Vegan Recipe: Tame Tepache

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tepache Recipe

 

For those of you who don't know what traditional tepache is, let me break it down for you. Tepache is essentially a type of Mexican "agua fresca" ...which is basically a juice beverage. I compare the taste of tepache to a pineapple version of apple cider. It is a very sweet, very spicy (as in spices, not spicy like hot peppers), very fruity drink. A traditional tepache recipe usually calls for fermentation of the beverage, causing it to become slightly alcoholic. It is then usually served iced and sometimes mixed with beer. My version is a bit different. Instead of fermenting it and serving it with ice, I prefer mine made more like a cider. It's served hot, in a mug, and non-fermented.

 

The recipe itself is very simple, assuming you have the ingredients available to you.

 

My recipe calls for:

 

.1 ripe, whole pineapple

.2 cones of piloncillo

.whole cinnamon sticks

.whole star anise

.whole allspice

.whole cloves

.water

.1 or 2 limes

 

Fill a big pot with water, about 3/4 of the way full. Add in all the spices and piloncillo. Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the pot, then add the limes in as well. Wash the outside of the pineapple very well. Cut the leafy part off, discarding it. Now cut the rind of the pineapple from the flesh. Put the flesh aside for eating later... you won't be using it in the recipe! Add all of the pineapple rinds into the pot. Give the pot a good stir if you'd like. Set the stove to high, and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the brew to boil. Once the brew is boiling, turn the stove down to low/medium. Allow the brew to cook like this for at least two hours. The longer the brew cooks, the stronger the flavors. Make sure you taste test the brew as you go. Once the flavor is to your liking, pull it off the heat, strain it, and serve it hot like apple cider!

 

 

 

RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS/ALTERATIONS:

 

.If you don't have piloncillo or can't find it, regular dark brown sugar will work just as well. Piloncillo is basically just a Mexican version of dark brown sugar. You can find piloncillo at Vallarta or any other Mexican grocery store.

 

.There are a few extra things I like to add to my tepache to change the taste slightly. You can also add cut up apples, apple sauce, and apple juice to sweeten the brew. I find that the extra sweetness goes great with the pineapples and spices.

 

.Whole spices really are a must in this recipe because you have to be able to strain them easily. I would not recommend using ground spices. I found mine at Vallarta, and they'd be easily found at any other Mexican grocery store. You can sometimes find whole spices in regular grocery stores too if you look hard enough/ask someone. Not every regular grocery store will carry whole spices.

 

 

 

 Thanks for reading!!!

 

BKL

 

Vegan Recipe: Creamy Basil Sauce

 

This is a lovely little recipe that I pulled out of my ass.

 

It's completely vegan and very healthy.

 

Creamy Basil Sauce:

 

1 organic avocado

5-10 fresh organic basil leaves

garlic salt

1/2 cup hemp milk

2 tbsp olive oil

pepper

blender/magic bullet/blendy thingy

 

I love this recipe because it is so incredibly easy to make! Start by cutting the avocado in half and scooping out the insides into the blender. (discarding the seed of course) Add the fresh basil, olive oil, and hemp milk. Blend until smooth. Add pepper and garlic salt to taste. I prefer a lot of garlicy goodness in mine.

 

This sauce makes a great pasta topper. I didn't bother warming my sauce before putting it on the pasta because the pasta warmed it for me, but of course you could heat your sauce in a pan over the stove top.

 

Recipe Substitutions:

 

.I used pasta made completely from whole wheat with no other added ingredients, but any vegan pasta would go great with this sauce! Quinoa pasta adds extra protein.

 

.Instead of using garlic salt, try sauteing fresh minced garlic with chopped onions in little bit of olive oil. Once golden brown, add to blender to be blended in with the rest of the ingredients. This is a healthier alternative to using garlic salt.

 

.Instead of hemp milk, any non dairy milk can be substituted. I used hemp milk because it's what I had on hand. Unsweetened soy, almond, rice milk etc would do just fine.

 

Animal Abuse Really Needs to Stop

Animal abuse really has to end. I mean, seriously. There is no reason any creatures should be going through pain... not for milk, meat, labor, OR fur. None.

***WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEOS THAT DEPICT VIOLENCE***

Now then. If you'd take a few moments to watch the following videos... they'd change the way you saw the clothing industry. Countless animals are going through torture for their fur. Please watch the following videos and do something to help these animals by signing the online letter asking for the end of angora and fur.

sign the petition:
https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=5737&utm_campaign=1114%20Join%20Kalel%20and%20peta2:%20Ask%20BCBG%20to%20Stop%20Selling%20Angora%20and%20Fur!%20tweet&utm_source=peta2%20twitter&utm_medium=promo

watch the videos:
Kalel vs. Angora Wool: http://youtu.be/IKGxkVAllMI
Do You Know Where Angora Wool Comes From?: http://youtu.be/WcUmOkXUSyQ

Purple Hair!

 

My hair is purple! Not just purple purple...but, PURPLE. Like, SUPER PURPLE. I love it. No, that's an understatement. I'm in love with it. Bless the hair color gods!

 

So, you wanna know how I did it?

 

No bleach, permanent color, lightening, or damaging dye was used at all to achieve this.

 

Before the purple, my hair was bright orange, pink, and purple. You can see it in my previous posts. My roots had grown out about an inch, so I had an inch of dark brown roots, and then the other colors.

 

Basically, I had to lighten those colors before adding the dark purple to ensure that it didn't end up looking muddy. There are lots of ways to lighten semi permanent hair color without using bleach. Mostly just washing it a lot will cause the color to fade quite a bit. You can also mix a paste of baking soda and warm water and put it in your hair. Let the mixture sit for quite a bit to allow it to pull as much color from your hair as possible.

 

After your old hair color has faded, you can add the new color over it. This only works well if the new color is darker than the previous color. In this case of course, my purple was much, much darker than the previous colors I had. The second color has to be dark enough to cover whatever was left over from the washing/baking soda.

 

Also, make sure you condition the crap out of your hair after rinsing the new dye out to ensure that you keep the integrity and health of your hair.

 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, my roots are technically still there. When I put the purple in my hair, it tinted my brown hair purple as well. No bleach needed here!

 

*makeup deets below*

 

 

Makeup:

 

*Tarte tinted moisturizer

*Anastasia dip brow in Chocolate

*Nars matte lip pencil in Cruella

*Tarte mascara

*Urban Decay Naked 2 palette for eyeshadows

*Urban Decay liquid sparkly eyeliner for inner tear duct

*Sephora Collection blush

*Becca pressed highlighter in Opal (MY FAVORITE)

 

 

Fall Hues Makeup

 

I created this look with mostly warm neutral tones, keeping the season in mind. The look is slightly avant garde, with an eyeshadow scheme that I wouldn't usually do and an ombre lip.

 

The eyeshadow is a soft smokey eye with taupes and a little bit of metallic shimmer. From that smokey eye, I put an orange brown transition up from the inner corner of my eyes all the way up to my eyebrows. I actually really like how it came out.

 

For my lips, I outlined them with a burgundy lip liner and then filled them in with a bright orange lipstick. I then blended with my finger.

 

products used:

.Urban Decay Naked 2 palette

.Anastasia dip brow pomade in "Chocolate"

.other shadows

.Benefit Cosmetics "They're Real!" mascara

.NYX lip liner

.Kat Von D lipstick

.Bobbi Brown foundation

 

Kisses,

         BKL

 

 

  

Places to Check Out: Romancing the Bean

Move over, Starbucks! This coffee shop in Burbank was so insanely cute, and of course, the coffee was to die for.

I don't usually go for black coffee, but in this case I got my own little French press with my coffee inside, and the flavor of the coffee itself was subtle. It wasn't bitter or too strong. I drank the whole thing without adding any sugar or cream at all!

Besides the great coffee, this little coffee shop offers excellent decor and ambiance, free wifi (every coffee shop customer's dream and necessity), a variety of foods to try, and an overall laidback feel that I greatly appreciated. 

Stop by Romancing the Bean in Burbank for a truly awesome coffee experience!

Besitos,

         BKL

Hiking Above The City of Angels

This new transition to living in Los Angeles has given me a second chance for everything: a fresh start if you will. Among starting a new job, starting a new school... (which neither will happen for a few months anyway) I also have other goals that I want to accomplish now that I'm living here. 

I want to get into shape. Now, by "in shape" I don't mean buff and muscley. I just want a healthier lifestyle. I want to eat well and exercise often.

Today marks the beginning of my journey into a healthier lifestyle. This past year I've been way too focused on my career/school to focus on my health. I'm going to make more time for myself.

This morning I did a simple and very short hike up a mountain behind the city of Burbank in Wildwood Canyon Park. You could see all of Los Angeles from the top of the mountain. It was truly beautiful! It took only an hour to do the hike and due to the elevation gain I was huffing and puffing like crazy.

I'm hoping I can do things like this every morning right when I wake up. If not a hike, anything physical like: yoga, walking, gym etc.

Even when I have a job and I have to be at the salon at 8 every morning, I can wake up early enough to get a workout in and then get ready for work.

Much love,

BKL

Ulta Haul

 I picked up a few things from Ulta that I'd like to share with you guys. Me being the hair nerd that I am, most of the things I got are for my hair. I try to keep my hair really healthy and take good care of it, especially since I dye the crap out of it.

1. Redken diamond oil shampoo and conditioner: I picked these up mostly because I was trained with Redken in my cosmetology school, but for some reason we never carried the diamond oil line. It's probably because it's a newer Redken product. The shampoo and conditioner are described as perfect for dry and damaged hair. They're formulated with oil for extra hydration. I tried these on my hair and I have to say I really like them! The smell was really nice, and my hair was really soft afterwards.

2. AG "the oil" extra virgin argan miracle hair oil: Well, the name is kinda a mouth full... but the oil itself is great. I love using oils on my hair. Anything that's going to moisturize my hair and make it shine is my thing. This oil also has a great scent. It's moisturizing without being greasy, which is very important for my hair. My hair can get greasy easily if I use the wrong products.

3. Not Your Mothers Beach Babe texturizing hair cream: Pomades, creams, and pastes are all great for someone with short hair. I picked up this texture cream to try. It smells like coconuts and it's super light. It doesn't have much hold, but I think it could be used well as a primer for texture, applied to hair while still damp, then styled.

4. Tweezerman tweezers: Basically I just picked these up because I needed a new pair. Tweezerman makes the best tweezers out there.

5. butter London nail polishes: I chose two in the shades Scouse and The Black Knight. They both reminded me of winter... dark, cool hues throughtout...

Scouse is a shimmery royal blue/purple. Depending on the lighting, it changes from blue to purple and back to blue again. The Black Knight is the one I tried first. It has a grey base color with pink and blue glitters mixed throughout. I could see this color being used as a perfect holiday party nail color. Both colors are very festive and perfect for the upcoming holidays. Another thing to note here is that butter London uses no Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP in their polishes, making them a healthier choice for those concerned with carcinogens.

Halloween DIY (a little late)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I know, I know... Halloween crafts on November 2nd?! Well, in my family Halloween lasts certainly through October 1st - November 5th, sometimes much longer. 

Either way, Halloween is fun! So why not enjoy it more than one day? 

Pumpkin carving/decorating is a Halloween craft classic.

In this case I chose to carve one pumpkin, and decorate two others!

The blue/purple pumpkin was extremely simple to do. It would be easy for little ones as well. You can find crafts like this one at many pumpkin patches.

You'll need Elmer's glue, water, paint brush, bowl, mini (or large) pumpkin, and many colors of tissue paper.

Mix the glue with a bit of water. You don't want it too runny.

Paint the glue onto your pumpkin and place the tissue in any fashion you desire!

The last pumpkin I did is mostly paint. 

You'll need: pumpkin, tape, red paint, black and red Sharpies, green temporary 

hair color or green spray paint

Basically you're going to use the tape to create the face you want on your pumpkin. Then you can spray your pumpkin with the paint. Make sure you let it dry completely. When  you remove the tape you'll have the perfect base for your pumpkin face. Use the other materials to add more detail!

 

 But what to do with all these pumpkin guts we just carved out?! Definitely do not throw them away!

Separate the seeds from the guts and put the seeds aside for later. 

Use the pumpkin flesh to make a fresh face mask!

You'll need the pumpkin, milk, sugar, green tea, and a blender/magic bullet type deal.

Put 2 cups worth of pumpkin guts into the blender, along with a 1/4 cup of milk and a 1/4 cup of green tea.

The pumpkin is a natural source of antioxidants and enzymes. Milk contains lactic acid, and green tea is also a source of antioxidants. 

This is why combining these ingredients into a mask is great for your face. Once you've blended it into a paste like consistency, add a cup of sugar. The sugar will act as a natural exfoliant.

I made mine on the thinner side, so it was more of a wash. The sugar exfoliated my skin perfectly.

 

 

 Now, onto the seeds! Start by prepping them in a bowl with warm water. Swish them around with your hand to loosen any pumpkin that may be left over on the seeds.

Strain the seeds and allow to dry on a paper towel for a few minutes.

Place the seeds on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Now add garlic salt, dried basil, and even fresh basil if you have some. Mix the seeds lightly together in the pan with your hand. Make sure they lay in a fine layer on the pan. You don't want them overlapping.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the seeds in. They should cook for 15 or more minutes. Stir them around on the pan every 5 minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn.

They're done when they're lightly brown in color.

 

 

Happy Halloween, (AGAIN)

Please let me know if you try any of these fun diy projects or have any questions!

Lots of love,

BKL 

Places to Check Out: Hollywood Farmer's Market and Dia de los Muertos

vegan cheese stand at the market

  Today I spent my morning and midday at the Hollywood farmer's market at Sunset and Vine and Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street! There was a woman at the farmer's market that was giving out samples of vegan cheese. Of course, I had to try it! The "cheese" was absolutely fantastic! I tried both the chia cheddar and herb cream cheese. I couldn't leave without some. I can't wait to try it out. 

The herb cream cheese has a really light herb/creamy taste. I'll definitely be buying from this brand when I go fully vegan! (The brand is Nary Dairy fyi)

vegan cheese from the market!

 I also had some tofu pad thai while I was there. Yeah, it was 8:30 in the morning, but I'm not a huge breakfast foods person and I couldn't think of a better thing to eat than Thai food. Thai food always wins.

Vegetarian tofu pad thai from the market.

All in all the farmer's market was just the place I like to be. They had fall flowers and gourds everywhere! ...not to mention the amazing food.

Amoeba Music was right across from the market

After the farmer's market I headed to Olvera Street in DTLA where they were celebrating their annual Dia de Los Muertos...

Even though I am not Mexican or Hispanic in any way, I am Californian, and Mexican culture is very dear to my heart. In fact, every culture fascinates me. Just because I'm not a member of a certain culture doesn't mean I can't celebrate and appreciate the diversity in my country. That's one thing I love about America. There is so much diversity in cultures. I love being surrounded by it. 

Tamarindo holds my heart.

 

The traditional Dia de los Muertos dancers were so beautiful!

 

Pan de Muerto, sugar skull, and tamarindo and chile apple

By the time I was ready to leave Olvera Street, I had accumulated quite the array of Mexican dulces.

I picked up some pan de muerto, a sugar skull, and a tamarindo apple. All of these are traditional Mexican sweets, especially for the day of the dead.

The apple is my favorite. It's a green apple covered in tamarindo candy and then rolled in red chile. It doesn't sound like it would be that good .....but trust me, it is!

I hope you all had an amazing Halloween!

             Warmest wishes,

                               BKL