Goodbye Google? Blog Relocation Update

It's been awhile, right?

I am actually a bit sheepish to admit that it's not so much due to any deliberate intention to neglect Blogspot, but mainly because my posts have not been carrying over from Wordpress as initially planned.
As the mirror settings do appear to be accurate (& I've been a bit overwhelmed with Spring activity), I really cannot say exactly why it's not working or spend much time trying to fix any problems at present. As such, it seems a far more time efficient endeavour for me to simply post a link here to redirect readers to my regularly active blog.
To be completely frank, I have actually been more than ready to abandon this final scrap of my relationship with Google anyway. Considering such, this little mishap seems like a wonderful indication from the Universe that it may very well be high time for me to commit fully to Wordpress and not worry too much about the cross-posting thing...

A lot has been happening:

•  My raw/vegan "butter"/margarine recipe was just featured on two great blogs (including the fabulous Vegan Bloggers Unite!), whilst having been hailed as "the holy grail of butter" by another enthusiastic blogger (she wasn't even vegan, so I know it's a real crowd-pleaser across the board), which made me smile...
• I celebrated 23 years of being vegan, right along with my birthday (which also coincides with "Cinco de Mayo"). The recipes shared in my commemorative post are a reflection of all elements.
• I started juicing again, experimenting with leftover pulp, and am now bracing myself for my very very first online giveaway for those who wish to participate in "Juicy June" along with me!  

...and I have so much more to share!

Perhaps I shall retry the mirroring thing between sites sometime in future, but at present I feel it best to simply focus my efforts and energy into making the Wordpress blog at http://RawVeganista.com the very best it can be. I truly am delighted with the outcome of my site's redesign which I feel is more attractive than blogspot, easier to navigate, and far more pleasant for me to post and share from virtually anywhere. It's even browsable by category & I have implemented a course layout for the recipe menu! =)

I sincerely hope that all who have followed me here will continue to support my work by subscribing to my posts via Wordpress (toolbar), Networked Blogs, and/or Bloglovin. Soon I will set up a way for subscription via email as well, since several readers have queried regarding such an option.

I will also continue to update my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, & Pinterest accounts as often as possible - and of course I am now on Bleat.

Thanks to everyone for showing so much love and enthusiasm for my work and life's mission! Ⓥ♡★

Autumn Butternut Squash Curry

Autumn Curried Butternut Squash with Parsnip & Hempseed "Rice"

            Curry Mixture

½ Butternut squash, peeled and chopped
Green peppers (any type - I used chilis)
Chipotle chili peppers
2 Green Onions (optional)
1 clove or scape Garlic (optional)
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1½ tsp Celtic sea salt (or to taste)
Spices (as desired):
Cinnamon
Cilantro
Nutmeg
Curry powder (I used a combination of a traditional HOT curry, Rajma Masala, and Punjabi Chana Masala - all non-irradiated)*
H2O as needed

Place ingredients into Vitamix & begin processing at low speed, pressing in with tamper and gradually adding small amounts of water to aid viscosity in mixture.

Parsnip & Hempseed Herbed "Rice"

1 lb parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp hemp seeds
¼ tsp Celtic sea salt
Pinch of cumin
Juice from ½ lime (lemon works well also)
1 Tbsp Udo's Omega 3•6•9/DHA oil
Cilantro, chopped finely

1. Pulse blend parsnips, hemp seeds, cunin, & salt in food processor until mixture reaches a consistency similar to that of rice.
2. Transfer out into mixing bowl, along with Udo's oil, chopped herbs, and lime (or lemon) juice.
3. Mix together by hand until well combined.

 

 * Alternate variation for chili 

To make Autumn-spiced chili (in lieu of curry), simply omit curry spices in top portion of recipe and use powdered chili blend instead. One may also wish to create a more chili-esque texture by folding in sunflower seed "meat" or almond "taco meat" by hand after processing. 

Fava Beans: Fabulous Iftari Feasting

What a wonderful treat to have found a big pile of fava beans (amongst other goodies) in my farm delivery this past week! It had likely been an entire year since having had any legumes at all, so I was excited to see these pretty little gems nestled amongst piles and piles of kale...

It took me a few days to actually come to terms with breaking open pods to awaken sleepy little beans, but once I began to shell them I felt my heart begin to smile.

They were so cute in their soft, fuzzy little pod beds; still clinging to their umbilical growth lines. Such little things may often go unnoticed in most kitchens, but for some reason I still find so much delight in these seemingly insignificant discoveries!

Once the childlike Beans of Fava had been uncovered and released from their cushy pod-beds, I was then faced with the task of making them go farther than I had initially imagined. The pods themselves make up a huge bulk of "who" they appear to be upon harvesting, but once shelled the little beans are substantially lesser in volume. As such, I opted to make one small salad and use the rest for a true bean hummous to serve with dates for Iftar.
Here's what I came up with:

Fava Bean Salad

Fava Bean Hummous-filled Medjool Dates

Let The Sun Shine

My raw vegan answer to the delicious & fondly remembered Sunshine Burger!

All organically grown & locally sourced ingredients: sunflower seeds, dinosaur kale, carrot, parsley, scallions, garlic, raw (unpasteurised) almonds, dulse flakes, kelp granules, Vitamineral Green, cayenne, olive oil, Celtic sea salt. Topped with sliced heirloom tomatoes, homemade raw pickles, sliced jalapeños & chopped scallions.

Served over a bed of romaine lettuce on red cabbage leaf.