A Second Chance with Oatmeal

This year I am trying to break a few of my routines with the hopes of bringing new energy into my life. It's amazing how the smallest thing can make difference. The reason I don't post any breakfast foods is mainly because I eat the same thing almost every morning. I have some type of fruit, a bowl of Mom's Best Cereal with almond or soy milk and sometimes coffee if the night before was sleepless. I've already changed my Thursday night routine so I decided to shake up breakfast. So instead of buying my normal cereal I decided this week Keithon and I would have oatmeal. I normally hate oatmeal mainly because of the texture and the color. It is the ugliest food on this planet and you have to add a shit ton of sugar to make it taste like anything but hey I give people second chances why can't I do the same for food.

  I knew just plain oatmeal wasn't going to cut it so I grabbed a few bags of dried fruit and nuts to use as mix ins.

 My house is prepackaged central and no I don't mean we eat a lot of process foods what I mean is after I go to the grocery store on Sunday Keithon and I spend Sunday afternoon splitting the foods into serving sizes. Mainly because I count calories and we we don't have a lot of time in the AM to weight and measure things before leaving for work and school. So the oatmeal would be no different. I also have to write on the bags any directions because  we toss the main bag it came in and trust me after a week you forget what the directions were.

 The bag said that were suppose to get 12 half cup servings out of the bag, they lied. I got 10 servings and that was after I weighed each one so that they were all even. (1.8 ounces was my serving size. I'm ocd like that) I wanted each bag to be different so I put a tablespoon of each mix in in each bag with a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt. TaDa instant oatmeal minus all the chemicals and dairy they sneak in.

I let Keithon be the tester for the 1st batch so I would know how to adjust the water and sugar. The sugar part is fine not too sweet but the liquid was tricky. A cup is just too much so I cut it down to 3/4 cup and it was fine. Saturday morning when I made mine I chopped up a bit of Granny Smith Apple and added the sample of Hemp Hearts I had to the top. I like the crunch tartness they add.

 I am still not the biggest fan of oatmeal so I have to eat it really fast before it gets cold because the texture gags me but it is a nice change of pace and I have noticed that I do stay full a bit longer and sometimes I don't need my 10:30 snack. So I may add oatmeal a few days each week.

Change Was Right Around The Corner

Saturday afternoon while Keithon and I were out and about I decided to check out the new Asian place the opened up around the corner. Bianca and I have been meaning to check it out but just like all of our plans it takes us forever to follow through. ( its the Libra in us) They still had the "Grand Opening" banner up to draw you in and this Saturday it worked. From the outside Pho Phuong Long looks small but it is really huge and I was even greeted by a familar face! The guy that use to wait on me at my old Pho place was now there. It is my old Pho place because all their bases we chicken, so we had to part ways.  So I asked him what happened to the old place because I keep seeing a semi truck in front and it looked kinda dark inside. He told me they were brought out by TARGET! I am sad to see a small business go but midtown FINALLY gets a Target. There have been talks of this Target for years. He seemed just as happy to see me as I was to see him.

 After we got caught up Keithon and I went over the menu and this thing is huge!!! Rice dishes, Pho and noodle dishes were everywhere. Then I found the magical page. Yes I said page there are 14 Tofu Dishes on the menu not including the other vegan menu items hidden through out the menu. I was in heaven! Sadly I can't go anywhere without ordering spring rolls so of course Keithon and I split an order. Aside from the spring rolls they have edemame and a veggie soup on the Appetizer menu.

Now because my funds were running low my game place was for Keithon and I to split a lunch menu item but when I saw the choices on the menu I kinda went overboard. Plus they have a Veggie Pho!!! Of course I had to ask what kind of broth they used and when he told me I almost pissed myself and I did do a little dance. Each Pho broth is different. So that meant Cassi could now have Pho that I don't make myself because the broth here is vegetable. They have 3 sizes of Pho. A child's, regular and large. I ordered the kid's because it was only $5.99 and Jesus H. Christ it was the size of my damn child. They take their Pho game serious here.

 I love that it is loaded with types of yummy veggies and of course the side of garnishments. I love foods that you can personalize because likes her food spicy. While I was digging around in my plate of add in I found this little baby. Yep into the bowl it went. It made it that much better.

  Of course I didn't make my child watch me eat Pho and he is not a Pho type of guy....yet.. Keithon ordered the Stir Fried Tofu with Broccoli. It comes with a spring roll but it has pork in it so he had to leave it off. He said that he liked the sauce the best. Of course I stole a bite you know to make sure they weren't poisoning him. The tofu is the firm fried kind which is my favorite because I hate mushy tofu.

 This is going to be my new favorite noodle shop. There are plenty of vegan options,  I know a member of the staff and they have wifi. I can't wait until this weekend so I can go back. I am going to eat ever vegan option they have! My Asian meals are complete unless I have a fortune cookie and Saturday's fortune held very true.

Thrift Shopping for a Good Cause

Saturday morning I had a few hours to myself before going to get Keithon and I'm not the type to lay in bed all day, so I decided to check out a new thrift store that opened near the Viet Hoa. I've driven by the BAM Teen Challenge Thrift Store a few times but never had time to stop in but since I was child free this was the best time. Plus I love thrift stores as long as they don't have that thrift store smell. You that old musty smell, I hate that smell more than anything in the world and lucky for me BAM didn't. Aside from not having that horrid smell this is not your normal thrift store, this store is run by the men in the Teen Challenge program. So it's a thrift shop with a true purpose.

                                                                 Here is the flyer

  They have a ton of cool stuff  to look at and the prices are better than most thrift stores in the area. Plus if you are going to spend your money why not spend it with a group that is make a difference in the lives of others. Just like any thrift store you have to hunt for the good stuff but you don't have to hunt too hard because the guys here are more than happy to help and they know their inventory! I was shocked I've never been able to ask questions until I was at the register, this was a happy change of pace.

  Of course I had to find the book section of the store. On my first look nothing caught my eye but on my 2nd loop around the store these puppies caught my eye.

 Now being the Southern Gem that I am I needed these cookbooks! I got all these cookbooks for two dollars!! Yes, I know these are not vegan but that's why I had to have them. I flipped through and yes a few recipes are vegan by design but my favorite part of an old recipe is veganizing it. It takes true skill and patience to do this and I love a challenge. Plus I saw an already vegan recipe for chocolate wafers, I am going to try my best to recreate my beloved and oh so miss Kit Kat.

So if you are ever in the area and want to check out the store please do, its all for a good cause. Better yet instead of tossing your old belongings donate them to BAM, that way you can be assured that the profits raised stay in house. They also have a counter space that they are going to open up in the next few months as a cafe. I'm hoping that they will have a few vegan options even if they don't they still have my support but make sure you take cash they don't have an option for taking plastic.

Soup's On!

 Now if you have been reading my blog for awhile you may have read that Keithon hates soup. So when I suggested soup for dinner I was shocked when he said ok. I think it was because he was feeling a little under the weather. I love soup and I'm pretty sure I could eat it 7 days a week without getting bored. Plus the weather in Memphis has been less than warm so soup is awesome for dinner.

 So that night I wanted to try a different soup combo. Plus since Keithon agreed on soup for dinner I wanted to make sure that I added all of his favorite ingredients. We love spicy food in this house so I knew to start with the Tom Yum base I picked up at the Viet Hoa. Normally Tom Yum is a a tomato, seafood and lemongrass stock but this base is vegetarian. I have tried a canned version and it was crap. I had to add so much to it, it was just a waste so I enjoy this base so much more. Plus it last a lot longer and that brings my soup lovin heart joy.

 I still have a bit of my Match Meat Crab left. (I'm am hoarding it, it's an online purchase only) Let me tell you this mock meat smells so much like real crab that while I was cooking it it started to make me a little nausea. ( My body is so weird when I have been without something for awhile the smell will start to make me sick.) Aside from the smell it taste and behaves just like crab meat.

  This soup is normally Tom Yum Soup is served with rice noodles but since this is a Keithon soup he requested the buckwheat noodles we had New Year's day. That was fine with me because buckwheat noodles are loaded with protein much better for you than rice noodles. I also loaded it plenty of fresh veggies,  mushrooms, carrots, snowpeas and bean sprouts.

 I knew Keithon wouldn't eat as much as me so I let him use my baby ramen bowl and I stuck with my regular ramen bowl. Another reason Tom Yum Soup was a great dinner option is because it is spicy and the fresh veggies would help knock the bit of a cold out that Keithon had. I know I haven't made Keithon a soup lover but just like everything else it takes baby steps. I'll make a soup lover out of him yet!

My Vegan F%?k Up

 When I started my blog I started it with the purpose of documenting my new found veganism. Being a new vegan I am still learning, growing and experimenting with new recipes and with all of the come mistakes. I do my best to read every label and  google every word that looks animal based but I am human and guess what this human makes mistakes. Because with every mistake you learn something and if you are not learning you are not growing. So with that being said I fucked up last Friday lol. Friday was a crappy day to begin with, sadly it ended with me in tears in the office bathroom because I was burnt out. ( It happens when you try to save the world) So needless to say I was in no state to cook or read labels for that matter. Looking for a pick me up I ventured to the new  Whole Foods to grab dinner for the boy and me. I also picked up flowers for myself because flowers make you feel better right?

  Keithon and I walked the store and I showed him the new layout and all the options we now have. Just like his mama he was happy to see the new sweets section. Our final stop was the deli section so we could grab something for dinner. I love that Whole Foods always have vegan and vegetarian options to choose from and sometimes they have a pick four option, where for 4 bucks you can get a 4 section container that is filled with side items of your choosing. So I grabbed 3 side of kale (1 garlicky for me and 2 of the avocado for Keithon) plus the California Quinoa and we need an entree of course for I decided on the Ponzu Tofu. It is tofu marinated in Ponzu with edamame and shredded carrots grilled. It was the perfect dinner.... so I thought. Wrong!! I wanted to know what the true break down of what ponzu was so I googled it. I thought it was just soy sauce with citrus flavors. Oh no no no there is one extra flavor hiding in this sauce.  Dashi... being a lover of all things Asian I know what dashi is dried fish flakes also know as bento flakes. Way to go Cassi.

  The store gets even sadder, we didn't even eat it that night. I chunked it all in the fridge and I popped 2 vegan burger patties in the oven and made fries. (the burgers were vegan don't worry they were Gardein) So I made these fishy tofu patties Saturday night when I was feeling better. I can't win em all. Needless to say we ate it and the sad part was it really wasn't all that great but I have learned from my mistake. DO NOT BUY DINNER WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE SHIT. 

 Hopefully the vegan police won't get on me too much and I won't lose the readers that I have by posting this but I wanted to let new vegan know that it is okay to make mistakes and yes you will make mistakes because at the end of the day we are all humans and can not be perfect. Every time I make a mistake I remember the advice what my Facebook friend Jason said the 1st time I met him. "Its ok to make mistakes just be the best vegan you can be." He was giving this advice to another Facebook friend Sydney on her new veganism I was not yet vegan. I almost didn't write this post but because of Bianca's advice I decided to. She said that "people like those sorts of posts because it helps new vegans understand that even veterans aren't perfect and lot's of folks don't know that , I"d be doing a vegan public service." So hopefully I have done just that and it will stop others from making my mistake or just let people know hey its ok, its not the end of the world.  Hey at least the Kale was vegan.

Hummus Two Ways

A few weeks ago I asked Keithon what he wanted me to up from the grocery store and he requested hummus. I told him nope we are no longer buying hummus, I will show you how to make it. Plus I wanted to test out my new food processor. As vegans hummus is always what people want to feed us at parties and get togethers. Now don't get me wrong hummus is great but it can get a little boring, so I decided to spice things up by using two of Keithon's favorite flavors. My baby loves avocados and Sriracha. He gets his love of spice from his mama. I would let him eat pickled jalapenos when he was little.

  So Saturday morning I wrote down the recipe for him and placed all the ingredients on the counter so he could get started. Hummus is so simple to make we already had everything in the pantry we needed.

 I love the fact that my son enjoys being in the kitchen plus I REFUSE to raise a man that doesn't know how to cook. 

Here is Keithon juicing the lemon.

I let measure and add everything in the food processor and blend it but because processor blades are super sharp and my child is extra clumsy. ( just like his mama) I scraped the hummus out. Keithon asked to see my phone and unknown to me he snapped this picture of me. Thankfully he did not get  a face shot. Don't you just love my cupcake robe? Sexy right?

Just in case you have never made hummus here is the recipe. 

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.

Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Once we had our basic hummus the fun began. We spilt the mixture in half and in one half Keithon added half of an avocado and we put it back in the processor to combine until smooth. We didn't needed the food processor for the Sriracha. We added 2 Tbsp to the mixture and stirred until combined.

I also made a two batches Sunday to take to a potluck at Five in One Social Club hosted.

It's also getting pretty sad in my house to the point when when I tell Keithon that food is ready he will ask if I've taken a picture before he grabs his food.  Hey what's a child to do when he has a mom that blogs. Of course Keithon loves the avocado the best and I love the Sriracha one. Next time I am going to add a bit more Sriracha just to see if I bring more of the red out and the heat. I'm really curious to see what other flavors I can incorporate into the hummus. I promise I won't try Cookie Butter. Ok maybe I will but I'll let Keithon taste test it first.

Change begins with Soup

 One of the things I promised myself for the new year was that I would attempt to break some of my routines. So I decided to change my eating  routine first. Normally on Thursday I eat one of two things. Either spring rolls or ramen, so while at work Thursday I vowed to eat something different. Sadly I had no ideas on what I go eat to break the cycle so I decided I would just make a pot of Vegan Staple Stew and call it a night but that is something I have already had twice so that wouldn't work plus making a pot last about a week.
  I was home and still didn't have a clue on what I was going to eat so I started pulling things out of the fridge and panty. Then it hit me. I had an eggplant and mushrooms that was about to go south plus I wanted to use the new red quinoa that I got when Whole Foods was closing. Then it hit me SOUP. I decided to call it Pantry Soup mainly because to make this soup I didn't have to buy a thing. I used everything that I had on hand and it came out pretty tasty. I called Nicole over to taste it just to be sure. I love the way it taste but hate the color combination. I like to eat really bright foods, it makes me happy.

  Pantry Soup
6 cups vegetable broth
3 cups Portobello Mushrooms
2 cans Butter Beans
1 Med Eggplant (cubed)
3/4 cups Red Quinoa
2 cups Shredded Carrots
1 Clove Chopped Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
Hand full of Chopped Parsley 
Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
Vegan Sour Cream (garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Once soup is boiling lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, top with sour cream and enjoy.

I have started to break my Thursday night eating habit and concocted a new tasty soup. When I started the soup I left the parsley out and only used it as a garnish but when I had a bite with the parsley I loved it, so I added it in. If you are not a parsley person leave it out. Also the longer you let the soup simmer the bigger your quinoa with get.

Whole Foods 2.0

 Last Sunday at 6 pm our one and only Whole Foods shut it's doors. There was a massive sale  to liquidate everything! Being the insane woman that I am I decided to venture over just to see if the sale was worth it. It was a clusterfuck! You would think they were giving the store away! They kinda were, by the time I made it to the register with my few items the sale went from 50% off to 70%. (Score one for me)

   But no worries on Tuesday Whole Foods 2.0 opened, right next door! It was a glorious day for Memphis. We finally got the Whole Foods we deserved. I have been going to WF since it was Wild Oats and before that it's was a local market in Midtown called Squash Blossom.  My Grandma use to take me to Squash Blossom when I was a little girl. (Even back then I was a bit of a foodie and health freak.)  The Grand Opening for the new WF was getting a lot of press and it deserved it. I have been to other Whole Foods in other cities and it made our WF look sad but not anymore. When I walked in it was like walking into a magical wonderland of food.  There are so many additions that I can happily say we have a REAL Whole Foods! My original plan was to check out the new space right after work on Tuesday mainly but because I work down the street and wanted to see it Asap. But Bianca sent me a message asking if I wanted to go with her. An adventure like this called for the buddy system. I was so glad we went together because I almost hopped out of the car before she finished parking. This was my Disneyland! Even the new sign was magical. (I almost peed a rainbow I was so excited)

 Once we entered the store it was like walking into a new city! I felt like I was in the land of Oz! The layout was different, it was bright, clean and pretty. I was at home! Bianca and I planned to cover EVERY square inch of that store. The first thing you see when you walk in is the NEW layout for the bulk bins! Love it minus the height of the top bulk items. ( I only clock in at 4'11) To get to the nuts and some of the grains I have to tiptoe it.

  They have also added a few new stations to the bulk items one being a dried mushroom station and a gourmet salt station. I walked around for about 5 minutes sniffing salts.

  By far my favorite addition to the bulk bins are the Carob and Cacao Chips! No more reading chocolate chip bag labels for this girl! All I have to do is weigh and go!

   Our next venture was right across the way to what I call the vegan staples and check it out. The items are now behind an energy saving case and there is a new sign giving a break down of the vegan proteins. I'm glad to see it because I have eaten Tempeh but had no clue exactly what it was. I had to Google it. Thanks Whole Foods for the "Vegan Proteins for Dummies" sign.

  Now my second favorite part of the store is the new and improved Asian aisle! It is super organized and bigger! They have also upgraded the sushi station with a made to order, noodle, rice or curry bowls!

  At the end of our adventure was by far my most favoritest addition to the store. THE SWEETS! Our old WF sucked as far as bulk vegan junk food and baked goods are concerned but now we have arrived! I get everything I was missing in one stop. They still have my vegan cookies but wait for it.... I now get gummy bears, sorbet and CUPCAKES! The only time we could get cupcakes  if they had a special order and had batter left over but now Mama can get her cuppy cakes whenever they are open and my poor deprived child can have gummy bears.

  Of course I had to get one! The trip would not have been complete without it. I seriously started skipping after it was handed to me. I also love the it is sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar.

 Since this was an adventure trip I decided to give Kombucha another try. The first time I had it I thought I was going to die! It was  too very strong and vinegary for me and I shoot Apple Cider Vinegar. But WF now have a zodiac kombucha so I decided to give it one more shot. It was suppose to be brewed to fit my zodiac element. ( i'm a Libra) So I was happy to see that it did have my favorite tastes in them. There was spearmint, pineapple, pear and Apple. The spearmint taste was the strongest and lucky for me it cut down on the vinegar taste. It was ok but it's still not for me but Bianca is going to teach my how to make my own that way it can have all the fruit notes I want in it!

 I am in love with the new Whole Foods and have a ton more pictures to share but writing about all this food and looking at the pictures on an empty stomach was a bad idea. My stomach has been growling non stop and it even growled so loud Hollywood looked up at me. So I guess I need to eat. If you haven't checked out the new Whole Foods in Memphis PLEASE do! It is awesome!

What girl doesn't love jewelry

Yesterday afternoon I hosted my first Origami Owl party. Jennifer hosted a party a few months ago, I have never heard of this type of jewelry party but when she brought the catalog over I was so excited because with Origami Owl you get to build your own necklace the way you want. What I love the most is you can add to take away or even make a brand new necklace as long as you have the Living Locket, you are never stuck with the same necklace. The concept is a combination of a locket and charm bracelet. I love this concept because I have always wanted a charm bracelet yet I never got one but with Origami Owl I can have a necklace or a bracelet! ( You can make one or the other) Sadly I was not able to attend Jennifer's party because I was coming home from Atlanta Vegfest but I gave Jennifer my order form and placed my order via phone, the day of the party. I wanted my necklace!

  Since Jennifer had her own party, of course I wanted to host my own mainly because I wanted more charms to add to my locket. I started off with 2 charms plus a plate and Jennifer gave me 4 more for Christmas but I want more I want more! I have a lot of interest plus I want to be able to change it up.

 So far I have all the things that are important to me in my locket. I have a black doggy paw with rhinestones for my Anna that passed, a charm of Keithon with his birthstone, a chef's hat that says "love to cook",  a cupcake, a high heeled shoe, a book that says "love to read"  and a plate that says "mom".  My living locket is filled with everything that is great about me.

  Most Origami Owl parties are hosted by a mother daughter team. Megan and her mom were heading up my jewelry bar. Megan's mom did most of the explaining on how to build our creations because Megan is a bit shy but Megan did have a lot of good advice on how to build the perfect locket story! I love the set up because most of the items you need are on site so you can try on and build your piece. That way no one leaves disappointed.

 With any party you have to have food and I was short on time so I decided to whip up snacks from what I had on hand. Crazy enough all the foods I had on hand were Asian so it fit well with the Origami Owl party!


  Thankfully Nicole showed up early to help me prep the food because I was running short on time. For this party I went with easy hand held snacks and of course I had to make my all time favorite Spring Rolls. Who doesn't love a good spring roll. Mine were kinda sloppy mainly because I was rushing and I made the mistake of cutting them with a dull knife but they still eat the same.

 Next I tried a brand-new item, Crab Ragoons. For Christmas I received a gift certificate so I could buy Match Meat online because we can't get it in Memphis. Match Meat is so close to the real thing and I really miss seafood. So this really hit the spot.

 Saturday while we were at Amy's mom's we had take out Keithon asked what duck sauce was made from. ( I honestly had no clue because I don't care for it because it's a sweet sauce that is suppose to go on savory items. I don't mix the two. My mind won't let me. So to reassure my child that duck sauce or plum sauce as it's also known as didn't come from ducks I decided to make some at home. (By I I mean Nicole, I gave her the measurements and she put everything in a pot). Duck sauce is nothing more than apricot preserves, sugar, water, and vinegar. Go figure.

  I can't wait til my new charms come in so I can wear my "New" necklace! I'm sure as the year progresses that I'll add new charms and dangles because I know there will be a lot of great adventure this year.

Spaghetti Tacos and a New Living Room

 So a few last weekend I got this wild hair up my ass and decided to redo my living room and when I say redo I mean I gutted it out and started from scratch. The true inspiration was a pillow that Brenna gave me for Christmas. It is a purple and green pillow that says "Men may come and go but stilettos are forever". My first idea was to just get a high heeled shoe chair and get a purple couch and be done with it. Then Christmas rolled around and my Kindle Fire had a prime membership so I started to stream my cooking shows and then I discovered I can stream iCarly! I turned off my cable about a 2 years ago just as iCarly was getting good. (Yes I love all of Dan Schneider's shows) So I got caught up on the last two seasons I missed. Then more inspiration hit me! I WANT AN ICARLY ROOM. So I got to work.

  While I was looking for a link to connect to Dan Schneider I discovered his is a from MEMPHIS! Like born and raised. That would explain his crazy sense of humor. Another fun fact is he was on Head of the Class another show that I watched growing up! So setting to work on my living room I knew I wanted it fun and colorful. ( I'm a big kid at heart) It's the 1st room I see when I come home from a crazy day so this room had to make me happy. But instead of the shoe chair I stuck with the purple theme but I went with inflatable furniture!  I now have 2 inflatable chairs and a full sized couch! No these are not the crappy ones we had in the 90's this is real useable stuff!

I did keep one piece of adult furniture though. I kept the recliner from my sectional and Nicole and I redid it purple. It is the only chair I sit in and I do my writing from. I guess it's like my Sheldon spot. Before I even started on the living room I told Nicole the theme and when she came over to help me redecorate she brought walls decals that fit me perfectly and the one over my archway is my new mantra.

Today I also put a boarder around the picture mainly because it needed a POP.

Of course no iCarly room would be complete without a cool candy machine. I wanted a real gumball machine but that was too old school so I found this automatic dispenser at Walgreen for 4 bucks!

I also got a cool color changing chandelier from Big Lots.

Now an iCarly room would not be complete without iCarly food and since we don't have a Groovy Smoothie here I decided to make Spaghetti Tacos! Yep the same Spaghetti Tacos Spencer made in iDateFreddie. And guess what this is a REAL recipe. It turns out Dan is married to Lisa Lillien! For all you Food Network fans yes I am talking about Hungry Girl! I almost peed myself when I found this out. The recipe is a real recipe that she created just for the show and get this. The real recipe is a vegetarian/vegan recipe. I squealed and almost pissed a rainbow I was so excited! So I set to work on the tacos. Check out the recipe below.

Dan's Wife, Lisa Lillien (Hungry Girl) Recipe
iHungry Spaghetti Tacos

Ingredients:
4 oz. uncooked whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
12 corn taco shells (flat-bottomed shells, if available)
1 1/2 cups shredded fat-free cheddar cheese ( I used Dayia)
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded lettuce
Break pasta in half and prepare per package instructions.
Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add soy crumbles, crushed tomatoes, and taco seasoning, and mix well. Cook and stir until hot, 2 - 4 minutes.
Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Mix well. Evenly distribute pasta mixture among the taco shells, about 1/3 cup per shell. Evenly top each taco with cheese, onion, and lettuce. Tara

  Needless to say I was a little concerned eating the Spaghetti Tacos because well it is spaghetti in a taco shell. This was amazing! It didn't take like spaghetti it tasted like a taco! I guess it was because of the taco seasonings. It was so good that I even had one for breakfast the next day.

Needless to say the Spaghetti Tacos were a hit and I love my new living room. I even learned a few things about my favorite show creator. Yet my favorite new piece is the one thing that caught fire. Yep you guessed it. The gummy bear lamp! Yep, I made one. Yes I know gummy bears aren't vegan and I resisted the urge to eat one. (They smelled awesome and I miss them so)