applesauce for eggs: August 2012

vegan rice krispie treats

What you need:
3 Tbsp Earth Balance
10 oz bag of Vegan Marshmallows (I used Chicago's own Dandie's Vegan Marshmallows)
5 Cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal

What you do:
1. In large saucepan melt butter.
2. Add marshmallows and sitr until completely melted.

3. Add Rice Krispies Cereal and stir until evenly coated.

4. Using a spatula press cereal into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan, that was first coasted with oil spray.

5. Cool.
6. Flip Rice Krispie Treats onto a Cutting Board.
7. Cut into individual serving squares.
8. Enjoy!

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weekly meal planning

meal planning is good for families, people on budgets, and vegans.

now, unless you want to eat out every night, or you live within walking distance of a whole foods, you don't need to, but for budgeting purposes, and the fact that i eat out maybe once every 2 weeks. i know i'm lame! i plan my meals. :)

i found this free really cute meal planning pdf template at www.futuregirl.com, which makes meal planning funner, at least for me anyway.

meal planning helps me determine what i need for the week, and also helps me from not overspending on things i don't need, and also helps me prepare meals the night before, and also prevents me from having to run to the store before dinner for 1 tomato (damn you BLT craving... damn you!). anyway, it's helpful and i like creating a meal plan for 1 week at a time, and then if i'm not in the mood for that certain food, i switch days, switch lunch with dinner. it's not a locked down schedule. i'm not a cafeteria, so i have fun with it, while staying on a budget.

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BLT with Garlic Aioli

What you need:
2 Pieces of Vegan Bread (You can use a wrap instead if you prefer)
Lifelight "Fakin' Bacon" Smokey Tempeh Strips
Spinach / Spring Mix
Sliced Tomato
Garlic Aioli
3/4 Cup Veganaise
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
3/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper
(Mix above ingredients together)

What you do:
1. Make the Garlic Aioli.
2. Heat up a medium skillet, and spray with olive oil.
3. Heat the 'Fakin' Bacon' Strips.
4. Toast 2 slices of bread.
5. Once toast is ready, spread garlic aioli on both sides.
4. Load spinach, sliced tomatoes, and fakin bacon onto toast.
5. Eat & Enjoy!

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cinnamon snail best 2012 vegan food truck

(Picture taken from Mobile-Cuisine.com of The Gochujang burger from the Cinnamon Snail.)

I ate at the cinnamon snail during a brief 2 days in New York. Great food, great people! They're so deserving of this award! Next time you're in NY, hunt them down. Soo good!

Check it out HERE! Pin It Now!

carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

A friend at work wanted me to make carrot cake for her husband. So, I made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. These babies taste like straight up FALL! Fall just so happens to be my favorite season, and I need to find a place where it's fall all year round! I'd live there in a heartbeat. And, these are 100% vegan of course!
Carrot Cake
Egg Replacer (4 eggs)
3/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Applesauce
1 cup vegan sugar
1 cup vegan brown sugar
2.5 Tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tsp baking soda
2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
3 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Ginger
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

What you do:

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients.

3. Combine wet ingredient mixture gradually to dry mixture.

4. Put in 24 Cupcake Liners.

5. Bake for mins at 350°, or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool.

7. Make the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup earth balance, softened
8 oz package of toffutti cream cheese, sofened
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups powdered sugar

(Blend all ingredients with mixer.)

8. Frost cupcakes.

9. Enjoy!

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key lime cheesecake

i bought tart pans, and searched online for a vegan tart that i could make. i found tons that involved chocolate, but i ALWAYS make something chocolate related, so i wanted something a little different. i stumbled across raw key lime tarts, and i love key lime pie, so i decided to make a vegan key lime pie / cheesecake. i bought a pre-made graham cracker crust, and the ingredients, and once i got home, i remembered that the reason i wanted to make a tart in the first place, was for my new tart pans... and the pre-made pie crust defeated that purpose. ha! i'm such a dork.

What you need:

2- 8 oz Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

1 Cup vegan sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 Cup Key Lime Juice

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 Pre-made Graham Cracker Crust

What you do:

Preheat Oven to 350°

1. Mix the cream cheese / sugar/ vanilla / lime juice / cornstarch with a mixer until smooth.

2. Pour and smooth into the pre-made crust.

3. Bake for 55 mins.

4. Let cool for 1/2 hour.

5. Chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.

6. Enjoy!

Tip:
You can even make 1/2 of the above recipe & fill 6 mini graham cracker crusts to make mini individual cheesecakes! Add SoyWhip Whipped Cream for a delicious refreshing tart dessert!

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munch {oak park, il}

i visited my sister with my mom, and 5 minutes away is a little vegetarian (vegan friendly) restaurant called MUNCH. how cute is that right? anyway, i'd been checking out their menu for a couple months, but never made the time to go. well, since today we were already in the area, and my mom will eat vegan food too, we went there on our way home. they were super friendly! we ordered to go, and they gave us ice water while we waited. great atmosphere.

we both ordered the same exact thing. their breakfast sandwich (tofu scrambled "eggs" peppers, spinach, vegan bacon drizzled in olive oil on a warm chiabatta roll w/ vegan mozzarella cheese), a side of roasted rosemary potatoes. and i ordered a kale smoothie (kale, apricots, banana, blueberries). can i say delicious? i can and it was! i feel like i'm always saying the food everywhere is delicious! and i'll be honest if it wasn't, but this place was great! (and to be honest, most vegan food is) i can't wait to try their lunch / dinner menu next time. and keep in mind that this place is vegetarian.. so you could have ordered this sandwich with real eggs and real dairy cheese. so that's a plus, if you're not ready to go full vegan with a meal!

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bbq "ribs"

i enjoy grilling during the summer. and i really like bbq. it's screams summertime. i wanted to try a vegan seitan recipe for ribs from scratch. i found a recipe for one here, and it was quite good. i was actually thinking it wouldn't be that great, because the thought of making home-made seitan freaked me out, i had the idea in my head that it would turn out horrible, so i think that's why i was so surprised. i will make these again for sure.

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chocolate peanut butter shake

I'm not one to promote midnight infomercials, but the magic bullet is an exception for when you're blending drinks for one. I don't want to bust out and clean an entire blender for one drink, and here comes the magic bullet to the rescue!

I love milkshakes... LOVE milkshakes. and my favorite has always been chocolate peanut butter. you can make chocolate peanut butter a couple different ways, but the way I actually like it is chocolate milk with chocolate ice cream, with fresh peanut butter. And, since I was out of chocolate almond milk, I made my own with unsweetened almond milk and chocolate syrup. Yum!

What you need:
1.5 cups chocolate almond ice cream

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

hershey's chocolate syrup (yes! it's vegan.)

2 spoonfuls of peanut butter

dash of sea salt
* These are rough estimates, as I just eyeball measurements when I make shakes.

What you do:

Mix all the above in a blender or magic bullet and enjoy! The salt really brings out the flavors.

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say cheese!

i was just thinking about the most common word vegetarians & carnivores say to vegans on why they couldn't be full vegan. CHEESE. it occurred to me, that even during the 3 full years that i was vegetarian i said numerous times that i could NEVER be vegan, because of my love for cheese. (6 years ago, i also stated i can't believe how some people can be vegetarian.. "i could never be one of them... what weirdos!" all while stuffing my face with a cheese smothered italian beef sandwich washed down with a chocolate shake). this has taught me to embrace never saying never. you never know how life will unravel into your true self, and how you can constantly change and grow. my point about CHEESE, is that I LOVED cheese, or so I thought I did. And now after 3 months of being a vegan, i DON'T even miss it. i DON'T crave it. i DON'T want it. i ultimately DIDN'T LOVE it.

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mushroom risotto

I used to watch Hell's Kitchen, the first couple seasons, after a while it just became annoying and repetitive. Anyway, Gordon Ramsey was a stickler for a great mushroom risotto. Risotto seems like it should be easy, but it's like a baby, you constantly have to watch it and take care of it, or it ends up sticky. Ha! I've eaten quite a bit of mushroom risotto, but I've never actually made one until now. Let's just say I was a little intimidated. This has a lot of flavor, and will hit the spot when you crave a big bowl of mushroom risotto.

What you need:
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
8 oz Fresh Portobello Mushrooms {Sliced}
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme {Chopped}
1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp Earth Balance
Sea Salt
Coarse Ground Pepper
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1/2 Cup vegan Dry White Wine
1/4 Cup Parmesan Replacement

What you do:
1. Heat the Vegetable Broth in a medium saucepan over warm heat.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp Oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 Onion and 1 Garlic Clove.
Saute for around 5 minutes.
3. Add Mushrooms / Herbs / Earth Balance and saute for 5 minutes.

4. Salt & Pepper to taste. Turn off heat.

5. In a large saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of Oil. Saute 1/4 Onion and 1 Garlic Clove. Add the rice, and coat and stir for 1 minute.
6. Add 1/2 cup wine. Stir until wine is dissolved.
7. Add 1 cup of vegetable broth until dissolved, while continuously stirring rice. Repeat until all 4 cups of vegetable stock are dissolved.
8. Stir the sauteed mushrooms into the rice.
9. Stir in the parmesan replacement.
10. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of the parmesan replacement on top.
11. Enjoy!

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Raw Banana Cacao Peanut Butter Smoothie

You can drink this as a meal replacement (I'd recommend making double this recipe if you plan on having it as a meal, as this recipe makes 1 snack size serving).

2 Bananas (Peeled, Sliced, Put in Ziploc Bag in Freezer for at least 4 hours)
1/2 Tbsp Cacao Powder
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Coconut Water

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Enjoy!

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banana cranberry raw oats

My goal this year is to add more raw natural food into my diet. Eating at least one raw whole foods meal everyday. This morning I ate raw for breakfast, so fast, simple, and really yummy.

1 Ripe Banana Sliced

1/4 Cup Raw Oats

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

Dash of Cinnamon

Dash of Sea Salt

Unsweetened Almond Milk

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almond garlic parmesan

Made this parmesan replacement. I think i'm in love? YES! It's really quite simple, and quite delicious.
I got the recipe from Hipsterfood.

1 Cup Raw Almonds
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Coarse Ground Pepper

Put into a Ziploc Bag, and smash with a mallet until it's all the same consistently.
Put in a jar and store in a fridge.

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billie jean is not my lover {cupcakes}

a buddy from work asked if i could make cupcakes for her 5 year old granddaughter's birthday. she said that she didn't need them decorated, because the theme her granddaughter wanted wouldn't work. I asked what the theme was... Michael Jackson! OMG. I immediately started googling Michael Jackson cupcakes / cookies and found a ton of inspiration. I told her, I'm down, and that I could absolutely make Michael Jackson cupcakes. I mean who doesn't like Michael Jackson? That's a rhetorical question, no need to answer. ;) You can see that I had fun making these cupcakes below!

All the cupcakes & frosting were vegan, the fondant was not.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting (I veganized this with Earth Balance Sticks & Almond MIlk)

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Banana & Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Ganache

Banana & Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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got hormones?

the almond milk i drink doesn't even have these ingredients in them... and you can make homemade with just almonds & water. therefore, this advertisement is false advertisement and a real stretch. especially since in the middle ages they used almond milk instead of dairy milk due to NOT HAVING REFRIGERATORS, so the basis of "real" milk being the only way, is actually an ignorant statement. wtf? Pin It Now!

raw vegan vs non-raw vegan

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what the hell is kombucha?

Since going vegan, I've heard the word Kombucha thrown around a bit. I had never heard it before, so while at my weekly whole foods visit, I decided to grab one. I picked out the GT's Enlighted Organic Raw Kombucha in Hibiscus.

Now, this drink is full of enzymes, probiotics, and detoxifiers. Also, has a high amount of B12, which you can't really find outside of eating animal protein other than nutritional yeast, so great for vegans! It's also great for diabetics, because it helps break down sugar in your system, and it only consists of 2 sugars. :)

So, what's the big deal with Kombucha and why should you at least try it (it's an aquired taste, sort of like apple cider vinegar mixed with a Izze drink & tea)? Well, Kombucha has been consumed for thousands of years. It's made by yeast and bacteria fermenting in green or black tea for around 10 days. It creates a layer of bacteria on the top of the drink, and there are even pieces of it left in the drink, if it's Raw Kombucha. This might gross some people out, but it doesn't bother me, I look at it like yogurt. Yogurt never grossed me out, so this drink shouldn't either. It's used as a medicine in China to treat ailments, and is just a good drink to add to your daily diet. It's expensive for tea, so I wouldn't drink it everyday, but it's good to have it once or twice a week to make sure your digesting properly. You can make it at home, but I wouldn't suggest that because it has to be precise temperature and time, otherwise you can actually make a toxic drink instead of an healthy one. Health benefits that kombucha is claimed to ail are: preventing cancer, improving digestion and liver function, and stimulating the immune system. (Although, there is no medical research supporting these claims), but that won't stop me from drinking it, and when do I ever listen to the FDA? Most likely never. Pin It Now!