Vegans are pretty too!

Next week I will be launching a new addition to the blog, Vegans are pretty too! Once a week Diana and I will be introducing a new vegan beauty product via vlog! *Warning- Diana and I are hilarious* Check back!

Peanut Butter "Chocolate Chip" Flax Granola Bars

So, mostly the same story as the granola here. It's hard to find without high fructose, blah blah blah.
Here is my homemade granola bar recipe!

Ingredients:

2 Cups oats

3T chia seeds

3/4 cups organic unsalted peanut butter ( I like crunchy style)

1/3 cups vegan chocolate chips (check the labels!) or Sunspire carob chips

1/2 cup maple syrup (increase to 3/4 for chewier bars)

1/4 t sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread mixture over the sheet to your desired thickness

4. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet let cool for a couple minutes and put in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to harden

Then enjoy!

Diana's review: "Does this have peanut butter in it? You know I don't like peanut butter. But, I feel like I should keep eating it after my run. I like the chocolate chips" 

Sounds like it might pass a picky kids test?

Vegan 13 Bean Chili

So this recipe has been with me for several years. 6 I think. It was a trial and error process, and I've finally gotten it perfect. I have had more people ask me for this recipe than any other recipe aside from my amazingly non-vegan lasagna.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Bobs Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix (I start with this and then add whatever beans I want more of)
2 cans of diced tomatoes (you can always dice up your own!)
2 cans tomato sauce (again, making your own is so easy)
Fresh spinach I use a whole bag of organic spinach
1 can of sweet corn or frozen sweet corn. My favorite is TJ's super sweet frozen corn.
2 fresh jalapenos, chopped or sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
Cumin to taste
Chili powder to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste (I usually add this per dish)
Tofutti sour cream (optional)
Fried onion strips (optional, we like the added crunch)

1. Soak the beans 24 hours.
2. I like to cook the beans a little before I put them in the slow cooker because it speeds the process up, you can skip this step.
3. Add all ingredients into a crock pot.
4. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6-7 hours.

Enjoy! It's amazing.
Diana says "It's gooood" (She said be sure to squint one eye and talk out of one side of your mouth, while saying that like a German man yodeling.) I think she likes it.

Vegan Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola

I love granola. A lot. I never eat it however, because its hard to find a) without raisins b) without high fructose corn syrup and c) without pretty much being candy. For some reason though when I would think of making my own, I would always let out a daunting sigh. I have news for you. It's SO EASY!

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 cups flax seeds

2 T cinnamon

1/3 cups applesauce 

1/3 cups brown rice syrup (or agave nectar-maple syrup would be good too!)

1 1/2 cups chopped dried apples (I like TJ's because they have 1 ingredient-apples)

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients. 

2. Stir together the apples, brown rice syrup and applesauce. 

3. Pour applesauce mixture over dry ingredients. 

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the granola over the baking sheet.

5. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes. 

Five steps! That's it. Five. 

Enjoy!

Vegan Peach Crisp

Here it is, the delicious Peach Crisp. I found a recipe for Vegan Peach Crisp and tweaked it to fit the things I had in my pantry. I had just gotten a peck of peaches from a local orchard and was looking for things to cook. I had originally wanted to make a Peach Cobbler, but I make my own granola and so I had a surplus of Oats. Therefore, Peach Crisp was born. 

Prep Time: 15 Minutes 

Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Crispy-ness:

1 cup Oats (I like Old Fashioned)

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour

1/2 T Cinnamon

1/2 t Salt

3 T Agave Nectar

2 T Evaporated Cane Sugar (maple sugar would be a great sub)

1 t Vanilla Extract 

2 T Earth Balance, melted (you can sub in coconut oil)

Filling: 

7 Large Peaches, sliced (don't bother to peel them!)

3 T Agave Nectar

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 t Vanilla Extract

1 T Water

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the Peaches in a large bowl with the agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and water. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl mix together the oats, whole wheat flour, cinnamon and salt. Add in agave nectar, evaporated cane sugar, vanilla and melted earth balance. Stir together until lumpy and thoroughly mixed. 

Spread the peach mixture into greased (I use Trader Joe's coconut oil spray) 9x13 pan. Spread the topping mixture over the peaches.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 minutes. 

Voila!

I gave the lovely Diana some Peach Crisp topped with a smidge of SoDelicious Soy Vanilla Ice Cream.

Her words: "On a scale of Yuk to tears, this is goosebumps." As you will come to learn, to Diana, that means pretty damn good. 

Enjoy!

 

a little on my back story.

11 days ago I began my journey on a vegan plant-based lifestyle. In those 11 days, I have lost 13 pounds, and gained so much energy. Last night while eating dinner I got a couple requests for recipes I had cooked so naturally I thought "Why not start a blog?" Then I thought why not ask my amazing roommate Diana to taste all the things I cook, and give me her feedback. Let's be honest. It's fairly rare that an entire household wants to eat this way, so why not have a meat lovers opinion. So, here begins the journey and I hope you enjoy it! This is my roommate Diana, you'll be seeing a lot more of her.