Breakfast for dinner

Tonight we had a family favorite, pancakes for dinner. There was a twist however and that twist was chocolate. Brace yourself for one of the best recipes for pancakes EVER!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sweetened chocolate almond milk (we use almond breeze brand--its the bomb!)
1 cup sweetened chocolate milk
4 Tbsp safflower oil
2 Tbsp flax meal mixed with 6 Tbsp warm water (this is what I use to substitute two eggs, it works great!)
A few squares Paul Newman dark chocolate 55% cacao chopped into tiny pieces


I mix together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients and then combine the two. We use a cast iron pan with coconut oil to fry the bad boys up and what you have is a dreamy dinner for three! Upon finishing cooking I add Earth Balance and pure maple syrup.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend!

Artichokes

It came to me tonight while gorging myself on juicy artichokes grown down the street from me, that artichokes are like the ribs of vegetables. When you eat them you use your hands and get very messy. There is a sense of being a truly savage animal while ripping apart something with your teeth. They were truly delicious. I had them with some veganase chiplote dressing. I covet the recipe for that dressing. They include it with the taco salad at our local natural foods store. I will be experimenting and I will find out what is in it!

Vegan raw cheesecake

After purchasing some Earth Cafe vegan raw cheesecake I was determined to figure out how to do it myself. I think my first attempt turned out pretty well and my mother in law said it was the best cheesecake she had ever had-vegan or otherwise. Here is the recipe and a picture....Enjoy!

The Crust:
For the nuts and dates you only need to soak them in hot water for 15 minutes or so.
1 cup raw cashews soaked
1 cup pecans soaked
1 cup almonds soaked
5-10 dates depending on how sweet you like your crust
1/2 cup coconut flakes
3 Tbsp flax meal (just to health it up a bit)

Pulse in food processor until it has a texture you can easily form into a springform pan.

Clean our food processor and then begin the inside of the cake.
The meat of one Thai young coconut
1 can coconut milk
juice of two lemons
1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 15 minutes)
6 large strawberries (or whatever fruit you want your cheesecake to have in it)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (might not be 100% raw, but neither am I)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Pulse in food processor until throughly mixed.
Pour into your crust and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serve cold and enjoy your raw vegan cheesecake!

Ooops

I accidentally erased all the comments on the page. Sorry to the people coming back for an answer to their questions. Please ask again and I will respond. Until then, take a look at this yummy treat-we grew it!

Coconut popsicles

My friend Rebecca reminded me that she needed the recipe for these delicious ice cream alternatives so here they are for all the world to enjoy!

2 cans native forest coconut milk (The only brand that I know of that doesn't use BPA in their cans)
5-7 pitted dates that have been soaked in hot water for 5 minutes to soften them
large spoonful of nut butter (we make a combination of cashew, almond & pecan)
1 Tbsp of vanilla
dash of maple syrup (optional)
3 Tbsp cacao (also optional, if you wanted to make a chocolaty batch-usually I make half chocolate, half regular)

Put all ingredients into the blender and throughly mix. Place mixture into popsicle maker of your choice, freeze overnight and enjoy!

We also REALLY enjoy this mixture when it has been in the refrigerator overnight. It makes a very think whipped cream consistency that is really good as a dip for rice crispy treats, fruit, or anything else you can think of.

We love pizza!!!

Another pizza hit for me! I made pesto and then layered fresh pineapple, artichoke hearts, grilled onions, and sundried tomato on top of Brio Bread and paired it with a delicious spinach salad complete with cucumbers and strawberries. On the salad was one of my famous dressings. Here is a loose recipe for it.

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp hemp oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
A squirt of maple syrup
A squirt of mustard
As much garlic as you like, we are crazy about the stuff so I add 7-8 cloves chopped finely
Salt and pepper to taste

Hope you like it!

VEGA

One of my new favorite products is by the amazing vegan athlete named Brendan Brazier. I wrote about his great garlic oregano yam fries on the previous post. He formulated this amazing powder that is mixed with water or added to a smoothie. It contains all sorts of good things including; maca, chorella, pea protein, hemp protein, brown rice protein, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. Also it tastes REALLY good! I find that its a great snack anytime I am hungry but just wanting something light and nourishing.

Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries

I made these tonight and darn it, my camera did not have batteries. You should really make them for yourself tonight though, they are THAT good! Its from the book "Thrive" by Brendan Brazier. He is an amazing vegan athlete who is one of my new heros!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Chop the following ingredients together:

2 cloves garlic (I used about 7, but thats just me)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp oregano (I didn't have any-left it out and it came out fine)
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp basil


Chop 2 medium yams into fry shape, or any other shape that floats your boat.

Coat the pieces with the mixture and bake on a cookie sheet that has been coated in coconut oil.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes, more if needed. Enjoy!!!