I’ve been on fire lately… my epicurean creations of late have been so freaking good. I can quantify this by the size of my ever-expanding ass. My jeans don’t fit again, but man my kitchen has been turning out some meals that almost make my big booty a badge of culinary honor.

This recipe is something I’ve been dying to try for awhile, as it appears really simple, and sugarlaws couldn’t gush enough about the end results. It’s accidentally vegan, although I have seen recipes floating around (such as Alton Brown’s) that contain eggs and milk. This one hit the nail on the head, and as I lifted each golden knot of baked goodness, the smell was so distinctly ‘pretzel’ that it took me back to my omni days treating myself to Auntie Anne’s pretzels in the Arizona Mills Mall during long days of outlet shopping. Sigh.

As sugarlaws states, these shouldn’t be compared to the East Coast’s chewier varieties (as my father is ever so fond of). These are tender, delicate and fragrant.

One difference I found is they lack the traditional shiny coating, which I figure is from not using an egg wash. No matter though, the taste is still on point. I hear that a coating of soy milk gives a similar sheen, but I only had the sweetened variety on hand. I plan on experimenting with this recipe, so I’ll post any updates. We enjoyed dipping these in Better than Cream Cheese, but I’m sure mustard or any other “cheesy” sauce would be delicious!

(recipe from sugarlaws.com)

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp baking soda
1 cup hot water (as hot as your tap can get)
Sea salt

Dissolve yeast into water with a pinch of sugar, let stand 10 minutes, until the mixture is creamy colored. Mix the yeast mixture with flour, sugar, salt and canola oil, and knead until combined (a few minutes, not even 5… I used my dough hook on the good ol’ kitchenaid). Let the dough rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the dough has risen, pinch off a handful and roll it out into a long strand. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough, about 6 times. Once all the strands are rolled out, pick up the first one and stretch it out again (the gluten will have relaxed and it should stretch further now).

Twist it into a pretzel shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with silipat or cooking spray. Repeat with the rest of the strands.

Dissolve baking soda into hot water and stir until dissolved. Quickly dip each rolled pretzel into the mixture and place it back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle all the pretzels with sea salt, to your preference. Bake for about 8 minutes, until pretzels have browned.

The recipe above only made for about 4-6 smaller pretzels, so I immediately made a second double batch. I encourage you to do the same!!!

I do my best to restrain my shopping to what B and I refer to as the ‘hippy food’ aisle. Since we have no Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, we stick to the Natural/Organic section of our local grocery store (which happens to be a Fred Meyer). Since this section is only about four aisles, I know it pretty well. A few weeks ago, a new product appeared on a little rolling cart… Dave’s Killer Bread. There was one lonely loaf left, sitting on the middle of the shelf. It’s bright red packaging and cute cartoonish logo called to me. I picked it up, only to be delighted by it’s lack of animal products and short list of wholesome ingredients. It was surprisingly soft and springy, as store bought bread this ‘natural’ tends to be stiff and uninviting. The price was a little off-putting ($5.29) but I needed bread, and I love supporting products that openly tout themselves as vegan, so the extra $2.00 felt well spent.

That night, I made tea like I usually do and decided to fire up the grill to make some toast. Yes, I don’t own a toaster, so YES, I have to use the grill. Don’t judge me.

ANYWAY, this toast was beyond my wildest expectations in taste and texture. Before I knew it, I was having another slice. This intrigued me to learn more about this Dave character who’s animated likeness is so inviting on the package. Dave is reformed criminal with a history in drug and alcohol abuse, who turned his life around and now makes his living baking some of the best damn bread I’ve ever tasted. His story is touching and can be found at his website, DavesKillerBread.com.

Obvi, I devour the loaf with gusto. Two weeks pass, and I was starting to panic because Dave’s Killer Bread was nowhere in sight! The rolling cart at the end of the hippy aisle was gone, and obivously DKB wouldn’t be caught dead consorting with the likes of the common breads in the bakery aisle. (I checked). After several fruitless trips to the grocery, I asked an associate what the hell happened to my beloved DKB?! She told me that it’s selling like hotcakes, and if I want in on the next shipment, to show up midday that Sunday to catch them fresh off the trucks. So, you bet your sweet ass I was there that day, and had my choice of several varieties. I kept with my standard, Power Seed but also grabbed a loaf of Good Seed and happily went on my way (B eats lots of sandwiches).

I decided Power Seed is my fave out of the two, but Good Seed didn’t disappoint. Dave’s heartfelt story and his commitment to making delicious, healthy bread that is free from animal products makes the price difference much more than worth it in my opinion.

Ha! I just realized it’s Thursday! I give inspiration credit to bittersweet, who’s “Vegan 100” got me thinking. Admittedly, my first thought was “Oh, she does pilates!” Which, I think you have to have done pilates to get that one. Anyway, it was actually a list of 100 things a vegan should eat in their life. This got me thinking to all the new and cool things I’ve tried since becoming vegan… there are tons! This was the first Thursday Thirteen that I wasn’t struggling with by item 10. This list is dedicated to all those people who think vegans are deprived little extremists who eat nothing nuts and berries. For the record, I love nuts and berries.

1. Quinoa- As mentioned in my previous post, quinoa is a nutritional powerhouse that packs all your amino acids in one, cute, spherical little package (with a tail). It’s pretty much interchangeable with rice, and if you ask me, it’s easier to prepare and much more flavorful.

2. Curry- Prior to being veg, I snubbed my nose at curry. I thought it was all too spicy for me to even attempt. A coworker introduced me to my very first home-cooked version, and I’ve never looked back since. So exotic and different than anything I had tasted before. Thai Veggie curries are so creamy, warm and satisfying. Talk about vegan comfort food!

3. Hemp Milk- This treat is so delicious and SO FREAKING GOOD FOR YOU. Like, cows milk, you might as well just hang it up because Hemp Milk beats your nutritional ass from here to next Tuesday. Plus, it’s great for those of you who either can’t have or don’t like soy.

4. Soy Yogurt- I like soy in moderation, and this is one of my treats. They are great to pack in a lunch and the fruit flavors are REAL, not created in a lab. I can’t wait to try the coconut yogurt and ice cream that has been all the rage across the blogosphere, but alas, we have no Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

5. Lara Bars- Raw, whole food in a convenient, on the go package. I buy them by the case at Costco and keep them in my purse for emergency snacking situations.

6. Mushrooms- I posted about mushrooms recently, and it’s true- before becoming vegan I never gave them the time of day. Now, I can’t get enough! Granted, I don’t like them sauteed, but raw ’shrooms or grilled portobellos? YES PLS.

7. Veganaise- I think more omni’s should give this stuff a try! Cholesterol free and tastes EXACTLY like traditional mayo. Not to mention the fact that it’s produced with wind energy, non GMO ingredients and has no trans or saturated fat. Get over the name, people!

8. Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins Cereal- When these bad boys go on sale, I stock up. These are like peanut butter Capt’n Crunch, but like 100000 times better. PLUS, they’re organic, gluten free and vegan!

9. Tempeh- Okay, if I were to just look at tempeh before knowing what it was or how good it could be, I’d probably be fairly grossed out by it’s lumpy grainy texture and off-putting color. HOWEVER. Marinade that stuff and boy oh boy! De-lish. Don’t judge a food by it’s appearance!

10. Indian Food- I was really intimidated by Indian food before becoming veg. It was a whole new world with spices I hadn’t even messed with, let alone understood complimentary combinations of. Once I made my first curry I had enough courage to start branching out. I tried the Mattar Tofu dinner by Amy’s, and have been unafraid ever since. Pass the Samosas, Dal and veggie Korma please!!

11. Pad Thai- Thai food was another big unknown thing to me. I first dipped my toes in this culinary genre by grabbing a frozen veggie pad Thai out of the freezer simply because it was vegan, on sale and at the store next to my work. I loved it, naturally. Then, when I was in the frozen wasteland this winter (AKA Fairbanks, Alaska) I had very few options available to me. I survived that week mostly off a quaint little Thai food place called Lemongrass, and so was started my obsession. Now I frequent a local restaurant called Chang Mai several times a month.

12. Nutritional Yeast- Nooch! I don’t use this one too often, because I’ve pretty much lost the taste for “cheesy” dishes. HOWEVER… I love me some mac and shreeze from time to time. Comfort food! It’s also tasty sprinkled on veggies as a seasoning.

13. Lentils- lentils are tasty, cheap and filling! They’re about a buck a bag, and you can doctor them up a number of ways. They’re even tasty in tomato sauce to give it an extra hearty texture. Their cook time is low, so it’s not a bean that you have to soak before preparing.

I came home for lunch and whipped up burritos for B and I. Since I wasn’t wanting a carbohydrate coma to enjoy for my remaining work hours, I skipped the tortilla and ate this as sort of a hot taco salad. In retrospect, that might have been pointless, seeing as how this is carbs on top of carbs… BUT it’s whole grains and beans, so it’s good carbs (STFU Atkins crazies!)

It was reeeeally good, and I experimented by eschewing the seasoned rice for similarly seasoned quinoa. I don’t have to tell you guys how good it is for you… complete protein, whole grain, amino acids, blah blah blah. It tasted great and I like the little beady texture so quinoa wins battle burrito.

I toasted one cup of dry quinoa over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. I then added two cups of veggie broth, two teaspoons of cumin and a half teaspoon of sea salt, tumeric and chili powder. I let it boil covered on medium low until thickened, then fluffed with a fork and tweaked the seasonings to taste.

The bean mixture is just a garlic clove and half a small sweet onion carmelized over medium heat, then mixed with a drained can of black beans and about a cup of frozen sweet white corn, seasoned with salt and fresh pepper. Naturally, no Mexican-inspired dish would be complete without a few slices of avocado and a dollop of Sour Supreme!

This would have been great with some shredded iceberg, but my lack of a leafy veg didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this! Hubs thought I was crazy for nixing the tortilla and hot sauce, but what can I say…Danger is my middle name.

B’s home :)

I just realized I hadn’t even posted about it. It does partially explain my lack of updates, as I’ve been very busy catching up and cuddling. Me and Roo missed him horribly, and we are so glad to have him back in our day to day lives.

Now, I’d be lying if I said everything has been sunshine and butterflies. It’s hard to get readjusted to having someone else around when you’ve gotten so accustomed to being alone and having your own set routine. While he had his family around, I just had me and the dog… I had gotten used to having things exactly my way. I think now I’ve gotten passed the original shock of having a ‘roommate’ again, and we’re coexisting nicely.

It’s so wonderful to have someone around to laugh at my jokes… to watch TMZ with… to sit around and say nothing with. Not to mention the fact that I’ve been cooking up a storm and it’s so cool to be able to FEED someone other than myself!

Sunday night I made the Samosa Baked Potatoes from Veganomicon and they were a HUGE success! Definitely going into the regular meal rotation.

More later… I’m on my way to the Anchorage Social Media luncheon!

No, I didn’t lose this battle… but the score was previously 2-0. I did successfully keep this nasty thing at bay. It is now a teensy little hard spot I can barely feel, probably just remnants of the hardened tissue your body creates to encapsulate the infection. I feel really triumphant that I was able to rid myself of this thing without the help of antibiotics. Now, don’t think I’m going all hippie on you guys, I know that it has it’s place. I just think it’s exciting that I was able to NATURALLY raise my body’s defenses and fight off a serious infection, where I failed in the past.

Not that I advise anyone to take a similar course, but here is what I did every day-

3 raw garlic cloves
1000-2000mg of vitamin C
4 flax oil capsules
1 multi vitamin
1 B complex
LOTS of water (I usually had to drink at least 50oz to get those garlic cloves down, plus more throughout the day)

On the last day, I took the advice of my friend Matt, and ate lots of bananas. He recommended like six, but I only ate three. I figured I was at the tail end, so maybe I didn’t need as many… plus that was all I could handle. The idea is that the potassium kicks your spleen’s infection fighting abilities into overdrive. I think it was helpful, because here I stand, infection free.

I’m very much looking forward to not eating the garlic, because I’m pretty sick of my nether-regions smelling like an Italian restaurant.

I’m actually very impressed! I woke up this morning and the um… nodule… was significantly smaller. Now this experiment is not exactly scientific, as I’ve not only eaten now FIVE cloves of raw garlic, I’ve also taken 1000mg of vitamin C, a multi vitamin and extra flax seed oil. I’m doing my best to go on immune system overload here. At this point I don’t really care which thing is helping, I just care that this thing on my chin is noticeably smaller and it isn’t as warm to the touch. I figure that’s a sign of the infection going away!

I’m making the ballsy decision to hold off on the call to the doctor. I’m going to continue this routine with the garlic and vitamins (and tons of water) and if I see even more improvement still I might hold off on the doctor visit all together. The way I see it is I’d like to do whatever possible to avoid going on antibiotics, as we all know they can make your body less able to fight it’s own battles, and I need all the natural defenses I can get. Now don’t get me wrong, if this thing gets angry again I’ll be in my car on the way to the doctor’s office faster than you can say flesh eating virus. As always, I’ll keep you guys posted!

Off to NOM NOM NOM on some more garlic. I think my coworkers hate me.