Banana Everything Cookies

Another favorite from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:

Banana Everything Cookies

I love oatmeal and chocolate. I love them even more together. It's just one of those combinations that when you put together the result is just an absolute good. Now throw in a little mushy banana and you've got yourself a real treat!

These were very tasty and really helped get me into the mood for fall. Seriously I can't believe it's almost here!!! I'm SO ready for apple picking, pumpkins, bon fires, hoodies, hayrides, crunchy leaves and Halloween! YAY!!!

Walnut Chocolate Fudge

Today I made fudge! I have never made my own fudge but I had the sudden urge to try it today and I am quite pleased with the results:


Yum! It was SO easy! In fact the hardest part was probably being patient since the cooling time takes a couple of hours. Other than that, it's a snap!

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Recipe:

Yields 2 to 3 dozen fudge squares

12 oz nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons of non-dairy butter plus 1/2 tbsp for greasing the pan
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 non-dairy milk
1 cup chopped walnuts or any other nut that you prefer

Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan with nondairy butter.

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a double boiler. (If you do not have a double boiler, you can easily create your own by placing a small saucepan inside a larger pot that's filled with a small amount of water.)

Heat the mixture on medium heat. Stir constantly so that you do not to burn the chocolate. Keep heating until the mixture becomes smooth. Add the nuts and briefly stir once more.

Pour the hot mixture into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly for several hours in the refrigerator.

After thoroughly chilled, remove the pan from the fridge, cut the fudge into small squares and enjoy with friends!

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This recipe was very simple. It definitely made me think about other fudge variations that I could try. Perhaps something with coconut or peanut butter? Hmm... What are some of your favorite fudge flavors?

Almond and Peanut Butter Truffles

My mom's birthday was this weekend and I wanted to make an extra special treat for her. My brother had already baked a 2 layer red velvet cake with fondant icing so I needed to come up with something else that would delight her just as much. Behold tantalizing Almond and Peanut Butter Truffles!

Flavors include: Peanut Butter with Cocoa Powder, Peanut Butter with Toasted Sesame Seeds, Almond Butter with Cocoa Powder, and Almond Butter with Unsweetened Coconut and Almond Meal

These were super easy to make and definitely tasty! Looking at the picture, they kind of look like mini doughnuts. Despite my love for good ol' chocolate, surprisingly my top favorites were the coconut and toasted sesame seed ones. Deee-lish! Def try these if you can. You won't be sorry!

Truffle Recipe:

1 cup of nut butter
1 tablespoon Soy Protein Powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Different ingredients to coat the truffles in

In a medium-size bowl, mix together the nut butter and the soy protein powder. I actually used my hands for this bit to get it really well blended. Add in the sugar and continue mixing thoroughly.

Roll the mixture into 3/4 inch balls and place on a piece of parchment paper and set aside for rolling.

Roll the truffles in any assortment of coatings. Some suggestions include: toasted sesame seeds, unsweetened coconut, almond meal, or cocoa powder. Since I made both almond and peanut butter truffles, I also added either an almond or peanut to the top of the truffles respectively so that tasters could easily distinguish which flavored treat they were about to enjoy.

If you aren't going to serve these immediately, I suggest putting them in the fridge to firm up for a bit. If you absolutely can't wait though, go ahead and dig right in! I won't tell. =)

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Before I go, I will leave you with this photo from my mom's birthday dinner:


These are the rather awful fortune cookies my family received after we finished dinner at a local Chinese food restaurant. My dad got the "You look pretty" one & my mom got the "if your desires are not extravagant..."
Um, all I have to say is EPIC fail and Happy Birthday Mom! =)

Chocolate Dreams Smoothie & the Fair

Last night, I got home from my last day of my summer job and immediately headed into the kitchen to whip up a cool and refreshing treat. My dad and youngest brother were coming over to pick up my sister and I to go to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. We've been going pretty much every year for as long as I can remember. So without a whole lot of time and knowing that Fair food is not really something that I can count on to have a lot of vegan option, I wanted to make something quick and satisfying. Behold the Chocolate Dreams Banana Date Smoothie that I concocted:

Chocolate Dreams Banana Date Smoothie

This was truly divine! With a good dash of protein and a bit of fruit and maple syrup for sweetness, this is definitely a treat I'll be returning to again and again.

Recipe:

* 1 ripe banana, frozen
* 3 dates, chopped
* 2 tablespoons of chocolate peanut butter
(I used Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter)
* 2 cups of almond milk
* 1 tablespoon of molasses
* 1 dash of cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
* 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
* chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

1) Place chopped dates and bananas into a blender and blend until creamy.
2) Add the peanut butter, molasses, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla. Continue blending until thick.
3) Add the almond milk and pulse until thoroughly mixed.
4) Garnish with a bit of chocolate shavings.

Enjoy! I know I sure did!

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At the County Fair we saw a good deal of farm animals. Below are some of my favorites:

Did you ever notice that when Alpacas eat, they almost look like they might be talking...

What a handsome rooster this guy was

I really wanted to take him home!

These two looked like friends posing together.
I think they were.

Oh hello there!

Truthfully, I'm torn by the idea of the fair. Of course I love the chance to see the animals, but it's also heart wrenching to know that the majority of these animals are destined for slaughterhouses. Not to mention the stress that this environment must be for them. I'm sure many of the animals are treated wonderfully but at the same time strings still tug at my heart when I see their big brown eyes looking up at me from confined crates and pens. Alright, I'll step down from my soapbox now.

Of course we waited in the 45 minute line to ride the Ferris Wheel like we do every year. Tradition is worth the wait and I was clearly in good company though so I didn't mind. =)

Oh and in case you were wondering, I was able to find vegan food at the fair! There was a tent selling Spanish foods and among their menu was mango on a stick (or slices in a plastic sealed bag if you preferred). Although I opted for the mango in a bag option (less mess) I must tell you that I found this little gem absolutely fascinating. It should be renamed the mango rose. I only wish I had snapped a picture but it was late in the night and pretty dark already. Do a google image search if you're curious. It was just the right choice for a healthy pick-me up snack!

I think fruit should be sold on a stick more often. I think I'll look into that...

Cookies & Cornbread!

Here's a few photos of some things I've made recently. I'm also in the middle of whipping up a couple of kinds of empanadas. Literally, they are in the oven at this very moment! I'm pretty stoked! Stay tuned for those! Yum! For now, please enjoy photos of the following:

Cornbread Muffins
(Courtesy of Bob's Red Mill Cornbread Mix-I know, I know...I only used a mix because I was feeling EXTRA lazy that day but was totally craving cornbread...)

Rocky Road Cookies
(Recipe from VCIYCJ- Terry and Isa, these are pure genius!)

Espresso Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
(Another recipe from VCIYCJ- Oh Isa and Terry, what would I do without your amazing cookbooks!!! Haha!)

Be back soon!

Obligatory First post: Here it goes...

For starters, I won't bore you with a lengthy discussion about why I created this blog because there's a very good chance you already know why: I like cooking vegan food and wanted to share my culinary adventures with wonderful people like YOU! I boil, steam, chop, bake and yes, sometimes burn (ack!), all kinds of fancy and sometimes not-so-fancy vegan treats! Regardless of the outcome, I enjoy every minute of it. Well...except for the cleaning up aspect...blah! That I could do without!

How's that? Succinct enough? Good. On to the food then...

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Up first, photos of 3 tasty things that I've baked lately:

1) Check out these YumBerry Cupcakes! Freshly picked blueberries and strawberries as well as a handful of frozen raspberries make this a refreshing summer treat. The light swirl of frosting on top is a homemade citrusy blend of flavors enhanced by a splash of dark rum. Definite Yum!

2) Just in time for summer and the Fourth of July:
Vegan Hamburger Cupcakes! These little babies were a labor of love, but in the end, truly worth all of the effort. And bonus: no animals were harmed in the process. ;)

3) Last but certainly not least: Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, & Chocolate Chip Cookies! A single cookie with so many irresistible flavors all rolled into one! Can life get any better?! I submit that it cannot!

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First Watch Daytime Cafe
Restaurant Review (sort of...)

So a couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant in the local Town Center by my house. I had heard good things about First Watch Daytime Cafe from friends but had not yet had a chance to visit it myself. We rolled out of bed around 11:30am on a lazy Sunday morning, decided we were in the mood for a late breakfast/brunch and so off we went!

Boy oh boy! Let me tell you: it did not disappoint! I'm always a little bit leery of breakfast restaurants where the potential for a lousy fruit cup or dry toast is about all I can order. Not here! At First Watch, I was treated to a fabulous sandwich wrap called the:

Not Guilty Your Honor ©

An explosive combination of flavors and textures made this meal both tasty and satisfying. The Not Guilty Your Honor © comes on a wheat tortilla filled with cucumber, spinach leaves, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, tomato slices and feta cheese. It's served with all of the following sides: hummus, potatoes, a small signature salad and a cup of mixed fruit.

I am pleased to note that the staff was very accommodating to my dietary needs and a quick swap of avocado instead of the feta cheese as well as the omission of the red peppers (I don't like them) yielded a wonderfully tasty meal! In fact, it was YUM*TASTIC! (Oh, c'mon. I had to use that word at least once in my first post! Haha!) Needless to say, Tom and I will definitely be trying this place again!

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Alright folks, that's all I've got for you today. Stay tuned. There's loads more to come!