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!!!

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!