MY 1ST VEGAN MEETUP

Happy Friday, Lovelies!


A couple of weeks ago, I attended a great meetup. I love meetup groups. They're a great way to meet people and learn something new about whatever it is your interested in. You can gain experience, a new bff, a business connection, conquer a fear, get educated on a topic, meet the love of your life, etc etc. This particular meetup, Atl Vegan Drinks, is a vegan group, that's open to vegans, vegetarians, transitioners, or the "just curious".

"ATL Vegan Drinks is a new monthly meetup in Atlanta. By bringing together a diverse group of people, we hope to expand and support the local vegan community. It's also a chance to have fun and make new friends."

The first meetup was held at Sauced restaurant. And did they have a great menu for all the participants.

I honestly was expecting side dishes but they obviously blew those thoughts out of the water. The restarant was contacted prior to the event to see if they would provide vegan dishes for the meetup. And boy, did they.




BBQ Seitan Slider

 This was a very delicious. The seitan was great and the sauce had a nice heat to it.




Cheez plate
I got a little caught up and began eating this dish before I remembered to take a picture. Lol.

This plate was sooooo good. It included cashew goat "cheez", spiced pecan "pimento", red onion jam, sliced gala apples, & house made sesame crackers. I wasn't big on the cashew goat, but everything else on here was delicious. The red onion jam's taste totally surprised me. It was definitely a sweet treat. The spiced pecan "pimento" was AWESOME.  
 



Krog Tunnel Revenge cocktail

I love a great cocktail. So I was quite eager to try this one.  Especially when I saw that it had some chai tea in it. My favorite! So I just knew I was gonna love it. It's ingredients were aquavit, cabbagetown chai tea, pineau des charentes, edgewood gardens mint, gees brothers orange bitters. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling this one. It had a slight licorice taste to it. Me no likey. I'm a fan of the sweet & strong cocktail. =)  
I really had a great time at the meetup. I was even more impressed when I saw that you can call a restaurant and ask (very nicely) if they can offer any vegan dishes for your visit there.
 
So if you live in the Atlanta area and you're a vegetarian, vegan, or just curious & open to it, click on the link here. This will take you to the Atl Vegan facebook page where you can sign up for the next meetup which will be held at Cafe Sunflower - Buckhead.
 
Are you a member of any meetup groups? I'd love to know which ones and why you joined?
In the meantime, wishing you an awesome weekend.

Post Title → MY 1ST VEGAN MEETUP

GREEN LENTIL MASALA

Hi Gorgeous Ones!

I've been at it again. This time I finally tried my hands at preparing lentils. I've had them for awhile but was hesitant to try cooking them. Me and my overthinking. Smh. (I believe it's time to have a "ditch the overthinking" party.)




green lentils - dry

 Too my surprise, they were super easy to make. And came out so delicious.

*FYI : Most ingredients used were organic except for the lentils, curry & garlic.


Showing all ingredients except for the tomato.



By now, you all should know I love me some curry.  Yummm.


Ingredients
2 C of green lentils

4 to 5 C of water
1 tomato (diced)
½ onion
3 to 4 large cloves of garlic
2 capfuls of Masaman Curry
Salt & pepper to taste
Evoo for sautéing

Directions:


Heat about 2 tablespoons of evoo (extra virgin olive oil)  in pot. Sauté’ onions til tender. Add garlic. Stir for about 1 minute or so. Add tomatoes, lentil and water. Stir. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low.

Allow to simmer for about an hour or until the lentils are tender.

Salt & pepper to taste. And enjoy!



I absolutely loved this dish! It was so simple and extremely tasty. I definitely consider it a go-to dish because of the simplicity of it on top of its great nutritional value. Lentils are rich in protein, high in fiber and have essential amino acids, folate, other vitamins and minerals. Its a great substitute for meat. 
 
And there are so many recipes out there for lentils.  The next time I prepare it, I will be sure to add carrots, celery & green bell pepper.
 
If you've ever cooked lentils, please share your recipe. I'd love to know and expand on healthy recipes to try.

Post Title → GREEN LENTIL MASALA

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE OF THE MOMENT

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saw this quote posted on twitter by @TheCurlStation. Check out their Facebook page. There's a gorgeous photo of a retro-inspired pinup hairstyle that I will be trying as soon as they post a tutorial vid on youtube.

Do you, Lovelies!
{{Hugs}}

Post Title → GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE OF THE MOMENT

HAPPY LOVING DAY!!



The Lovings


Hello Lovelies!

I know I've been a bit mia lately, (may need a blogging vacay) but I had to drop in this quick post. I'm actually on my way to a Loving Day picnic celebration. I'm sure many of you may be wondering, "I've never heard of Loving Day. What is it about?".  So in anticipation of your thoughts, here's the deal-e-o....

The Wedding

Loving v. Virginia was an important Supreme Court case, but it was also the story of a real couple. Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in Caroline County, Virginia. They fell in love and decided to get married. Unfortunately, getting married was not as simple in 1958 as it was today. Mildred was black and Richard was white. There were laws that forbade people of different races to marry each other. This was true in many states, including Mildred and Richard's home state of Virginia. However, interracial marriage was legal in Washington, DC at that time. Therefore, they decided to drive to DC, get married, and return to Virginia to begin their life together.



This proved to be a short term solution. The law in Virginia not only forbade interracial marriage ceremonies, but it also forbade interracial couples from getting married elsewhere and returning to Virginia. One night, while they were asleep, the newly-married Lovings were awakened by the police in their bedroom. The Lovings were taken to jail for the crime of being married.






The Trial


When they went to trial, the judge found them guilty and sentenced them to a jail term of one to three years. However, the judge told the Lovings that he would suspend the sentence if they agreed to leave Virginia for a period of twenty five years. Given the choice between imprisonment and banishment, they chose banishment. The Lovings moved to Washington, DC.






The Legal Battle


The Lovings were able to live together legally in Washington, but they did not have an easy time. They faced discrimination everywhere. They were not able to rent property in most parts of the city, and they were often the target of racist taunting. Also, they were facing the emotional hardship of separation from their families. Life was both difficult and unpleasant for the Lovings in Washington. They were having difficulty supporting their children. In desperation, Mildred sent a letter to Robert F. Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States.


Mildred's letter was forwarded from the Attorney General's office to the offices of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in New York. They took interest in the Loving's case and helped them find an attorney. Two lawyers, Bernard S. Cohen and Philip J. Hirschkop, also felt that the Lovings were entitled to be married and to live in the state of their choice. They agreed to work on the Loving's case for free.


Their case went through many levels of the justice system and their appeal was denied every time. Eventually their case appeared before the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided unanimously in their favor. Finally, after nine years of struggle, the Loving won the right to live together as husband and wife in their home state. In the words of Chief Justice Earl Warren, "Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides within the individual and cannot be infringed on by the State."






The Victory

The Loving's case not only won them their freedom to love, but it also granted the same freedom to every interracial couple in every state in America. At the time of the Loving decision, sixteen states from Delaware to Texas had laws banning interracial couples. Loving v. Virginia (1967) made it illegal for these states to enforce those laws. This ended a long era of laws that were enforced in forty-two states over the course of American history. These laws did not only apply to black people and white people; many states also restricted relationships with Asians, Native Americans, Indians, Hispanics, and other ethnic groups.


The freedom to love is something most of us take for granted. Like many other freedoms, the right for interracial couples to be together was fought for and won as a part of our civil rights. Many people see this as the longest-lasting part of the legal segregation that used to rule our nation. The Lovings, like Rosa Parks, played an important role in freeing us from laws that punished people for no other reason than the color of their skin.

*information from http://www.lovingday.org/
 
 

 
Have a Wonderful & Happy Loving Day!!

Post Title → HAPPY LOVING DAY!!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE OF THE MOMENT

source

Make this moment precious and the future will take care of itself.

~Deepak Chopra

Have an awesome week!

Post Title → GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE OF THE MOMENT

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CURRY VEGGIES BEDDED ON WATERCRESS..."CHOKED" IN PARSLEY

Hi Gorgeous Ones!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! Mine was great! Although I must say that for the past couple of days I've been feeling a bit....idk, some-kinda-way, so I haven't been feeling much blogging. *shrugs* Sometimes its like that.

Anyhoo, I recently tried winging another vegan recipe. I started with my usual basics: sauteed onions & fresh garlic in evoo. Then I filled it with all sorts of veggies on hand; portabello mushrooms, sweet potatoes, zucchini, red & green bell peppers, kale & tempeh. And I added one of my fav spices - curry. Love that stuff!!

I put them on a bed of watercress- a new herb to my pantry.

Then decided to top it with parsley.

Yes, I got really excited about the parsley. Lol.

And no, I'm not that huge a fan of parsley.

What I will & won't do the next time:

Overcooking - I thought that I needed to steam the sweet potatoes but it was totally unnecessary.

Complete prepping before cook start  - I started cooking the vegetables and wasn't even finished cutting them up. Bad move. This also added to the food being overcooked.

Overuse of some herbs - Check out the amount of parsley on that plate (above pic). Lol. Nuff said.

I am definitely a fan of raw vegan foods so I understand the importance of the natural enzymes, vitamins & minerals in them. Overcooking destroys these important nutrients which are the point of eating. To feed your body, your cells so that they function properly. When you overcook your foods, they kinda lose their purpose and end up not performing as they should. Which, overtime, can lead to a malnourished bod.
Bottom line - That will not happen again.

I paired it with one of my green smoothies.

Kiwi- Pear Green Smoothie

Kiwi-Pear Green Smoothie

2 chard leaves

3 kale leaves

2 ripe kiwi

1 ripe pear

2 scoops of Ruth's Hemp Protein Powder (raw,gluten-free)

1 heaping T of organic Coconut Oil

2 T of Chia powder

1.5 - 2 C of distilled water (depends on thickness preference)

Blended all ingredients to perfection. Enjoyed some with my meal and put the rest in mason jars & refrigerated immediately.

Peace.



Post Title → CURRY VEGGIES BEDDED ON WATERCRESS..."CHOKED" IN PARSLEY

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WISHING EVERYONE A SAFE MEMORIAL DAY!!

I am grateful for all the soldiers who have sacrificed and given their lives in battle to protect us.

They are not and never will be forgotten.

Peace and blessings to you all!

Post Title → WISHING EVERYONE A SAFE MEMORIAL DAY!!

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