June » 2011 » VeggieGirl

Recipe Testing

June is proving to be a busy month for me, so my cookbook project is on hold at the moment. I’ve been running things with Montclair Vegans, starting up my Arbonne business and testing recipes for Allyson Kramer! Allyson is the woman behind Manifest Vegan, which is one of my favorite blogs, so I’m honored to be testing recipes for her upcoming cookbook. Here are a few sneak-peak photos of the recipes I’ve tried so far. This is going to be a great book!

Stroganoff

Simple Rustic Pasta

Late Summer Salad

Asparagus and Mushroom Tacos with Cilantro Mayonnasia

Other events on the calendar for June are my birthday (tomorrow!), Cupcakefest and a trip to Farm Sanctuary! Check back soon for more updates.

Arbonne

I realize I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog front lately, but I’ve been working on some great new things. The good news is that I’m now an Arbonne consultant! Did you know that Arbonne‘s products are vegan-certified, cruelty-free and gluten-free? They are also free of nasty things like petrochemicals, formaldehyde, benzene and phthalates. Did you know that most beauty and skin care products contain petroleum? Yep! It’s nasty stuff. Skin is the largest organ, and it absorbs everything you put on it. Do you really want benzene and petroleum being absorbed into your body? Ick – no!

Arbonne also has an extensive line of supplements and health care products. I’ve been using their vegan protein powder for the past few months and I love it!

Arbonne‘s product philosophy is in keeping with my values as a Health Counselor, and is a great complement to my business. In addition to supplements and skin care, Arbonne‘s products include aromatherapy, cosmetics, baby care and there’s even a men’s skin-care line. There’s something for everyone! If you’re interested in learning more and purchasing Arbonne products from me, just click this link: http://www.diannewenz.arbonne.com/ If you live in Northern NJ and would like to host an Arbonne party, contact me today. I’m now booking parties for July and August. If you book a party by the end of June, you will receive two free gifts from me as well as lots of hostess gifts from Arbonne!

Cookbook Project Week 22: The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet

It’s was another super busy week for me, as is evident by this post being a few days late! I needed another cookbook of quick and easy recipes like last week’s Vegan Express, so I reached for another one of Nava Atlas’s books – The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet. This book came out in 2001, the year I went vegan, and it was one of my first cookbooks. I haven’t cooked from it in quite a while since it’s not vegan, and because I have so many other cookbooks now. It’s a really good book for beginner cooks and people who don’t have very much time to spend in the kitchen but want a good home cooked meal. I will admit that I added a couple extra ingredients to each recipe, so the meals weren’t quite 5-Ingredient Gourmet, but the nice thing about this book is that the recipes can be used as a starting point for bigger dishes. The recipes are all easily veganized too.

I started out with Pasta with Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I added cannellini beans and used Daiya cheese. This is a nice simple meal for a warm summer evening.

I made a big pot of brown rice and made Black-Eyed Peas with Greens. It is a nice and simple dish that’s packed with nutrients.

The Stir-Fried Tofu and Bok Choy was super yummy. I used pre-made peanut stir-fry sauce and added onions and served the dish over brown rice.

Montclair Vegans Bake Sale Tally

I want to send a big thank you out to everyone who helped out with yesterday’s bake sale. We raised $715.27! A small portion of the money will pay for Gene Baur’s visit to Montclair, and the rest will go directly to Farm Sanctuary.

I met quite a few wonderful vegans, aspiring vegans and vegetarians yesterday. It was so nice to see so many people get excited over vegan cupcakes! I think we also got quite a few people interested in veganism when they saw how amazing vegan treats can be! I’m a firm believer in activism through baked goods.

I realized yesterday that I need to make up Montclair Vegans cards to hand out to people at these events so they will know how to find us and join in on the fun. I handed out quite a lot of my own VeggieGirl business cards instead. So if you’re reading this post because I met you yesterday and gave you my card, please follow this link to join the group: http://www.meetup.com/veganmontclair/ You don’t have to live in Montclair or be fully vegan to join.