Chocolate No-Milk Shake Redux

I've been reading a fantastic book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right. I have underlined, starred, and dog-eared at least 80% of what I've read so far. Tons of great information!
I'm bringing this up because when I was reading this morning, I was particularly struck (stricken?) by the following passage:

"Raw nuts, seeds, and avocados are also foods rich in fat, but they contain healthy fats, important for normal growth and development, and they are rich in nutrients as well. Consumption of these foods has been shown to have powerful protective effects against disease. The results are so striking that in one study men who ate raw nuts had half the heart attack rate compared to men who did not eat nuts. Furthermore, eating raw nuts and seeds has been shown to decrease the death rate from all causes, extending life-span... Eating nuts and seeds makes us live a lot longer and prevents both heart disease and cancer. Eating walnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and many more varieties is the best way for us and especially our children, to get the healthy fats we need from nature's tasty and unpolluted source...
When children obtain most of their essential fats from raw nuts and seeds, they not only get the healthier fats, but they also receive lots of beneficial minerals and antioxidants in the process."

This got me thinking about the amount of nuts and seeds I eat. Not many! Nuts and seeds are expensive, and I can only get them when they are on sale or I find them at the salvage store, which happens but is rare. So, basically, I'll just have to give up something less essential (perhaps chocolate chips, for example) so that I can afford the dang nuts. And, even more importantly, I need to find ways for my daughter (who hates nuts) to do it too. And that reminded me of a no-milk shake recipe that I posted on here almost two years ago.

Here's the link to the original post: Chocolate No-Milk Shake

This no-milk "milkshake" is comprised primarily of raw cashews, and it truly does taste like a bona fide chocolate milkshake. I remember in the summer of 2010, right after I discovered how to make these, my daughter and I drank them daily. She had no idea she was chug-a-luggin' a bunch of raw nuts. So, it made me feel great because I was giving her something healthy, and she felt great because she thought she was having chocolate. Win-win! I'm definitely going to start making these again.

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 tray of ice cubes (about 3 cups)
1/8 cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
1 cup soy or nut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Toss all ingredients, except the ice, into a strong blender and blend until smooth. 
• Add ice cubes through the hole in the lid one at a time, and continue to blend until nice and creamy.
• Try substituting maple or mint flavoring for the vanilla sometime. Both are equally yummy!
• Makes two large servings, or four small ones.
• Enjoy!

The Leaning Tower of Pancakes

I wasn't planning to post today, but I just had to share the hilariously ginormous stack of pancakes I cooked up this morning. Lila and I were making, "Whoa, whooooaaaaaaaaa" noises as I carried the wobbling stack to the table for a photo. It reminded me of the poem "Pancake?" by Shel Silverstein.

PANCAKE?
by Shel Silverstein (from the book Where the Sidewalk Ends) 

Who wants a pancake,
Sweet and piping hot?
Good little Grace looks up and says,
"I'll take the one on top."
Who else wants a pancake,
Fresh off the griddle?
Terrible Theresa smiles and says,
"I'll take the one in the middle."

This is the Perfect Pancakes recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's fabulous cookbook, Vegan Brunch (published by the Perseus Books Group).

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 to 1 1/4 cups plain rice milk or soy milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cooking spray

• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for at least 2 minutes (and up to 5 minutes).
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
• Make a well in the center and add the oil, water, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix just until ingredients are combined. A few lumps in the batter are just fine.
• Spray the pan with a light coat of cooking spray (or a very light coat of oil). Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry (about 3 minutes). Flip over and cook for another minute.
• Serve!

My Notes:
I substituted white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour and it worked great.
I also substituted coffee liqueur for the vanilla extract and that was divine.

If you haven't already purchased every cookbook available from 

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, I suggest you do so a.s.a.p.

I have yet to be disappointed by a single one of her recipes.

Cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz:

Appetite for Reduction

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Vegan with a Vengeance

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Vegan Brunch

Vegan Pie in the Sky

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook

Lastly, I just want to applaud Nickelodeon for turning off
the shows on all of their channels and, instead, posting this...

Click to learn more about the Worldwide Day of Play!

Easiest-Ever Hummus Quesadillas

My allergies are really buggin' me today, so I was looking for something quick and easy to whip up that would still qualify as healthy. Well, thanks to yesterday's Hep Halloween Hummus post, I have an abundance of yummy hummus to smear on any thing that will hold it. Today that thing was a whole wheat tortilla. I was going to stop there, but I suddenly got inspired! I sprinkled on some Daiya Cheddar, then some salsa. Then I grilled it all up on a cast-iron griddle and topped with a blob of Tofutti Sour Cream. It was fantastic! Don't you just love it when that happens?

Here's what the construction-in-progress version of my quesadilla looked like...

And here's Lila, all dolled up in her Dorothy-from-Kansas Halloween costume (she's gonna have that thing worn out before Halloween even gets here), chowing down on her quesadilla...

And, listen folks, I apologize if you get tired of seeing pictures of my kid. I just feel the need to prove to skeptical parents that children will actually eat this stuff and really enjoy it! I can't tell you how many times I've heard parents say stuff like, "My so-and-so will only eat french fries," and "I can't get so-and-so to eat a vegetable to save my life." Lila loves french fries too, but she eats plenty of other, really healthy stuff to balance the occasional intake of fries. Kids will eat vegetables, and they don't even need to be drowned in Ranch dressing. I promise! Sometimes you just have to get creative. Boy, riding this high horse really makes my butt hurt...

 

Anyway, here's how to piece that bad boy quesadilla together:

2 whole wheat tortillas (or whatever your favorite is)

3 tablespoons your favorite hummus, or more to taste

2 tablespoons your favororite salsa, or more to taste

A generous sprinkling of shredded vegan cheddar cheese

A dollop of vegan sour cream

• Start your griddle heating up! I put mine on medium heat.
• Smear the hummus on one tortilla.
• Pile on cheese and salsa. You might want to use a spoon to spread the salsa around a bit.
• Place the other tortilla on top.
• Grill gently on a cast iron griddle or skillet. It doesn't take long, maybe just a minute on each side.
• Cut with a pizza cutter while still on the griddle.
• Place on a plate and top with vegan sour cream.
• Enjoy!

The Night Before Halloween

Wilton Haunted Manor Treat Stand

Halloween Skull & Crossbones Ice Cube Tray

Hep Halloween Hummus

What makes this hummus special for Halloween, you ask? There's a rubber finger in the bottom of the bowl! Mwa-hah-hahhhhh!!!

Can you tell we are big fans of Halloween at my house? Uhhh, yeah. That's an understatement. We *lurve* Halloween super hard! It's always been my favorite holiday, and I think that's partially because it comes at the advent of my favorite season, autumn. I just love everything about autumn! The colors, the pumpkin pastries, the smells, the lowering temperatures after another ass-hot Texas summer. It's great! Behold my current fireplace mantel decorations, a shrine to all things autumn.

Make this hummus for your next Halloween party, and don't forget the rubber finger!

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini paste
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, minced
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Throw everything into a food processor and whirl until smooth and creamy. 
• Enjoy!

P.S. For an even cheaper version of classic hummus, click HERE.

YummyEarth Organic Lollipops

Skeleton Hiccups

The Night Before Halloween

Pico De Gallo with Zucchini

Well, it's time to use up the last of the summer zucchini, and I don't know about you guys but I cannot eat another bite of zucchini bread. I love the stuff, but there's only so much you can make and eat in one summer... 

Oh, who am I kidding? I can always eat another bite of zucchini bread! 

Really, I was just looking for a creative way to get my "zuke vites." That's what I call the vitamins from zucchini. This is a throwback from ten years ago when I worked at Starbucks and the button on the cash register for zucchini bread said simply, "ZUKE LOAF." So, my coworkers and I would quip, in a thick Italian accent, "You look thin! Come inta the kitchen and have some ah ya mutha's zuke loaf." It still makes me chuckle to say it. 

Anyway, try out this pico de gallo recipe. I literally never measure my ingredients when I make pico de gallo. I just start throwing stuff in and then I adjust the ingredients to taste. So, this recipe is really just a starting point. You will need to taste it a lot as you make it, and adjust as you go. If you're going to be eating it with tortilla chips (is there any other way??) then you will want to taste it with a chip as you make it. The salt from the chip is more than adequate to salt your pico, in my opinion. If you don't intend to eat it with chips, you might need a bit more salt.

8 to 12 Roma tomatoes, chopped

Half a white onion, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

A generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Lime juice, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

• Toss everything into a bowl and stir. Easy peasy.
• I recommend covering with and airtight lid and allowing it to chill in the fridge for a few hours before eating. You don't have to do this, but I find that after it sits a while and the flavors mingle together, it tastes even more fantastic.
• Enjoy!

Grilling Vegan Style: 125 Fired-Up Recipes

PETA's Vegan College Cookbook

Vegan Planet: 400 Irresistible Recipes

The *NEW* Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Anybody remember this post from a year ago? The one where I touted a certain chocolate chip cookie as being "the best?" Yeah, well that was a good cookie - don't get me wrong - but it has now been replaced by these! This is the "Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies" recipe from Dreena Burton's cookbook, Vive le Vegan!(published by Arsenal Pulp Press).

If you don't already own this cookbook, you should get it, especially if you're the parent of a young child - it's chock full of kid-friendly recipes and tips. I pull this one down off the shelf at least twice a week. And I have owned this cookbook for well over a year, but I never tried the chocolate chip cookie recipe until yesterday.

I am seriously lamenting all the months I spent not knowing how fabulous these cookies are. These are easily the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten. I just had to share this recipe! The problem with most vegan cookie recipes is that they are too cakey, not like their omnivorous counterparts whose massive infusions of butter make them so ooey-gooey soft on the inside and crispity-crunchy on the outside. I don't know how Dreena Burton did it, but she came up with a magical combination of ingredients that makes these cookies seem like they're baked with two sticks of butter. And she keeps the refined sugar to a minimum as well. Thank you, Dreena Burton. You are my new hero!

Be sure to follow the directions exactly as they are written. If you don't, your cookies may not turn out right. I know this because my first attempt at this recipe failed miserably when I went my own way with the mixing method.

Oh, and just a warning - you might want to put a lock on your cookie jar. My four-year-old loved these cookies so much she kept traveling back and forth to our Doctor Who Tardis Cookie Jar. I know this because the jar makes a sound every time it's opened and I heard that sound a lot yesterday!

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or 1 1/4 cup spelt flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil (a little generous)
1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. 
• In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. 
• Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).
• Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little.
• Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). 
• Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.

Visit Dreena Burton's website, Plant Powered Kitchen!

Other cookbooks by Dreena Burton:

Let Them Eat Vegan!

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

The Everyday Vegan

Kale and Bean Soup

The perfect companion to a rainy day in autumn is this wonderfully rich and hearty kale soup. It's so healthy too - it just makes you feel all warm and cozy inside while you eat it. I like to dip a vegan-buttered slice of ciabatta baguette into mine (and by "a slice," naturally, I mean half a loaf of...)
It keeps great in the fridge too, so you can eat on it for several days. The kale starts to lose its rich color after a couple of re-heatings, but it still tastes great!

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
Any of your favorite Italian seasonings (I used basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram, and thyme), to taste

• In a large pot, saute onions, garlic in olive oil until tender. You can add a few splashes of water or vegetable broth as needed to prevent sticking.
• Add the broth, kale, tomatoes, water, seasonings, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat, add beans, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes. 
• Discard bay leaf and serve.
• Enjoy!

Note: If you can swing it, the addition of sliced and browned Tofurky Italian Sausage throws the soup right over the top!

Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These pancakes are rich, chocolatey, delicious, and jammed full of fiber. Top with a pat of vegan butter and some pure maple syrup. How can you go wrong?
 
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon stevia (or preferred sweetener)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups soy milk
1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the vanilla and one cup of soy milk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until just mixed. Add the remaining soy milk, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. 
• Fold in the chocolate chips. 
• Drop onto a pre-heated/pre-greased griddle and cook until bubbles start to form, just one or two minutes. Watch closely! Then flip and cook on the other side for another minute or so. 
• Enjoy!

BULGING BELLY WARNING: 
This recipe makes a lot! I use this recipe to feed a family of three, and we usually have enough leftovers for at least one of us. So, if you're only cooking for one, or don't want any leftovers, you might want to cut the recipe in half. If you don't mind leftovers, your extra pancakes will keep well in the fridge (in an airtight container, o' course) and can be quickly reheated in a warmed skillet or toaster oven.

Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For

41 Fast and Delicious Vegan Recipes for Breakfast

Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food

Homemade Taco Seasoning

In my experience, the best way to save money is by doing stuff yourself instead of paying someone to do it for you. I'm sure that might have elicited a few "d'uhs" from the crowd, but I felt it was worth saying. I mean, why pay a corporation to slap a fancy label on a spray bottle of chemically-toxic window cleaner when you can squirt some vinegar on the glass and get the same result, minus the lung irritation?

So, I'm going to intermittently start posting DIY-style recipes for all kinds of great stuff, particularly stuff that leeches money out of your wallet unnecessarily. From cleaning products to spice mixes, just keep tuning in and start taking notes. I've got some great ideas to share with you!

To start with, here's an easy recipe for homemade taco seasoning. The ingredients are inexpensive and you can make up a nice big bowl of this stuff for what you might pay for just a few packets of the store-bought mess, and you won't have to worry about MSG and anti-caking agents. It's a win-win!

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Here's what the finished product will look like.

• I recommend sprinkling in about 3 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of veggie crumbles, and maybe drop in a teaspoon or two of water as well. 
• Enjoy!

Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers

Fiesta Vegan: 30 Delicious Recipes from New Mexico

Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes

Quinoa with Roasted Corn and Cilantro

My husband, believe it or not, does the majority of grocery shopping for our family. My daughter goes with him and they make it a fun outing, which gives me a nice little break every week. But it also means that I sometimes wind up with weird stuff, and missing some key items too. No offense to my shoppers, they are great! There's just a gap in the way I shop and the way my husband shops. He has to have a definitive list, with every detail on it, or he will not pick up what might be missing in a future recipe. Like, I might see quinoa on the grocery list, and I will immediately know that I want to make quinoa-tabouleh salad and, even if the remaining ingredients aren't on the list, I still know what else to grab. He doesn't shop like that. But that's okay because, really, the wonderful thing about it all this shopping business is that it often forces me to be creative, and it is this exact thing that most often helps me to create new recipes. Like this southwestern version of my quinoa-tabouleh salad. I wasn't sure that cilantro was going to taste good with quinoa, but when I found three full bunches of cilantro, which is easily my favorite summer herb, in my fridge, I knew I had to find more ways to use it than just slapping it into my homemade pico de gallo. That's where this new quinoa salad comes in. It was really light and delicious, oil free, and perfect for any end-of-summer shindigs you might attend.

2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup quinoa
1 large ear corn, roasted (I roast mine right on the gas burner)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Big handful of cilantro leaves (about half a bunch), coarsely chopped
Juice from one large lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add quinoa. Stir, reduce heat and allow to simmer (stirring occasionally) until quinoa is soft. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Use a sharp knife to saw the kernels off of your corn. Don't cut yourself!
• Add all ingredients to quinoa. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate.
• Enjoy! 

Fiesta Vegan: 30 Delicious Recipes from New Mexico

Vegetarian Southwest: Recipes from the Region's Favorite Restaurants 

Southwestern Vegetarian