Review: Beer Soap by BetweenFriends

I recently began browsing handmade website Etsy for vegan soap, since I have been having trouble finding some that is reasonably affordable and lasts.  I came across a number of sellers that were offering soap made from BEER, which I thought was so, so cool.  After a minute or so of searching for more, I found a soap made from Alexander Keiths that was shipped from Toronto!  This gave me the great opportunity to pick up the soap personally and save on unnecessary shipping and packaging materials.

The soap is made by a girl named Maggie under the username BetweenFriends, and so far it's been working great.  In case you are wondering, after I have a shower it doesn't smell like I just downed a keg by myself, the soap actually smells sweeter than beer and also has oils and other ingredients that complement it.  Also, unlike other vegan soaps I have tried, they are holding their shape well, which suggests they will last quite a while (can be a problem with vegan soaps)

If you are interested, there are many other Etsy vendors that sell beer soap, including several that sell Guiness (apparently it smells a bit like caramel).   However, one note of caution: Etsy users ship from all over the world, so if you are trying to keep it green, try and buy local.

The Search for the Perfect Vegetarian Burgers

As other vegetarians (and people who know them) know, veggie burgers can be crucial to fitting in at barbeques and parties in the summer, along with veggie kabobs, portebello, mushrooms, etc.  Last night, Kristen and I began our journey trying to find the perfect homemade veggie burger recipe, with moderate success.  The recipe included:

2 cups diced mushroom and 3/4 onion, sauteed

1 can white kidney beans

2 egg yolks

bread crumbs

top with lettuce, tomato, pickles (we were out, unfortunately), and dijon mustard (also out, used regular)

To begin with , the final product actually tasted quite good, although I would have preferred less bean and more mushroom.  We will have to test this out, but I think the beans were also responsible for the fact that the burgers were more or less mush inside.  Regardless, they tasted great, and gave us a good jumping off point for our next attempts (mushorom-onion-swiss? mmmm).  Stay tuned for the next attempts, and (hopefully) soon our second attempt at raw spaghetti.

(note: the pictures shown are not mine.  They are simply a reference for what these recipes should generally look like)