December's Full Moon Miracles - Canadian Rockies Art.

December has kicked off to an excellent start for me! The full moon has brought with her some wonderful miracles into my life. There are so many already that I can't even begin to list them all here. And I know there are plenty more in store for me all month long. I can just feel it! :D

Over the next few weeks, I'll log some of these experiences here on my blog so I can share my joys with all of you.

I'd like to start with something that I've been gloating about since Tuesday morning. :D I won a $50 gift certificate to the highly talented jewelry artist, Nathalie Girard's fabulous Artfire store Canadian Rockies Art. All I did was take part in a contest where I had to promote her store on Twitter on Cyber Monday. This dear friend of mine is so talented and such a wonderful person that I wouldn't have needed a prize to promote her. :) Of course I did put in a bit of extra effort because I SO wanted to win that GC! And well, apparently I kicked ass!! :D

Now I'm in a fix! There are too many gorgeous pieces to choose from! LOL

The picture above shows one of my most favorite pieces by Nathalie. Jezyka sterling silver necklace "featuring a stunning 22 carats Hydrothermal Quartz in the shade of the finest Paraiba Blue Tourmaline." It's available at her Artfire store right now but I don't think it'll last long there.

And then there's this unique copper pendant called Mended Heart. Here's what Nathalie says about the piece... "Throughout our lives, our hearts get broken for many reasons and in various ways…. many times over… and with time, we patch things up and keep on going...Mended Heart - a pendant about life and the uniqueness of each of us."

Apart from all the metal and wire pieces, Nathalie also creates some simple and cute ear studs in a range of designs. I own a pair of her basic Little Rock Studs and I wear them all the time! Here are the adorable garnet and lapis treasures I've been eyeing for a while now...



And finally, here's a sweet sterling silver Hugs n Kisses - XOXOXO finger ring. Thankfully it's one of her many "made to order" items, so even if it get's sold by the time I make up my mind, I can always get more. :)



Well I'm sure you can see my dilemma now. Fortunately I do have a bit of time to decide on what goodies to treat myself to. And while I'm making up my mind, I can sell and build up my reserves because in all likelihood, I'm not going to stop at 50 dollars once I begin to shop at Canadian Rockies Art!

P.S: Click on any of the pictures above to be taken to their specific listing.

Ten Percent for Peace Event This Week! EtsyVeg Pairs up With Food Not Bombs!

Both my stores, Art by Susmitha and Veganosaurus, are participating in EtsyVeg's Ten Percent For Peace event.




Join the EtsyVeg Team this week as we promote Ten Percent For Peace. All this week, November 30-December 6, members of our team will be offering great handmade items for you or your loved ones. Through the generosity of the season, all sales this week in participating shops listed below will be donated to a great organization called Food Not Bombs and their "Dollar for Peace" campaign. Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer global movement that shares free vegetarian meals as a protest to war and poverty, believing that money spent on sustaining warfare could be used to feed the millions of people starving across the globe. With nearly 400 chapters in countries throughout the world, they call attention to poverty and homelessness in society by sharing food, fighting poverty, and seeking a more just and peaceful existence for all!

Shop handmade for the holidays with EtsyVeg shops all this week and help us to raise support for Food Not Bombs! Feel great supporting local and small businesses and artisans who create each and every item in a unique way, and helping an organization that works to help people create a more peaceful world while combating the serious problem of world hunger!



Visit the following shops this week to find great items, and in some shops, great sales or special offers!

aktie9
amefaust - Free Matte and Free
Shipping
artbysusmitha - Free Worldwide Shipping
auclairdelalune
beanlennon - Buy 1 get 1 half
off
claynfiber
daisywares
griffinlamps
jenoconnell -Free U.S.
shipping, 1/2 off shipping elsewhere
ladonnae
lostmitten
luniquejewellery
magglepie
movetheneedle - Free
Shipping
sassandperil - Free
Shipping
silentlotus
starfirewire
sweetvconfections - Free 1/2 Dozen Cookies with every order
urbanimal
veganosaurus - Free Worldwide Shipping

Mostly Raw Beet and Carrot Salad Wrap

An all vegan, mostly raw concoction of freshly grated veggies in a tangy marinade and creamy dressing wrapped in tapioca/rice paper. The juicy veggies, sharp marinade and sweet dressing compliment each other perfectly!

Tapioca/Rice paper can be found easily at local Asian Stores. And even if you don't have any, the salad is scrumptious enough to be enjoyed on its own. :)

There are no specific quantities to most of the marinade or dressing ingredients. Just go with your taste buds and adjust.

Mostly Raw Beet and Carrot Salad Wrap

1 Beet
2 Carrots
A few Basil Leaves (freshly plucked ones taste best so grow your own in a little planter on the kitchen window)

Marinade:

Balasmic Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Tamari (I have the Wheat Free version)
Parma! (vegan parmesan)
Nutritional Yeast
Agave Nectar (very small squirt)
Green Chilli Paste (fresh green chillies ground into a paste with a little bit of asafoetida and sea salt)
Black Salt or Sea Salt

Sweet Creamy Dressing:

Almonds
Pistachios
Raisins
Saffron (a few strands)
Whole Black Pepper
Garlic (1 small clove)
Ginger
Nutritional Yeast (a dash)
Black Salt or Sea Salt (a pinch)

The Salad:

Soak all the dressing ingredients (except nutritional yeast and salt) in 1 cup of water. Keep aside for 15 minutes (more if time permits). Meanwhile...

Grate the beet and carrots and mix together. Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle on top. Add all the marinade ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust. Cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes (an hour if you have the time).

Strain the dressing ingredients and keep the liquid aside. Blend into a creamy paste using the soaking liquid a little at a time. Keep blending and adding until all the liquid is used. Add the nutritional yeast and salt and blend again. Taste and adjust.

Pour over salad and mix well.

The Wrap:

Keep a large bowl of warm water and a large plate ready. You need to work quickly with the rice paper or it will either tear or stick to the plate.

Take a single sheet of the rice paper and dip completely into the water and spread it on the plate.

Place a couple of spoons of the salad mixture in the center of the paper and fold the bottom portion of the sheet over the veggies. Then fold the sides and finally roll everything upwards.

The wraps should be served and eaten soon after they are made.



Enjoy! :)

Vegan Double Beans Stew

After our 3 month long (semi) holiday, I had pretty mixed feelings about getting back home. On the one hand I wanted my super relaxing, veganlicious, creativity filled vacation to go on forever and ever. But on the other, I was really beginning to miss mom, dad and sis and had had enough of admiring our adorable little doll of a baby niece on the web cam... I wanted to meet her already!

I'd gotten too used to the lazy days of housekeeping services so it wasn't easy getting back to a dusty house with plenty to clean (not to mention unpack). My very thoughtful mommy had brought her maid over to our place the day before we arrived to do a quick sweep and mop but a 3 month old layer of dust takes much more than that to go away.

Soon after we got home, I took full advantage of my jet lag and started my days disgustingly early so as to get work done and out of the way a little at a time. The kitchen was the first point of attack of course; and then the rest of the house followed. Fortunately, my maid returned to work within a few days and made things easier for me.

It took a bit of effort to switch from vacation mode to reality mode. Thankfully Deepavali was the weekend following our return to Bangalore so it helped make the transition nicer. Having missed all the other festivals through August and September, it felt good to be celebrating this one with family.

Finally all the excitement is over and I've settled back into my regular routine. And you know what that means for all of you, my faithful blog readers. :)

Thank you for waiting so patiently until I got back into the swing of things. Here's something I whipped up on Monday night.

Vegan Double Bean Stew

1 Cup dry Red Double Beans - quick soaked, rinsed and cooked until tender
1 medium Onion - sliced
2 large Tomatoes - diced
1 small Capsicum - diced
handful Cilantro - chopped
Fresh Green Chillies
Olive Oil
Omum (Oregano) Seeds
Nutritional Yeast
Agave Nectar
Dried Herbs - dill, chives etc..
Salt (preferable Black Salt or Sea Salt)
Pepper
Tamarind Paste or Lemon

Drain the cooked beans and reserve the cooking liquid.

Blend a large ladle full of the cooked beans with the tomatoes, capsicum (green bell pepper), cilantro, a piece of onion, green chillies, salt, nutritional yeast and a little bit of olive oil until creamy. Use some of the reserved bean broth if required.

Heat a few spoons of oil in a pan (for about 30 seconds) and sprinkle some omum seeds; they should crackle immediately. Add the sliced onion and stir fry till tender and slightly browned.

Add the cooked beans and the blended creamy mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer for a few minutes. Add more of the reserved bean broth until you're satisfied with the consistency. Stir in some tamarind paste (if using) and let everything simmer for another minute or so. Taste and adjust the salt. Turn off the flame and let it sit for a minute.

If you're using lemon, squeeze the juice into the stew now. Add freshly crushed pepper and mix well. Drizzle on some agave nectar and sprinkle the dried herbs over the stew.

Serve with brown rice or enjoy as it is! :)

Feature and Giveaway on Sweet Figments.

Connie of Sweet Figments has kindly featured both my stores on her awesome blog. I am so excited about this! :)

The interview has been coupled with a giveaway where you get a chance at a $20 shopping spree at my artbysusmitha or veganosaurus etsy stores.

Please visit her blog and follow the instructions if you'd like to to enter the giveaway.



All the best! :)