| Page 7

Halloween Aussie Style

October 31, 2013 by Erin

So it’s Halloween night in Australia. Halloween is not big at all here in Toowoomba. It is supposedly growing in popularity in the larger cities like Brisbane but in Toowoomba, which has 150,000, it is still pretty under celebrated. When I went to the grocery store, the entire store had approximately six shelves of halloween items and that was pretty common for Halloween displays.

The family I am nannying for actually has never done Halloween. Can you imagine being 12 and never having gone trick or treating?!? Clearly, I saw this as my opportunity to bring the Halloween spirit to Australia. The kids, knowing I was a huge fan of Halloween, actually bought costumes before I even arrived, anticipating that I would want to do something. 1 witch and 2 vampires. The few packaged costumes were all pretty standard like that. As you’ll see from the photo above, there wasn’t much selection.

I wanted to get the kids pumped for Halloween as best I could though. There was rumors that one street was going to have trick or treating so we decided to make our own trick or treating bags. In hindsight, these bags were entirely too big for the goodies we got but I like how they can reuse them if they want for trick or treating or other things. Check out our super fun creations! The kids took 1-2 hours to work on. I took 2 days (all the bags have a front and a back decorated). I’m so pokey!

So, this morning, we had our bags made and our costumes out and the kids were stoked! I broke the dress code of the childrens’ catholic school by sending the 5 year old off with Halloween ribbons in the braids I did for her. Rules be damned! It’s Halloween!!

I was having a hard time getting in the spirit with it being so warm out and no decorations anywhere! So I decided to spruce up the house with whatever decorations I could find. I think I did a fairly decent job considering what little I had to work with…

I did this while the kids were in school. I was also in charge of dinner tonight (for the first time) because I wanted to do a Halloween theme. This was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be because 1. I could not find canned pumpkin anywhere. So that eliminated most of what I wanted to do (ie: pumpkin shaped pumpkin pancakes (I also couldn’t find a pumpkin cookie cutter), pumpkin burgers, etc), and 2. even if I could find canned pumpkin, the kids don’t like pumpkin or squash flavored things (side note: Aussies call most squashes pumpkins, like Butternut Pumpkin or Japanese Pumpkin, etc. Very weird). So, I got creative! We had Quesadilla Pumpkins (they’d never heard of a quesadilla) and Guacamole with a side of carrots (the only orange, non-squash veggie I could find). I think it came out cute!

That little pumpkin was a HUGE pain to carve cause the inside was stringy like a spaghetti squash. I definitely wasn’t expecting that! The kids loved the food though, especially the “pumpkin vomit”. We had to take the chips away so they would eat their veggies.

After they were fueled up, we went trick or treating. So. Weird! I knew it was going to be different but actually experiencing it was bizarre. The houses were all dark and no one had decorations. I would say 1 in 5 places actually had candy or treats. We only really got a handful of houses I think that were giving things out. One old lady had a bag of loose gummy “snakes” (aka gummy worms) and loose jelly beans and she just had us open our bags and she dumped them in. That SO wouldn’t fly in the states. The Dad I work for ate some jelly beans so I know they aren’t laced with arsenic or something but I’m still having a hard time eating them! 28 years of “NEVER EAT OPEN CANDY” is a hard thing to shake. Then one guy didn’t have any candy so he opened his freezer and gave the kids ice cream popsicles! In the end, my stash looked like this:

I’m pretty sure that’s how much candy I get from the bowl at my house usually! LOL!

We ended the night all munching on our “lollies” (Aussie speak for candy) and watching Hocus Pocus (which they’d never seen!). The kids had a great time and the little 5 year old said that this was the best night she’s had! So I think I succeeded in bringing the Halloween spirit to at least one tiny bit of Australia 🙂

This post was a lot longer than I anticipated so I will post my alternative cheese quesadilla recipe tomorrow.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!! (yes, I did bring my own cat ears from America in anticipation of Halloween and no, I have no idea what sort of cat expression that is. I apparently don’t hang with cats often)

Posted in Life | 1 Comment »

Vegan Brownie Cups aka How to Entertain a 5 Year Old For 30 Minutes

October 29, 2013 by Erin

Hello all!

I am officially reporting to you from Australia, the land of kangaroos, koalas and no halloween. This first week or so has been interesting!

I will be staying for 6 months in Toowoomba, Queensland and nannying for a family with three kids- 12, 11 and 5. Toowoomba is about 1 and a half from Brisbane and north of Sydney. So far, all is going well.

I have managed to drive on the opposite side of the road on the opposite side of the car without killing anyone. I’ve been to trivia with a few Aussies where I woefully let the team down by answering every question about American presidents wrong and learned a little about AFL (Australian Football League). See a picture of their field below. All I can say is it sure ain’t like the NFL! I also learned that some slang for the male genitalia is Doodle, which I find hilarious, and Plum. This came up in casual conversation, I swear.

I also managed to find the only organic food market and place that serves vegan food. I found this on Day 1 and have already eaten there twice. It also has a juice bar. It also makes Whole Foods prepared food section look cheap. So I don’t think this will be a regular habit but it is nice to have at least one go-to vegan eatery.

As for vegan eats, it has not been easy! I asked for no cheese on my pizza at trivia and they told me no changes were allowed. I do my best.

Anyway, I thought my first week would be a transition week but on the second or third day in, the 5 year old girl ended up having to stay home due to several nose bleeds. Which meant I had the fun of entertaining her all day while not knowing a lot about her. Also, without any sort of crafty, artsy materials. No crayons, no coloring books, no nothing! We also had the unfortunate situation of her being out of school because her nose kept bleed but she felt fine! So by noon, she was bouncing around the house full of energy when she was supposed to be taking it easy. I was about to throw in the towel and take her to a park when her nose started to bleed again.

After we cleaned her up, I became desperate. If I heard the words “I’m booooooored” one more time I would cry (which is crazy cause I had successfully kept her relatively busy to this point). So I turned to the kitchen! Cause nothing is more fun then making a mess with flour and eating raw (vegan) batter!

Hence, the vegan brownie cups. It earned me 30 whole minutes of quality entertainment. hallelujah!

Vegan Brownie Cups
from All Recipes
makes 16

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. white sugar
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp vanilla paste which is my new favorite thing)
chocolate chips for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix until well blended.

Divide evenly into 16 cupcake liners. Top with chocolate chips, if you are using them. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

These definitely came out more cake-like then fudge-y brownie-like. This has been my constant issue with vegan brownies. The texture is never that of a fudge-y brownie. They are either too fudge-y or too cake-y. These were so tasty and easy to make though that I don’t care. I was able to make them with a 5 year old with the ingredients that were already on hand, no weird flour or ingredients. My pantry is no longer stocked with 8 kinds of flours nor do I want to buy said flour when I know I’m leaving in 6 months, so this simple recipe was perfect.

Also, it was really, really yummy! No one in the family knew it was vegan and that is perfectly ok with me.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go pin some ideas for rainy day/stuck in the house activities on pinterest because I don’t think the mom I’m working for would appreciate baked goods every time the kids are bored! Though, I’m pretty sure the kids wouldn’t mind.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged brownies, dessert | Leave a Comment »

Some updates and changes

October 16, 2013 by Erin

G’day Mate!

I know things have been quiet here at Wicked Vegan (again!) but it was for a good reason. Take a gander up at my banner and you will see that some changes are happening here at Wicked Vegan. I had mentioned it in passing but I wanted to wait until I received my shiny new banner (Thank you, Amelia!!!) and had all the details hammered out:

I’m moving to Australia!

Yeap. I’m hopping a plane and heading half way across the world. It’s been quiet here because I’ve been trying to keep my sanity while I wrap up my time in Boston. I just moved to a new apartment so I have to repack all my stuff so a subletter can settle in, pack for Australia, do the 8 million thing that go along with moving your life for 6 months and say my good byes.

The move is temporary, only a few months (six-ish, I believe), but the change of local will definitely influence the content on the blog. For instance, it’s going to be in the 80s this week where I am moving which means the fall recipes may be in short supply. In fact, the seasons are opposite so it should be interesting to see what I end up cooking. Will I stick to seasonal cooking in Australia or will I be craving pumpkin soup in November in 90 degree weather? We’ll have to see!

Also, I plan on using Wicked Vegan as not only a cooking blog but also a blog to track my adventures down under. So many people told me that I should start a blog of what I’m doing in Australia but I already have a blog! And the idea of maintaining two different blogs seemed a little taunting. So, I’ve decided to simply use Wicked Vegan as a temporary travel/cooking/food blog. I hope that’s cool.

So stay tuned! I’ll be posting about my adventures and new recipes and all the fun things that are going on. I’ll be staying in the Brisbane area so please feel free to send me suggestions on what to do, where to visit, and any tips you have! It’s my first trip to Australia so anything will help.

Thank you and I will post soon!

Posted in Life | 4 Comments »

Friday Favorites and Southwestern Pumpkin Burgers

September 20, 2013 by Erin

I made the world’s best tasting vegan burgers!

But first, Friday Favorites! It was really hard for me not to do all Friday Favorites this summer, especially with music, but I managed to contain myself! Here’s a few from this week:

Lorde- Royals. Poor Matt had to listen to this at least 10 times during the Cape trip. Every time it came on, I belted it out. Love it.

A Day in the Life of a Food Blogger I’m no where near this cool. I’m lucky if I change out of my pjs

The Republic of Tea’s Pumpkin Spice Black Tea. I’m pretty much the only person in the universe who doesn’t like Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes. This, though…this is delicious! I found mine last year at Crate & Barrel but I believe this link is the same kind I have.

Laurel Hill Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips. Your answer to a savory, salty pumpkin fix. Because clearly we need pumpkin in all parts of our life!

The Neighbourhood- Sweater Weather.

And incase you aren’t totally OD’ed on pumpkin stuff already, I made these pumpkin burgers this week and they are Ah-Maz-Ing! I can’t even stress how flavorful they are!

Southwester Pumpkin Burgers
modified from Eating Well

6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn ( I used fresh and it was delicious!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup toasted pecans, processed in the food processor until fine (or 1/2 c. toasted wheat germ)
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, corn, garlic, chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Add pumpkin, pecans, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper to the onion mixture; mix well. With dampened hands, form the vegetable mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each. Firmly, squeeze the ingredients together so they won’t crumbly in the pan.
Using 2 teaspoons oil per batch, cook 2 to 4 patties at a time in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Adjust heat as necessary for even browning.

You can serve these on a tortilla, a hamburger bun or on top of a salad. I have had them all three ways and it’s great. This week, I have been serving them hot on top of a salad with spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, avocado and salsa. Black beans would be delicious, too. I think the salsa and avocado are a must no matter how you serve them, though.

These burgers are so packed with flavor. I have served them to just about everyone (mostly meat eaters) and I haven’t had a single complaint. They are amazing. They do get soft when they are refrigerated, so be aware of that. It doesn’t take away from the taste, though. To reheat them, I like to bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Know what else these taste good with? Pumpkin Seed tortilla chips and a pumpkin beer. Am I embracing Fall or what?

Posted in Recipes | Tagged mexican, pumpkin, veggie burger | 4 Comments »

Mini Pumpkin Loaves

September 19, 2013 by Erin

Guys, I have a problem: I am addicted to Halloween stuff. This isn’t even logical. I am moving my entire life to Australia and all I want to do is load up on all the Halloween stuff from Michaels.

The first week I was in my new pad, I discovered there was a grocery store within walking distance. Victory! So, one day, when I was joyfully unemployed and had the whole day in front of me, I thought, “I’m going to take a stroll down to Star Market and pick up x, y and z”. It was sunny and warm and I was in good spirits. I got to the plaza and to my shock, the entrance to Star Market was right smack dab in the middle of TWO entrances into Michaels. Well, that’s convenient…I guess. I do need to get spray paint…I guess. So into Michaels I went. I just need white spray paint, I said. I just need white spray paint.

Then, I descended the stairs and there were all the halloween decorations.

I was unprepared for the Halloween onslaught! My defenses were down!! I was vulnerable!!! I wasn’t prepared to say no!!!!

The next thing I knew, I was in line with a basket full of halloween stuff and an hour of my life was gone. Wait, what? What am I buying? Scrapbook paper? A book of pumpkin carving patterns? A count down calendar to Halloween when I am not even going to be here for Halloween??

I had to take a deep breath and do some seriously editing. Clearly.

I settled for the world’s cutest paper straws with little skulls on them, the Martha Stewart Halloween magazine (It’s like getting the Toys R Us magazine when you were a kid, SO EXCITING!), two mini loaf pans and a little ramekin. And some cupcake liners, which I forgot about until I looked over my instagram photos for this grid. Whoops!

Trust me, that was edited!

Then, I had the difficult task of actually utilizing said Halloween items because, clearly, I needed to justify the purchase of them!

Say hello to these mini pumpkin loaves, the cutest way to eat pumpkin! I made three versions with one batter: regular pumpkin bread, pecan streusel pumpkin bread, and chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Mini Pumpkin Loaves
modified from OregonLive.com

1 1/2 C. whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 C. granulated sugar
3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp of salt
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses or maple syrup ( used molasses)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water (if needed)

For the chocolate chip loaf (optional):

1/8 c. chocolate chips

For the streusel topping (optional):

1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/8 C. brown sugar, packed
1/4 stick unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 C. finely chopped toasted pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, molasses and oil until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir together until completely mixed. If the batter is too stiff to mix, add a very small amount of water to loosen it a bit, but it should remain thick.

Divide the batter among three lightly oiled mini-loaf pans.

If you are adding the optional streusel, mix all the ingredients together with a fork until everything is well incorporated. The butter will remain crumbly. Layer on top of one loaf (or all three if you choose).

If you are adding the optional chocolate chip, stir it into one of the loaves. (if you want to make all three chocolate chip pumpkin, stir the chocolate chips in before you divide the batter).

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center tests clean.

These are so, so cute. I think the chocolate chip and the streusel are tied for my favorite. The toasted pecan streusel is perfect with the pumpkin and the chocolate, is, well, chocolate. Everything is better with chocolate!

Go make these pronto. They’re too cute to pass up. Also, if you go to Michaels to get these, let me know what else you get! Cause you know you can’t leave there with just the things on your list.

Posted in Recipes | 2 Comments »

Three Pepper Hummus

September 17, 2013 by Erin

IT FEELS LIKE FALL!!!

I’m so excited 🙂 This past weekend, I had planned a last-hooray-to-summer trip to the Cape since I hadn’t been all summer. I was thinking when I planned it that we may still be able to get some beach time in, or at least some pool time, but we ended up gravitating more toward the heated hot tub, hoodies and looking for an apple orchard (Note: the Cape’s 1 apple orchard not only doesn’t have cider donuts but is super, duper tiny and oddly enough, tucked behind a subdivision. We ended up turning around and going to Sundae School for pumpkin ice cream instead!). We did hit up Pirates Cove, where I may have, by just a little bit, sort-of-kind-of, beat Matt in mini golf. I’m pretty sure it was my lucky cowboy boots though!

(starting at top left: the Sundae School truck; Pirates Cove souvenirs; Matt and me; Pirates Cove!; a sand sculpture of a shark. It’s a small detail from this huge boat sculpture, which was awesome;Sunset at Gray’s Beach.)

I feel like the trip was my final goodbye to summer and now I can dive head first into my very short celebration of fall! I have the windows open as I write this, letting the crisp fall air in as I sip Pumpkin Spice Tea. My to-do list has very few To-Dos on it and then I’m pulling out those two cans of pumpkin I have and baking something. I don’t care what but they will be used! And I can’t wait!

But for now, here is a recipe for Three Pepper Hummus. My fridge was pretty bare when I came back from the Cape. Oddly enough, I had one cucumber. Just one. And some bread. So I whipped up this hummus in an attempt to have a more nutritious lunch then I had at the Cape (fried food and ice cream and bagels…oh my!).

Three Pepper Hummus
modified from Smoky Chipotle Hummus

1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans,drained
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2- 1 1/2 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce *
1 clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 (7 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
5 pepperdew peppers, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste

*start with 1/2 of a chipotle pepper and add more to taste. I love the taste of chipotle peppers and don’t mind the heat so I ended up using 1 1/2.

DIRECTIONS:

Place the garbanzo beans, water, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, chipotle pepper, garlic, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor; blend until smooth. Add the red peppers, pepperdew peppers, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients are smooth and well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and chill until ready to serve.

I should be doing something productive for my trip to Australia but I’m sure it can wait on some pumpkin bread/cookies/burgers!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged appetizer, chickpeas, hummus, snack | 1 Comment »

Peach Cornmeal Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

September 12, 2013 by Erin

I was planning to post a recipe for, you know, real food, no dessert/breakfast food, but this recipe actually came about out of necessity. My parents rolled into Boston Sunday with 1. boots which I mistakenly packed when I was moving locations. I can’t be in fall-like weather without boots, obviously! 2. a brown bag full of peaches fresh from my Dad’s trees. I’ve been waiting FOR-EVER for fresh fruit from my Dad’s trees and 3. pudding shots. Yeap, my mom made pudding shots for a concert and I got the extras. But not just any pudding shots- cupcake pudding shots. Let’s just say I’ve been having “shots” of cake vodka at really weird times of the day and it’s been glorious!

But back to the peaches! So, back in the day when I was in 1st-grade-ish and we were living in MA, my Dad planted some apple trees and I was stoked! Even at 1st-grade-ish, I loved me some fresh picked apples. But then we moved. To a house on the golf course. Down south. There wasn’t any space for gardening and I was bummed. BUT, then we moved back up north and my Dad plopped a few more fruit trees in the ground and I was stoked all over again! “4 years”, he told me. “You’ll have fresh apples by the time you graduate high school”. Then, “well…ok. Definitely by the time you graduate college”.

My college graduation was over 5 years ago (Oh My God! I’m so old!!) and the fresh fruit is just rolling in now. It’s not apples but I’m not complaining because these peaches are amazing! I’ve had about 3 today and the only reason I’m sharing with my roommates is because there were A LOT of peaches in the bag Dad brought me. I mean, clearly he must have felt guilty after the 9 years of promising me fresh-from-the-tree fruit. Clearly! 😉

Peach Cornmeal Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
from The Frosted Vegan

For the Cake:

1 1/4 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking power
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c. agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 c. non-dairy milk
1/2 c. fresh peach jam (or 1 peach, pureed)*
1-2 peaches, sliced

For the glaze:

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. coconut milk

* I used 1/2 cup of peach jam that my mom’s friend, Lu, made with my Dad’s peaches. I have not tried the 1 peach pureed.

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a cake pan and set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir until combined. Add in vanilla, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, non dairy milk, and peach jam (or pureed peach). Stir until dry ingredients are combined with wet ingredients. Pour batter into greased cake pan.
Arrange sliced peaches on the top.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Poke 10 holes in the top of the cake, scattered throughout.

To make the glaze:

Combine brown sugar and coconut milk in small saucepan over medium heat. Continuously stir sugar mixture until brown sugar has dissolved. Pour glaze over cake.

Store covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Yields 8 slices.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. Cornbread and peaches are not two of my favorite foods and wouldn’t be something that I would normally choose to eat. This cake though is delicious. It’s not super sweet so you could definitely serve it along side your coffee or save it for dessert and serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream. It’s very moist and the glaze on top is oh-my-gosh-I-could-eat-this-with-a-spoon good. I would recommend making extras and putting in on ice cream, or pancakes, or oatmeal, or french toast, or basically anything that allows you to consume it regularly. You won’t be sorry!

I know I’m making peach cakes this week but don’t be surprised if I start whipping out the fall recipes next week. You’ve been warned!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged breakfast, cake, dessert, peach | 1 Comment »

It’s Been A While…

September 9, 2013 by Erin

I cannot believe that it has been two months since I posted somethings!! My only excuse is that this summer has been I-N-S-A-N-E!

So far I have:

– Quit my job

– Moved out of my apartment of five years in Brighton to new digs across the river

– Went to the Bahamas

– Acquired myself one of those boyfriend things that everyone is always talking about

– and am planning a (temporary) move to Australia!! (more on that later)

Like I said, insane! All have been really positive changes that I’ve been needing to make for a while but I probably could have spaced them out a little bit instead of doing everything in a month. What can I say? I got a little bit enthusiastic!

Last week was the first week I was unemployed and moved into my new apartment. I have to say, I LOVE it. I love sitting down each night and making a to-do list for the next day and then having time to check everything off the next day (ok, that’s a lie. I’ve had ‘Exercise’ on my list every day and somehow, keep forgetting to do that one…). I love having a full day ahead of me to bake and cook and try new recipes. I love being able to work on my new apartment, one little project at a time (wait until you see my coffee nook! Also, what did people do without pinterest??). Oddly enough, I just feel really productive without a job! I’m sure this will eventually fade and may possibly be replaced by boredom but for now, I’m loving it.

Last week was the first time in what felt like forever that I was excited to step into the kitchen. Most of this summer has been a struggle to carve out time to eat, let alone cook. When I did, it was rushed and often the results weren’t as good as I was hoping for because I was doing 10 other things while cooking.

The first thing that I made last week was this granola. My mom made it for me first and I loved it! I made it the second time and forgot the cinnamon (see! That’s what happens when you do 10 other things!) but it was still delicious.

Almond Granola
recipe came from my Mom but there was no source information. Let me know if it’s your recipe.

Makes 8 cups.

1/2 c. of honey (or maple syrup. I used my Dad’s honey so I knew it was cool)
1/2 c. of canola oil
1 TBSP of Almond Extract
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
4 c. of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. of sliced almonds (I had whole almonds and just ran my knife through. I actually really liked have a few larger pieces)
1/2 c. chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 c. roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 c. pepita seeds
1 cup of sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line Cookie Pan with Parchment Paper. Combine honey, canola oil, almond extract and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring until mixture begins to bubble; set aside.

In large bowl, combine oats, almonds, walnuts, coconut, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Slowly pour warm honey mixture over oat mixture; mix to coat. Spread granola mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Bake 17-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Stir in cranberries. Store granola in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

I’ve been eating this with fresh fruit and almond milk (this morning I had it with a banana and a fresh peach from my Dad’s trees) or I’ll have it over some vegan vanilla ice cream with honey. Basically, I just can’t get enough of this stuff!

Ok, off to run more errands and check more things of todays To-Do list. Let’s see if I can actually get ‘Exercise’ checked off today, shall we??

Posted in Recipes | Tagged almonds, breakfast, craisins, granola, pepita seeds | Leave a Comment »

Fourth of July Recipe Round Up and Southwestern Potato Salad

July 4, 2013 by Erin

Leave it to me to wait until the last minute to give you a 4th of July recipes. So, to make it up to you, I’m giving you a recipe round up of the last years recipes that would be appropriate for todays festivities. If you want even more recipes, click on the July 4th Popsicle recipe below for last years round up.

Appetizer:

Buffalo Hummus Courtesy of my friend, Amelia. It’s hands down my all-time favorite hummus

blueberry salsa The best salsa. Ever.

Main Dish:

Blueberry BBQ sauce I made this with baked tofu but it would be great with grilled tofu and veggies also.

Sloppy Chicks: This was consumed at a Game of Thrones Season 1 viewing party. My friend’s boyfriend, Ben, went back for seconds and thirds and he is usually a carnivore!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers You can make extra of these and freeze them for later. These are also carnivore-approved. My parents and Grandma gave them thumbs up all around

Side dishes: Because warm mayo potato salad is so overrated!

Peanutty Noodles and Veggies Part 1 These were non-vegan crowd tested at a pot luck and there was absolutely no left overs for me to enjoy! Big hit and no one took notice that they were vegan

Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad A light alternative to potato or pasta salad that is fresh and in season

Dessert:

Strawberry Macaroons You could also try these with freeze dried blueberries.

Grapefruit Sorbet Skip the pies and cake drenched in vanilla ice cream and make this insanely refreshing sorbet. Top with fresh fruit, granola and or honey. This will be great on a hot day.

S’more Truffles Bite-sized s’mores delicious-ness without the mess…or bon fire…or the hunt for vegan marshmellows

July 4th Popsicles The dessert that is currently blowing up on pinterest! There is also my 2012 recipe round-up in this link so take a look at those recipes, too!

Beverages:

Lemon Lime Margarita There is nothing patriotic about this. It’s just delicious.

Pomagranite Margarita It’s Red. It’s Tequila. What more could you want? Maybe throw some blueberries in it?

and here’s a new recipe for you, a vegan-friendly potato salad, sans the mayo. I brought this to a cook out a few weeks ago and then like a ditz, I forgot to put it out when we were eating. This means I’ve been eating this whole potato salad, by myself, for about a week. Trust me. I will not be eating potato salad today at any fourth of July parties. oi

Southwestern Potato Salad
from: Edibleperspective.com

For the salad:

2 lbs sweet potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 3/4 cups cooked black beans, rinsed + drained
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups sweet corn (about 2 or 3 ears of corn on the cobb)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon safflower oil
salt + pepper
lime wedges + fresh parsley/oregano/cilantro, to top, optional (I didn’t have any so I skipped this step)

For the dressing:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 teaspoons chipotle adobo sauce (found in the mexican food section in a little can. I only had whole chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, so I just pureed them in my nut chopper and they worked great)
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
1 1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, or honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
scant 1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt + pepper

Add dressing ingredients to a jar and shake vigorously until fully combined. Set aside.
Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Add chopped potatoes to the pot of boiling water and boil for about 8-12 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Taste-test a few cubes for doneness.
Pour potatoes into a large colander and rinse with cold water for ~1 minute to stop the cooking.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat a medium pan over medium heat with 1/2 tablespoon oil.
Once hot, add the onion and a large pinch of salt to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds then add the corn and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the corn starts to slightly brown and the onion is soft.
Remove from heat and pour onto a plate to cook for a few minutes.
Empty the sweet potatoes, black beans, bell peppers, and corn mixture into a large bowl.
Pour about 3/4 of the dressing overtop and gently toss to coat.
Place in the fridge [uncovered] until fully chilled and then cover until ready to serve.
Gently stir the mixture, then taste and add more dressing, salt, and pepper if needed and stir again to distribute.
Place in individual bowls or in a large serving dish and top with fresh parsley, oregano, and/or cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
This lasts upwards of 1 week.

Even though I’ve been eating this for over a week, I have to say, it’s still pretty delicious! I love, love, LOVE the lime chipotle dressing and actually only used about half for this recipe and used the other half on a different salad I will be sharing with you later. It’s super light and flavorful, perfect for summer. I think this recipe will be a great change for your picnics or cook outs and will keep things vegan without people even noticing!

Ironically, I have been going non-stop all week and have plans all weekend but today is looking pretty quiet! I’m hoping to lounge around all day and do a whole lot of nothin’! Maybe I’ll go purchase some sparklers to keep in the spirit but other then that, relaxation is the word of the day. Hope everyone has a great 4th and stay safe!!

Posted in Recipes | Tagged chipotle, salad, side dish, sweet potato | 1 Comment »

Strawberry Macaroons

June 28, 2013 by Erin

Happy summer, everyone!

Know how I know it’s summer?

It’s not the sweltering humidity that keeps me up at night. It’s not the fact that Boston is blessedly free of a ginormous number of students. And it’s not that the sun is blinding me at 5am because I’m faced with that weird dilemma of keeping the curtains open so I can actually feel the fresh air my fan is blowing in.

Nope. It’s that I’m crazy, insanely, busy! What is it about summer that makes our calendars fill up and has us going non-stop?

Anyway, that would be the reason that I haven’t posted anything in, like, 2 weeks!! And by 2 weeks, I just checked and actually mean 3! Wowza!

What sucks is that I’ve been making some pretty healthy and yummy summer meals that I’ve been wanting to share with you. With that said, you may find this blog relaxing a little more in the coming weeks. In an attempt to get some recipes up and keep on top of things, I may trade the staged, somewhat-edited pictures for cellphone, even-less-edited pictures, making this more of a food journal/blog thing. It’s just a thought. We’ll see where the summer takes us. But if the last few weeks are any indication, it’s going to be taking me to the pool/beach/bars/cookouts/social events and those places aren’t always update-your-blog friendly. So bear with me if things start to become a little more casual around here.

With that said, I did manage to get my crap together for Friday favorites, which ironically, is one of the harder posts to do since I have to pay attention to what I have been enjoying the past week (or three in this case!)

Favorite activity: lounging on the deck with friends and watching the storms come in

Favorite beverage: a nice cold beer. My favorite lately has been Shock Tops Raspberry Wheat

Favorite music (you knew it was coming!): Taking Back Sunday’s new acoustic cd. I know- it’s kind of a cop out since over the years, they’ve released some of these songs live SO many times AND they didn’t put the Ballad of Sal Villanueva. But it’s TBS. I can’t help myself

Favorite read, (definitely wouldn’t qualify as “beach read” I don’t think): Game of Thrones. So…I’m caught up. Watched all the seasons. Ranted to my one friend who watches it. Was left frustrated because seriously, how is one supposed to wait a whole year for new season?! So I picked up the third book, where the series left off, and just started reading the bloody thing! Image and book can be purchased from here

and last but not least, Favorite summer produce: Fresh strawberries. OMG. SO good. I can’t stop putting them in everything!

And this is where todays recipe comes in. Strawberry macaroons! It doesn’t have fresh strawberries but it does hit the spot without rotting nearly as quickly as the fresh ones.

Strawberry Macaroons
by Tessa the Domestic Diva

makes between 20-24

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened grate coconut
½ cup coconut oil
1 bag freeze dried strawberries or raspberries (1.2 ounces), (I found mine at Whole Foods. Also available at Trader Joes and online
3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or coconut nectar, to taste
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, plus an added vanilla bean scraped (optional)
⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor.
Process the ingredients for 2-3 minutes until the shredded coconut beings to break down. Depending on how textured you like it, as long as the ingredients are well incorporated, the will hold together well.
Drop the batter, about 2-3 teaspoons worth onto a lined cookie sheet. If you find that the ingredients aren’t sticking together easily (mine didn’t), place them in the fridge to harden a bit. They will be more moldable once chilled a bit
Place in the fridge or freezer to harden for 10-20 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

I find that once these have been chilled, you can keep them at room temperature for a bit without them melting all over the place, which is nice. I wouldn’t leave them in the sun or anything though.

These little things are light and not too sweet, two things I love when making dessert for the summer. Plus, they are no bake, which is huge! My house is a sauna as it is. No need to crank the oven to 350 also!

What are some things you’re looking forward to this summer? I have some summer concerts I’m pumped for! Also, lots and lots of relaxation (hopefully!)

Posted in Recipes | Tagged coconut, dessert, no-bake, strawberry | 3 Comments »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »