Vegan Coffee Brownies

I've been craving sugar all week, so last night I finally decided to make Coffee Brownies with a chocolate glaze. I got the recipe from The Kind Diet book. 

Yum!

Yummy Cupcakes!

Yummy Cupcakes
2918 W. Magnolia Blvd 
Burbank, CA 91505

Chicken-less Chicken Salad Sandwich

For some reason I've been craving a chicken salad sandwich the past few days, so I decided to make my own version.

I use Chick'n Scallopini from Gardein. I sauteed the chick'n patty with olive oil, lemon, and parsley. 

About a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and two tablespoons of Vegenaise (instead of Mayo).

I added celery, tomato, red onion, shredded carrots, salt, pepper, and a little more parsley.

Mix it together and then add the chick'n patty.

Mix some more.

Toast your bread and then add the filling.

Time to eat!

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. :-)

Mmm...Pasta!

I love pasta. Lasagna, spaghetti, baked ziti...mmm...you name it. It's just so delicious! It's hard to meet someone who doesn't love a good pasta dish. My friend Mo's signature dish is Penne a la vodka. As many of you know Penne a la vodka is laden with heavy cream and cheese. So, when he decided to veganize this dish I was extremely overjoyed.

Mimic Creme (made with almond and cashew cream) to replace heavy cream, earth balance butter (non-dairy), and vegan parmesan.

-1 pound of Spaghetti
-Olive Oil
-1 jar of Pasta Sauce
-1 cup of vegan cream (Mimic Creme)
-Crushed Red Peppers (to taste)
-Garlic powder (to taste)
-3 Table spoons of vegan butter (earth balance)
-1/4 cup of Vodka
-Vegan Parmesan (to taste) 


-Boil some water with olive oil and then add pasta. Take out pasta and strain in. In the same pot, melt butter with crushed red peppers. Lower the heat, add vodka, and simmer. Pour in pasta sauce and cream, and raise heat to medium-high. Next, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and garlic powder. And lastly, mix in the spaghetti with the sauce until the spaghetti is well coated with sauce. 

Here is the end result:

He used spaghetti instead of Penne pasta. I added Match Meat ground beef to mine. 

The meal was pretty good. It didn't taste exactly like the non-vegan version but I liked it. This version has a much lighter feel to the whole dish and you don't feel stuffed and weighed down after eating it...I'm guessing it's because of the removal of the heavy cream and real cheese.

Hemp Protein Powder

Hemp Protein Powder is one of my favorite things to put in smoothies. Hemp is a plant that is mainly used for textiles and food. About a year ago I went in search of a healthier protein powder that would give me the boost I needed after my workouts. It has sort of an earthy taste. It taste kind of like you just scooped some ground up greens into your drink but after a while you don't even notice it. I usually get mine from Whole Foods but I'm sure you can find it cheaper online. Today I made a hemp protein powder smoothie with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and orange juice.

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.