{moments} Newport Beach California

I've spent the last few days with my lovely, beautiful sister in sunny Newport Beach California. It's been a great vacation from the rain, and I've had fun taking photos just for fun. Don't get me wrong, I love working for my clients and can hardly believe that I get paid to do what I love, but sometimes it's nice to not have an objective when I go out there with my camera. I took these at the Newport Pier in Newport Beach, CA. More coming soon as I'll be out with my camera for the next 2 days until I fly home to Seattle. Enjoy!

Love,

Kendall

photographing {love}

One of my favorite things to photograph are people in love. With their kids, with their pets, and with each other. Amy and Pete are such a sweet couple, and it is evident from the care they take with each other that they are head-over-heels in love. They had their first date on the 9th of December, 2009 and spent three hours talking and getting to know each other over coffee at Café Ladro in Freemont. The night ended with a parking ticket, but it was worth it!

A year later (to the day) after a romantic dinner at the Canlis Restaurant in Seattle, they returned to the site of their first date. Despite the rainy Seattle weather, just out of site of the other patrons on the sidewalk, Pete dropped to one knee and asked Amy if she would spend the rest of her life with him. Happily she agreed!

I was honored for them to ask me to be a part of this special time in their lives. I had a wonderful time with them at Howarth Park in Mukilteo, and then we ventured down to the Cafe Ladro where it all began. I really enjoyed taking their engagement photos, and I hope you enjoy them too.

Congratulations Amy & Pete! I can't wait to see what is next for you two!

And, as a very wise 5-year old said marriage is "when two people apart, come together forever."

Love,

Kendall

Two Words: Tofu Scramble.

A mainstay of the vegan diet, and probably my favorite dish, the tofu scramble is an almost endlessly customizable meal. The only requirement? That tofu be included. The rest is really left up to personal taste, and what you have available in the fridge.

I usually include mushrooms, onion and kale as staples and this time I added in grape tomatoes, celery and red cabbage. Top with 1/2 an avocado if it's to your taste and pair with roasted potatoes or hash browns if you need it on the heartier side.

Remember, all measurements are approximations and to play! Use bell peppers with taco seasoning or eggplant and zucchini with Italian spice mix. The many variations keep this dish interesting again and again.

Ingredients:

4-5 oz extra firm, high protein tofu ("Wildwoods" is my personal favorite)
7-10 medium sized crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
1/2-1c red cabbage, chopped
10-or-so grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 medium avocado (or a whole small one)
nutritional yeast (more on this later)
Bragg's Liquid Aminos (more on that later, too)
1/4-1/3c vegetable stock (I recommend Imagine Food's "No-Chicken Broth")
tumeric powder
curry powder
salt & pepper
spray olive or canola oil

Crumble the tofu into a medium skillet lightly sprayed with oil, over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle liberally with the tumeric and curry powder, I use approximately a teaspoon of each, and a pinch of salt.

Throw in the mushrooms and red onions, and give it a stir to coat everything with spices. Let sit so that the tofu browns a bit, stirring about once every 30 seconds for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the cabbage, celery and grape tomatoes, stirring regularly until the veggies are as cooked as you'd like them. I like mine to still have a lot of crunch so I only keep it on the heat for about 2 minutes at most.

Pile into a bowl, or plate, and set aside.

Spray the pan lightly with oil, and add the kale. Douse with vegetable stock and a small amount of Bragg's amino acids. Cover, and let steam for about a minute. I like to pick up and shake the skillet just to make sure nothing is sticking.

Uncover, add in the tofu and veggie mix and give it another stir.

Serve topped with avocado, nutritional yeast and a sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Love,

Kendall

I am a lazy breakfast creator.

I love breakfast. The importance of the meal aside, there are many reasons for my love. Here are a few:


It's easy. As much as I do enjoy cooking, I am a busy lady these days. Between starting some mornings at 3:30am to head to the coffee shop for work, editing photos and posting blogs late into the night, convenience is where it's at. Most foods that I enjoy for breakfast take me less than 10 minutes to prep and eat.


Healthy options. It's not hard to start off the day with a healthy meal. Even McDonalds is trying to get in on the healthy breakfast bandwagon (though they failed). Don't get me started on that one. Sometimes it's as simple as grabbing a piece of fruit and a Lara bar.


Breakfast, it's whats for...dinner? Yes. Lunch too. Or a snack. Oatmeal, soy yogurt, fruit. Works for me anytime of day really.


Many days I grab breakfast at work, but my absolute favorite breakfast is featured in the photos seen above, the short, simple and sweet recipe is below. Enjoy!


Soy yogurt + fruit + roasted nuts = breakfast.



My favorite brand of soy yogurt is Whole Soy Co. I've never had a flavor of theirs that I didn't like. My personal go-to flavor is lemon, though the plain comes in a larger size so that you have it easily on hand for a lower cost per serving. It's high in protein and is one of few yogurts that have enough fiber to list on the nutritional label!

Fruit is an amazing creation. Most of it comes prepackaged by Mother Nature, and I have yet to have one that I didn't like. My favorites for breakfast are frozen raspberries, or canned pineapple. Both have a good balance of acidity and tartness to balance out the creaminess of the yogurt.

Roasted nuts give this easy breakfast an interesting change in texture. Fruit and yogurt is fine, but maybe a little boring. Throw some on top and stir everything together and enjoy! It's easy to roast them at home, or pick some up in individual packets at places like Trader Joe's grocery stores.

Thanks everyone who is already reading and following this blog! Day two just has me ever more excited about what this could grow to be after perusing other vegan food blogs. I would love your questions, suggestions and constructive criticism.

Love,

Kendall

Welcome to Kendall's Creations!

Welcome, and thank you for visiting my blog! I thought that I would start this adventure out with a little "mission statement," though not so formal. My vision for this blog is that it will be a place that I share recipes predominantly and as a photographer there will be images of the process and final product of those recipes! I'm sure that there will be times that I use this as a forum to discuss other things happening in my world, maybe share a favorite photograph or two from my professional and personal life, and who knows what else!



A few notes about how I cook and what you can expect on the blog:


I'm not big on measurements. I tend to throw in a little-of-this and a little-of-that when I cook, it's how I learned to cook from my mother and even if I start with a recipe I usually change it to make my own. I will do my best to list amounts, but please keep in mind that they're estimated and I encourage you to adapt the recipes for personal tastes!


I will only post vegan recipes. I've been vegan since around January of 2006, and am pretty darn passionate about animal rights as well as the health benefits of a vegan diet. I highly, HIGHLY, recommend reading Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating which is a quick and easy read and touches on both ethical and health reasons for living a vegan lifestyle if you're curious.


I would LOVE for you to send me your recipes! As I said, I tend to start with a recipe and then make it my own- this includes converting and experimenting with non-vegan recipes and reworking them into something healthy and enjoyably guilt-free.


I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a fancy chef. I do not have a fully equipped foodie kitchen. I, actually, do not even have a full-size fridge. I live in a little apartment, with a very moderately sized kitchen and I like it that way! This means that I won't ask you to pull out some crazy contraption that you can only find for $50+ at the fancy kitchen store in the mall. I have a lovely set of knives that my husband and I received for a wedding gift, some pots and pans that have been with me for a few years now and a trusty can-opener.


I am a photographer! First and foremost, photography is what drives me. I love looking at photos, learning about the technical side, dreaming up concept projects and working as a professional photographer. I enjoy product photography a great deal, and wanting to gain more experience with that is one of the inspirations for this blog. I also believe that practicing my craft as often as possible in a variety of ways will help me define my style, and make me a better photographer. If you're interested in seeing my other work, please visit my website at www.KendallLauren.com. Unless otherwise noted all images on my blog are © Kendall Lauren Photography, 2011. PLEASE do not copy or repost any images without express permission.


I thank you for reading my blog, and hope that you will enjoy and share it with others!

Love,

Kendall