Vegan Italian Sausage Chunky Minestrone & Easy Olive Oil Garlic Toast

I like these new purple plates but I'm not sure they look that great in photos.

Yesterday was a big day for the ol' Shannons. As many of you know, our kitchen in Norfolk was about the size of a bathtub. One of the selling points of our new place in Brooklyn was the bigger kitchen. There was room for a kitchen island to increase the counter space, and of course there was the coveted exposed brick. But even with all this upgrading, we were only half way to our dream kitchen. We needed something extra for all our pretty plates and schmancy wine glasses and all those random grains I like to experiment with and other random yumminess. That's why last weekend my handsome husband built me a Tardis!

Click on these photos to enlarge.

Now if you don't watch Doctor Who, you might not know what a Tardis is or what the hell I'm talking about. See, the infamous Tardis was created by the Time Lords to travel through time and space and is able to blend into it's surroundings using something called the 'chameleon circuit' while having the mystifying ability to be larger on the inside. Our new 'Tardis' not only matches all our kitchen gear but has pretty much doubled our cabinet space. This one addition to our kitchen is what I am calling a game changer and is pretty much one of the best things to ever happen to the Shannon kitchen since we starting making the vegan fried egg!

Check out how much it holds!

The only downside is that construction took up most of the kitchen Sunday but even without a kitchen... there is always the slow cooker. Minestrone is a thick soup that is as common on Italian dinner tables as pasta. It is also one of those soups that it is easy to take for granted because it is often already vegan but this one includes some vegan Italian sausage to make it a complete meal in a bowl. It's an easy dinner that pretty much makes itself. This soup is also kinda like The Doctor's Tardis ironically enough. It's full of way more vegetables and subtle savory flavors than you would think. We had ours with some Olive Oil Garlic Toast - a recipe I am sharing for those folks who love garlic bread but are trying to avoid the palm oil in most margarine. I actually think I might prefer the olive oil version but I'm a sucker for olives and olive oil and all things even a little related.

The downside to the slow cooker is pretty obvious. It's slow. This soup takes about a half hour to prep for and about 6 hours to make. So we should get started!

The Anti-Kobayashi Maru Contest

No not this Maru... Silly.

So the other night I was tweeting with John McDevitt from The Laziest Vegans in the World & Vegan Omaha about Star Trek... and it got me thinking about the Star Trek reboot and how James T. Kirk found a way to beat the infamous Kobayashi Maru.

Now if you're cool enough to not know what that is... it's a test given at Starfleet Academy to all potential captains. It's the basic 'No Win Situation'* featuring Klingons, their Neutral Zone and a doomed civilian vessel. Nobody likes a no-win situation--so it got me thinking about how to create a Everybody Wins Contest!

It also seems like a great time to do it because we have to celebrate our Facebook page hitting 7,000 followers (GASP) and our new Meet The Shannons T-shirts! It's like Blogger Law. So we're putting together a gift pack that will include 1 Meet The Shannon T-Shirt of your choice, 1 Free Method Product (yes the cruelty-free & environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies) and a bunch of other cool stuff. Now if you're wondering if our gift packs are awesome... check out this blog post by The Radioactive Vegan one of our past winners**.

Also check out the beautiful Bianca Phillips (YES from Vegan Crunk) with her winnings from our VegNews contest!

And the lovely Italia Millan, an activist all-star from Detroit, in her winnings from our Herbivore Clothing Company Contest!

So yeah, this mystery prize pack is going to be worth winning especially when you hear how easy it is to win. All you have to do is post a link to an adorable cat or kitten video in the comment section below and NEXT Wednesday Aug. 24th at 9pm EST Dan and I will randomly choose ONE winner and ONE runner-up to win a special 2nd place prize! YES! 2 Winners!

I like to think that we're all going to be winners though, because after this over there will be a list here of some pretty cute internets here that we all can enjoy. It's actually kinda ridiculous how excited I am for this.

Remember in order to win - you have to be a follower of Meet The Shannons - So we have your contact info. To become a follower - Just click on the "Follow" box in the right hand column. So start your search engines and let's get all crazy cute!

* Now if you're a half-full type, you might actually think of this as being the ultimate 'thinking outside the box' situation.

** This prize won't be exactly the same as that one... but it hopefully will be equally awesome if not better!

Behold The Shannon Smoothie Rocket Pop!

So! We were suppose to launch an awesome contest today but I can't find the disk with the photos I need to do that. Am I the worst wife ever? I mean I didn't kill anybody but yeah I lost a ton of blogger/wife points today. You'll understand better when I find that disk.

In an attempt to not completely disappoint you all, I am sharing a recipe I hope will be as popular at your house as it was at ours. When this treat was in it's concept phases, I admit the initial draw was getting to use these freaking adorable rocket pop molds we found at Whole Foods but after eating a few, we've come to our senses. This recipe is a perfect combo of real fruit and good for you and summertime and awesomesauce and kittens riding rainbows*. I might even dare to say I prefer them to the original ones. Mostly because the berries in this one were grown on bushes and not electric blue. Though I admit I have fond memories of techno-color blue foods as a child. Raspberry or Blue was a popular flavor in the late 80s-early 90s when I coveted slurpees. 

If rockets** aren't your thing, there are many other adorable and random Popsicle molds available these days to bring back your childhood memories.

Sailboats

Faux Ice Cream Cones

Ring Pops

Once you have chosen your mold or maybe have cleaned out an ice cube tray, get out your blender and let's make smoothie pops!

Owls are cute - FREE Owl Shopping Bags are Really Cute! TODAY ONLY CONTEST!

During our packing I found these adorable shopping bags that were intended to be prizes at a bridal shower... I could keep them for myself but I would rather share them with you! So we're having a little Earth Day Contest!

So today's contest : Please post a link to a cute owl photo in the comment section below and tonight at 9pm EST Dan and I will randomly choose 4 WINNERS!

Remember in order to win - you have to be a follower of Meet The Shannons - So we have your contact info. To become a follower - Just click on the "Follow" box in the right hand column. So start your search engines and let's get all crazy cute!

The Betty Crocker Project : Fresh Berry & Tea Tart & Announcing THE CLEAN LIVING CONTEST!

I love this time of year, the dogwood tree outside my office window starts to get little bright green buds. Daffodils and crocuses are sprouting up throughout the neighborhood and the grocery stores are full of fresh berries. Berry stands are opening up anywhere near North Carolina and if you're lucky you can find a stand that also has asparagus - but more about that later. Let's talk tarts.

These tarts are just... lovely. But even though those bright flavorful berries kinda steal the show, I have to mention the crust and crumble for this are pretty exceptional as well. The crust was made with Earl Grey Tea (my personal favorite) and then we topped the tart with an orange zest crumble to bring out the bergamont* flavors in the tea. The combination of them all make this tart really stand out in The Betty Crocker Project. Yeah this tart has that "it factor" to make it in the world of food blogging.

Springtime isn't just about blooming flowers and the revamping of the produce section. Around this time of year, we all open our windows and look around our caves and start well - un-caving. Spring cleaning it one of my favorite projects all year and not just because I like things that smell good! I love making a space my own. Some of you might remember awhile back when I talked about my Pink Lady Kitchen. Well, Method has changed up their products a little bit since then but we're still a Method house** and we'd love to help get you excited about Spring cleaning too!

So we're giving away 2 Method products*** of your choice! All you have to do is "Like" this post (see above) and then post a comment below sharing your favorite tip to an environmentally friendly home! Remember you have to be a "follower" of our blog to win so we can contact you. If you're not a follower - you can find the button for that to the right of this post. Next Wednesday - March 30th - we'll randomly pick a winner from the comments and get you started on your way to another level of clean living!

Let's get these tarts started!

The Betty Crocker Project : Spicy Split Pea Soup and a Side of Chatter

So we're taking a little detour from our chocolate suicide to enjoy soup season and talk about some updates we've made around here. We're also going to man up and answer some of the questions we're getting since I boasted yesterday that we might not need New Years Resolutions this year. Now, if you haven't checked out some of the changes we made to this site over the past few weeks, you really should. We've put in a Pantry page to help you locate recipes by ingredients, and we updated our Frequently Asked Questions, As Seen On and Nerdery pages. We're still working on The Family Tree, but keep checking back--I think you'll like what we're going to do.

Also, if you look on the right hand side of the page, you'll see a button to check out our Finding Vegan Page, as well as a link to Ecolissa. Meet The Shannons readers can get 20% on Ecolissa - eco friendly and vegan clothing by entering Vegan20 at checkout. If living a greener life is one of your New Years Resolutions, you should really check Ecolissa out.

We've had a few people ask me a wide range of questions about reusable shopping bags & totes*. I hope these tips answer your questions.

• Keep your shopping bags in your car, and if you're really forgetful, put a sticky note on your dash reminding you to bring them inside. I think you'll be surprised how fast you make this a good habit.
• Recently someone who loves large, uncompromising landfills went around the internet telling people that reusing shopping bags will lead to a pandemic of food born illnesses. Let's be honest here--like anything in life, if you are worried about getting sick... be cleaner. Wash your hands. Wash your bags regularly, and your food before you eat it. Soap don't hurt.
• If you feel like some weirdo using a tote in places outside the grocery stores and farmers market, get yourself one of these cute little ones that fit in your purse. There are a few that are more manly too for pockets.

Time for soup!

The Shannon Smoothie: Episode I

I feel kinda bad posting this because really this is where Dan shines. Almost every morning, he gets up very early and makes me coffee and a smoothie. Not just any smoothie, though. He has this very special system that has really brought smoothie-making out of the strip malls and health food stores and into the realm of art and science. A Smoothie Renaissance, if you will.

Of course, no smoothie is ever quite the same. Some focus on tropical fruits like mangoes and pineapples, while others are the more traditional blueberry and banana. Like with most of our dishes, we always use organic ingredients when possible. Everything that goes into our morning smoothies is organic: Soymilk, Bananas, Berries. I know we don't mention this enough, but almost 3 years ago we made a New Years Resolution to use organic ingredients and environmentally friendly products whenever possible, and it has now become a pretty solid part of our lifestyle. Books like Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home have helped "Green" our home, and we're always looking at new ways to make our footprints just a little smaller.

This smoothie is actually one I made awhile ago and have been holding onto for a rainy day. This particular rainstorm was called Top Chef Season Finale/Pizza Date Night. Yeah, we're SUPER MARRIED!

But with school and busy morning routines starting up again, I thought it was a good time to bring out this gem. Dan's Smoothie Works will be coming. I mean, who wants to have the same smoothie everyday? That's like some sad Groundhog's Day Looping Reality thing. Weird.

Warning: This smoothie is super easy, really good, and may improve your mornings by an estimated 80%.

IOU : 1 Vegan Cupcake Recipe

Image by Klas Fahlén

I owe you one cupcake recipe. Please expect this over the weekend.

See, I was going to bake them last night, but yesterday was a pretty big day for me. IDA rescued 55 long-tailed macaque monkeys from a research lab in New Jersey, and I was working until after 10pm. Then I sat down to find the recipe in Big Red and instead found Army of Darkness on TV. I did a little happy dance and exclaimed "sweet" to myself... maybe the cats heard... who knows really. That pretty much covers the most interesting parts of the story.

But let's not focus on the cupcakes that are to come. I'm going to take this opportunity to answer 3 Questions about The Shannon Household I get a lot. See, there are a lot of you loyal lurkers and bold subscribers/followers out there reading this blog (over 17,000) and I get a lot of emails. So much so that I admit I have a problem keeping up with them all sometimes. I apologize for that. But I hope today's post will answer 3 of the questions I get the most, and hopefully those of you out there who are waiting for a response to your email will read this and forgive me.