Balsamic Roasted Veggie Pasta

If you follow me you know that Thursday's have become pasta night in our house. This is a recipe I made last week and wanted to share with you! I hope you try it out!

Balsamic Roasted Veggie Pasta 

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of asparagus

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 large red bell peppers

1 pint crimini mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic peeled

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Nutritional yeast

Garlic powder

Basil

1lb. of your favorite pasta

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425*F

Trim the ends of your asparagus then cut into bite sized pieces (about an inch). Remove the ribs and seeds from your peppers and cut then to roughly the same size as the asparagus. Cut your crimini mushrooms in half.

In a large bowl toss all of the veggies and garlic cloves with a few splashes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and basil.

Spread out the veggies one large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes then flip the veggies around and cook for another 15 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the directions.

Once your pasta is cooked and the veggies roasted toss them together with a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Serve with bread and a salad if you like.

I hope you enjoy!! 

My Vegan Tattoo

I've had a lot of people ask me where I got my tattoo, who did my tattoo etc. 

So, I figured it was a good time to give a shout out to the tattoo shop and artist who did my first and only tattoo. I would love to get more work done in the future.

Intemporelle Tattoo is hands down where it's at for tattoos in the Hudson Valley! Not only are the owners Zane and his fiancé Carolina young and fun, they are beyond professional and insanely talented. Everything they do is an original by them. You don't go in and pick through some generic book. They are true artists! You tell them your idea and what you are looking for. Then they draw it up themselves. If you ask me that is the definition of a tattoo artist. They are friendly and the shop is impeccably clean. I will never go anywhere else. My husband who has had a lot of tattoo work done around the area over years will also never go anywhere else now. 

My husband surprised me one day by taking me to get my first tattoo. I had been wanting a tattoo to represent my lifestyle change to being a vegan. For me this was a complete lifestyle change not just a diet. So I wanted something permanent to represent this permanent change in my life. I told Zane what I wanted and he beyond delivered. It was even more perfect than the vision in my head. 

My husband was also tattooed by Zane that day for the first time. He had my initial tattooed onto his ring finger because he's never been a jewelry wearing type of man, the sweetest part was it was his idea entirely. It came out beautiful! 

Right now my husband and Zane are in the middle of a huge cover up that most people said couldn't be done. It's looking ridiculous and it's not even completed yet. 

It's going to look sick when it's done. I'm telling you the man is a magician. 

He's taken something that my husband was embarrassed about, that no one was willing to attempt and is turning it into something he's more than proud to show the world. He still has a few more sessions, but it's already come so far I can't wait to see the finished product. 

Zane also did a memorial tattoo for my dad on my sister. It is perfect. She absolutely loves it and I know my dad is looking down and loving it. I'm so happy for her and he did an incredible job. When you are putting something so permanent on your body it is so important to have the right person doing the work. This is your body and you should respect it enough to have a true professional do the work. The saying "you get what you pay for" absolutely applies here.

Not only do I love this tattoo shop and respect the owners, but I'm thrilled that they use vegan products. The ink is vegan along with the Hustle Butter they sell for your tattoo. Just another reason to shout this place out!! 

If you want the real deal then you need to check them out. Don't bother wasting your money elsewhere. If you do though don't worry they can fix it for you!

Intemporelle Tattoo 

85 Partition Street Saugerties, New York 

Mon- 12pm-8pm

Tues-Wed- Closed

Thurs-Sun- 12pm-8pm

Appointment only

Street parking

Cash only

Facebook: Intemporelle Tattoo

Instagram: @intemporelletattoo

Russell's Vegan Tarter Sauce

Tonight for dinner my husband and I had gardein fishless filets with chips (fries) and coleslaw. My husband makes an amazing vegan tarter sauce that we used to dip the fishless filets in. I've posted about this dipping sauce a few times on social media and have received a few requests for the recipe. So, I sat down with my husband while he made it for tonight's dinner and we wrote down the recipe. I hope you give it a try, it's delicious!!! 

Russell's Vegan Tarter Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan mayo (we had Hampton Creek Just Mayo on hand)

1 tbs dill relish 

1 tbs brown mustard (Dijon, spicy or horseradish)

1 tbs lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients. 

Use as a dipping sauce for fishless filets or crabless cakes.

Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Bread

With tomorrow being Mothers Day I wanted to make something to bring to my moms for brunch tomorrow. I ended up making this delicious cinnamon and sugar bread. It was fairly simple to make. I love how my whole house smelled like cinnamon while it baked in the oven. My mouth was seriously watering. Cinnamon is one of my favorite flavors and the swirls of cinnamon sugar are just perfect in this bread. It's perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I hope you give it a try. 

Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Bread 

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tbs cinnamon

1/2 cup room temperature organic vegan 

butter (I always use Earth Balance)

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

1/2 cup organic sugar 

1 tsp organic vanilla extract 

1 flax egg (combine 1 tbs ground flax meal with 3 tbs water, let set for 5 minutes)

1 cup vegan buttermilk (mix 1 tbs lemon juice with 1 cup non dairy milk, I used plain almond milk, and let sit for 10 minutes)

Cinnamon Sugar:

1/2 cup organic sugar

1 tbs cinnamon 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350*F 

Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan

In a large cup whisk together 1tbs lemon juice with 1 cup plain almond milk. Set aside 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine 1 tbs ground flax meal with 3 tbs water and let set for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.set aside. 

In a large bowl cream together your butter, sugars and vanilla using an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy. Next add in your vegan buttermilk and flax egg. Once well combined add in the flour and fold in with a spatula. Do not over mix. Batter will be lumpy. 

Make your cinnamon and sugar topping

Spread half of the batter into your prepared pan. 

Top with half of your cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Swirl into the batter then spread out the top. 

Top with remaining batter. Swirl in the rest of the cinnamon and sugar. Even out the top. 

Bake 45-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

I hope you enjoy!!