Nothing makes me happier than stir fry. For one, it’s sooo delicious. Two, it’s filling. Three? It’s ridiculously easy to make, and serves you for 2 dinners. Again, because I’m a weirdo and hate cooking meat in my tiny kitchen, this is listed without meat, but feel free to add chicken or beef if you so desire…

You need:

1 small can chunk pineapple
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
½ red onion, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced/chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup sugar snap peas/snow peas in pods
¼ cup almonds (can be omitted per allergies)
Teriyaki sauce
Soy sauce
Garlic powder

1 cup brown rice
(**1 large can chicken broth can be substituted for water if you want more flavorful rice) Read More »

After the grilled cheese post, I decided it’s only fair to advertise a favorite among my vegan buddies. A cheeseless pizza, topped with salad, is a perfect combination of appetizer and entree.

You’ll need:

½ cup mushrooms (if you don’t want to use fresh, use one can, drained)
¼ small eggplant, sliced
¼ small zucchini, sliced
¼ cup Black olives
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small can tomato sauce
¼ small onion, diced
½ red or green pepper, chopped
*season with oregano, basil, and garlic to taste
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped arugula
Balsamic vinaigrette
Wheat pitas (one per pizza)

For your own marinara: In a saucepan, heat approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown diced onion, chopped red peppers, and add tomato sauce. Season with oregano, basil, and garlic to taste, and set aside. **If you don’t feel like making your own marinara, feel free to purchase a jar of pizza sauce and use that instead to save time. Read More »

Have you seen those ads? You know, those Match.com ads? The ones where some HOT guy is “video chatting” right on your screen? If you frequent MySpace, I’m sure you’ve seen them.

Every time one of those redonkulous video ads pops up on my browser, I want to punch whoever made them in the face. Because those guys aren’t on Match.com. Those guys have never needed an online dating site to help them find a chick (or a dude, as the case may be). Those guys are hot. Those guys have fantastic smiles. Those guys are actors.

According to this little article, the success rate of the online dating industry is 22%. Of course, the ads for EHarmony and Match.com don’t want you to know that. They want you to think hot, happy people are all over their websites. They want you to pay money to find these hot, happy people with fantastic smiles.

But I gotta say, after doing my own (ahem) research, I have found the amount of hot guys on dating sites to be alarmingly low. There’s certainly no body building Brad Pitt lookalike hoping to video chat with me. There’s someone who wants to chat about how it’s cool to be a nerd or make vegan cupcakes, but sadly, this someone cannot hold a candle to those dudes in the video ads.

What do you think? Is internet dating really as easy / successful as people say? Or is it just false advertising?

Recently, some friends of mine have diagnosed themselves as lactose intolerant. One realized that milk in her coffee could result in hours of pain, the other was a lapsed vegan and spent an evening in the fetal position after reintroducing dairy to her routine. We went for frozen yogurt on a perfect May Saturday, and after her first bite of her tiny cup of Tasti D, she sighed. “It’s sooo good, but it’s going to hurt so much later. Can’t believe I forgot my Lactaid.”

As I took another bite of my own frozen yogurt, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for suggesting ice cream. She had only mentioned it in passing once, and I had completely forgotten about her allergy. Read More »

I love animals. I always have. I had dogs, rabbits, birds, and fish growing up. Never for one moment have I ever thought that animals aren’t ‘alive’. Never for one moment have I thought that they can’t feel. And I still eat meat.

I have absolutely nothing against vegetarians. Many of my friends are vegetarians and, in fact, I was a vegetarian myself for a couple of years in high school. However, I H-A-T-E being talked down to by the occasional vegetarian/vegan who comes my way and feels it’s his or her duty to “inform” me of anything related to the subject matter. I hate it almost as much as I hate religious people who feel the need to damn me to Hell via conversation. I almost hate it as much as the smell of burnt hair. I hate it almost as much as I hate Daisy from Rock of Love 2.

Why all of the hate?

Because it’s not anyone’s place to tell me what to eat. Read More »

Pete Wentz uses way more eyeliner than I do. And I’m okay with that. Because he’s sexy. Really sexy. And I don’t find his eyeliner sexy just because I like girls. I’m just okay with Pete Wentz wearing eyeliner.

But does he have to make it too? Apparently so, since he’s just started his own make-up line, WentzPentz.

Just as catchy as a Fall Out Boy song.

The band’s fashionistador lyricist and bassist will very soon be selling his own brand of vegan eyeliner pencils. All five of them are Chicago-themed, in honor of his hometown.

19-year-old boys in 15-year-old girls’ pants can choose from: Green-Eyed Sidekick, Fireside Bowl, By the Power of Grayskull, Let’s Take the Brown Line to Wellington, and Blue Line, Next Stop: Damen.

It’s also been noted that Wentz is interested in starting a hair product line entitled Hair Dude, which will specialize in clip-on hair extensions for men.

Pete, the joke’s on you….you sold out. Don’t get me wrong bro, I love you and your band and your ridiculously catchy lyrics. But you’re a businessman enough already. Just…go back to taking naked pictures of yourself. Thanks.

Even though I totally admire them, I could never be a vegan. At least not now. Not while most of my diet consists of string cheese and other such cheap, processed things.

But I have friends who are vegans. Friends who are vegans and great cooks. So one night, these great-cooking-vegan friends of mine made this tart. And it was freaking fabulous. And so I want to share it with you.

Here’s what you need:

INGREDIANTS:

Crust:
* 2 1/4 cups raw slivered almonds
* 3/4 cup of pitted medjool dates
* 1/4 teaspoon salt Read More »

When my boyfriend first told me he was a vegan, a whole mess of things ran through my head. Does that mean we’ll never get to go out to dinner together? Is he going to flip when I show up to his house on a Sunday afternoon smelling like bagels and lox? Are we going to go to PETA protests on dates, and is he going to sneak gory slaughterhouse pamphlets into my purse after I talk about jonesin’ for bacon?

Like a lot of college girls, I had been a vegetarian about 15 times by the time I’d met my boyfriend. I gave up meat in high school to freak out my parents, and I gave it up in college to lose weight, then later to impress the chain-smoking anti-war coalition kids that I wanted to hang out with.

Despite my good intentions, however, it never really stuck. The cafeteria had zero veggie options, and I was lazy — not to mention a sucker for carne asada. To boot, I had a pretty superficial understanding of what veganism is; like a lot of people, I thought all vegans were misanthropic skinny kids with social problems. Then I met John. Read More »