Green Tea and Almond Cupcakes Part 3 of 3

Green Tea and Almond Cupcakes

inspired by Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

 

For Cupcakes:

1 bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Mix

3 fake eggs (I used Ener G Egg Replacer)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup almond milk (Plain, unsweetened)

3-4 tsps of matcha tea powder
1/2 tsp of almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Line cupcake pan

2. Mix the fake eggs and set aside

3. Mix cake mix, coconut oil until combine, add almond milk, matcha powder, and eggs.

4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way (I think the mix made 18 cupcakes for me)

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Check with toothpick. 

6. Cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

For Green Tea Glaze

3/4-1 cup powdered sugar 

1 tbsp Earth Balance or coconut oil (I used earth balance)

1-2 tsp almond milk

1-2 tsp warm water

1/2 tsp matcha powder

dash of almond extract

marizipan for decoration 

more powdered sugar for decoration

1. Time for the marzipan decorations! I rolled out the marzipan in powdered sugar, cut the shapes out with a cookie cutter and set aside. (There are tons of how tos, videos and blogs around. This is a more complicated route, but I think Vegan Yum Yum is amazing so check this one) I added red food coloring to half the flowers.

2. Cream half the sugar and margarine until crumbly.  

3. Add in almond milk, water, and matcha powder, and beat in remaining sugar.  

4. Adjust consistency if needed, it should be pretty soupy.

5. Dip each mocha cupcake top into the frosting and roll until covered. While frosting is still wet, add the marizpan decroations. 

Mocha Almond Fudge and Devil's Food Cupcakes Part 2 of 3

Mocha Almond Fudge and Devil's Food Cupcakes

inspired by Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

For Cupcakes:

1 bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Mix

3 fake eggs (I used Ener G Egg Replacer)

1/2 cup coconut oil or Earth Balance (I used Earth Balance)

1/4 cup hot water with 1 tbsp of instant coffee mixed in

1/4 cup almond milk plain unsweetened

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use enjoy life mini chips)

2 tsp of cocoa powder

1 tsp of almond extract

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Line cupcake pan

2. Mix the fake eggs and set aside

3. Mix cake mix, Earth Balance until combined, add eggs and mix well.

4. Split batter in half, to one half add the hot water with coffee and almond extract. To the other half add the almond milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.

4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way (I think the mix made 9 of each flavor or 18 total cupcakes for me)

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Check with toothpick. 

6. Cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

For Mocha Glaze:

3/4-1 cup powdered sugar 

1 tbsp Earth Balance or coconut oil (I used earth balance)

1-2 tsp almond milk

1-2 tsp warm water

2 tsp instant coffee

dash of almond extract

marizipan for decoration 

more powdered sugar for decoration

cinnamon for decoration

chocolate chips for decoration 

1. Time for the marzipan decorations! I rolled out the marzipan in powdered sugar, cut the shapes out with a cookie cutter and set aside. (There are tons of how tos, videos and blogs around. This is a more complicated route, but I think Vegan Yum Yum is amazing so check this one)   

2. Cream half the sugar and margarine until crumbly.  

3. Add in almond milk, water, and coffee, and beat in remaining sugar.  

4. Adjust consistency if needed, it should be pretty soupy.

5. Dip each mocha cupcake top into the frosting and roll until covered. While frosting is still wet, add the marizpan decroations. I made flowers and put a chocolate chip in the middle. Then I sprinkled cinnamon over everything. Yum!

For Chocolate Frosting:

1 3/4- 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar (I used a looooot)

1 tbsp Earth Balance or coconut oil (I used earth balance)

2-4 tsp almond milk

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

dash of vanilla extract 

1. Cream half the sugar and margarine until crumbly.  

2. Add in almond milk and cocoa powder, and vanilla extract, and beat in remaining sugar.  

3. Adjust consistency if needed.
4. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes, I made it tall, swirly and wonderful, then I took chocolate chips and sprinkled them over everything. You'll note from my photo I did NOT wait the proper amount of time to frost the cupcakes. Haha.

EDIT: Due to the controversy surrounding Bob's Red Mill products right now, I'm unsure I want to promote them. There are other gluten free mixes (I've used Betty Crocker's which was pretty good) you can use, just adjust the liquid ingredients to what the mix you purchased asks for.

Cupcakes! Part 1 of 3

I love cupcakes, but what girl doesn't? They're cute, small, and delicious. Recently I house-sat for my friend Allie and as a thank you, she bought me this amazing book:

The book was intoxicating, not a lot of gluten free options, but the ideas in this book blew my mind!
Anyway, it came in very helpful when Doe Deere asked me to bring a vegan/gluten free dessert option to her housewarming party. I immediately started scouring the book looking for Asian style recipes. I came up with Green Tea Almond and Rosewater Pistachio. Neither of these recipes were gluten free so I decided to improvise with a Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Mix. And OH MY GOSH the combo of everything was so decadent, I had to make an extra batch (The second batch I did mocha fudge and chocolate truffle) because Brian, myself, and friends ate a ton of them the night before the housewarming.... oops. These cupcakes were the best gleegan cupcakes I have ever made, Brian swears that they are too moist to be really gleegan. So here we go. Over the next three days I will be posting the three dolled up cupcake recipes I did, and if you like them I strongly suggest you get Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It's an amazing read, I'm super impressed. Let me preface I USUALLY don't eat processed sugar, but these are a treat, and I am not feeling bad about eating them. So there!

Let's start with my favorite, and the most requested recipe:

Rosewater and Pistachio Cupcakes

inspired by Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

For Cupcakes:

1 bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Mix

3 fake eggs (I used Ener G Egg Replacer)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup almond milk (Plain, unsweetened)

1/4 cup rosewater (I got mine in the beauty section at Whole Foods, make sure that it doesn't have perfumes and is edible!)

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Line cupcake pan

2. Mix the fake eggs and set aside

3. Mix cake mix, coconut oil until combine, add liquids and eggs.

4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way (I think the mix made 18 cupcakes for me)

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Check with toothpick. 

6. Cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

For Frosting:

21/2- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I used a looooot)

2 tbsp Earth Balance or coconut oil (I used earth balance)

2-4 tsp almond milk

1-2 tsp rosewater

dot of red food coloring (I promise. A DOT is all you need)

chopped pistachios for decoration

1. Cream half the sugar and margarine until crumbly.  

2. Add in almond milk and rosewater, and beat in remaining sugar.  

3. Adjust consistency if needed.
4. Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes, I made it tall, swirly and wonderful, then I took pistachios and sprinkled them on the ugly parts. 

VOILA! Beautiful cupcakes!

Check back tomorrow for the Mocha Fudge and Devils Food Recipes!

EDIT: Due to the controversy surrounding Bob's Red Mill products right now, I'm unsure I want to promote them. There are other gluten free mixes (I've used Betty Crocker's which was pretty good) you can use, just adjust the liquid ingredients to what the mix you purchased asks for.

Vegodactyl Magazine

As some of you may know- many of you probably don't- I used to run Harlow Magazine. After a long difficult struggle, I decided to close it after a year of four beautiful issues. I miss the interviewing, fancy photos and the glossy pages- so even though my goal for Vegodactyl is eventually a cookbook, I have decided that we will be putting out a semi-annual cookbook/magazine hybrid.
I will be stuffing the issues with fabulous food porn, recipes, reviews, and interviews with other vegans, gleegans, and companies that support any of these lifestyles. Yes, I will still be supporting amazing fashions!
If you're interested in being a part of this please contact me via my website at this address!
Thank you for your continued support- and please look forward to three new recipes this coming week!

Vegan Yack Attack's Protein-Packed Dessert for Breakfast Smoothie!

Thank you Vegan Yack Attack for putting together several of my favorite things! Smoothies, chia seeds, chocolate, and frozen bananas. This was the perfect quick snack while I was busy crafting all afternoon! It reminds me of a shake my parents used to make with bananas, icecream, and slim fast powder: but WAY healthier!

For the recipe I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and about 3/4 cup of almond milk. YUMMY

Here's the recipe

Indian Food (Explorations in Tofu: Part 2 of 5)

I love Indian food- it’s delicious and super easy to get vegan. Although Palak Paneer (or Saag Paneer? I think Palak is a type of Saag...) is one of my favorite dishes. After going vegan I missed those chunks of cheese. Yummmm. 

Anyone so last night I decided to make a vegetable curry because I had leftover veggies from a party platter I made last weekend. While I was cooking the curry, I forgot I had some long lost frozen spinach and a block of tofu, and decided to try a vegan palak paneer, for my explorations of tofu series.

Vegan Vegetable Curry

1 can of light coconut cream

1-2 tbsp of curry powder (I love a ton of curry, but start with a little and work your way up to taste)

2 tsp of garlic salt (Use more if needed)

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

A vast array of vegetables (I used broccoli, snap peas, and carrots)

1.              Heat up the coconut milk over medium.

2.              Add all the spices and stir till combined.

3.              Add all the vegetables; stir till vegetables are all covered.

4.              Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. I like my vegetables still a bit firm so do this to taste. 

Palak Tofu

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 cups frozen spinach (next time I’ll try fresh)

1 medium tomato

¼ package medium-firm tofu (optional)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegannaise (or coconut milk + sprinkle of salt)

1.              Heat up half the olive oil with the onions over medium

2.              Right as the onions get glassy add the spinach and stir. Let simmer.

3.              Chop the tomato up and throw it in the blender or food processor till pureed. Add to the spinach.

4.              Add all the spices and vegannaise and stir till combined. Taste it- add any additional amount of spices to get to the right flavor for you.

5.              Chop the tofu into bite size pieces. Add to the spinach, stir till covered and reduce heat to low medium. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve both dishes over rice and enjoy!

Why you should be vegan

Bet you are expecting a few studies, PETA videos and charts right about now. But let me be frank: I don’t give a cheeseburger whether or not you eat cheeseburgers. You are reading and that is pretty awesome to me. If nothing else I would be happy a meat eater tries a recipe as I write it and likes it. But I am ALSO very happy finding out people tried my kale pizza recipe and added prosciutto or added chicken to my spaghetti squash recipe. Since I was in fourth grade and following retro recipes in an American Girl cookbook I’ve wanted to write my own. Finding out people are toying with recipes too is exactly what I want.

But back to why you should go vegan, gluten and sugar free: It’s up to you. There are studies on why certain things are bad for you but I honestly believe you should listen to what your body wants. Try out diets, find out what works for you, or don’t change your eating habits at all. Food is fun, and I personally feel that my blog would probably be less fun (or even inspiring) if I showed pictured of animals being treated horribly.

Please never feel I’m being preachy- a preachy vegan was actually a roadblock NOT an inspiration to my adventure into this way of eating.

Have fun and eat well!

Gluten Intolerance

I get headaches. I thought they were migraines, my doctor said, “NO, they are not migraines, are you pregnant?” After several negative pregnancy tests, disappointing appointments, bad reactions to medication, and no end to them in sight I gave up. I figured it was time to live with them. Okay- let’s that that aside and get along with my story.

So, a few years ago a dear friend told me that she not only was allergic to gluten but it was terrible for anyone to ingest. I shrugged it off- I was a die hard “carbavore” and was addicted to French toast and sandwiches. But it was always there, especially as other people were starting telling me that gluten was bad. Gluten free items started popping up in stores.... but alas, I loved my bread.

A couple months before my 10-day-turned-no-end-in-sight vegan/gluten free adventure began someone asked me what I was allergic to. I was very confused because I didn’t feel at all like I was having an allergic reaction. (Side note: I’m allergic to peaches and my whole mouth and throat breaks out and I have a hard time breathing if I accidentally eat them.) I laughed it off- my skin gets weird bumps sometimes it’s something I had also learned to live with.

A month into my 10-day-turned-no-end-in-sight vegan/gluten free adventure I wanted to eat my favorite non-vegan/gluten-free veggie burger at my favorite restaurant. The next morning I had a raging headache.

I looked at my hands.

They were blotchy.

I thought...

I have NOT had a headache in a month.

Oh.

It all made so much sense. So that’s how I discovered I am intolerant to gluten.

Yay for no more headaches!

Explorations of Tofu: Part 1 of 5

I love edamame. In my opinion it is the best soy form. That said- Tofu is definitely not my all-time favorite food, I used to eat and drink a lot of soymilk and tofu. But as I discovered almond milk I also realized that tofu wasn’t my only option in vegetarian cooking. That aside, I’ve been getting some twitter requests for some tofu recipes, so I’d love to share a few of my favorites. Maybe while I show you how versatile it is, I’ll remember why I loved this forgotten food in the first place. Expect 5 recipes over the next week and a half, in between, I'll be mixing in a few vegan/gluten free/sugar free/soy free recipes too!

Breakfast

I used to be a firm believer in when I give something up; I needed to give it up. I didn’t like meat, so why would I want meat substitutes? Dairy replacers didn’t bother me because if you have an allergy- why would you give up French toast? But as I’ve started to give up gluten, dairy, and eggs I do find myself missing certain things.

I used to eat scrambled eggs and Greek yogurt every breakfast, I always felt great with the burst of protein right in the morning. Now that I’m not listing that as an option I usually go for smoothies and granola. I’ve been interested in the idea of scrambled tofu, but I never found a recipe that quite made it taste enough like eggs.

Then it hit me: I’m not TRYING to make scrambled eggs. I’m making scrambled TOFU so it WILL taste different and I need to get a handle on that.

So ladies and gentlemen, please step forward and this scrambled tofu recipe:

Spiced Scrambled Tofu

1 package of soft or medium tofu

2 large leafs of kale torn into small pieces

1 small zucchini diced

2 tsp of turmeric

2 tsp of mustard seeds

1 tsp of paprika

2 tsp of onion powder

2 tsp of garlic salt

2 tbsp of coconut or olive oil

1.              Puree tofu with spices.

2.              Heat up oil on skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini.

3.              Saute for 2 minutes then add tofu.  Stir and let cook for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.              Once the tofu starts to brown, add kale and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
5.              Serve immediately with fresh ground pepper.

Gluten Free "Lasagna" recipe

I recently tried a new spaghetti squash recipe, and although it was nice- I always return to this recipe. I was trying to figure something new for dinner and my coworker, Lisa, just rattled off this recipe off the top of her head. It sounded great so I added a few things and Brian and I loved it.

If you’ve never cooked spaghetti squash before, you are in for a treat! It’s very easy, very fun, and very interesting. The texture is amazing for being a squash! I found this great page with easy directions on all the different ways to cook the squash. This website gives very easy step-by-step directions on how to cook a spaghetti squash. I prefer the boiling method.

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti squash cooked and scooped out

2 cups of tomato sauce

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves crushed garlic

Olive oil

1 large zucchini, sliced very thin (I use a vegetable peeler)

1 cup of Daiya mozzarella “cheese”

Directions

1.              Preheat oven to 350. Sauté onions in olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic. Sauté till translucent.

2.              Add sauce and tomatoes and continue cook on medium low.

3.              In a 12”X9” baking dish evenly lay about half the cooked spaghetti squash out. Spread a cup of the tomato sauce mixture over. Then sprinkle half the cheese over the sauce.

4.              Next lay out the thinly sliced zucchini out over the cheese like lasagna strips. Spread the rest of the squash over the zucchini, the rest of the sauce over the squash and the rest of the cheese over the sauce.

5.              Bake for about 30 minutes.

Smoothies!

We all love those smoothie places, right? Why is it that at home we can’t match the flavors? I found 3 reasons.

1.              I don’t use ice cream in fruit smoothies

2.              I was using ice.

3.              My blender was crap and I have bit of floating ice and fruit.

The last problem I fixed a few summers ago when I was at the county fair and I learned about the Vitamix. I went home did a ton of research. That week I received the best commission paycheck I’d ever had, so I decided to splurge. My smoothies instantly got better but were still watery. As result of the Vitamix cookbook I started using a lot of frozen fruit instead of ice. Yum!

What I started recently was actually a result of ready “The Sneaky Chef.” The book suggests blending up fruits and vegetables ahead of time and adding them to recipes for added nutrition. What I soon found was that these purees made fabulous instant smoothies! A few fruit/veggies cubes and some juice and the perfect smoothie in seconds.

It’s really easy and takes very little time. Here’s what you do:

Gather a bunch of fruits and vegetables. You can use fresh or frozen. If you want to use fresh, this is the perfect thing to do when the produce starts getting a little soft and right before they go bad. I like mixing fruits and veggies in every puree.

 

I’m starting with kale and blueberries. I added about ½ a cup of pomegranate juice to a package of blueberries and a small bunch of kale in the blender. Puree until smooth. I then fill up 2 ice cube trays with the puree and freeze. After pop them out and save in a big ziplock bag.

The next puree I did today was 1 package of strawberries, one package of raspberries, five whole carrots, the juice of half a lemon, and ½ a cup pomegranate juice.

The last thing I do on smoothie prep day was chop up all my browning bananas and put them in another ziplock bag.

Other combinations I love:

Strawberries, fresh beets, and raspberries

Carrots, sweet potatoes, and bananas

Spinach, blackberries, and lemon

This makes smoothie making so easy in the morning. You can grab a few “cubes” and just add some juice or almond milk. If it’s thin enough to drink through a straw go for it, and if it is super thick it’s great with a little granola on top.

YUM!

Anna Mae’s Power Cookies

 

Anna Mae is my friend. She’s vegan and watching her on some camping and other adventures, I realized that being vegan doesn’t mean just salads if you're out and about. Last time I saw her we went to the Lotus Festival- I went searching to buy some vegan treats and she busted out these vegan and gluten free “cookies.” She made them very simple but let me know she jazzes them up for her boyfriend.

The idea of chickpeas, applesauce, and oatmeal instead of flour, butter, and sugar sounds weird- but trust me it’s great. If you don’t like the taste of chickpeas I highly suggest adding a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter. It doesn’t overwhelm the recipe, but it kind of cancels out the bean-y taste.

If you are allergic to gluten or are avoiding gluten completely, make sure you get gluten free oats! I bought a giant thing of Quaker Oats a few months ago at Costco, and although I’m avoiding white flour and a lot of gluten- I’m also try to be resourceful and I refuse to waste the food!

My favorite version of this recipe is the basic recipe + agave, vanilla, cinnamon, almond, butter, mashed banana, vegan chocolate chips, raisins, and chopped walnuts. I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting though, zucchini and carrots- I’ll let you know if I have a breakthrough in deliciousness!

These cookies are a perfect replacement for protein bars. I take these everywhere now! Work, the zoo, amusement parks, and the movies. Hope you enjoy them!

Anna Mae’s Power Cookies

Basic Recipe:

2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 cup of applesauce

1 cup of oatmeal

2 tbsp of oil

2 tsp of baking powder

2 tsp of baking soda

Any amount of optional ingredients*

1.              Preheat oven to 350, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.              Blend chickpeas and applesauce in blender until smooth.

3.              Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.

4.              Spoon onto cookie sheet in heaping tablespoons and bake for 30-35 minutes.

* Optional Ingredients:

1 tbsp of agave

2 tsp vanilla

Sprinkle of cinnamon

2 tbsp of almond or peanut butter

1 mashed banana

½ cup vegan chocolate chips

½ cup raisins

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup chopped nuts

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Sweet Potato and Banana Pizza

 Okay- so you’re probably thinking: “Sweet potato on a pizza????” OR “Banana on a pizza????” OR “Sweet potatoes and bananas?” Or you might be thinking all three things. Trust me this is delicious.

Remember that show Doug? I remember an episode where there was a cooking contest, someone made pizza, someone made banana pudding, and somehow the pudding ended up on the pizza but it was great. The next time my sister and I ate a pizza we sliced up banana. I remember I LOVED it. But I stopped- I must have rediscovered pineapple and jalapenos. 

Anyway, the night I came up with this recipe- Brian and I were trying to decide what to do for dinner. We had kale, sweet potatoes, and bananas. (We also made this pizza with the kale) Brian casually mentioned he had had banana pizza in Sweden and something triggered. Suddenly the idea of sweet potatoes and bananas sounded so good- on pizza. I was hesitant putting the sauce and cheese on, but I figured why not.

The result was in my opinion successful. Hope you enjoy too!

Sweet Potato and Banana Pizza

1 8” pizza crust

1 banana (thinly sliced)

1 sweet potato (shredded)

¾ cup tomato sauce (more or less to your liking)

¼ cup of shredded vegan pepper jack (or more)

Coconut oil

Cinnamon

1.              Preheat oven to 425 or whatever your crust suggests.

2.              Put a little oil in a skillet on medium heat.

3.              Add the shredded sweet potato and a few shakes of cinnamon. Sauté for a few minutes until it is soft.

4.              Spread the sauce over the pizza crust.

5.              Transfer the sweet potatoes on top of the sauce.

6.              Sprinkle the cheese over the sweet potatoes.

7.              Arrange the bananas over everything and sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.

8.              Bake for about 12 minutes, until cheese has melted.

9.              Let cool for a few minutes, slice up and enjoy! 

Be prepared

Be prepared is a fabulous motto, no wonder the Girl Scouts borrowed it from the Boy Scouts. It’s especially important for anyone with a restricted diet. I’ve known this, but last Sunday when I went sailing with my family- I should have better prepared myself.

We were out celebrating Brian’s dad’s birthday and everyone contributed to lunch, there was a fabulous spread of fruit, crackers, breads, cheeses, meats, and cupcakes.... I didn’t want to be a burden, so I made some vegan-gluten free corndogs, grabbed a few carrots, and a bar of vegan chocolate. I was proud of myself, and we ventured off.

Well, they ripped into some of those crackers right away; it was a little difficult not to join in. I used to be so obsessed with Wheat Thins and Cheez-its. I was doing fine- until I got a whiff of the Cheez-its. I immediately grabbed a carrot and started munching. We continued our 14-mile sail towards the islands.

Once we arrived and anchored, everyone started pulling out the cheese and breads, and my heart practically skipped a beat. It wouldn’t hurt to eat just a few bites, right?? Less than 2 months ago, I would have considered this paired with grapes a perfect meal. I again rushed down to the galley and started heating up my corn dogs. By the time I returned, I was feeling a little better, I hadn’t cheated yet and now I had real food to eat. I shared the corn dogs, and everyone seemed to like them, which was pretty cool.

When it came time to sing happy birthday and eat cupcakes, I was armed with my vegan chocolate to not feel deprived. That’s when my mom oh so rudely told me she frosted the cupcakes with Nutella! Nutella was one of my favorite spreads before this adventure started, and I found it cruel that she would do this to me. Haha- anyway I was satisfied with my vegan, sugar-free chocolate- and I thought I had made it through the day completely scot-free.

But on the way home, people were still snacking on the bread, cheeses, and crackers. Suddenly my stomach was grumbling and I had run out of snacks! I knew we were only about an hour away, but with the drive home I was feeling very tempted by all the dairy, gluten and sugar. Luckily Brian agreed that as soon as we got back we could go to a sushi restaurant and get me miso soup and avocado rolls. That held me over just enough to get through the rest of the sail without eating all the provolone.

If I could go back, I would have brought kale, corn tortillas, beans, cookies, or anything else more filling than corn dogs and a bar of chocolate! But I was very proud of myself for not cheating this time.

Lucky for me- tomorrow I’m going to Universal Studios and Wednesday I’m going to the Santa Barbara Zoo, so I’ll have a chance try again with being prepared for a day!!

Gluten Free Corn Pancakes with Beans and Kale

This breakfast was another “what do I have in my kitchen” recipe. It was a Sunday and I thought I wanted something brunch-y and I still wanted to feel good after. This was the perfect strange combination for me.

For the Beans and Kale- you could use any kind of beans. I was planning on black beans and I apparently ran out. After a quick search I discovered a can of white beans I forgot about. Yum! Since the beans were salted- I soaked and rinsed them a few times, and found I didn’t need any added salt at all. After deciding to just add a little pepper, I was particularly please when Brian asked what I seasoned them with because they were so good. I occasionally need to remind myself that sometimes simple is better!

Gluten Free Corn Pancakes

1-½ cups of masa

½ cup corn meal

2 cups boil water

¼ coconut oil (My favorite but you can use any kind)

Egg replacer for 2 eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ agave nectar

1.     Boil the water

2.     Mix masa and corn meal

3.     Add water to masa mixture and stir just until combined

4.     Add other ingredients stir gently.

5.     Cook like pancakes, I melt a little more coconut oil in a pan and fry them up.

6.     Add more agave like syrup for eating!

White Beans and Kale

1 Can of White Beans

3 Leafs of Black Kale (torn up into bite size pieces)

Olive Oil

Pepper

1.              If the beans have salt added, rinse them really well. Heck- even soak them for a few minutes. Drain them and put them in a pot on medium heat.

2.              After a few minutes add a little oil and the kale.

3.              Sautee until kale has softened in texture.

Sick Day

Ugh. Woke up the other morning super nauseas! Now this is when I would used to pound some ginger ale and pepto bismol but now that I’m cutting down on added sugar- I thought I’d try a new approach.

Cranberry Kombucha Tea

I started with Kombucha because it is carbonated and figured it would do that thing that makes grandparents force-feed you 7-up when you don’t feel well. The kombucha tea I drank has only 3g of sugar for 8 fluid ounces. It also has folic acid, tons of B vitamins, and a ton of live cultures. Now what about 7-up? Not only almost eight times as much sugar but three times as many calories and carbs.

Miso Soup

I chose to eat miso soup instead of chicken noodle- because... come on, I haven’t eaten chicken noodle since I was nine. I just discovered miso soup recently- and let me say YUM. The tofu and bean curd gave me protein and helped me feel full without feeling gross or icky. For a little extra filling feeling I add some cooked rice. (Working on my recipe- check back soon!)

Blackberry Hibiscus Mama Chia

I’m working on a whole piece on why chia seeds are amazing. But in a nutshell, the protein, omega-3s, antioxidants, fiber, and calcium make me feel great and the texture is super fun! Here is Mama Chia’s article on chia to hold you over till I finish mine.

Anyway, after all of this, some rest, and some brown rice cakes I felt a lot better. What do you guys do when you have a sick day?

Kale Chip Recipe

Tortilla chips are my weakness. Hah, who am I kidding? One of my many weaknesses. But I love the crunchiness and yum. This kale chip recipe is not a replacement for my beloved chips, but it will sometimes make that craving go away. It’s nice to know there are vegetables that can taste enough like junk food to get that craving to go away without leaving you that horrible stomachache later.

My aunt explained this recipe to me a couple months ago, and I always forgot about it. I happened to drop by one day while she was making them and I tried a couple. It was as if a light bulb went off in my head. I understood what she was talking about. These were fabulous!

Kale Chips

A few leafs of green kale

Melted coconut oil

Salt

Pepper

1.              Preheat oven to 400

2.              Tear up the kale into small bite size pieces. Pour a small amount of coconut oil over the kale. Mush up everything in your hands to coat the kale in the oil.

3.              Sprinkle with salt and pepper

4.              Bake for 8-10 minutes for a single layer, or 10-12 for a few layers. Make sure to toss them halfway through cooking if there is a lot of overlapping.

5.              Keep an eye on them for when the edges go brown, but not the whole leaf. ENJOY!

These are very delicate, and very delicious warm. Hope you like them!

I have tried this recipe with black kale- it works but the green kale works much better for this recipe. Anyone else have any simple chip recipes?
 

Adventures of the Corn Dog into My Belly

I started eating a vegetarian diet very young. I never liked meat, but looking back on what I did enjoy is pretty scary. I would eat cheeseburgers from McDonalds (not even real burgers at a BBQ, I thought those were gross!), tuna salad, and corndogs. Not hotdogs, I never liked hotdogs, but yummm corndogs and the rest of the icky processed food I enjoyed.

I never even considered vegetarian corndogs until I was at my friend Lauren’s house and she offered me Morning Star’s mini corndogs. Oh my gosh, so delicious. But as I am foraging into this vegan adventure- I read the ingredients: milk, eggs, corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated oils, and enriched bleached flour. A bunch of stuff I’m trying to cut out!

So while I was searching for a name for a blog, I was getting discouraged, because a ton of my ideas were taken by dead urls, twitters, or advertising sites. I finally thought “Happy Herbivore” would be great! I plugged it in, and the first thing I see? “Popular Recipes: Vegan Baked Corndogs.” Okay so the name I was stoked on was taken- but I had inadvertently come across what I didn’t even realize I was longing for.

Here is Happy Herbivore’s recipe for VEGAN baked corndogs.

I tried it with Smart Dogs (Not gluten free, but still pretty healthy), almond milk, corn flour instead of the whole wheat pastry flour, and agave instead of raw sugar. Pretty good- but because I had changed the flour around I added more almond milk and the texture of the batter was a bit off. They tasted pretty good... but my corndogs were hideous.

Not to be discouraged, I noted that the Happy Herbivore suggested that a Twinkie pan makes cuter corn dogs. While searching Amazon, I noticed that not only did they have a pan, but they also had a pigs-in-blanket cooker "Appetizer Maker" that had great reviews. About $25 later I had one on it’s way to me.

When the "Appetizer Maker" arrived I was so excited I pulled it out right away and needed corn dogs that second. I wanted to try a slightly different recipe so this time I tried a recipe from the mini book that came with the “Appetizer Maker.” It called for egg, milk, cornmeal, salt, flour, baking powder, and sugar. So I mixed egg replacer, vegetable broth, cornmeal, salt, gluten free flour, baking powder, agave, cinnamon. It was okay, Brian thought it tasted exactly the same as the previous one. But we both agree they were cuter!!

A little overflowed but who doesn't love the corn mixture!

So today, determined to end this war or corn dogs, I tried combining what I liked from the separate recipes, learn from my gluten free mistakes and finally make the ultimate gluten-free-sugar-free-vegan corn dog recipe.

On the dogs . . . I have been using Smart Dogs for a while since I originally just cut out white flour. However, now that I’m moving towards gluten free I haven’t found any vegan and gluten free dogs at my local grocery store. After some research I found that www.soyboy.com and Tofupups are vegan and gluten free but I haven’t tried either yet. Have any of you?

Vegodactyl Vegan Gluten Free Sugar Free Corn Dogs

1 ½ egg recipe

2/3-cup cornmeal

4 tbsp coconut flour

2-teaspoon baking powder

1/2-teaspoon baking soda

A dash of paprika

A dash of dry mustard

A dash of onion powder

A dash of black pepper

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons agave

A sprinkle of cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/3 cup water

4 veggie dogs cut into thirds (If you want gluten free, here is where you need to be careful!)

1.            Grease Appetizer Maker with a little coconut oil or prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. To Preheat Appetizer Maker or oven to 450.

2.            Mix all dry ingredients together. Add vegetable broth, coconut oil and stir well. Slowly add water until batter is just combined and all lumps are removed.

3.            If cooking in an Appetizer Maker place a little batter in the cavities, place the dog on top and a little more batter on top. Cook according to the directions.

4.            If cooking on a cookie sheet, dip the dogs and place on parchment paper, if necessary add a little more batter to the top.

5.            Bake for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Salsa Fresca Recipes

You may wonder why I reviewed recipes from my dinner party instead of posting them and reviewing. Recipes are an interesting thing- as I said in my first blog post I rarely follow them exactly. However due to copyright, I choose not to post full recipes created by someone else. Note that anytime I try anyone else’s recipes I will link to the book or blog it came from. But if I’ve changed something enough I will post my recipe for it. If it’s still close I will post inspired by. This is just for my comfort, and I really felt that I needed to write briefly about.

That little disclaimer past me now, I want to post the salsas from the other night. Grab some corn chips and go to town on these. 

Also if you’re like me you probably HATE chopping cilantro. I was at Williams-Sonoma and came across an herb mill. It’s not the easiest thing to clean, but it works and is so very worth it to not to have to try and chop them.

Salsa Fresca Recipes

Pineapple Avocado Recipe

(Inspired by Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook)

2 cups chopped FRESH pineapple
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
¼- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of half a lemon

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for about a half hour before serving.

Mango Salsa

(Inspired by A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The Best Vegetarian Recipes)

1 mango diced with the skin

1 small red onion diced

Juice of half a lemon

2 tsp of agave, maple syrup, or brown sugar

¼ - ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dissolve the sweetner in the lemon juice. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for about a half hour before serving.

Dinner Party

So my good fried Rachael (Nature's Ninja) and I decided to get together to throw a dinner party for the boys. We scoured cookbooks for recipes and settled on making:

Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Vegetable Rice Pilaf from How it All Vegan

Apple-Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Here are a few photos from our adventure:

We went to Whole foods to gather all our ingredients. We bought this crazy hot sauce from Africa and completely forgot to use it. Which I guess was okay because the spaghetti squash ended up super spice on its own.

This is Rachael, she's super pretty. She's also working on the dessert. It was amaze-balls.

Pineapple for Salsa Fresca #1

I chopped the mango for Salsa Fresca #2. Rachael had me keep the peel on. I never tried it before but it was totally worth it. I highly suggest you try this. Yes. YOU.

 

This was onion and jalapeno for the spaghetti squash. I seeded most of the jalapenos, but whew! They were still super hot. My hands were burning!

Anaheim pepper, plus red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers for the rice pilaf. See my awesome ceramic knife? It's awesome. However.... I chipped the tip of it. Oops.

Those are the tiny sweet peppers. So cute!

More pilaf cooking.

Table almost completely set up.

Everyone sat down to eat. Rachael, Brian, and Kyle. 

Brian eating. I keep looking at those bananas, we didn't eat them that night, but now I want one!

Kyle is a silly man. 

Rachael and myself, enjoying the Salsas Fresca and chips. We like to look nice for our dinner dates. 

This was the most yummy apple crisp almond butter treat. 

 

 This is the love of my life. I am not ashamed of this photo. He actually looks quite nice when he's smiling like a human and not a jack-o-lantern. 

Okay so we may have looked all smiley but you're probably wondering: How was the food?

Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca 

from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

First Reaction:

This was a pretty good recipe- the salsa was amazing.

What we changed:

The salsa calls for mango, pineapple or papaya. I made the salsa with pineapple, and made another mango salsa on the side. 

We also used pinto beans instead of black beans.

Overall thoughts:

If I were to make this again, I would use one jalapeno instead of two. They ended up taking over the flavor. I would probably toss a few fresh tomatoes in after as well. 

However, it was pretty good and we're eating leftovers!

Vegetable Rice Pilaf 

from How it All Vegan

First Reaction:

This had a bland flavor.

What we changed:

We slightly burned the rice. Oops! Also we used cilantro instead of parsley because we had a ton from the salsas.

Overall thoughts:

Okay I get it, we toasted some rice on the bottom of the pan. But that ended up being one of the most interesting flavors in this recipe.  I don't know why, maybe with more salt, or peppers, or other spices it would have been better. 

I ended up mixing most of the rice with the spaghetti squash and it was pretty good then.

Apple-Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars 

from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

First Reaction:

YUM and amaze-balls.

What we changed:

Almond butter instead of peanut butter. Brown sugar instead of white sugar. Agave instead of maple syrup. ALSO! I misread the recipe and bought 3 apples instead of 3 pounds of apples. HA! So we used a smaller pan.

Overall thoughts:

Okay even though we changed so much- this was one of the best desserts I've eaten in a very long time. Thank you Veganomicon for bringing this too my attention!!!