I recently watched the Oscar award winning documentary, “The Cove,” which documents the slaughtering and shipment of beautiful bottle-nose dolphins in what’s referred to as, the cove, in Taiji, Japan. Richard O’Barry, the dolphin trainer for the once popular TV show, Flipper, demonstrates a massive amount of courage in his gripping documentation of the fate of these dolphins in Japan. Each year in Taiji, the Japanese “fishermen” slaughter 23,000 dolphins in one cove alone! These dolphins, which are extremely high in mercury (toxic levels) are either sold to places like SeaWorld to live in captivity for the remainder of their lives, or they’re slaughtered among their brothers and sisters and intentionally mislabeled as a high quality fish in the markets including being fed to children in the school lunch programs.

I often encounter people that choose to not eat “meat” which they categorize as coming from land animals; “The Cove,” presents a totally new perspective on our fishing industry and how healthy seafood actually is for humans due to the high mercury levels that fish consume through their food chain (which humans in turn consume). The FDA should require that the tender cuts of meat that we see nicely packaged in the store be required to have an attached DVD on fishing and farming practices throughout the world; because so much killing happens behind closed doors, we must spread the word and expose to the people around the world just what they are consuming and supporting when they choose to consume what was once living, breathing, playing, and loving.

Documentaries like, “The Cove,” are always a great reminder that we all share this planet and even though we are all from different countries, this Earth belongs to all of us. I highly recommend watching this documentary and supporting the dissemination of this critical information to all of the people you love and care about.

This documentary is available for rent on Netflix, and the website is available here: The Cove

Other important websites to visit are:

Save Japan Dolphins

Dolphin Slaughtering in Taiji (Ocean Preservation Society)

Contact Authorities, the Japanese Consulate, local dolphinariums, and SeaWorld

Thank you for being so caring!

Miami’s vegan food truck, Mac’n, is owned and operated by the sweet, Francesca. With an entirely vegan menu, including gluten free options,  I bought one of everything that was gluten free on the menu. Between my boyfriend and I, we enjoyed a very cheesy macaroni and cheese, a barbeque sandwich, watermelon and basil salad, fried green tomatoes, and sweet potato fries; a whole lot of food! I have to say, the fried green tomatoes were definitely my favorite. They were super hot a crispy and Francesca drizzled a delicious white sauce over top of them…yum!

If you want to follow Francesca on twitter, her handle is @macnfoodtruck. She posts where you can find her truck throughout the day; and if you’re lucky like I was, it will be parked outside your building one day!

Thanks for servicing the community with kind food options, Francesca! I’ll certainly be back for more!

Chocolate Peppermint and Caramel Covered Pretzels and Salted Popcorn

{Vegan. Gluten free. Sinfully sweet and salty.}

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Sunspire chocolate chips (vegan and gluten free)
• Peppermint extract (several drops) (option is to use several tablespoons of peanut butter)
• 1 cup Raw coconut nectar
• 1 bag of popcorn
• 1/2 bag Glutino pretzels (Gluten free)
• 1 sheet parchment paper
• 2 cookie sheets
• 2 Tablespoons celtic sea salt (optional)

Directions:

• Double boil the chocolate chips and peppermint extract until the chocolate is smooth and creamy.
• While the chocolate is melting, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Dip all the pretzels half way into the chocolate and lay flat on the parchment paper on one cookie sheet.
• When all of the pretzels have been dipped, roll the popcorn (and lightly stir medium sized batches) in the remaining chocolate.
• Lay the popcorn on the second cookie sheet.
• Take the bottle of raw coconut nectar, and drizzle over both trays, so it covers all the popcorn and pretzels.
• Shake two tablespoon of salt over the popcorn, if you used “unflavored” popcorn. I like to sprinkle another tablespoon of salt over the pretzels just to kick up the flavor even more.
• Stick both cookie trays in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Once the chocolate has cooled, peel the popcorn and pretzels off of the parchment paper, and stick in an over-sized bowl. Warning: the “caramel” is a sticky delicious mess!
• Serve cool and make sure you have napkins close by; forks and bowls aren’t such a bad party option either. This is an unforgettable snack; take my word for it!

Happy Sunday and footballing to all my U.S. friends! xoxo

This is my new favorite t-shirt. It says, “Animals are my friends.”

Sunflower Restaurant in Vienna, VA had an amazingly delicious vegan booth.

Grow your own mushrooms in 7 days! Love. Food for thought: What do you call a 12 inch mushroom? …A ‘fungi’ to be with!

Vegan dessert. My weakness! Good thing the line was outrageously long and I have no patience.

Emily Manquist, author of Babycakes NYC, said it best, “If I want something soft, I’ll eat cake.” When it comes to cookies, I have to agree, thin and crispy are the most addictive and sinful way to go. Something about the continuous crunch of the entire cookie, and not just around the edges, makes my hand reach for another. And another. And another.

This brings me to another point. I’m a lover of consistency. In a crispy cookie like these, each bite of the cookie is exactly the same. Everyone loves to know what they’re about to bite into: Crunchy. Buttery. Crumbly Oatmeal.

When it comes to these Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies, the trick is to keep the recipe exactly how it’s intended to be, without raisins! I’m actually equally addicted to the super sweet flavor of raisins when they’re paired with dark chocolate, but put them in this batter and they’ll burn in the oven; take it from me. I’ve ruined a batch or two.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 3/4 cup All- Purpose Gluten free Baking Flour ( I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 cup Vegan sugar
• 1/2 cup Gluten free oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/4 cup Ground flax meal
• 2 tablespoons Cinnamon (ground)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup melted refined coconut oil (canola oil works too)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Wisk together all of the dry ingredients and then add in the wet ones (coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla) and stir with a rubber spatula until your dough forms.

Drop dough balls the size of a big tablespoon onto the parchment paper, and smash each dough ball until they’re pancake flat and thin. Make sure you leave several inches between each cookie.

Place the cookie sheets in the over for 8 minutes, and then flip the pan in the other direction for an additional 7 minutes. Keep your eye on your first batch to make sure they’re crispy and cooked enough and that they haven’t burned! Lord knows that waiting around for delicious smelling cookies to come out of the oven can be hard enough. So waiting around for a second batch because you burned the first one is close to unthinkable!

Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before you serve them. Or if you’re like me, disregard and eat them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Have a delicious weekend!

All you need to make several servings are:

• Several shots of espresso
• Almond milk (as much or as little as you like-I use unsweetened)
• Stevia drops (chocolate flavored) several drops to your liking
• Raw cacao powder (a couple tablespoons-full)
• Light agave syrup (several tablespoons)
• Ice

Put the liquids in a VitaMix (blender) first and then follow the liquids with the cacao powder and ice. Blend everything together all at once and that’s it! I chose to top the drink off with some raw cacao nibs for an extra punch of fiber (11 grams per serving!) and because I prefer some crunchy texture in my smoothies.

My first time making this, I drank waayyyyy too much of the Chocolate Espresso Shake and was beyond high off of caffeine. So if that’s what you’re going for, then by all means! But I have to admit, the caffeine-high was fun while it lasted, and next time, I’ll stick to one 8 oz. glass!

Bottoms up!

This is the burger of all burgers. An homage to all my skinny, low-carb eating South Beach friends. Here she is. The Cheeseburger in Paradise made me moan so loud it made my gay neighbors jealous. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Burgers (I use Wild Wood Organics in their Southwest flavor)
• Heirloom tomato (regular tomatoes work too)
• Cucumber, thinly sliced (or pickles)
• Avocado slices
• Green, yellow, orange and red peppers and onions (for sauteing)
• Mexican fiesta mix (Whole Foods spice isle)
• Olive oil (for sauteing veggies)
• Ketchup and mustard (I like dijon mustard)

I heated (medium-high heat) a Southwest SprouTofu Veggie Burger by Wild Wood Organics (gluten free vegan burger) in a pan with a pile of Daiya Cheddar and Pepperjack cheese on top.  I put a lid over the burger(s) so that the captured heat would help the cheese melt over the burger.

As your burger’s cooking, place two pieces of lettuce (I use two so that the lettuce covers the entire burger and keeps all the juice in) on a plate and start piling your goodies in. I like to put a thick slice of heirloom tomato on the bottom, followed by slices of fresh avocado, thin slices of cucumber (or pickles if you prefer), and a big spoonful of sauteed peppers and onions (I saute them in olive oil, salt, and a Mexican fiesta mix–which you can find at Whole Foods). Then I squirt some (organic/ no fructose) ketchup and dijon mustard over the top, and flip my burger into the lettuce wrap, cheese side down.

Fold the edges of the lettuce over and don’t let go of the burger until you’re done; it’s a juicy sloppy unbelievably delicious mess and I can’t wait to eat it again.

Here’s a video of the burger I made last night: Cheeseburger in Paradise (video)

All you need is a bunch of bananas and chocolate (I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips–vegan and gluten free). Pre-freeze thin slices of the banana (freezing banana takes no time at all), double boil the chocolate chips and dip the frozen banana slices into the melted chocolate. And Boom. You’re done.

The chocolate will harden within seconds and you can serve immediately–or pack them away in the freezer for all the, “I’m crazing chocolate moments!” …which seems to happen more often than not in this household!

I love to freeze a bunch of them and let them sit out for 10 minutes before I serve them. THIS is a DIY party HIT! Good thing the NFL made it past the lock-out this year: this is definitely a recipe I’ll be serving up in the fourth quarter. …there is a fourth quarter, right?

Dip these bad boys in a hot cafe au lait or cortadito, and enjoy your sinfully sweet and crispy few minutes in heaven.

God Bless America.

Admittedly so, I had to think for a while about where on earth my local firehouse was. With the help of this handy website, I found it in a snap: http://www.localfirehouse.com/departments

Join me in celebrating and remembering the lives our American heroes this Sunday.

God Bless America!