Random Vegan Love

Hello Loves!

Those of you who know me know that I can be a little... all over the place, to put it nicely.  So today I am going to embrace my inner scatterbrain and share all of the insanely random things that I am LOVING all over the web... all vegan of course.  Please forgive me for the excessive abuse of caps and exclamation points that are surely to follow.  Hope you enjoy loves :)

MATT & NAT ON PURE CITIZEN!!!!

The prices are insane and a percentage of your purchase goes to PETA.  I have blogged about my affection for Matt & Nat before, but I keep finding more and more styles that I love.  Here are some of my faves from the current sale:

Sedaris Vegan Leather Handbag in Blue, image via Pure Citizen

As if the blue color was not enough to win me over, the shape is vaguely reminiscent of the Dior bags I have been coveting since I was about 12... but way more awesome because this bad boy is completely cruelty-free.

Muse Vegan Leather Handbag in Rust, image via Pure Citizen

A true classic... for only $66!  I love the flap, the slouchy shape, and the short strap.  This bag is my definition of perfection... swoon.  The ideal investment piece, and it is not even really an investment!

VEGAN HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!

I have a confession.  I LOVE hot chocolate.  In all its non-vegan creamy deliciousness.  So this winter, which has been uber-cold in these parts, I have missed hot chocolate like CRAZY.  I have resisted, making gallons of coffee and tea to ease my craving.  This has not worked so well.

When I was poking around Elizabeth's Kind Cafe Blog, an awesome new-to-me blog, I came across something that has completely changed my life (OK, I am being dramatic, but it made me REALLY really happy) - an amazing delicious creamy sweet yummy warm VEGAN hot chocolate recipe!!!!!!  (Even the excessive use of exclamation points does not capture how great my joy was)  And it is so incredibly easy to make, I feel foolish that I ever mourned the loss of delicious hot chocolate in my vegan life.  I can be very silly.  Here is a link to Elizabeth's recipe, which I changed ever so slightly.  My recipe is:

• 3 cups soy, rice, or almond milk (I have had great success with Earth Balance Soy Milk, my favorite thing on earth after my husband/family/kittens.  Yes it is that good.)
• 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
• A generous squirt of agave nectar (I know the chips have sugar in them, but I try not to over do it with the processed sugars, especially since I will probably consume this about 3 times a day until spring gets here...which could be August at the rate we are going.)

Put milk in a saucepan over high heat.  Heat through, then add chips and agave, stirring constantly until the chips melt completely into pure hot chocolate decadence.  Pour into your favorite mug, wrap yourself in a blanket, put your feet up, and enjoy your pants off!

Note:  When Elizabeth came up with this stellar recipe, she was looking to feed her two children.  So this makes enough hot chocolate for two.  So hypothetically you could half this recipe if your just want one cup... but why the heck would you?


ALICIA SILVERSTONE ROUNDS UP VEGAN BLOGGERS!!!!

The Kind Life is truly one of the greatest vegan websites there is, with awesome recipes, product recommendations, and advice for being a healthy, happy vegan.  This week Alicia asked for Kind Bloggers to alert her so she could share more vegan blogs on her website.  The response has been incredible, and now I have a Google Reader full of awesome vegan blogs.  You can see them all if you check out the comments on this post.  Here are some of the ones I cannot get enough of:


animal friendly.me

I instantly, unequivocally trust any one who introduces me to this beauty.  image via animalfriendly.me

This fellow vegan fashion site is written by the completely fabulous Ciara Peter, and I love it because she succeeds brilliantly at what all vegan fashionistas strive for - living cruelty-free without sacrificing an ounce of style.  She also covers everything from cosmetics to lingerie, so you are sure to find excellent guidance for any question that you may have. 

Oh Vaute Couture... how I love thee!  image via Chic Vegan

Chic Vegan

I promise I do not simply like this blog because of its clever name (sound familiar? :)  The site has a collection of bloggers, so they cover all sorts of awesome topics, from how to improve your complexion to excellent monthly roundups of vegan and ethical fashion. 

VEGAN CHILI THAT SOME OF THE MEAT EATERS IN YOUR LIFE WILL LOVE!!!!

image via the kitchn

I am going to be honest.  For my husband and I, the biggest challenge in our marriage so far has been finding, something, anything, that both of us will eat.  So far corn chips, salsa, and guacamole are really our only points of overlap.  Delicious?  Yes.  Enough to sustain ourselves with?  No (Although some days we try).  So when I came across this chili recipe on the kitchn, I had high hopes.  Victor loves chili, and this recipe claims to taste meaty.  So I decided to give it a try on Super Bowl Sunday, chili's biggest day of the year.  I bought Daiya cheese and Tofutti Sour Cream.  It was a vegan spectacular.

...and Victor hated it. 



However, the other non-vegans in my life, my parents, who are far less fussy, LOVED the chili.  And so did I.  It had a heartiness that is perfect for this frigid winter weather.  I simply made it vegan by using agave nectar instead of the honey.  And I mixed things up a little by using black beans, red kidney beans, and cannelloni beans.  It was like a bean fiesta!  I hope you like it more than Victor did :)

And finally...

A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF VEGAN SHOE AND BAG BRANDS ON GIRLIE GIRL ARMY!!!!

Look no further, all of your vegan accessory dreams have been met!  Chloe Jo did an excellent job of rounding up the most coveted cruelty-free brands so being vegan never means having to sacrifice.  Enjoy!

Loves, I think that is all the randomness I have in me for today.  I hope you enjoyed this crazy long post.  Also, I would LOVE to hear if you have any favorite vegan blogs/brands/recipes that you cannot live without!  I am always on the lookout. 

xoxo

PS - If you buy a Matt & Nat bag, send me pictures!