From the Mouths of Babes

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I am still so full, I'm skipping breakfast this morning...
Well, maybe just one piece of pie.
We had 5 - seriously, FIVE - pies yesterday (for a family of four, we kind of overdid it), so I will be uttering the words, "Well, maybe just one piece of pie" for at least two weeks.

The diet starts in January! Hardy-har-har.

Anyway, I wanted to share something both hilarious and wonderful with you. I am very blessed to work in a darling little Methodist church as a secretary, and I love my job with all my heart. Everything that comes into the church has to pass my desk before going anywhere else as I am, first and foremost, a filter.
Earlier this week, a lovely woman representing a local private school came to the church office and offered me a handful of cards, all handmade and created by children, to give to recipients of Meals on Wheels.
The senior pastor, my husband, and I had a great time looking through all of the cards, all of which were very sweet and creative (and a few of which were unintentionally hilarious - one of them was addressed, "Dear Elderly...").

While looking through the cards, we started to notice a trend among them. Drawings of turkeys begging not to be eaten. I thought to myself, "Hey, the kids get it!" At least to a degree. I would imagine that the majority of them still ate turkey yesterday, but there's at least a tiny little spark inside of them that lights up in response to the mass killing and eating of literally 46 million turkeys in a single day. Here are a few of my favorites:

This final card has nothing whatsoever to do with turkeys, but I cracked up for a half an hour over it and wanted to share.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome Vegan Potluckers!

As part of the Virtual Vegan Potluck blog tour this year, I am happy to be a part of the "Dessert Course." Last year, I was a "bread course" gal (click HERE to see last year's entry), but this year I'm goin' whole hog sugar rush with some decadent double chocolate chip cookies. DIABETICS BEWARE!

1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1 tablespoon ground flax
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla or almond extract 
1 1/2 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• In a small bowl, mix the ground flax with milk and set aside for about 10 minutes, then stir again.
• Cream together the sugar and oil, until smooth and silky. Add vanilla and mix.
• Add dry ingredients (but not the chocolate chips) to wet, but do not stir until all dry ingredients are in the bowl. Mix well, but do not overmix. Just mix gently until everything is moist and well-incorporated.
• Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Place by rounded tablespoonful, two inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crispy on the top and around the edges, but still moist in the middle. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack before eating or storing.
• These are fabulous with an ice cold cup of almond milk!

VEG COACH

VEGAN HERITAGE PRESS

Chocolate Quinoa Pudding

It may sound weird or gross, and it may look weird or gross (my husband turned up his nose at it when he saw it sitting in the pot on the stove), but trust me and try it. It's really good! It's kind of like rice pudding or a sticky tapioca pudding, with a real kick of chocolate flavor. The same husband who wrinkled his face up at the sight of the pudding ate an entire cup of it and admitted that it was good. My daughter enjoyed it too!

I just happened to get lucky yesterday and find cheap, organic quinoa at the salvage store. $1.59 for a 12-ounce bag! Can you believe it?? Needless to say, I bought more than one bag. Now I have quinoa coming out of my wazoo, but - hey - I sure don't mind!

2 cups almond milk
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup sugar (optional, if you don't mind it not-so-sweet)
1/2 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Unsweetened, shredded coconut (for garnish)

• Heat almond milk, quinoa, and sugar in a medium saucepan until boiling, stirring often. 
• Reduce heat and allow to simmer until quinoa is soft and much of the liquid is cooked off. 
• Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Once chips are melted and well-incorporated, give the mixture one more stir then place a lid on the pot. Allow it to rest for five to ten minutes before spooning into bowls and topping with a sprinkle of coconut.
• Enjoy!