Ok ya'll. I know that I just posted a recipe on 'fries'. But I got a little 'baked fry' crazy the other day. And had just bought an eggplant and well, this happened! And eggplant fries WIN! Even though, there was no competition. They win. Believe me. Try them. They win. :)

Even my boyfriend approved. And he is one of those people who think they don't like eggplant, so boom! There! Please go buy yourself an eggplant and try these. Forget regular ole french fries. These are amazing. And for all the vegans and non vegans out there, I have versions for both of you, so everyone can be happy! :) (And also a gluten free version too! )
Also if you want to make this gluten free, by gluten free breadcrumbs. :)
*Another note. If they don't have fine bread crumbs, you will need to make them fine, by processing them in food processor, or I'm guessing a blender could work as well?

*Non Vegan Recipe:

1 eggplant (Cut skin off. I then cut the entire eggplant in half, then cut into fry shapes.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. egg whites
3 tbsp. fine whole wheat bread crumbs

Toss the cut up egg plant in a bowl with some pink salt- leave that while setting up.
Set up 2 plates. One with breadcrumbs and spices mixed in. The other with just the egg whites.
Dip them in egg whites, then roll around in bread crumbs and place on pan lined with parchment paper . Set oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15-20m. Turning half way through. I like mine a little extra crunchy so I left it in there for 20m :) And then I dipped them in cashew cheeze and also marinara sauce. SOOOOO good. 

*Vegan Recipe:


1 eggplant (Cut skin off. I then cut the entire eggplant in half, then cut into fry shapes.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp. fine whole wheat bread crumbs

Toss the cut up egg plant in a bowl with some pink salt- leave that while setting up.
Set up 2 plates. One with breadcrumbs and spices mixed in. The other with just the almond milk.
Dip them in almond milk, then roll around in bread crumbs and place on pan lined with parchment paper . Set oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 15-20m. Turning half way through. I like mine a little extra crunchy so I left it in there for 20m :) And then I dipped them in cashew cheeze and also marinara sauce. Nom nom nom. 

*Gluten Free Version
Please chose above version, either vegan or non vegan.
The only difference is the bread crumbs. So here is the recipe for a healthier way of gluten free bread crumbs. You can always buy store bought kind. But I prefer to make my own everything :)
To make the bread crumbs you will need:
1 cup almond meal /or flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp. pink salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano


Stir all ingredients in a bowl, with a fork. Store in a mason jar or any container.
This makes quite a bit! And follow above directions for either recipe version you chose and roll them around in this mixture as you would the bread crumbs :)

Well happy Wednesday ya'll! I am so happy to have some new followers recently. And I just wanted to say Hi to you and I hope you enjoy some of my recipes ! And please leave any comments below, on what you'd like to see more of :) -Or if you have any questions. Here to help!

So "LAVBF" Your probably like what the...? That stands for LA Vegan Beer Fest. I had been very anxiously awaiting May 17th since about 3 months ago when we bought our tickets. I love vegan food, though not a vegan- I do respect the food and all the art and creations that can be made. I also loveeee making vegan versions of things. Because it is all possible. And it's also possible to make anything into a healthy version. So if you ever have a recipe you want me to transform, I love a challenge! 

That is kind of the theory behind me ever even creating my website to begin with. That anything can be turned into a healthy version. Just like todays recipe I'm sharing with you. To me, this could be replaced for 'french fries' or /mozzarella sticks', although their not 'cheesy'. But the italian taste comes up and reminds me of a crunchy mozzarella stick. But mostly others versions of these are called fries. You can call them what you feel is right. I just recommend making them and eating them ! :)

I pretty much LOVE how versatile zucchini can be. I make them for 'zoodles' aka, zucchini noodle pasta, with my spiralizer. Or add them into my stir fries and they make it much more filling.
I know people have added them to breads and oatmeal. So many things you can do. Just find what you like :)

So this is a very easy recipe. Like I said there is a vegan version below this recipe as well. Pick whichever you'd like to do :) I was so excited to make these last night I forgot to take a picture of the process of making them, which would've been helpful. So I'm sorry for that. 

In 3 separate plates or bowls place these individually in their own.
-3 tbsp. whole wheat flour
-2 egg whites
-3 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs & grated parmesan

This is also the order you will dip them  in. After cutting your zucchini in the closest version you think is a 'fry'. Dip them in flour, then dip them in egg whites, (make sure the flour gets completely coated by the egg whites, then roll them around in bread crumbs and parmesan. And then place on a pan with spray, or a pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 mins at 425.
And serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I chose tomato basil marinara last night, but I really think my cashew cheeze would work too :o Yummmmm. 

Vegan Version: 


In 3 separate plates or bowls place these individually in their own.

-3 tbsp. whole wheat flour
-3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
-3 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs & 2 tbsp of daiya cheese 
(or you can do without cheese, (I don't like daiya :( -it's good with just the bread crumbs.)


This is also the order you will dip them  in. After cutting your zucchini in the closest version you think is a 'fry'. Dip them in flour, then dip them in almond milk, (make sure the flour gets completely coated by the milk, then roll them around in bread crumbs and daiya. And then place on a pan with spray, or a pan lined with parchment paper.
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SO Back to the LAVBF. It was such a fun time. Great music, great beer, and great vegan food. I got to try a lot of place I've never tried before which was awesosme. It basically was just a really fun event to have some beer, eat not so healthy food :/ (every once in a while it's ok ;) ) and dance and listen to great bands perform. And be outside in the heart of Hollywood. I enjoyed it :)

Have a great day!

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And also I made these cute little birdie cake toppers or ornaments- this weekend that are now on my etsy shop! Check it out if you'd like :)
www.etsy.com/shop/jkartworkstudio

So I made something pretttty awesome for my boyfriends mom for mother's day. I made a mini one for us as well, so I know how good it is :) Hehe. Soooooo good. And soaking cashews for 5+ hours for this, is a must. Believe me. So start soaking 1 1/2 cups of cashews now! :) Then proceed to read the rest of this! 

So here ya go. After you make it, let me know how you like it! By the way if you want to replace the blueberries for strawberries or raspberries, you can too ! :)
(You will need a food processor for this )

For the crust :
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup walnuts (almonds or pecans would work too)

For the filling: 
1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked over night or at least 5 hours)
1 cup blueberries (I used fresh, but you could also use frozen I suppose)
1/4- 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup agave
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Pour in 'crust' ingredients and pulse until the mixture sticks and holds together. Then place onto
pan and form into a crust layer. I made my own shape, but you can put it in any shape you'd like. Even a heart if you'd like :) Get creative. :) 
Then place all ingredients of filling in food processor, until very smooth, and pour on top of crust. Smooth out with a spatula, and then put into freezer to set, for at least 3 hours. And then, keep in refrigerator until time to serve :) Enjoy! Hope ya'll had a great weekend.

And these are the flowers we got her- which I wrapped in burlap for an extra pretty touch:)

You guys, do yourself a favor. Stop reading this and run to your nearest Lush Cosmetics store and buy yourself all of their fresh face masks. Haha. Jk. And please, don't stop reading this :( 
But seriously, I was soooooo excited to go to this store for the first time today, which might I add the customer service was great! This girl helped me learn so much about their masks. I wanted to buy all of them! But since they last for only 3 weeks, I had to chill out. Don't want to waste any of it! I'd say there is about 2-3 masks in one container, depending on how much you put on. And I know I don't do that much masks in a week, well I would if I could. And now that I AM IN LOVE, I most likely will do this everyday from now on. If my bank acct. allows it to be so. :) 

I have only tried one so far, tomorrow I will try the "Love Lettuce" one. Today I tried the "Catastrophe Cosmetic" or aka, THE amazing blueberry mask. It's literally purpley/blue from the blueberries. It felt SO GOOD. And smells a m a z i n g. Like amazing. I know exactly what I am asking for, for christmas and my birthday. Just a gift card to here. haha. But seriously do yourself a favor and find a Lush near you, or order online if there isn't one close :) And also, enjoy looking at the photo of myself where I look like a smurf. Your welcome. :)

(or cinco de mayo) -Hello Hello. How is everyone doing? I hope great. It's been quite some time since my last post. But I had been doing some very productive things, so hopefully you can understand :) Lets see. First and foremost, I joined the gym! Now that is huge for me. It's been over 4 years since I've belonged to a gym. I feel so good, after working out. It definitely still is hard- just getting there. But once I do. It's really good after. So I always try to remember that feeling I feel after a workout. When I'm trying to make excuses not to go. Which happens a lot :) I've never been a workout person. Or athletic, active, etc. I grew up with hobbies being singing. Of course I've always loved swimming. But it was just for fun. I never really learned discipline when it comes to eating or working out. I think thats why I struggle so much with keeping a routine. 

Today my friend made a good point. That instead of 'writing down' a fixed plan and schedule, etc. To just wake up and that be apart of your day- just like going to work. Or other tasks you have to do. I always make it optional in my mind, and typically just get consumed with laziness :( But I am going to start trying that out. I came home today from gym and tore my 'schedule' up. Decided to just make it apart of my daily life. Sure I don't need to go everyday. But staying active when I don't go is also very important. But this is just my advice. You can obviously do, whatever is best and works for you! 

Sooooo back to yesterday. I made this dish late in the night or I would've shared it with you earlier yesterday. I got this black bean penne pasta from whole foods. I couldn't believe there was only 1 ingredient in the pasta! So I had to try it out and create a recipe around it. Very pleased with the way it turned out! My boyfriend said it was a tad bit too spicy, but spice never bothers me :) You can omit peppers and get mild salsa, if you don't like spicy :) The pasta kept together really well- just like normal pasta. After cooking it at first, it was a bit weird, but once you add sauce to it, it gets just like normal pasta. I'm sure it'd be good with alfredo or any type of regular italian pasta sauce too. It takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you put in. This pasta itself is sooooooo good for you per serving. My goodness. 
-22 grams of protein
-15 g of Fiber

Yowza!
Sooooo here is the recipe! (Scroll down)

Black Bean Mexican Casserole 
- [with TOLERANT  Black bean penne]

2 cups of Black Bean penne ( cook according to box instructions)
1 small can of diced green chilis
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 cup salsa (I used HOT!)
1 chopped bell pepper
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup organic corn
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
-Add as much as you want cashew cheeze, after baking. 
-Avocado & Cilantro for topping

After you cook pasta, place all ingredients in bowl and stir.
Then place in a oven safe pan and bake for 15 minutes at 425.
And then finito! 

If you'd like to enjoy it with a nice refreshing TDK margarita, you can do that too :)
So heres my recipe I made last night.

Sparkling Grapefruit Margarita:
For 1 drink. (Salt your rim of glass first ;)

1/4c Grapefruit Zevia Sparkling soda
Juice of 1 lime
1.5 oz Tequila
.5 oz of Triple Sec

Mix it up and put a festive straw in there and enjoy!!