Eating Vegan in Philly

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Siri

Note: To see an updated, up-to-date list of where to grab a vegan bite to eat in Philadelphia, click here. When I first went vegan, I had no idea how many amazing options Philly has in terms of finding vegan-friendly … Continue reading →

Super Fuel Choco-Raspberry Smoothie

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Siri

This afternoon, I had a big task ahead of me… cleaning my room.

I like to pretend that I’m type A. With certain things, I am. I am much happier when things are clean and as organized as possible. Exhibit A: my closet. It is organized according to color. Brown, Beige, White, Grey, Black, and Navy are first because they are the neutrals. Next comes purple, then red, orange, yellow, green, and multicolor. See what I mean?

Can you tell that I don’t wear very much color? 😉

But once my room (or anything else, for that matter) gets just the tiniest bit messy, WHAM. Suddenly, it’s completely out of control.

So, because I do not want to come home to a messy house in two weeks, and because I need to be able to find my clothes in order to pack them, tonight’s task is cleaning my room.

In order to fuel this endeavor, I needed a serious smoothie. None of that mango two-ingredient pansy stuff (well, also… I’m out of mango.) It was time to call in the big guns.

Super Fuel Choco-Raspberry Smoothie

makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 C Frozen Raspberries

1/2 C Chocolate Almondmilk

1/2 Scoop of Chocolate Vegetable Based- Protein Powder

1 Banana, in four chunks

Add ingedients to blender in the order listed and blend until smooth! Drink up for serious energy!

I then proceeded to have a photo shoot with myself and my smoothie. I’m not proud of it.

Apparently, I’ll do almost anything to avoid cleaning my room.

I just took another break to devour a vegan pizza from Ed’s. While it’s not spectacular vegan pizza, it is so nice to be able to order delivery!

Mel suggested we order vegan pizza for dinner at about noon today, and it was all I could think about all afternoon.

We may have eaten the whole thing.

Whoops.

Are you ready for the big reveal???

…

I feel a million times less stressed now that I can see the floor of my room. I still have a couple little things (like my desk and vanity) to get all the clutter out of, but my bed is made for the first time in months… so that’s a pretty good start.

Have a great weekend!

Perfect Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Siri

This week was probably the slowest week I’ve experienced in my life. I don’t really know why, but life was moving an at absolutely glacial pace. The light at the end of the tunnel, however, was Blackbird.

Blackbird is a 100% vegan pizzeria in Philadelphia, and it is incredible. They have margherita pizza that uses tofu for mozzerella, and their other pies use Daiya and various homemade seitan mock-meats and veggies to create incredible vegan pizza. I hadn’t been to Blackbird in few months, so I decided it was about time that I go back. Mel, my roommate, and I ordered the Yukon Pie, which is one of the more creative choices at the pizzeria.

It’s simply pizza crust with olive oil and thinly sliced yukon potatoes and rosemary. But it is to die for.

Meet Mel!

Another reason I’m in love with Blackbird is that it looks like a plain old pizzeria. They have this punk-rock vibe but there’s no fancy decorations, tablecloths, ambient lighting, or tranquil music. OH, and all of their desserts are supplied by Vegan Treats in Bethlehem. I got a cupcake but didn’t take a picture of it because I was too busy stuffing my face. 😉

The one downside to this pizza is that it’s all carbs, so I was craving fruit and vegetables after word (and we stopped in at Whole Foods to get our produce-fix).

On to more important things… I made those Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Raspberry Frosting I mentioned a few weeks ago. I decided to fool around with my usual cake recipe because I’ve been noticing that it’s pretty dense recently, and I prefer fluffy cake. This cake is perfect.

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C Flour

1 C Vegan Cane Sugar

1/3 C Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 C Warm Water

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Raspberry Extract

1/3 C Canola Oil

Grease mini cupcake tin and preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well, until completely combined with no chunks.

Add to mixture water, canola oil, extracts, and apple cider vinegar, mixing as you add wet ingredients. Mix well for about 2 minutes, until all liquid and oil is absorbed.

Fill cupcake pan 1/2 full if not using liners, 3/4 full if using liners, and bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move to cooling racks. Top with Chocolate Raspberry Frosting.

Chocolate Raspberry Frosting

Ingredients:

3/4 C Earth Balance, room temperature

2-3 C Confectioners Sugar

3-4 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Raspberry Extract

In a mixer, beat Earth Balance until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, allowing sugar to be absorbed and whipped into Earth balance between each cup. Add cocoa powder and extracts, and beat at high speed until light and fluffy.