The Hubz and I both at a craving for something sweet last night, however we are trying to watch our sweet intake as well as sugar in general. However it is the time of year for sweet treats so I decided to create something slighly lower in sugar and oil but still really tasty.
Makes 18-20 cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup vegan hot chocolate mix
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup spelt flour (could substitute white flour)
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven 350F
With a stand mixer or electric beaters, cream the vegan margarine, pumpkin puree, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla for 4 minutes.
In a medium bowl stir together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, whole wheat flour, and spelt four. In the stand mixer on low or with a wooden spoon slowly add in the dry mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Using a measuring spoon scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, bake for 14-16 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing and placing on a cooling rack. The cookies may seem slightly soft but once they cool on the baking sheet they will begin to firm up.
As I stated earlier this week I am working on a new e-book, which I hope to release at the end of March. Until then you will be able to get sneak peaks of what I am creating in the kitchen. I also will be getting a flicker page together so that my testers can post their shots as well. Here is a sneak of last nights dinner: Rosemary-Balsamic Roasted Tempeh & Mushroom Skewers, Spicy Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cheezy Kale.
I am still looking for a few testers so if you are interested please email me.
As soon as the snow comes so do the chilis at our house. Yesterday was going to be a busy afternoon so I decided to get a head start on dinner before I went to work. I honestly rarely use our slow cooker and it has been in a box for the last year, however I decided that I would give it another try. Besides slow cooked food is always better especially when it comes to soups and chilis.
I have to say I used to be a little lost about how the slow cooker worked and years ago i decided I wanted to make chili in the slow cooker so I chopped everything up and placed it in the slow cooker, turned it on and then thought it was just going to cook everything perfectly…including the uncooked rice I had added to the chili. Boy did I learn my lesson- there are certain things that need to be cooked prior to being placed in the slow cooker (like uncooked rice).
That being said I learned my lesson and this chili turned out really delicious.
Slow Cooker Smoky Pumpkin Chili
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or you can use 2 chipotles in adobo diced**
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 (15oz) can of low sodium vegetable broth, reserve 2 tablespoons
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in the onions, carrots and celery; saute for 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, spices and 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into the onion mixture, cook for 1 minute.
Add the pumpkin, vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lite soy, umeboshi plum vinegar, cocoa powder and onion mixture to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and then cover and turn the slow cooker onto low for 6 to 8 hours.
After 5-6 hours stir in the corn and taste for salt and pepper.
*You could use red wine vinegar.
**Chipotle is essential to make this chili smoky
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I don’t bake often because all the recipes I find are usually filled with sugar and/or oil; both of which make me cringe at thinking about putting all of that in 12 little muffins. I was thinking yesterday what can I do to make a yummy baked good without all the sugar and oil and I came up with these yummy little things.
For these muffins I used pumpkin puree instead of oil and I used a little bit of agave nectar to add a touch of sweetness.
Whole Wheat-Masa Pumpkin Muffins
Makes a dozen muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups masa harina or fine yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 2/3 cups unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F and either lightly grease or line a cupcake pan
In a medium bowl stir together the almond milk and coconut vinegar, set to the side for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl mix together the whole wheat flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt.
Whisk the pumpkin puree and agave into the almond milk.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.
Fill a 12 cup muffin pan and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
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I know I tweeted yesterday about a new recipe that I have been working on for Coconut-Lime Tofu and I had planned to present you with a recipe…..but I changed my mind and decided that it was so delicious I am going to present it to my testers and feature it in my next ebook. So yes the cats out of the bag I am starting another e-book!
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This past weekend the Hubz and I headed south-east to Boston for a little eating, drinking, shopping and a blogger/tweet up! We rolled into town and were ready for some eats. I had always been curious to try Island Hopper and so I gave them a call and inquired about the vegan options; after confirming that they had options we headed out and really enjoyed ourselves.
We enjoyed miso soup, tofu satay- this was really amazing, and then two other dishes that I forget the names of but they were really yummy. I loved that our entrees were served with brown rice and greens.
On Saturday we headed to the new vegan restaurant in Somerville, True Bistro, to meet up with a few bloggers and tweeps. We met early for brunch with Emily and her boyfriend, Lisa aka @seaweedgirle and Laura aka @pansymaiden.
The Hubz and I split the Tofu Benedict and the Teele Square Burger both of which were really delicious- the house made french fries were so good and the heap of caramelized onions were amazing on the burger. Emily and her boyfriend both enjoyed the Waffle with Poached Pears and Emily had a side of fruit which looked really good. Laura also enjoyed the Tofu Benedict and Lisa had the Biscuits with Crumbled House Sausage. After our meal we were presented with two extra large cookies on the house; the six of us sampled the chocolate chip and the oatmeal raisin- the oatmeal raisin was the overall favorite.
After brunch it was time to get our shop on and boy did we! Finally around 8pm we decided to stay close to the hotel and eat at my old college favorite The Other Side. We decided that after a busy day we would unwind with the Ball Jar special which happened to be Victory Lager. For dinner I went with my favorite vegan chili and vegan grilled cheeze and the Hubz went with the Buffalo Tempeh sandwich; both of these were so delicious. We ended our meal with the vegan chocolate mousse with fruit; this was really rich and so amazing.
We ended our trip with breakfast at Trident Booksellers where I found to my delight more vegan options than I would have expected. All of the egg dishes can be prepared with tofu and they have a tofu scramble on the menu. We order the tofu scramble with broccoli, spinach and mushrooms and a Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie to share. After fueling up we took a few photos at the Prudential Center and then hit the road and did some more shopping on the way home.
Melisser Elliott is the author of the upcoming book “The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life”, as well as the blogger behind award-winning blog, The Urban Housewife, beauty blog Cruelty Free Face, and the founder of Sugar Beat Sweets bakery in San Francisco, CA. When not at the keyboard, she participates in animal activism, vegan outreach, &
spends time with her husband Ryan, & rescued friends Strummer, Beamish, & Scurvy. She currently resides in Vienna, Austria.
Inspiration behind the book:
I wanted to write a vegan lifestyle book from a female vegan’s
perspective, although it’s certainly not only for a book for women. The book includes not just about the food we eat, but the other things people forget about or may not know about veganism. I wanted to reduce the learning curve for new vegans by showing them how easy it can be, while appealing to current vegans with new recipes and fun crafts. It’s an easy read, but informative, nonetheless.
Q: Who is your target audience? I know that it is the “vegan girls guide” but do you think it applies to men as well?
Melisser: I consider it a lifestyle guide for the vegan curious, as well as current vegans. The book was written from a female’s perspective, but men can utilize it as well. They may find the beauty section less useful though!
In your book you ask many of your featured bloggers questions such as:
Q: What is your funniest vegan moment?
Melisser: It’s hard to pinpoint one, there’s been lots of silly misunderstandings and unbelievable questions I’ve been asked!
Q: What is your favorite accidental vegan food?
Melisser: Hungarian Baumkuchen from Naschmarkt in Vienna!
Q: What do you say to vegan haters?
Melisser: It depends on the situation, but I love to throw out facts to prove them wrong or make them think. Sometimes it’s better to just make a joke back to them, being a hater back is rarely effective.
Q: What is the one thing that you want you readers to get out of this book?
Melisser: Anyone can be vegan, it’s not a lifestyle for a certain type of person, gender, race, or orientation. With a bit of research and strong convictions, you can make the important decision to lead a vegan lifestyle.
Q:I know you are on a big book tour right now where else will you be stopping?
Melisser: I’m in the UK now doing talks in London, but in January I’ll be in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland- dates coming soon!
My Take: I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I received this book for review all I knew was that it as written by Melisser Elliot a very well known blogger (and blog I follow) and had something to do with being vegan (obviously). I finally sat down and started into the book and this is what I came to find:
I found a lot of information that I already knew– being a 4 year vegan and a holistic health counselor and a lot of the information regarding food and nutrition I already knew. The information regarding animal welfare, factory farming, ect was all information I am already very informed about.
Interviews: There were interviews with bloggers and vegan company owners. I really loved these because it gave me an opportunity to learn more about the bloggers behind the blogs I read and about the business entrepreneurs of stores that I already shop from, as well as about new bloggers and new places to shop.
Besides the beauty info this book is not just for girls. Yes this is The Vegan Girls Guide to Lifeand is written through the perspective of a girl but the information is really good for anyone male or female- however some men may find that the information about beauty supplies does not apply to them; however if you are like my husband you might take interest anyway.
A few recipes. This book was not meant to be a recipe book and you can tell by the lack of vegan recipes, however there are a few and they all sound really yummy.
Overall I think that this is a very well done book and is perfect for those who are vegan curious or a new vegan. If you have been around the vegan block a few times on a whole this book probably won’t hold your interest for very long; however don’t be too quick to dismiss it because the recipes, blogger features and vegan store/shopping info is worth reading.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book for review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway or add this to my OpenSky shop in return for a discount on this product.
Melisser Elliott is the author of the upcoming book “The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life”, as well as the blogger behind award-winning blog, The Urban Housewife, beauty blog Cruelty Free Face, and the founder of Sugar Beat Sweets bakery in San Francisco, CA. When not at the keyboard, she participates in animal activism, vegan outreach, &
