Flying Saucer Snack Attack

Like a broken record, I am still swamped. Besides conquering chemistry, a huge struggle for me has been bringing brain sustaining food with me to school on the days I am there for over 8 hours, that doesn't bore me. I like sandwiches and all but I certainly couldn't eat one everyday like Jared does, so I have been racking my brain as to what I could make that will ward off hunger and keep my taste buds happy. Part of the problem is that I forget to pack my lunch/snacks the night before and food in the morning just isn't very appetizing to me. Another issue is that what I do manage to pack isn't anything I am in the mood for later on. By the time I'm on campus and hungry, it's too late. So, besides boring sandwiches, I have been bringing apples, carrot sticks and sometimes chips or pretzels. For someone who enjoys food, this is not cutting it. I seriously don't know how parents pack a lunch for their kids everyday (or just about everyday)!!!

Anyways, my friend Ashley (Vegan Invasion), made an awesome cheese ball for the ICE pre-party a couple of Friday's ago that I have been thinking about ever since. It is seriously as good, if not better, than the original cheese ball it is based on . . . You know, the incredibly dense cream cheese and cheddar ball covered in nuts? I didn't have one set recipe but made this version from several recipes I found online. My version was simply Tofutti cream cheese, shredded vegan cheddar block (Galaxy Nutritional Foods), Earth Balance, nutritional yeast, vegan Worcestershire sauce, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, liquid smoke (the key ingredient!), dried chives and a finely chopped green onion mixed until fluffy and smooth with an electric hand mixer. I had trouble forming it into a ball, so it became a spread with a top layer of roasted chopped almonds. I'm not sure how long it will last once Jared gets home, but my plan is to pack this up for lunch this week with some crackers, in addition to my carrot sticks and apple. Thanks for the idea Ashley!



p.s.- I LOVE this picture of my nephew, Gabriel, because he looks how my brain feels every night before I go to sleep.

Cheezy "Everything" Spelt Crackers

One of my favorite things for breakfast, lunch or just a snack is an everything bagel. I love the combo of the caraway seeds, course salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes and garlic bits all toasted up with Earth Balance, or as strange as it might sound, peanut butter and jelly (trust me, its good). Since we are saving money and trying to hit the grocery stores less, I decided I'd make an everything bagel version of the Cheezy Quackers from Have Cake, Will Travel to stop my bagel craving. I have probably made these crackers a half dozen times (and already posted about it once or twice), so I thought it was time to branch out and change it up a little. They turned out so well, I had to once again brag about this recipe and share my version.
I followed the recipe technique but changed up the ingredients a little. Instead of all purpose flour, I used spelt flour, used 2 tablespoons of margarine and 2 tablespoons of shortening and a little homemade spice blend that has paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano and sugar. I used my mini-animal cookie cutters to make bite sized shapes and topped them with a blend that included caraway seeds, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and sesame seeds. Unfortunately, I didn't have any poppy seeds or dried onion flakes and garlic bits, but the general taste was there. If I make this version again, I will add cooking spray to the cracker dough before coating with the everything topping so it sticks better and of course get my hands on some poppy seeds.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you haven't made these Cheezy Crackers (or your own version of them) yet, DO IT!

a lower fat hummus: southwest meets mid-east

I love hummus. Unfortunately, hummus can be very fattening from the chickpeas themselves, tahini and olive oil. In the past, to the cut fat I would use the bean cooking liquid but still used tahini and olive oil. This time around I decided to not use olive oil at all and only use a little tahini and a lot more of the bean cooking liquid. To make up for the missing fat, I had to pump up the flavors from the add ins.
What resulted was a Smoky Chili Lime Hummus.
I cooked 1 cup of dried chickpeas that I soaked over night, with garlic salt and 3 bay leaves for about 2 hours (this gives around 2 cups of cooked chickpeas). I drained the chickpeas and reserved the cooking liquid. I added to the chickpeas, the juice of one big lime, about 1 tablespoon of tahini, a dash of cumin, a couple heavy dashes of chipotle powder, a dash of regular chili powder, 1 garlic clove and sea salt. I used my immersion blender to get a very smooth consistency, adding the reserved cooking liquid as needed until it got to the consistency and texture that I like in a hummus. I topped the hummus with lime zest and sweet paprika. This hummus inspired snack turned out bright, smoky and spicy. If I make this again, I might add a little chopped cilantro on top (just a little though, a little goes a long way).
I divided this batch of hummus into 8 servings, each serving has about 110 calories and 2 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. I ate this for lunch with cauliflower florets and carrots sticks and I didn't missed all the fat.

Ikea finds, 100 calorie snack, Udon Noodle Splurge

This first picture isn't anything spectacular, just my breakfast of coffee with light soymilk and a piece of whole wheat toast with a little natural peanut butter. What I am excited about is the dishes and coffee press in the picture. We went to Ikea to find a lamp for our living room and I found this cute cup and saucer set, where the saucer is large enough on one side to have a piece of toast or other breakfast goodie on it. The cup and saucer were $6. I also have been wanting a coffee press and found this one for $12.
I <3 Ikea!

I'm sure everyone has seen those pre-packaged 100 calorie snacks on the market now. I have seen a few of my fellow bloggers making their own, and thought that was a good idea. Since I am trying to cut my fats and sugary carbs, I decided to make a 100calorie snack plate with veggies and sea salt. This plate had carrot sticks, cucumber spears, daikon radish sticks and cauliflower florets. It's amazing how tasty and filling 100 calories really can be.

Since I had extra calories left from the day I splurged on dinner tonight. I made a noodle bowl with whole wheat Udon noodles, lite tofu, cabbage and onions with a soy/teriyaki/sriracha sauce with sesame seeds and cucumbers. This meal was hefty, coming in at 500 calories, 14 grams of fat (it also had 11 grams of fiber and 21 grams of protein) but it sure was good . . . and I still have enough calories for an apple for dessert/snack later!

Lori's Party Bars (inspired by My Sweet Vegan)

I am probably the last vegan out here that finally got a copy of My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky. I am totally blown away by this cookbook. Not only is the author a great recipe writer, she is also a great photographer. I love how there is a picture for every recipe (or just about). I also like how there is such variety with decadent recipes, lower fat snacks, and both fruity and chocolaty treats. The first recipe that caught my eye was the Party Mix Bars. I mean, who doesn't like a party?
I didn't have the exact ingredients My Sweet Vegan's called for so, I made up my own version. My version made 16 bars each that came out to 175 calories, 3 grams of fat, 115 grams of sodium, 36 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. They are very delicious and not a totally naughty snack.

Lori's "Don't Be A Fruit, Come To My Party" Bars
4 cups of Berry Blast Oats (like Cheerios . . . I used a generic/store brand that has dried blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)
2 cups of mini fat free pretzels (with salt)
1/2 cups cocktail peanuts (with salt)
1 tablespoon whipped Earth Balance margarine
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cereal, pretzels and peanuts together in a big mixing bowl. In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Once melted, add the corn syrup and sugar and continue to cook on medium heat until sugars are dissolved, being careful not to burn by stirring. Take margarine/sugar mixture off of the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour sugar mixture over the dry ingredients and carefully combine until everything is evenly covered in the sugar syrup (careful not to break up the cereal). Spray a 9 x13 pan with cooking spray and pour the mixture in evenly. With your fingers (or a spatula if you aren't very personal with your food), mash the mixture into the pan. Let the mixture cool completely before trying to cut and eat!

vegan travels

I am flying to Tampa tomorrow to see my family and new baby nephew. This will be the first time I will be flying and having to wait at airports as a vegan. So, knowing that airports are full of fast food chains and not so great snack options at the gift shops, I am going prepared. Initially, I didn't expect to pack so much food BUT it might snow tomorrow (definitely gonna rain), so I wanted to be prepared for any flight delays. I have my laptop with loads of good music, this wonderful book I'm reading called Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen and this lovely spread of goodies including Japanese Rice Snacks, Animal Cookies, homemade cheezy crackers and a throw together mix I made out of dried cranberries, raw cashews, roasted almonds and dried coconut chunks. I am prepared in case the mood strikes me for something sweet, crunchy, salty or just in need for a little protein.

Here's hoping to no flight delays. Now I see why snow is frustrating for those who get it all the time!

SNOW! and crudités lunch for one

Alright you northerners, excuse my utter joy for snow! It actualy snowed in Atlanta last night for a couple hours. This was the FIRST TIME I had seen snow. It was so beautiful and definitely in my top 10 things for coolest experiences I have had so far in my life. I don't know how to explain it other than, peaceful and amazing. There wasn't enough snow on the ground to make snow angels, but I did get to throw a few snow balls!
Sweetpea seemed unimpressed:

I, on the other hand, was elated:

It's no longer snowing but it is really cold. Which reminds me of another of my resolutions for this year (and forever): to eat more veggies and fruit! I know that sounds odd coming from a vegan, but I still find myself not eating as many veggies and fruits as I would like. So, today I made my naughty goddess dressing (because I am the pleasantly PLUMP vegan if you recall) I posted about before to have with some carrots, broccoli and bagel chips I made (leftover/stale bagels sliced thin, baked at 420 with olive oil cooking spray, garlic salt, onion powder and natural sugar until golden brown).

very busy weekend in the kitchen

I'm not sure what got over me, but starting Friday and ending a few minutes ago, I spent more time in my kitchen than I have in a very long time. It was an awesome weekend of good eats!
First things first . . . As soon as I saw these Spicy' N Sweet Maple-y Nuts from Bazu's blog, I knew I HAD to make them. These are some of the best spiced nuts I have ever had.
Make these now. Right now.

Here is a beautiful loaf of French bread I made, which has been the BEST batch of bread I have made in my new bread machine. It had the least amount of ingredients and took the most amount of time (5 HOURS!) but it was so worth it.

I cut all the crust sides off and made garlic toast with them and used the non-crust white inside of the bread to make these croutons.

I used the crouton recipe in Veganomicon (pg. 81-82) and also made the Caesar dressing recipe. I was trilled with the croutons and thought the dressing was pretty good but not like Caesar salad dressing. I'd make it again though.
Friday night I made an Asian Noodle Soup. A few weeks back I had made an Asian inspired veggie broth out of onions, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, black pepper and soy sauce and froze it. I thawed/reheated the broth and in my steamer, steamed cabbage, zucchini and baby bok choy. For the noodles, I used an eggless wonton wrapper, cut into strips, which I found in the frozen section of our local Asian market. I boiled the strips of wontons separately (which only took like a minute), added the cooked noodles to a bowl with the steamed veggies and broth ladled over everything. Topped with green onions, this was very filling and an awesome way to use up extra wonton wrappers.

Saturday, I made the Blueberry Streusel Muffins from the Damn Tasty Vegan Baking Guide. My new favorite thing is using soy yogurt in my baked goods because they lend such a nice sour note that really brings everything together. This time I used a blueberry flavored soy yogurt, which turned the batter purple. These are probably my favorite muffins and they taste great with any fresh or frozen berry.


Today I made one of our old stand by meals . . . the beloved tostadas (although, they look more like nachos). These had blue corn chips, some chipotle pinto beans I blended up, tomatoes, red and green onions, some of my Dad's famous Rex Sauce (sweet & vinegary), sweet Thai chili sauce and some of my homemade guacamole. Jared added some left over cut up romaine lettuce on his. I never get tired of these.

And last but not least . . . my new favorite dinner. Veganomicon's Chickpea Cutlets (pg. 133), garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and soy sausage saw mill gravy (same stuff I pure over my biscuits when we have biscuits and gravy).

berry streusel muffins, grilled wraps

My darling sister Erin and lovely brother-in-law Mike are coming up from Florida for a visit. They are expecting their first baby (the first grandbaby on this side) and wanted a little trip before the baby comes and we are very happy to see them for a day or two before they head further north. My sister, who is normally an omnivore, is a bit turned off by meat these days due to her pregnancy . . . so, this makes cooking and/or eating out a lot easier. Soul Vegetarian, here we come!
Anyways, I always like to make something sweet for all my guests and decided to make muffins for Erin and Mike (and of course Jared and I) to munch on. I used the Blueberry Streusel Muffin recipe from The Damn Tasty! Vegan Baking Guide. Instead of all blueberries, I decided to use a frozen mixture of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries and boy did they rock! The muffin is sweet and moist, with bites of tart and colorful berries bursting in your mouth. Plus, there is a sweet and crunchy crumble on top that matches so well with the texture of the rest of the muffin.
I hope Erin and Mike like them as much as we did.

Last night for dinner, I made simple wraps. I found these really tasty chili tomato flour tortilla wraps made with canola oil vs. partially hydrogenated stuff. I spread homemade hummus on the tortilla along with sliced tomato and a handful of clover sprouts. I heated the wraps in a pan with a touch of cooking spray, which made the tortilla crispy, melted the hummus and heated the veggies up a bit.
These were so tasty, Jared had two!

clearing out the kitchen

Every now and again, I like to clear out the kitchen and restock. This includes canned goods, dried herbs and flour in the cupboards, fruit on the counter tops and veggies in the fridge. It started last night with a veggie and tomato soup. I used up the majority of the veggies in the fridge including carrots, celery, green beans, zucchini, fresh thyme and parsley along with onions and potatoes from my veggie basket. I also included a box of veggie stock, a can of tomato sauce, dried rosemary, oregano, basil, sea salt and black pepper. I also made whole wheat flour biscuits using hazelnut milk instead of soy milk, which surprisingly went with the soup, despite having a heavily hazelnut flavor.

For dessert, I used up the plums that, on their own, were kind of mealy and flavorless. After splitting, coring, filling the center with brown sugar and whipped Earth Balance and baking for a few minutes, they came back alive.

Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking, so I whipped up some hummus that had fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh garlic, canned garbanzo beans, tahini, almond butter, olive oil, agave, sea salt and black pepper. In an attempt to get rid of a bag of unbleached all purpose flour, I also made a loaf of bread. I spread the hummus on the fresh bread with sliced tomatoes and red onion. It turned out to be a pretty great dinner.

Cookie Cutter Craziness

After a full week of visitors and very little cooking/baking, I went a little crazy in the kitchen today. Our friend Star was busy with the bike race and didn't make it over to our place last weekend, so I never got a hold of her vegan sugar cookie recipe. It all worked out because it forced me to come up with my own. I still need to play around with the recipe a bit more but, all and all, I am pleased with the taste and texture. My sugar cookie recipe had turbinado sugar, Earth Balance buttery stick, Tofutti cream cheese, vanilla extract, golden flax seed slurry (which served as the egg replacer, add 2 tbsp ground golden flax seed to 3 tbsp water, to equal 1 egg), all purpose flour, baking powder and sea salt, plus more sugar for the top. I only let the dough chill for a hour which made it hard to cut the tender dough with the cookie cutters. Luckily with the help of additional flour and a spatula, it all worked out. Next time I think I will chill the dough over night to make sure it is super hard. If I get the recipe just right, I'll be sure to post about it.
This picture showcases 3 of my favorite things:
cookies, guitars and Hello Kitty.

I also did butterfly sugar cookies.

My dad and step mom were two of our visitors this week and while out kitchen gadget shopping, they bought me these adorable cookie cutters. Despite not being religious, I couldn't resist these mini Noah's arc inspired shapes. When I made these before, I didn't have small cookie cutters so I had to try Celine's Cheezy Quakers with my new cookie (or cracker) cutters. Like last time, I made a few modifications. Instead of sea salt, I again used garlic salt and instead of paprika I used a spice blend Jared made from Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan! cookbook (from what I can tell, it was the "Needs a Little Extra" spice blend). I also sprinkled the tops with turbinado sugar. These were awesome, in part because of a great recipe (with or without my modifications) and because of the cute shapes. Thanks again Dad and Delia!

granola power!

I haven't made granola in a really long time and so I made a batch tonight. Mine almost always has nuts, seeds and cinnamon. Here is my basic recipe for granola but the cool thing about granola is you can pretty much add any dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate/carob chips and spices/extracts. Of course, you can put only nuts or only seeds or only dried fruits but you may need to add additional oats. This isn't an exact science so play around with it until you find a technique/recipe you like!

2 tbsp Earth Balance (buttery stick)
4 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
2 tbsp Agave Nectar
1 1/4 cup Oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts (whatever you like/have on hand)
1-2 tbsp seeds (whatever you like/have on hand)
cinnamon to taste (or whatever spice/extract floats your boat)
pinch of sea salt

* Preheat oven to 300 degrees
* In a small pan, melt on low heat the Earth Balance, Pure Maple Syrup and Agave Nectar.
* In a medium glass bowl combine the oats, nuts, seeds, spice(s) and the sea salt.
* Pour melted mixture on top of oat mixture and mix until everything is wet.
* Pour sticky mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
* Bake for about 30-45 minutes (really depends on yr oven) until most of the wetness is gone. STIR MIXTURE SEVERAL TIMES DURING BAKING!!!
* Remove parchment paper with granola on it from the baking sheet onto counter top or cutting board and if using, stir in any dried fruits at this point. Let the granola dry completely. This cooling will actually be what makes the hot still moist granola turn magically into the crunchy stuff you are use to.
* If it lasts long (which it won't) store the completely cooled granola in a tight fitting Tupperware container.

~Nut Ideas- pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, peanuts, peanut or other nut butter (please note, if you are going to use a nut butter, melt it in with the margarine/syrup/agave).
~Seed Ideas- sesame, sunflower, ground flax.
~Dried Fruit Ideas- cranberries, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, raisins, apples, apricots, banana chips, coconut flakes, dates.
~Miscellaneous Ideas- chocolate chips or carob chips (I would wait for the mixture to be 100% cooled down before adding these though)
~Spice Ideas- cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, cardamon.
~Extract Ideas- vanilla, almond, coconut.

Combo Ideas-
- walnuts, dried apples, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg.
- almonds, dried cranberries, vanilla extract.
- peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips.
- cashews, macadamias, dried banana chips, coconut flakes, cardamon.

My batch tonight had pecans, sunflower seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg.

Jumping on the Cheezy Quacker Bandwagon!

I have seen so many people make these cheezy quackers, from what I can tell, originated from Have Cake, Will Travel!. I'm sure if I'm wrong, someone will tell me. I had to make these to see for myself what the hype was all about. I have to say, these are pretty amazing. I changed the recipe only a bit though. Instead of sea salt I used garlic salt and I also sprinkled the tops with a natural sugar and sea salt blend, for a signature sweet/savory thing I am totally about. These are way too addictive and because they are relatively simple to make, I do believe they will become a staple in our house. Unfortunately, I do not have any cute cookie cutters (yet) so I just used a pizza cutter and made squiggly lines to make different shapes. Tonight I will be having tomato soup and loads of these quackers! Get into it!!!

Tomato Two Ways Bruschetta

Jared and I had a late lunch yesterday so we weren't up for a huge dinner last night. On nights like these, I make this bruschetta. It has cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, agave, sea salt and black pepper on toasted crusty bread from the farmers market. Sometimes I put fresh basil in but we didn't have any.
These are actually very filling and a perfectly light summer snack.

corn chowder, a literal midnight snack

Tonight I made corn chowder. It wasn't the best batch I ever made but Jared ate 2 big bowls so I guess it wasn't that bad. It had leeks, sweet onion, carrots, celery, garlic, red potatoes, fresh corn, fresh parsley, veggie stock, soy milk, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper.

The problem with insomnia is the midnight snacks that come with it. I made a half grilled "ham" sandwich with cranberry sauce and Vegenaise.