Recipe Post: Super-Charge Me! Cookies

One of the best things about blogging and communicating with you through e-mail is that I get feedback of which recipes emerge as favorites that are regularly made in your own kitchen.

My Super-Charge Me! Cookies from ed&bv has become one of these faves, and so I am posting the recipe today so that even more of you can try and enjoy these nutrition-packed, delicious cookies! Go get the recipe... and get baking. Now!! :)

Chocolate Gogi Bites

This is a recipe I developed last Spring. I thought I posted it about it already, but apparently not! (preggo brain strikes again... well, that's my excuse!)

These started after I bought a bag of goji berries, only to discover that I wasn't too fond of eating them plain. They have a distinctive un-berry type of taste! I mean, they aren't tart like dried cranberries, or particularly fruity/sweet like dried blueberries. They have a unique goji berry flavor that is somewhat flat for a 'berry', and also takes a little getting used to. Maybe you tried and loved them at first bite (true?), but for me these are one of those acquired tastes. And, I am coming to appreciate them, they just weren't "love at first bite"!

Yet, goji berries are praised for their extremely high antioxidant content, and containing protein, as well as numerous vitamins and minerals. So, I decided to find a way to really enjoy these little powerhouses of nutrition... Yes! Chocolate! The obvious, scrumpdillylicious choice!

Plus, I justified it as so: antioxidants in chocolate + antioxidants in goji berries = super duper dose of antioxidants for Dreena! That formula works, right? (just ignore the sugar factor, or buy grain-sweetened chocolate and feel more virtuous)

So, the Chocolate Gogi Bites came to life, and I also included some macadamia nuts and crispies for good crunching measure. Sometimes it's really easy to get those antioxidants...

Hemp-y Yogurt

Here's a quick food idea for you that is very nourishing. I've been eating it most mornings recently, after having my green smoothie. As with my last post, hemp seeds are the star here. This time, it's as simple as topping some non-dairy yogurt with a whollop of those nutritious hemp seeds!

I use a soy yogurt, since that's the only non-dairy yogurt available in my area, but if you can try it with coconut or rice yogurt, I'm guessing it might be even better! My mornings are hectic, and breakfast is the only meal that I eat "on-the-go" during the week (well, some weekend mornings as well). Yogurt + hemp seeds is about as quick as you can get!

And, honestly, I don't think I'd bother eating the yogurt if it wasn't for the hemp seeds. I realize I speak about hemp more than other vegan cooks, and really, it's not like I eat hemp foods all day long (really, I don't)! But, it has its place in some recipes (especially healthful baked goods), and also for quick snacks through the day - such as this one. And, I really enjoy the slightly-sweet nuttiness that the hemp seeds bring to the yogurt. In fact, I can eat far more hemp seeds in proportion to the yogurt. Two tablespoons of the hemp seeds offers up 11g of protein, along with essential fatty acids. I tend to go generous with the hemp seeds, and it's easy for me to use 3 or 3 1/2 tablespoons. Pair that with a small amount of soy yogurt and you have a very nutritious bite! Admittedly, after taking this photo, I realized that this was much more yogurt than I usually eat and I couldn't finish it all... but, as for the hemp seeds, I sprinkled on a lil' more!

Guess it was that parfait glass throwing me off. Whoops.... I mean the size of that parfait glass. I always use a parfait glass... you do too, right? ;)

Tips:
- try a sprinkle of cinnamon with the hemp seeds too!
- also, if you find hemp seeds expensive in your area, consider ordering them directly in a larger quantity, such as the 5 lb container - if you have somewhere cool to store the seeds!

Pancake Day!

It's Sunday, and once again "pancake day" in our house! Though, this photo is from several weeks back when I was testing out another newbie - Apple Spice Hemp Pancakes.

I've created both a traditional whole-wheat flour version and also a spelt flour version of this recipe. These pancakes required quite a few trials, because I wasn't content with the texture in the early tests. Probably because there is a hefty measure of hemp seeds added (2/3 cup), and they affect the consistency of the batter. But, after enough tweaking the recipe is complete! And, they are tasty, and light and fluffy... but, the true taste testers are... the kidlets!

With that dose of hemp seeds you wonder... will the kids notice them, and more importantly, will they eat the pancakes? Maybe it's the diced apple that distracts them - or maybe the combination of sweet spices does the trick - 'cause our girls gobble these pancakes up in a flash! At one point I asked our older daughter what she thought was in the pancake (we sometimes do this with recipes, she likes to try and guess the ingredients). She questioned the small greenish flecks in the pancakes after investigating them a little more closely. "Ahhh", I said, "that's your mommy getting sneaky and adding some hemp seeds to your pancakes". Didn't seem to phase her much - unlike when I revealed that the Vegveeta Dip had a smidgen of mustard in the recipe... "ewwwww, mustard?!!", she exclaimed, with a gag! Hah, well I'm glad that wasn't the reaction with the hemp seeds. Really, both girls didn't seem to care much as they drizzled on the maple syrup and chowed down....

(Yeah, maybe the maple syrup deserves all the credit for disguising the hemp seeds. Credit well deserved, in my opinion!)

Chocolate Thrill Ice Cream & Flirty Apron

Before I begin, I extend my appreciation to those of you commenting on my last post with such warm and cheerful congratulations. It is touching to have so many well wishes and positive energy sent my way, and I thank you for sharing your kindness.

Now, on to some food business! When I posted the Vegveeta Dip, I did promise to also post the Chocolate Thrill Ice Cream. Here it is folks! Now, all of you in my sweet-toothed club also have a new recipe to dig into!

Here's a fun apron photo that I want to show you. I recently won a contest through the Foodie Blogroll. What a treat... and a surprise! I was able to pick my fave style from Flirty Apron (they have such cute styles, and some cheeky men's aprons - gotta' love "I turn grills on")! I chose this "Blue Chocolate" style, and absolutely adore it. It's fun and bright and cheerful... and yes, a little flirty. ;)

Now, go get your coconut milk, chocolate, and the rest of your ingredients ready for your ice cream maker... and enjoy some smoooooth chocolatey homemade ice cream!

Oh BABY, here's the scoop!

Through the last number of months I've eluded to being particularly busy - and also having some personal matters to attend to - and also having an overly-active interest in developing dessert recipes. So, here's the scoop... I'm pregnant, and we will soon be welcoming a third child into our family!

As you know, I don't stray too far from cooking-themed posts, this is a vegan cooking blog afterall. But, I wanted to share this information because I've been evasive about certain matters in the last months. Also, I realize that many of you are interested in how I do this vegan thing with a young family, maybe because you have young children of your own or are about to enter this stage of life. So, it's important for me to bring this news to you for these reasons and also because once this babe arrives, I will be absent from my blog for quite a few weeks until we adjust to our new family with a small baby and two busy children.

You may remember that in early fall, I wasn't blogging about cooking for almost two months. Now I can explain it was because I was very (VERY) sick. Not just a little morning sickness, guys. Oh no. And that term irks me beyond belief, because most women with pregnancy nausea will tell you that it doesn't end in the morning. If only! Some might have this experience, but with all three of my pregnancies I have been sick all day long. Cooking was repulsive to me, and it was all I could do to get through the day. Thankfully, I'm past all of that now, and am feeling quite good and enjoying the movements of this little one inside me. I still am not cooking with garlic, however. Garlic was the enemy! I couldn't even bare the smell of garlic bulbs in storage in the garage - onions as well. I continue to cook everything without garlic and onions - much to our kids' pleasure!

And, once the nausea passed for good... it was dessert time! Bring 'em on! I had times that I was making a new dessert every day, barely able to record any recipe notes... just because I had an idea which quickly developed into a craving! So, that's why you've seen so many dessert posts (and really, there were many more creations that I didn't make it to photos).

What's kind of funny is how this pregnancy surprised us (in a very good way, but a surprise nonetheless)! It was only a month earlier that hubby and I sold our crib, toddler bed, and had been giving away other baby items like clothes, baby linen, and play things! I remember standing in our front porch ready to sell our crib to an expecting couple, and hubby saying "are you sure, Dreena?"! That poor couple, ready to buy our crib and hubby with the last-minute pitch to have another baby!!! We've been busy the last few months, starting from scratch somewhat, shopping for a crib/mattress, car seat, linen, diapers, stroller, etc once again. It's thrown us for a bit of a loop with recent financial happenings, but we couldn't be happier getting ready to embrace this new baby into our lives.

As for your questions about the new cookbook, I must put it on hold for this and other reasons. I am working on another project (not a cookbook) which is in the very early stages but will likely consume a lot of my non-parenting time. I am not sure when I will be able to share details with you. I am continuing to develop and catalogue new recipes, and will share some of these on my recipes blog page.

Before I sign off, there have been a few comments in recent months on my posts from others that are pregnant. If you preggo mamas are still reading, now we can fully relate! :)

I will continue to post until this baby arrives, and will let you know more after babe is born (once I'm up to it). I'll be back with a food post soon.

Pasta & Mish-Mash of Things

Hiya guys! It's been a busy time, and I'll give you the scoop on some happenings in an upcoming post. Also, I will be posting the ice cream recipe soon. Until then, a few things to keep you going!

First, a recent pasta dish, using a roasted red pepper sauce based on the Roasted Red Pepper Dip from TEV. Our hfs had organic red peppers on special several weeks back, so I picked up a swack (normally they can be quite pricey) and roasted 'em up for the sauce! After making the sauce, I realized I had a small container of Lemony Cashew-Basil Pesto (ed&bv) in the freezer. (btw, you can get the pesto recipe in the link of this post) The dollop of vibrant, zesty pesto was brilliant with the more mellow, sweet red pepper sauce. I used a whole-grain kamut pasta (rotini), which we use a lot and really enjoy. Have you branched out from whole-wheat pasta yet to try ones from other grains, like kamut, brown rice, wild rice, etc. I keep a mix of different grain pastas on hand, since I prefer certain varieties for particular pasta dishes.

I also served up a simple salad with mixed greens and drizzled on my Living Caesar Dressing. It's a good change to simply drizzle the dressing on a salad rather than toss it through romaine leaves... I also find myself using the dressing as a mix for sandwich fillings/spreads, and sometimes a dip for breads/chips, etc. Tangy & nummy!

Now for the mish-mash...

A few links that might be of interest to you:

1) First up, an entry over at veg blog with a powerful story about one person's journey to veganism, stemming from health reasons. This was posted early in March, and so while I'm late sharing this link with you, I think Natala's personal story should be read and shared as much as possible - so read on!

2) Next, if you'd like to hear more about eating raw foods and the vegan diet, Dr. Melissa West will be interviewing Vesanto Melina on her show this Wed, Apr 8th. Even if you can't connect for the live interview, you can listen to it later from the show archives.

3) And, finally, if you're really twiddling your thumbs and want to find out more about yours truly, there's a recent interview online at The Vegan Culinary Experience. Be sure to check out VCE's home page and sign up for their newsletter - you'll find new and interesting recipes to try out!

Talk soon... :)

You Cheesy Crew!

As you probably noticed, the "Vegveeta" Cheesy Dip received the most votes... by far! I have to say, I was pretty surprised that this one recipe had such an overwhelming response. My sweet tooth leads me to think that others also would prefer to have the cake, ice cream, cookies, chocolate pie, etc... where are you all, my sweet gang?!! Shocked, I was... shocked! :)

Well, your votes are my recipe command! So you may now find the "Vegveeta" Cheesy Dip recipe here on my recipe blog. And boy, I hope it lives up to your expectations after this huge vote swing! Really, I'm a tad nervous how this dip will fare with you all... so let me know once you've tried it out. Be sure to check out the notes in the recipe - there are options for add-in's (and with the salsa, I think this version has the closest likeness to the 'velveeta/salsa' combination) - and also, there is an option to include nutritional yeast, which will give that extra cheesy (but particularly noochy) flavor that I know some of you can't get enough of.

I won't leave my 'sweet' friends with nothing. Can't do that to you. So, I will also post the recipe for the Chocolate Thrill Ice Cream (one of the dessert leaders!) in the next week - will update you once it's posted!

Enjoy folks! :)