Deluxe Chili Cheese Fries!

The only thing my cousin and I would ever order from Del Taco (a fast food place in LA) was their Deluxe Chili Cheese Fries. For us, there was no other reason to go there. Now that I have moved into the vegan lifestyle, that reason has gone from one to none. But, who needs Del Taco when I can just make my own??? So, alas here is my version of Deluxe Chili Cheese Fries with all the trimmings...mmm...

Delicious! Even if I do say so myself. :-)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Check out my video and watch how I make this amazing recipe that even a non-vegan will love!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
*I used Trader Joe's white whole wheat baking flour
1/2 cup maple syrup
baking powder: use 1 1/2-2 tsp, or 1 Tbsp for fluffier cookies
1 tsp pink sea salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup vegan buttery spread, softened
2 cups vegan chocolate chips
1 cup raw walnut pieces/whole
1/4 tsp cayenne
2-5 Tbsp water (to soften dough if needed)
**since brands differ, use your own discretion to evaluate when the dough is at a right consistency.

Tools: Parchment paper, large mixing bowl, spoon, freezer, oven.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Check out my vegan eats for the 4th of July!

We picked up this scrumptious bread at the farmer's market and it worked out perfectly as a hamburger bun for my veggie burger. I added some tomato, daiya cheese, and a little organic ketchup...(okay, a lot of ketchup).

This layered dip is a recipe from the The Kind Life website. 

• 1 16-ounce can of refried beans
• 3 large avocados
• 3 tbsp. of fresh lime juice
• 2 8-ounce containers non-dairy sour cream
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I use Bearitos, but if you are avoiding all white sugar, make your own mix with chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt)

• 1/2 cup(s) of diced mild green chiles, drained

• 1/2 cup(s) of sliced black olives, or more if you like
• 5 tomatoes, chopped

• 2 cup(s) of shredded vegan Cheddar cheese

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch quart glass baking dish. 

3. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. 

4. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans.
5. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

6. Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives.

7. Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

8. Heat the dip for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Let's see what a non-vegan thinks...

Thumbs up! I think it's a winner! :-)

Yummy seasoned fries!

A cheesy quesadilla with follow your heart cheese, caramelized onions, and breaded Match Meat Chicken. 

Sticky brown rice.

Grilled veggies.

A micro green salad with tomatoes and onions. I added some olive oil and lemon juice for dressing.

I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July delicious food as much as I enjoyed mine! :-) 

Ooey Gooey Cheesy Pizza!

As I watched my husband and friend scarf down some home made pizza (non-vegan) I realized that I just couldn't take watching them any longer. They offered of course and I declined but I really wanted to partake in some cheesy goodness. It was too late to order from the place that I usually get vegan pizza from, so I suffered in silence and had something else for dinner.

The next day I made a trip to Whole Foods and decided that enough was enough...I was going to have some delicious pizza and no one was going to stop me! I know I sound crazy but I just really wanted some pizza. Anyway, I picked up some ingredients:

Pizza sauce
Whole Foods ready made pizza crust (wheat)
Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese (Daiya is really yummy or you could use follow your heart)
Mushrooms
Garlic
Vegan Parmesan Cheese (It's kind of expensive at whole foods, so if you can find it online, it might be cheaper).
Cornmeal
Olive Oil
A little sprinkle of red pepper flakes

*I actually already had some of the ingredients at home.

I used a recipe I found on the Healthy Happy Life blog.

 Out of the oven:

 

One down, one more to go. This pizza was so delicious! The crust was just right, the flavor or the mushrooms and garlic were scrumptious, and the cheese was so creamy. Yum! I'm definitely glad I didn't order from the pizza place and I think from now on I'll make my own pizza. My husband (non-vegan) even enjoyed it and couldn't stop talking about how creamy the cheese was. If you're ever in the mood for some yummy vegan pizza please check out this recipe.

Pinto Bean Croquettes with Dijon Glaze

I found this recipe in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet book. The original recipe uses black-eyed peas but I didn't have any so I grabbed some pinto beans and gave it the old college try. They tasted pretty good and even better with the sauce. I used rice syrup and dijon mustard for the sauce (I think I'll have to try this sauce with some Match Meat chicken nuggets...Yum!). Next time I'll make these croquettes with some black beans. Mind the picture, I didn't have time to do any fancy plating.