Like Hummus!

My food processor still works! This is plain ole-hummus. Because sometimes you just want plain ole hummus.

Breakfast for Dinner!

One of the best ways to have a fast, healthy and delicious dinner, is to make breakfast foods for the evening meal. Here is some random scrambled tofu that I whipped up. Added some toast and Yves veggies sausage patties. Ta-da! Dinner!

Chili Mac!

I rushed home on Monday night only to rush back out 45 minutes later. So, I made Chili Mac for my husband and I . "What is this magical mac?", you ask? Well, it's boiled noodles with some chili mixed in (you can use homemade or a vegan canned version). I like it for 3 reasons: it's easy, it's cheap, it's healthy and it's yummy (okay that's 4 reasons...)

Here is how I make mine:

1. boil noodles (I like any spiral shape, really)

2. drain noodles (duh)

3. put chili in pot you used to boil noodles

4. mix noodles into the chili

5. let stand a few minutes and stir.

See, it's that easy also, if you are feeling fancy you can then put the chili mac into a prepared casserole dish, cover with vegan cheese and bake in the oven. so many options... 

Hummus... from Thailand?!

Thai food is delicious. Hummus is delicious. So, Thai hummus must be double delicious!

Thai Peanut Curry Hummus

1 inch fresh ginger

1 clove garlic

4 tbsp Peanut butter

2 tsp red curry paste

1 can chickpeas (19oz) drained and rinsed

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp of salt

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (packed)

2 squirts thai chili sauce

2 squirts agave

2 tbsp peanut oil

4 tbsp water

first process ginger and garlic. then add everything else and process. feel free to add more water to customize the consistency of your hummus. 

 

My New Coffee Maker!

As a law student, I pound back a lot of coffee. Coming from Montreal (my hometown), I will admit to some coffee snobbery. I insist on fair trade organic (preferably Italian) beans that I grind in my little grinder (this saves money AND improves the taste of your coffee). And, up until now, I either peculated espresso in my stove-top peculator or used a French Press. 

Anyway, since I've gone back to school, there are always coffee grinds all over my counter and I act like a complete ho-bag (this is the female equivalent of douche-bag, if you want to get technical) for the first half-hour of the morning (this is before the coffee is ready). Something had to give...

 So on Monday, I bought one of those coffee makers with "Delay Brew" function. This means that I can program the coffee maker (once loaded with water and coffee, of course) to turn itself on at the time of my choosing! I happen to chose 6:30 am ( I have Crim at 8 am on Monday and Wednesdays). Anyway, I was all excited about this last night, I set the coffee maker and went to bed. But alas! I woke up and there was no coffee to be had! Unfortunately, I have to report that some ho-baggery did ensue. I am trying again tonight! Here's hoping...  

I wuv Pumpkin!

If you didn't notice, I am obsessed with pumpkin. So, I figured that a pumpkin obsessed hummus-a-holic should make, what else? Pumpkin Hummus!

 It is so good, I would sell (okay, maybe rent out) my mother for it.

Pumpkin hummus

2 cloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 can chickpeas

juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup tahini

2 tbsp olive oil (walnut or hazelnut oil would make a good substitute)

1/4 cup water

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/16 tsp cloves (ground)

1/8 tsp cardamum

1/4 tsp nutmeg

First process ginger and garlic until unrecognizable. add other ingredients and process again. You can eat it now, but i find that all hummus benefits from a night in the fridge (just sayn', you can do what you want...)

The Best Pumpkin Muffins!

These are from VwaV. They. Are. The. Best.

later rumblings...

I know, after all that I was hungry just a few short hours later... What a pig!

 So I whipped up this Strawberry-Banana Smoythie. 

If you liked the yogurt flavor, you will love this!

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup sliced frozen strawberries

1/2 cup soy milk

1/4 cup vanilla soy yogurt.

Blend ingredients. You know what to do.

Stuffing my face...

Okay, so, I got home after a 6-hour research session in the library nearly passing out with hunger. I knew that only a huge meal would do. so, I warmed up some leftover casserole(broccoli chickpea casserole from VwaV and my own pumpkin curry noodle casserole) that I had from Shabbat (gotta love the Shabbos leftovers...) and cut up a tomato that one of my hubby's co-workers gave to him from their garden. Soooo gooood....

Peanut Butter-Banana Cup Smoythie

I woke up Friday morning feeling all sparkling clean from Yom Kippur: I figured that I had earned some sinful deliciousness, and whipped up this smoothie! The healthiness of it will mitigate the guilt...

Peanut Butter Banana Cup Smoythie:

1 scoop chocolate flavored soy protein powder

1 cup soy milk

1 frozen banana

2 -3 tbsp PB

1/3 cup cooked oatmeal

1 tbsp flax seed (ground)

Blend all ingredients together. sip and smile.

A muffinable story

I won a coffee and a muffin (not one that I could eat, but that's besides the point) by sending this story to my Property Proff. It is about vegan food, and is hilarious:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3605773,00.html

Lupini Bean Hummus

Something you should know about me: I am a hummus freak. If it was suddenly unavailable, I would have to go to some sort of Hummus-a-holic support group.

I could eat it 3 meals a day, everyday (and have somedays, actually). I keep things exciting by making different types of hummus with different types of beans. When I want to be really adventurous, I pick out a can of beans that I have never heard of or tried before, and make a hummus with them. And now that you can estimate the extent of my nerddom, here is the recipe

 

Here is what I created from a can of Lupini Beans.

It's kind if Italian...

1 clove garlic

1 can lupini beans

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tahini

1/3 cup water

6 sun dried tomatoes in oil

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon salt

First chop garlic in food processor. Add drained and rinsed beans. process. Add oil and tahini, then process. Add sun dried tomatoes, process them and then add water (you could also add the water throughout the process, starting after you process the beans). Put in herbs and salt, process one last time.  Empty into container and  refridgerate overnight.  

Chocolate Pumpkin Smootie

Wow, that last post was poop! Sorry about that!

Anywho... I got home from Shange De famished. This smoothie really hit the spot: it was like drinking pudding! I was inspired by Vegan Dad's Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Cake. 

Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie

2/3 cup of pumpkin puree

1.5 cups unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 tbsp dutch cocoa (makes it taste even more decadent and has a good amount of iron)

1 scoop chocolate soy protein powder

dash of cinnamon

1 frozen banana cut into pieces

Put all ingredients into belender. blend until smooth. slurp it up!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I baked these omega-3 packed cookies for my study group tomorrow. I took Isa Chadra Moskowitz's Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from her Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook.  

The changes I made cut fat and made the cookies a little more "Fall-like". Fall is in full swing here in Edmonton ( as you can see from the photo) the plus: I get in more autumnal baking!

 The Con: Summer is O-V-E-R. 

Here are the  changes that I made:

I replaced 1/3 cup of oil with apple sauce (so now it was 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup applesauce)

I added 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground clove, 1/2 teaspoon allspice.

I also replaced the raisins with cranberries. 

Another bit of advice about these: the flaxseed is a must!

Mexican Morning

 

There is this amazing coffee from Just Us! called Mexican Morning that I used to guzzle when I lived in Hali... but this smoothie has little in common. 

As per usual, I have no food, so I went into my freezer and cupboards to throw this post-run concoction. It wasn't bad if I do say so myself...It reminds me of these Mexican lollipops that one of my dad's old girlfriends used to give me. They were either little candy watermelon or corns covered in this spicy powder... odd but delish.

Mexican Morning Smoothie:

1 heaping Tablespoon brown rice protein powder

1 over ripe mango

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 frozen ripe avocado

1/2 cup frozen peaches

1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

pinch cayenne pepper

(I think some agave wouldn't hurt if your mango isn't very ripe...)

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend it. Drink, and be transported!