Crochet Sea Turtle

This little guy is fast and easy to make! I can turn one out in about 1 1/2 hours. What a sweet little toy to give away (or to keep for snuggling!). 

Items Needed:

Size G Crochet Hook

1 Skein of mixed color yarn 

1 Skein of solid yarn

Stitch marker (you can use a paperclip if you don't have one)

2 Small black eyes (I found them in Joann's near the googlie eyes)

Yarn needle (I used my crochet hook, because I don't have a yarn needle, but if I did have one, stitching this bad boy together would have gone a lot faster.)

Stuffing (not the kind you put in a turkey...heh...I'm so funny)

I like to use cotton yarn for this pattern, especially because there is so much more variety for the mixed color yarn. For the color combos I used, try a combo of Lily Brand Mod Ombre & Mod Green or Emerald Isle & Sage.

Emerald Isle & Sage are pictured above
Here are the pics for Mod Ombre & Mod Green

Key:

sc-single crochet

sc2tog-single crochet 2 stitches together

ch-chain

sl st-slip stitch

rnd-round

Top shell-Use mixed color yarn:

Rnd 1: Crochet 6 sc using the Magic Loop method. Place marker to indicate beginning of round and move it up as each round is completed.

**Here is a great tutorial if you're not familiar with the method: Magic Loop Tutorial**

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc around

Rnd 3: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc. repeat around

Rnd 4: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc. repeat around

Rnd 5: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc. repeat around

Rnd 6: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 4 sc. repeat around

Rnd 7: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 5 sc. repeat around

Rnd 8: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 6 sc. repeat around

Rnd 9: sc around and fasten off

Bottom Shell-Use mixed color yarn

Rnds 1-8: Work rnds 1-8 of top shell, fastening off after the eighth round.

Flippers-Use solid color yarn-Crochet 4

Ch 6

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across, ch1 and turn

Row 2: sc in next 4, sl st in fifth sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 3: skip first sc, sc in next 3, 2 sc in next sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 4: sc in next 4, sl st in fifth sc, ch1 and turn

Row 5: skip first sc, sc across, ch1 and turn

Row 6: sc in next 3, sl st in fourth sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 7: skip first sc, sc in next 2, 2 sc in next sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 8: sc in next 3, sl st in fourth sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 9: skip first sc, sc across, ch1 and turn

Row 10: sc in next 2, sl st in third sc, ch 1 and turn

Row 11: skip first sc, sc 1, sl st next ch1 and turn

Row 12: sc in first sc, sl st next ch1 and turn

Row 13: skip first sc, sc next, ch1 and fasten off

Back Feet-Use solid color yarn-Crochet 4

Ch 5

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across, ch1 and turn

Rows 2-4: sc across, ch 1 and turn

Row 5: sc 2 tog, sc 2 tog, ch 1 and turn

Row 6: sc 2 tog, ch 1 and fasten off

Head-Use solid color yarn

Rnd 1: Crochet 6 sc using the Magic Loop method. Place marker to indicate beginning of round and move it up as each round is completed.

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc around

Rnd 3: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc in next sc

Rnd 4: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 12 sc, 2 sc in next sc

Rnd 5: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 14 sc, 2 sc in next sc

Rnd 6: sc 2 tog, sc in next 14 sc, sc 2 tog

Rnd 7: sc 2 tog, sc in next 12 sc, sc 2 tog

Rnd 8: sc 2 tog, sc in next 10 sc, sc 2 tog

Rnd 9: sc around and fasten off

Affix the eyes to the head and stuff it. Sew 2 flippers together, repeat with remaining 2 flippers. Sew 2 feet together, repeat with remaining 2 feet. 

The head, feet and flippers will been sewn on between the top and bottom shell. Be sure to go through both the top and bottom layers of the head, flippers and feet and both the top and bottom shell. For example, when sewing on the head, the layers will go: Top shell, top layer of head, bottom layer of head, bottom shell. 

Sew on the head, and flippers (sew on the flippers so that they are angled away from the head), sewing the shell together between them as you go. Sew the shell together to the point where you will begin sewing on the back feet and then stop to stuff the shell. Sew on the feet and add more stuffing if needed before sewing up the shell. Be sure to sew tightly when sewing on the pieces and when sewing the shell together, or the fluff will come out of the sides. Work in ends and then give that cute baby turtle a squeeze!!!

Vegan Snicker Doodle Cookies

Sorry there's not a photo...we ate all of the cookies before I could take a picture.

I based the recipe on the Vegan Chia Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It's an easy and tasty adaptation! 

Makes About 12 Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 C. Flour (I've been subbing half of the flour with whole wheat and the cookies still taste great!)
1/3 C. Virgin Coconut Oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Turbinado or Granulated Sugar, Divided
1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/3 C. Water
2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
1 Tsp. Vanilla (Be sure to check the label to make sure it doesn't contain glycerin!)
1 Tsp. Cinnamon, Divided (The strength of the cinnamon may vary, so add to your taste.)

Preheat the oven to 375. Grind up the chia seeds in a coffee grinder, or (my favorite option of course!) in a Magic Bullet. Mix the chia seeds with the water and let stand for at least 5 minutes. When the chia seeds are combined with water they create an amazing gel that works great as an egg substitute. Combine 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon and 1/4 C. Sugar in a small bowl. Stir together until evenly mixed and set aside. With a mixer, beat together the virgin coconut oil, sugars, and baking soda until well combined. Add in the chia gel, vanilla, and 1/2 Tsp. of cinnamon and mix again until combined. Add in a pinch of salt and the flour and mix together on low until combined. Pinch off about 2 tbsp. of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in the cinnamon-sugar mix and place on the cookie sheet. The cookies don't really spread out, so flatten the ball until it is about 1/2 " thick. Repeat until the cookie sheet is filled. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 8-10 minutes. Mmmmmm...

Vegan Chia Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm convinced that chia seeds are magical! Although you can't taste them in the recipe, they are an integral part, as their super amazing gel powers bind these yummy cookies together.

Makes About 12 Cookies


Ingredients:
1 1/4 C. Flour (I've been subbing half of the flour with whole wheat and the cookies still taste great!)
1/3 C. Virgin Coconut Oil
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Turbinado or Granulated Sugar
1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/3 C. Water
2 Tbsp. Chia Seeds
1 Tsp. Vanilla (Be sure to check the label to make sure it doesn't contain glycerin!)
1 C. Vegan Chocolate Chips (if you can't find vegan chips, check for dark chocolate chips. Often times they won't contain any dairy)
Pinch of Salt


Preheat the oven to 375. Grind up the chia seeds in a coffee grinder, or (my favorite option of course!) in a Magic Bullet. Mix the chia seeds with the water and let stand for at least 5 minutes. When the chia seeds are combined with water they create an amazing gel that works great as an egg substitute. With a mixer, beat together the virgin coconut oil, sugars, and baking soda until well combined. Add in the chia gel and vanilla and mix again until combined. Add in the chocolate chips, pinch of salt, and flour and mix together on low until combined. Pinch off about 2 tbsp. of dough and roll into a ball. The cookies don't really spread out, so flatten the ball until it is about 1/2 " thick and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat until the cookie sheet is filled. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 8-10 minutes. Try really hard not to burn your mouth when you bite into that right outta the oven, scorchin' hot, cookie. 

Vegan Broccoli & Cauliflower "Cheese" Soup

This super easy to make, super nutritional soup is a great substitute for 

cheesy, dairy filled broccoli cheese soup.

Makes Approx 6 Servings


Ingredients:
6 C. Water 
1 C. White Rice
1 Small Onion Chopped
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 1/2 C. Broccoli Florets
2 1/2 C. Cauliflower Florets
1 Tbsp. Vegetarian Better than Bouillon
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/2 Tsp. Cayenne
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 C. Nutritional Yeast
Salt to Taste


Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat and toss in the onions. Saute until the onions become soft and translucent. Add in all of the other ingredients, but the nutritional yeast, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice, cauliflower and broccoli are very tender. Remove the bay leaf and toss in the nutritional yeast. Puree with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. I like to leave the soup a little bit chunky, so I don't puree all the way. Add salt if needed. Yum!

Vegan Kale Caesar Salad

This salad is SO good! It's best when it has been marinating in the fridge overnight and all of the flavors have had a chance to combine. The flavor of the kale is excellent with the Caesar dressing. 


Serves Approx. 6


Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Kale, Stemmed and Shredded
1 Batch of Vegan Caesar Dressing

     1/3 C. Olive Oil (You can make the dressing raw by using raw, cold pressed olive oil)
     3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
     2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
     1 Clove of Garlic
     1/2 Tsp. Freshly Cracked Pepper
     1/4 Tsp. Salt
     1/4 Tsp. Yellow Mustard Powder
Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or a beautiful, wonderful Magic Bullet. Blend until the dressing is combined and the garlic is blended into the dressing. 
Toss the Kale in the dressing and refrigerate overnight. It may seem like more dressing is needed, but the Kale will release some liquid overnight as it marinates, so it should be perfect the next day. Yum!

Vegan Caesar Dressing

On the day that I made this vegan Caesar dressing, I also made some non-veg Caesar dressing.  I have to say, I actually liked the vegan dressing better! 


Makes Approximately 1/2 C. of Dressing


Ingredients:
1/3 C. Olive Oil (You can make the dressing raw by using raw, cold pressed olive oil)
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
1 Clove of Garlic
1/2 Tsp. Freshly Cracked Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Yellow Mustard Powder


Combine all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or a beautiful, wonderful Magic Bullet. Blend until the dressing is combined and the garlic is blended into the dressing. 

T-Shirt Friendship Bracelet

 Here's a super easy friendship bracelet that you can make using an old T-Shirt.  You can make one for yourself and a matching one for your friend too. Best Friends Forever!

 1. Find an old shirt

2. Cut 4 strips from the center of the shirt. If the shirt is thin and stretchy, cut the strips 1" to 1.5" thick. If they're thick and less stretchy, cut the strips 0.5" thick.

3. Cut each ring of fabric along one of the seams

4. Tie all 4 strips together in one knot.

5.Find a way to anchor down the knot. A good option is to clip the knot with a binder clip and to put the bottom arm under a chair. You can also stick the knot between your toes. It's a friendship bracelet, a real friend wouldn't mind your toe jam, right?

6. To make the steps easy, I'll number the strips. The strip furthest on the left will be 1 and the rightmost strip will be 4, with 2 & 3 in between. Cross strip 1 over top of strip 2.

7. Bring strip 1 around strip 2 and up through the center.

8. Gently pull strip 1 up towards the top, keeping strip 2 taught. Keep the knot a little loose, not cinching it all the way.

9. Repeat, using strip 1 to make a knot around strips 3 & 4. 

10. Continue the process, working from left to right, until you have reached the desired length. Always starting the new row with the strip on the far left. 

You can finish off the bracelet by tying it onto your friend. If your strips are long enough, you can tie a cute bow. I think it looks better if you use a machine to sew the bracelet together (be sure to untie the knot from step 4 before attempting to sew the bracelet together). You can match up the strips and sew them together individually, but I just bunch them together, flatten them out to the width of the bracelet and send them through the machine, with the needle as close to the start and end of the bracelet as possible. There should be enough stretch, so that you can pull the bracelet on over your hand once it is sewn. P.S. make sure that everything is pulled taught before running it through the machine, and don't bother trying to sew in reverse, unless you liked jammed machines.

I used white thread for the example, but be sure to use matching thread on your bracelet, so it's not as noticeable. 

Here's me, using the floor as a work space, and a chair to anchor my bracelet. 

I'm sorry, coco, but I promise you, The shirt will go to good use!

Homemade Tortillas

The tortilla in the photo was in the pan a little bit to long, which is why the bubbles didn't deflate. It tasted great when I stuffed it in my face, so all was well. 

Who knew that homemade tortillas could be so easy! Sometimes finding decent vegetarian tortillas that aren't loaded with preservatives can be more of a chore than making your own. This recipe is a pretty small batch, but it can easily be doubled or tripled. 

Makes about 4 Medium-Large Tortillas

Ingredients:

1 C. Flour

1 Tbsp. and 1 Tsp. Canola Oil

3/8 C. Cold Water

1/2 Tsp. Salt

Mix the flour and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the water and oil. Use your hands to knead the dough together into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Heat a large, dry frying pan over high heat. While the pan is heating, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Use your hands to form1 section of the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk on a well floured work surface. Dust the top with flour and begin to roll out the dough, flipping the dough over and turning it a quarter turn after each pass with the rolling pin (this will help the tortilla stay circular...I'm not sure why I chose the above tortilla to be the model, because the other ones I made were much flatter, and much more circular). Gently place the tortilla in the hot pan. When bubbles start to form and the bottom begins to brown slightly (This happens very quickly, between approximately 30 seconds and 1 minute), flip the tortilla over. Allow the tortilla to brown slightly on the second side then remove it from the pan. Repeat with the remaining sections of dough. 

Asian Cauliflower Salad

I made this on a whim when I had some left over cauliflower from a canning project. The result was really great! The sweetness & tanginess of the dressing went great with the crispness and flavors of the veggies. I also liked that the dressing was thin and fresh, unlike the thick , syrupy Asain dressings that you buy in a store. This seems like a summer salad to me, but I sure enjoyed eating it while I watched some snowflakes falling.


Makes about 6 Side-Sized Servings


Ingredients:
1/2 Medium Head of Cauliflower, Broken Into Florets
1 Medium Carrot, Shredded
1/3 C. Diced Green Bell Pepper
1/2 C. Sugar Snap Peas, Cut Into 1/4" Lengths
1 Green Onion Diced
1 Tbsp. Diced Cilantro Leaves


Dressing:
1/4 C. Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Powdered Ginger 
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds


Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before dressing the salad. Toss all of the veggies together in a large bowl and pour the dressing over the salad. You will probably have more dressing than you need, but I say, just pour it on there! Allow the salad to cool completely before serving. 
On a side note, the veggies will give off some of their liquids as they marinate in the dressing.  You can drain off some of the liquid before serving if you like, but I personally think it makes the salad taste even better. 

Tofu Cashew Curry

This curry is mild and a little sweet. If your Jalapeno isn't very hot you could spice up the dish with a little bit of cayenne. I love this curry because it is so fast and easy and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.


Makes about 6 servings


Ingredients:
1 C. Rice 
   (Prepare per direction on package. Should yield about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp. Ghee or Veggie or Olive Oil 
   (Ghee is not Vegan, so be sure to use oil if you are!)
1 Block of Extra Firm Tofu, Diced.
   (I really love the WildWood brand high protein sprouted tofu.  Be sure to check the
     label if you're gluten free, as tofu can have wheat sneak attack!)
1 Onion Chopped
1 Large Carrot, Sliced
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Red or Green Jalapeno, Thinly Sliced
3 Roma Tomatoes Chopped
1/2 C. Cashews 
2 Tsp. Curry Powder
1 Can Coconut Milk
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt to Taste


Prepare the rice per the instruction on the package. While the rice is cooking, heat the oil or ghee in a large flat pan over medium high heat. Add in the tofu and fry for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the onion, pepper, jalapeno, and carrots (if you like your veggies a little crunchier you can add the pepper and carrots when the onion just begins to turn translucent). When the onion is translucent, add in the curry powder and allow it to toast for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the cashews, salt, tomato, coconut milk and lime juice and stir until well mixed. Allow the mix to come to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes before serving. You can serve the curry over the rice, or you can mix the rice right into the pan with the curry. I like the latter, as the rice soaks up all of the yummy flavor and I can taste the combination of the rice and curry to see if additional salt is needed.