Wild Tree Tasting

Today I hosted my first wild tree tasting! It was so much fun! I made a lottt of samples bc I wanted to try some new stuff and I wanted everyone to still try my 'favorites' :)

One of the biggest hits was something I eat all the time. Whole Wheat Pasta (any kind) with Wild Tree Grapeseed Oil and Wild Tree Garlic Herb Blend topped with a little sea salt. SO YUMMY! Grapeseed oil is actually much better for you then Olive Oil and Wild Tree carries many different infused flavors of grapeseed oil...they even have a butter flavored one! Everything is ALL NATURAL. So the butter flavor actually comes from coconuts! *that means vegans can eat it! yay! butterryyyy goodnesss!* Grapeseed oil has less saturated fat then olive oil and more of the GOOD fats. Olive oil has 14% saturated fat and grapeseed oil has 8%. As far as the good fats go- poly unsaturated- olive oil has 9% and grapseed oil has 76%!!!! I was so surprised to learn this!! It can be used for ANY kind of cooking- even FRYING- bc it has one of the highest flash points of all oils. It can be heated up to 419 degrees without burning! They have an unflavored kind that can be used in baking, etc. I love using the Tuscan infused oil on asparagus with the garlic herb blend and roasting it in the oven! Heavenly!!!

I'll post a pic of all the food I made soon! Until then here's some other things I made and the reviews they got :)

Strawberry Cheesecake Dip- I used vegan cream cheese (tofutti better then cream cheese) and the mix. (this stuff is so simple to make- anyone can do it!) Everyone loved this dip with fresh fruit. Comments were "This is vegan cream cheese? I never would have known" followed by "Now that you mention it, I like the taste of this better with the vegan cream cheese" THAT PRETTY MUCH MADE MY NIGHT :) Overall consensus "really good!"

Heavenly Chocolate Mousse- This was non vegan. Heavy Cream+ the mix+ electric beater. Everyone really liked this with strawberries. Almost like a chocolate covered strawberry. I had this one time BEFORE I went vegan. I made it for my fiance during a weekend getaway! Its a romantic dessert and it was sooo yummy. Suggestion: Surprise your significant other with this dessert! I may have found a way to make vegan whipped cream which would enable me to have this dessert again! Stay tuned :)

Pound Cake- Non Vegan, Did not try. When I cut into it it was superrrr moist and everyone seemed to like it. The rep that was helping me today (bc it was my first party) brought this one but it could possibly be made vegan with substitutions, will have to see if there is egg/milk in the mix itself. She did say she used the grapseed oil butter flavor in place of real butter which I thought was pretty cool- and much healthier :)

Pumpkin Bread- Great fall item! (hey, its headed out way in a couple months!) The rep that signed me up said her kids LOVE this and she cant keep enough of it in the house!

Beer Bread-Vegan. My fiance loved this!! It has a little sweetness to it. The best part is ALL you need is 1 beer and the mix. That's it! Super easy to make and impossible to screw up :) Its also available in whole wheat and flax seed!

Garlic Curry Dip- non vegan. Add mix to plain yogurt and sour cream. You could make this fat free or vegan but I couldn't find vegan sour cream at sendiks so this was regular. My fiance is a hugeee curry fan but he felt like this one wasn't strong enough. I would add more then recommended if you really like curry but for those who find it strong tasting the recommended dose is preferred. Goes great with pretzels!

Garlic Red Pepper Dip- vegan. I used vegan cream cheese but you could use regular if you prefer non vegan. No one noticed again until I mentioned it. Everyone loveeeed this! HUGE HIT! Great on crackers. My fiance likes the beer bread dipped in it!

Guac- MYYY FAV :) This is what hooked me on wild tree. Add 1 tbs of the mix to a mashed up avocado. DONE! How easyyy is that!??! I use it for sandwiches, on chips, fajitas, anything and everything! A total staple. I'm super picky when it comes to guac and this is hands down awesome! Plus the smallest container makes like 15 dips and is only $7.50!

Asian Ginger Plum Dressing- Used in my newest appetizer (see previous blog). I made a salad using mixed greens, Mandarin organes and pecans and this dressing. HUGEEEE hit! People went back for SECONDS on this- a salad!! Out of all the goodies people wanted more SALAD! This stuff is amazingly good. It can also be used for spring rolls! :)

Oooey gooey brownies- non vegan. Chewy brownies are the best Brownies and I could tell just by cutting these that they were. I'm sure they can be made vegan but the rep that was helping me brought them so I'm pretty sure they were regular.

Pizza Dough- Vegan. I didn't sample this out but I have made the whole wheat pizza dough a few times myself before this. All you add is WATER! Then whatever pizza toppings you want. They have regular and whole wheat.

Tuscany Bread Dipper- vegan. This is a dry mix that you can add to oil for dipping (we did! huge hit!) or on top of pastas, veggies, etc. very versatile.

Pesto Basil Blend- vegan. Another dry mix- can be used on pretty much anything but I added it to the roasted garlic grapeseed oil for dipping bread.

SO YEAH- WE SAMPLED A LOTTT :) Anyone else try wild tree? have any favs or have tried any of the ones I sampled today??

bite sized

Just a quick post today...



created this cute appetizer for a cocktail party.

Its a bite sized oriental salad and its super easy to make and amazingly yummy. A tooth pick or fun party pick holds it together. The base is a peice of a vegan chicken patty. Just buy your regular round pattys and cut out a square or triangle. On top of that is arugula and on top of that is a mandarine orange slice. The sauce could be spooned on top but on my plate its swirled on the side of guests to run their appetizer through it- making it a bit more fun. The dressing I use is Wild Tree's Asian Ginger Plum. Its awesome with this appetizer.

I am now selling wild tree and have been playing around with the products a lot. Many of them are vegan or can be made vegan. For example, if the dip mix is vegan it may say 'add to 8 ounces cream cheese' making it NOT vegan but by switching regular cream cheese for a vegan cream cheese (like tofutti's better then cream cheese) you can make it vegan again :)

Heres more info on the wild tree food: www.wildtree.com

I dont have a website up yet but will soon! Until then im just taking orders via phone/email :)

Grilled Cheese WHO?

So in the summer I craveee a good grilled cheese sandwich. This is my grown up version of a grilled cheese and of coarse its VEGAN! :) There are A LOT of flavors goin on but its the perfect summer sandwich. I definitely prefer this fresh flavorful version over the rubbery traditional.



Lay 2 slices of whole wheat bread (or egg-less, milk-less bread of choice) out on a plate. Spread non-dairy cream cheese on both sides. I use 'better then cream cheese' by tofutti in the 'chive and herb' flavor. Place 3 or more slices of tomato (organic if possible, tomatoes are sprayed heavily) on one of the pieces of bread. Place a couple slices of red onion over the tomato. Place swiss chard (or other dark leafy green) leaves over that. On the other piece of bread (that just has the 'cream cheese') sprinkle cut up chives and a garlic herb blend (I use wild tree 'garlic herb blend') Smoosh sandwich together and lightly butter the outside with Earth Balance butter.) Over medium heat cook your sandwich like you would a grilled cheese.

Sooooo good! And a great way to sneak your greens in!:) Swiss chard tends to be a bit bitter but this sandwich covers it nicely. The greens get wilty and are so yummy in this. Its also a pretty quick assembly and only takes a few minutes on the stove.

Cafe Manna!

Went to cafe manna today and brought some of my family with me. I was excited that they wanted to try this place b/c it is sooo great! We sat outside which I recommend if its nice out! They have relaxing music playing and its just so nice. I ordered their limeade which has kale, swiss chard, lime juice, agave nectar and other yummy stuff. Its full of vitamins and minerals and is so yummy. We ordered the grilled artichoke as an appetizer bc I have never had one! The dip was so amazing- It was a mix of veganaise, lime, orange juice, and seasonings. so good!! For my entree I ordered what I order every time I go there- The manna burger! It is made with lentils and had nutmeg and other sweet spices in it for a really unique taste. I need to try something else next time I go there but the burger is sooooo good! I think now that I have had it 3 times Im ready to branch out though :) I can also recommend the savory sandwich b/c my fiance got it once and I tried some. Today I skipped dessert (in part from being full and in part from enjoying cupcakes from comet lately!) but the last time I was there I had the vegan double chocolate brownie- pictured below.



Its oooey gooey goodness and its made with healthy stuff like fruit puree and applesauce! Who would have thought?!

I love going to manna whenever I can and if you are looking to try some vegetarian food THIS is the place to go. As my grandma said it was a "great introduction". The staff is super friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is perfect, and did I mention the incredibly delicious food!?!?

A yummy life!

One common misconception is that all I eat is veggies. Or that all a vegan eats in general are veggies.

While I have eaten more veggies post vegan it is def. not all I eat! I dont eat as much desserts as I used to eat b/c they are a harder to get then regular desserts or I have to spend the time to make them. This works out in my waistlines favor but it def. doesnt mean that desserts are off limits!!

Today was especially yummy. My fiance and I hit up a local fav spot: comet cafe. You may have seen it featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". I love this place bc they have lots of vegan options as well as non-vegan so my fiance and I can both find something we like there. In some cases we can actually order the exact same thing- like a Reuben sandwich- and his will be real meat and mine will be fake meat. or soy meat or whatever you wanna call it! Both will taste great and we both get what we want. Its a win/win for both of us!

Their desserts change daily but today they had a menu of like 10 different cupcakes and almost all of them were vegan!! woohoo!! We split (they are BIG cupcakes!) the banana split cupcake. SO YUMMY! The cake was a banana flavor and it had cherries and chocolate chips (vegan of coarse) The frosting (made with earth balance or other soy butter) was vanilla and has multi colored sprinkles and another cherry on top! I had to take a couple to go so pictures here is red velvet and vanilla buttercream..


My only complaint about comet would be that although there are vegan options they arent all necessarily the healthiest (Even vegan butter, oils,spreads etc.) have calories/fat. Its a good place if you are craving some good ol' diner food but if you are looking for a lighter and more natural/healthy option cafe manna is probably the way to go.

Whole Foods Love

I went to whole foods last night and found some great stuff!!!!!!!!

I got spinach with roasted garlic and it was so yummy. When garlic is roasted it loses its strong taste and turns into a nutty sweet taste. I paired it with my zucchini cake and it was total yum!



I also got a vegan chocolate mousse. It was made with tofu and unsweetened chocolate and it has strawberries in it and nuts. It was a really great dessert. I don't eat as many desserts as I used to b/c now that I am vegan it requires a little more effort (ie: making it myself, finding a specialty shop, etc.) This ends up being a good thing tho :)

They had fresh figs! I was super excited about this b/.c I have been wanting to make a fig and arugula salad for awhile now. I might have that for dinner tonight :)

I also got some mango's. sooo good thing time of year when its hot out. I tried a 'champagne mango' from sendiks this week and it was amazinggg! They didn't have that kind at whole foods but the kind I got was almostttt as good :) Just a little more tangy then the champagne variety which is very sweet.

I also picked up a cheese-less pizza. It has roasted veggies on it and the crust is made of rice. It the Amy Organic brand. I'll let you know how it is :)

The zucchini cakes AND mushroom poppers I had made (see previous blogs) are both REALLY good reheated. I actually like the mushrooms BETTER reheated then I did when I ate them right out of the oven. Something to keep in mind :)

Perfect Summer Breakfast

Sometimes in the morning I need something quick. Filled with antioxidants and whole grain goodness these muffins are just the thing. (I couldn't find my muffin tin so I ended up baking mine in a bread pan instead.)

Recipe:
In a bowl combine the following dry ingredients...
2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour, but any kind will work)
3/4 cup sugar (I use maple sugar. but white would work as well)
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
zest from 2 lemons

In a separate bowl combine the following wet ingredients:
1 TBS vinegar (this is used as an egg replacement! crazy huh?)
1/3 cup of oil (I used safflower. You could also use canola)
1 TBS lemon extract (I used the juice from one of the lemons instead b/c I didn't have lemon extract. Then I added a bit more flour to keep the consistency right.)
1 cup of non dairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk)

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


The cool thing about vegan baking is that you can make the same great tasting stuff without the use of eggs and dairy. Its all in the substitutions. In this recipe white vinegar does the job the egg would do. Almond milk is substituted for cow milk. Its a KIND dessert that tastes JUST as amazing. Isn't a great feeling to know that no animals were harmed in the making of your breakfast? :)

** A note about maple sugar: Maple Sugar is made from all natural maple syrup. When you go to the grocery store you may notice there is quite a price range for maple syrups- the kind filled with extra sugar and high fructose corn syrup is the cheap stuff ($3 maybe?) and the 100% pure maple syrup or organic maple syrup can be up to $14! Eating healthy doesn't have to be more expensive but when it comes to desserts some ingredients are worth splurging on. You CAN use plain white sugar in this recipe but I use maple sugar b/c it is completely natural and unprocessed. It also doenst effect your blood sugar the same way white sugar does so you wont get that horrible CRASH after enjoying your bakery. A cylinder of maple sugar at whole foods is about $15 but it has lasted me through lots of recipes and I don't get the sugary jitters or crash after which makes it worth it. Its also delicious! :)