vegan recipe

2-Ingredient Salted Caramel Almond Bark

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This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. 

My sweet tooth is pretty limited to coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate. I hate to admit that I have been indulging in both a bit too much lately but c’est le vie. One of my favorite combinations with both coconut milk “ice cream” and chocolate is salted caramel a trend that I will be riding out until the end (and beyond).

Of course when these salted caramel Blue Diamond almonds arrived on my door step my first thought was these would go fantastic with chocolate and guess what? I was right. 

Blue Diamond Almonds 2 ingredient Salted Caramel Bark instagram For this (non)recipe you will need two things: Blue Diamond Salted Caramel Almonds and dark chocolate chips. Easy as that. 

Once you have acquired these two items you will also need a sheet of parchment paper. Measure out about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and set aside. Measure out another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring in-between  until melted. Stir the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips until melted as well; this will help to cool down the chocolate mixture faster. Then stir 2 heaping tablespoons of Blue Diamond Salted Caramel almonds into the mixture and then pour the mixture on to a sheet of parchment paper and smooth out into a thin layer.

Sprinkle the top of the chocolate bark with leftover chocolate chips and almonds. Place in the fridge and cool for at least an hour and store in the fridge. 
Blue Diamond Almonds Salted Caramel Bark instagramI tell you this is an easy (not really a) recipe that pairs two delicious things together. Now I’m off to steal another piece or two for an afternoon treat. 

What is your favorite flavor/food to combine with chocolate? 

 

{Recipe} Chocolate Protein Milk Shake

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Being a stay-at-home-mom is more time consuming than you might imagine and finding time to eat can sometimes be a challenge. Lately I have been turning to quick and easy meals that take a matter of minutes to put together and a huge bonus if I can eat and nurse at the same time. Lately my go to meal for both breakfast and lunch has been a chocolate Vega Energizing Smoothie.

You can just take the smoothie powder and shake and go but I love to blend mine with a few other ingredients to bulk it up and make a real meal.

Chocolate-Almond Butter-Banana Vega Shake

Serves 1

  • 10 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1 scoop Vega Energizing Smoothie– chocolate flavored (you could use any flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon natural unsweetened almond butter

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

I love to add the ice to the smoothie because it make is more like a chocolate milkshake which makes it super indulgent.  This is the basic recipe the I use but I often add some frozen fruit instead of the ice when I have it on hand such as blueberries or raspberries and if you have frozen banana you could use that as well.

What is your go to shake or smoothie?

What is your favorite meals when you only have a few minutes to put something together?

Kale Colcannon

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Kale Colcannon

Serves 4
Ingredients:

  • 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled until soft
  • 1T vegan margarine
  • 3T non-dairy creamer
  • 4 cups kale, ripped into bite sized pieces and steamed until soft
  • 3 scallions, sliced thinly
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Mash the potatoes with the margarine and non-dairy creamer until almost smooth.  Stir in the kale and scallions.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Chocolate Chipotle Corn and Black Bean Soup

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Chocolate Chipotle Corn and Black Bean Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1t garlic powder
  • 2t ground cumin
  • 1t paprkia
  • 2t chili powder
  • 1t Italian seasoning
  • 1T soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brewed coffee
  • 1T cacao powder
  • 2T chipotle chiles in adobo, diced
  • 1 (28oz) can peeled whole tomatoes with their juices
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients minus the beans- they were draining in the sink

In a large heavy bottom pot heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add in the onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the spice and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the coffee, soy sauce, cacao powder and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the chipotles and tomatoes with their juice; bring up to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Stir in the corn and cover and cook 15 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Quinoa Stuffed Squash

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Over the last few weeks we have received a number of small carnival squash in our CSA and I have been attempting to find a delicious and creative way to use them  One of my girlfriends was in town and came over for dinner so I decided that I would make stuffed squash with sauteed kale and dijon balsamic roasted beets.

Quinoa Stuffed Squash

  • 4 small squash, Carnival or Acorn would work well
  • 1T olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, small dice
  • 1 Small onion, small dice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can of black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
  • 1t Italian Seasoning
  • 1t Salt
  • 1/2t pepper
  • 1/2t garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth +2T AP flour, whisked together

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the tops off the squash about 1 inch down. Scoop the seeds out of the squash and drizzle each with 1/4T of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Reserve the tops to the side. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

While the squash is baking- in a large skillet heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  Toss in the onions and peppers in the oil for 3-5 minutes until soft.  Stir in the garlic and black eyed peas for a minute. Add in the spices, salt, pepper and vegetable broth mixture.  Heat until the sauce has thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked quinoa.

Remove the squash from the oven and stuff until just slightly overfilled.  Place the tops back on and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes until the squash is soft, test with a tip of a knife.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato and Lobster Mushroom Risotto

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I have been trying out a number of new recipes using dried wild mushrooms and my first creation was this Sun-dried Tomato and Lobster Mushroom Risotto.  The combination of earthy mushrooms and sweet tomatoes with creamy risotto was a great pairing.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 5 cups warm vegetable stock
  • 1oz dried lobster mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes; rough chop the mushrooms
  • 10 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
  • 1t Italian Seasoning
  • 1T vegan parmesan

Heat 1 the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice  and sun-dried tomatoes and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Add the mushroom soaking liquid to the rice, make sure not to add the grit that may have floated to the bottom. Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Stir in the mushrooms and vegan parmesan.

Easy Peasy Recipe: Cheezy Broccoli Bean Bake

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This is a super easy, no fuss recipe.  It is great for nights when you need something quick, easy and nutritious to eat.

Ingredients:

  • For the Cheeze Sauce:
    • 2 cups vegetable broth
    • 1/4 cup arrowroot, cornstarch or flour
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1t olive oil
    • 1/8t tumeric
    • 1/4t dried thyme
    • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
    • salt and pepper
    • a few dashes of hot sauce
  • For the Mashed Potatoes:
    • 4-6 red or purple potatoes
    • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
    • 2t nutritional yeast
    • salt and pepper
  • For the Broccoli Base:
    • 2 cups frozen broccoli
    • 1/2 cup frozen peas
    • 1(15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium casserole dish toss together the beans, peas and broccoli; set aside.

Potato topping: Boil the potatoes until soft.  Drain and then mash with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast and  salt and pepper.

Cheeze sauce: Whisk together the arrowroot and vegetable broth. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat the oil and garlic for 1 minute.  Stir in the tumeric and thyme.  Slow whisk in the vegetable broth mixture.  The whisk in the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer until thickened.  Pour over the broccoli base.

Top the broccoli cheeze base with the potatoes and if you would like dust the top with nutritional yeast.  Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned.