withlovecindyxo

[withlovecindyxo]

Vegetarian Spinach Empanadas

Hi Friends!

Happy Saturday! I hope you are having a great weekend. I had one of the busiest weeks ever, so it was so nice to take this day for myself (at least a few hours) and cook a delicious meal that i don’t have time to make very often. This is my take on savory empanadas, which originated from Spain and traditionally are filled with some kind of meat. You can fry them or bake them in the oven, in my case i use the air fryer (which i talked about in a previous post). My mom and i have been making these easy spinach-filled empanadas for quite some time now, i hope you get to try them. 

Now onto the ingredients:

Makes about 6-7 Empanadas

Prep/Cook time: about 35 minutes

For the empanada filling you will need:

A box of baby spinach, preferably organic (142 grams)

vegan butter (this earth balance soy-free one is amazing)

Any type of cheese you like. (I used Colby & Monterrey jack finely shredded. You can swap it out for vegan cheese, i just haven’t found one that i love)

Seasoning (i used salt and pepper, you can get creative and add herbs or spices)

For the empanada shells: 

Empanada puff pastry. (I found these at HEB, i’m sure your local grocery store will have something similar in the frozen isle)

Water or Almond milk to seal the empanadas

Instructions:

If you are baking them in the oven, preheat it at 370 degrees

Take out the frozen empanada puff pastry to thaw

Melt about a tablespoon of vegan butter in a medium sized pan

Add spinach leaves to pan, medium low heat, stirring frequently

Add seasoning when they start to wilt and turn a darker green color

After spinach is fully cooked, about 7 to 10 minutes, add Cheese

Keep at low heat until cheese is melted and mixture is well combined

Once filling is done, let it cool for a couple of minutes

You can now start filling your empanada pastry:

Add about a tablespoon of filling to each empanada shell, then add water or milk to the edge of the pastry with your finger all the way around, this will seal the empanada when it cooks and will prevent the filling from escaping

Close over the empanada, use a fork to seal the edge and create the iconic empanada lines

Brush milk onto the top of the empanada (traditionally it would be an egg wash) to add color as it bakes. A little goes a long way

Place in oven for about 13 minutes, until golden brown. Same thing if using an air fryer at 370 degrees

When they are done let them cool 3-5 minutes before serving

You can pair these with veggies, mashed potatoes, or pasta. Usually these are the main event of my meal. Something else i want to mention is that although you may think a full box of spinach is a lot, they end up wilting and dissolving into nothing, so trust me on this one, if you want a fuller empanada, you might need two boxes. I hope you get to try these, they are honestly super simple to make. 

Today marks my 6th post on this blog! 6 weeks of planning and having a creative outlet. It started out as an assignment for class but i can say that it has been so much fun, and thank you so much for reading. I really hope to keep it up in the future. As always, let me know if you have any suggestions or questions. 

With Love, 

Cindy xo

[withlovecindyxo]

My Top 5 Reads from Last Year

Hi Friends!

I hope you had a great and relaxing spring break! I took a little break from social media for that week but i’m back and ready to share some of my favorite books i have read in the past year with you all. I would say i have a pretty diverse taste when it comes to my reading. I enjoy fiction, especially thrillers, mysteries, some fantasy here and there, but i also enjoy non-fiction, memoirs being some of my favorite. I picked my top five reads from 2018 for this post, and i would say there’s a mix of everything included. 

I recently started using goodreads to track my reading habits as well as to find new books i want to read. I did not have an account last year so i don’t exactly know how many books in total i read. For this year i set a challenge to read 30 books in total. I hope i am able to complete that goal, especially since during busy school months i barely have time to read “for fun”. If you love reading like i do, i encourage you to check goodreads out, its a  great way to find out what other people are reading and read reviews over books if you are unsure about them. 

Now here are some of my favorite books: 

1984 by George Orwell (4.7★ on goodreads)

This book is considered a modern classic. I can see why. Its themes are applicable to our time, even if it was published 70 years ago. The book is set in 1984, which for the author at the time seemed far in the future. It portrays a dark picture of a totalitarian society in which the government controls everything and everyone, even deciding what is true or false, and rewriting history to fit into their interests. It can be scary but eye opening at times, and shows many parallels to our lives today, especially with social media and trying to decipher what information is actually true. I really enjoyed it, however it took me quite some time to read it, i found that it is pretty dense. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (4.09★ on goodreads)

I personally think this book feels like a classic as well. It has a gloomy mysterious feeling throughout, which was a huge contrast for me since i read it during the past summer. It is set at a elite college in Vermont, and it revolves around a group of enigmatic students that are faced with the unforeseen death of one of their close friends. It has elements of classics and ancient Greek traditions mixed into the plot. What i found that kept me interested throughout the book is how Tartt does not give away who committed the crime until the very end, keeping me engaged in the story line. I recently picked it up for a re-read and i can say that i loved it. 

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4.2★ on goodreads)

This is a memoir, which are some of my favorite books to read. I love reading real accounts of moments that took place in someone’s life, especially when they are atypical and peculiar. In this book, Jeannette tells the story of her childhood, and why she tried to avoid her past. She grew up with free-spirited, nomadic parents, moved a lot, and had to take care of her siblings while her dad daydreamed and her mother took up painting as a hobby in hopes to make money. She writes about difficult times when they had no food to eat, and of hopeful times when she trusted her dad to resolve their problems. Jeannette is now a successful journalist and author. This moving story is a great representation of the fact that you never know what has happened in someones life, and what struggles they have gone through, even if they are successful today. 

Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan (4.04★ on goodreads)

This is another memoir that i read last summer. I picked it up without knowing much about it, and i boy was i surprised. In this book, Susannah tells the story of when she stopped feeling like herself, started acting weird without knowing why, developed a strange auto-immune condition that affected her brain no doctor could diagnose, and recovered. All in the span of about a month. It is shocking to read and very intriguing. I know they have made a movie adaptation but i have not had the chance to watch it. It was also a pretty quick read.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (4.46★ on goodreads) 

I have to say that i never read Harry Potter growing up. I know, shocking. But i set my mind to reading the entire series by the end of this year, so i picked up the first book last December. I now regret not reading it sooner. It is such a light, quick, fun read. It also balances out my reading when i have to read heavy textbooks for class. I don’t think i have to go much in depth on what this is about. Witches, wizards, magic and mythical creatures in a great castle and boarding school called Hogwarts. 

I just now realized that all my picks have over 4 stars on goodreads, that goes to show that i’m not the only one that enjoyed reading these books. If you’re looking for something to read this summer, i would say you should pick some of these up. 

This was so much fun to write, let me know if you would like me to talk more about books or one in specific. Also, if you have any book recommendations let me know or send me a message, i am open to anything! As always, thank you for reading!

PS. you can follow me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/cindyxo to check on what i have read, want to read, and what i am currently reading!

With Love, 

Cindy xo

[withlovecindyxo]

Air Fried Potatoes? A healthier option.

Hi Friends!

Happy Saturday! Whether it is the start of spring break for you or not, i hope you take some time for yourself this weekend and relax, watch a movie, or cook something. In this week’s post, i wanted to share with you my love for the Air Fryer. Like most people, i was very confused when i first heard of it, frying with air and not with a gallon of oil? okay sure, but i was either way very intrigued. I’ve now had mine for about a year, and I've used it make a few different things. By far my favorite things to make on it are spinach empanadas, and “fried” crispy potatoes. Air Fryers can be in the $100 range but i personally think it is worth it since it makes my life a bit easier (and healthier?). 

Now here is how i make these “fried” potatoes, super quick and easy: 

These crispy roasted potatoes are super simple to make for a filling snack or to pair with your favorite sandwich or burger. 

Makes about 3 servings

Total prep/cook time: about 20 minutes

Things you will need:

2 russet potatoes (medium to large sized) 

Vegetable oil (yes oil, but you will only need about a tablespoon)

Seasonings to taste (i personally use the morton season all, and pink Himalayan sea salt)

Air Fryer

Instructions: 

Wash, peel and cube the potatoes into small bite sized pieces

Place potatoes in a bowl, add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and season to your liking. 

Place potatoes in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees

air fry the potatoes for 15 minutes, checking on them a few times to make sure they don’t stick. 

After 15 minutes, they should be done and you can serve them

The catch here is that you will still need to use oil, this device does not eliminate the need for oil completely, since you don’t want your food sticking to the pan, but you will use significantly less oil than with a regular fryer. And therefore the food will not absorb as much of that oil. If you’re a fan of crispy, fried foods, as many of us are, i would encourage you to try the air fryer and maybe it will become your new healthier alternative.  

As always, thank you so much for reading. I’m off to spring break travels but i will be here with another post next week! 

With Love, 

Cindy xo

[withlovecindyxo]

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes ft. applesauce

Hi Friends!

I hope you had a great week! Before getting into today’s post, i wanted you know that i am having so much fun planning and making content for the blog, it has really turned into a creative outlet for me. I started it for a social media marketing class, but i can honestly say that i would love to keep this up.

Before this week, I had never baked anything vegan before, so i did not really know what to expect. I knew that i wanted to create something sweet for this week’s post, and while i was doing my research, i found that most vegan baking recipes include “flax egg” as a replacement for regular eggs. I am not sure why but i didn’t like the look of this flax egg situation so i tried to find other recipes for inspiration on what to use. I found this one by mydarlingvegan.com on pinterest and to my surprise, she used applesauce as egg replacement! That seemed a bit more appealing to me so i decided to use that. (You should check out her lovely blog!) I mostly followed her recipe, however i added a bit more oven time, 25 min. instead of 20. Also, i didn’t add any frosting since i’m not a huge fan, i prefer them plain, but you can easily make a vegan buttercream. 

Now onto the super easy recipe:

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes: 

Prep time: about 30 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

Makes 12-13 cupcakes 

Ingredients: 

1+1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (i used low fat almond, you could use oat milk or soy)

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp vegetable oil (i would say just use 1/4 cup, its alot of oil)

1/4 cup applesauce (the star of the show)

1/4 cup water

2 tsp vanilla extract / flavoring

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & line a cupcake tin with 12 paper baking cups

Stir together dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt)

Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and mix untill they are well incorporated (non-dairy milk, oil, applesauce, water, vanilla extract)

Start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl slowly and a bit at a time, mix until you have a smooth batter. 

Fill the cupcake baking cups 3/4 of the way up (give them space to rise)

*pro tip: gently tap cupcake tin against the counter so the air bubbles rise to the top of the batter and you don’t have air bubbles inside your yummy cupcake

Finally, place cupcakes in the oven for 25 minutes. You should keep an eye on them, depending how golden brown you prefer them. Once you think they’re ready, stick a toothpick in one and if the toothpick is dry, congrats, your cupcakes are done!

Leave them to rest 5 minutes in the pan

These turned out actually tasting great. It is a great option for a treat or birthday celebration. Plus, no animals were harmed in the making of these cupcakes! I’m sure they will look super cute and tasty if you add frosting to them as well. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you try these out or think of making these next time you crave something sweet! They are so simple and easy to make. 

Next week i will be traveling for spring break, however, i’m planning of doing a post on my current reads as well as the books i’m taking over spring break, stay tuned for that!

With Love, 

Cindy xo

[withlovecindyxo]

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Bowl: Simple & 100% plant based

Hi Friends!

On this week’s blog post, i want to share with you this quick and easy meal that i absolutely love. This cilantro-lime quinoa bowl is super simple to make and it keeps you satisfied while giving you lots of protein and good nutrients to take you through your day. I topped it with chopped spinach and romaine, black beans, corn, diced tomato, and my favorite topping ever, avocado. (Pro tip: add some sriracha and nutritional yeast as a final touch for some spice) But really, you can play around with your toppings. Always remember to keep it fresh and colorful. As a busy college student, this is the perfect recipe for me to make in advance and keep in airtight containers in the fridge to heat it on the go. You can always take it to lunch for work or school. 

Now onto the recipe: 

Prep/Cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes 2 bowls 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of dry quinoa 

1 cup water

half of a lime

chopped cilantro (about 1/4 cup)

black beans

sweet corn

diced tomato

chopped romaine lettuce

chopped spinach

half an avocado

Step 1: Rinse the 1/2 cup of dry quinoa with cold water thoroughly 

Step 2: Add 1 cup of water to a medium sauce pan and add the quinoa. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally

Step 3: Once water and quinoa are boiling, cover the sauce pan with air-tight lid, place the heat on low, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water has evaporated and quinoa is fluffy (fluff it up with a fork)

Step 4: While quinoa is cooking on low, prep your veggies. Chop the cilantro, lettuce, spinach, and dice the tomato. Cube the avocado and cut the lime in half.

Step 5: Rinse black beans and corn (i love the organic green valley beans that are already cooked in an air tight bag. You can use canned beans, just watch out for high sodium levels)

Step 6: When quinoa is done cooking (fluffy and water is gone) add the chopped cilantro and juice from half of a lime and mix to combine

Step 7: Serve the quinoa in a bowl and add your veggies and toppings

*You can serve it hot or as a cold salad

This is a very simple recipe, you can add or substitute anything of your liking. I hope to inspire you to add more whole food, plant-based meals to your life, they can be so easy and make you feel good physically and mentally. *No animals were harmed in the making of this bowl. 

If you give it a try, make sure to let me know! You can send me a message here through the Ask button above, or follow me on Instagram, link is above as well, i would love to hear from you :) 

With love, 

Cindy xo

[withlovecindyxo]

Hi Cindy, it's me Maria. I just wanted to ask if you would recommend the turmeric serum for acne scars? I want to lighten those up and my complexion

Hi Maria! I’m dealing with dark acne scars as well, and i would say vitamin C is key. You can use the turmeric + vitamin C serum i posted about, or you can use any other serum that has vitamin C in it. Its obviously not magic, but if you use it consistently you’ll see a difference in brightness and less redness. I would also say make sure you use an SPF every day, that helps me alot as well :)

xo

[withlovecindyxo]

No animals were harmed in the making of these products: Kinder Beauty Box

January 2019 Kinder Beauty Box

Hi Friends! 

I have followed the inspiring Daniella Monet on Instagram for a couple of years now, and she has been a true influence in my journey to making small changes towards a plant-based lifestyle. One important factor of kinder living is being more conscious of the products you use in your day to day life. Naturally, when Daniella announced her new project, Kinder Beauty Box, curated alongside with Evanna Lynch (the iconic Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter & vegan activist), i was beyond excited to get my hands on it and subscribed to it immediately. I think it is admirable how these ladies use their platforms to encourage a kinder lifestyle and through this project, make cruelty-free and vegan beauty products widely and easily accessible. 

Kinder Beauty is a monthly subscription box, which at only $24 a month, offers up to $80 worth of cruelty-free and 100% vegan beauty products. Did i mention that a portion of all sales go towards animal rights and environmental causes each month? Beauty for a great cause is a yes from me!

Its been almost a month since i received my box in the mail, and i can say that i have definitely found some new favorite staples. Now onto the products and my review: 

Andalou Naturals - Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum

Probably my most anticipated product from the January box. This vitamin C serum, which includes turmeric to brighten, reduce redness and inflammation, is a great wake-me-up step in my morning routine. I can say that i have used this up to twice a day everyday and it is a game changer for soft, brightened skin with a glow. A plus: it did not react with my sensitive skin. 

100% Pure - Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

Another product i was very excited for. This eye cream does its job of depuffing the delicate eye area in the morning, like a shot of caffeine, as the name suggests. 100% Pure is a great, vegan, brand and i am excited to try more products from their range, after discovering them in this box. My only complaint is its strong fragrance. I personally try to stay away from heavily fragrant products, especially for around the eyes. 

Inika Organic - Loose Mineral Eye Shadow

This sparkly eye shadow is the perfect all over lid color for an easy smoked out eye look without adding too much work or drama. You can also add it to your lash line for a soft liner look. As far as i know, people received different colors, but i am pretty happy with mine. My first impression was that it is quite small, however since it is a loose eye shadow, a little goes a long way.  

Honeybee Gardens - Effortless Eyeliner

This eyeliner is cruelty free + vegan + effortless. I honestly have not been a huge fan of eyeliner, i prefer to keep my makeup pretty natural, however this is so easy to use and such a great color. It is a dark brown which softens the look of the liner making it less harsh. I would not say this is the star of the show in the box, but it is a great find either way!

Juara - Rice Facial Cleanser (Deluxe size) 

This is the only product that is not full size in the box. I think it was smart for them to add a cleanser in a deluxe sample size since we all have such different cleanser needs. It is a great way to try something new without the commitment to a full size. I have a pretty normal skin type and i found that this cleanser is very neutral, it cleanses the skin without stripping it of moisture. It is a nice cleanser, although different skin types may react differently to it. 

Bonus Item: Pure Vegan - Vitamin B-12 Oral Spray

When i ordered the box, i had the chance to add the code “daniella” to receive a bonus item. I was so excited to try this vitamin spray. To keep it simple, you should know that we obtain vitamin B12 through the animal products we consume, especially meat. Vitamin B12 promotes healthy cells in hair, skin, and nails. Since i have dramatically stopped my consumption of meat in the past year, i wanted to try vitamin B12 as a supplement. Either way, you should always do your research before taking any supplements. 

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ 

Subscription boxes have become quite popular in the last few years. I personally am excited to support one that is environmentally conscious and friendly to the animals. I am by no means perfect in using only cruelty free products yet, but it is a process and i am always learning. I hope to inspire you to do the same. 

With love,

Cindy xo