Monthly Archives: September 2012

Northwest Bound

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Hello, and happy weekend Thursday! It’s the end of the week for me! I’m off to Seattle with a quick stop in Eugene, OR to meet up with some family for a night. I am beyond excited to visit Seattle being a it’s my first time (other than several layovers at the airport). The weekend will be filled with family, friends, exploring, and most importantly the Oregon Ducks football game!

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Have you been to Seattle?? What are some things I must do, see, places to eat, drink!? Do tell ;-)

Also, while I was getting things cleaned up and packed up today, I whipped up this protein packed, immune boosting, super healthy and good for you yet so yummy smoothie!! You must try it. This will be my new go to breakfast I think :-)

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Blend up 1 frozen banana, 1/2 avocado (promise you can’t taste it), 1 cup almond milk, a few ice cubes, 1 small handful cacao nibs, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 3 pitted medjool dates, some raw spouted protein powder, and some MACA powder (more on its amazing benefits later).

Ok, that’s all I got for ya! I’m off to the great Pacific Northwest! Have a healthy and fabulous weekend!

Spiced Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Vegan

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Ok I am starting.  I am diving into fall recipes.  I thought what better way to start than with some pumpkin spice cupcakes, right?  With creamy maple  ”cream cheese” frosting?  Yesterday I said I was craving all things fall, and these cupcakes sure hit the spot.  Also, since I said I would try to hit them in a healthier way, I cut out refined sugars, cut the fat, and of course made them vegan.  So not only are these fluffy, spicy, moist cupcakes absolutely delicious, they aren’t completely sinful (they only taste that way)!

So did I sell you yet?  You really should make these, like today, or tonight.  Promise you won’t regret it ;-)

Spiced Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting – Vegan

Dry ingredients – mix in a medium bowl:

  • 2 cups whole wheat, unbleached flour
  • 1/2 cup raw, organic brown sugar (or brown coconut sugar or Sucanat)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp all spice

Liquid ingredients – mix in another medium bowl:

  • 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water) – Mix the flax eggs first and set aside.  Need about 5 minutes to “gel” before mixing with other ingredients
  • 1/2 cup melted vegan “butter” – I use Earth Balance soy free
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 can organic pumpkin pie mix*
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350.  Grease mini muffin tin.
  2. After combining liquid ingredients, add the dry ingredients to the liquid bowl.  Mix well.
  3. Spoon batter into cupcake tin.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 25 +/- if using regular tin).

{ army of cupcakes }

 

Maple “Cream Cheese” Frosting:

  • 1 cup “powdered” sugar (see process below)
  • 1 8 oz container of tofutti
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • Generous dash of cinnamon
  1. For powdered sugar, without using a super processed, bleached, typical powdered sugar, you can easily make your own healthier version.  Simply take a cup of raw, unprocessed, organic sugar (or Sucanat) and 1 tsp cornstarch.  Process in a Vitamix (super fast) or regular blender.  Should take under a minute.  Pulse until you get the consistency you want.  How easy is that?
  2. Now combine all the frosting ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer.
  3. When cupcakes have cooled, using a knife or piping bag, frost up and enjoy!

 

I absolutely love pumpkin spice!  What are some of your favorite fall treats?

Snaps – Heat Wave!

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OK, so I think it’s fall everywhere but Southern California.  Most of my favorite fashion blogs are starting to sport cute jackets and cozy sweaters.  I’m seeing boots everywhere.  And scarves.  People are baking with pumpkins and making yummy, comfort fall foods.  All I want to do is jump in the ocean, or a pool.  I want to drink ice-cold water or a margarita.  I want everything summer because IT’S SO DAMN HOT!.

I know fall is creeping right around the corner for us sooooo I’m just going to jump into my fall healthy recipes this week.  As much as I love summer, I’m so ready for all things fall.  So the heat my win in the wardrobe war (sorry cozy sweaters and cute boots) but I will win in the kitchen.  Stay tuned this week for some delicious fall inspired recipes!  Until then enjoy some snaps from the past couple weeks :-)

{ dog. Erik. beach }

{ new wallet }

{ Angels. Rangers. killer season tickets }

{ another baseball game with my love }

It’s been pretty mellow, lots of going out with friends, beach and pool, football games, dog time, and trying to stay cool!  I also hit up this hip little joint in LA with some girlfriends called Tart, attached to the The Farmer’s Daughter Hotel.  Absolutely delicious.  Great bottomless mimosa brunch spot.  If I’m going to indulge in some bottomless boozing, I think it’s best to have a substantial meal ;-) .  It was a very home cooking comfort food style menu, but fresh and not terribly heavy.  Nothing on the menu really great for breakfast (for us vegans) so I opted for the veggie burger.  This thing did not disappoint.  Paired with a bites of a couple of amazing desserts (below), and I was a happy girl.  It’s also conventionally located across from the Grove, so if you need to kill a couple of hours before driving, what better way to do it than shopping!

{ dessert scene at Tart }

{ chicas }

That’s all I have for snaps!  I hope we all have a fabulous week :-)

Zucchini Corn Fritters

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{ fritters}

Alright, so I am dying to do a fall post.  Pumpkin, apple, spices…something fall.  However, aside from all the kids back in school and football taking over my life (thanks to Erik) there are NO obvious sign of fall.  It’s in the 90′s, pushing 100, and has been for weeks.  Souther California is in a heat wave, and no one seems to think it will let up any time soon.  Oy!  Seems funny to get into my fall recipes, soooo I’m sticking to some summer produce recipes.  Enter zucchini squash fritters:

These little fritters were super easy to make and turned out wonderfully.  I enjoyed them over some greens for a meal, but could be served as a light starter too!

Zucchini Corn Fritters – Vegan

You will need:

  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini – after water is really squeezed out, comes to about 1 cup
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 flax egg – 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 heaping handful of cilantro – chopped, about 1/4 cup
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • generous dash of salt & pepper

{ toss in bowl. easy }

 

To make the fritters:

  1. Mix the flaxseed and water, set aside
  2. In a dish towel, squeeze excess water from zucchini.  Make sure to get as much water out as possible
  3. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients
  4. Mold into little patties, should make about 6.
  5. Cook in oiled pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.
  6. Serve and enjoy!!  I topped mine with some vegan garlic aioli dressing.  Fresh avocado or pico de gallo salsa might be good too ;-)

Veggie Burger with a Kick

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I have been on somewhat of a mission to make a delicious veggie burger for some time now.  While I do love my black bean burger, I needed something with more kick last night.  I used more breadcrumbs, which made them more durable, and completely changed the spices, creating just the kick and flavor I was looking to get.  Topped with some fresh avocado, lettuce, and tomato, oh my!!  Even the boy said he would rather eat these than a meat burger!!

Spicy Veggie Burger

You will need:

  • 2 flax eggs – 2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 1/2 cup warm water – set aside to gel
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
  • 1 can (15oz) organic black beans, drained, rinsed, and almost all mashed
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • Whatever toppings to go on top!

 

To make the Veggie Burgers:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350
  2. Mix the ground flax and warm water.  Set aside
  3. On medium heat, saute onions and garlic for several minutes
  4. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding a little olive oil to help combine
  5. If you have time, refrigerate for a half hour (not necessary though)
  6. Form into patties (I got 7 from this batch) and set on greased baking sheet
  7. Bake for 15 minutes then remove and flip.  Bake for another 15-18  minutes.
  8. Prepare burger anyway you like, serve, and enjoy!

*The patties are pretty sturdy and could be grilled on a BBQ.  You could also cook them on the stove using medium heat and cook for about 7 minutes on both sides.

 

No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

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Hellooooo!

Aren’t these little cookies adorable?  Maybe that’s not the right word, but cute little balls of cookie yumminess are adorable to me.

After seeing how fast my Raw Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies went, I realized my family and boy were actually bigger fans of raw and or healthy desserts than I was going to give them credit.  Totally inspired me to get in the kitchen and try some other stuff.   Plus, with peanut butter you don’t really need anything too sweet so I was able to completely eliminate sugar.  So these little adorable babies are not only delicious, they are vegan, raw, gluten-free, and sugar-free.  Score, score, score!!!

No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cookies – Vegan and Gluten-free!

You will need :

  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup pitted dates – comes out to about 8-9 dates
  • 1/4 cup organic peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • almond milk – start with 1 tablespoon and add more if needed – I used 2

Directions:

  1. In a food processor, pulse dates until well broken down.
  2. Add flour, oats, peanut butter, vanilla, almond milk
  3. If adding chocolate chips, stir in.
  4. Form into small round balls and place on parchment covered dish.
  5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
  6. Enjoy!!

 

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce

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Oh hi!

I know I have been somewhat MIA with posts lately, but truth be told, I just haven’t been feeling blogging.  I wouldn’t want to waste your time with sub-par posts, so I had to wait until I was feeling more motivated ;-)

Realizing the season will soon be changing (or as much as it can for Southern California) got me thinking a little creatively as to how I can use up the last bit of fresh summer produce.  I still have about six large zucchini waiting to be used.  I’m sure a zucchini bread or muffins will make their way into a post soon, but I wanted something a little different first.  I’ve seen recipes using zucchini for pasta, but I didn’t have one of those fancy zucchini-pusher-through-pasta-making-things (pretty sure that’s what it’s called), so i just used a vegetable peeler.  Turned out wonderfully.  This recipe was easy,  delicious, and surprisingly filling!

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce:

For the Pasta you need:

  • A couple of medium-large zucchini – shredded you want 3 or 4 cups
  • Salt & pepper
  • Vegan “butter” *optional

For the Sauce you need:

  • 1 large avocado
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh basil
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2-4 tablespoons water, depending on how thick you want the sauce.  I used 3

 

To make the pasta, using a vegetable peeler, simply peel off the skin and discard.  Then peel the zucchini from top to bottom, making ribbons, all the way around.  Stop on each side when you hit the seeds in the center.  Steam ribbons over boiling water for about 8-10 minutes.  I did this in 2 rounds.  After removing, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and a mix in a little “butter” (optional).

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients (except the water) in a food processor.  If too thick, add a tablespoon of water until you reach a good consistency.  Pour over pasta, toss to combine, and serve warm.  Enjoy!

Snaps! Labor Day

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Helloooooo September!

Fall is so close, I can almost smell it.  I, like almost every other person I know, am SO excited.  Hello boots, sweaters, scarves, pumpkin everything, holidays, football, yeah, I think  you get it.

Even though I am in love with fall, it is a little bitter-sweet.  It also means saying goodbye to summer :-( .  Knowing we would soon be parting ways for a while, I have been enjoying this last bit of long days, warm nights, and summer produce.

The week was busy meeting for baby shower planning for my beautiful cousin (thank you pinterest for doing most of the work) and a couple of dinners out with friends making summer visits.  We kept the weekend pretty mellow since the summer has been so crazy busy.  I did manage to have some friends over for dinner, hit up the International Orange Street Fair, and get some bronzing time in.  While at the Street Fair, we stopped by the Bruery. They have an awesome, unique, and award-winning selection of beers (Even Erik’s favorite IPA from his home Salt Lake City) and delicious food.  They have the cutest little patio to chill out on, and are situated right in the middle of Old Town Orange.  They also have a location close to Anaheim Stadium.  Thinking we might have to stop by on our way to our next Angel’s Game!

Here are some Snaps!  Enjoy!

{ catching up with my girls }

{ coconut cupcake from my favorite. Zov’s }

{ drinks at The Bruery }

{ fresh juice to end the long weekend }