Holiday Cocktail, Venetian Sunset

One of my favorite things is a delicious cocktail.

I recently received a gift of the ingredients for a Venetian Sunset.

Other than being pretty and festive looking, the drink itself was yummy!

I know what I'll be sipping on this New Years ;)

Venetian Sunset

3 ounces Martini and Rossi Asti

3 ounces pineapple juice

1/2 ounce grenadine

Pour over ice and enjoy!

Repeat as often as necessary ;)

Holiday Candy Gift Tins

These were a big hit with my family this holiday season.

I made a variety of candies and gave them away in decorative tins and takeout boxes.

It's nice to make extra and have some on hand for visitors and special people in your life during this time. You could collect the tins all year or find inexpensive ones at a used goods stores or catch a sale, like I did.

Cardamom Granola Squares

4c rolled oats

1c dried cranberries

1c coconut flakes

1/4c dried ginger

1/2c flax seeds

1/2c sunflower seeds

3tsp ground cardamom

1tsp sea salt

1/2c brown sugar

5tbs honey or maple syrup

6tbs natural balance

4tbs coconut oil

1tsp vanilla extract

Line 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and lightly oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat next 4 ingredients on the stove until butter melts and sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour into greased pan and press down firmly. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

The smell of the granola as it's baking is heavenly!

Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into squares.

Lavender Truffles

1/4 dry lavender flowers
2/3 cup coconut milk

10 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Cocoa coating

2tbs cocoa powder

1tbs lacuma powder

1tsp mesquite powder

Heat the coconut milk and lavender together until the milk is warm.

Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add chocolate to milk and melt and stir until well combined.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set and you can easily roll into balls.

Roll into tsp sized balls and roll into cocoa mixture.

Store in fridge.

Cookies and Cream Truffles

I used this recipe here and veganized it by using vegan cream cheese.

Beleive it or not, oreos are vegan. Not at all healthy, but vegan nonetheless :)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-OREO-Truffles/Detail.aspx

*notes- I used a food processor instead of crushing in a bag.

- I added 1tbs canola oil to dipping chocolate for shine and texture.

- I froze the truffles before dipping them in chocolate.

- I sprinkled with dehydrated coconut.

Chubby Hubby Cups

Years ago, I loved chubby hubby icecream...and it showed :)

Anyhoo- I was just going to make a standard peanut butter cup, when the chubby hubby sweet and salty combo popped into my head. Here's what I came up with.

8oz dark chocolate chips

8oz milk chocolate

1c plus 2tbs chunky peanut butter

about 2 cups of salted pretzels ( I use small braided ones. If you use bigger, you may have to break them up.)

about 1/2c caramel sauce

muffin liner papers

Melt chocolate chips along with 2tbs peanut butter. Do this in the microwave or a double broiler.

Pour 1/2 of your chocolate in the bottom of muffin liners. Roll chocolate around liners until choclate comes half way up liners. Put some pretzels at bottom of each(I use 2 small). Put them in the freezer until set.

Add one tsp pb into middle of cups. Pour 1tsp caramel over each. Pour remaining 1/2 of chocolate over cups, being surre to cover filling thoroughly.

Put them back into freezer until set. Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Great with a cold glass of almond milk :)

Thanksgiving Recap

Hello Everyone!
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving Day or Harvest Season, I hope that you had/have a blessed day, month and year!
I truly love being in the kitchen and I especially love preparing a healthy and delicious Holiday meal. Here's a recap of what I prepared for my family.

Tofurkey with Asparagus and Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf

Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes

Cranberry Grape Relish

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

Tofurkey Experiments

Sounds like something macabre, but it's just me trying out different tofu turkey recipes. :)

I have tried and really enjoyed the store bought tofurkey made by Turtle Islands foods.
http://www.tofurky.com/
I generally don't see a need for a turkey stand in at our Holiday meals, but one year my husband and I decided it was time to give the tofurkey a go. We have always enjoyed the deli slices and the tofurkey was just as good. I added a few things to the gravy it comes with and basted it with a marinade before roasting in the oven with asparagus. Delicious indeed.

This year, I decided to try one of the tofu turkey recipes I had been hearing about.
I tried this one http://video.about.com/vegetarian/How-to-Make-Tofu-Turkey.htm

The only changes I made was to use a pinot noir that I had on hand and yellow mustard instead of dijon. The marinade in itself is quite good. I will use this for many other things in the future.

Before baking, I stuffed the tofu loaf with a brown and wild rice pilaf. I added toasted almonds, fresh sage, fresh rosemary and chopped dried apricots to the pilaf. Yum!

When it was almost time to take the loaf out, I added my asparagus brushed with some of the marinade. Another yum!

The tofurkey turned out very flavorful, but I'm not sure that I absolutely love the texture. That may have been my fault of not draining the tofu properly or it just may be the texture you get when you blend the tofu and then press it.

I will try this recipe again. Next time I will use a Asian inspired marinade and also I won't blend the tofu before draining. I think I will just break it apart and then press it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Pumpkin Streusel Pie

This pumpkin pie is more of a pumpkin custard than pie.
The filling is very smooth like a pudding. It's lightly sweetened, but full of flavor.
I could eat the sreusel topping all by itself, but I try to control myself!

2c oven roasted pumpkin
1c coconut milk
1/4c cornstarch
1 1/2tsp pumpkin pie spice
1tsp vanilla extract
your favorite pie crust (I used a vegan shortbread crust and prebaked it)

Mix all ingredients in a blender and set aside.

Topping
1/2c sucanat sugar
3/4c oats
1/4c flour
2tbs natural balance
1tsp vanilla extract

Put all topping ingredients into a bowl and mix with a fork until combined.
Mixture should be slightly moist, but crumbly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour filling into prebaked pie crust.
Add topping and bake 45 minutes or until top is brown and filling is set.
Enjoy!

Oven Baked Sweet Potatoes

I am not a fan of recipes that add a ton of sugar to the already decadent sweet potato. I can't bring myself to messing up one of natures wonderful creations by putting candy on top of them and cooking them to death.

These lightly baked potatoes are allowed to really shine by just adding a touch of seasoning. The olive oil gives a wonderful mouth feel and the smokey paprika marries well with the rich sweetness of the potato.

sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped uniformly
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Put potatoes on top of foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Add seasonings and toss well.
Tent potatoes by pulling foil up over top and folding.

Bake until fork tender. About 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Cranberry and Grape Relish

I usually make this, but using oranges. However, my oranges were not very sweet and I don't like adding processed sugar to my berries. I searched the fridge for something else to use and decided on some nicely sweet globe grapes. I figured the color and taste would go well with the cranberries. I use grapes a lot as a sweetener for smoothies and juices, because they mix with other flavors well and they can be quite sweet on their own.
I loved this combo so much that I'm going to make it this way from now on! It was so refreshing and a perfect accompaniment to the other parts of our meal. I wound up eating the rest straight from the bowl for breakfast the next morning!

1c fresh cranberries
1 1/2c grapes
the zest of 1 small orange

Pulse in the food processor until your mix is in small chunks You may find you want to add more grapes, but this ratio was perfect for me.

Make Me Something Chocolatey

I hear this about once every other week from my dear husband. Usually, it's on the later side of the night. Typically, I go scouring the cabinets to see what's available to make something that's chocolatey, not terribly unhealthy and won't take too long. I like to keep baking staples around, but Count Chocula raids my supplies on the regular, so these late night baking sessions sometimes yield some interesting results.
Last night, this is what I came up with.

Fudgey Chocolate Cake with Almond Butter Glaze
1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1/3c cocoa powder
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1/2tsp cinnamon

1/2c coconut milk
1/2c water
1/3c canola oil
1/2c sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix first 5 ingredients together until well combined. I pass the cocoa, baking soda and salt through a sieve to be sure all the lumps are gone. Set aside.
Mix next 6 ingredients together and pour into first mixture. Mix until just combined.
Pour into oiled 9inch cake pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not over bake. This cake is fudgey, so it will still be slightly soft when it's done.

Almond Butter Glaze
1tbs almond butter
1c powdered sugar
2tbs coconut milk
1/2tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients until lumps dissolve.
If it's too thick, add a little water.
When cake is done, poke holes in it all over using a toothpick.
Pour glaze over the top while cake is still hot and let sit until cool...if you can ;)

Slice it up and enjoy...perhaps with some cashew ice cream. http://andeverything-in-between.blogspot.com/2010/10/raw-cashew-and-chai-spice-ice-cream.html

Raw Cashew and Chai Spice Ice Cream with Pineapples

Say that fast twice :)
This is by far one of the most decadent and healthiest frozen treats I have made. It is amazingly creamy and so full of flavor. The pineapples really give it something extra and takes the yumminess over the edge!
Just a small serving goes a long way.

Cashew and Chai Spice Ice Cream
3c raw soaked and drained cashews
1 1/2c milk (rice, almond, cashew, etc)
1/3c maple syrup
1tsp chai spice
1tbs maple syrup
1c frozen pineapple pieces

Blend first 5 ingredients and freeze in cubes.
Put frozen cubes, extra syrup and pineapple into high speed blender and mix until just creamy.
Enjoy straight from blender or freeze and enjoy later!

Non Dairy Frozen Yogurt

I like my frozen yogurt yogurty...if you know what I mean.
I prefer the tang as opposed to the more ice cream like fro yos.
I came up with this non dairy version and it's a keeper!
It's creamy, tart and delicious.
It was especially wonderful topped with strawberries and granola!

Non Dairy Frozen Yogurt
3c coconut milk yogurt
1/2c sugar ( Use your preference. I used a vegan white sugar)
Juice of 1 lemon

Mix everything up and freeze in cubes. Toss in a high speed blender and enjoy!
Or toss in your ice cream maker and enjoy!

Watermelon and Lime Sorbet

Whew! It has been a blazing past few days here in Cali. I found a great way to cool us all down was to mix up some icy treats.
This one can be enjoyed by the whole family. My husband, 6 month old and 2 yorkies all cooled down with this one!

Watermelon and Lime Sorbet
4c chunks of frozen watermelon
1c frozen rice milk cubes
*If using an ice cream maker, you don't have to pre freeze, just follow manufacturers instructions*
juice of 1 large lime or 2 small limes
2/3c syrup(agave, maple, brown rice, etc)

I used maple because it's what I had on hand. I would have preferred agave, because of the light flavor. Toss everything in a high speed blender(health master, vita-mix) and mix until just blended.
Enjoy straight from the blender or put in popsicle molds and enjoy later!

Coconut Cupcakes

These cupcakes are moist, but dense enough to stand up to a nice thick frosting. Great for birthday cakes!

Makes 24 cupcakes
3c flour
1 1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp nutmeg
1 3/4c sugar
2/3c oil
1 1/2c coconut milk
1/2c water
2tsp vinegar
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp almond extract
1c shredded coconut (for tops of cakes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare muffin pan by lining with cupcake papers
Mix first 4 ingredients together and set aside
Cream together sugar and oil
Mix coconut milk, water, vinegar and extracts together and combine with oil and sugar
Mix into dry ingredients until just combined
Divide evenly into cupcake papers
Bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean

Frosting
A number of frostings would be great for this cake, but I just mixed up an impromptu quicky. Sorry, I don't have exact measurements for you.
I used
powdered sugar
coconut oil
coconut milk
vanilla extract

After frosting cakes, top with shredded coconut.
Enjoy!

Vegan German Chocolate Cake

For my sugar crazed sister, Steph and my sweet friend, Ella...and anyone else who loves a great piece of cake :)

German chocolate cake was one of the things that my Mom would make and it would be gone in a matter of minutes. Seriously, you would have to make sure you got a piece or else you would be out of luck.
What makes this cake so great? It's so moist, with a true chocolate flavor and the added bonus of the candy like frosting. Yum.
I've been trying to crete a vegan version of this for awhile now. It took me quite some time just to get the cake part right and then I was on to recreating the gooey, coconutey frosting.
After using my husband as a guinea pig and bringing this cake to a few events, I beleive I may have gotten pretty darn close to the taste of my Momma's original.

Try it and let me know what you think!

3c all purpose flour
2c sugar
2tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1/2c cocoa
2/3c vegetable or coconut oil
1tsp vanilla extract
2tsp vinegar
2c almond milk

Mix milk and vinegar and set aside
Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
Mix sugar, oil and vanilla together. Add in almond milk/vinegar mixture.
Mix wet into dry ingredients until just combined.





Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
It makes 2 9x5 loaf pans or 2 round cake pans.
Let cool.

Filling and Frosting:
1 can coconut milk
2tsp vanilla
1c sugar
3/4c earth balance
1 7oz pack of flake coconut
2c chopped pecans
6tbs corn starch mixed first with enough cold water to make a paste

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a sauce pan. Cook for about 8 minutes until
sugar is melted and mix is light brown.
Add coconut and pecans.
Add in cornstarch paste and remove from heat.
Frosting will continue to thicken as it cools.



Fill and frost cake with it once cooled.

Nori Rolls

Nori rolls are so versatile. You can roll whatever suits your fancy up in nori sheets to enjoy.
I have made them a couple of times, but this is my husbands area of expertise. As a carnivore, he ate sushi quite often, so I think that drives him in trying different veggie and vegan combos for us to enjoy now that he's vegetarian. Here's some of the latest ones he put together. Oh man, they were so, so good!
You can sub brown rice for these. I actually prefer it.
Also, experiment with the different varieties of rice paper available. Some don't have much flavor, but when combined with other ingredients, they taste really good!



Nori, and all other seaweed, is a rich source of calcium, zinc and iodine. It is also a good source of Lignans which help fight cancer.

Veggie Roll
nori sheets
sushi rice (prepared as directed on package)
cucumber
pickled carrots (carrots soaked in rice vinegar)
avocado

Philly Roll
nori sheets
avocado
cream cheese
cucumber

Philly Luau
nori sheets
cream cheese
teriyaki baked tofu
mango
avocado

Mmm, Carrot Cake

After juicing a ton...o.k, alot of carrots, I needed something yummy to do with all my carrot fibers I had leftover. Obviously, carrot cake was the first thing that came to mind.

I didn't want to treck to the store for additional supplies, so I looked into my cabinet to see what I could put together, that would be somewhat healthy and delicious.

Here's what I came up with.

2 1/2c flour
1tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp pumpkin pie spice
1tsp vanilla
3/4c brown sugar
1c coconut oil
3tbs cornstarch
2c carrot fibers from juicing (you can also use shredded)
14oz canned pineapple drained (reserve the liquid)
1/3c of the pineapple juice
3/4c shredded coconut
2 handfuls of raisins
2 handfuls chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil and flour baking pan. I used a bundt pan.
In seperate bowl, mix all other dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream oil, vanilla, sugar and cornstarch together.
Add in pineapple and juice.
Mix in dry ingredients along with coconut, raisins and nuts until just combined.
Do not over mix.
The batter will be thick like a quick bread.
Pour into pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


I didn't have any glaze or frosting ingredients on hand, so we enjoyed it without and it was perfectly delicious!
This cake is very moist, so you don't need to have one.
After the first day, I picked up some things to make a quick glaze and it was good that way as well, just a little sweeter.

Black Eyed Peas

Traditionally black eyed peas are eaten on New Year's Day for prosperity. We have been observing this tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.
Some type of green is usually eaten as well, to insure financial stability and fortune.

The kind of BEP's I grew up eating, were full of pork(usually ham hocks) and the greens were typically cooked to death.
Here's my version. Still full of flavor, but with more texture and nutrients.

1 carrot diced
1 stalk celery diced
1/4 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large bay leaf or 2 small
1tsp poultry seasoning
5 cups veggie broth
8oz bep's (presoaked overnight per instructions on bag)
1 medium sweet potato or 2 small cut into bite size chunks
1 bunch of kale de-stemmed, washed and sliced
2tbl olive oil
*salt and pepper to taste





Saute 1st 6 ingredients in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add broth and beans to pot. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 1 hour.
Add in sweet potatoes and kale and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until beans and sweet potatoes are desired tenderness.
Salt and pepper to taste
* Amount will vary depending on which type of veggie broth you use.
Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

I serve this over brown rice with cornbread or corn muffins.
Enjoy!

Cookie Exchange

Every year for the past 3 years, we have had a cookie exchange at work.
I try to come up with a new vegan cookie each time. This time, I was so buisy working on other projects that I neglected working on a a recipe until the night before!
I decided to do a different spin on a chocolate vegan cookie I usually make and raid my spice cabinet for a chai spice cookie.
Here's what I came up with.

Chocolate Almond Cookies
(makes about 4 dozen)

4c unbleached flour
1c cocoa powder
2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1 1/2c coconut oil
2c vegan sugar or sucanat
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp almond extract
4tbs ground flax seeds
1c almond milk
whole raw almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together first 4 ingredients
Cream together remaining ingredients, except almonds
Mix dry into wet ingredients until well combined
Roll into balls, flatten and put 1 almond in the middle of each
Bake for about 6 minutes

Chai Spice and Coconut Cookies
(makes about 3 dozen)

2 1/2c unbleached flour
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp cardamom
1/4tsp ground ginger
1/4tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp ground cloves
1tsp baking soda
2/3c coconut oil
3/4c coconut powder
(be sure to purchase the kind without casein, for a pure vegan cookie)
1/2c almond milk
1c vegan sugar
4tbs corn starch
1/2c shredded coconut

Mix together first 7 ingredients
Cream together next 5 ingredients
Mix dry into wet ingredients until well combined
Roll into balls, flatten and sprinkle with coconut
Bake for about 6 minutes

Granola, a great holiday gift.

A friend gave me a case of Kerr canning jars about a month ago.

I originally planned on using them for jams and jellies, but they were too big for that. Then, I thought about making those "cake in a jar" mixes, but I wasn't too sure my friends and fam would put those to good use. So, I decided to go with something they could just pop the top on and eat up!

Granola, a tasty treat for anytime of day. They could eat as is, use for cereal, sprinkle on yogurt...

2c oats
1/2c toasted wheat berries
1c seeds and nuts- I used flax seeds, sunflower seeds and pecans
1c dried fruit- I used apples and cranberries
1/4c brown sugar
1/4c coconut oil
2tbl honey
2tbl strawberry preserves
1/4tsp sea salt
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp almond extract

Combine 1st 4 ingredients in a large bowl
Melt sugar, honey and preserves together in sauce pan. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat and add oil until well combined.
Add salt and extracts, then pour over dry mixture.
Pour mix onto baking sheet covered with foil.
Bake in a preheated 350degree oven until toasty.
Let sit until completely cool.

To make it pretty, I wrote out a recipe card and tied it around the jar with some lace.

Spring Rolls

So fresh, so easy and so versatile.

Filling
bean sprouts
shredded carrots
diced cucumber
cilantro
spring mix or other salad greens
collard leaves
rice paper

Sauce
(sometimes I add a little peanut butter or sesame oil to the sauce)
3tbl white miso
1/2tsp ginger
juice of 1 small lime
1tbl apple cider vinegar
1tbl soy sauce or nama shoyu
1 clove garlic
a dash sirachi or other chili sauce
water for thinning

To prepare sauce, mince garlic and mix with all other ingredients in a bowl.
Use water to thin out to desired consistency.

Be creative and try out different fillings and find out what you like. I've tried a number of things and these happen to be my fav.

To make assembly easier for myself, I wash and prepare all my veggies including the collards and store in a container in the fridge. I prep enough to last me for a few days. Right now I'm eating these at least every other day to help with my vitamin intake and of course because they're so delicious


Soak rice paper according to directions on your package.Layer a collard leaf on top of the paperPile up your veggies generouslyYou can either pour some sauce on the inside or just have some on the side for dipping. I like alot of sauce, so I do both.Roll it up nice and tight, tucking in the sides. Just like you would for a burrito. The rice paper keeps everything together in a neat package.If your not using rice paper, just make sure you have nice sized collard leaves to contain everything.



Enjoy!

Spanish Brown Rice

Today, I had an intense craving for spanish rice. I threw the following things into a pot and out came some of the most flavorful rice I've ever eaten!

2 cups of brown rice
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup yellow onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup green chilis
1 heaping tbs tomato paste
1/2tsp chili powder
1/2tsp smoked paprika
1/4tsp celery seeds
1/4tsp cumin
1/8tsp salt (depends on how salty your veggie broth is)

Bring water and vegetable broth to boil and then add all ingredients except tomatoes and lemon juice.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice just before serving.

Lately, I'm into all things spicy, so I enjoyed mine with black beans and jalapenos!