Today is my birthday. Du-na-na-na-na. Happy birthday to me...
Cake Batter Truffles. These truffles are made using creamy soaked cashews and coconut oil. Vegan sprinkles add that "cake batter" coloring and a hint of vanilla bean does the rest. But before my bday treat (recipe below), a few bday wishes.
Birthday wish: pink sunsets, always.
And many wishes for my favorites: kitties! (And all animals, really.)
Happy busy birthday to me. This is probably the least amount of attention I have paid to my birthday in all my life. Mostly because in just ONE day I turn in a huge project, cookbook#2 (yay!) and so I have been manuscript editing, photo editing and basically pulling all nighters like a college student during midterms. And it feels very strange, but come February 1st I will literally have the first pause in my schedule in a very very long time. After Nelly's kitty cancer fight, I literally dove right into cookbook writing. It was strange really. But I was glad to have a project to keep me super busy. But come February, I get some true pause, reflect and centering time. I plan on seeing lots of friends and soaking in this time before round two of cook-booking comes along. Oh, the editing phase...
But anyways, enough about me.
For my birthday this year I wanted to do something nice for my favorite furry friends. Since we still are not ready to adopt a new kitty (though we hope to soon) I decided to "adopt" a kitty. And remind all of you guys that YOU can help too if you want to. There are so many ways to give love to animals. And yes, going vegan is one of them.
For this bday, Blind Cat Rescue stole my heart...
"Blind cats do not know they are blind, they know they are cats. They act like cats. Blind cats can do pretty much everything that a seeing cat can do. They can climb trees, climb up on to the top of cabinets and get into places that you can not figure out how they did it!" - Blind Cat Rescue
So.. Meet Gallie! The kitty I "adopted" via Blind Cat Rescue. Aw, head rubs. Though I will never actually meet this sweetie pie, I am so happy to know that I am helping her in a tiny way.
*photo credit: Blind Cat Rescue
About Gallie from BCR: "Gallie came to us from Brevard County Animal Control in Florida. We were notified by a citizen that she was there and with lots of help by lots of wonderful people, she came to us. A Huge thank you to Diane & Bill from Atlanta Animal Clinic in Pompanao Beach, Fl for driving 5 hours to pick her up and bring her back to their clinic , Also a huge thank you to Elizabeth, her mother & Mindy, Ivonne for facilitating her journey to us by driving 10 hours to bring her to us. She is super super sweet and I know is going to feel so much better once her eyes are taken care of."
How to help? For just $30 a month ($1 a day!) you can adopt a rescued kitty at the Blind Cat Rescue. There are SO many kitties who need some help. You can even browse photos and pick out a kitty to adopt.
Why do blind kitties need help? Did you know that many public animal shelters simply quickly get rid of any handicapped or special needs kitties (like blind cats) that fall into their hands because of the low chances for adoption. So thank goodness for the kind volunteers at Blind Cat Rescue who take in these sweet creatures. Gallie, the kitty I chose, was suffering from painful and very severe eye problems and needed surgery to remove her eyes (the source of the pain). Blind Cat Rescue stepped in. Now Gallie is a sweet and happier girl who I am told loves to chase bugs outside in the yard 🙂
More about BCR: "Blind Cat Rescue was started in 2005 to answer the need for a safe place for blind cats that were deemed unadoptable by regular shelters. They were going to be killed just because they are blind. And in 2011 we built a building to provide a safe sanctuary for FELV+ & FIV+ cats."
So for my birthday wish, I hope you guys will check out this list of my favorite animal organizations. Please feel free to leave more names of great animal organizations in the comments below. And if you have means, please consider donating. You hear it all the time, but it is TRUE: Every little bit helps. (If you do donate or adopt, please feel free to leave me a comment so I can give you a big thank you!) xo
For my bday wish, I hope all these kitties and pups have many more happy birthdays to come!
Click to help the kitties + more:
Blind Cat Project Wishlist and ADOPT a kitty program (like Gallie!)
Farm Sanctuary - One of my faves. Love the amazing Gene Baur!
Sea Shepherd - amazing group. And if you have been following the dolphin slaughter in Taiji Japan you know the amazing work that organizations like SS do, and how crucial they are!
Love & Leashes - wonderful adoption non-profit here in LA
Best Friends - another awesome non-profit
ASPCA - helping animals, fighting for animals!
Humane Society - they do amazing work, and I am a big fan of Wayne Pacelle!
Teal Cat Project - found this via Isa Chandra, who is one of the founders, love everything about TCP! I am the proud owner of three teal kitties.
Hendrickson Boards - awesome company that supports a wide number of shelters and animals, plus they sell super cute tees "every purchase saves animals around the nation"
And ok, something sprinkled to nibble on for my happy bday...
Cake Batter Truffles
makes 9 truffles
½ cup raw cashews, soaked
⅓ cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
2 ½ tablespoon liquid sweetener (I used agave)
2 tablespoon non-dairy milk, warmed
pinch of real vanilla bean seeds (or a few drops vanilla extract)
pinch of pink salt
fold in:
1 teaspoon vegan rainbow sprinkles
Nutrition per ball: 139 calories, 11g fat, 8g carbs, 2g protein
1. Soak cashews in salted water overnight, or for quick soak method, boil them in water for a few minutes. (Raw soaking works best though)
2. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until silky smooth. Pour mixture into a small bowl. Fold in the sprinkles, leave out a few or more for coating.
3. Place mixture in the freezer until firm enough to work with.
4. Scoop small balls once the mixture is firm enough (but not too hard) and roll into balls. Place on a greased plate and place back in the freezer to fully firm. Serve chilled or slightly warmed to room temperature.
