Meatless Monday: Quick & Easy Creamy Tomato Soup

Tonight it is cold, very cold.

In fact it is so cold that schools here are already delayed in the morning, due to the expected low temperatures tonight and tomorrow morning.

I thought that I would make something warm for dinner tonight.

So, I made soup. 

Not just any soup, Campbell's  Tomato Soup. 

I mean seriously, it's an iconic soup and it's vegan. 

What more could you really want from soup? 

Here is my secret for great tasting soup! 

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You will need: 

1 can of Campbell's Tomato Soup

Your favorite milk substitute, I'm using soy milk

Water

Directions:

1. Open the can and pour into a sauce pan or microwave safe bowl. 

2. Fill the can half-way with soy milk (or the milk substitute of your choice). 

3. Fill the rest of the can with water. 

4. Pour into the container of your choice, stir, and cook following the directions on the can. 

Enjoy this delicious soup! Adding the milk gives it a creamy texture and makes it just a little bit thicker.

I'm enjoying my soup with a handful of Stacy's Pita Chips. 

This is a delicious combination & it makes a great meal to curl up with, watch the National Championship, and try to stay warm!

I hope you are all having a warm and wonderful Meatless Monday! 

A Vegan Review: Mellow Mushroom

Last week my boyfriend and I celebrated an anniversary at the restaurant of my choosing. This year, I chose what I thought was a new local restaurant. As it turns out, I was mistaken and this new restaurant is a national chain.

I’m talking about Mellow Mushroom, a delightful pizza restaurant with a psychedelic flair.

I mean, how cute is this mushroom? This little guy is smiling right on the front of every to-go box and he perfectly matches the decor. 

For those of you who live in Richmond, this new location is on Carry Street in the heart of Carrytown. For those of you who live elsewhere, check the Mellow Mushroom website for a location near you. (:

They have quite an extensive menu, which at my location includes Daiya vegan cheese. 

I ordered a small pizza, which is 4 slices & perfect for one or two. The crust is normally brushed with a butter and a garlic sauce, both of which are not vegan. I asked for these sauces to be left off, but the gluten-free crust is also vegan. 

While any vegetables can be added to a pie, I chose to only add mushrooms and to only add them to half of my pie. 

Here is a slice, from the half with cheese. This oven baked deliciousness was the perfect combination of bread, tomato, and cheesy goodness. 

Add some mushrooms and red pepper flakes.... and BAM! This pizza goes one step further then amazing. 

A good vegan pizza is hard to find, especially on that tastes like pizza. On top of serving good pizza, they also have a great bar, and like I mentioned earlier the atmosphere was awesome. 

While we did have to wait close to thirty minutes for a table, I could totally see this being a great place to grab a bite to eat & a drink with friends after work or school; but I also saw lots of families eating a casual friday night dinner. 

If you find that there is a Mellow Mushroom near you, I definitely think that you should give it a try and of course let me know what you think! (: 

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Vegan Milkshakes!

Tonight, I'm watching the live performance of The Sound of Music & enjoying a delicious vegan milkshake! 

I whipped up a delicious treat by mixing some vanilla ice cream, soy milk, and Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. Of course I added a cherry too! 

Are you watching The Sound of Music? What do you 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. (: (: 

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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!!

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Crescent Rolls

The best part of November 1^st is getting to eat all the Halloween candy from last night, whether it be from your own trick-o-treating adventure or candy that never got handed out.

So, in honor of that, I’m going to break my routine once again tonight. Instead of posting about something sweet, I’m going to assume that everyone else has their fill of sweets at home to eat and talk about a meal staple in my house.

I’m a big fan of breads, whether it is for a sandwich or with pasta or even with a little butter as a snack.

One of the staple breads that I keep in my fridge at all times, is the Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls. 

Pop them out of the can, roll them up, and throw them on a cookie sheet. 

In 11-13 minutes they come out of the over warm and golden brown! They are quick and delicious and work great as a side to pasta, soups, and stews in the winter when a nice warm bread complements your meal perfectly. 

Add a little butter and just look how delicious this looks! So flakey and wonderful, plus they are only 100 calories a roll! (:

Have you ever tried these crescent rolls? What did you think about them?!

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Enjoy!

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!

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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!

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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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! 

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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