Fresh fruit salad

This is a very simple very delicious recipe. It can be modified for any fruit you want to use.  When making a fruit salad I like to squeeze some fresh orange juice on it. This does two things it keeps the color in the fruit more vibrant and it gives a hint of a citrus taste.

Ingredients: 

Half of a medium watermelon diced into bite sized chunks

2 mangos peeled and diced 

1 quart strawberries 

  Any other fruit you would like to add for color or flavor

2 medium oranges juiced

Directions:

Mix all fruit in a large mixing bowl and add the orange juice stir lightly but evenly chill and enjoy!

Yum and done!

Banana Vanilla Cupcakes

I made these beauties for a Memorial Day party.  It is my basic vegan cupcake recipe with 1/2 cup more flour, 1/2 tsp more baking powder, and two bananas blended in at the end of mixing.  I signify the banana flavor by placing a dried banana chip on the top of the frosting.  And yes those are dinosaur sprinkles I was using!

Yum and done!

Spinach Pesto Pasta Salad

I have been introduced to other ways to make pesto recently.  Before I have always used pine nuts but now I am using walnuts.  Better nutritional value and less fat!  I have also been experimenting with putting spinach in the pesto mix with delicious results, and more vitamins to boot!  I apologize in advance for not having photos of the salad it was going before I could take a photo but I am sure I will make many more times this summer and I promise to post my results!

Ingredients:

   For the pesto

 2 cups spinach leaves 

 1 bunch basil

 1 to 2 cloves garlic (depending on preference)

 1/3 cup walnuts

 3 tbsp olive oil

 Salt and pepper to taste

   For the salad

  Box of pasta of your choice I prefer fusilli buries up to you

  8 to 10 olives diced

  1 medium tomato diced

  1/4 cup banana peppers diced
  2 to 3 green onions diced
  Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

      Start the water for the pasta.  In a cuisinart or blender blend the spinach basil and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. After that is blended well add the walnuts garlic and the rest of the olive oil and blend well taste and add the salt and pepper as needed.  Set aside (I usually find it much easier to put in bowl and place in the fridge so it is ready to go).  As the pasta is cooking prep the rest of the vegetables.  Add to a large mixing bowl and add the pesto.  After the pasta is rinsed and drained add that and mix well.
Yum and done!

So then I realized this was vegan!

We were at Trader Joe's the other day and well this was on the end cap near the register. I usually don't indulge even looking at the ingredients of most of this stuff because usually there is milk or some other non-vegan component.  But, well it had a flamingo on it so I had to pick it up right, that is what any normal person would use as a deciding factor in any chocolate bar purchase!  Well it's vegan!  It is dark chocolate and the caramel is made out of coconut with very tiny pieces of coconut in it, truly delicious! Needless to say that poor chocolate bar didn't have long for the world after it was purchased!  Rest in peace, delicious peace chocolate bar!

Ginger Snaps

I recently got some crystallized ginger chips from The Ginger People and decided to try my  hand at the ginger snap recipe they had on the container.  I made it vegan by using egg replacer along with an extra 1/4 cup of water.  The results were awesome!  This is by far my favorite cookie I have made this year, I will make this recipe again, and again and again!  
One word of warning you have to chill the dough and make balls then roll those balls in sugar.  If you think you can skip out on chilling the dough you are wrong as it will make it much less sticky and easier to handle so don't skip that step.

This stuff is pretty awesome!

Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar plus more for rolling the dough in sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup non-dairy butter
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 2 tsp of ener-G egg replacer dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 can or 3 1/2 ounces of ginger chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl then set aside.  Next cream butter and sugar add in molasses and egg replacer along with the 1/4 cup of water.  Incorporate the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time mix well after each incorporation.  Next chill the dough for one hour.  

Here they are getting rolled in sugar

After the dough is chilled form into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  

getting ready for the oven, be careful they spread!

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove while still soft.  Let cookies cool on sheet before removing.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Yum and done!

Almond Milk

I have seen a few things on the internet about home made raw almond milk and I figured I would give it a try.  I am so very happy I did it was pretty easy to do an probably the best almond milk I have ever tasted.  Make sure you have some cheese cloth on hand before you start the recipe, you will need something to strain the mixture through and even a fine weave strainer won't work.  There are companies that make nut milk straining bags but I am pretty happy with the results from the cheesecloth.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup raw almonds
• 6 cups of water for soaking almonds
• 4 cups water
• 4 dates (optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Soak almonds at least 12 hours in the six cups of water.

Here they are post soaking

Drain the water from the almonds and rinse well. Place the almonds and 4 cups of water in a blender, plus the optional dates and vanilla if you are using them.  Blend until smooth, you shouldn't be able to see any large chunks of almonds.

before the blending process

Strain the blended almond mixture using a cheesecloth, I placed my cheese cloth in a strainer, which I believe made the process easier.

The cheesecloth in the strainer

This is an example of the almond mixture left over in the cheesecloth

This raw almond milk will keep well in the refrigerator for three or four days, so drink up!

Yum and done!

Apple Crisp

I was wanting something sweet the other day and wasn't in the mode to make a cake or something to rich and chocolaty, plus I had some extra apples in the fridge.  The results, delicious!  This is a pretty simple recipe the hardest part is letting it cook for almost an hour but after that you can feel free to put a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream on the side for an extra treat!
Ingredients:
• 5 apples peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 non-dairy butter melted
• 1/4 tsp salt


here it is ready for the oven

Directions:
  Preheat oven to 375, and spray a 9 by 9 baking dish. Then in a large bowl toss the apples, sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the 3/4 cup of flour together and place in the baking dish.
 In a medium bowl combine the rest of the flour, cinnamon, quick oats, brown sugar and salt mix then add the butter mix until there are dime to nickel size lumps. These will be little bits of deliciousness after baked!  Pour the mixture over the apples and push some down to rest between the apples but leave a good amount on the top.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes then take the foil off and bake for another 10 minutes this will give it a great brown crust!

Yum and done complete with soy ice cream!

Sunday breakfast

This was the lovely breakfast my wonderful Husband made for me.  It is his breakfast specialty, vegan biscuits and gravy. He is not ready to give up the recipe to the wide world of the internet yet but I will keep trying to convince him!

Yum and done!

Party Roll by ecoVegan

I was looking for some new lunch ideas when I came across this on Vegan Essentials I decided to give it a try.  To be completely honest when I got it I was a little taken back, it kind of reminded me of a Field Roast or a Tofurky.  But the directions said keep it in the fridge and slice when you are ready to use.  So that is what I did. 

Here is the party roll waiting to party

I got it out of the fridge and unwrapped and although it said it was seven servings I got about ten servings out of it as I cut the slices thin.  I thought about using a serrated knife but my sharp chef knife worked great!

Waiting to be sliced!

I really wanted to find a sandwich that would complement it, as I was pretty excited to try it.  So I went traditional with a twist.  So lettuce tomato and onion on sourdough, sandwich staples for sure, but we went with chipotle mayo was a must!

The usual suspects

The build almost done!  Time to flip and cut!

Our lunches for the day complete with chips and apple slices.  It was truly a delicious sandwich and all non GMO ingredients is a plus!  We had this exact lunch for a few days and I couldn't get enough!

Yum and done!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This is a delicious but simple recipe from a wonderful chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz author of Vegan Brunch and also the co-author behind one of my all time favorite vegan cookbooks, Veganomicon. 
These muffins are the right combination of lemon and poppy seed, the only modification I made was I put a small amount of confectioners sugar and water mixture on the top for a little more sweetness.  It wasn't necessary but it was tasty and decorative!

Ingredients:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 5 tsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven 375.  Mix the first five ingredients, I used a stand mixer but you could also do this by hand.  In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients in, mix until smooth and place in a muffin tin 3/4 of they way fell back for 23 to 27 minutes.

 

Yum and done!

Healthy Top Vegan Whipped Cream

Healthy Top is a vegan whipped cream by MimicCream.  It is a wonderful alternative to dairy creams.  I have used it a few times each time with great results.  It is made from both cashews and almonds.  It is best to chill the carton for at least 30 minutes before whipping.  Then it is as simple as emptying the carton into your mixer and mixing for about 4 minutes.  Then it is ready to serve.  It can also be chilled for later use.  It doesn't last that long in our house but it will stay fresh for 7 days after whipping!




Here is the carton ready to be whipped

almost fully whipped!

Yum and done!

Tropical Muffins

This is a recipe I am currently working on so I am not ready to post the actual recipe yet but I am getting close.  The inspiration for these is simply someplace warm!  I am so sick of winter and I just want a little sunshine in my life or I guess in my mouth.  I am taking a traditional banana bread/muffin recipe and adding other fruits.  This round I added dried pineapple, that I rehydrated and banana as well as fresh vanilla.  The pineapple gave it a good flavor but it was a bit chewy.  So back to the drawing board, well the cutting board anyway!  I plan to post my new results sometime in the next week.  I think it is going to be very exciting and delicious!

Yum and done!

Mississippi Mud Cookies from Vegan Crunk

This recipe came up in my facebook feed and I knew I needed to try it!  It is from a fellow blogger Bianca, her blog is Vegan Crunk.  This recipe is for Mississippi Mud Cookies.  They are delicious and easy to make the are going to make it into heavy rotation in our kitchen!  The next time I make them the only mofificaiton I will make it to cut down on the sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 cup.  Not that there was anything wrong with the sugar in this recipe I just like to use less if I can.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
Stir together the sugar, soymilk, peanut butter, margarine, and cocoa powder in a large saucepan. Turn on medium heat and bring to a boil.
Once the mixture begins boiling, set a timer for 1 1/2 minutes. Allow to the mixture boil undisturbed (do not stir) until the timer goes off. Turn off heat and stir in oats and vanilla extract.
Line two large cookie sheets with waxed paper. Scoop tablespoons of cookie batter onto the waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Allow cookies to cool. The cookies will be soft at first, but they should set within a few hours. Yields about 30 cookies.





 Yum and done!

Fake Cake

As some of you know I instruct cake decorating on the weekends.  I wanted to make some display cakes for the school and this was my first attempt at it.  This is a buttercream frosted half circle of Styrofoam.  I took a photo of if before it got put in the glass display case. The rose technique I used is the ribbon rose, which is a traditional rose that I teach in my introduction to decorating classes.

Vegan Eggplant Rolatini with Nutty Cow Ricotta

I received a wonderful gift for my best friend Anna!  This gift was three different versions of
Nutty Cow vegan cheeses!  I was a bit skeptical at first.  I heard a lot of hype about Nutty Cow but I try not to get to excited about new products until I try them.  Well I should have believed the hype this time because everyone of them were wonderful.  I was able to try the garlic herb, ricotta and the maple pecan.  They were all delicious but the ricotta really stood out for me.  I decided to take a taste of it before I decided what to do with it.  As soon as I tasted it I knew I had to make eggplant rolatini.  I always have eggplant on the mind but I had a hunch this would be great in my regular recipe.

Delicious!

I prepared my recipe as usual lightly frying the eggplant after skinning it and cutting it to about 1/8 strips.  As I have said before I always make extra pasta sauce so I had some ready to go.  I decided not to put anything extra in the ricotta, usually when I make rolatini I add nutritional yeast and a bunch of italian herbs.  But I wanted the Nutty Cow to stand on its own.

Next I rolled about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta in each eggplant placing each on my bed of pasta sauce.  I then added more pasta sauce on the top can placed about 1/2 cup Daiya vegan mozzarella which is a standard in our kitchen. I baked at 375 for about 50 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes after.

Yum and Done!

Birthday cupcakes

These were some cupcakes I made for a coworker for his birthday. My recipe is modified from the Joy of Vegan Baking cookbook. I have reduced the sugar from the original recipe and added more egg replacer. I also did something fun with the the batter, I separated it into three different bowls and added coloring to each and swirled them around they almost looked like they were tie-dyed!  For the frosting I use a basic butter cream frosting recipe but I put some white frosting in the bag as well as some bleeding to get the nice swirl. Which always looks fun and also like it is a lot more work than it really is!

Tuna Free Sandwich

I found this recipe in a recipe archive on my computer.  I have no idea where it came from originally but if I did I would thank them because it is absolutely amazing! I was looking for a sandwich filling to mix it up a bit and I think I have found it.  This is now going to go into heavy rotation!  My only modification to the recipe was that I added the pickle relish and I feel it was a good addition.  Other than that the most complicated thing about this recipe was mashing the chick peas. I think next time I might try to pulse them in the food processor.

Ingredients:

• 30 ounces (2 cans) garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained • 1/4 cup red onion, peeled and finely chopped • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped • 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced • 1/4 cup dill pickle, finely chopped • 3 tbsp pickle relish • 2 tablespoons nori seaweed flakes • 1 cup vegan mayonnaise • 1 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground Directions: In a large bowl, mash the garbanzo beans with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Do this until you don't have any whole chick peas.  This will take some time but makes for a better texture.  Fold the onion, celery, garlic, pickle, nori, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper into the garbanzo beans. Combine thoroughly.  I sampled right after they were combined and it was delicious, but then I let the mixture chill for an hour and put some on a lettuce leaf and it was amazing!

Yum and done!

Oatmeal Bake Take Two

I have been modifying this recipe and thought it was time to post my latest results, the original recipe was adapted from the cookbook, Super Natural Every Day, written by Heidi Swanson, this is perfect when serving a crowd for breakfast, but also warms up well for leftovers. In the original recipe she used an egg as a binding agent, but I feel it is not necessary, plus I wanted to make it vegan so no egg required.  I got some blackberries that I wanted to try and I also had some strawberries I kept the chocolate chips but cut down on the amount I also removed the butter and didn't do the chinese five spice or cinnamon.  I also have been experimenting with using some coconut milk, I think my next pass I might use two cups instead of one.  Whatever type of milk you use make sure it is equal amount to the oats.  I have also been toying with the idea of putting the servings in ramekins for a better plated presentation.  

Ingredients:

• • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• •1/3 cup light brown sugar
• • 1 teaspoon baking powder
• •1/2 teaspoon salt
• • 1 cup sliced strawberries
• • 1 cup blackberries
• • 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• • 2 cups soy milk
• • 1 cup coconut milk
• • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375, and prep a 9 by 9 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. Set aside a small amount of the fruit, chocolate chips and brown sugar aside to garnish the top. Then mix the dry ingredients together. Then add the fruit and chocolate chips, mix well by hand. Add the wet ingredients and mix well pour into the baking dish and cook for 35 minutes

Yum and done!

Asparagus Artichoke Gnocchi

I won't try to hide it from you, I love pasta!  I also feel guilty about eating pasta in the winter because I feel I am less active and I don't need all the carbs, so the simple delicious solution I came up with is to add as many veggies to the pasta I can!  I get my pasta fix and I also get more than enough veg too!  This little number was something I made for a friend it was simple delicious and relatively quick.  I used store bought gnocchi and had pasta sauce that I made in a large batch frozen so I didn't have to prep those two ingredients.  I have never tried my hand at gnocchi but I plan to someday, and I always make a very large batch of sauce and freeze it in smaller batches, so when I am ready to use it all I have to do is remember to take it out of the freezer!

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces gnocchi

• 10 to 12 ounces asparagus cut in half (blanched lightly)

• 4 artichokes (I used frozen from trader joe's)

• 10 to 15 kalama olives sliced

• 3 tablespoons capers

• 1 medium onion, minced

• 3 cups tomato sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• optional vegan meatballs

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan.  Add the garlic and onion and cook on medium heat for three minutes.  Next add the asparagus and the artichokes and the vegan meatballs if you are using them, then cook for five minutes.  

Now start the water for the gnocchi, after the water comes to a boil the gnocchi have to cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the majority of them are floating.  

Next add the tomato sauce to the veg mixture reduce heat and cover until the gnocchi water boils. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and now add the olives and capers to the veg mixture.  When the gnocchi is finished drain and add to the veg mixture, make sure all the gnocchi gets some delicious sauce on them!  Add some vegan parmesan if you like and enjoy! 

Yum and done!

Toasted Coconut Walnut Delights

I was having friends over for dinner the other night and was looking for something quick and tasty to make for dessert, and I think I found it.  The interplay of the taste of the toasted coconut and the chocolate was wonderful!  Not only did this take under 15 minutes to make but they were super delicious.  This was a trial run so the recipe below is for 8 treats but could be doubled or tripled easily to make many more!
Ingredients:
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tsp salt
Directions:
  Set oven to 300 and place coconut on a baking sheet, toast for 10 minutes or until the tips become golden, do not over toast the coconut no one likes burnt coconut.  Remove from oven and melt chocolate chips either in a double boiler or in the microwave, for 60 seconds.  Fold in the coconut into the melted chocolate and add the walnuts as well as the maple syrup.  Mix all ingredients well take tablespoon portions and drop onto wax paper, sprinkle with salt let set and enjoy!

Yum and done!

Vegan Pizza Fondue

This awesome recipe originally came from my best friend Anna, I am not sure if it was hers or she got it from somewhere else, but we used to make it for parties, and it was always a big hit.  It turend into a new years eve tradition with my husband and I.  You can substitute the vegan pepperoni with something else if you wish, it is pretty tasty with vegan sausage too! 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water

• ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes

• 1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 4 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch

• 4 tbsp lemon juice

• 4 tbsp unsalted tomato paste

• 1 tbsp onion granules

• 1 ½ tsp garlic granules

• 1 tsp salt

--------------------------------------------

• 3 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 4 cloves garlic, minced q

• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano leaves

• ½ tsp dried basil leaves

• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram leaves

ground pepper to taste

Place first ten ingredients in a blender and process several minutes until sauce is completely smooth. Set aside.Heat water and vinegar in a large sauce pan and cook the garlic until barely golden. Add the pepper flakes and cook for 20 seconds longer.

Pour the blended mixture into the garlic. Stir in the oregano, basil, marjoram and pepper. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly,

until thick and smooth. Transfer to fondue pot and keep warm over very low flame.  I served the fondue with baked pizza crust bits and vegan pepperoni, other types or bread or crackers are also great!

Yields 3 3/4 cups

Yum and done!