When summer is over we will dream of spring..

Well I had plans of making the fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies.. but after looking in the fridge this morning, I noticed that all of the "grabbing a few" blueberries has really added up. Oh well, I like them on their own anyway. :)

However, I did make the Blueberry Corn Pancakes from Veganomicon the other day. What a good idea,Bianca. They came out really well, but I think I've decided that fruit in my foods probably isn't my favorite combo. But the cornmeal pancake part of it was really delicious!



We also had two bananas that were really really ripe, and I'm not a fan of eating really ripe bananas..so I figured banana bread was in the making. I was going to add blueberries to it, just because we had them, but stuck with just banana. I used the Lower Fat Banana Bread recipe from Veganomicon(yes, i really need a new cookbook because all my recipes are coming from there lately haha but its okay because they're great). The bread itself came out really good, but it was much less sweet than another banana bread that I had made before. It tasted really awesome with peanut butter on top though.. my two favorites = banana & peanut butter.





Well off to enjoy my day. I'm attempting to find stuff to decorate my new room when I move back to Philly next month.. but I have to many ideas that it's getting a bit hard to really narrow down which ones I want to do! I love decorating though, so it's fun. :)

this is my mind, it goes over and over the same old lines..

So my 4th of July was good..aside from the fact that the only fireworks I saw were between trees while in a car. We went to the Shorebirds baseball stadium to see them, when it started to pour and storm..and it was pretty bad. So we waited a while but it didn't really show signs of clearing up, so we eventually left..and got completely soaked on the run to the car. But it's okay, I had a really good day anyway. :)

So I've been searching tons for a really good chocolate chip cookie recipe. The previous attempts have not sufficed for me at all. They've come out to where they don't spread, so really they're cookie "balls". And they've come out just not tasting the way a good chocolate chip cookie is supposed to taste. I found posted online a recipe from the book The Joy of Vegan Baking. And no, I do not have this book..though I've looked at it many times pondering on whether to get it or not. But I said 'if these cookies come out the way I really want them to, I'm definitely getting this book!' So looks like I'll be ordering it! :) These cookies not only spread and actually looked like cookies, but they tasted awesome! I feel like the day after, they taste even better.. but nothing beats a cookie still warm from the oven.




And since i found the recipe posted on places online, I'm going to post it.. because I really think it's a recipe a vegan neeeeeds to have. And then go buy the book :)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have a nonstick baking sheet ready. Have two egg replacers made and ready. (I used 2 T of flax seed and 6 T of water in a blender.) In a large bowl, cream together 1 cup of softened margarine (I used smart balance), 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract. Add the egg replacer mix and stir well. In another bowl, mix together 2 + 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. Gradually beat the dry mix into the wet ingredients until well combined. Stir in 2 cups chocolate chips. Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Mine didn't really get "golden brown" but I like mine chewy so I was really happy with how they turned out.

Yesterday we went blueberry picking..


So the blueberry recipes will begin soon! I'm thinking pancakes.. and perhaps fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies from Vcon? I think so!

your brown skin shining in the sun..

So the baby shower was this past weekend and it was really nice and I made for it again, the chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats because they really are so amazing. I also made the Deli Style Macaroni Salad from Veganomicon.. I didn't get a chance to take a picture.. and I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't the best thing I've had. I used to really like macaroni salad before my vegan days. For some reason though, using veganaise really just puts me off. I'm not sure why.. I eat it when restaurants use it and it's fine.. but I think just using it throws me.. weird. Same with tofutti cream cheese and sour cream.. I think just the fake dairy products in general don't go well with me haha.


For dinner a couple nights ago I made the Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh and Messy Rice from Veganomicon.





The messy rice was really really delicious and I'd definitely make it again. The tempeh.. was just okay. I am a huge fan of tempeh, I usually prefer it over tofu and seitan. The glaze didn't really get to where I was expecting it to. Perhaps I didn't let it marinate long enough? Although I did it for the hour and I flipped them as well.. So I'm not sure where I went wrong on that one. hmm..
I really want to make the barbecue one from the book as well but hopefully that one will come out better? hmm...

is it possible for the world to look this way forever?

So I haven't really been making much lately up until yesterday. No reason really..just haven't been motivated I suppose.

Anyway, yesterday I made.. well I guess I can't really say i made it.. but I prepared a Tabouli Salad which was so delicious. I got it from the health food store and it's a brand called Fantastic Foods. Basically all I did was add olive oil, tomatoes and cucumbers to it. But hey, it was still delicious and quick! I've also made the falafel from that brand.. and they also came out really good. I think next I want to try the Tofu Scramble..I still have yet to even make one on my own..





Also I really wanted to make something for dessert..and with me, you can never go wrong with a recipe that has peanut butter and chocolate in it. it's by far my fave combo. So I made the Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Kripsy Treats... which I found on a bunch of blogs but finally made myself. The result? Sooooo delicious! Just what I was going for :)





Chocolate and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of corn syrup until hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of peanut butter and mix well. In a very large bowl, add 6 cups of rice crispy cereal and 2 cups of chocolate chips(i used giradelli semisweet..my fave). Add the peanut butter mix and stir well so it's all coated. Pour into a 9x13 pan and flatten out. Let cool for an hour before cutting and serving.

So my best friend's baby shower is this saturday..and everyone is supposed to bring a dish. After making those rice krispies, I'm pretty much sold on making more and bringing those.. I think I might also make the pineapple black bean quinoa salad I made a while ago as well.. It was quick and sooo delicious so I think it'll be perfect for it. We'll see.. I'm excited to go this weekend though.. It's so much fun picking out cute baby stuff for her! :)

sh sh shake it

ive been having a hard time sleeping lately and i dont know why..i dont work until 12 today so i can sleep until 10:30..but for some reason i just can't :( it's not good because then later, i'm exhausted..and that's never fun...
so my weekend was nice..i worked a lot but on father's day i made a cake from the ovelove.com.. the chili chocolate cake. it came out really good..the cake part was better than the cake from the mint chocolate cake, i think. the icing though didnt really get the consistancy I was after until being in the fridge the next day. but it was still good the first day..just gooey :)







Also for father's day we got him an espresso machine, which he really liked..thus the espresso cup in the backround. It's pretty strong,but I really enjoyed it.

Earlier in the week I made the Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stirfry from Veganomicon.. It came out awesome! I especially loved the toasted cashews in it..it gave it a great nutty crunch to it..yum. :)





The recipe for it calls for the quinoa to be cooked in pineapple juice though, which I must admit, I liked it better by itself when I cooked it in the vegetable bouillon.. but in the recipe you couldn't really tell so it as still quite good.

Prepare the Quinoa by combining 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1 cup cold water, and 1/4 teaspoon of soy sauce in a medium sauce pan covered over high heat until boils. Stir a few times and bring the heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is fluffy and translucent. Uncover, and let cool. Let refrigerate for about an hour until added to stir fry. For the stir fry, use a large 11 inch nonstick skillet pan. Have 2 sliced scallions, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 cup cooked edamame, 1/2 cup fresh basil sliced, 2 cups fresh pineapple in small chunks all ready. Place cashews in the dry pan and heat over low heat stirring until lightly toasted. Remove cashews and raise heat to medium, and add 3 tablespoons of peanut oil, the scallions, and the garlic. When garlic starts to sizzle, add pepper. Stir fry for 2 minutes and add edamame. Stir fry for 3 minutes and add basil, stir another minute and add pineapple and quinoa. In measuring cup, mix 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock and pour over stir fry. Stir fry for another 10-14 minutes until quinoa is very hot.

Well off to another day at work! Hopefully a good one! =)