Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I hope you all had a very spooky, safe, and fun Halloween. (:

I had a blast Trick-o-Treating, carving pumpkins, watching scary movies, and decorating my house. Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays of the year. (: 

In fact I did a lot of pumpkin carving, and in turn I have a a whole lot of pumpkin seeds left over. 

Here is a quick way to turn those pumpkin seeds into something edible and delicious! 

After washing all the pumpkin off the seeds, I mix in a little olive oil until they are thoroughly covered. Then I add salt to taste and spread them across a cookie sheet. Finally I bake them in the oven for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake for another 5 minutes. 

How did you spend your Halloween? 

Did you dress up? If so, I'd love to see your costume!

What's your favorite part of Halloween?!

Vegan Mac & Cheese.

Tonight I’m going to share with you one of my favorite quick and vegan meal options. This one comes straight from the freezer isle, to the tune of macaroni and cheese.

This Amy's Mac & Cheese is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Cholesterol Free, Lactose Free, and Tree Nut Free. The noodles are made from rice flour and the cheese is Daiya. 

With just over 500 calories, 190 of which are from fat, and 8 grams of protein, this is truly a great meal starter. 

I love to pair this with some vegan chicken strips and a green vegetable, like steamed broccoli. 

I mean look how creamy & delicious that looks! How could any one not want to give this a try!?!

If you do try it out, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

As always, join the conversation on facebook.

Veggie Sandwich!

Today’s fast food option is another hit from Wendy’s. This vegetable sandwich isn’t actually on the menu, but rather something that is a special order.

What I Order: A premium toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. No cheese. No mayonnaise.

This literally means you are getting a hamburger bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle.

Sometimes, I eat it just like that. Sometimes I bring my own vegan chicken patty or vegan hamburger with me and just grab the bun when I’m feeling lazy.  I’ve also added my own sauce to this sandwich as well.

Keep in mind that the new pretzel bun does contain milk, so if you are still transitioning, are a vegetarian, or for any other reason don’t mind milk as an ingredient; then you can certainly ask for a pretzel bun in lieu of the premium toasted bun.

If you are looking to make this a meal, checkout my post on Wendy's Hit The Spot Fries!

If you give this sandwich a try, let me know what you think!

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Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Mac & Bean Casserole!

Today’s Meatless Monday recipe is a filling and delicious casserole of sorts. It’s simple, quick, and perfect for an on the go dinner.

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Mac & Bean Casserole

Makes 4 large servings.

You will need:

A 2 quart microwaveable safe bowl

A spoon

A large strainer

Ingredients:

1 box of Elbow noodles

1 28 oz can of baked beans*

Directions:

1. Fill your bowl with water and your noodles.

2. Cook your noodles for 3 minutes and then stir. Repeat.

3. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, stir, and strain the noodles.

4. Mix the noodles with the beans, stir thoroughly, and microwave for another minute.

Enjoy!

**I use Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans

If you try this recipe, leave me a comment & let me know what you think!

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Halloween Witches Hats!

Today I am going to be sharing a sweet Halloween treat with you all. My mom and I have been making these since I was a little kid, and even as an adult I still think they are cute, delicious, and perfect for Halloween. (:

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Halloween Witches Hats

You will need:

A microwave safe bowl

A spoon, knife, and fork

Wax paper

Ingrediants:

Ritz Crackers

Bugles Original Chips

Ghirardellli Simi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter

Chocolate sprinkles

Directions:

1.  Count out the number of Ritz and Bugles needed. You will need one of each for each treat you are making. Make sure the Bugles are whole and unbroken for a better look.

2. Pour chocolate chips into you microwavable safe bowl ( I like to use a glass measuring cup) and melt them in the microwave until thoroughly melted. I usually try stirring them after ever 30 seconds.

3. Dip you Ritz and you Bugles into the chocolate one by one and use your fork to allow extra chocolate to drip off. Lay them out on wax paper and let them harden.  

4. When the chocolate has hardened, use your knife to put a small dollop of peanut butter on the middle of the Ritz and push a Bugle into the peanut butter.

5. Sprinkle your chocolate sprinkles into the peanut butter.

Enjoy!

If you try these out, leave a comment bellow and let me know what you think!

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Vegan Chili

Tonight’s recipe is going to use the Bocca Ground Crumbles that I talked about last night.

It’s great for throwing in a crock-pot on a cold morning, like this morning, and let it simmer all day.

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Vegan Chili

You will need:

A crock-pot

A ladle

Strainer

Ingredients:

1 can of light kidney beans

1 can of dark kidney beans

2 cans of tomato sauce

Chili Powder

1 bag of Bocca Ground Crumbles

Directions:

1. Open both cans of kidney beans, drain them, and pour them in your crock-pot.

2. Open the cans of tomato sauce and mix it in.

3. Add the desire amount of chili powder for your taste.

4. Mix in your desired amount of ground crumbles, adding more for the “meatier” you want your chili to be.

5. Let it cook in the crock-pot for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.

Enjoy!

As always, if you try this recipe out make sure to comment below and let me know what you think!

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Bocca Ground Crumbles

Tonight’s post is about one of my favorite meat substitutes, the Bocca Ground Crumbles. This is a substitute for ground beef; which can be used in tacos, pasta, chili, and so much more.

This ground ‘beef’ is made from soy and therefore it is naturally low in fat while being high in protein and in fiber.

In fact, in one serving (57 grams) there is 60 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 cholesterol, and 13 grams of protein.

Let’s compare that to 57 grams of lean 80/20 ground beef; which has 145 calories, 11.4 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, and 9.79 grams of protein.

I can’t wait to show you guys some great recipes in the weeks to come, so make sure that you pick up a bag next time you are at the store. (:

5 Can Salsa.

I apologize in advance for how late this post is, but hopefully you will find that it was worth the wait. (:

Tonight I had several friends come over to watch the Halloween Episode of Pretty Little Liars and the world première of Ravenswood. So, I got distracted making snacks and preparing for them to come over.

So tonight, I’m going to break my routine and instead of talking about  a fast food chain I’m going to show you an awesome dip I made to share.

This recipe actually comes from some friends of mine and after eating this once at their house, I had to have the recipe.

This salsa is AMAZING.

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5 Can Salsa

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans

2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes

1 can of shoepeg corn (if you can’t find shoepeg substitute with white corn)

1 small onion

Corn chips

Directions:

1. Open can of black beans, drain, and pour into a large bowl.

2. Next open and mix in the cans of tomatoes and corn.

3. Dice the small onion and add in.

4. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

5. Serve with corn chips.

This is a great recipe for any get together, including tailgates, house parties, and even potluck dinners. This appetizer is simple, quick, and easy but at the same time it is still full of flavor!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!

Did you guys watch PLL or Ravenswood tonight? What did you think? 

Meatless Monday: Sautéed Veggie Platter

Today’s Meatless Monday recipe is unique, in that I didn’t actually make it; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

It’s not just a flash back to this 2007 commercial. 

I went away this weekend for a little R&R and quality time with my Mom. 

This morning, I was trying to pack up my stuff and check out and get back home in time for work SO I got food from the hotel restaurant, where they whipped up this delicious meal. 

As you can probably see, it's sautéed vegetables. This particular plate has tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and potatoes; with a side of toast. 

This is something that you could easily recreate with whatever vegetables that you like. 

A great traveling tip, is to take some food essentials with you so that if somehow you can't find something to eat, you can have something with you. 

I packed a half a stick of Blue Bonnet Light and kept in our fridge, so I was able to butter my toast. :) 

If you try recreating this, let me know how it turns out! 

Ooey-Gooey Halloween Cookie.

Ingredients:

2 tsp of Blue Bonnet Light

¼ cup flour

¼ tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp of baking powder

6 packs (or 2 tbs) of raw sugar

Chocolate Chips

Brachs Candy Corn

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in you measuring cup.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, vanilla, and sugar into the measuring cup and stir.

3. Chop the candy corn up until it’s in medium sized pieces.

4. Add the desired amount of chocolate chips and you chopped candy corn and stir.

5. Press dough evenly in your bowl and bake in the microwave for 1 minute or until done.

Enjoy!

 

The Perfect Baked Potato

Yesterday, I shared with you two vegan butter substations that I love. Today's recipe is going to use one of those butters and tomorrow's recipe will use the other. Today's "recipe" is really more of a meal idea, but none the less it is delicious. 

As I told you yesterday, if I am eating my butter on something (as opposed to in something) I prefer Smart Balance Light with Flaxseed Oil. 

Today was a very busy day for me, after working 9 hours and then volunteering for another hour, I hadn't really thought about dinner and I didn't haven't anything planned. 

Luck for me, my wonderful parents had a plate waiting for me. :) 

I'm a big fan of sweet potatoes, especially cooked in the oven.

For the perfect baked potato (whether sweet or not) I cook 'em in my toaster oven for an hour. 

With this meal, I had grilled green beans and onions. 

This is a great example of a simple meal that is vegan and made complete by having a vegan butter substitute in the fridge. 

This is a great meal for someone transiting, because there are no mock products and it's simple; both of which are great! 

Well, Butter My Biscuit!

 One of the most important things in a southern women’s (or man’s) kitchen is butter. There are a ton of options for vegan butter, but many of them are frankly gross. I’ve tried several, and here are the two that I suggest:

1. When I bake, I prefer to use Blue Bonnet Light Sticks. They are cheap, they come pre-measured, and easy to use in recipes.

2. When I am eating butter on bagels, baked potatoes, biscuits, etc… I prefer Smart Balance Light with Flaxseed Oil. It is thicker and has a more full butter taste. It is dairy free, vegan, lactose free, gluten free, and gelatin free. It has 50 calories a serving, 5 grams of fat, and no cholesterol.

I’d recommend picking up either of these great butter substitutes the next time you are at the grocery store and try substituting  them for the butter you are using! 

Hit the Spot Fries!

When I am looking for a quick snack, whether it be late night or while I’m out running errands, my go to fast food snack is the Natural Cut Sea Salt French Fries from Wendy’s.  They satisfy the need for something salty, they are quick, and they are cheap. It’s the snack food tri-fecta.

If you have never tried them, you definitely should. I like to eat mine with Sweet and Sour Sauce, but they are good plain or with catsup too!

 If you have tried them, do they hit the spot for you too? 

As always, check us out on facebook so you can keep up with our new posts. :) 

Meatless Monday: 4 Bean Soup

It’s Monday, which means it’s time for another meatless recipe. Now that fall is here and the whether is starting to get cold, it’s the perfect time of year for sweaters, hot beverages, and of course soup. This 4 Bean Soup is the perfect fall recipe and its super easy. You can make it in the morning and leave it in the crock-pot all day, while you go to work, run errands, or do what ever else.

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4 Bean Soup

You will need:

A medium or large crock-pot

A can opener

A strainer

A spoon

Measuring spoons

Measuring cup

Ingredients:

1 can of light kidney beans

1 can of dark kidney beans

1 can of black beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of tomato soup

1 cup of water
1 tsp of basil

¼ tsp of onion powder
2 tsp of garlic powder  

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. Open the can of black beans and strain them thoroughly, using the strainer. Then pour them into the crock-pot. 

2. Repeat step on, using the can of pinto beans.

3. Open the two cans of kidney beans and strain the juice into the measuring cup. Dump the beans into the crock-pot; along with ½ cup of kidney bean juice.

3. Stir in both the tomato soup and the water.

4. Lastly add the basil, onion powder, and the garlic powder as well as salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir in your spices and let your chili cook on high for 4 hours or on low 8. 

Enjoy! 

Note: If you are in a rush, you can also make this soup by bringing it to boil on the stove for five minutes and then turning down the heat and letting it simmer down for two minutes. 

If you try this recipe out, leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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Skittles

Like I’ve said before, I’ve got a sweet tooth.

Since last week I talked about chocolate, I thought I would mix things up this week and focus on something sweet and fruity.

One of my favorite go to fruity candies is…. Skittles!

Up until 2009 the Skittles sold in the Untied States contained gelatin, which is most commonly made from animal bi-products; while the Skittles sold in other countries (like India) did not contain gelatin and we indeed vegan.

When Mars made the switch over to a gelatin free formula, the candy became both vegan and gluten free.

I don’t think that I need to tell y’all how awesomely fruity Skittles are, as they are a pretty common mainstream candy.

If you have yet to try Skittles, you should really grab a bag. You can find them almost everywhere that sells candy and they are pretty cheap too!

This time of year you can also find them in the individual bags, perfect for giving out on Halloween.

In fact, I know that I will be giving out Skittles, among other things, to my trick or treaters this year; I love that they are guilt free for me to buy, plus I can eat whatever candy I have left over! (:

You can always check the back of  you Skittles bag for the words "Gelatin-Free" to ensure that your candy is vegan!

What candy will you be giving out on Halloween? 

As always, check us out on facebook so you will never miss another post!

Enjoy!!

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Pancakes were always a pretty big deal in my house. In fact, for as long as I can remember, Sunday’s were always pancake days. My dad would always make pancakes while watching Sunday morning talk shows and his pancakes were (and still are) the fluffiest most delicious pancakes that I’ve ever had; and I’m not just saying that as a ploy to get him to keep making pancakes for me. (:

Even though it wasn't Sunday, I was craving some pancakes and this time I had some extra special help in the kitchen. 

This little cutie wanted to help me pour all the ingredients in the bowl, but I think stirring was her favorite part. Cooking is a great activity to do with kids and because this recipe is so simple, it's a great one to keep on hand whenever you are looking for something quick and delicious. 

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Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

What You Will Need:

Large bowl

2/3 cup measuring cup

1/2 cup measuring cup

Spoon

Griddle or frying pan

Spatula

Fork

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of Heart Smart Bisquick Mix

1/2 cup of soymilk or other alternative milk

Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Pour the Bisquick Mix into your bowl and mash out all the lumps with your fork.

2. Pour the soymilk into the bowl and stir until desired consistency is reached.

3. Add the desired amount of vanilla and stir until thoroughly mixed. 

With a little butter and syrup, these are fluffy and delicious. 

Can't you tell they were a big hit? 

As always, if you try out this recipe let me know what you think below!

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Milk Substitutes

The next time you hit up the grocery store, instead of grabbing your normal milk, challenge your self to switch it up and grab a milk alternative. There are so many options; including anything from nut milks like almond and cashew, to rice milk, coconut milk, and then of course soymilk.

I love Silk Light Original Soy Milk. I prefer this to the vanilla varieties because I’m not the biggest fan of vanilla in anything and I find the vanilla soymilk to be to sweet for my taste.

Though I’ve heard some people say that they like to drink it because it tastes like a vanilla milkshake.

I love having one of these milk substitutes in my fridge because, besides drinking it & on top of the obvious uses in cereal, it allows me to cook anything that I want.

Any time a recipe calls for milk, you can easily substitute any of these milks in the recipe.

Do you use alternative milk? If so, which ones do you prefer?  If not, will you be trying a milk substitute this week?