Rainbow Smashed Purple Potatoes + 5 Spice Peanut Sauce

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POTATOES. That’s it, that’s my intro for this recipe. Are you hooked?

Rainbow Smashed Purple Potatoes + 5 Spice Peanut Sauce | plantcrush.co
Well, now you’re hooked!

Hi friends! I’m back with another recipe, and this time it’s in collaboration with some blogger friends, in honor of #NationalPotatoDay! What an awesome concept–a day to celebrate one of my favorite ingredients. Most, if not all, of the following recipes can be veganized–let me know if you guys need advice or have questions about going about that! For the event, I decided to feature the beautiful purple Japanese sweet potato!

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Exploring the Vegan Pizzas at Tutta’s in Dallas West End

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Hey Dallas pizza lovers, mark your calendars for August 9th, because Tutta’s is having a pizza party, to celebrate the addition of 9 vegan pizzas to their menu! I’m not a party person…but if you’re having a 4 course vegan pizza party, you can count me in! Last week, my dear friend Courtney Garza (@colormecourtney_) invited me and the girls to check out the new vegan pizza menu at Tutta’s in Dallas West End to promote this event, and we were all thoroughly impressed. You can get tickets here!

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Vegan pizza spread at Tutta’s! Photo by @beetsbybrooke.

Tutta’s owner and head chef, Jeremy Scott, is really creative about their toppings and they make everything from scratch, in house! For those wondering, the vegan cheese they use is Teese–I loved it because it’s not too heavy or greasy. You must come to the pizza party and try all their new vegan pizzas! Tutta’s vegan menu isn’t on their site just yet, but not to worry, I got you covered here! Here’s everything we tried… Continue reading →

Eating Vegan in East Africa

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On the road in Kenya | Veggie samosa from a gas station in Kenya–filled with potatoes and spinach! I loved the addition of greens, since I don’t usually see samosas with greens in the U.S.!

Hi friends! Ever wondered what it’s like being vegan in East Africa? Read on, I’m about to tell you all about it. But first, you may be wondering, what in the world was I doing in East Africa, and why has my blog been silent for so long?! Well, after graduating in May (yes, y’all, finally!) I had the great opportunity to participate in a study abroad session in Tanzania with UT Arlington and the University of Cincinnati. I asked my mom if that could be my graduation gift–to go to Tanzania with my classmates and learn how to give back using my recently acquired landscape architecture skills. My mom was absolutely supportive of this idea, and she also suggested that I expand my trip to include Taiwan (for a personal meditation retreat) and Vietnam (for vacation with family), before embarking to Tanzania. So I have been abroad for a month this summer, and am finally back home now, settled enough to start blogging more about the experiences! Continue reading →

Green Papaya Salad | Gỏi Đu Đủ

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Summer is almost upon us! Time for all the refreshing foods, like this green papaya salad!

Green Papaya Salad | plantcrush.coMy apologies for the huge hiatus on the blog, y’all, my design thesis has been my main priority for about a year now! I am happy to report that I have successfully defended my thesis to graduate. This past weekend, I finally graduated with my Master’s in Landscape Architecture! It still feels so surreal to type those words. I’ve been an emotional, nostalgic mess, and am preparing for an international trip to 3 countries, but that didn’t keep me from getting back in the kitchen!

I’ve had a few potlucks in the past couple weeks, so I’ve been making this green papaya salad a lot. Everyone has been loving it! It’s a classic Thai/Vietnamese dish, and yesterday I made it again for mom for Mother’s Day. Besides spring rolls, Vietnamese salads are one of my mom’s favorite things to eat! Continue reading →

Lemongrass “Beef” Spring Rolls | plantcrush x It’s Jerky Y’all

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What’s the one food you could eat everyday? For me, the answer would be spring rolls! There have been weeks where all I eat for dinner are spring rolls, especially during the long blazing heat of Texas summer. There are just so many ways to make them–they’re so fresh and fun! Plus, I think it’s the best way to get a lot of greens in (I’ll take spring rolls over salad any day).lime

It’s actually amazing that I don’t have a spring roll recipe on the blog yet, considering how much I eat them. Today, I am happy to share this spring roll recipe with you, in collaboration with one of my favorite vegan brands based in Texas: It’s Jerky Y’all! My dear friends at Sprinkles Creative and I teamed up to make this adorable how-to video for the recipe. I’m so happy my friends and I got to work together on this; we all had a blast. For the full written recipe, scroll down.

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Nana-politan Ice Cream Parfaits | plantcrush x Beets by Brooke

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Who else gets excited when they can sneak veggies into their desserts? I like to make healthy choices most of the time, but I’m also not opposed to treats, like this nana-politan ice cream parfait I whipped up with my friend Brooklynne (@beetsbybrooke)!process-3.jpgWe got together to create a Galentine’s Day menu featuring beets! We made a divine heart beet pizza and salad for the main meal, and for dessert, we decided to go crazy and put beets in our banana ice cream too! Beets have a lovely sweetness that is truly marvelous. #beetcrush Continue reading →

Heart Beet Pepperoni Pizza | Plantcrush x Beets by Brooke

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Final Process Pic

This recipe is for that girl you can’t live without. Your best friend, your sister, your mom, whomever it may be–show them you love them by making this delectable heart beet pizza, complete with a side salad! Ok, you can also make this for your male/other friends too, but the point is, this pizza came about because of the spirit of Galentine’s Day!

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Q&A With a Pig | BB Addresses Her Fans

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For those of you who celebrate, I hope your Lunar New Year week has had a beautiful start! I’ve been spending a lot of time with family, eating great food and treats, and re-visiting childhood memories. In honor of the year of the pig, I asked you guys on Instagram to send in your questions about BB, the adorable pig I fostered a couple years ago. She has graciously taken the time to answer your queries below–enjoy!

How did Ann end up fostering you?

I was found wandering the streets in Fort Worth, and was taken to the Fort Worth Animal Care and Control Center. I had a couple scars…we’re not sure what happened to me, but thank goodness the animal shelter took care of me. They posted a picture of me on Facebook, and Ann found it through a local vegan group. Those people were so nice, helping me when they didn’t even know me! Ann shared the post with her former boss, V, who has had a pet pig before. V wanted to adopt me, but she was in the middle of moving, so Ann offered to foster me! She became my foster mom. 🙂 We lived together for about 3 months! Continue reading →

UT Arlington gets Down to Earth | Finally, a vegan place on campus + a giveaway!

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“The best feeling is when my customers tell me they feel the love I put into my cooking. The mission of Down to Earth is to bring you good food that’s good for you!”

— Alma Rangel, founder of Down to Earth

My university, UT Arlington, hasn’t always been the best place for vegans, vegetarians, or earth and health conscious folks. Having been a student there for almost a decade (yes, I’m in grad school now), I’ve seen it all–the struggle of choosing a bruised banana or a greasy hashbrown for morning fuel was real. I remember at orientation, I made my first friend over a sad/hilarious vegan bonding experience over the slim pickings at the salad bar. We rallied with other forward thinkers (veg and non-veg!), advocating for more plant-based options on campus in various ways, earning unanimous support from Student Congress.

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Photo courtesy of Richard Hoang (The Shorthorn).

Options got better overall, but they weren’t particularly amazing or consistent. La Blue Casa had a great run at College Park, until it went down in an unfortunate turn. If you wanted vegan tacos, your best bet would be to make your own (which we did). Now, with the arrival of Down to Earth at College Park, students can get a variety of vegan tacos and other authentic, plant-based Mexican fare on demand. Read to the end to find out how you can win a free meal at Down to Earth!

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Down to Earth offers a variety of taco fillings, including nopalitos (cactus), calabacitas (Mexican squash), spicy sweet potato and black beans, and aguacate a la Mexicana (avocado fans rejoice)!

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