Sometimes You Just Need It

Chocolate. I feel like I could end my post right there. I thought as a vegan that was something I would never have the pleasure of tasting again. Yes I live a sheltered life, please big city , internet savvy vegans do not mock me. I have two word: Dark Chocolate. It is available in vegan form. Be still my heart. I have made chocolate chip cookies. super rich chocolate cake and even Post Punk Kitchen's Mexican Hot Chocolate snickerdoodles http://www.theppk.com/2009/09/mexican-hot-chocolate-snickerdoodles/. Life is complete. Now if you will excuse me I must tend to my sick Bumper, who turned down the cookies. Sick child trumps blogging and Vegan MoFo.

Happy Eating,
Kim

P.S. I use Enjoy Life brand mini semi- sweet chocolate chips.

My Favorite Brownie

Brownies are the ubiquitous go- to -mom -is- in -a- hurry -and- what- to- bring- to the-church picnic/potluck/picnic/informal gathering dessert.  The trouble is most brownie mixes require at least an egg if not eggs and milk. What is an aspiring vegan mom to do? Chocolate Covered Katie once again comes to the rescue with her black bean brownies ( http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/ ). The first thing I am going to do is ask you to put away your skepticism. I can envision the raised eyebrows and the groans. I too was a little dubious at first, I mean beans in a dessert really? Then I thought for a little bit. I have always liked those sweet red bean paste desserts at Chinese restaurants so I was willing to give the brownies a try.

Oh My! They are so good! The brownies turn out moist and chewy and very chocolaty. They have become my go to brownie recipe and my family likes them better than traditional brownies. I like that I can sneak some healthy goodness into dessert. As for the beans? I have found that most people can't taste them until they are told (then they swear they could taste them all along, but I know better). I won't sugar coat this these are not an easy dessert for me to make because I only have a small mini blender so it takes some time to get the beans smooth enough so the texture is not gritty. The brownies, are well worth the effort. To borrow from Dr. Seuss: Try them, Try them, you will see, you will like them just like me!

Happy Eating!
Kim

Apples, Apples , Apples Everywhere

When the days start get cool my oven heats up. In the heat of summer I can barely even think of the baked goodies I indulge in during the Autumn, but today was as perfectly cool and crisp  a day as one could wish for.  My whole family loves when I get in a baking mood especially when I bake an apple pie, but apple pie from scratch can be labor in intensive so I decided apple crisp would be in order.

A quick aside is needed here. I love apples. love that they are available year round- a shout out and thank you to California - I love that the best time of year for apples is the Autumn - nothing like hot apple cider on a chilly day- The scent of fresh apples always puts me in an Autumn frame of mind.I love that they come in so many different varieties not just the red or golden delicious, there are Braeburn, Fuji, Winesap, Pink Lady, Mackintosh, Granny Smith, and Gala just to name a few.  Apples are vegan (I know that is obvious, but some people get really hung up on a label), they are good to eat raw as a pure healthy dessert or they can be made into cider, sauce, juice, or baked with a little cinnamon and sugar- topped with vegan ice cream of course! Apples can be turned into pies, cakes, cobblers, crumbles, crisps, turnovers, muffins and apple brown Betty.

Okay now that have listed the apples praises, it just so happens I have about four apples that are past their prime for raw snacking, but are still perfectly usable for baking. So here it is a quick and easy apple crisp:

4-6 apples Gala or Fuji tend to work best -- but Red delicious get a bit mushy for my taste.
1/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1tbs lemon juice
1tbs cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1cup rolled oats
1cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
3-4 Tbs non-dairy milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cornstarch in a bowl and let sit for about 10min.
Mix dry ingredients for the topping, then add oil and milk. Mix thoroughly.

Spoon apples into an 8x8 square pan and spread topping on top. Bake for 45min or until topping is brown. Let cool around 15min before serving.

Plop some vegan ice cream on top and enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from: http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/apple-crisp/

Happy Eating
Kim

One Last Frozen Treat

I realize summer is over, but I could not leave summer behind with out doing at least one post about ice-cream, plus I have sore throat today and something cool is very appealing. Before I gave up dairy I used to love ice-cream, and although there are plenty of good non-dairy options out there nowadays most of them cost a pretty penny. Now I don't mind the expense for a rare treat but with as much as I like the brands I tried it became clear that my wallet was going to suffer.

Then there is the Bumper, since becoming a mom I have become more and more aware of the food I put into my body. Little eyes are watching and I need to set a good example right? Right. Enter frozen banana soft serve. Once I made it for myself I had another "duh" moment like with chickpea salad. Not only is this dessert ridiculously easy to make, it is good for your and tastes fabulous! The Bumper even requests it to have when we have our picnic lunch days. Most often I serve it plain, but sometimes I add strawberries, peaches,  blueberries, cocoa, or peanut butter. All are fantastic! The one pictured above is made with blueberries, and peanut butter.

1-2 cups frozen bananas
1/8th -1/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1-2 cups frozen blueberries (optional)
1Tbs peanut butter (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp vanilla

Put the above in a blender and mix until creamy.
P.S. I promise I will post Autumn type desserts tommorrow


Happy Eating!
Kim

Muffins- Need I Say More?

Okay this is the week I have been waiting for all month: Dessert Week. I am not ashamed to admit that I love desserts and part of the fun of cooking is getting to veganize my favorites and trying out new recipes. Yesterday was the first day of Autumn and in celebration I used the last of the giant zucchini from the garden to make zucchini-banana muffins.

 The Bumper professes to despise all things zucchini, she was disappointed the first time she bit into a raw one because she was expecting cucumber, and she hasn't forgiven the squash, so I was a little nervous making this. After all as yummy as muffins are, I can not eat 24 of them all by my self. My worry was for naught. The Bumper liked the muffins so much she ate four of them in a row!
I used this recipe:http://www.theppk.com/2013/07/zucchini-banana-bread/ from Post Punk Kitchen.
I tweaked it a little by doubling it, using 1/2 cup of sugar (I think maple syrup or agave would work just as well), substituting the allspice for nutmeg and adding 1/2tsp of ginger.

I hope you like them as much as the Bumper!

Happy Eating
Kim

Lazy Man's or Woman's Tex-Mex Black beans

Black beans are my favorite beans. I first fell in love with the little darlings in college where I was introduced to black bean dip. Unlike the fickle lentil with whom I have had an on again off again love affair since the Peace Corps (very bad food poisoning and that is all I am saying), black beans have been a constant and stalwart dining companion.
Dried beans are cheaper, and I don't mind soaking them overnight but sometimes the hungry hoards (In my case a very impatient 3year old) can not wait. Then it is lazy Tex-Mex black beans all the way.
It is so easy and I don't even mind when the Bumper starts stealing the whole beans, I just have to get it on the table before that happens. This dish is so smack yourself on the head simple that I am almost ashamed to blog about it -- almost.

 Step One - Take a 16oz can of black beans drain and rinse.

Step Two - Open Once jar of salsa of your choice. I love homemade salsa and Nana makes a very
good one, and if you have very patient children, or none at all, go ahead and make your own. I have neither the time nor the inclination to visit the ER after the Bumper has gotten jalapeno in her eyes.

Step Three- Combine the two.

You are done.

If you are feeling really lazy serve as is. I try to at least pair it with tortilla chips, and most times I go for brown rice and a green salad on the side. When mangoes are in season I throw throw those in there two. This dish can be serve hot or cold, with avocado or not. The hardest part of this dish is trying serve it before all the individual components get eaten. See how easy eating vegan can be?

Happy Eating
Kim

Last of the summer garden stew

Our summer garden is still producing plenty of tomatoes, squash (yellow and zucchini), peppers, eggplant, kale, corn, patty pans and onions. Nana and I have barely been able to keep up with the harvesting, especially the tomatoes, and we were struggling trying to figure out what to do with it all. It has gotten to the point where the neighbors are hiding their faces at our approach, and we have run out of room for frozen spaghetti sauce. I am not complaining, because I know in winter we will be happy to have a taste of summer, but still we were a bit stumped. Then we realized the best thing to do would be to make soup. Soup is the perfect thing on a cool, hint of autumn in the air, lazy Sunday afternoon. After the hard work of chopping up all the veggies, just put everything in a pot add some stock -either homemade or you can cheat like I did and use vegetable bullion , your spices in this case curry, salt, black pepper, parsley and turmeric, bring to a boil, and then let simmer four an hour or so until the vegetables are tender and it is thick enough handle with a fork. That's it. Easy. No hassle and fills the house with a smell that can't be beat, except by homemade bread, but that is another post. The best part? I have supper done for at least the next two nights. To make the meal for tonight I will serve over quinoa with a green salad. Later in the week I'll add chickpeas and serve with rice.
P.S.
I will be posting more supper ideas because even I can only eat soup for so many days and it is always good to have options available.
P.P.S This post is way late because I am getting over a stomach virus and the LAST thing on my mind over the last few days has been food.
Happy Eating
Kim