I have always love this weekend, even as a child. To me, it is the last weekend of Summer. Fall is just around the corner on September 23rd. Fall is my favorite season, which I mention before. Labor Day weekend to me, is a big deal in the Midwest. It the end of summer nights and weekends at the Lake. It is the brace yourself for cold temperatures and snow in two months. It's that last weekend to sun bathe before they shut down all pools. It is also if you are in Kansas City, the first weekend to get Boulevard's Bob's 47-their Oktoberfest beer, which is amazing. I have such great memories sitting with my friends at the Foundry. This place is freaking amazing. Also has great vegetarian and vegan options. Just saying, their Vegan BLT is pretty amazing. Down in Florida, to me, it more like OMG thank you...it's Football season!
Labor Day weekend is also a weekend that I would watch the Jerry Lewis Telethon. This year they are teaming up with ABC and it should be amazing. This is something that I hold near and dear because I know of someone was affected and help by this telethon.
Labor Day weekend in my family is my Sister-in-laws birthday, usually, since her birthday usually falls in that time. It is also my late Grandfather's as well.
So as you can, see Labor Day weekend means many things to me. What am I doing this weekend. Well, there is one thing for such I will be doing this weekend, and it is relaxing. With that being said, I leave you with my favorite clip from the movie Frozen. I just love Olaf!!!
Be Safe and have a great weekend folks. I will be back soon with something food relate from my holiday weekend.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
"Beefy" BBQ
That's right, you heard me correctly. I love BBQ! It's complete comfort food for me. For me, it's the flavors. After living in the Kansas City (a.k.a KC) Metro for a few years, I really began to appreciate good BBQ. In KC, you have so many wonderful legendary BBQ places and to name just a few Gates BBQ, Arthur Bryant's, Oklahoma Joe's, and Jack Stack BBQ. (Also, there are many more great bbq places in KC. These are just a few that happen to be the most popular ones. If you want, do a quick Google search and you will find many more.) For more information about Kansas City BBQ and Style of BBQ, click here.
Well, I felt inspired to try to make a vegan BBQ while shopping recently at Publix. After experience KC BBQ, I found myself a bit frustrated that I couldn't find any KC brands or style BBQ sauce. I even talked out loud to myself staying, "What, no Kansas City style BBQ sauces...Where's the Gates or Arthur Bryant's..." Little did I realize, there was a Publix employee there stocking a shelf who suggested KC Masterpiece. Nothing against KC Masterpiece, but it does not hold a flame close to some of my favorite local BBQ sauce. (Yes, KC Masterpiece was found in KC over 30 years ago, but I am comparing it to other KC local sauces that are my PERSONAL favorite.)
I was in produce and looked at the baby Bella mushrooms they had in the store. That's when the light bulb went off. "Beefy" BBQ with mushrooms! Well, ladies and gentlemen. I shall let you fan yourselves and clutch your pearls. Scandals, I know! How do you even get close to that BBQ flare, well, check out this recipe below.
"Beefy" BBQ with Mushrooms
1 package of baby bella mushrooms; can buy pre-cut to save time
1 package of Boca crumbles or other fake meat crumbles of choice. You will use half of the bag.
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Garlic powder
Onion, or if out of fresh, use onion powder
Pinch of salt
Your favorite bbq blend of seasoning -I used a few Penzeys spices I have
Liquid Smoke, several good dashes (yes it's vegan)
Your favorite hamburger buns, toppings your like on your bbq such as pickles, onions, french fries even.
First, get your saute pan/pot HOT!!! Yes, I said hot. We are cooking this with no oil....SAY WHAT! Fact, one tablespoon of oil equals 120 calories of pure fat. It is possible to cook all food without oil. Here's a great video from Youtube, on how to do this without oil. Meanwhile waiting for your hot pan, dice your mushrooms if you did not buy them pre-cut. After you get your pan hot and mushrooms diced, you can test the heat level out by dropping a little water into it. If the water quickly sizzles up, it's ready. Add your mushrooms into your pan and season your mushrooms. This is when you add several dashes of liquid smoke. It's what kicks it up a notch. Make sure you stir it up little bit to help it cook even.
Your mushrooms naturally release water while they are cooking, but if they begin to stick, add a small amount of water to the pan to prevent the sticking. Cook and stir the mushrooms for minimum 5 minutes. You are watching for the water to release and the mushrooms to cook down. Once they have reduced, add the Boca crumbles. You are going to use about half of the bag. After about a minute or so, add your BBQ sauce and stir.
After this point your want to start warming up your hamburger buns. I usually warm mine up in the toaster oven for a small amount of time to just warm the bread. I don't want it to be toast. After the "beefy"mushroom mix has had a chance to warm all the way through, plate and enjoy your yummy creation. I plated mine below with homemade french fries and a pickle. Yum, Yum!
Well, I felt inspired to try to make a vegan BBQ while shopping recently at Publix. After experience KC BBQ, I found myself a bit frustrated that I couldn't find any KC brands or style BBQ sauce. I even talked out loud to myself staying, "What, no Kansas City style BBQ sauces...Where's the Gates or Arthur Bryant's..." Little did I realize, there was a Publix employee there stocking a shelf who suggested KC Masterpiece. Nothing against KC Masterpiece, but it does not hold a flame close to some of my favorite local BBQ sauce. (Yes, KC Masterpiece was found in KC over 30 years ago, but I am comparing it to other KC local sauces that are my PERSONAL favorite.)
I was in produce and looked at the baby Bella mushrooms they had in the store. That's when the light bulb went off. "Beefy" BBQ with mushrooms! Well, ladies and gentlemen. I shall let you fan yourselves and clutch your pearls. Scandals, I know! How do you even get close to that BBQ flare, well, check out this recipe below.
"Beefy" BBQ with Mushrooms
1 package of baby bella mushrooms; can buy pre-cut to save time
1 package of Boca crumbles or other fake meat crumbles of choice. You will use half of the bag.
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Garlic powderOnion, or if out of fresh, use onion powder
Pinch of salt
Your favorite bbq blend of seasoning -I used a few Penzeys spices I have
Liquid Smoke, several good dashes (yes it's vegan)
Your favorite hamburger buns, toppings your like on your bbq such as pickles, onions, french fries even.
First, get your saute pan/pot HOT!!! Yes, I said hot. We are cooking this with no oil....SAY WHAT! Fact, one tablespoon of oil equals 120 calories of pure fat. It is possible to cook all food without oil. Here's a great video from Youtube, on how to do this without oil. Meanwhile waiting for your hot pan, dice your mushrooms if you did not buy them pre-cut. After you get your pan hot and mushrooms diced, you can test the heat level out by dropping a little water into it. If the water quickly sizzles up, it's ready. Add your mushrooms into your pan and season your mushrooms. This is when you add several dashes of liquid smoke. It's what kicks it up a notch. Make sure you stir it up little bit to help it cook even.
Your mushrooms naturally release water while they are cooking, but if they begin to stick, add a small amount of water to the pan to prevent the sticking. Cook and stir the mushrooms for minimum 5 minutes. You are watching for the water to release and the mushrooms to cook down. Once they have reduced, add the Boca crumbles. You are going to use about half of the bag. After about a minute or so, add your BBQ sauce and stir.
After this point your want to start warming up your hamburger buns. I usually warm mine up in the toaster oven for a small amount of time to just warm the bread. I don't want it to be toast. After the "beefy"mushroom mix has had a chance to warm all the way through, plate and enjoy your yummy creation. I plated mine below with homemade french fries and a pickle. Yum, Yum!
I hope you have enjoy this yummy food post. Please comment if you tried this out. I loved to get your feed back on this.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
For the love of Football
If there is one thing I look forward to in the fall season is football. I was brought up by my parents to love all things that is holy for the love of the Super Bowl and the Heisman Trophy. Lets start off with College Football and end with yummy food.
I love college football for rivalry. Growing up in Florida, I was raised to be a Gator girl. I also neglected to mention previously, I love UM-GO Blue because my family in Michigan. I looked forward to every November when it would be UF vs. FSU. I can recall the glory days in the early 2000s when we had Rex Grossman for QB and Todd Johnson on defense. Those were glorious days for UF. Now in 2010, Monster and I relocated from sunny Florida to the Midwest, Kansas City to be exact, for his job. There living in a boarder city to boarder states did I get to really experience college sports rivalry. KU vs. Mizzou....Oh the rivalry; the Boarder Wars game was one of the oldest rival games that ran from 1891 until 2011. I recall shopping in Hy-Vee and seeing the isles filled with so many thing geared to either University of Kansas or University of Missouri. I worked in one of the malls there in Kansas City when we first moved there and every Saturday I worked, hundreds of people wore their college shirts proudly. KU, Mizzou, Huskers, Hogs, Sooners, the Hawkeyes, and more. It is this pride and sense of loyalty I love about college football. So why the Jayhawks? Simply, my co-worker at the mall job goes to KU and after taking a tour of the campus, I fell in love with the school. Lawerence, KS is an awesome town and I wish my college town was that cool...but it wasn't.
Pro football is pride for your city if you have a team there or the closest one to you. So let's knock out the obvious reason why I will root for the Kansas City Chiefs....because I lived there for a few years. Now I am sure you can guess why I also cheer on the Lions, because of my family ties to Detroit. It is religion in my house to always watch on Thanksgiving the Lions play...even if they lose the game, you must watch it. With the track record they have, I am a sad fan at times. I was not always a Miami Dolphins fan. You can thank my Monster for that. Growing up, for me, my family would cheer the Bucs on if they were winning. After Tony Dungy left, I stopped watching them as close. After Monster and I were married, I became a Dolphins fans for good reasons. Sunday football is like breathing and religion for my soul. I look forward to sitting in front of the T.V and watching my games. My goal this year is to teach my nephew who is 14 months to say, "Go Dolphins", by the end of the season. We'll see how that goes.
But what makes football and football season better than beer...FOOD!!! Food is so pivotal. We as a nation center so many things around food. Who says you cannot have a sporting game and have healthy and tasty vegan and plant strong food? On Sundays, I'm always in the kitchen trying to make new recipes to enjoy. I'm lucky that my Monster and my brother-in-law are always up to try my latest creations. Some of my favorite things to eat are dips. I love hummus! We always have it in our house. Last year, I made several dips that went over well. Black bean hummus, edamame hummus, and vegan spinach artichoke dip. Below are links different recipes you might want to give a try. I found my edamame hummus recipe last year on Buzzfeed. Also, please don't hesitate to modify these recipes to your taste. I'm not a fan of Dayia cheese or other imitation fake cheese and will normally omit them from all recipes. If you are short on time and don't want to cook, don't forget the classic chips and salsa, hummus and pretzels, and guacamole...or sub sandwich run.
~With love, Bunny_Pops~
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Bunny takes over the World
Welcome to Bunny takes over the World!! I am your author host, Bunny_Pop. For quite some time, I have been encourage to blog about my life. Let's start...here I will set the stage....
I follow a plant strong diet...in simple terms, yes...I am a vegan. Three years ago, I was obese. My BMI was almost 40%! Yikes!!! I was knocking on the door for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other possible diet related health issues such as cancer. I was leaving LAX from a great Memorial Day vacation with my husband and I could barely buckle the seat belt on the airplane. It was embarrassing. Prior to this trip, my primary care and I had a talk about if I wanted to have children one day, I was doom for a high risk pregnancy.
After I got back from this trip, I started dieting, but it was still like a yo-yo. I lost 30lbs by September 2011, but started putting the weight back on. April 2012, my husband (who I will refer to as Monster) and I watched Forks Over Knives. We didn't know what this was about, but we wanted to educate ourselves. After we watched that documentary, we took the 30 day challenge to be plant strong. In those first 30 days, I lost 10-15lbs and Monster lost 20-25lbs.
Fast Forward 2 years later, here we are still plant strong. I have lost almost 90lbs! I have gone from a size 22/24 pants to wearing 12/14 pants depending the cut. Monster has lost over 130lbs!!! We both regularly workout 5-6 times a week doing cardio, strength training, and yoga. Our Saturday workout treat is Orange theory. Now folks, this is another tangent that I will save for another day. I am still not done with my weight loss and have 19lbs to go until I hit my desire weight. One thing you will never hear from me is shamming. I will not put anyone down. I am Social Worker by day, and am an empathetical person. Yay for Social Work!!
With my plant strong life style, I can tell you food never gets boring for me. I am always looking for new recipes and ideas for cooking. Some of my favorites types of food to eat are Indian, Thai, and Mexican. One of my favorite things to get since I live in South Florida, is Jamaican Patties! Love my Soya andVeggie Patties from the Golden Krust! Plus there are great vegan food vendors at farmer's Markets, such as Via Vegan, who make some of the best veggie Roti I have had! Oh man, now I'm craving that...
So Folks, stay tune to this blog. At times, it will be more food base but I will throw in others delights from time to time. Hey, football season is right around the corner and I will be cheering on my teams. Yes I said teams; I am a Dolphins, Lions, and Chiefs fan. I will explain later how I can be a fan of all three. Plus, don't forget college football. Go Gators and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
~With love Bunny_Pop~
I follow a plant strong diet...in simple terms, yes...I am a vegan. Three years ago, I was obese. My BMI was almost 40%! Yikes!!! I was knocking on the door for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other possible diet related health issues such as cancer. I was leaving LAX from a great Memorial Day vacation with my husband and I could barely buckle the seat belt on the airplane. It was embarrassing. Prior to this trip, my primary care and I had a talk about if I wanted to have children one day, I was doom for a high risk pregnancy.
After I got back from this trip, I started dieting, but it was still like a yo-yo. I lost 30lbs by September 2011, but started putting the weight back on. April 2012, my husband (who I will refer to as Monster) and I watched Forks Over Knives. We didn't know what this was about, but we wanted to educate ourselves. After we watched that documentary, we took the 30 day challenge to be plant strong. In those first 30 days, I lost 10-15lbs and Monster lost 20-25lbs.
Fast Forward 2 years later, here we are still plant strong. I have lost almost 90lbs! I have gone from a size 22/24 pants to wearing 12/14 pants depending the cut. Monster has lost over 130lbs!!! We both regularly workout 5-6 times a week doing cardio, strength training, and yoga. Our Saturday workout treat is Orange theory. Now folks, this is another tangent that I will save for another day. I am still not done with my weight loss and have 19lbs to go until I hit my desire weight. One thing you will never hear from me is shamming. I will not put anyone down. I am Social Worker by day, and am an empathetical person. Yay for Social Work!!
With my plant strong life style, I can tell you food never gets boring for me. I am always looking for new recipes and ideas for cooking. Some of my favorites types of food to eat are Indian, Thai, and Mexican. One of my favorite things to get since I live in South Florida, is Jamaican Patties! Love my Soya andVeggie Patties from the Golden Krust! Plus there are great vegan food vendors at farmer's Markets, such as Via Vegan, who make some of the best veggie Roti I have had! Oh man, now I'm craving that...
So Folks, stay tune to this blog. At times, it will be more food base but I will throw in others delights from time to time. Hey, football season is right around the corner and I will be cheering on my teams. Yes I said teams; I am a Dolphins, Lions, and Chiefs fan. I will explain later how I can be a fan of all three. Plus, don't forget college football. Go Gators and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
~With love Bunny_Pop~
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