We've Moved!!!

The Badass Vegetarian has moved to a better home. You can find me here. The new layout is supreme and offers much more for everyone. I hope everyone enjoys the upgrade!

Sincerely,

Lauren

How to Wash Your Shoes

I have quite a few pairs of stinky, dirty, muddy shoes. I've been trying to find a good way to wash them. Wouldn't you know that vinegar is the way to do it? That wonderful, pungent, liquid with 1001 uses has one more.

This works for most canvas and cloth shoes as well as Tom's.

The Face Mask You Can Eat

My friend Lauren and I tried this last night. It is a face mask made out of readily available ingredients from your fridge. You can literally eat it... I did anyways. It is a mask made out of plain unsweetened yogurt, tomato and black pepper. I took the idea from two different articles. The first one was a yogurt and tomato face mask and the second was an article listing many everyday spices for beautiful skin. I put two and two together and created a lovely face mask as well as a new appetizer that I will be featuring on the blog soon. Here's how to do it!

Healthy, Shiny, Natural Locks

I've been meaning to start writing lifestyle posts on how to make living simpler, greener and more healthy naturally. The first post here is on how to get rid of your shampoo and conditioner. Imagine how much money you could save over a lifetime without having to rely on shampoo and conditioner to feel clean. What if your hair could take care of itself? Not relying on these products increases the health of your hair, reduces your dependency on chemicals to make you clean and puts a little extra cash in your pocket.

Mexican "Refried" Black Beans

These are SO versatile! I use these in everything, seriously! You can put them in tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, make it a soup, chip dip. WHATEVER. You can do anything with them because they're so easy. And a video is soon to come for them also.

Easy Easter Quinoa Casserole

I was really curious to try this dish because quinoa is so easy and healthy. It's a grain that looks like couscous when it's cooked. I made this for Easter and every meatatarian ate some and said they liked it. That's a pretty big deal!!! It is retardedly simple to cook (easier than minute rice).

Try out this casserole for sure. It's got spinach, mushroom, cheese and quinoa. So yummy!

New Features!!!

Hey guys,

I want to let ya'll know about what I plan to do with the blog over the next six months. Firstly, I really want to get more How-Tos up and start my video blogging. The How-Tos are designed to instruct those who may not have the skills to begin cooking for themselves. Hopefully this will open doors for them to be able to cook for themselves and others.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ever wonder what REAL tomato sauce tastes like? I guarantee you it's well worth it. It's also really easy: chop, drop, walk away. I made this the first time on Valentine's Day with Brad. We poured it over some fettucine for an easy side dish. Homemade makes such a difference so at least try it. You can make double and keep the extra in the fridge for a yummy fast dinner.

How-To Chop Garlic!

I made this video for those of you who may not have the skills to begin cooking. I hope that through my videos you can learn the basics and become a master!



Enjoy my friends!

Super Easy Food

I've had some suggestions to put up recipes for super duper easy food. My friends are college kids, waiters and waitresses, touring musicians and the rest. These are the people that I am going to try and make recipes for. The first of these is the post just behind this one called The Potential of Frozen Pizza. In these posts I'm going to talk about easy shortcuts you can take to have a cheap and yummy meal.

I hope you guys enjoy the recipes to come!!!

Lauren, the BV

The Potential of Frozen Pizza

So this isn't exactly a recipe. This is an easy shortcut for making a meal. Amy's and Central Market frozen pizzas are my favorite especially the one's with spinach on top. There are lots of ways you can make an interesting, fast and healthy pizza that you don't have to feel guilty about. here are some things I put on my frozen pizzas.

Hangover Breakfast

Dad and I made this together one morning. It is a dish of farro (an ancient grain that is the ultimate in satisfaction) in a tomato sauce. You poach two eggs on top of the farro-tomato mixture in a pan. It is amazing how filling and hearty this is. This is a lumberjacks breakfast for sure. Eat this with a hot-ass cup of coffee and you're ready to go.

I stole the idea out of a magazine. The reason I'm posting it is because the magazine didn't have measurements or steps. It said farro in tomato paste with eggs poached on top. So, I feel like because I took some artistic liberties with filling out the middle that I get to pass it along to you guys. Also, because its freaking great. You're gonna love it.

Super Easy Vegetable Curry

I found this curry recipe in an Indian Cookbook my Dad has had lying around for a long time. The recipe had alot more steps that I found unnecessary. All of the essential ingredients are there but the preparation makes all of the difference. This is choc-full of delicious veggies and spices that will make your mouth water.

Starbuck's isn't evil, I promise

I've talked about coffee before in my post on how to make a great cup of joe. However I've got some advice on good organic, fair trade and shade grown varieties. All coffees I talk about are 100% Arabica beans (the good stuff). Arabica can only be grown at high altitudes and are not high yielding. However, they produce the best product. The other varieties are Robusta and Liberica are high yielding, plains-growing plants and are resistant to disease. However they have a harsh flavor that is undesirable. So go Arabica!!! (Source: Bald Mountain Coffee)

Hot Salad with Garlic and Rice Wine Vinegar

Mm, this hot salad is delicious and nutritious. It's basically the best new way to have salad. Sauteed baby greens with red onion, garlic and rice wine vinegar for a little oomph. I made this with my spanish potatoes and let me tell you, it's an awesome combination.

Spiced Up Spanish Potatoes

Oh dear god, these potatoes make me want to cream myself. They're so good. This is my take on the Spanish classic of Patatas Bravas. The name means Brave Potatoes, duh, and implies that you must be very manly to eat these potatoes because they are so hot (temperature-wise, although you could turn up the chili heat). I made them tonight and they were so effing good I have to share them, not matter how much I would like to be greedy and keep them for myself. Here you are!

Going Gluten Free

If you are or think you may be gluten intolerant (or have the more serious form called Celiac's Disease) then you need to adhere to a strict gluten free diet. I recently spent a week gluten free. I thought that I might be gluten intolerant and so I did the diet. It's not as simple as it might sound. That's why I'm making this post to inform those about what I learned through my own research.

Sorry for the long absence!

Hey guys, sorry for the long absence.

I seem to have hit the cooks version of "writers block" I have become bored or uninspired and need to expand my gaze to new horizons. In the future I am going to be learning to make bread. I have so many ideas for things to put in bread: pumpkin, squash, ginger, zucchini, carrots, garlic. Also, if you make it yourself you'll always know what's in it.

This month I'm going gluten-free as well and will be uploading some gluten free recipes. I found a brownie recipe on WholeFoods.com that I have modified to dark chocolate :) Mm, yum. As well, I will be exploring new types of grains (like farro and quino) and new ways to prepare vegetables. I hope to become reinspired very soon!!!

In the meantime, be a badass!

-Lauren

Ratatouille

This is a delicious, hearty vegetable dish. No one can resist it. There is something so completely satisfying about it. It makes you just feel warm and yummy all over!!!

The Badass Philosophy

Now that I have my first video blog post done I would like to add it here. I feel like it means more when you hear it from me personally. Here you are.

Coming Soon: How To Videos

I am going to be filming some short how-to videos on basic cooking maneuvers such as chopping and sauteeing. For the chopping, I had garlic, onions, bell peppers and carrots in mind. These are vegetables that are used very often in cooking and can be somewhat difficult to deal with. And for sauteeing, I was going to do bell peppers, garlic and onions and mirafois (also known as aromatics used in making soup).

If you have any suggestions for a how-to video please leave a comment. Eat well and be happy.

Basics of a Sandwich

Okay, it sounds kind of silly to be explaining a sandwich but to most people sandwiches mean meat and that doesn't have to be so. Forget your turkey-mayo and come to the more delicious side of sandwiches. It's time to be creative. You can have a different vegetarian sandwich every day of your life (maybe not but you get my drift).

Hot or cold. Hearty or light. Croissant or sourdough. The choices are limitless.

Whats-it Dealy Sandwich

I have no idea what to call this sandwich.... it's sort of a formula more than a specific recipe. It's hummus, cheese a leafy green vegetable (like spinach, kale or chard) on crusty sourdough bread. It's amazingly delicious. All you do is toast it until the greens wilt and the cheese melts. It's so easy!!!

This is a basic sandwich that you can add alot of things to.

Yummy Tomato Soup

I got the original recipe for this out of a cookbook. I made the original version  word for word. It turned out good but needed changing. So here is my version of this delicious yummy soup. It's a delicious, bread-dipping, soul-warming kind of soup and I hope you enjoy.