Aw snap. I completely forgot to post about our wonderful trip to the Austin Zoo and Vegan Chili Cookoff last weekend! We drove in early Sunday morning (as in 2am), and stayed in a hotel. After a quick stop by the Austin Convention Center to see Thomas the Train, with a friend's 5 yr. old, we headed out to the zoo. The Austin Zoo isn't like many other zoos that we are all too familiar with. This zoo is a refuge for rescued animals coming from neglectful situations. Many are retired or saved from the circus, found or bought from abusive owners, or given a good home when one was not otherwise provided. There was also a Vegan Chili Cookoff being held there by the Lonestar Vegetarian Society. All kinds of people and groups from the Austin area, and even from Houston, Dallas, and Ft. Worth got together and showcased their chili recipes. We met many lovely animals, and had some amazing vegan chili. I don't have any pictures of the lovely chili, but let me just say I can't wait to go back next year and stuff myself all over again.






The male lion was absolutely gorgeous. He swaggered over to us when we walked up and was really chilled. He had dreadlocks and everything, and I instantly fell in love. He kind of reminded me of a hippie. The little guy chewing on the wire, and the guy sticking his tongue out were in the "petting zoo" area, which was just full of all types of small animals doing their own things. They really just wanted some lovin'.

To highlight my new soup/coffee cup from Curves I made a delicious breakfast couscous. This is slightly adapted from the recipe in Garden of Vegan. I call it, Israeli Breakfast Couscous with Apricot, Pistachio, and Rose Water


Israeli Breakfast Couscous with Apricot, Pistachio, and Rose Water
1/2 c israeli couscous
1 c non-dairy milk, fruit juice, or water
1 Tb orange juice concentrate
1/4 c unsalted pistachios, chopped
1/4 c dried apircots, chopped
2 tsp rose water
2 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut (garnish, optional)

Bring liquid and concentrate to boil. Add Israeli couscous, bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer 5-7 minutes. After 2-3 minutes of simmering, stir in aprictos, and pistachios. Once couscous is cooked, remove from heat, cover and let sit 1-2 minutes. Uncover, stir in rose water. Spoon into serving dish, top with coconut.

I don't like things very sweet, but this would probably work well with some agave nectar. This is my first time making this and it could probably use a little tweaking, as it was a little dry. I really enjoyed it, especially with the rose water. I added a little more while eating :)

I'm doing my last minute things to get ready for my trip to Europe next week, like shopping, getting my hair cut, and..oh yeah..packing! I hadn't touched, or even looked at my suitcase until today. I have been so preoccupied with everything else, that I didn't want to start worrying about what I was going to take and if it would all fit or not. So, today was the day that I broke down and did it. I pulled my suitcase out of the shadows, threw it on my bed, ripped it open, and began the throw down. I was done and out in under 30 minutes. I am packed! I was suprised how little time it took, but I am so ready to go that I could hardly care what I brought with me. One step further with my long, hard struggle with procrastination.

My Rat Pack: Frankie, Deano, Sammy



These are my children, and they never let me sleep. <3

I'm not used to this blogging thing, as witnessed from my lack of posting. Not to make excuses, but I have been too busy to care. Now that I have more time on my hands, maybe I will give this thing another try. I tend not to expose myself in this kind of way, simply because I value my privacy. But, I see this as a contribution to my people, and I want to keep us strong. Holla!