vegan thanksgiving recipes part ii

This Thanksgiving recipe is pretty basic, but super yummy. Roasted root vegetables are healthy, flavorful, and very easy to cook. Adding sage and thyme really ties them into the rest of the Thanksgiving dish flavors. Use whatever winter root vegetables (or squash! and then let me know how that works out because I've never tried it!) make you happy. I just made this recipe up when I had a bunch of leftover root vegetables from another recipe, so it's by no means an exact science.

The important thing is chopping everything up to a size that enables everything to cook evenly. In general, carrots and parsnips will cook the fastest, followed by the sweet potatoes, and finally the regular potatoes. So I make sure to chop the carrots and parsnips a little bit larger than the potatoes. Also, make sure there's enough room in your casserole dish for every vegetable to be touching the bottom of the dish while roasting, and stir everything around mid-roast.

Roasted Root Vegetables

A healthy & easy side dish for the fall

Servings: 6

2 small or 1 large sweet potatoes

4 medium carrots

2 parsnips, peeled

2 small potatoes of your chosen variety

2 tablespoons olive oil

Dried sage, thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary (to taste - but go bigger with the sage than the other herbs)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut carrots and peeled parsnips into 1 - 1.5 inch pieces.

3. Cut sweet potatoes and regular potatoes into .5 - 1 inch pieces. (See photo above for relative veggie sizes)

4. In a large casserole dish, pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and use a paper towel to coat the inside bottom and sides of the dish with oil.

5. Place all the veggies in the dish and drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle dried herbs as desired and use hands to mix everything together, coating the vegetables with oil and herbs.

6. Put casserole dish on middle rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until fork tender. After the first 20 minutes, use a large spoon to stir the vegetables and expose different parts of them to the bottoms and sides of the dish.

7. Allow to cool briefly before serving. Keeps well and is tasty cold or reheated.

Coming up next: THE BEST STUFFING RECIPE EVER, and it just happens to be vegan. That is, if my father in law ever sends the damn recipe to me. But seriously guys, it's the best stuffing I have ever had in my entire life. Get ready.

my second trimester lifesavers

I am less than two weeks away from my third trimester. Holy crap.

My second trimester was, overall, much easier than my first. Though my morning sickness actually worsened in the first weeks of this trimester, getting on Zofran made all the difference. Regaining my energy level was amazing. Besides the normal and natural improvements that come along with the second trimester, ere are some things that made my life much more enjoyable:

1. Coconut Oil - My skin has always been dry, but it has crossed the line into super dry since I became pregnant. I was drinking a ton of water and religiously applying body lotion, but still feeling itchy and gross. An esthetician recommended that I try using coconut oil. This sounded gross and crazy to me, and I didn't bother to try it for weeks. Finally, out of desperation I decided to go for it, deciding I would just jump back in the shower if the oil was as terrible as I expected it to be. I bought an additional jar of TJ's extra virgin coconut oil (because bringing the jar of oil I cook with into the bathroom is gross). I applied small amounts of coconut oil all over my skin right after exiting the shower, while still dripping wet. And...it was amazing. My skin has been doing so much better. It's moisturizing without being overly greasy and I don't feel like I'm drowning in oil. Get the extra virgin, unrefined version to ensure there are no crazy additives like soy or weird chemicals.

2. Grapefruit Essential Oil - My feet have been swelling a lot throughout the second trimester, and sometimes hanging out with my feet up just doesn't help enough. Grapefruit essential oil was recommended to me by another lovely hippie in my life, and a Babycenter article I stumbled upon also recommended it as a remedy for swollen pregnant lady feet. I put a few drops into a bit of body lotion, and have The Husband rub it into my feet for a couple minutes. I really think it's been helping my feet deflate more quickly when I put them up, but worse case scenario, it smells amazing and I get a foot rub out of it. Just make sure to always combine a couple drops of essential oil with a carrier oil, like olive oil (or in my case, oily body lotion), since the undiluted essential oil can be too strong for your skin to handle; also, test out the essential oil + carrier oil on a small patch of skin before putting it all over your body. (PS. Here's a list of essential oils to avoid during pregnancy)

3. Ginger Echinacea Lemonade - For when I'm feeling a little rough, but not nauseous enough to necessitate a dose of Zofran. Echinacea should be safe during pregnancy (link is to a resource my doctor recommended) but obviously I'm not your medical expert so make your own decisions. The sugar and ginger combination seems to bring me back to normal.

4. ASOS Maternity Clothes - I'm cheap but like to try to look nice, yoga pants notwithstanding. I generally dislike spending a lot of money of a piece of clothing, and absolutely hate doing so for maternity clothes, since the time frame in which I will be wearing them is very limited. Old Navy maternity shirts and dresses are a little too casual / unfashionable for me personally, and while I love my jeans and other pants from Motherhood Maternity, the prices for their cuter tops are a little more than I want to pay. Enter ASOS maternity section. They have a ton of cute clothes and stuff is always on sale. I've grabbed a gorgeous long dress (under $55!) for a maternity photo shoot next month, as well as a couple shirts (under $15 each!) that help me feel less fat / grungy. The size differences made me die a little inside (pre-pregnancy, I was a US size 2, I wear UK size 8 in the ASOS maternity clothes), but my ego can handle it. I will definitely keep shopping there even when I am not pregnant.

5. The Husband - As always, The Husband is by far the biggest lifesaver for me. He is so kind and nurturing, and downright spoils me a lot of the time. He also tries to limit how much he makes fun of me when I eat a scary amount of cookies in one sitting. He can tell when I'm completely run down (even when I lie and try to hide it), and will step up and deal with things so I can rest. And all this is in addition to being hilarious, intelligent, kind, and a great partner. I'm so lucky.

vegan thanksgiving recipes part i

Can you all believe it's November already? Do you know what that means? That my favorite holiday is just around the corner. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year because of its emphasis on family without being preoccupied by gifts. Also, the food doesn't hurt.

The Husband's family is an interesting mix of vegans and carnivores, so Thanksgiving with his family is filled with both traditional and creative dishes. There are a couple vegetarians on my side of the family that have inspired some great dishes, too. Over the years, I have enjoyed amazing vegan dishes cooked by others, and whipped up a couple vegan recipes myself. Between now and Thanksgiving, I plan on sharing some of these recipes here.

(cooking! with a rather large belly! also, how terrible are those orange linoleum counters? i'm trying to own it with the cafe curtains)

This first is a twofer! After the jump, my mom's amazing vegan gravy recipe (with some minor tweaks by me) and my mashed cauliflower (mashed potato alternative) recipe.

ready.

Last week, I had a dream that I was holding our little girl. It was a wonderful dream. I'm glad for these nine months of preparation, but I am officially (emotionally) ready to meet this girl. Less than two months ago, I was still adjusting to the fact that I was even pregnant, and now I'm impatient for the next step. Oh how things change so quickly.

(nyc. i told the husband that if he wears a khaki shirt and khaki pants, i will assume he is a zookeeper and knows everything about animals. guess what he wore nearly every day on our trip?)

On the practical side, I am definitely grateful for a bit more time. There's a lot we need to do, including a much-dreaded trip to Ikea for a crib, armchair, and all the magical little Ikea items we never know we need until we are there. And we almost filed for divorce last night after trying to put together a baby bouncer for an hour. The wonders of parenthood are already upon us.

PS. I found a website that clearly explained how all the state and federal maternity leave laws come together, which is pretty much a miracle. Check it out here: http://www.hellobee.com/2012/11/19/maternity-leave-in-california/ (applies to CA only).

quick link: discount tickets to alton brown

Santa Barbarians! Groupon is currently offering discounted tickets to Alton Brown's live show at the Granada on October 23. The Husband loves Alton Brown because he is really into food science as well as general cooking information. I love Alton Brown because he's completely insane. The Princess Bride reference in his show description didn't hurt either.

Alton Brown tour website here. Sign up for a general Groupon subscription here.

thoughts on pregnancy thus far

(took this photo right after we found out we were expecting)

At just over halfway through, I finally have the energy and ability to reflect on the past few months and what is to come. I honestly don't have much to say, besides that I am very content and happy. Before getting pregnant, I was worried that I wouldn't be 'good' at it - that I'd eat the wrong things, or miss wine too much, or not be able to attend to my daily life, or be too emotional / depressed to thrive. Looking back, that was just typical worrywart Stephanie coming out, and I now realize my fears were unfounded and that I am generally stronger than I sometimes think I am. Being pregnant has been a wonderful experience and I've tried to appreciate every moment of it. Even the "hung over on a boat"-feeling of morning sickness, and the worries about if baby girl is doing okay, and the weight gain that has slightly bruised my ego. Especially the little kicks I feel daily (which on a sentimental level are amazing, on a purely physical level are weird), the tenderness and happiness that emanates from The Husband whenever he looks at my belly, and the excitement we both feel at meeting this little girl next year.

(8 week ultrasound)

I think a huge reason why I have been so happy and content is that this pregnancy is planned and wanted (I feel even more strongly pro-choice now than before I got pregnant because this is a lot to go through and should be chosen, not forced upon someone). I am proud of us for making life decisions that had our future family in mind for the past 6 years; these decisions are allowing us to grow our family without significant logistical concerns. The Husband and I have also grown and matured together over the course of our relationship, and I am so grateful to be in such a stable, healthy, and happy relationship that is full of passion and laughter. I mean, no one's ever 100% prepared for a child (I honestly have no idea what to expect next year!), but we have done our best with what is within our control, and have faith that the rest of it will work out. We will do our best to be good parents who raise children with a sense of responsibility, empathy, and positivity. Any failings we will have will not come from lack of trying, at least.

(taken just before rushing out the door for a concert. 22 1/2 weeks.)

As for giving birth, I'm not going to pretend like I'm not nervous about the experience. Childbirth sounds, honestly, kind of scary, though I'm trying to view it as an overall positive experience (and if all else fails, at least I'll get a baby out of it). I don't really have a super strong opinion about how I give birth. I'd prefer to avoid a c-section just because it's major surgery, not because it would be taking away from my overall birth experience or some similar egotistical mindset like that. I'm not exactly looking forward to pain and will do my best to use breathing and relaxation for pain management, but I know I'll probably get an epidural if it gets to the point where I'm willing to sacrifice my mobility during labor to get pain relief. But who knows? Maybe I'll end up eating my words, but at least I accept that this experience may go one of several ways and that as long as our little girl is healthy and okay at the end, I will be okay, too.

easy + healthy cauliflower soup recipe

It suddenly feels like fall around here, though it probably be 80 degrees again in a couple days. I'm taking advantage of the cooler weather by cooking soup. Soup is my favorite thing to cook - it doesn't have to look pretty or require any sort of finesse in the kitchen to be tasty. I decided to throw together a couple ingredients in the dutch oven after work today and see what happened - and a very tasty soup came out of it. It's also the simplest, easiest soup ever....and quite healthy and vegan-friendly. Just cauliflower, shallots, garlic, turmeric, water/broth, thyme, and a bay leaf! Recipe after the jump.

(i am so, so good at getting hipster picture of the ingredients. and then i fail at taking subsequent cooking photos. sorry.)

eat your way through brooklyn

My trip to NYC with the husband in mid-September was probably one of my favorite vacations ever. We rented an apartment through Airbnb to save a ton of money on lodging and have a full home base. It was the cutest studio apartment in a great part of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the girl we rented it from was the sweetest person ever with the best food and shopping recommendations. Shoot me an email if you're interested in staying there and I'll give you the scoop!

We did plenty of the cultural / touristy things one normally does in NYC, so I'll spare you the details on that stuff and go straight to my favorite part of the trip (and life): EATING.

(beautiful picture of beet & apple soup stolen from Brooklyn Soup Club)

Diner is an awesome little restaurant that was right around the corner from our apartment. Their menus change daily, which is fun. The Husband and I went there with our friend (who is a private chef! how cool is that?!) on our first full day in NYC, and all three of us were really impressed by our food. I am also committed to reproducing their beet and apple soup here at home one day soon, it was that tasty. Recipe will be posted here if I ever figure it out.

the best salad dressing + a really easy salad recipe

My wonderful mother-in-law moved to Santa Barbara a few months ago, and we've all done pretty well at getting together on a weekly basis. Right before we went to NYC, Emma invited us over for an early dinner. She lives in a gorgeous Victorian building with lovely wooden floors and tons of sunlight streaming through the huge bay windows.

At this dinner, Emma introduced us to the best salad dressing ever: Annie's Shiitake Sesame Dressing. It's organic, which is always a plus, though unfortunately there's no low sodium / low fat version. That being said, it's still a lot healthier than most dressings out there. Emma served it with roasted turnips, sesame seeds, avocado, mushrooms, and tofu, which was an amazing combination.

Baby girl seems to like it, too, considering the ninja-like kicks I've been feeling after dinner lately.

After the jump, check out a really simple salad recipe (can I even call it a recipe when it's this easy? Salad idea?) that goes wonderfully with this dressing.

what i've been up to

It's certainly been a while, hasn't it? I blame the morning sickness that has persisted for the entirety of this pregnancy thus far and exacerbated by looking at a computer screen. Thankfully, I finally admitted I needed some help and got a prescription for Zofran from my doctor. Thank you modern medicine!

In the past couple months, I haven't really accomplished much, besides continuing to grow a human, taking a wonderful trip to NYC, taking a few small trips throughout Southern CA, and preparing for the arrival of said human as much as I can. I also discovered a fun little iPhone app called Studio App, which is like lazy Photoshop for your phone. I'm using it to make fun little illustrations for an upcoming NYC post. Stay tuned.

Until then, here are just a couple images from the past month or so.

(a woefully outdated 17 week belly shot)

(20 week belly photo taken at 4:30 am, hence the cut off faces)

(i'm reading every pregnancy/parenting book i can get my hands on. even the crazy ones.)

(a sweet surprise gift from The Husband - a pretty diaper bag i had been coveting)

(central park)

(one of the many nursery projects that are current in progress. hardware coming soon)

(the studio app is so fun!)