Category: viral recipes

food blog, Mom Blogs, national eat ice cream for breakfast, vegan recipes, viral recipes

Is there ever enough Tzaziki on the plant-Bases Gyro??

iamcryscarey
📸: @shaughncooper

In my world an amazing Gyro is like the power meal I wish I could eat daily. Did you know that it’s actually pronounced “Year•Oh“ ?? This recipe is one of the most fun recipes I’ve ever made! This summer I’m leaning into the sauces! This will be a Saucy Girl summer 🔥🤤 Lit… lit.

📸 : @shaughncooper

Fresh Herbs and spices are the star in this recipe! Aromatic herbs such as dill & oregano. Spices like cinnamon & cumin make an amazing marinade for this jackfruit chicken filling.

Ingredients

JACKFRUIT Chik’n (for best flavour, marinade overnight)

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium red onion, finely diced

• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp dry oregan

• ½ tsp chilli power

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 cans of Jackfruit (Green)

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Maple Syrup

• ¼ tsp white pepper

• 2 tbsp chicken•less seasoning

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Let’s Measure in Melanin

1. Drain the jackfruit. Squeeze excess water off and separate with your hands. Chop the firm end pieces into the mixture.

3. Heat up olive oil in a medium pan I use my Always Pan. Add diced red onion sauté until softened, translucent and lightly carmelized. Add chopped garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant.

5. Add majority of the spices: cloves, cinnamon,chicken•less seasoning ,cumin, and oregano to the sautéed onions and garlic.

6. Mix in the tomato paste.

8. Now add in the prepared jackfruit along with soy sauce, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Mix everything extremely well. Last add the white pepper and some salt to taste. Simmer the mixture for another 10-15 minutes and then allow it to cool down. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet in the fridge overnight to intensify the flavour. ( Do Not Skip)

9. Just before you are ready to assemble your gyros, set the oven to Broil (Hi). Cook for about 20-25 minutes, until a little caramelized and browned around the edges.

Assembling the gyros is super easy! Just add in tomato wedges, fresh cucumbers, red onion, fresh dill, lettuce, and lots of plant-Based Tzatziki sauce. I used warmed pitas 🥙

I hope you enjoy this yummy recipe! It’s definitely a must try.

-Crys 🖤

food blog, Mom Blogs, recipes, vegan recipes, viral recipes

The Last Bowl of Soup

iamcryscarey
📸 : Shaughn Cooper

I know… I know spring is here, but this soup just couldn’t wait until next year! It doesn’t get any better than a nice soup on a rainy spring day. The weather in Maryland is still chilly, but the days are a bit warmer. The super star in this soup are the Kovi Kai raw cold pressed elixirs 🙌🏾

Kovi Kai is the most convenient way to enjoy fresh Ginger or Turmeric in your meals and drink creations.

This soup was super easy to make because it’s a slow cooker recipe. I love a hearty & filling slow cooker meal. This one is the truth and with the fresh bite of the Ginger and earthiness of the Turmeric it makes a flavor packed meal.

After a quick Sauté of the onion, garlic. Browsing the jackfruit… all you do is add to the slow cooker and let it slow roll until you are home free.

Taking the time to separate your jackfruit is a key component in the preparation of jackfruit. Fully draining and dicing yields the best results. My favorite jackfruit brand is here
Prep all veggies ahead for a even quicker meal prep time.
Pro Tip: I sautéed 1/2 of my onion and left some raw. So as the slow cooker works it’s Magic, you have some different textures within the soup. I recommend red onion do no other reason than I love the color variety it provides.
📸 : Shaughn Cooper

Be sure to let me know how you like this yummy recipe! If you make it be sure to tag @iamcryscarey on IG 🖤

I measure in melanin so you don’t have to!

-Crystal Carey

-Crys 🖤

food blog, Mom Blogs, recipes, vegan recipes, viral recipes

Happy National Pi Day!

iamcryscarey

This was my first time doing a decorated crust, but I figured for Pi Day we should do it big! This pie was super simple and plant-based. Easy… Breezy Apple Peazy and it’s “Semi-Homemade” to save you some time in the kitchen ✅🥧 You can start with a boxed pie crust like this or you could try refrigerated to save even more time. Both are vegan by accident and the perfect base for this recipe (be sure to read labels) You will need 2 boxes for one pie to get a nice thick top crust and a bottom crust and some extra for designs. If using ready made or refrigerated you will need 3 sheets.

You can opt for Apple Pie Filling as it’s easier and most are vegan (be sure to check the label) but I suggest adding some additional apple pie spice, lemon, and maple syrup to taste. Don’t go in blind with canned filling. You might be disappointed 😞
I absolutely love these pink pastry brushes they are my favorite. Fun for the spring kitchen gadget/tools.
Oven Ready! Going in ✅

Keep a close eye on your pies. I came to the realization that to get perfect edges you have to protect your crust. So, I brought this to prevent future pies from getting too dark or burnt edges as they tend to cook faster than the middle. For this pie I struggled with foil wrapping 🥴 A literal nightmare.

Finished Product 🤤

Yummy 🤤 📸 : Shaughn Cooper
Bakery Display Ready! 📸 : Shaughn Cooper
It’s the details for me! 📸Shaughn Cooper
I manually cut out all the detail by hand with exception of the Pi symbols! 📸: Shaughn Cooper
📸: Final Pre-Bake Shot!

Hope this post gave you all the spring vibes for National Pi Day! 🥧💐

Enjoy!

-Crys 🖤

food blog, recipes, vegan recipes, viral recipes

Happy National Meatball Day!

iamcryscarey

Today in honor of National meatball Day I’m sharing my Amaze•Balls recipe for Lentil Meatballs! These yummy morsels come together in 30 minutes with less than 10 ingredients and I promise you, no crazy ingredients like unicorn milk 🦄 🥛

With these simple Whole Food Plant-Based ingredients you can have a yummy “meatless” balls great with your favorite pasta or pasta substitute like carrot or zucchini noodles 🤤

The secret to this yummy recipe is the Nola creole spices lentils created with Chef Gone Mad Creole Smokehouse & Cajun Nola for a little heat 🔥You know what they say if you can’t stand the heat 👩🏾‍🍳 “Stay out the kitchen”

Be sure to checkout Chef Gone Mad Spices from this dope & Black owned business bringing the heat!

The second part of this recipe that yields a meaty and flavorful ball is not over pulsing the mix so there are some chunks left but not large chunks. Also taste testing your mixture is a secret to assuring it’s high on the flavor meter.

You want flavor you can see!! 👀

These meatballs pack an awesome 10 mg of protein per 4 meatballs and the recipe yields 12 meatballs. So when they ask you where you get your protein you can say “I pack it in my balls” 🤣🤷🏽‍♀️

Vegan Parmesan Cheese makes life better! 📸 : Shaughn Cooper
I put mine over a plant-based garlic pesto pasta 🤤 📸: Shaughn Cooper
The fresh Basil adds an element of color and the flavor is insane it’s optional but I definitely recommend💯👌🏾 📸: Shaughn Cooper
Be sure to checkout Otamot today!

Let me know what you guys think about this super awesome recipe! It’s a super tasty, fun and easy weeknight meal.

Ways to celebrate National Meatball Day:

•Make some meatballs 👌🏾

•Make a meatball sub! These are tasty in a sub too btw 😋

• Throw an Amaze•Balls party! Tons of meatless balls and dipping sauces 😚 YES PLEASE!

• Singing: On top of Spaghetti all covered with cheese 🧀 is always a good idea! Tradition never dies.

Whatever you do today to celebrate be sure to have fun and allow the food to connect you to friends and family. My boys love meatballs, and they satisfy even the pickiest eaters!

“Good food choices are good investments.”

-Bethenny Frankel

-Crys 🖤

food blog, Mom Blogs, recipes, vegan recipes, viral recipes

“It’s all about the spice” 🌶 Vegan Chili Sponsored By The Zen of Slow Cooking

iamcryscarey

As a home based chef I look forward to learning about flavors and playing in all kinds of herbs & spices. I consider myself a self-proclaimed flavorologist. My friends over at The Zen of Slow Cooking have all the goodies on deck! I made two amazing and fun recipes with the Southwest Fiesta Multicooker blend. Here’s my thought’s …

I Absolutely Adore these spices 🖤🌱📸: Shaughn Cooper

Slow cooker recipes are perfect for the weeknight meals we need to be quick but pack a huge punch on the flavor meter, because we are not eating anything bland at the Carey household! 🤷🏽‍♀️

Surely if I’m in the kitchen I have something to smile about! My true happy place ♥️ 📸 : Shaughn Cooper

Easy Peasy weeknight meals are a snap with My Zen of slow cooking easy and ready to go spice blends . These ready to go flavor packs are perfect for a no fuss weeknight meal ♥️As a busy mom I appreciate these ready to go ideas. I made a plant-based slow-cooker chili and my family really enjoyed this one. Chili is a meal you can throw together fairly easily and it’s super yummy and customizable.

With an array of fresh veggies, cilantro, and The Zen of Slow Cooking Spices this dish comes alive with flavor!

Did you know that Cilantro Stems have just as much flavor as their leaves? Well now you do, and we’re throwing them all in the slow cooker! Once they’ve cooked down, you can’t even see that they’re there, but you sure can taste their yummy flavor. I’ve also always added fire roasted tomatoes in lieu of tomato paste. So this recipe is no different.

Slow cooker Magic brings this dish all the way together so seamlessly 📸: Shaughn Cooper

The last and most definitely not least favorite part of chili is the toppings! I mean c’mon we all know the chili is all about the toppings. What are your favorites? Mine are plant-based cheese, plant-based sour cream, and fresh cilantro with a squeeze of lime.

It’s the toppings for me! 📸 : Shaughn Cooper
Zen of slow cooking nailed this one! 📸 : Shaughn Cooper

Let’s gather our ingredients . Checkout what you will need below for this simple recipe.

**Zen of Slow Cooking

The spice packet was a great compliment to the chili and I didn’t have to measure out chili powder, cumin, etc. To make the perfect chili! Want to know the best part about chili??? Leftovers

Fresh Lime juice livens up any meal I added some canned Rotel Mild Tomatoes, fresh onion, avocado, and vegan cheese sauce, grain-free tortillas.
Re-Purposing Leftovers into a new meal is my thing and this slow-cooker chili snapped as some
chili cheese nachos 😋
Fresh Chopped Cilantro 🌿 adds a bit of flair ♥️
It’s the Avocado•Rose for me 🥑🌹

Tips & Tricks

• Be sure to chop your veggies small and uniform! This aides in cooking evenly.

•Be sure to stir everything well and do not drain the beans or the tomatoes.

•I added Dacy Dash Salt N Pepper Blend to taste at the end 💪🏾

•This freezes well I recommend thawing in the fridge overnight then enjoy!

•This is a blank canvas truly add in any veggies you want corn is good one I love the fire roasted corn 😋

Give these fun recipes a try! -Crys 🖤

food blog, Mom Blogs, recipes, vegan recipes, viral recipes

Viral TikTok Pasta Goes Plant-Based! 🌱

iamcryscarey
Don’t you just love the vibrant blue LeCruset? 📸: Shaughn Cooper

So unless you are living under a rock then I’m certain that you have seen or heard about the viral feta pasta that is sweeping the Internet. I actually created a Tiktok Here. This pasta is legit one of the best things since sliced bread 🍞 and ironically it tasted amazing with sliced baguettes 🥖🤷🏽‍♀️

This is one of my favorite shots from this shoot! 📸: Shaughn Cooper

My recipe utilizes store bought vegan feta cheese which is absolutely amazing and very identical in flavor and texture to traditional Feta! An easy weeknight meal that will have you legit licking your bowl.

I have tried this with Feta & Gouda cheese both are amazing. One notable difference is the Gouda did not melt completely while the feta turned to straight melty goodness. 📸: Shaughn Cooper

One thing for sure two things for certain. This pasta is definitely a crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike. It’s cheesy tangy flavor gives cheese pizza pasta vibes. Which is right up my kids alley! Because I mean kids love pizza! Mine have never met a pizza they didn’t like.

Herbs & Spices are the key all recipes on of my favorite staple seasonings is Dacy Dash ‘s Salt and pepper blend! 💪🏾🙌🏾🖤 Another Favorite Shot! 📸: Shaughn Cooper
Plated and ready to eat!! Can’t get enough of this beautiful Wooden Bowl 📸: Shaughn Cooper

So I did a recipe guide that features this super yummy weeknight & kid friendly meal! 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

I must pay homage to the original creator of the viral feta pasta. It did not just start with the viral tiktok video. The pasta actually originated in 2019 on Grilled Cheese Socials website.

My recipe actually is nut free & dairy free. Give it a try today and let me know what you think!

Perfection comes in many forms pasta is one ♥️🌱
Here are some fun facts about Feta Cheese! Did you know You can buy Vegan Feta online shipped to your door Shop Now!
Have you tried Imperfect Foods? Fresh produce delivered to your door weekly with huge benefits to our environment!

-Crys🖤 (Always Measured in Melanin so you don’t have to!)