A Granola's Granola

Here is a delicious recipe for vegan granola. It was a hit with my hubby and I love the fact that I can control the sugar and ingredients in it!

You will need-


3 cups of old fashioned cooking oats
2/3 cup of wheat germ
1/4 cup of cranberries
1/4 cup of flaxseed
1/2 cup of coconut
1/4 sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of apple juice
1/2 cup of agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp of vanilla



 Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and than add to dry. Mix until well combined. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread granola mixture in an even layer. Cook in a preheated 350 oven, check granola frequently moving around in pan until evenly golden brown. Should take about 30 minutes. Set aside cool and enjoy!!!

Vegan Stuffed Shells

     Hello all! Well I just got back from a Carribean cruise and needless to say the food was all to plentiful and calorie laden, so I am back on track today with this delicous recipe I made up.
I hope you enjoy it!





3 cups of pasta shells

14 oz of extra firm tofu

A jar of organic pasta sauce

2 Cloves of garlic

1/2 a green pepper diced

1/2 cup of red onion

1 tblsp of olive oil

3 sprigs of fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons of vegan Parmesan cheese



Blend tofu, olive oil and salt and pepper in a blender till its the consistency of ricotta cheese. Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until tender add garlic. Set aside and let cool. Add shells to boiling pasta water. Cook pasta till al dente. Add cooled peppers and onion to the creamed tofu mixture along with chopped basil and two tablespoons of cheese. Add a layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff shells with tofu mixture and line up on pan, cover with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, cool and enjoy!

Tofu and Veggie Bacon Scramble

          Tofu Scramble With Veggie Bacon

                                  

 I tried something new out with tofu tonight and I must say it was absolutely delicous. The only part of the scramble that isn't a 100% vegan is the veggie bacon which you can totally avoid adding. I used Morningstar veggie bacon which unfortunately does have egg in the ingredient list. The tofu is from Whole Foods and it was so amazing. Anyway let me share the recipe with you.



1 cup of chopped green pepper 
1/2 cup of red onion
1 cup of white mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of veggie bacon such as Morningstar 
2 cups of crumbled tofu



 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers and sauté until tender. Add crumbled tofu and then mushrooms. Place four slices of veggie bacon on a plate and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes until crispy. Chop up bacon and add to vegetables and tofu, cook until tofu is golden brown and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread and vegan butter, and enjoy. Serves two.

Going Vegan...

 

    Hello all! It's been so long since I've been on here. I am excited to share that I have recently decided to become a vegan indefinitely. So I will be sharing some of my experimental recipes on here. So far I have made vegan pancakes, I have tried tofurky and next week I plan on trying out some new recipes with tofu which I can't wait to share with you all. One of the reasons I have made this decision is because I feel very strongly about cruelty to animals and the chemicals we consume that is put into our food. We do have a choice of what we put in our bodies on a daily basis and its up to us to take charge of our health! I believe that there was a time when we were intended to eat animals, before the time of cloning and mass slaughtering , back when family farms raised grass fed cows and put them down humanely and fed them to their families and their communities. Times have changed and things are not done the way they should be. It's hard to believe that the ground beef you pick up at your local grocery store contains the meat 10,000 cows and has been made from cows who were fed cow and treated as machines and not living beings. We are facing a big problem and its up to us to take charge of what we consume, and it starts with knowing our food. What about purchasing your meat from your local farmer and your produce at the farmers market? I'm hoping to get some information out there and help people see that what we eat not only effects our health but our community. I'd much rather support the neighbor up the road than the billion dollar company Walmart, wouldn't you?

Divinely Delicious Gluten Free/Vegan Granola Bars

 So after reading the back of my favorite granola bars, checking the nutrition content, fat, calories, sodium etc and being fed up with what I found I decided to make my own. It's cost effective and smarter nutritionally for you to make your own favorite snacks. I love these granola bars, they are little power houses packed with omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, protein, and they are rich in antioxidants.

Here is what you will need-

• 2 Tbsp Flax seeds + 6 Tbsp warm water
• 1 & 3/4 Steel cut oats
• 1 Cup Almond meal
• 2/3 Cup Dried cranberries
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp Sea salt
• 1/2 Cup Peanut butter
• 1/2 Cup Pure maple syrup 
• 2 Tbsp Chia seeds
• 1/2 Cup Gf chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Step one-

                                       Preheat oven to 350 F

Step two- Add warm water to flax seeds and set aside

Step three-

Combine dry ingredients with cranberries and chocolate chips

Step four-

Mix all wet ingredients together as well as the warm water and flax seeds, add to the dry ingredients, mix well until combined. Press mixture into a 9X13 pan sprayed with vegan nonstick spray

Step four-

Bake until golden brown on top, time will vary for each oven but it took me 20-25 minutes

Step five

Cool, cut into squares and enjoy

From my experience you can save yourself a lot of fat and calories by making your own snacks. We decide what we put into our bodies everyday my friends, make sure to take care of your body and it will take care of you. These granola bars are not only tasty but they are so good for you!

Photography by Alicia Szostak Photography

https://www.facebook.com/AliciaSzostakPhotography?fref=ts

The best vegan cookie you will ever eat!

   
 So the first recipe I want to share with you is a vegan chocolate chip cookie that is infused with a hint of orange. One point that I want to bring home is to make sure you are using good ingredients, that will make the difference between an okay cookie and an out of this world cookie.

                                             

   Okay so I developed this recipe after a great recipe I found for a grain free, egg, and dairy free cookie. I tweaked the recipe a little to make it my own. Here is what you will need-


2 cups almond flour 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, or oil of choice
1/4 cup honey or vegan substitute 
1 tablespoon of good vanilla 
1 tablespoon coconut milk or almond milk
1/4 cup chocolate chips 
1 tablespoon of orange zest
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed valencia orange juice
1 tablespoon of chia seeds or flax seeds for added nutrients

Preheat the oven the 350 F

Step one-

Combine the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Step two-

In a separate bowl combine everything but the the chocolate chips and orange zest.
 

                                                      

    

Step three-

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined, add the chocolate chips and orange zest. 

Step four-

 Roll dough into golf sized balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Cook for 7-9 minutes, cool and enjoy.

                                                                 Bon appetit!
                                 
       
                                                                      
A special shout out to Alicia Szostak Photography for these incredible photos. Make sure to check her out!

https://www.facebook.com/AliciaSzostakPhotography?fref=ts