Vegan Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

After making my pumpkin & banana walnut muffins, Charlie started craving some of his own vegan treats. I found this amazing recipe online for vegan pumpkin and peanut butter dog biscuits.

Here is a list of ingredients that she used:

-2 cups whole wheat flour
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1 cup peanut butter (creamy, dogs might choke on crunchy) 
-1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh — not pumpkin pie mix)
-1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond) 

There are a few things to note. It’s better to use unsalted and organic peanut butter. Peanut butter is good for your dog’s coat. Check this article out. 

Also, dogs can’t have regular milk and they also can’t have too much sugar. Use plain soy milk or almond milk. 

One of the best parts about this treat is that pumpkin puree is really good for dogs. 

“Pumpkin is a superfood for dogs. It provides vitamins, trace minerals and fiber, and can help control digestive problems. Most dogs like it, and some have been known to attack a jack-o-lantern to get it.” –The Daily Puppy

First preheat the oven to 350 F and place  a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder and then combine the  peanut butter, pumpkin, and non-dairy milk. Add the flour mixture, and mix well.

Knead the dough two to three times on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out about 1/4 inch in thickness and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. In the spirit of Halloween (it’s never too early to celebrate Halloween) I used a bat.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until lightly browned.

Charlie is really excited for his treats to finish baking.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Halloween bats!

Store in an airtight container.

And once the biscuits are cooled off reward your special friend!

Charlie loved these! 

***Note: I made a few minor changes to the recipe. 

Celebrating the start of fall with pumpkin & banana walnut muffins

Fall is officially here! I haven’t been this excited for fall in years. I think it’s because for once I’m getting tired of the Las Vegas heat and I’m ready to cuddle with my love next to our beautiful fireplace. 

Anyways, nothing says autumn like the smell of warm pumpkin & banana walnut muffins. After searching through recipes I’ve decided to be creative and make my own. These muffins are super easy to make and are of course, vegan! My boyfriend really enjoyed them too, so that’s always a good sign. 

Here are the ingredients that I used:

-1 1/2 whole wheat flour

-1/2 brown sugar

-1/4 white sugar

-1 can of pumpkin puree

-2 ripe bananas (not photographed)

-1/3 vegetable oil

-1 cup of walnuts

-a pinch of salt

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

-1 teaspoon pure vanille extract

-1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

-1 teaspoon ground allspice

-1/3 cup of water

-a splash soy/almond/coconut or any other vegan milk  (I used soy milk)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, simply mixed the flour, sugars, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, salt baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Add one cup of pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, mashed bananas, milk, water and walnuts . Make sure that the bananas are smashed before stirring all of the ingredients together. Once the mixture is smooth, scoop the batter into 12-16 muffin cups.

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Happy autumnal equinox everyone! ❤

Quinoa: The ancient, traditional grain

Up until recently, quinoa (pronounced “Qin-wah”) was not well-known in North America. Now, many North Americans are adding it to their diets because of its nutritional texture, which is rich in protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa is grown in many parts of Latin America, such as Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. It is cooked similarly to rice.

For tonight’s main course, I’ve decided to make a quick and simple Latin-infused quinoa salad. 

First, mix one cup of quinoa with two cups of water in a pot (make sure the quinoa is rinsed).

Boil the quinoa for 15 to 20 minutes on medium low. 

Once the quinoa is a clear, translucent color and the texture is fluffy let it cool for 5 minutes. You can add fluffiness to the quinoa by stirring it with a fork. 

Cut up some vegetables for the salad. I added bell peppers, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and  green chilies. 

Heat up a can of black beans on medium low.

Squeeze some fresh lime onto the quinoa and add some hot sauce (I used Trader Joe’s version of Sriracha sauce). 

Mix all of the ingredients together and voilà a delicious and yummy fiesta in a bowl. 

 

Vegan Latina! Si se puede!

I love my Mexican culture. There are a lot of beautiful traditions and delicious foods that I grew up with. For example, I enjoy drinking a cup of Abuelita’s hot chocolate on rainy days, munching on pan de muertos on Dia de Los Muertos and eating enchiladas.

I think that’s the hardest part about being vegan– my culture. I don’t want to abandon it completely, but at the same time there are adjustments that need to be made. I’m slowly learning to alter recipes to be animal-cruelty free.

Tonight I made a tasty dinner of vegan enchiladas that had that same spicy flavor and hearty ingredients as my mom’s enchiladas. Check it out:

I just brought a hot red pepper plant from Trader Joe’s. It’s such a wonderful plant to have around the house, especially if you love spicy food.

I started by roasting peppers on the stove.

Then, I began chopping up some veggies for the enchilada’s stuffing. I used bell peppers, asparagus, onions and mushrooms.

After that, I sautéed some kale and added the rest of the vegetables to the pan. To give it more flavor I added a little bit of garlic, a pinch of salt and some pepper.

Black beans were optional.

Lastly, I put the roasted peppers into a blender (I used 6 peppers, but it depends on how spicy you want it) and mixed it in with tomato sauce. Then, I transferred it into a pot and heated it up.

I added some avocado and voila! A delicious and guilt-free dinner. ❤

Bold Native: My fight, my freedom

Lately this question keeps floating through my mind: Why do good people eat meat?

Answer: It tastes good.

That’s usually the answer isn’t it? Understandably so. After I abandoned my blog for a year I became pescatarian, partially because I worked at a seafood restaurant and because I missed the taste of sushi. I still loved animals and I still considered myself an animal advocate, but deep inside I knew I was a hypocrite.

I recently re-watched the movie “Bold Native” and this quote caught my eye in particular:

“They say freedom isn’t free. Absolutely goddamn right. We spend our lives saying no. Not me, not my fight, not my problem, not tonight. What’s the difference between you and me? A few years ago I became someone who said yes. Me, my fight, my problem, tonight.”

-Charlie Cranehill, from the film Bold Native

I chose this fight 10 years ago when I stopped eating meat and became the first one of my Latino family to go vegetarian.

I know about the abuse that animals go through at slaughterhouses, the emotional pain that a mother cow feels when her calf is taken away from her and the short life that male baby chicks endure before becoming devoured in a grinder. I can’t ignore facts, just like I can’t ignore reality. This is my fight. It’s been my fight since Lisa Simpson made that simple connection that meat comes from the same animals that I (too) loved petting at the fairs.

So here I go again making my second attempt towards veganism. Wish me luck!

P.S. For those interested in watching “Bold Native” you can watch the movie free at boldnative.com.

Domestic Animals Find Hope at Harvest Homes Animal Sanctuary.

Harvest Homes Animal Sanctuary is a sanctuary which focuses on providing shelter for abused, mistreated or unwanted farm animals. It is located in Stockton, California where the animals are free to roam around in a safe environment. Among the animals that are there are pigs, goats, chickens, roosters, turkeys, rabbits and dogs. The sanctuary makes it a point to focus especially on rabbits and chickens which are often overlooked in society.

Vegan Kung POW Chicken.

Check out my video on how to make a quick and delicious meal, animal-cruelty free!

How to be vegan on a budget.

Being vegan is not as hard as some people may think. Yes, being a college student while following a vegan diet CAN get tough every now and then, but I’ve learned some simple ways that one can do to save money while staying healthy. Here are a few tips:

–Cook beans and rice in large quantities. This is helpful because they can easily be heated and you can mix them with different things. For example, you can make a stir-fry by adding a variety of vegetables or you can make a wrap by adding hummus, lettuce and tomato in a tortilla.
-Remember, nuts go a long way. When I was in high school my friends used to make fun of me because I would always have nuts or granola for a snack. They would tease me and ask me how my “bird food” was. When I’m running late to class (which is most of the time with my terrible sleep schedule) I just grab a bag of roughly 8 almonds and I’m good to go. I feel full right away and get the energy that I need to start my day.
–Save your leftovers! Leftovers can go a long way. Just like with cooking in large quantities, you can always add different ingredients to your leftovers and make a brand new meal out of it.
–Keep frozen vegetables and fruits in the fridge. Sometimes I need a quick pick-me-up and I make a smoothie out of veggies and fruits. Frozen fruits and veggies are just as nutritional as fresh ones (although keep in mind that fresh is ALWAYS better).
–Buy day-old-bread from a nearby bakery. Stocking up on bread will save you money and you can always put it in the freezer so it won’t grow old.
-Find ethnic grocery stores. For example, Asian and Indian markets carry soymilk, tempeh and tahini. Normally these items are expensive in regular grocery stores; ethnic stores usually carry these items for much cheaper.
–Create your own garden. I have yet to start my own garden, although I plan to. If you don’t have the time to start your own garden you can always look up community gardens in your area. Here’s a map of community gardens in San Francisco.

The Last Heart Attack-CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports.

This is a great video by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta that details how the vegan lifestyle can prevent heart attacks and reverse heart disease. It’s a roughly 40-minute documentary and includes many interviews with former President Bill Clinton.

Vegan nutrition 101.

Today I had an appointment with SFSU’s nutritionist Teresa Leu, R.D. Leu assured me that there are many health benefits to being vegan, which includes physical benefits and disease prevention. I asked her about the vegan diet and she gave me a list of important nutrients for vegans. The list is as follows:

• Protein: Plant protein is just as nutritional as meat-based protein. The key to having a well-balanced diet is to have a variety of sources.  A combination of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds are great ways to get protein. According to Leu, one should eat about 1 1/2 cups of legumes daily, and the servings should be spread out throughout the day (for example, half a cup for lunch and one cup for dinner).
• Calcium: Calcium is important because it helps the body build and maintain strong bones and teeth. Dark green vegetables, such as kale (which I am a BIG fan of), spinach, turnip, collard greens and broccoli are all good sources of calcium. It is important to check how much calcium is in food so that one gets the right amount of calcium needs. For example, collard greens (1/2 cup cooked) have 15% of calcium, broccoli (1/2 cup cooked) has 5% of calcium, beans (1/2 cooked) have 5% of calcium, almonds (1/4 cup) have 10% of calcium and 1 medium orange has 5% of calcium. So how much calcium does one need? Men and women between 17-18 years need 130%. Men and women between 19-50 years need 100%. Men over 50 years need 100% and women over 50 years need 120%. Pregnant or lactating women need 100%. Basically in order to get the right amount of calcium one just needs to add up the percentages and make sure that it fits in with the calcium needs of your age group. Look out for calcium enriched tofu and fortified soy milk and fruit juices.
• Vitamin B-12: Vitamin B-12 is used to produce red blood cells and to prevent anemia, which is caused from the lack of healthy red blood cells. However, this vitamin is found exclusively in animal products which includes milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a B-12 supplement. According to Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D., you should take a daily vitamin B12 supplement of 5-10 micrograms or a weekly vitamin B12 supplement of 2000 micrograms.
• Iron: Iron is important because it is a main part of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Good sources of iron include: dried beans, peas, lentils, enriched cereals, dark leafy greens, dried fruit and whole-grain products. Something interesting that I learned from Leu is that in order to help your body absorb iron, it is crucial for one to eat foods rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, citrus fruits, cabbage, broccoli and tomatoes.
• Zinc: Zinc plays an important role in cell division and in the formation of proteins.According to The Vegan R.D.’s blog, the recommended daily intakes of zinc would be 16.5 milligrams for men and 12 mg for women.  Whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat gem are good sources of zinc.
• Omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids are important in preventing heart diseases. While fish oil supplements are often promoted, Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in canola oil, soy, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hempseeds and flaxseeds. I am currently taking a daily flaxseed oil supplement however, Leu advised me to switch to algal oil supplements. Algal oil is made from ocean algae, and it is the one plant source of omega-3 fatty acids that contains pre-formed DHA. Here is some interesting research on it.

Leu also advised me to take multivitamins. While I want to stress how important it is to get your daily nutritional intake from whole foods rather than vitamins, it’s understandable and even essential for one to take vitamins while they are still learning how to balance a good diet. Here, Jack Norris, R.D. writes about how he balances a good diet while making sure that he gets all the nutrition that he needs.

Make sure to follow the vegan food pyramid!

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