Frozen Mint Chocolate Swirl

Just a quick and fun little recipe to use up those avocados on your counter.

Yep, avocados.

In vegan ice cream!

Creamy, delicious and good for you.. what more can a girl ask for??

(PS – can you spot my newest cookbook addition sitting on top of my beloved Veganomicon??)

Frozen Mint Chocolate Swirl
2 ripe avocados
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pure mint extract

In a blender, puree all ingredients until smooth. Chill overnight and freeze in your ice cream maker. Once the ice cream is finished, but before you stop the machine, drizzle in chocolate. You could melt some chocolate chips with a bit of oil or mix up some quick “syrup” out of cocoa powder, sugar, canola oil and a bit of water.

If you aren’t devouring it immediately, make sure you let it sit at room temp for about 5 minutes before you try to scoop it!

Be My Valentine!

Happy Valentine’s Day! And Happy Birthday Dad!
(more on HIS celebratory dinner at a later date)

Today marks both the national “holiday” and a bit of an anniversary for Kyle and I. A two and a half year one!

I wanted to do something special but definitely different. We are trying not to spend too much money since we’ve got a HUGE vacation coming up in.. oh.. 27 days. Not that I’m counting or anything..

So I made cheesecake. Vegan cheesecake. Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake.

Happy Breakfast to us!

I adapted it from the recipe for Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Vegan Pie in the Sky. For those of you that love a great dessert this cookbook is. a. MUST. I missed the fluffy, velvety goodness of cheesecake something fierce and this book certainly lets me have it whenever I choose! And the healthy way!

I only changed a few things in Isa’s drool worthy recipe. I swapped oil for the Earth Balance and unsweetened chocolate for half of the semi-sweet in the brownie crust. For the filling I used homemade almond butter for the peanut butter and pureed strawberries for the pureed banana and for the lemon juice it called for. I also left out the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar that were called for. I was a little afraid the strawberries would make the cake too acidic and it wouldn’t set right. I needn’t have worried. It was PERFECTION!

Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera to Kyle’s apartment for photos after we sliced it and I sent the rest with him to work. I look forward to the reviews of his coworkers!

Enjoy your “heart day” everyone!

Banana Junkie

So yesterday in my Tylenol with codeine induced haze (I had my wisdom teeth out, I don’t just pop it for fun), I made a delicious discovery.

The discovery of banana bread. No sugar added, oil free, heavenly banana bread.

The recipe can be found over at Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. I swapped the chocolate chips for an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate all chopped up and used a mixture of all-purpose and wheat flours. This recipe was easy to whip together, popped right out of the pan and tastes like a dream. Dreena is a genius. I’m putting her cookbook on my wish list for Christmas.

In the meantime I will devour this banana bread. And perhaps share with Kyle. =)

Here a Bake, there a Bake..

For the past two weeks I have been obsessed with bakes. It all started over the Edible Perspective with her baked buckwheat post.

If you haven’t stopped by her site yet, I suggest you do. Her bakes have been popping up all over the blogging world, as well as the rest of her fabulous recipes. My breakfasts just haven’t been the same since I started reading oh-so-long ago.

There’s been a few flops before I really got it right here. Then I purchased an Italian made soup crock and started experimenting outside of buckwheat (mostly for fear of running out..).

I’ve had 3 major successes. All have been inspired by Ashley’s original recipe.

The first is a blueberry kamut bake.

Stuffed full of wild blueberries and topped with vanilla bean coconut butter!

Blueberry Kamut Bake
1/4 cup raw kamut, ground finely
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 banana, mashed
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 2 1/2 tablespoons water)
1/4 cup wild blueberries (for filling)

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease your soup crock (or whichever baking vessel you choose to use). Mix up your flax egg and let that sit to the side while you’re working. Mix together your dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the banana, pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the egg and mix again.

Spoon half of your mixture into the baking vessel and flatten with a spoon. Arrange the blueberries on top of the batter so there’s a slight border around them. Spoon the rest of your batter on top of the blueberries and flatten. Bake for 30 minutes and top with whatever your heart desires. As is the case with most bakes.

Next up is a Mexican Cocoa Bake.

I used the leftover “filling” from my Blueberry Lime Cheesecake from the other day as a filling for my bake. Can you say YUM?!

Mexican Cocoa Bake
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 flax egg
1/2 banana, mashed
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons non dairy milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Following the same procedure as above, whip those ingredients up and stuff the bake with whatever you choose. Be it leftover “cheesecake”, coconut, berries or even just leaving it unstuffed; all options would be wonderful!

The last (but certainly not the least) bake I have for you today is of the savory variety. I enjoyed the bakes so much I started to wonder why I couldn’t make them for dinner, too! So experiment I did!

In my opinion it turned out extremely well. So well that I think I’ll make a larger version for Kyle and I to share sometime. Comfort food: Indian style!

Stuffed Indian Chickpea Bake
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon lentils
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch ground cloves
1 flax egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons non dairy milk
2 cloves garlic, crushed

For the filling:
1 pitted date, diced
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach
3 mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cumin

Saute the date, spinach, mushrooms and spices in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms start to brown a bit. Remove from heat, mix up your flax egg and get to mixing up that batter! Layer the ‘shroom mixture into the bake and stick that sucker in the oven!

This guy needs a little more oven time, so bake him for about 35-40 minutes.

I topped this bake with a little savory almond butter and a cranberry/chipotle/strawberry jam I threw together a few mornings ago.

I hope maybe there’s a bake that strikes your fancy in that list! I know I can’t stop with the bakes.

Once you start, you won’t be able to stop either..

I hope to be back tomorrow night for some exciting news!!

Ode to Okra

First off I want to thank Angela for featuring my meat(less)balls in her Recipe Link Love for today! I love that she features vegan recipes from tons of bloggers.. but it makes my recipe pile start to teeter a bit!

My mom still raves about my “really yummy meatballs” whenever she talks about my switch to vegan eating. I think she likes them more than I did!

I’m so glad to have such a proud mama! =)

She would probably like what I whipped up for dinner last night, too. I know I was pretty pleased!

I give you: Spicy Okra Mole!

If you’ve never tried okra, I suggest you give it a whirl. The flavor and the crunch even after it cooks makes the fact that it looks a little sticky while cooking bearable. =)

I’ve been wanting to make the tofu mole out of the Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health cookbook for a while now. I checked the book back out of the library just so I could get the recipe. My only reservation was that I didn’t want to eat tofu. I ate a lot of it over the weekend. I decided that the best substitute for the day was the okra I had hanging out in the freezer!

I’m so glad I made the substitution! Yum!

Here’s my adaption of the recipe from the Moosewood cookbook!

Spicy Okra Mole (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 chipotle peppers from a can, diced
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 cups sliced okra (I used frozen)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 can water (using the can from the tomatoes)

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in onions and cook until they start to turn clear. Add in garlic, salt, thyme, cinnamon and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes, then add in okra and chipotle peppers. After about 5 minutes, the okra starts to turn tender. At this point, add in the tomatoes, cocoa powder and water. Bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I served my mole sauce over some brown rice and topped it with 1/4 of an avocado, sliced and the juice of half a lime. Nomnomnom. Lunch was fantastic, I tell you!

*****

In other news:

I’m finally getting around to posting the awesomely wonderous “Pudgy Cake” my supervisor, Tami, made for a co-worker’s birthday a few weeks ago. She used the recipe she found over at Cookies and Cups to create this 3 layered humongo cake! She switched it up and used a whipped cream frosting instead of a canned frosting.

Unfortunately the cake was not vegan, but Tami was nice enough to bring me in a small package of Oreos so I could have a sugar rush, too!

My co-workers are so sweet. No pun intended. =)

This bad boy was GONE by the end of the day. We were floored. Sweets + office = demolished!

Hands Off, Charlie Brown

Obsessed for weeks with the idea of minty nut butter, I took the plunge tonight. At first I was a worried that it would be too bitter, too strong.

But Leon was standing there, ready and willing to whip the ingredients into submission.

So we attacked that mint extract and cocoa powder, forcing it to coexist with the walnuts and almonds. The result?

Heaven on a spoon.

I called it Peppermint Patty Butter at first, but it tastes more like a Thin Mint. Mmm.. liquid Thin Mints.

Now that’s dangerous.

Peppermint Patty/Thin Mint Butter
2 cups raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw almonds
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
2 dates
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Roast walnuts and almonds on separate cookie sheets at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

In a food processor, puree nuts, cocoa powder, coconut and dates until a smooth butter forms. This should take about 10 minutes. With the food processor running, add in extracts and salt.

Enjoy!

Cookie Starts with C! Kooky does not.

Well hello there!

I’ve been pretty lax with recipes lately.

Sorry about that. I spent all day Sunday watching the first season of True Blood. A friend at work turned me on to it and now I can’t get enough. Yes a bit gorey and unnecessary at points (hey it is HBO), but a truly interesting story. I’ve placed a hold on the second season for when it gets returned to the library. Fingers crossed that it’s this week!

Anyhow, Sunday night left me baking a “cheesy” broccoli casserole!

I’m still working on the flavor, it was a little bland for my taste. That’s why I jazzed up the top with some sriracha! <3

However, last night I got the urge to make cookies. I didn't want to wait for the oven to heat up so I looked up waffle iron cookies! Using the recipe for these yummy looking treats as a guide, I came up with a vegan version!

I was feeling ambitious. Crazy ambitious.

Sriracha-y!

I divided the batter into thirds, leaving one third plain, adding some sriracha to one third and then some dried wild blueberries and dried sage to the last third.

Blueberry and sage-y!

Nom nom nom!

Vegan Waffle Iron Cookies (makes 18-20 small-ish cookies)
1/4 cup earth balance
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy milk
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 – 1 ounce (square) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped up

Heat waffle iron according to instructions.
In a coffee mug, melt earth balance in the microwave. Add in maple syrup, soy milk, flax egg and extract. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal and baking soda. Stir in chocolate pieces. At this point if you want to section the dough and make different flavors, go ahead and do so! Use your imagination and go wild! If not, well, it’s time to make some cookies!

Open the waffle iron, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Using a tablespoon (or smaller), drop dough onto hot waffle iron and close. Cook for about 3 minutes or until they start to look crispy! Carefully remove from waffle iron and cool completely on a rack before storing!

They’re great for snacking. They’re even greater on top of oatmeal.

Or even my “oatmeal”. After seeing an awesome use for textured vegetable protein as “oatmeal”, I created my own version this morning. Unfortunately I did not bookmark the site where I found it and cannot find it through searching.

But man oh man it was SO yummy!

Cran-banana “Oatmeal”
1/4 cup TVP
1 tablespoon pearled barley
1 tablespoon flax meal
2 tablespoons fresh cranberries
1/2 banana, sliced
3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup water

Heat milk, water, banana and cranberries in a pot on the stove over medium heat until the milk is heated. Add in TVP, barley and flax meal and bring to a simmer. Make sure you keep an eye on the pot, it will boil over if given the chance! Cook the “oatmeal” until the barley is cooked to your liking. I cooked mine for about 10 minutes.

Top with walnut pecan butter and a waffle iron cookie!

Mmmmm!

Cheers for Chocolate!

When the mail lady walked into the bank this morning with a little flat package under her arm, I about leaped for joy.

A few weeks ago I won a contest for some chocolate over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs. I ripped open the package with excitement to show my coworkers my prize! The bar came wrapped in a cute kitchen towel and a nice note from Ricki. =)

I had never heard of the company, Camino. They produce fair trade, organic and vegan chocolate, definitely a major treat! I won the Coconut flavor. I had never had a chocolate bar with coconut, so the thought intrigued me quite a bit.

Cute packaging.
A little about the company printed on the inside of the outer wrapper.
French writing.

My dad always brings home Canadian chocolate bars from his business trips. I truly believe that the best chocolate is encased in those brightly colored wrappers I can’t read. This chocolate bar is no exception!

Oh man I cannot praise this bar enough. So rich and dark chocolatey with a light crunch from the coconut, almost reminiscent of a Nestle Crunch bar. I also LOVE the way the bar is sectioned off, tiny squares, 4 across. The perfect amount of luxurious and rich chocolate for a pick-me-up!

Now that I’ve got you all drooling for some chocolate (sorry!), Kyle and I are off to spend the evening at my parents’ house. My brother and sister-in-law are bringing my niece out for a visit and we’re having a pizza bar!

Enjoy your Saturday night!

Annivalentinese New Year Celebration

Happy (day after) Valentine’s Day, all! Kyle and I aren’t big Valentine’s Day people so we combined our half year anniversary, Valentine’s day and Chinese New Year into one big celebration!

Kyle hasn’t had much experience with Greek inspired cuisine, so that was his cuisine choice. I planned the menu, sent him a cute little Evite invitation, bought the ingredients and, come Sunday morning, got my booty to work on creating!

The first course was taken from Angela over at Oh She Glows. I saw her post for Garbanzo Bean Soup and knew it would make the perfect first course for this meal! The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute some sesame oil for some olive oil since I had no tahini in the house. This soup was mega-tasty and I will definitely make it again!

The main course. The big kahuna. This beauty was taken from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook I checked out from the library last week. I’m not sure how the reposting thing works with cookbooks so I’ll just say: you MUST, MUST find the book and try the recipe! It’s a quinoa pilaf flavored with celery, red pepper, zucchini, basil, mint and lemon rolled up in delicious collard leaves. Oh man.. this was delicious. My favorite dish I’ve made in a while. Kyle raved about it all night!

Of course, a celebration wouldn’t be complete without something sweet to top it off. This dish wasn’t Greek inspired, but I’ve been planning it for almost a month! Themed meal or not, it was making it to the table! I based my recipe on one I found over at Baking Bites. I subbed in 1/3 cup brown rice syrup for sugar and used SO Delicious unsweetened coconut milk. To top off the delicious ice cream, I decided to make some dark raw chocolate. 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup and 1 tablespoon coconut milk mixed until uniform, rolled between wax paper and frozen makes a yummy bittersweet addition! It was a little soft for my liking, so next time maybe I’ll use something other than brown rice syrup to sweeten. The flavors, though.. spot on!

Served up in my "vintage" Garfield mugs!

All in all I would say the menu:

Quite a hit!

I hope your celebrations were filled with fun, good food and love!

Oh greens, how I love thee..

I have been craving greens something fierce. You know how those chocolate cravings can get at *ahem* certain times? It was THAT strong of a craving. So strong that 90% of everything I bought at the store was green. Included in that “everything” were some chard leaves. Some time back I was floored by a unique breakfast creation on The Edible Perspective. Ashley cleverly created the green wrapped breakfast.

I couldn’t wait for this morning to come so I could chow down! I will tell you, these were A.M.A.Z.I.N.G and they kept me full through work. All four hours of it. Aaah banking hours..

Chard Wraps (adapted from The Edible Perspective)
2 large swiss chard leaves, washed and de-stemmed
1 tablespoon cocoa walnut butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon dried blueberries
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
sprinkling cayenne pepper (optional)
1 banana, halved

Split walnut butter in half and spread evenly on both chard leaves. Sprinkle coconut, flax, blueberries and maple syrup evenly between leaves, followed by cayenne. Place banana halves in leaves, closest to the tip, and roll ‘er up! I can’t wait to make this again!

This afternoon Grams and I lunched at Baker’s Square. I have never had a bad experience in the many years I’ve enjoyed going there. The waitress was wonderful and kindly wrote down the substitutions I made to my order (the butternut squash salad) to veganize it (leaving out the chicken and bacon while adding avocado, tomato and olives with a teeny side of hummus). My options when wanting to dine out are pretty limited around here so it is key to have a waitress that pays attention and gets the job done. She definitely got an extra tip. =)

To add to my already fantasmic day, Kyle made dinner!

He’s learning to cook in general and picked out a recipe from Peas and Thank You for Roasted Chickpea Tacos. I’m pretty sensitive to salt so we would use a bit less next time, but the flavors were right on point. How great is that? Chickpeas in a taco! Love it!

As an added surprise, Kyle surprised me with a bottle of perfume I’ve been lusting after for a few years. And momma surprised me with a new book to read!

I just finished Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi on Thursday. Not for the faint of heart, this book was everything I expected it to be; beautiful, real, heartbreakingly brutal and captivating. I couldn’t put it down.

This was the randomness of my rambling mind about my fabulous day. Over and out!