I'm Salivating

There are so many great recipes and so many incredible blogs. I am constantly bookmarking amazing looking dishes, probably more than I will ever get to try. I do try a lot of them though, and I thought it would be nice to have a regular posting of the deliciousness the Internet has to offer.

First off is this Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake from Gluten Free Goddess. It was quite impressive. I didn't have the brown sugar the recipe called for when I made this, and I think I missed out on the deep sweet flavor, but regardless it was a great recipe. I was quite impressed with the smooth creamy texture of the cake. Try it sometime, and check out her blog for a better picture of the cake. One that will make you salivate!

Next up is an incredible dish from Angela at Oh She Glows. Her 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta is partially raw (the sauce), and amazing. So amazing that I will be making it again this week. Unfortunately, I did not have any fresh basil and am really hoping to come across some soon. It was delicious without, but I love basil so much that I can imagine how incredible this dish would taste with it. If you get a chance, you must look through her treasure trove of recipes.

This past week we tried a new to us ingredient, canned jackfruit in a brine. While I have had fresh jackfruit (which is a favorite and a rarity), I've never had it canned. I picked up some at an Indian grocery a while back and finally decided to try Chow Vegan's BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich. The recipe was a simple one with impressive results. Matt really enjoyed it as well. Even though the contents of one can may not seem like much, It could easily

serve 4 - 5 people.

Now for some cookbook love, I made the Smokey Red Bean Chili with Chipotle- Cornbread Dumplings from Vegan on the Cheap. I ended up making it on the stove top, and baking the dumplings in the oven instead of using a crock pot. Both worked out great. It is a deliciously spicy and filling chili.

Finally here are two more gems. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups from The Kind Diet, and Chocolate-Coconut Truffles from Living Raw Food. I made these for a party and sadly didn't get a picture. These were incredible though. A must try if you get your hands on the books.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some more recipes I have my eye on.

Easy Coconut Kefir Yogurt from Yum Universe

Glazed Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Walnuts and Orange Chocolate from The Cinnamon Quill

Raw Banana Cream Pie from Manifest Vegan

Kale Garlic Bread from Busy Vegan Mama

Hope you enjoy these and get the chance to try them. What are you salivating over this week?

Comfort Food

This post depicts comfort food at it's finest. Meaning this is the epitome of comfort food for me at this time. Sure I will move onto another dish in the near future, but for now this one has me in a tight hold. Warm, gooey, and delicious!

Gather the fixings for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Organic peanut butter, organic raspberry jam, Sami's Millet and Flax Bread, and some soy free Earth Balance. I prefer to use natural peanut butter with no added sugar as well as all fruit jams, but this is what we had in the house. You could also use any nut or seed butter in place of the peanut butter.

Heat up a George Foreman grill, or a frying pan. Assemble your PB & J to your liking, then spread on some Earth Balance on each side of the sandwich (or do this before spreading on the peanut butter and jelly). Grill to perfection.

Try adding some banana slices to the mix before grilling. I was a bit skeptical about the combination of jelly and banana, but it was very tasty.

It really is a dish that could work for any meal. Eating this sandwich takes me back to the days when my sister would eat grilled PB & J instead of grilled cheese. Also makes me wonder why I always opted for grilled cheese.

Pair with a green smoothie so you can feel a little bit healthier about consuming this as a meal.

Happy Tuesday to you all!

A Breakfast Post

Breakfast for me usually is just a green smoothie, and if I'm feeling especially hungry, some gluten free toast (Sami's Bakery Millet & Flax bread is so good). On my days off of work, I like to switch it up a bit. This morning I was inspired by Sarma's chia pudding recipe

from Living Raw Food, and made a chia porridge of sorts.

Chia seeds are quite amazing. When you soak them in any liquid, they become softer and create a tapioca like consistency. They are a complete protein, contain omega fatty acids, are an ancient energy food, and yes they are used for chia pets. Here is some more information if you are interested.

This is more of a base for a breakfast with some suggestions rather than a recipe, but here is what I did. Mix 1/4 cup of chia seeds with 3/4 cup of almond milk. You could make your own almond milk and keep this dish a raw one, or you can just use a non dairy milk of your choice. I used Almond Breeze original. Add a drop of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and a bit of your sweetener of choice, be it stevia, agave, or brown rice syrup. Let the seeds and milk set for 15 - 20 min or longer. This will allow the seeds to soak up the liquid and become like a gel or tapioca. Sprinkle in some nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and fresh fruit. I opted for raw pumpkin seeds and raisins, and topped it off with a banana.

You could mix up the base ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for a quick breakfast in the morning. The chia base will keep for a couple days.

Enjoy with a cup of Teeccino.

Recently I've been on a knitting kick and have been making mug cozies. Matt thinks it's funny that I'm making sweaters for my mugs. I like to think that it keeps my drink warmer for a longer amount of time, but that's probably just wishful thinking. Oh well, at least my mug looks cute.

First Step to Accomplishing a Goal

I had mentioned that learning to make delicious Indian food was one of my goals for the year. I have made Indian dishes before and they were very tasty, but I would love to learn how to make Matt and I's favorite dishes. I would like to make them so well so that we do not always have to go out in order to eat them. My favorite is Aloo Gobi. It is a potato and cauliflower dish. I always intend to try new dishes when we go to Indian restaurants, but I always fall back on this one. Matt's dish is Malai Kofta, a fried vegetable dumpling served with a thick tomato based gravy. On Thursday I attempted to make both dishes and destroyed my kitchen with dirty dishes in the process. Matt was kind enough to do the dirty work for me and do the dishes while I finished preparing the meal. Next time I think I will just attempt one dish.

First up, the Aloo Gobi. I didn't love the recipe I chose to try. It seemed to be missing some of the flavor that I really love about dish. Perhaps I just added to much ginger, as it was a bit over powering. Oh well. The search continues for the perfect recipe. Here are some pictures I took while preparing the dish.

The last picture was the finished product. I ended up adding a bit of the sauce that I made for the Malai Kofta, which added more of a flavor punch to the cauliflower and potatoes.

Moving on to the Malai Kofta. I'm not sure if this is our perfect replication of the dish. It is not technically a vegan dish, so we tried a vegan version. It was delicious! Next time I make this, Matt would like the sauce to be sweeter tasting. I used a can of tomatoes instead of fresh, and it was a bit overly tomato tasting, but I still thought this dish was superb.

So many colorful and delicious spices went into the sauce. I'm sorry I missed taking a picture of the finished sauce, but you will see it plated up at the end.

The vegetable dumplings were made out of mashed potatoes, bread, and spices. Not very pretty, but really yummy. I tried pan frying them, but I have yet to have much luck in that department. Whenever I try this in my stainless steel pan, it just doesn't work out that well. Instead of the dumplings browning, the pan just does. So I resorted to plan b and baked them in the oven instead.

Ta-da! Here is the finished product.

And here is my messy kitchen, and proof that I am cooking by the computer. Sorry Matt.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Lunchbox Post

At least one day a week I have lunch/dinner at work. Most likely it is a packed lunch and more often than not it is a salad. Salads are easy. Easy to throw together, easy to store in the refrigerator until my half hour break, and easy to eat. Well, easy to eat, but not so easy to eat fast. I am usually chewing until the last minute before I go back to the grind.

Another reason I chose salads is that they are an easy energy boost, and I don't have to bother heating anything up in the microwave. We don't have one at home, and I'd prefer not to use one at all. Although I do on occasion. Besides the work microwave is usually pretty grim looking.

So every week I turn to my old favorite, and staple, Apple Pie Salad. I was introduced to this recipe by my mom, from a cookbook she owns (not sure which one it was),

but this is my variation.

Chop up three apples. These portions will typically feed both Matt and I for one meal, with this being the main dish. If you serve this as a side, it should feed 4-5.

Mix with 1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats.

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. I'm not sure of the exact measurement I used, but I would suggest starting with a couple teaspoons and if you need more, go for it. Sprinkle on just a bit of Nutmeg as well. Cardamom is also a nice addition to the mix.

Chop up 6 or more dates and add them to the bowl along with a handful of raisins.

Pour on a bit less than 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Be careful to not get to much syrup as it tends to create a sickeningly sweet soggy mess with the oats. You just want a touch of sweetness.

Mix it all together with a fork or spatula.

Feel free to add on to the salad. Perhaps toss in some pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or walnuts. You could try adding some pear to the mix as well. I added 2 tablespoons of chia seeds for some added protein.

Pack it up and your off to work.

Apple Pie Salad

serves 2 as a main dish and 4-5 as a side

3 apples, chopped

1 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons of cinnamon, plus more to taste

pinch of nutmeg

1/8 cup plus 1 Tbs maple syrup

6 or more dates chopped

1/4 cup raisins

2 Tbs chia seeds or any other additional nuts

or seeds you would like to add

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy!

Green Smoothies and Other Things

Sorry for the week of absence. Some weeks are hard. On a pleasant note, I chose a different green this week for my smoothies - swiss chard. I was a bit nervous about how the new leaves would affect the taste of my smoothies. Swiss chard tastes a little bit more bitter than spinach, and is saltier tasting as well. I was pleasantly surprised though, and ended up really enjoying the switch. My recipe was 2 large chard leaves (separated from the stem), 1 banana, and some frozen strawberries. The strawberries and chard complimented one another well in my opinion.

Another culinary adventure of the day was using up the vegetables in the fridge. I had 1 bunch of kale and 1 head of cauliflower in need of consuming. I was short on time so I made smoked paprika kale chips in the oven and made raw cauliflower popcorn. Easy peasy.

Chop up a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces.

Toss in 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of Mexican chili powder for some spice. Note that Mexican chili powder is spicier than regular chili powder. This was a lesson learned last week when I made a pot of chili. Oops, I should have known. It was still delicious though - we like it hot.

Mix the seasonings and the cauliflower together with a fork or alternatively shake together in a zip-lock bag. Now you are ready to snack.

I also tried baking some of the cauliflower popcorn. Being low on time I didn't bake it to a crispy point, so will have to try that out another day. It was delicious baked. Tender cauliflower with some crispiness on the edges and perfectly melded seasonings. You can also take the above recipe and dehydrate until crispy, for a delicious raw "popcorn".

Here is the baked cauliflower popcorn.

Along with the smoked paprika kale chips.

Now for a little link love. I made Angela's 5 Minute + 5 Ingredient No Bake Almond Butter Chews. So good. Please make them.

A Recipe to Please

Yesterday we gathered with some friends for a potluck of sorts. The host provides the main dish and the rest of us bring along the sides. The roasted vegetables I made for our New Years Day feast went over so well that I decided to do another version. The result was an amazingly flavorful combination of veggies. So, if you are ever in need of a dish to bring to a potluck, I would recommend this one.

First, gather your washed vegetables for a little chopping session. I chose beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash, onions, and garlic.

Toss together in a baking dish. I chose to roast the beets in another pan so that they wouldn't stain my stoneware. I'm not sure if it would stain, but it's new, so didn't want to risk it. Our friend gave us some stoneware for Christmas and I truly love the way it bakes. Kale chips baked on the pizza stone didn't burn like they usually do on my cookie sheet.

The marinade ingredients are maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I will put the recipe and measurements at the end of the post.

Measure out the marinade ingredients and then pour into a jar with a tight sealed lid (like a mason jar), and shake to combine the ingredients perfectly.

Drizzle it on the vegetable mix.

Mix it all together using a rubber spatula, making sure all the pieces are coated.

To prevent the vegetables from drying out, cover the dish with foil. Being a bit wary of the aluminum touching the food, I put down a layer of parchment paper first.

Bake until the vegetables are soft. This dish smells so amazing while it is baking.

Maple Balsamic Roasted Roots*

3 sweet potatoes

4 parsnips

half butternut squash or root vegetable of choice

1 large beet

1 large onion

1 head of garlic

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

salt and pepper to taste

Peel vegetables as needed and chop into cubes. The onions can be chopped either in large chunks or small, depending on your liking. Garlic cloves can be used whole or sliced in half.

Toss vegetables together in baking dish.

Measure out maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Pour into a mason jar or another container with a tight fitting lid and shake until well combined. Pour over vegetables as needed. If you feel like you have to much marinade, do not use it all and save the rest for salad dressing. Toss the vegetables and marinade together making sure to coat each piece. Top baking dish with parchment paper, and then with foil, sealing around the sides. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees F or higher for faster roasting time. The vegetables will take about 30-45 minutes, or longer if needed. Bake until all vegetables are tender.

* I realize butternut squash is not a root vegetable, but it's just so delicious. You could just use root vegetables in this recipe and that would be equally delicious.

Now for a little shout out to Meggie, for posting her vegan nacho recipe. Not all the ingredients were on hand, so I omitted the add-in's, opted for some green chilies from a can, and used it as a nacho dip. The nutritional yeast "cheesiness", definitely hit the spot. Thanks for the recipe, Meggie!