Saturday, July 30, 2011

Blackberry Peach Crepes



I could eat breakfast all day, every day.

I always thought pancakes, crepes and other decadent delights were for people who had the luxury of time to spend hours preparing. Very happy to say that these are not only delicious, but super quick to whip up and pretty healthy as breakfasts go so they're guilt-free all the way around. Like most Italians, The Bear isn't a big breakfast eater - cappuccino and biscotti is his "sit-down" version of the first meal of the day - so I was super psyched to see him scraping the bowl before I even started cooking!

Blackberry Peach Crepes
makes six 6" crepes

1/2 cup soymilk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water (to thin if needed)

Garnishes
a handful of fresh blackberries
one peach, sliced
powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and thin. If it gets clumpy or doesn't drip easily off the whisk, add a couple tablespoons of water. Transfer to a 2-cup measuring cup (for easy pouring) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the batter is refrigerating, have some coffee and prepare your fillings.

Melt a small pat of vegan butter in a skillet on medium heat. Pour out a small amount of batter and either swirls the skillet to create a nice, thin, round layer or use the backside of a ladle to lightly spread it into a circle. They should be thin enough to cook through.


Flip carefully when the top is covered with bubbles and starts to look set. Cook until lightly browned on each side.


Top with berries and peaches (or any other fruit you happen to have around) and a sprinkling of powdered sugar and serve with fresh-squeezed OJ - a beautifully bright way to start your day!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Raw Vegan Salted Chocolate Truffles


I'm a total sucker for salted chocolate and these little gobs of goodness are my new favorite obsession. They're a super-healthy sweet treat and so easy to make it's almost silly. The basic recipe is pretty versatile and just begging to be experimented with. I promise to get back to real food soon but I just had to share these with you guys.

They're the best weekend inspiration I can think of today.
Happy Friday everyone!!


RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
makes 16 1-inch balls of deliciousness

1 cup pecans or cashews or walnuts
1/3 cup cacao powder
1-2 teaspoons raw cacao butter (you can substitute any nut butter for a hint of extra flavor)
1-2 tablespoons coconut butter
1 cup pitted dates
1 pinch Sea Salt, plus extra for topping
splash of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons maple syrup

Firstly, process nuts into crumbs. Add cacao powder, cacao butter, coconut butter and dates, followed by salt and maple syrup, into food processor. Process the mixture until it's smooth and forms itself into a ball.

Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. One tablespoon should yield a 1-inch ball.

Enjoy them as is or press them in a sprinkling of the topping of your choice. This time I used saffron sea salt, pink sea salt and organic orange peel with a couple of pumpkin seeds.

Pop 'em in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set, and keep them refrigerated for as long as they last in your house.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Weekend Inspiration: Two Ways to Live Life

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lunar silence - my poor little laptop had a mini-stroke and I've been forced into an internet sabbatical. Must admit, it was kind of nice. I highly recommend trying it once in a while. Nice way to unplug and reconnect with all things non-digital.

But happy to say that I'm back online - and back in the kitchen! - so some new recipes (and, for those of you who've asked, a better explanation of what a "blog hop" is) are forthcoming. Cross my heart...

In the meantime, came across this a while ago (though I've since forgotten the source) and thought it was a lovely bit of weekend inspiration. Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

What I Ate Wednesday

Ok seriously, am I the only person in the blogosphere who's just now finding out about blog hops?

In any case, I was super psyched to find this one at Peas and Crayons through the awesomely awesome Lindsay over at Green Food Green Thumb and I've found a bunch of cool blogs (not to mention yummy recipes) that I can't wait to check out:




So far my favorite is Heather at Kiss My Broccoli - girlfriend cracks me up and her photos look delish!

Let me know what you guys think of this idea and if you join in, please share what you find.

As for my eats, here are some highlights from the past week. Through this little blog project of mine, I've managed to build up quite a stockpile of go-to vegan meals that are earning permanent slots in our menu rotation, some of which the Bear specifically requests. That's progress!!

Soy-milk cappuccino (finally learned how to make soy milk foam!)

Buckwheat Pancakes for breakfast

Lunch: Simple Spinach Salad with Strawberries

Din Din: Grilled Pepper Fajitas with Aromatic Black Beans and Tequila-Spiked Guac

Thinking of starting some Sneaky Vegan blog parties here so shout out if you're interested.

Cheers everyone!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Sneaky Vegan BBQ Ideas

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Looking for some vegan BBQ ideas for the 4th of July weekend?

Here are some great options to enjoy in mixed company:

Start things off with some tequila-spiked guac and chips.

Give your sweet potatoes a cilantro-lime twist.

This black-bean and corn salad with tomatoes and avocados is a delicious protein-rich side dish.

Grill up some Portabello and Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers, these yummy Quinoa Burgers or even Gwyneth's veggie burgers.

Fire up some grilled peaches with ginger coconut caramel.

Make some strawberry-basil lemonade and serve it up in mason jars with paper straws.

Try making your own ginger and lemon beer

Or, if you don't have time to go the DIY route, stock up on these vegan beers.

Going as a guest? Bring this delicious vegan dessert!

If you need more ideas for this weekend (or the rest of the summer) find yourself a great vegan BBQ cookbook and have at it!

Anyone readers out there who have have some great BBQ recipes to share? Let us know!


Have fun and be safe everyone!
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