cheddar bay biscuits

i've never liked fish or any type of seafood. i tried them all, grilled, fried, baked, sauteed, and i couldn't get over the smell or taste. not a fan. i tried them all though, because you never know if you'll like something until you try it. now, before i became vegan, just because i didn't eat seafood, didn't stop me from going to red lobster, because my family loves seafood. and with that comes the cheddar bay biscuits! so good. i decided to try making a vegan version... and they taste so delicious, i've now made them a handful of times. make these, and your non-vegan friends won't have any idea the cheese is tapioca based and dairy free! Get the original recipe here that I veganized below.

What you need:

Biscuit
2 Cups Bisquick Mix
1/2 Cup Cold Water
3/4 Cup Grated Daiya Pepperjack Cheese
1/4 Cup Earth Balance (Cubed into tiny squares & Put in Freezer for 10 minutes)

Butter Topping
1/4 Cup Melted Earth Balance
1 Tsp Parsley Flakes
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning
Dash Sea Salt

What you do:
1. Preheat Oven to 350°.
2. Knead Biscuit ingredients together.
3. Drop biscuits onto cookie sheet (makes around 8-10 biscuits)
4. Bake for around 15 minutes.
5. Broil for about 2 minutes to get a brown topping.
6. Melt Butter Topping.
7. Spread over biscuits fresh out of the oven.
8. Serve hot!
9. Enjoy!

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tomato basil rice soup w/ grilled cheese

i was inspired to buy a couple campbell tomato soup cans to use as decorations. they brought back the andy warhol inspired cans that they made a few years back, and they were too cute for me to pass on. you can buy them at target for a limited time!i wanted to use the soup, and i'm not a fan of tomato soup. weird right? anyway, so I heated up some brown rice and added some freshly picked basil from the garden and added it to the soup. yum! and what goes better with tomato soup than grilled cheese?

What you need:
1 Can Tomato Soup
6 Basil Leaves (Ripped into small strips)
1 Package 1 Minute Brown Rice
2 Pieces of Vegan Bread (I am a vegan that eats honey, so this bread is OK for me).
Daiya Pepperjack Cheese
Earth Balance 

What you do:
1. Heat Tomato Soup as directed
2. Add Basil & Rice to the soup. Set aside.
3. Heat pan on medium heat.
4. Spread Earth Balance onto 1 side of both pieces of bread.
5. Place one piece of bread, butter side down on pan until browned.
6. Take off, place other piece of bread butter side down on pan and add as much cheese as you like.
7. Top with other piece of bread, and put lid on top of pan. Flip sandwich until both sides are golden brown, and cheese should be melted completely.
8. Remove sandwich and serve with soup!
9. Enjoy!

And here's my can as my pen holder at work!

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pumpkin french toast {ppk}

so, labor day officially ends summer, and my FAVORITE season (FALL!!) is here. so, here come the fun fall flavors and pumpkin being the most popular of course. So, i love french toast, and wanted to make a pumpkin version, and post punk kitchen blog actually had one! get their recipe here! so good! I actually made an entire loaf worth with this recipe, and I froze the rest for future quick and delicious on the go breakfasts. 

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giving back september {feed projects}

This month's focused charity is FEED Projects.  They help provide meals to people in need all over the world. You can donate money to the project, and they also have a store that has bags and other fun items that will also go to providing meals to people that need it. Below is from www.feedprojects.com providing their purpose:

"FEED Projects' mission is to create good products that help FEED the world. We do this through the sale of FEED bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories by building a set donation into the cost of each product. Thus the impact of each product, signified by a stenciled number, is understandable, tangible, and meaningful. 

We take great pride in using environmentally-friendly and artisan-made materials, along with fair-labor production, in creating all FEED products. 

We stand behind our brand and the organizations and humanitarian programs each FEED product supports. Ultimately, we believe that everyone has the right to basic human necessities, such as healthy and nutritious food. FEED is proud to help FEED the world, one bag at a time."

I own a bag, and it's great quality and retracts into a small package, so I brought it to New York with me to take up minimal space, and then I used it as a carry-on bag for all the food I brought back. :) 

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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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