Thursday, January 15, 2015

Over Night Oats: Nut Butter & Chocolate

Overnight Oats: Nut Butter & Chocolate


Who needs a quick, easy, healthy and yummy breakfast idea? Pretty much EVERYONE! A great way to start your day is with oats. They're full of fiber which will leave you feeling full without a huge calorie load. They're also full of essential vitamins and minerals and have been shown to decrease risk of heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Count me in.

My favorite ways to eat oats in the morning are in waffles, baked oatmeal muffins or in overnight oats. 

It takes less than five minutes to assemble these babies, they're so easy my kids make them! Feel free to use whichever nut butter you like best, I switch between pb and almond but sometimes I'll go for cashew or walnut. My favorite non dairy milk is homemade cashew, but almond would be a great addition. 

You'll need:

2 T cacao
1/2 c nut butter (no oil)
1/2 c cashew milk
1/4 maple syrup
1 t vanilla
Pinch of sea salt
1 T chia seeds
2.5 c oats

Optional add-ins: dark chocolate chips, more seeds or chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients except chia seeds and oats until smooth, then use a spatula to combine oats and seeds until mixed. If the mixture is thick, add in more non-dairy milk. Makes 4 half pints.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Frosted B-raw-nies

My kids love anything with a chocolate flavor, especially when they know it's secretly good for them. One of my favorite quick "desserts" to make them are these Frosted B-raw-nies. They are great right out of the fridge and even better frozen. I'll be adding these to my boy's school lunches tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they'll eat them first!


You can find the recipe at http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/recipes/recipe-brawnies/ or in Dreena Burton's book, Let Them Eat Vegan

I love the recipe as is, but this time I subbed the agave for maple syrup and added ground flax seeds to the nut mixture for some added Omega 3's.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Vegan Pumpkin Bread







Vegan Pumpkin Bread


3 c pastry flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1.5 T cinnamon
2 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t allspice
1 t cloves


3/4 c coconut oil
1.5 c coconut sugar
2/3 c applesauce
1 c pumpkin purée
1 t vanilla
3 flax eggs (3 T ground flax seeds mixed with 9 T warm water)


1/4 c loosely chopped pumpkin seeds


Heat oven to 350F. "Grease" two loaf pans with coconut oil. Sift dry ingredients/spices into a large bowl. Whisk sugar and oil together then add in pumpkin, applesauce, flax eggs and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour/spices, mix with a spatula until just combined. Divide batter between the loaves, sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Red Curry Thai Tempeh Stir Fry

I graduated a month ago from the Rouxbe Plant-Based Certification Course. I learned so incredibly much in the course. I can't begin to grasp the plethora of information that was/is at my fingertips. I've heard that they might be adding more plant-based courses having to do with Raw Gastronomy and Pastry/Baking. If they do, you can be sure I'll be one of the first to sign up. 

During the course I gained a lot of confidence in my cooking skills. I suppose it was always there, but just lying dormant as I was nervous to branch out of my cozy little cooking bubble. Developing flavors was something I didn't know much about. Honestly, just in the last few years I've started integrating spices other than god ole salt and pepper into my cooking. 



This recipe has so many wonderful flavors and simple techniques. It's also my husband's favorite recipe that I wrote during the course. I am so happy to share it with you and I hope you love it as much as we do.








Red Curry Thai Tempeh Stir Fry

You'll need:
1-2 blocks organic tempeh, cut into thin slices (about 1/2" thick, 2" long)
3 T tamari
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 t salt
1 inch ginger, sliced

3 yellow potatoes, cubed
1 c cauliflower, separated into small florets
1 c broccoli, separated into small florets
1 c bell peppers, cut into strips
1/2 c carrots, julienned
1/2 c fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 medium white onion, diced
3 T red curry paste
1 c coconut milk
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 green onions, julienned
4 T coconut oil, for stir frying

To soften the tempeh and impart flavor, bring 5-6 cups of water to a simmer, add in the sliced ginger and garlic, tamari, salt and tempeh. Simmer for at least an hour. Once softened, drain the tempeh and let dry and cool down on a tray.

To make the stir fry, heat a wok over med-high heat, add in a tablespoon of coconut oil and stir fry the tempeh in two batches. Make sure to let both sides get evenly browned. Once the tempeh is fried, set aside. Now do the same with the yellow potatoes. After the potatoes are fried, add a little more coconut oil to the wok if necessary and then add in the white onions and carrots. After 1-2 minutes, add in the cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and bell peppers. When the vegetables are evenly cooked, add in the tomatoes and then the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until aromatic, around a minute. Next, add in the tempeh, potatoes, red curry paste and coconut milk. Stir until all of the veggies are evenly coated. Serve over warm basmati rice, or your favorite noodle and top with the julienned green onions.






Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Liebster Award Nomination


Thanks Soy Division for the nomination!



The Rules!
Answer the questions given and then come up with 10 new ones to ask your nominees.
Nominate 8 other blogs, let them know you have nominated them and put a link to their blog in your post. No Tag backs and nominees must have under 200 followers on any platform.
You must tell all the blogs that you nominate that you have nominated them.

Here are the questions that Becky and Sarah asked me:
What’s your favourite vegetable? I really love carrots. I grew orange, red and purple carrots in my garden this year. I love how sweet and versatile they are. 
Who’s your cooking idol? Chad Sarno, after taking the Rouxbe Professional Plant Based Course, I have so much more admiration and respect for him.
What’s your secret guilty food pleasure? Dark chocolate, hands down. 
What’s your food hate? Some may call me the worst vegan ever, but I really, really don't like squash.
What kitchen item can’t you live without? My vitamix, I use it daily and even take it with me when I travel.
You can have any famous person, living or dead round to dinner. Who do you pick and what vegan meal do you make for them? Alicia Silverstone, her book, The Kind Diet, jump started my relationship with veganism. I'd make her something simple, and nourishing, like miso soup full of veggies.

Life gives you lemons, what do you make? What wouldn't I make? Cashew alfredo, nut pate, and lemon cookies come to mind. Oh, and the Blueberry Lemon Loaf from Isa Does it.
What’s one non-vegan food item you’ve always wanted to make vegan? I'm going to veganize, for the first time, chicken fried steak later this week. I'm still working on the perfect seitan "steak".
What made you become vegan in the first place? My husband and I went to a book store on a date (yep, we're nerds) and we picked up The Kind Diet. What a life changer that book is.
What’s your favourite animal? I love them all but right now I have a huge fondness of deer. They have been hanging out in my backyard every morning now that the temps are getting cooler. I love watching them interact with each other, they are so very beautiful and graceful.
I'd like to nominate the following very awesome blogs:

Sugar Snap Snail

Brand New Vegan

Eatin Vegan in Smalltown USA

Sprouts and Chocolate

My Messy Vegan Kitchen

Tofu Sarah

Bake Eat Love

Sunshine and Kale




My questions to you are:

Is being vegan in your city easy or difficult?


What is your favorite non-fiction book pertaining to a vegan diet?


What is your go-to meal on a busy night?


What's your favorite cookbook?


Who is your favorite celebrity vegan?


What do you listen to when you cook?


Where do you get your protein? ;)


What's your favorite documentary?