Thursday, February 13, 2014

We Are Moving

We're moving, but we are still a bit of a work in progress...

Here's our next home.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Spicy hot cocoa


3 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of chocolate chips
1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 of a teaspoon of cinnamon
Small amount of shaved peanuts, almonds, and orange zest for garnish

Heat the almond milk and chocolate chips on high in a saucepan for several minutes. Whisk and turn down the heat to medium when the chocolate melts. Add in the cocoa powder and sugar and whisk well until mixed. Add the cayenne pepper and cinnamon and mix well. Turn off the heat and pour into two mugs. Add the garnishes and serve!

This had just a little bit of spice that we both enjoyed. The orange zest really complimented the spicy cocoa well.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Sweet Beet in Granby

We recently visited Sweet Beet in Granby, CT after viewing them on the Happy Cow app. I was very excited that there was a fully vegan restaurant that I could visit without driving too far. When we arrived, I really enjoyed the decor. It looked very nice and clean inside. They have a small menu that changes daily because they use organic ingredients that are available. 
We originally wanted to get dinner yet the prices seemed a little high. They had salads, soups, chili, and a dish called cottage pie. The cottage pie looked interesting and tasty so we may get that sometime. We decided to just get some desserts this time, so we had one of each of the sweeties and 2 chocolate chip cookie balls. The chocolate sweetie was very tasty, but we weren't huge fans of the other ones. They were good, yet not too exciting. The chocolate chip cookie balls were very tasty though! We would definitely recommend getting those if you visit.

This place is worth a stop if you are in the area. The food seems healthy and fresh. There are soups and salads in refrigerated cases that are ready to take home or to have on your lunch break. All in all, The Sweet Beet seems like a nice vegan place and we look forward to seeing what else they come up with in the coming months.

Easy vegan beefless wraps

Hey all,

I just wanted to share an easy and delicious dinner that I made with the new Gardein sizzling szechuan beefless strips. The strips were delicious even before we put the sauce on. We used leftover Chipotle lime rice and it took less than 20 minutes to assemble. I thought it was a strange concept to put yogurt in a wrap but I really enjoyed it once I tried it. Enjoy!

1 package of Gardein beefless strips
2 tablespoons of oil
1 cup of leftover Chipotle lime rice
4 tablespoons of hummus
2 wraps
1 cup of organic mixed greens
4 tablespoons of plain coconut yogurt

Pan fry the beefless strips in oil per the package directions. Add in the leftover rice to heat up for a few minutes. Distribute the Gardein and rice mixture, and all other ingredients between the two wraps. It's that simple! :)

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

This smoothie is very easy to make and tastes delicious. We've been trying a few different protein powders recently and right now we are using Sunwarrior's Vanilla Protein Powder. It blends in perfectly and adds just a slight hint of vanilla that this drink needs for the "creamsicle" effect.

Ingredients:
•1 navel orange
•3 ice cubes
• 1 1/2 cyps of almond milk
•1 scoop Sunwarrior Vanilla Protein Powder

Here's what to do:
1. Peel the orange and cut into pieces that are managable for your blender.
2. Add the orange, ice cubes and almond milk to your blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add the protein powder to the blender and blend until combined. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Chipotle Lime Rice

Beginjing the new year, we have revamped our efforts to try and have meals ready to go when we need to go to work. It is much more convenient to be able to grab our lunch and go (and it it is much better for my wallet).

This recipe is full of flavor and can make a great base for many other additikns or a great side. In this particular dish we have some edamame and corn but we've said many times before that we generally just add whatever we have on hand. We in no way claim to be restaurant chefs, but cooking is something we are very passionate about. There are many people that we have talked to that "don't know how to cook" or say they "can't cook". As long as you have a few ingredients you can cook. Usually we are just throwing things together and hoping they come out well.

Here's another recipe we hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
•1 teaspoon coconut oil
•1 cup rice short grain brown rice
•1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
•1 1/2 to 2 cups boiling water
•1/2 cup edamame
•1/2 cup yellow corn
•zest of 1 lime

Here's what to do:
1. In either a teapot or hot water kettle bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Place a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and add the coconut oil. Once fully melted and the coconut oil is warm add the rice and stir periodically for a few minutes to toast the rice. Add the chipotle powder and stir to combine.
3. Add enough water to cover the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover.
4. Check periodically and if neccessary add more water until the rice is almost fully cooked.
5. Stir in corn and edamame (both were frozen).
6. Remove from heat and stir in lime zest. If desired you can add mor chipotle powder.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Vegan Cauliflower Soup


During these cold winter months in New England, we like to have a lot of food from the oven or stovetop. Soups are a basic and easy favorite for many. I decided to make a quick cauliflower soup for dinner tonight. I usually don't measure things while cooking, so feel free to add your spices and liquids to your liking. : ) You will need a powerful blender, Ninja, or Vitamix. 

1 head of cauliflower, stems and florets
2 cups of plain unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/4 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 of an onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced

Sauté´garlic and onion in a ceramic pot in 1/4 cup of water for about 5 minutes. Add in the cauliflower and another cup of water and cook on high for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the cayenne, tumeric, yeast flakes and salt. Stir well and reduce to a medium heat. For the next part, you are most likely going to need to blend the cauliflower in batches and set aside in a bowl. Blend cauliflower until no large chunks remain, adding in the milk while you do so. Ours was still a little chunky and I liked it that way but feel free to blend to whatever consistency you prefer. Once all of your cauliflower is blended, put the mixture back into the ceramic pot and cook for another 10 minutes on a medium/low heat. Serve warm and enjoy!



Monday, January 6, 2014

Simple Peanut Butter Pasta

I have been a huge fan of peanut butter pasta ever since I first tried it. I have used many different variations, and usually it just happens to be whatever ingredients sound like a good fit and are in the house. : ) Here is a version of a quick and simple vegan meal.

2 packages of Nasoya noodles
4 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 tablespoon of Earth Balance buttery stick
1 tablespoon Bragg's liquid aminos
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes

Drain and rinse the Nasoya noodles. I usually rinse them for at least a minute under hot water while they are in a colander. Heat the Earth balance and peanut butter on medium heat until melted. Add in the noodles and aminos. Cook on medium heat for another 3 minutes and then add the yeast flakes. Cook for about 2 more minutes while mixing occasionally and then enjoy! Feel free to change or add ingredients according to taste. We would usually put a lot of hot sauce in also but there wasn't any in the house. Also, Whole Foods has a delicious peanut sauce that is a great addition.

The way that I originally made peanut butter pasta many years ago was even simpler. It just included pasta, peanut butter and soy sauce. The way that we currently make it is probably much healthier because it has less sodium. (We used a LOT of soy sauce back in the day.)

The current recipe is for two dinners.


Breakfast Tofu Stacker

This is a delicious breakfast stacker perfect of a chilly winter day. It is hearty, full of flavor and can be easily adapted for anything that you have in your fridge. Depending on how hearty of a breakfast you want it can make 3+ servings.

Here's what you need
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic - sliced
  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1 package firm tofu - cubed
  • 1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup Daiya Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 6 corn tortillas
  • Tortilla chip crumbs (if desired)
Here's what to do

  1. Scrub down your sweet potato really well, if you want to peel it you can but we leave the skin on. Using a mandolin, slice your sweet potato nice and thin, if you'd like a chunkier sweet potato you can just cube the sweet potato instead. Once fully sliced take about 10 slices at a time and stack them on top of each other, cut 1/4 inch strips in one direction and rotate 90 degrees to cut small squares.
  2. Heat a pan over medium heat and add coconut oil. Once slightly warmed add the garlic, and stir. Once slightly caramelized add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender.
  3. Add tofu to the pan and cook until it is fully heated through. Finally, add the beans and stir occasionally until the beans are warmed through.
  4. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl. Stir in the Daiya cheese until melted. Then, Add the vegan mayonnaise, yeast flakes, curry powder and chipotle powder. Stir to combine.
  5. Warm the corn tortillas either in a dry pan on medium heat
  6. Place one tortilla on a plate, and add a generous scoop of the tofu mixture. Add another tortilla and then a slightly smaller generous scoop of tofu. If desired, sprinkle on a few crumbs from some tortilla chips.
The filling for this dish is so versatile and delicious. You can easily use this inside of a burrito, tacos, or chill it and use it similar to a tuna/chicken salad for sandwiches. While still warm, mixing in some spinach would be a delicious addition. And, since it is the start of a new year and many people are juicing you can save your juice pulp in the freezer to add to recipes like this one. Some celery, carrot and/or kale pulp would as some nice flavor and additional fiber. Enjoy.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! We hope that everyone has had a great holiday season and New Year's celebrations.  We haven't made any resolutions this year, per say, yet we are trying to eat healthier. I have personally been super lazy when it comes to cooking anything, which means no new recipes for me to post. : (

I have been a little better about packing up lunches the night before work so it is ready to go in the morning. So, if you are also somewhat forgetful or strapped for time before work, it is a great time-saver. It also helps you save money and most likely calories by not ordering take-out food or buying junk from the vending machine while at work! : )

So I'll just go over a few of our favorite snacks that we pack up. I usually pack about 3 or 4 snacks along with a meal that we will prepare the night before also. One of my favorites as of late is to just make little trail mixes and store them in half-pint mason jars. I like to put in Sunflower seeds, almonds, carob chips, dried cranberries, peanuts, and walnuts. I like to eat the mix on its own but it also tastes great in yogurt. Another one of our favorite snacks is hummus with anything! : ) Sweet potatoes sliced with a mandoline make great raw "chips" to dip in the hummus, along with celery, bell peppers, carrots, etc. And lastly, we usually have one or two fresh fruits in our lunch bags. I have always loved bananas, but oranges are a new favorite for the both of us. Blood oranges are in season right now and are so delicious!

Well, I hope that we will be able to post some new recipes soon, but maybe these simple snack ideas will help someone in the meantime. Happy and healthy new year to everyone!

Nicole