Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Hello Internet Fairies,

When approached the right way, finding vegan alternatives to comfort foods or classic dishes is pretty exciting: trying new ingredients, attempting to mimic flavours, and finally forming your favourite substitute. 

I was feeling like Shepherd's Pie one day, and with a package of Yve's Ground Round in my fridge, I had no excuse. There's a picture of a Shepherd's Pie right on the darn package.

Ingredients:
~ 1 package Yve's Ground Round (regular flavour, as opposed to the kind for tacos, etc.)
~ 3 carrots
~ 2 white potatoes
~ 2 sweet potatoes
~ 1/2 a yellow onion
~ 1 package Shepherd's Pie seasoning mix OR seasonings you'd prefer in this instance
~ 1 tbsp parsley
~ 1/4 cup cashew milk
~ 2 tbsp vegan margarine
~ Daiya Cheese (to top)
~ Oven at 350°F

So what I did to start was peel the carrots and potatoes, and chop that onion. I popped them in some boiling water to soften them. I figured the sweet potatoes made it KINDA original. A little.

At that time, I mixed the chickpeas, seasoning, and ground round in the bottom of the dish I would be making my Shepherd's Pie in. When the onion and carrots were tender (which was before the potatoes, naturally), I removed them from the water and chopped them up a bit, which I then also added to the mix~ I pressed it down with a fork in preparation to top with the potatoes.

Once the potatoes were soft, I took them out and mashed them, adding in the 1/4 cup cashew milk, 2 tablespoons of vegan margarine, and 1 tablespoon of parsley, adding salt and pepper to taste. Basically, mashed potatoes. This mixture was then poured on top of the ground round melangé, and gently pressed down with a fork. I sprinkled Daiya shredded cheeze on it, and baked it at 350°F for half an hour, then broiled it for a few minutes afterwards to get some crispiness going on top. Yummeh~

I really enjoyed making this, and with some experience under my belt, maybe it'll be even better next time.

Done the Semester!

Last Thursday was the last day of my semester! I had a presentation that day, so I thought I'd share my inspiration & designs here.

click to enlarge!

I swear I'll post more content soon!! I have a job interview this afternoon so I'm focusing on that for now. Wish me luck!

What to do on Earth Day

I'm super excited to go pick up garbage tomorrow, in honour of Earth Day! There're several things YOU can do tomorrow, however we should do these things more often, if not every day. Maybe we should celebrate Earth Day like we do birthdays, wherein we reflect upon the year that has passed, and the year that lies ahead of us. That way, we could make more conscious effort towards taking care of the planet. So here I have three super EASY Earth Day missions for you:

1. Clean Up Your Neighbourhood~

Whether you do this by yourself, organize a group, or go to a trash-collecting event, any amount of clean-up on roadsides, parks, or even in your yard, is necessary. Put trash in its place, and all that jazz. This prevents it from getting into waterways, harming animals, or even people. Bonus points if you use gardening gloves or another type of glove that is washable/reusable, as opposed to trashing a pair of rubber gloves.

2. DON'T Shop.

The only exception in this case is if you're shopping secondhand. We consume so much and throw away products so quickly that the Earth can't keep up. We use so many plastics, synthetics, and non-biodegradable materials in the production of housewares, clothes, textiles, and literally everything we consume. Even the plastic packaging on foods and even produce (think of those little stickers on your bananas!), are not doing us any favours, and end up in all the places they're not meant to be. We would suspend garbage in the air if we could, and actually, we do that in the form of emissions/pollution. Fabulous. So, all of this said, when you DO shop, buy quality over quantity, make do & mend, and don't forget your reusable shopping bag.
If you watched the video in my previous post, The Story of Stuff, then you'd know that we are no happier than we were in the 1950s, despite having bigger houses and more belongings. We are led to believe that shopping makes us feel good, but it doesn't. Often times, we feel guilty after shopping because it is so easy to overspend in a consumer-driven society. Find true, long-term happiness in your life instead. :)

3. Use Less Electricity!

I don't know about other areas, but in Ontario, over half of our electricity is powered by nuclear energy (source). We do not currently have many responsible disposal methods for nuclear waste (a by-product of nuclear energy), so it is stored in metal containers and often shipped by transport truck (with the possibility of crashing,thus damaging the waste), and buried in the ground. One of my final projects last semester was inspired by Chernobyl's effect on nearby town Pripyat, in the Ukraine. Reading the stories of the people who suffered - and continue to do so - inspired me to look into the use of nuclear energy in my area. Turns out, a new nuclear waste dump is set to be built in Ontario, right next to Lake Huron. Isn't that ridiculous? I urge you to check out http://www.stopthegreatlakesnucleardump.com/, educate yourself, and sign the petition against its construction.
With all the viable renewable energy sources available, there're few excuses for something like this. Unless we come up with a responsible way of disposing of nuclear waste, we don't really have the right to use it. Anyways, using less electricity won't stop the use of nuclear energy, however in the grand scheme, we'd use less nuclear energy. So, don't forget to turn off your lights and unplug your unused electronics this Earth Day!


Thanks, and enjoy your Earth Day! Make it your every day!

Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff is a very eye-opening video about the life cycle through which products travel. I originally saw it in 2012 in my General Arts program, however I saw it again today and thought that more people need to give it a go so here we are, sharing the love! It's a little hokey but I'm sure we can look past it's, err, charm, to enjoy the facts! I think this is a great video to be watching before Earth Day, which is April 22nd!

Thanks, Everyone!

To My Beloved Readers,

I really appreciate everyone's support with my blog! At this time, I'm done with the analytics for my Social Media assignment, so I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my blog, being supportive, and putting up with my nagging ("go look at my blog!", "did you read my blog?"). As a token of my appreciation, I have a kitten for you! I dressed her up for you! 

As for the future of this blog, I intend on continuing to post as its a good way for me to document my life, interests, etc., so please feel free to continue checking into my blog! I have exams coming up over the next two weeks, but I have promised myself that I'll make posts throughout the summer, as not only is this blog good for my well-being, but social media/blogging skills are useful in the fashion  and business industries.

In the meantime, please check out my Pinterest and the wonderful boards I've put together with Feeling Faerie Fabulousness in mind!! Some spotlight boards I'm going to mention include "Whimsical Decor", a board full of boho living for the fairy-inspired, my Earth-loving, vegan food board "Faerie Foodie", and my "fairy" inspiring (ha) fashion board "In Fairy Fashion".

Thanks again!

Love,

Lynda

Betsey Johnson Ad

I should be paid for this, but I'm getting marks instead. Close enough~

Just thought I'd share!

Wednesdays!

In case you're facing a tough Wednesday, here's a party zebra.

Make the most of your day! No one else will do it for you! 

xoxo