello Dollies we gotta go to that good ol' disclaimer: Housevegan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hi, friends! I'm so excited to share this recipe today because it's something that I've been wanting to do for years. Y'all know I love sharing recipes inspired by my favorite movies and TV shows. Treats like my Super Orange Pumpkin Juice, Vegan Apple Turnovers, and Delicious Vegan Mulligatawny are great examples of this. This recipe was inspired by one of my very favorite movies from the 90's, Dick.

It's such a random movie, but it was actually pretty influential to me. When I saw it, I was a young teenager who was getting very into vintage teenage culture, and this movie spoke to me. While I was mostly focussed on 50s teenage culture, I grew up with a lot of 70s influences in my life. Thanks to my parents, Nick and Nite, and 1990's VH1 I already knew the music, the celebrities, the styles, the references, etc., and Dick just tied a lot of my interests together in a unique way.

Also, it's genuinely hilarious.

I loved this movie so much that I actually became a little obsessed with the Watergate scandal. My grandfather had all of these books on the subject, and as a 14-year-old weirdo, I would sit in my room and just consume these dense books written by old men discussing their perspective on the thing. Seeing my interest in the subject, my grandparents invited my mom and me to join them on their annual trip to Virginia to visit my grandma's sister. My great-aunt lives just a quick train ride away from Washington DC, and they wanted to show me the setting of my new weird hobby.

Among other touristy things, we obviously took a tour of The White House and visited the Watergate building. It's just a plain building you guys, but I was so stoked.

So in the movie, the main characters (two teenage girls) often make these cookies called Hello Dollies. They always sounded so delicious, and it was only a matter of time before I made them. And by "matter of time" I mean decades because that's how long I've been eying these cookies. Well, they call them cookies in the movie, but they're more like bars, let's be real.

I don't know the full history of the recipe, but I did recently read that recipes for Hello Dollies started popping up in newspaper columns in the 1960s. It makes sense - this recipe screams mid-century to me. It's very easy and consists of throwing store-bought ingredients together in a pan before baking. The recipe calls for graham cracker crumbs, butter, chocolate and butterscotch chips, coconut, walnuts, and sweetened condensed milk. All ingredients that are now available without milk or eggs. Pretty groovy, huh?

So I finally made my vegan Hello Dollies, and what did I think? Um....amazing. You guys, these bars (cookies?) are incredibly rich and gooey and chocolatey and would convince any skeptical non-vegan that vegan desserts don't taste like carob and tofu. Even though the recipe is easy peasy, and inherently not fancy, I would absolutely serve these to guests after any kind of dinner. They are decadent in every sense of the word and are absolutely made to impress.

I'm not sure why Hello Dollies haven't remained in popularity, but I think we need to bring them back. Make these once and you'll be hooked, I swear. I'm so glad to have this recipe at my disposal now. I get the feeling that it's going to be my go-to for parties, potlucks, etc.

The fact that I got them from a very goofy movie from the 90s can stay a secret among us friends.

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Vegan Hello Dollies
Makes 2
Adapted from Homesick Texan
Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups vegan graham crackers crumbs* (Nabisco's graham crackers are vegan)
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup vegan butterscotch chips (or another cup of chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup shredded coconut
11.6 ounces vegan sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the graham cracker crumbs and melted vegan butter into an 8X8 inch pan (I actually used a pie plate which I don't recommend). Use a small spatula to mix the ingredients, and carefully use your fingers (make sure the butter isn't hot) to push the mixture down into the pan to form a crust.

2. Time to layer the cookies. First pour the chocolate and butterscotch chips onto the crust, spreading the morsels out to make an even layer. Do the same thing with the walnuts and then the coconut.

3. Pour the vegan sweetened condensed milk all over the layered ingredients. It'll find its way through the layers, don't worry.

4. Place the pan in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes. The milk and coconut should be golden. Allow the Hello Dollies to sit in the pan at room temperature for at least an hour before cutting into them. Store your vegan Hello Dollies in an airtight container at room temperature.

*I made my own by pulsing Nabisco's graham crackers in a food processor until they were pulverized into crumbs.

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