Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 181

m cafs vegan benedict recipe!

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Photo by Quarry Girl

A little while ago I blogged about how delicious M Café's vegan benedict is. I had asked them to make it then begged them to put it on their menu – and they did! When I posted about this dish earlier people asked if M Café would share the recipe and they were nice enough to offer it so you Kind Lifers can make it at home. It's a little involved but sooo worth it! Thanks M Café! 

I eat this every single week since I'm pregnant. Before that I just had it once in a while. But right now it's a weekly affair!

M Café's  Vegan Benedict

For 4 people

Ingredients

8 slices whole-grain sourdough bread we use a French-style baguette
16 slices Tempeh Bacon recipe follows
1/2 bunch green kale blanched
1 recipe Scrambled Tofu recipe follows
12 thin slices of ripe tomato
1.5 cups Soy Hollandaise recipe follows
Soy margarine melted for brushing
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Fresh chives minced for garnish

Steps

Toast bread slices and brush tops liberally with melted soy margarine
Place two slices side-by-side on each of four warm breakfast plates
Lay four slices of tempeh bread over the toasted bread
Divide the kale evenly into four portions and place each portion on top of the tempeh and bread making a "bed" for the scrambled tofu
Spoon the scrambled tofu evenly on top of each Benedict
Lay three overlapping slices of tomato on top of the scrambled tofu  
Season the tomato slices with sea salt and black pepper if desired
Spoon the soy hollaindaise sauce liberally over each Benedict
Garnish each plate with minced chives and serve immediately!

Tempeh Bacon

Ingredients

2 packs soy tempeh cut lengthwise into ¼ inch slices
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons dark maple syrup
½ tsp natural liquid smoke optional
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
oil for pan-frying

Steps

Place tempeh slices in shallow dish
Combine all remaining ingredients except oil and pour over tempeh. Let  marinate for at least 30 minutes before proceeding can be done overnight
Remove tempeh slices from marinade and pat dry with paper towels
Heat oil in skillet and pan-fry tempeh until brown and crisp on both sides
Keep warm until ready to use

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients

¼ cup soy margarine
1 cup onion minced
½ cup carrot shredded
1 lb super-firm tofu such as Wildwood brand crumbled
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp sea salt or to taste
½ tsp black pepper or to taste
¼ cup water
2 T green onions sliced thin

Steps

Heat soy margarine in skillet over medium heat until melted
Add onion and sauté for 1 minute
Add carrot and sauté for another minute
Add crumbled tofu turmeric salt and pepper and sauté for another minute
Raise heat to high add water bring to boil and cook until liquid is absorbed
Add sliced green onion and stir to incorporate and adjust seasoning if desired
Keep warm until ready to use

Soy Hollaindaise

Makes approximately 3.5 Cups

Ingredients

1 12 oz package silken tofu drained
8 oz soy margarine
1 cup Vegenaise
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 T agar powder not flakes
½ tsp hot sauce optional

Steps

Melt soy margarine
Puree tofu Vegenaise lemon juice turmeric sea salt white pepper and agar powder in blender
With blender running drizzle in the melted soy margarine until mixture is emulsified Keep warm until ready to use. Sauce will keep in refrigerator for a week - reheat very gently over a double-boiler 

If you live in LA you can also get this tasty treat at M Café. What's your favorite vegan breakfast?

last chance to win my complete 2010 ecotools collection!

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I have an exciting announcement about my ecoTOOLS collection! I'll be debuting a new 2011 line in April and to celebrate ecoTOOLS is giving away ten sets of my full 2010 ecoTOOLS collection pictured above. Ten winners will receive the following:

One 5-piece brush and bag set including a Blush Brush Finishing Brush Angled Eye Shadow Brush and Lash & Brow Groomer
One train case
One overnight bag
One cosmetic bag

To enter to win just tell us why you need a new set of makeup bags and brushes in the comments below! And remember if you already have good brushes don't go out and get new ones for yourself - instead give them as a gift!

Stay tuned for details about my 2011 collection. For now comment away!

prenatal yoga!

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If any of you are pregnant you absolutely must I mean no questions about it go to a great prenatal yoga class! I waited to go because I was keeping my pregnancy private. But I was dying to go!
 
I finally went at five months. And boy was I home! I missed yoga so much but knew my body wasn't feeling up to regular yoga.
 
The prenatal class I attended was taught by Rebecca. She is so great! The class made me feel so much better instantly and so connected to my baby's home – my body! Prenatal yoga is so empowering humbling and strengthening in such a gentle way. I can't wait to go back! If you're pregnant try prenatal yoga. No excuses just go! You don't have to go back if you don't like it but just try it!

valentines day is almost here!

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Last year I wrote about my first Valentine's Day with my husband and shared some romantic gift ideas. This year I want to update those suggestions and share some new ideas for creating a romantic evening eco-style!

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Start In The Kitchen
 
If you're celebrating with your special someone I'm a big proponent of cooking for him/her or even cooking a special meal together. Make a dish containing his/her favorite food and maybe try throwing in one or more of these aphrodisiac ingredients! Who knows maybe it will work?
 
If you plan to drink wine go for organic. Here are some choices that I like:

Bonterra Cabernet
Bonterra Merlot
Full Circle – Merlot
Georges Deboeuf – Beaujolais
Greenbridge – Syrah
Mark West – 2005 Pinot Noir
Bonterra Syrah – 1999
Our Daily Red - 8 – organic sulfite-free
Paraducci - Sustainable Red 2005 Mendocino County
Greenbridge - Zinfindal
Well Read Trader Joes
Vida Organica - Malbec

Set the mood with some handmade soy-based candles. Etsy has a huge selection!
 
Make A Card
 
One of the best gifts you can give is a handmade card  with a sweet message or get your deepest feelings out on there written by you not Hallmark – who doesn't love that? Use photos magazine clippings or the fronts of old cards I always save mine to make a unique card or collage.
 
You can cut out cards backings from old chipboard cereal boxes and other food packaging and glue pictures on them or draw on them if you're artsy.
 
If you have the time these ideas can also work for you mommies who want to help your little one make Valentine's Day cards for their classmates. This video has some good ideas for mommies.

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Organic Flowers
 
Local organic flowers are the healthiest choice for you and the environment. Find out where to get them here. You can also look at these sites:
 
Organicbouquet.com       
Californiaorganicflowers.com 
Diamondorganics.com   
 
If you're in New York check out Gardenia Organic Flower Shop. And if you're already planning next year's V-Day celebration try growing your own! Learn how here.
 
Sweet Treats
 
There are so many great vegan bakeries these days! Some of my favorite vegan chocolates are:

Vosges
Endangered Species Chocolate
Nicobella truffles
Missionary Chocolate
ChocAlive
Lagusta's Luscious
NibMor
Divine Treasures
Allison's Gourmet chocolates/fudge
Rescue Chocolates

If you're in LA Flore Vegan makes a good looking chocolate cake. M Café and Real Food Daily also have delicious treats!
 
Of course you can also make your own V-Day dessert! Try the Coffee Fudge Brownies from my book p. 181 or make the Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Cookies p. 187 and cut them into heart shapes before baking.

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Sexy Nighties!
 
Lots of designers are working toward making fashion cruelty-free – and they haven't forgotten to include lingerie! Embodies makes lingerie using organic cotton. If you're looking for a sassier ensemble Purrfect Pineapples and Urban Fox are cruelty-free options.
 
Flying Solo
 
If you're single invite some single friends over for a potluck! tell them each to bring someone new along with their dish – who knows where the night may lead! Or you can decide to boycott V-Day and just have a good ol' party. Even better just curl up on the couch. I'm pretty sure my husband just dumped me for a work night – which is fine because we have Valentine's Day all the time! If you appreciate and love each other all the time and spend as much quality time together as you can Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a huge deal. But if you are a festive one go for it!
 
How do you plan to spend your Valentine's Day?

dog sings and plays piano!

Check out the video I found of this musically-inclined dog!

If you have any cute animal pictures or videos you'd like to share send 'em my way! You can either private message me with a link or upload your links and/or pictures to the forum and "like" them.

oprah recaps vegan week today!

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This is fantastic news: Oprah and 378 of her staffers are committing to a vegan diet for a one-week "vegan challenge"! Even better Oprah is going to devote today's episode of "The Oprah Show" to talking about veganism including interviews with vegan activist Kathy Freston and food writer Michael Pollan as well as a behind-the-scenes look at a meat-processing plant with Lisa Ling.
 
I was honored to be asked by Oprah's producers for some behind-the-scenes help with what yummy things to eat. I am so excited that Oprah is spotlighting the issues that all of us Kind Lifers care about so much - I can't wait to hear what you think of the episode! Be sure to watch it or set your DVRs so you can record it! You can find out when the show airs where you are here. I will watch it when I return from my speaking engagements in Boston and Florida.

How do you feel about the possibilities this show will open up?

jennifer's new life

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Kind Lifer Jennifer recently shared her success story with me. After switching to a plant-based diet she experienced weight loss clear skin and clarity about life in general! Check it out:
 
"I went vegan a year and a half ago I was 21 and am 22 now because of complete frustration with not knowing how to eat what to eat and how our food industry was working.
 
I've had the usual results everyone talks about- clear skin lost 35 pounds more energy but also have found this inner peace that I have a hard time explaining to people. My head and heart are clear and there's just something about life that is calm and wonderful now. My friends say that I have life figured out - but really it's because of the way I eat. My New Year's resolution is to go superhero and I can't wait!.
 
I fully plan on following this diet for the rest of my life because it really is the very best way to live. I encourage everyone to talk about the way they eat and have even encouraged some of my friends to try it out. Life is so good!"
 
Congratulations Jennifer!

If anyone else has a success story to share private message me or post your story to the forum and "like" it. I may post it on the homepage of The Kind Life!

what to do when nothing fits!!!

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Ok so we all know that when you become pregnant you no longer fit into any of your clothes. I suddenly had nothing to wear at all! So I went to Wasteland and Crossroads my local thrift stores – or "vintage" as I like to say.

Although Wasteland is pretty pricey they have beautiful fancy stuff. They have really nice clothes – well-made fancy-pants style! Anywho I now have dresses and a sweater and sexy tops and everyday tops – and they all fit! I spent 400 and walked out with an entire new wardrobe that I will be able to wear well after I'm pregnant but that I can wear every day. I got a great sweater and tons of tops – it saved me!

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Now I just need a pair of pants. Right now I'm borrowing a pair from my friend. That's the other great thing – friends can save their stuff. My friend Liz literally has a box of maternity stuff. It's a nice small box she had collected from her other friend who was finished with it and now she's handing it off to me! How great is that system of sharing clothes? I think that will be a great way to go with baby clothes too.
 
Have any of you kind moms used hand-me-down maternity or baby clothes?

pregnancy clothes

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Ok so we all know that when you become pregnant you no longer fit into any of your clothes. I suddenly had nothing to wear at all! So I went to Wasteland and Crossroads my local thrift stores – or "vintage" as I like to say.

Although Wasteland is pretty pricey they have beautiful fancy stuff. They have really nice clothes – well-made fancy-pants style! Anywho I now have dresses and a sweater and sexy tops and everyday tops – and they all fit! I spent 400 and walked out with an entire new wardrobe that I will be able to wear well after I'm pregnant but that I can wear every day. I got a great sweater and tons of tops – it saved me!

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Now I just need a pair of pants. Right now I'm borrowing a pair from my friend. That's the other great thing – friends can save their stuff. My friend Liz literally has a box of maternity stuff. It's a nice small box she had collected from her other friend who was finished with it and now she's handing it off to me! How great is that system of sharing clothes? I think that will be a great way to go with baby clothes too.
 
Have any of you kind moms used hand-me-down maternity or baby clothes?

easy mushroom pizza!

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Vegan Pandamonium is an adorable vegan blog by University of San Francisco student Sammi. I've featured a few of her yummy looking recipes here before!

Her mushroom pizza looks easy and good and I'm flattered that it's based on my Thin Mushroom "Pizzas" recipe from The Kind Diet! Check it out:
 
Ingredients

1 pkg mushrooms sliced Sammi used 2 portabella caps
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
1 tortilla
Tofutti's herb & chive cream cheese
fresh basil

Steps

Preheat the oven to 350.
Pop the tortilla in the oven on a baking sheet and bake until crispy.
In a sauté pan over medium heat add the oil and garlic.
Next add the mushrooms.
Once they get a nice sear add the soy sauce.
Sauté another 3-4 minutes.
Spread the cream cheese onto the crisp tortilla and then top with the garlicky mushrooms.
Chop up some fresh basil to garnish on top. Cut into slices and feel free to pig out!

Looks delish! This take on my mushroom pizza isn't superhero but it's great for vegans and flirts. I definitely want to try it!