Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Homemade Raspberry Poptarts (Vegan AND Gluten Free!)

I didn't realize how much I missed poptarts until I made these. Oh man. Ingredients 2 cups flour pinch of salt 2/3 cup vegan butter or margarine 4 tablespoons cold water 1 and 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (filling) 2 tablespoons water (filling) 3 tablespoons sugar (filling) 2 cups powdered sugar (icing) Raspberry water (from filling, used for icing) Directions Preheat oven to 375F Prepare baking sheet by covering with parchment paper. For...

Kid-Friendly Chocolate Cupcakes

Kate asked for chocolate cupcakes for her birthday. I asked her if I could use the same recipe that I used for the raspberry chocolate cake and the answer was a very loud "NO." Although I loved how rich the chocolate raspberry cake was, she thought it was too bitter. So this recipe has a lot less chocolate and a lot more sugar. Very kid-friendly. And just look at these cupcakes, aren't they cute? They are a little melted-looking because I am...

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Kate's Birthday Party (No Recipe Here!)

At my job, I plan events for the community. Most of them involve families and children, and they have all gone pretty well with only a few hiccups here and there. However, I have never planned a birthday party. When my aunt asked me to plan my cousin's party I said yes because don't I do this for a living? The planning stage was a lot of fun. Kate wanted a mermaid theme so we decided to have one hour at the house and the other at the pool. I...

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Soft Serve Ice Cream from Bananas (vanilla and chocolate)

Vegan ice cream is expensive, and a luxury for most. Now this, this stuff is magical. And inexpensive. And only requires three ingredients. Ingredients: 2 bananas 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 tablespoon cocoa Directions: Cut bananas into one-inch thick coins. Place on a plate. Freeze for about an hour. Blend frozen banana pieces in a blender until smooth.  Add vanilla, blend. Spoon half of the mixture into a bowl. Add cocoa to remaining...

Broiled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

First of all: I love sandwiches, and this one was just YUM. Ingredients: 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup sesame oil 2 teaspoons rosemary 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 portobello mushroom cap a few pieces of lettuce 1 tomato, sliced 2 pieces of bread, toasted Directions: Preheat broiler on high.  Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder and rosemary in a small bowl.  Place mushroom in a glass baking pan. Pour soy sauce mixture over mushroom....

Cashew Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is perfect if you're craving Kraft mac n' cheese. Kids and adults alike, will love it.  Ingredients: 1 cup cashews (I soaked them for 12 hours but it isn’t necessary, just use more almond milk) 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, depending on the consistency of the cashews 2 cloves garlic salt, to...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Warning: These pancakes are very filling. I had two, and that made me full (the peanut butter didn't help any--oh! And I ate one while they were cooking, shh!). Ingredients: 2 cups flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups almond milk 3 tablespoons oil 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (I used a chocolate bar cut into pieces) Oil for frying Condiments: Peanut butter, jam, maple syrup, etc. Fruit for...

Homemade Kettle Corn

This popcorn doesn't look like much, but it is actually the best kettle corn you've ever had. And it doesn't have a zillion additives like the store-bought kind. Just three ingredients! Ingredients: 1/4 cup corn kernels 1 tablespoon oil (I use olive oil and you can’t taste the difference) 1/4 cup sugar (basically just use equal parts corn and sugar, if you’re making more) Procedure: In a saucepan or pot, heat oil on high for a few...

Tortilla Pizza with Soy Cheese, Tofu, and Mushrooms.

This was so simple. Mainly because the crust is just a tortilla. You could use a pita, a slice of bread, or pre-made dough and it would have pretty much the same effect. Ingredients: 1 Tortilla 1/4 cup soy cheese (I used Sheese) 4 ounces firm tofu 2 small mushrooms 1 teaspoon oregano Olive oil Tomato sauce (I didn't measure how much. Enough to cover most of the tortilla will do) Procedure: Preheat oven to 345F.  Saute tofu in olive...

Homemade Granola

This stuff is so addicting. It makes about six servings and we finished it in a day.  Ingredients: 3 cups oats 1/2 cup flax seed 1/2 cup almond meal 1/3 cup chopped up walnuts 1/3 cup chopped almonds (you can substitute these for any nuts) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons agave 1 tablespoon vegetable/canola oil 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/3 to 2/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit Procedure: Preheat...

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Tofu Scramble

Have you ever missed scrambled eggs? I know I have. I don't miss causing suffering of hens or the killing of male chicks anything, but I miss the quickness of just whipping something up that only takes a few minutes. Miss it no more, for I bring you tofu scramble! This stuff is addicting. Whenever I make it, I wish I had made more. The great thing about it is that it is so versatile. You can add veggies to it, use different spices, eat it plain,...

Chinese-Style Tofu Noodle Soup

This was ridiculously simple to make. It only took a few minutes. And Kate, my six-year-old cousin (who is rebelling against me by refusing all vegan food all the time) loved it. She kept going "Christy this is so good. Can you teach me how to make it? It's so good! Put it on your blog!"  Ingredients: 4 cups vegetable stock 2 cups water 16 ounces firm or extra firm tofu 8 ounces rice vermicelli 3 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces 1/4...

Soy Cheese and Black Bean Quesadilla

This recipes uses the same black bean mixture as the Tofu Black Bean Wrap Ingredients: 1 Tortilla  1 Red bell pepper 1 small onion 2 small mushrooms 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained Cayenne pepper 1 cup soy cheese (I used Sheese brand, but I would have much rather used Daiya) Olive oil Procedure: In a frying pan, heat some olive oil on medium to high heat. Once hot, add onions and fry until translucent.  Add peppers and mushrooms...

Tofu Black Bean Wrap

Today's lunch was so delicious, I wanted seconds! Ingredients: 1 Tortilla  1 Red bell pepper 1 small onion 2 small mushrooms 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained Cayenne pepper 1 Tomato Hummus or your spread of choice Tofu  A couple pieces of lettuce or kale Olive oil Procedure: Drain for slices of tofu about the size of dominoes. Press between two paper towels to get all the water out. In a frying pan, fry tofu until golden-brown...

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Its time for the first recipe! This cake is to die for. It's so chocolate-y. It's pretty much just layers and layers of chocolate. Not even kidding. Ingredients for the cake: 1 and a half cups of gluten free all-purpose flour (or normal wheat flour, if desired) 1 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cocoa (more or less according to taste) 1 tbs apple cider vinegar 1 tsp vanilla 6 tbs...

It has taken me a long time to figure out which layout I liked, which one didn't have a ton of things to edit in the html. I'm sure I still don't have this right. I thought I'd just dive right in and figure out as I go along. First recipe is coming today! Stay tun...

Monday, February 11, 2013

I don't know how to use Blogger. Bear with me while I figure this out....