what to do with leftover... CITRUS PEELS

1. juiced a lemon and now left with an empty shell? then clean! sprinkle some baking soda on a greasy nasty mess and rub it with the lemon half.  smells great and non-toxic! you can also add salt as an extra abrasive!  (just be careful on delicate surfaces!)

2. compost! contrary to popular belief, YOU CAN ADD CITRUS PEELS TO YOUR COMPOST! i don't know who started the myth that you couldn't, but many a gardening site says that doing so is JUST FINE. you just don't want an entire compost pile made up of mostly citrus.

3. does your garbage disposal smell like old feet and rot?  throw in a few citrus peels and turn it on!

4. i haven't tried this, but a friend of mine swears that if you take a dingy glass coffee pot and  throw in some salt, ice, and leftover lemon peels and mix it up for a bit, your coffee pot will look sparkling clean when you rinse it!  

5.  aromatics! simmer some lemon peels in water!  mmm lemony fresh! want a stronger smell? simmer orange peels and cinnamon sticks (and cloves if you got em!) in water, and your house will smell AMAZING. this will also clean out any old gunky stains you may have in your pot while you simmer!

6. dry for potpourri!  ugh... somehow, every time i try to type potpourri, i type poopourri... anyway!  

7. rub a juiced lemon shell on a cutting board to freshen it up! it also removes stains and sanitizes!

8. one cup of leftover citrus peels + 750ml of vodka in a jar = awesome. (you want it to sit in a cool, dark place for a week to make sure to really get the flavor in there!) for a sweeter recipe, try THIS.

9. cleaning spray! put leftover lime, lemon, or orange peels in a jar and cover them with three cups of white vinegar.  let this mixture sit for about two weeks in a dark place.  dilute the mixture when you are ready to use in a clean spray bottle. spray and clean! (you really only need about one cup of the peel mixture per spray bottle when you go to dilute it!)

10.  start a fire! from what i have been told, dried citrus peels make a great addition to kindling.

11. clean that funky cheese grater... take your left over juiced lemon and rub it on your grater.. all the gunked up stuff should come right off and it should rinse nicely.

12. zest and DRY (spread out on a clean paper towel and to let it dry out)!  you can freeze it for later use or add zest to pepper or salt for an amazing seasoning!

13. orange sugar scrub!  there is an amazing recipe HERE.  check it out.  your skin will love you.


14. make candied orange peels!  i don't have a favorite recipe for this, but THIS ONE is pretty nice.  you can also dip the finished "candy" in dark chocolate for an extra yummy kick!

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR LEFTOVER PEELS?!

love artsy anthropology?! WOOHOO! NEW STUFF! SALE!

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everything from wristlets to scarves to ooak clutches 

that will totally cute you to death!

use code NEWSTUFF for 10% off!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/artsyanthropology

speaking of new vegans.... A VALENTINE'S DAY GIVEAWAY!

did any of you make a new year's resolution to go vegetarian or vegan?

think you might miss all the junk food?

worried about chocolate cravings?

afraid that your valentine's day might suck?

YOU ARE WRONG.

one lucky reader is going to win 

some of my favorite vegan chocolates

from rose city chocolatier!

woohoo!

the giveaway will run until 11:59EST on february 3rd!

(valentine's day just got better, right?!)

the winner will receive either 

a 16 piece vegan valentine's selection, 

or a 16 piece vegan chocolate truffles genevieve box... 

their choice!

drooling yet?

if not, take a look at some of my favorites..

Mandarin Cream

A silky infusion of fresh mandarin and light cream 

molded in premium vegan dark chocolate

Hazelnut Heart

Rich vegan dark chocolate hazelnut cream 

is molded in a beautifully shaped heart 

and wrapped in red foil

Truffles Genevieve Açaí Berry

A sprinkle of raw sugar crystals dress up this 
vegan truffle center that is flavored with natural 
Açaí Berry. The berry adds a hint of tartness 
to the finish. A very fresh and tantalizing flavor.

Peanut Butter

Rich creamy peanut butter is molded in a 
gorgeous peanut shaped shell of intense 
dark vegan chocolate.

and there are many more!

YUMMY!

i love this stuff! vegan, gorgeous, and delicious...
and it doesn't cost any more than the non-vegan chocolates out there!

overall score:

 5/5

now for the important stuff...

this giveaway is open to residents in the continental USA 

who are 18 years of age or old 

(or 13 and older with parents permission!)

also...

i am trying out a new giveaway platform... 

let me know if you like it in a comment after you filled it out!

thanks!

Entry-Form

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How To Go VEGAN (an article by the NYT)

wanting to go vegan? don't know how?!

the new york times has recently published an article on how to do so.

(thanks, cari, for showing it to me!!)

the article is mostly about ways to substitute your favorite foods with vegan options.

it covers everything from soy milk, non-dairy cheeses, omitting eggs, 

and trying out nutritional yeast.

nutritional yeast is one of my favoritest things on the planet.

if there ARE any of you thinking about making a switch to a vegan diet,

my first suggestion is usually NOT to replace everything all at once.
i would push you to try to eat more fruits and veggies and nuts first--

then try out the processed substitutes later.  

get your body used to eating different foods or you won't last a week.

for the die-hard meat-a-tarians (haha), get used to eating salads and 

learn how to prepare tofu in different ways. 

if you drop all meat and try to go directly to greenery 

without ever having really eaten any veggies before, 

you will CRAVEEEEE your meaty flesh and give up.

we don't want that!

add extra portions of vegetables as you decrease your meat and dairy intake.

slowly incorporate tofu and tempeh, 

and try out some exotics grains like couscous and quinoa.

silken tofu is just one type you can experiment with

your transition will be MUCH easier.  

there will be less cravings 

because you are eating food you already are used to 

and enjoy.

one more thing i would like to mention is that 

NOT ALL TOFU IS CREATED EQUAL.

try out different brands, textures, and recipes before you decide that you hate the bean curd.

i cannot tell you how many people tell me they hate tofu, 

but then try something i have made and like it.

i personally do not care too much for nasoya brand, 

but i will use it if that is all that is available.

it is really a matter of personal taste!

happy veganizing!

p.s.

feeling lost? 

ask a friend! heck, ask me!

i will be more than happy to talk to you about my own transition into veganism 

and the things i struggled with personally.  

send me an email!

last year's valentine's whatever cupcakes

i posted this on another blog last year. just wanted to give you the recipe from the book i used 
and show you that you can improvise on a whim if you are desperate enough.

let us see…

i have the bare-bare-bare minimum of ingredients in my cabinet, and i want to make SOMETHING for valentine's day.

i have vegan cupcakes take over the world, an amazing recipe book that i’m going to try to use here. “your basic chocolate cupcake” looks like a winner.  here is the recipe, word-for-word:

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. preheat oven to 350F and line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. add in two batches to the wet ingredients and beat till no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are okay).

3. pour into liners, filling three-quarters of the way. bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

somehow, i manage to have all the ingredients for cupcakes, but i have no frosting, no shortening, no jimmies… nothing.  i have about half a bag of confectioner’s sugar.  

what the hell.

to make a jacked-up, but quick buttercream, i beat together 2 cups (the rest of the bag) of the conf. sugar, half a stick of earth balance, approx. 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of soy moo, and a dash of sugar-free white chocolate syrup that i happened to have in my cabinet.
it was definitely NOT as thick and nice as it would have been if i had shortening, but it was yummy, and it would do.

fucking great… i forgot that my piping bag was toast.  i ended up taking a ziplock baggie and putting it into a drinking glass with the ends folded over. i scooped the buttercream into that, sealed it, and cut the corner of the bag.  yeh, ghetto, but whatever... works great.

as for toppings, i had enough flour and half a bag of chocolate chips to make a very tiny batch of cookies.

the end result?