1 minute brownie in a mug

who doesn't love brownies? well now you can have one in just 1 minute, all while feeling like you're 8 again using your easy bake oven! : )
What you need:
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp vegan sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
dash of salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water
1/3 tsp vanilla
handful of vegan chocolate chips
What you do:
Mix all ingredients  in a coffee or tea mug, and microwave for 1 minute to 1.5 minutes. Let cool, then eat right away because it gets hard quickly after cooling... like you'd wait?  Delicious dessert for people in a rush. yum. Enjoy!



Pin It Now!

vegan vodka pasta {get your drink on}



so, i love vodka pasta. no, really. i L.O.V.E vodka pasta. i mean we're already picking a venue and decided on a dj kinda lourve. mmm. during my 3 years as a vegetarian, it was the only thing i would ever order going out for italian. i mean, i would always say i'd order something else.. but no, me and vodka pasta could not be parted. when going vegan, other than spreading the vegan love, one of my missions is to find a vegan vodka pasta that will put all the restaurant vodka pastas to shame. here's mission #1. This serves 4 people.

 What you need:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp earth balance 
2 minced garlic cloves
2 minced shallots
1 cup vodka
1 cup vegetable stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (26 oz)
Red Pepper Flakes / Salt / To Taste
1 Box Penne Pasta
3/4 Cup Vegan Heavy Cream (1/4 cup Silken Tofu & 2/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk)
15 Basil Leaves (Torn)
French Bread for Dipping in Sauce (Most French Breads are vegan, but double check the label!)


What you do:
1. Heat olive oil, butter, garlic cloves, and shallots in a sauce pan for 5 minutes.
2. Add vodka. Heat for 4 minutes.
3. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt.
4. Bring to boil. Then keep at a simmer.
5. Add tofu and almond milk.
6. Cook pasta in separate pan in salted water until al dente.
7. Add Basil Leaves to Sauce.
8. In separate pan add 3 ladles of sauce and a few scoops of pasta and mix together with a tablespoon of olive oil.
9. Serve with french bread.
10. Enjoy!

RATING: 6 OUT OF 10. This was a good pasta sauce... but it didn't taste like any vodka sauce that I've enjoyed at any restaurant. Therefore, I'm still on a mission to find a great vegan alternative!

Pin It Now!

potato bbq / cinnamon apple straws!

if you love eating chips, but want a healthier option... these sensible portions snacks are so yumm-o.

the cinnamon apple straws taste like if churros and apple jacks had a baby! really good.
the bbq potato straws taste like bbq potato chips, just healthier and in straw form! sooo yummy.


Pin It Now!

usda retracks meatless monday support


really usda? you say you support Meatless Mondays, yet now after an uproar from the meat industry & lobbyists, they've decided to take back their statement about Meatless Mondays being a good option. are you for real? ha. i never listen to the usda or the fda, since money is the only thing that supports their actions. i love the carnivore senator's saying they're going to eat double meat on meatless mondays now. okay... you can absolutely get sicker sooner and clog those arteries of yours double as fast.

you might be wondering what the USDA sent to their internal employees in a newsletter that got all these carnivore's panties in a bunch... i mean what they are promoting is horrible... pure evil, i can see why all these lobbyists were so angry about their internal statement i mean just read this paragraph, the horror of it all:
"One simple way to reduce your environmental impact while dining at our cafeterias is to participate in the 'Meatless Monday' initiative," the newsletter reads. "This international effort, as the name implies, encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays... How will going meatless one day of the week help the environment? The production of meat, especially beef (and dairy as well), has a large environmental impact."
i mean wow! they're encouraging cutting out meat for 3 meals a week out of the 21 meals that you eat. that's almost 15% of your weekly intake! oh my god! this is crazy! call the police, sound the alarm. timmy fell in a well... oh wait, no it's just cutting back meat on 3 cafeteria meals. i don't know about you, but cafeteria meat always looks questionable to me anyways, so not quite sure if the lobbyists didn't read that this was an internal letter about their cafeteria, or what, but they just now look like a bunch of idiots, and the usda's move to retrack this internal meatless monday suggestion makes them look like a meat puppet. wow wow wow is all i can say. wow. and you can read the entire article here as well.

Pin It Now!

banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting



so, i found out i love to bake 4.5 years ago, just around the time of i turned 22. i also found out that i love decorating cupcakes with fondant as well as cakes. a buddy from work asked if I could make my chocolate cupcakes for her granddaughter's birthday party, and also asked if i could make banana cupcakes as well. both decorated with michael jackson themed items made of fondant! what??! i know! i'm soo excited. now, i've never made banana cupcakes, but that isn't going to stop me. so, here's my trial of testing out a banana cupcake recipe before the party in a few weeks.

What you need:
CAKE
1.5 cups ripe mashed bananas
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup earth balance, softened
2 1/8 cups vegan sugar
egg replacer for 3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups "buttermilk"
FROSTING
1/2 cup earth balance, softened
8 oz package of toffutti cream cheese, sofened
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups powdered sugar


What you do:
CAKE
1. Make the vegan buttermilk. Put 1.5 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar in a Measuring Cup. Then add Almond Milk until it reaches the 1.5 cup mark. Let sit for a few minutes. It will create a thicker vegan "buttermilk".  {Rule of Thumb 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice or Vinegar for 1 cup of "buttermilk"}.
2. Mash up 1.5 cups of ripe bananas. Mix in 2 tsp fresh lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda into a bowl. Add the salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar. Gradually beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk. Alternating both until both are completely mixed in smoothly.
5. Mix in the vanilla, then mix in the egg replacer.
6. Fill 2 cupcake trays with wrappers. Fill cupcake wrappers 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour at 275° or until a toothpick comes out clean after dipping in the center of the cupcake.
8. Let cool on cookie racks.
FROSTING
1. Beat the butter and the cream cheese until smooth. 
2. Add the vanilla.
3. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, scoop the frosting into a ziploc bag. Cut the tip of the bag. Frost the cupcakes in swirled motions & Enjoy!


This recipe turned out great! Very moist, and the cream cheese frosting added a great compliment to the banana cupcake, but it honestly doesn't even need frosting! Soo good just by itself.



Pin It Now!

pepperoni pizza calzones

After work, I need something filling, that's fast, but also delicious. Pepperoni pizza rolls. What What? You can make a home-made pizza dough, but after a long day at work do you honestly think I'm going to make home-made pizza dough? thought so. This makes 4 large pizza calzones.


What you need:
1 Can of Pillsbury Pizza Dough
Pizza or Pasta Sauce
Daiya Mozzarella Cheese Shreds
Basil
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Green Pepper
Yves Pepperoni Slices
Any other ingredients you normally like on your pizza

What you do:
1. Open the can of Pizza Dough. Cut it into 4 sections.
2. Take one piece of dough and spread it with pasta sauce.
3. Place pepperoni, basil, green peppers, and other ingredients of your choice on top of sauce.
4. Sprinkle Daiya Mozzarella Cheese & Garlic Powder on top of ingredients.
5. Fold pieces into the middle and wrap completely.
6.  Spray Olive Oil on Pan. Place Calzones on Pizza Pan. Bake for around 15-20 minutes at 400°.
7. Lightly spread pizza sauce / olive oil / water mixture onto calzone.
8. Let cool. Cut in half. Serve with Pizza Sauce as dip.
9. Enjoy!

Pin It Now!