Vegan MoFo Day ???

I am soooo sorry for the lack of posts!! I can't believe how much time flies when you have no free time O.O I will do my best to post a lot for the rest of the month. I will definitely have a great Thanksgiving post for you wonderful readers! I think I'll post a dessert today since it's getting to be that baking time of the year. Have you ever seen that huge, delicious looking cake at Panera? Their coffee cake is suppose to be amazing and I love having a little something sweet to go with coffee so I found this awesome recipe and can't wait to make it for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Vegan Coffee Cake

Topping:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or medium)
4 tbsp Earth Balance, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cake:
1 cup vanilla or plain soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or medium)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Egg replacer for 1 egg, mixed with necessary water according to package directions (I like Bob’s Red Mill Brand)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F
9 x 13-inch glass baking dish, greased
Serves 12

1. Topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, melted Earth Balance and cinnamon, mixing well. Set aside.

2. Cake: In a measuring cup, mix together the soymilk and vinegar to create “buttermilk” and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder, mixing well. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), combine the sugars, oil, applesauce and vanilla, beating well. Add the reconstituted egg replacer, beating on high speed until well beaten, about 20 seconds or so. Alternately add both the reserved “buttermilk” and flour mixtures to the mixer bowl, beating just until smooth.

3. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved topping evenly over batter. Bake in preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven, place on a rack and let cool completely before cutting cake. If desired, lightly dust cooled cake with powdered sugar.

(picture courtesy of Google Images)**

Vegan Mofo Day 9

Some people (not me) love french toast so it would be pretty upsetting to have to give that up on becoming vegan. But of course, like most recipes, there Is a vegan version that even I find pretty tasty. This recipe is going to be based on serving size but I just eyeball it. If you know how to make regular french toast this recipes should be no problem for you.

Soy/almond milk
Sliced white bread (sour dough)
Cinnamon
Sugar
Cooking spray

Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip both sides of one slice of bread into the milk. Place into a heated and lightly sprayed pan. Cook until one side is golden brown and then flip. Place onto a plate and add cinnamon and sugar and TaaDaa! Awesome cruelty free French Toasties.

***Beautiful picture courtesy of Naomi

Vegan MoFo Day 8

YES! Finally caught up. My lovely readers will have plenty of recipes to choose from today ~.^ I gave you more of a summery recipes so now I'll give you a fall/winter recipe. Again it is a stuffed squash dish and is twice as filling as the zucchini. This is also a pretty easy recipe as well as inexpensive. This recipe will serve 4 hungry people but be prepared to feel stuffed when you're finished.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash
1 cup wild rice (Buying the boxed kind works great)
2 veggie bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
a small yellow onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1/4 cup (or so) chopped walnuts
1 1/4 teaspoon (or so) each dried tarragon and sage
a dash of garlic powder
salt and ground black pepper TT

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Start cooking the rice. I just use the seasoning that comes with the boxed wild rice and then add the salt, pepper, and garlic. But feel free to use plain wild rice.

3. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put a little oil on the cut sides and in a casserole dish then put them cut side down in the dish. Roast them for one hour, or until they collapse easily when pushed with a wooden spoon.

4. Chop the onion, celery, and walnuts. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Put in the onion and saute it for about 3 minutes, then add the celery and saute it for around 2 more, then add the walnuts and saute a little longer until the onion is translucent, the celery is on the soft side, and the walnuts are a little toasted.

5. If the rice isn't done yet, turn off the flame and stir in the vinegar, tarragon, sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. If the rice is done add that to the pan and then add the vinegar and spices and continue heating it a little to meld the flavors.

6. Your squash should be done by now so spoon the rice mixture into the cavity and voila! This is a great meal all by itself! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. :)

Vegan MoFo Day 7

If you have not gone to Vegweb yet I highly recommend it! It's a whole community of vegan and vegetarian cooks sharing recipes and giving cooking tips. I have found a lot of really good recipes and many of them have become favorites of mine. I prefer recipes that focus on vegetables instead of ones that try to imitate meat meals. This zucchini recipes is great for the summer when it's vegetables are in season and it's very easy to make. This recipe is for one person but can easily be modified to feed more people.

Zucchini Boats
~ 2T olive oil
~ 1 zucchini
~ 1 red bell pepper
~ 1/4-1/2 onion
~ 2-3 cloves garlic
~ Sliced mushrooms (cooked or raw) TT
~ 1/2 c diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
~ Salt and pepper TT
~ Handful of chopped fresh basil
~ Whole wheat bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Slice zucchini in half and scoop out the insides making sure to leave a rim and not poke holes in the bottom of the zucchini (make a boat). Place the insides in a bowl.
3. Add oil to a baking sheet and rub the inside part of the zucchini in the oil and then place on sheet so scooped out area is facing up.
4. Dice onion and add to a oiled and heated pan. Saute till translucent and then add minced garlic. Cook for a minute or 2 and then add mushrooms. If using cooked mushrooms, cook long enough to heat through but if using raw, cook until they have released their juices.
5. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, and zucchini insides. Cook until tender and add salt, pepper, and basil to taste. Depending on the ingredients you use, there may be a lot of juice and so this will determine how long you simmer the vegetables but it usually takes around 15 min.

6. Add bread crumbs and mix to absorb some of the juice and help everything stick together and adjust seasoning. Fill up the scooped out zucchini with vegetable mix. You may have left overs which taste great eaten by themselves.

7. Place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until Zucchini boats are tender when poked with a fork. This dish is surprisingly filling because of the amount of vegetables. Even my omni family members love this recipe and it's nice to have when I don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Sadly once again not my picture but at least it's one of the actual recipe.

Vegan Mofo Day 6

I LOVE Asian food and they make is so easy to make most of the meals vegan since the focus is on vegetables and grains and only use meat as a flavor element. I recently discovered Sukiyaki and it's become one of my favorite Japaneses dishes. It's a great recipe to use for a hurried meal since you can pretty much just use whatever vegetable you have in the fridge.

• A handful of shirataki noodles or cellophane noodles
• 7-8 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 block enoki mushrooms
• 1 medium negi
• 1/2 Chinese cabbage (or Bok choy)
• 1 yaki-dofu (grilled tofu)
• For sukiyaki sauce:
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsps sake
• 5 T sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Chop up all of the vegetables into bite size pieces. Traditionally you are suppose to have a pot on a portable stove and cook everything at the table but I just make it on the stove and everyone severs themselves that way. Mix sauce ingredients and add to pan. Add all ingredients to the pan, making little piles for each different food. Simmer and use chop sticks or a wooden spoon to make sure everything gets cooked in the sauce. Cook until desired tenderness and serve.

If anyone has a tasty traditional Japanese recipe please feel free to share!
*Pictures as soon as I get my hands on some Sake!

Vegan Mofo Day 5

Ok, I know this is kind of cheating since it's not food but now that it's cold I have found myself drinking a soy chai latte at least once a day. Because I of Hiatal hernia I can no longer really enjoy coffee but I find my chai even better. How ever, I am getting tired of blowing $4.30 at Starbucks because they charge me extra for soy...even though it's the same price as regular milk now -_- Sooo I came up with an easy way to make this at your house and save a trip and money.

You'll need:

Chai tea bags
Water
Soy/almond/rice milk (I use almond)
Emulsion blender (or if you're lucky and have money, an espresso machine with a steam wand)
Honey

Since in the cafes they use a concentrated chai blend, one tea bag it's going to cut it. If you use fresh tea leaves or the stingless teabags (which are stronger) one should be fine (or a half filled tea steeper) but you'll need 2 tea bags of the kind with the string if you want that strong chai flavor.
Add 1 cup milk of choice to a sauce pan and turn heat to medium and then add 1/3 cup water. Add tea bag(s) to the milk mix and slowly bring to a boil stirring occasionally.
Once the milk starts to boil, turn off heat and remove tea bag. Now is where you can use the emulsion blender or steam wand or even just pass the mix back and forth between the pan and a cup or bowl until frothy since that's part of what makes it a latte.
Add honey for your preferred sweetness and enjoy on a cold morning! :)
(I did not take the lovely picture but found it on photobucket)

Vegan MoFo 4

What's better on a weekend night with friends than a warm cheesey pizza?! The only problem is, there are (in most cities) no vegan pizza places. Not to worry, you can make your own and it will be a lot tastier than any delivery. After doing a little prep work with the dough, the rest of the pizza takes no time at all. Just add toppings and bake. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:
1.5 cups warm (115degree) water
2 packets active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl
2 T sugar
2 t coarse salt
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

1. Place water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 min. Brush another large bowl with oil.
2. In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil, and salt. Stir in flours with wooden spoon until sticky dough forms (I usually just use my hands at this point). Knead a couple of seconds into a ball. Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. With floured hands, kneed until smooth, about 2-5 min. divide into 2 balls (the whole thing makes an XL pizza).

Baking:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Use a pizza pan or a large upside down cookie sheet and cover with oil. Roll out dough to desired size and thickness. Fill with desired toppings. Bake until crust is a golden brown; about 18-20 min.

My Vegan Fillings:
I usually chop up some fresh tomatoes and saute them with mushrooms, fresh herbs (basil and thyme), and onions. When that is the desired consistency I add it to the dough and then cover either in fresh goat cheese (I know, not vegan but I love it!) or vegan mozzarella. I think that's the only store bought vegan cheese I have liked so far that actually acts and tastes like real cheese. After the pizza is done I top with some more chopped fresh herbs and ENJOY!

WARNING! This pizza (because it's wheat) is VERY filling but you may find it hard to stop your self from eating 3 thick slices. Have fun making your own pizza :)

Vegan Mofo Day 3

I have another healthy tasty breakfast idea for my readers this morning. I love oatmeal and it's even better now that the weather is actually staying cold.

1 c almond milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 banana
craisins/raisins TT
Cinnamon TT
Raw assorted nuts, chopped

~ Add almond milk to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer.
~ Add oats, raisins, and craisins. I like adding them now so that they plump up a bit.
~ After oats have cooked for a while and the milk has reduced, add the cinnamon.
~ While the oats finish cooking, place a peeled ripe banana in a bowl and mash with a fork.
~ Add cooked oats to the bowl, stir. Then add the mixed nuts and stir. Enjoy!
~ On days after I work out I like to add some vegan protein to this as well

I have had to work several late nights but tonight I will be done early and can actually make a dinner post as well :) Sorry for the lack of pretty pictures but it still tastes wonderful so I don't mind.

Vegan Mofo Day 2

Due to my terrible internet I have fallen behind already! *sigh* But I shall be caught up after today. I think today I will share the best tofu scramble ever! I use to eat an egg white omelette every morning for breakfast so when I became vegan I started to crave my morning eggs. After trying several scrambles and almost giving up, I found this delicious one in a Women's Health magazine I believe. I've had it for a couple years now so I can't quite remember for sure but I do know the recipe which is all that matters :) Honestly, most of these recipes (and all recipes really) are to taste (TT) so I'll just write it out how I make it.

Oil (just enough for pan)
1/4 block firm tofu, drained/squeezed of excess water
Onion, chopped TT
Turmeric
Black beans
Salt and Pepper
Salsa
Tortilla

1. Heat pan with oil and then add chopped onions. Saute till translucent and just starting to caramelize.
2. Crumble tofu into pan with onion.
3. Stir to evenly heat then add turmeric, salt, pepper, and black beans. Stir again to distribute spices and then saute for another couple min. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.
4. Turn off heat and add salsa. Mix it all up and then add to your Tortilla for a Mexican breakfast burrito or just add to some toast.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Sorry for the lack of pictures. I will try to add one next time I enjoy this recipe or if someone would like to send me theirs I will be glad to post it. :)

Vegan MoFo Day 1!

This is my first time joining in durning Vegan MoFo so I will try my best to not disappoint! :) I think my plan will just be to share some of my favorite, easy vegan entrees and snacks. Since I just told everyone how good the vegan cookies are that I made I thought I'd start off with that one. I personally enjoy these with dark chocolate but feel free to add caramel, peanut butter, or whatever else tickles your fancy!

2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt cinnamon, to taste, optional
vegan chocolate chips, to taste
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.
2. In a medium size bowl, add together sugar and oil; mix well. Add the vanilla and then add the water; mix well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. 3. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets (top to bottom & 180 degree rotation). Bake another 4 minutes and check them. The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here until they get to where I like them.
4. Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.
Enjoy!

Sadly this was the only picture with my cookies.

Asian Salad

Do you like Panera's Asian Sesame Chicken Salad? I LOVE it! I don't like the cilantro (why do we not call it coriander?!) but everything else, especially the dressing, is awesome. However, unless you want to shell out at least $6-$8 for this yummy salad you're out of luck. Until now! I played around with the ingredients for the dressing until I found one that tasted pretty darn close to the one at Panera. I looked at what some other people had tried but I think mine is the closest. I am very picky about salad dressings so now I can finally enjoy some without having to drive 35-45 min and pay for the overpriced restaurant salads. Hope you enjoy! ^_^

1/2 c Rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar is the same thing, just be sure it's not the seasoned kind)
1/8 c Light (not roasted) sesame oil
1T sugar
2 packets Sugar substitute (or 3 more T sugar if you prefer)
1T or TT lime juice
Boil sugar, substitute, and vinegar till sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely to allow it to thicken a bit. Pour into a tall bowl. Then, with a hand blender turned on medium, slowly add sesame oil till desired flavor. Add juice a little at a time until it's to your liking and then blend again to keep the emulsion. Pour over a bowl full of mixed greens, sesame seeds, sliced almonds, pepper chicken, wonton strips and ENJOY!
The wontons can be easily made by buying some wonton wrappers in the fridge section of your supermarket and slicing them into 1 inch strips. You should probably use peanut oil but I was out so I used safflower oil instead. When the oil is heated, drop 2 strips in at a time flipping once. It only takes about 4 seconds per side if your oil is nice and hot. Remove from the oil just when they start to brown because they continue to darken after you pull them out. Lay on a paper towel or two to soak up the extra oil.

The bread in the picture is whole wheat chickpea bread made by me ^_^

Yuki is finally relaxing a bit after her spaying. She's been running around like a crazy girl since I brought her home yesterday.

Homemade Vegan Ice Cream

I have been dieing to make some vegan ice cream since it's impossible to find any around here and it's been SO hot! I don't have an ice cream maker but then I found a method to make it with out one. So tonight I tried it out. It was so much fun! I used the directions from this site and the recipe from this Vegan Ice Cream blog. I made Rocky Road with peanuts, pecans, and almonds. It was fun to kneed the ice cream and it only took 15 minutes! My mom stole a taste and we both agree it turned out delicious! I didn't have arrow root or coconut milk so I used soy milk and corn starch. As I said though, it turned out great. Gir liked it as well O.O

Cheesy Vegan Enchiladas

Although this is not a baked good, it is a very good recipe! I figured since it was going to be a couple weeks before my next cake I'd share a few delicious dishes instead. I love going to VegWeb.com and this is where I found this recipe. I modified it a bit because I did not have all the ingredients. It turned out delicious! I made them for my omnivore mom and I for lunch and she loved them. She didn't even add any real cheese which to me means it's a perfect vegan dish! One more note about the recipe. I only used 2 cans of beans and only 6 tortillas and I still had about 2-3 cups of the filling left!

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups water
1 teaspoon mustard
4 tablespoons margarine
10 tortillas
2 small cans enchilada sauce
3 cans beans (white kidney, pinto, black), drained
2 medium onions, chopped 1 can olives, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro(I used dried parsley), 1/2 cup salsa (optional)
I also added about a cup of diced, sautéed mushrooms

Directions:
In medium-large saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder. Add water and mix thoroughly. Heat on medium heat until bubbling and thick. Remove from heat and add mustard and margarine. Set aside 1/2 cup of cheese sauce in separate container. Add onion, beans, olives, cilantro and salsa to sauce. Mix it up. **Pour a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place a tortilla in pan and cover in enchilada sauce. Spoon in filling. Roll and push to one end of pan. Continue until all tortillas filled. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and then spread reserved cheese sauce on as last step. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until brown, 30-45 minutes. Makes: 6 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

** I would add a little more than a 1/2c since some of my enchiladas stuck to the dish. 

(Not my picture)
I topped mine with some mashed up avocado with a little lime juice. A very filling, tasty dish. Enjoy!

On a non-food related matter, I am very happy to announce that Joanna is finally 100% healthy and has gained 40g since the last time she was at the vet! Her amputated tail and toe are all healed, she no longer has pneumonia, and she is shedding and growing like a pretty baby Savannah monitor should!

Vegan Stop Sign

I had to run to my house today and pick up somethings. When I was driving through town I saw this stop sign and just had to take a picture of it. I wish I could be the one to take credit for it but sadly this is not my work. Good to know there are other veggies in this area!
I am taking up the vegan diet again! I have bought a couple of Brendan Brazier's books: The Thrive Diet and Thrive Fitness. I really want to gain muscle but have had the need for animal based protein drilled into my head all my life so I'm unsure how to get the nutrition I need for a strong healthy body from a vegan diet. These books look like a great resource to help me gain more knowledge on becoming a strong, healthy, fit vegan! I can't wait to get the books and get started. I've already cleaned out my fridge and given all my meats and cheeses to my Mom. Wish I could get my family to join me but unfortunately the only real grocery store around them is Walmart. It's a lot easier being veg when you have places like Whole Foods (even if they do cost you an arm and a leg) and Trader Joe's (best place for cheap, delicious produce ever!). Hope to keep you posted and start feeling better and stronger soon!

Green Smoothie

I keep seeing people make green smoothies and hear about how good they are for you. I have been wanting to make one but have been scared to try. The thought of putting dark leafy greens in a smoothie just doesn't sound too appealing. Today I was brave and decided to make one. Verdict? Delicious! It didn't turn out to be green because of the blueberries but there were still plenty of greens inside. :) I used a handful of spinach, blueberries, strawberries, a banana, papya, cinnamon, soy protein powder, wheat germ, and water. I didn't even taste the spinach because of all the fruit. Glad I finally took the plunge and tried it out. I found a blog with a lot of good looking smoothie recipes if anyone would like to try one out as well.

Halloween Fun

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Hunter and I went up to Chapel Hill to the Eccentrik Festival in our Steampunk outfits. It was a lot of fun and the bands were great, especially Unwoman. I encourage everyone to check her out, she has an amazing voice and rocks the electric cello. When I talked to her after her performance she said she had been playing for 20 years! Amazing. I have always wanted to learn a stringed instrument.
I had wanted to make more goodies this Halloween but I ran out of time and people to eat them! So I just made 1/2 a dozen Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. I started with have cake, will travel's recipe and tweaked it a bit due to not having all the ingredients. They turned out really well and Hunter obviously liked them because he ate almost all of them. :) Don't you just love those lucky people who can eat like that and not gain a pound?! I'm going to be in charge of Thanksgiving this year and it will be vegan! I might make 2 main courses if there is an absolute need for meat but I am not going to make 50 different side dishes. I hate how Thanksgiving has turned into a stuff-your-face-till-you-can't-move holiday. So I am making a simple, healthy dinner for my mom and brother this year. I've been looking up recipes and can't wait to cook for everyone! :)

New Cookbook!!

I just bought the new Vegan Yum Yum cook book yesterday. I've been following her blog for a while and always look forward to the next recipe post. I have already made her Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta and it was delicious. The pictures and recipes look amazing! I can't wait to dive in and try these wonderful looking dishes. Thank you so much for the beautiful book Lauren!

It's the Nannerpus!!

*sigh* I miss that commercial... But I have some amazing banana recipes to share! I love making whole wheat pancakes with oat flour and bananas and recently I found a new light and fluffy recipe. I did not have my usual recipe with me so I looked around online and found a vegan blog called Holy Cow!. This is her wonderful recipe for whole wheat pancakes:
Whole Wheat Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients:
Dry:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Mix the dry ingredients well and set aside.

Wet:
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 tbsp flax seed powder mixed with 6 tbsp water
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Mix together the wet ingredients and add to the dry. Mix gently until the dry ingredients are just moistened. There should be some lumps remaining in the batter.
Heat a nonstick or cast-iron griddle. Smear lightly with a few drops of canola oil. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter on the griddle and let it cook until bubbles appear at the top of the pancake and the underside is golden-brown. Flip over with a spatula and cook the other side until it is lightly browned.
Serve hot with a pat of vegan spread and maple syrup.
They were wonderful! I enjoy topping mine with some Earth Balance and 1/2 cup of fresh-from-the-yard blueberries. A great way to start your morning.
Last night (instead of studying) I made some banana bread out of my room mate's forgotten bananas. I just can't resist blackening bananas :) I found this recipe on VegWeb and it turned out a lot denser than what I'm use to but forgot all about that once I took a taste. Best banana bread I've ever had! No offense banana bread baking family members. A brown sugar/cinnamon, slightly hardened crust formed on the outside giving it a sweet, slight crunch. I can't wait to make this again for family dinner around the holidays!
Moist and Delicious Banana Bread

Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 very ripe bananas
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, mash bananas, and add 1 tablespoon oil, vegan sugar, vegan brown sugar, and vanilla. In a separate small bowl (I use a short drinking glass) mix 2 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon oil, and 2 teaspoon baking powder. This is to substitute using an egg. It gets fizzy, but don't panic, it turns out great. Add this mixture to the first small bowl and mix well. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. I like to sprinkle some extra cinnamon on the top to make a nice crispy cinnamon crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a wooden toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes, and slice it up!
Serves: 1 loaf
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Enjoy!

Food Inc.

Have you heard of the new movie Food Inc? It's suppose to be actually showing and talking about the food people pour into themselves everyday. When I first read about it I thought it was going to be some extremely disturbing movie with footage of slaughter houses but after watching the trailer I was reassured. I really want to go see this movie. I don't know if I can get many people to go with me but I'm going to try. I was shocked and disturbed when I read the slaughter house section of Skinny Bitch. I don't know how anyone can read that and still want to eat a cheese burger or even an omelet. I get kind of frustrated when I say I made a vegan dinner and people say "UGH! disgusting!" What do you people think vegan means? Grass and dirt? If you eat an organic fruit salad hey! you just ate something vegan. I am not a perfect vegan but I do my best. I support PETA and have told several people about Skinny Bitch. I read the ingredients before I buy things to make sure they are safe. I am vegan not only for the animals (and the environment's) sake, but for my health. Not only am I reducing the amount of chemicals and junk that goes into my body, being vegan has almost totally gotten rid of my Hiatal Hernia (hereditary stomach problem) symptoms! That's definitely worth never eating a chicken sandwich again!

What I really don't get is that a lot of people DO know something about what's happening to their food before they receive it and it doesn't seem to faze them!? Ok, lets say you're favorite burger is from McDonalds mmk? You have been eating there for years and LOVE the taste. Now what if you found out that your burger was actually not made of cow meat but dirty cow dicks? Would you eat that burger anymore? Of course not! (I would hope) Yet when you tell people that the burger they are eating has been (if nothing else) pumped full of steroids that cause cancer along with a HUGE list of other health problems, they say, "But it tastes good and I don't want to give it up". I just don't get it. I've asked a lot of people if they know what's in their food and many have heard about the terrible conditions in slaughter houses and don't care. It's cheaper and faster to go through the drive threw and get some artery clogging, rotting animal flesh than to actually have a healthy meal.

Sorry to rant but I had to get that out lol I hope lots of people go to see Food Inc. and it makes them sick and change their minds about the food they eat. So what if it tastes good? If it's going to kill you, wouldn't you rather give it up? There are so many delicious healthy foods out there that you won't even miss it. You'll feel so good after getting all of that junk out of your system you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. I have experienced this first hand. I felt great after getting all the animal products and non-organic foods out of my fridge. Have a wonderful, healthy day everyone!

Here is the trailer for Food Inc. if you have not watched it yet:

Vegan weekend

I have decided not to post my tattoo because I think I want it to be my little "mascot" for my bakery. Don't want anyone to take it.
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. I was in the kitchen the whole weekend. I have recently decided to go as vegan as I can afford. It's also very hard to find a lot of the vegan products that are suppose to be in your local whole foods store. Living in NC is hard if you don't like greasy, artery clogging foods. I was able to hit up Trader Joe's and a Whole Foods but still was unable to find a lot of stuff I see in many vegan or just cooking show recipes. But back to the holiday cooking.

I made a Grilled Tomato Bruchetta as a starter. Then I took yellow squash, zuchini, red onion, red pepper, snap peas, and yukon gold potatoes and made shishcabobs with a rosemary vinegarette. Very yummy. For the main course I made Portabella mushroom "sliders" with sauteed onions on top on whole grain rolls with sweet potato fries on the side. It was a lot of slicing and prep work but it all turned out wonderful. My mom and grandma loved everything. They didn't miss meat at all :) I didn't care for the sliders that much but I would definitly make everything else again. I got all of the recipes from this month's Vegetarian Times. I also got my dessert idea from the magazine but I switched it up a bit. The Summer Pudding recipe called for Angel food cake. Making this cake vegan would be a lot of trial and error due to the large amount of eggs used in a traditional angel food cake. So instead I made a pound cake. It stayed so nice and soft that I was able to mold the cake into the bowls and then fill it with the fruit syrup. One fed three people lol But it just depends on how big the cups you put them in are.
In addition to 4th of July grilling, I also made sushi this past weekend. I made one of my boyfriend and my favorites, Spicy Tuna Roll. Then I tried a couple new things: Phili Rolls and California Rolls. I was able to make my Phili rolls vegan with some Tofutti. My Cali rolls I filled with red snapper instead of crab and it was the first time I had ever made an inside out roll. I think I like making them and eating them better that way. They all turned out really well, especially the Philli rolls. Obviously everyone liked them since they were pretty much gone that day.
I am on the look out for easy, non-spicy vegan recipes if anyone has suggestions. I've been wanting to go vegan but, as a student, didn't know if I could afford the cost of the foods or the long drives I'd have to take to get them. After reading Skinny Bitch, I knew I couldn't eat meat anymore...If you've read it you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you should, it's a real eye opener. I still eat fish but I try to not eat any other animal products. I hope you enjoy the recipes I've posted!