Hudson Valley Vegan Food Fest 2019

This past weekend we attended the 2019 Hudson Valley Vegan Food Festival held at People’s Waterfront in Newburgh, NY. The weather was picture perfect with bright blue skies, the fluffiest clouds, warm sun and a cool breeze coming in from the Hudson River.

 When we got there we were pleasantly surprised by the long line to get in. It makes my heart happy to see so many people coming together to promote and celebrate vegan living. Once we got our bracelets it was time to get down to business, what were we going to chow down on? 

First we spotted Freakin' Vegan which is a vegan catering and events company. They are known for specializing in vegan comfort food, like empanadas, mac-n-cheese, buffalo chick'n, crab cakes and bbq pulled porkless sliders. 

We tried the ricotta and spinach empanada and 
their famous Mac-n-cheese bowl. 

I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the empanada filling, but Russ even agreed it would have been better with a marinara or special sauce to dip in since it was overall a tad dry. 

The Mac-n-cheese was heaven in a bowl and I really liked the hint of garlic. It was creamy and cheesy, what more could you want from a mac bowl? 

Next we headed over to Caribreeze Vegan Delight, 
a plant based vegan Jamaican cafe. 

We tried the Jamaican “beef” pattie and it was our favorite savory dish we had that day. Can’t wait to see them at the next festival.

After all the savory we were needing to indulge our sweet tooth. We stopped by Sweet Trail Bakery, a mobile vegan bakery for an iced coffee and tried the vanilla soft serve. 

It was okay, but that just didn’t do it for my sweet craving. 

We wanted to try the Cinnamon Snail which is known as the absurdly yummy vegan foodtruck. We’ve heard great things about their donuts. 

The line was incredibly long so we decided to keep looking.

We wound up at How Delish HD and I am so glad the universe lead us here! Oh! My! God! I am beyond in love with everything. 

We grabbed a slice of chocolate brownie cheesecake,
carrot cake and banana pudding cheesecake. 

Of course we didn’t stop there. We also took
 home cheesecake brownies. 

Each slice was more decadent than the last. It’s honestly hard to choose a favorite because I honestly loved them all. I do have to note that the carrot cake was THE BEST carrot cake I’ve ever had. I’m really looking forward to trying more stuff from this bakery in the future.

 I’m so grateful we live in an area that supports veganism. While

 the world is changing I know that there are still areas in the world including the US that aren’t so vegan friendly. To those of you who live in those areas I encourage you to stay strong and maybe start a vegan business of your own to help bring awareness and change to your area. 

XO,

Kathleen 

Sunday’s and Scones

A few Sundays ago my husband and I went blueberry picking at Greig Farm located in Red Hook New York. Before we went to the farm we had some time to kill so we went to Taste Budd’s Cafe located on West Market Street also in Red Hook. They had a great variety of vegan options. Since we only had a little time we just got frozen mocha drinks with almond milk and the most amazing chocolate chip and nut bar called the “chipper”. I look forward to going back to Red Hook soon! It is a charming small town with shops, restaurants and beautiful old homes. I really want to try out the Wildflower Café, the first plantbased Cafe in Red Hook also on West Market Street. 

The road to the farm was picture perfect. Everything you would dream a country road should be with fields that go on as far as the eye can see, mountains in the distance and the most beautiful old tall trees that make you feel so small. I’ve never been blueberry picking before and it was nice to have my brother and his family there with us also. 

   Our niece Jocelyn is almost 5, wise beyond her years, silly, sweet, sassy and the absolute light of our life. She is also our goddaughter. She had a blast and just about ate her weight in berries. It was a great thing to do as a family. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if my sister and her family were able to join us. I’ve always loved doing things as a family, but after our parents passed 

away I take any chance I can to create those family memories. If you get the chance to go I would highly recommend it! There is nothing like fresh berries from the farm especially when you’re surrounded by your people! 

Once we were finished picking our berries  I had to decide what to do with them. I could easily sit and just eat the two plus pounds we picked, but I wanted to do something special with them. That’s when I came up with this delicious idea for Vegan Blueberry Banana Scones and this recipe was born. It’s an easy recipe that turns these healthy antioxidant rich berries into a sinful treat! I hope you enjoy! 

XO,

Kathleen 

Vegan Blueberry Banana Scones

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of sea salt
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs vegan butter, 
diced into small pieces and chilled
2 1/2 mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs plain oatmilk 
1 1/2 cups fresh (you could use frozen) blueberries
Coarse organic sugar for sprinkling

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs oatmilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and 
line a large baking sheet with parchment

I diced my butter and chilled it for about an hour in 
the freezer before starting this recipe.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, 
cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Next using a pastry cutter 
cut in the butter until the mixture is course and crumbly.

In another bowl mash the bananas. Add in the 
3/4 cup of oatmilk and the blueberries. Gently combine 
the wet ingredients with the dry until just moist.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface. I used the coconut 
flour to kneed the dough. I wasn't too picky about the
 scone dough, I figured scones are supposed to be dry, 
crumbly and essentially rustic looking.

Separate the dough into two halves. Using your fingers
 gently press the dough into a rustic circle. Using a knife 
cut each circle into 8 triangles. Brush the remaining oatmilk onto the top of each scone and sprinkle with coarse organic sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.

 While cooling whisk together the powdered sugar and oatmilk.
Drizzle on top of each scone. Enjoy with tea, coffee or a non-dairy milk like oat or almond milk.

Sunday Funday in Saugerties New York, Vegan Style

My hometown has become a popular spot to vacation and weekend. It's a charming town and very vegan friendly. So if you're planning a trip here this article will make your stay even easier! 

Start your day with a Dirty Chai from Bluestone Roasting Company. I like mine with almond milk, but they also have soy milk. They make their Chais with a powder that is free from honey like most pre-made chai blends you’ll find in coffee shops. 
The owner is very kind and they have a great staff!

Next be sure to get your Sunday Brunch Yoga on with Brooke Michaels from Little Blueberryy a favorite local boutique and yoga studio. If the weather permits she holds this amazing event outside at the local Partition Bar. This class is from 10:00am-11:00am. If you don’t have a mat Brooke will have one for you. For $12 this includes yoga, a mimosa if you would like and Brunch Food. Most of the food isn’t vegan, but she is always sure to have a fruit platter to snack on. 

Brooke leading her Brunch Yoga class at the Partition Bar

After you’ve gotten your zen on you can roam the streets 
and browse the local shops. Be sure to stop by Little Bluberryy Boutique, you'll even find some of my Skincare Products there!

Little Blueberryy Boutique & Yoga Studio

View up Partition Street from Bluestone Roasting Company

What’s that? You’re hungry for lunch? No problem! Head on over to the new and amazing Ohana Cafe for a tofu scramble or if you’re in the mood for Pizza you have to try the vegan pizza at Slices. Whichever you choose you won’t be disappointed! 

Ohana Café

Slices Pizza

After you’re done lunching head on down to the Alleyway Ice Cream Shop. Literally located down an alley. It’s the tiniest ice cream shop I’ve ever seen. I love that they always have a dairy free ice cream on their handmade artisan menu.

Alleyway Ice Cream

Now that you’re completely stuffed head on over to the Saugerties Lighthouse to walk off all that delicious food. It’s a beautiful scenic trail. I love it so much I even did a photoshoot for my skincare line with my favorite local photographer, Marlo Lamonte from Free Spirit Photography!

Marlo doing her thang with our favorite model Madison

If you’re sticking around for dinner you won’t want to miss 
out on the Vegan Mac + Cheese as well as the 
vegan tye dye cheesecake!

Shop small. Shop local. Shop vegan. 

XO,
Kathleen

Going vegan again and finding my true self

It’s me again. I know it’s been a while. So much has happened since the last time I posted. I lost my mom in a tragic car accident in 2017 a few days after my thirtieth Birthday. If you’ve been following you know that my dad passed away suddenly two years before that almost to the day. In June of 2018 we lost our sweet pup Roman and within ten months later our Fiona crossed the rainbow bridge also. To say I was down and out was an understatement. I had been slowly allowing myself to self destruct by not living 100% vegan. 

Some people drink, do drugs or other forms of self harm when they are in a dark state. For me it was not following my heart and living a vegan life. I know that my parents wouldn’t have wanted that for me (actually they would have been pissed). I have to say I was truly disgusted with myself. I was at war with my conscience and I knew that I needed to get my shit together so I could get back on the path that makes my heart feel true and authentic. I was so unhappy with myself. I was mentally exhausted. 

Finally I had to take a long look at myself and realize I was the only one who could change the unhealthy pattern I was in.

Now I feel like a weight has been lifted from my soul now that I’m back to living a life of mindfulness and compassion. So here’s to living the rest of my life this way because I never want to feel this way in my head and heart ever again. I look forward to sharing my journey with you and some delicious recipes that show you how easy it is to go vegan yourself. 

XO,

Kathleen