Vegan Gingerbread Cookies!!

For those fans of the & YES, it's Vegan! facebook page, you may remember this picture...

Yes, I was teasing you will these delicious looking, fresh out of the oven, ginger bread cookies. 

They tasted just as amazing as they looked and tonight I am going to share this super quick and easy recipe  with you. 



I started with this limited Holiday edition Betty Crocker bag of cookie mix and followed the direction of the bag, using Ener-G Egg Replacer to replace the eggs. 

See, I told you it was super easy! :) 

Vegan Blueberry Muffins!

As promised, here is the quick and easy recipe for the most amazing, and not to mention simple, vegan blueberry muffins.

This is literally all I use. My local grocery store sells this box for right around $3.25.

I just follow the recipe on the back, adding in 1/3 cup of oil and 2/3 cup of water. 

Then I substitute the 2 large eggs that are called for, by using Ener-G Egg Replacer. 

Then I just follow the recipe on the back of the box. 

 They come out of the oven looking a delicious shade of golden brown and smelling heavenly and the taste is AMAZING. 

This recipe is so easy-peasy, I hope you aren't disappointed. ;)

Grab a box and give these yummy streusel toped muffins a try! 

Join the conversation on facebook & let me know what you guys think!

Oreo Cookies: A Vegan Treat!

I don’t know about you guys, but it has been a long (but fun) week for me and I’m looking forward to the weekend and getting to relax a little bit with my friends and family.

In fact, I think a quick sugary pick me up it exactly what I need.

Today I want to tell you about one of my favorite ‘desserts’ of sorts. 

I'm talking about, Oreos! 

That's right, the delicious creme filled cookies of childhood are vegan friendly! 

I like to open my cookie up and add some peanut butter, before I put it back together and eat it.  After all, there is no wrong way to an Oreo. :) 

These sweet little delights are a perfect pick-me-up after a long week. Pick some up on your way home tonight, you know you wanna?!

Maybe you will find that they are soy milks favorite cookie too! 

Quick and Easy Vegan "Coke-cakes"!

I'm going out tonight to a birthday celebration for a co-worker and very good friend and I'm bringing cupcakes. (:

I can't wait to share these cupcakes with them and of course you all. (: (: 

______________

Vegan Coke-cakes!

Ingredients: 

1 box of cake mix

1 8oz can of brown soda 

I'm using Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix & a can of Coca-Cola. 

Directions: 

1. Dump your cake mix into a bowl. 

2. Pour in you can of soda slowly, keeping in mind the carbonation will still cause it to foam up. 

3. Mix until you have reached one solid consistency and dish out into your cupcake tins!

When they come out, decorate them as you wish. I used Duncan Hines Frosting Creations and some colorful sprinkles! 

Enjoy!!

Join the conversation on facebook!

Vegan Muffins

Following yesterday's egg substitute review, I thought that I would share an easy and simple muffin recipe with y'all. 

__________________

Simple & Basic Muffins 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1 cup soy milk

1/2 stick vegan margarine 

Egg substitute for one egg (I'm using Ener-G) 

Directions: 

1. Measure out the Ener-G Egg Substitute, whisk it together, and set it aside. 

2. Mix together the dry ingredients in one large bowl, and set those aside as well. 

3. Melt your butter in the microwave and mix into the dry ingredients. 

4. Next mix in the milk, and stir until the batter is one consistency. 

5. Fold in your egg substitute. 

6. Dish into muffin pans and bake at 400* F for 20 minutes.  

They came out of the oven, warm & delicious. I added a little butter to mine and it was absolutely scrumptious. 

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

Join the conversation on facebook!

Egg Substitutes.

Baked goods and sweets are a really easy way to incorporate vegan into your diet. In fact, I love to make a tray of muffins, a dozen cupcakes, or even a nice plate of cupcakes.

When looking at recipes, most of them call for milk, eggs, and butter.

I've shared with you guys my favorite butter and milk substitutes, so today's post will be about egg substitutes. 

My favorite egg substitute is made by a company called ENER G and it's creatively called Egg Replacer: A Culinary Egg Substitute. 

There is a peak of what the box looks like. (:

To use this, all you have to do is mix the Egg Replacer powder with water and whisk together. 

This is the easiest egg replacer to use, because all you have to do is adjust the measurements for how many eggs your recipe calls for. 

This powder is both gluten and wheat free. It contains no casein, dairy, yeast, egg, soy, or nut; as well as having little to no sodium. It contains no artificial flavoring or preservatives, has no added sugar and has 0 cholesterol. 

It will run you upwards of 10 USD to buy this at you local store, but I've seen it on the Ener-G website for as little as $7.35. 

It might seem expensive for some, but it has a much longer shelf life then eggs and the box lasts for quite a long time. 

I've had my box for over 2 years, I use it all the time, and it's still half full. 

There are other great egg substitutes too! Some of my other favorite substitutes* are:

- 4oz of soda, works great in cake batter

- 1 large banana mashed, works great in cookies (especially oatmeal raisin)

- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in cake batter

-1/3 cup of applesauce

-1/4 cup of blended silken tofu

-1/4 cup of yogurt, you can use a regular or soy variety 

-1 tbs of water & 1 tbs of vinegar, mixed with 1 tsp of baking powder

*All listed substitutes are for 1 egg. 

Do you have a favorite egg substitute? 

Join the conversation on facebook!

Meatless Monday: Fried Avocado Tacos

It's Monday, which means it's time for another Meatless Monday recipe! (: 

Today's recipe is a little unconventional, but it's delicious none the less. 

_______________

Fried Avocado Tacos.

You will need: 

A frying pan 

A spatula 

A knife

A cutting board

3 small bowls

Ingredients: 

Small flour tortillas

Black Beans

Onions

Avocados

Flour

Water

Shredded Lettuce 

Salsa 

Directions: 

**Before you start prepping your avocado, I recommend that you begin heating a frying pan with about 1/4 inch of olive oil, so that your oil will be hot when you are ready to start cooking**

1. Using the knife, slice open the avocado and slice it length wise into long slices. 

2. Dip your avocado into water, then roll it in your bowl of flour, and once it is thoroughly covered it is read to fry. 

3. Place these slices into your pan, flipping them over after about 5 minutes.

You want the outside to be crispy, but for the best taste you want to keep the inside soft and creamy. 

4. When they are ready, pull them out of the frying pan (I recommend using tongs) and place your avocado slices on some paper towels to help absorb any extra oil. 

**Since I had the pan and the oil already heated up, I chose to go ahead and sauté my onions as well. This is a completely optional step, depending on how you like your onions. 

Now it's time to build you tacos!

I built this scrumptious taco, by layering black beans and onions on the bottom of my soft taco shell. Then I placed several slices of avocado into my taco and covered that with lettuce, salsa, a little salt, and some pepper. 

I served my tacos with margaritas, and they were a big hit! The avocado slices were the perfect touch to my tacos, they had that extra little crunch on the outside but maintained there smooth creamy rich texture on the inside. They complemented the salsa and other vegetables quite nicely. 

If you give this recipe a try, I would love to know what you think!

Enjoy!

Join the conversation on facebook!

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.

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. (:

_________________

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!

Like us  on facebook!

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!

 

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! 

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. 

__________________________

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!

Like us on facebook so you'll never miss another recipe! 

Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

If you know me at all, you know I love sweets. I have a huge sweet tooth, and I could never successfully follow any kind of food plan or diet that cut out sugar; I love to bake sweets and I love to eat them! (:

With Halloween right around the corner, I want to share some great Vegan takes on some traditional holiday candies!

This week, I want to talk about Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

These little slices of heaven are organic, GMO free, and vegan. The sweet dark chocolate outside of these cups complements the creamy rich peanut butter inside so well it's hard to believe that each cup is only 80 calories (which is 30 calories less then the other guy's better known peanut butter cup). 

In fact, when you compare them to the leading competitors peanut butter cups, they look even better!

In addition to having less calories, they also have 7 fewer grams of fat then their competitors and 0 grams of cholesterol (compared to the 5 grams of cholesterol in the other cups).

I got mine at Whole Foods, in a bag of individually wrapped candies, which is perfect and just in time to fill my Halloween candy dishes.

These delectable met in your mouth peanut butter cups are a must try in my book. If you like dark chocolate, you will love these! They may not come in an orange wrapper, but I was very pleased with how these tasted and I will definitely be getting these again. 

Due to the fact that they have fewer calories, fat, and cholesterol they are great to try yourself and great to share with anyone looking to eat healthier. 

I hope you guys give these a try, you won't be sorry!

If you do try them, comment bellow and let me know what you think!

Note: Only the dark chocolate cups are vegan, the milk chocolate cups contain milk. If you look at the wrapper in the secound  picture, you can see that by the bar code these are actually marked vegan to make identifying them that much easier!