Vegan Smoky Chipotle & Black Bean Dip

My grandma made this dip for me tonight to go with our potato tacos. It is supposed to be served warm but we ate it straight from the fridge and it was delightful! I think it is probably best with tortilla chips. You could also substitute it for hummus on a veggie wrap, if you're like me and don't really like the taste of hummus (no matter the flavor).

1/3 c green onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 (15oz) can organic black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c water
1/4 c freshly chopped cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp freshly chopped oregano (she actually left this out, she didn't have any, but the recipe calls for it)
1 tsp chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed
1/4 tsp salt

In a small non-stick skillet, saute the green onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the cumin, saute 3 additional minutes or until fragrant, remove from heat, and set aside. In a food porcessor or blender, combine the green onion mixture and the remaining ingredients, and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, you can also add more chipotle puree if you like spicy flavors. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies.

Vegan Cornbread Muffins!!

Tonight was comfort food night. I made VEGAN DELICIOUS cornbread muffins, pintos and fried potatoes. the potato i fried was organic, i fried it in vegan butter, and the pintos were organic from a can (it was dance class night tonight, we had to do something quick and easy!). The cornbread was fabulous and only took 10 minutes to bake to golden perfection in the oven! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer (dry)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease six muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a small bowl, beat together egg replacer and water. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add egg mixture, oil and water; stir until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins using approximately 1/2 cup for each muffin.
3. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Beer Bread

This is the recipe for Uptown Eatery's Beer Bread- tweaked to be vegan :)

3 cups self-rising flour
1 can of beer (try sierra-nevada's organic brew!)
3 tbsp organic sugar
mix together to make a batter-

pour into sprayed loaf pan, and top with a stick (1 cup) melted vegan butter.

bake at 350 for one hour or until golden on top.

This bread is DELICIOUS!!

Quick & Easy Shepherd's Pie

Fall! The season of soups, casseroles, and "pies" :)

You will need:
1 package Smart Ground (you can use other "meat", but make sure you check the ingredients! A lot of "vegan"  meat uses egg whites- they sneak those in. Just a warning!)
1 can organic aduki beans
1 can organic white shoepeg corn
1 can organic green beans
2-3 small/medium organic russet potatoes
1/4 c vegan butter
1/4 c soy milk (hemp or nut milk will work too!)
shredded "cheese" (i use veggie cheese, and a soy cheese slice (it melts better!))
garlic powder & sea salt to taste

"brown" smart ground, combine in casserole dish with vegetables. peel and chop potatoes in to large chunks. boil until mashable. strain, mash and mix with soy milk, butter, garlic powder & sea salt. spread mashed potatoes over top of casserole. sprinkle with cheese. bake on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

ta da! :) delicious vegan shepherd's pie. its my 5 year old's favorite meal! :)

Vegan Food Pictures :)

Yeah.. I'm one of those nerds that takes photos of my food ALL the time!! I can't help it! :) I generally use my iPhone, so.. some are with different applications (usually quadcam! :)). You might notice a lot of the pictures are from Blue Coast Burrito. I LOVE BCB, I eat there usually 2-3 times a week. They are famous for their LaTinga Chicken... which I don't eat! I always get rice & black beans on a salad or corn tacos. The vegetables are so fresh- fresh salsa, pico de gallo, and of course cucumbers!! :)

(salad at the Edge Coffe Shop on campus.. Aggie, across from the armory)

these are cookies I made with Tropical Source vegan chocolate chips. I'll make sure to post the recipe soon!

spicy soup at Sai Thai in Downtown Jonesboro

veggie rolls from Sai Thai :) with peanut sauce!

fire rice from Sai Thai in downtown!

THIS is the delicious Shepherd's Pie that I made for dinner last night! I'll post that recipe too! It's so super easy, and super delicious! :) :)

ECO-FRIENDLY & SUPER CUTE!

ok, i'm a sucker for wearing my heart on my sleeve, and my beliefs around my neck! so check out what i got!!

be loud, be proud, GO VEG! :) :)

i love it! the designer is from dallas, and her jewelry is amazing!!

http://www.christyrobinsondesigns.com/

there is so much stuff on her site i would LOVE to have! 

i thought that this would be a great gift idea out there for you vegans and vegetarians! and for those of you that aren't vegan/vegetarian but know one... this is a fabulous idea! <3

Vegan Mac 'n' Cheez

This recipe is from PETA'S vegan college cookbook. I purchased my copy at Barnes & Noble, but I'm sure you could find it used (and cheap!) on amazon.com :)

1 (16oz) package elbow macaroni (i use whole wheat or spinach noodles, but you can also find rice noodles or vegetable noodles!)
1/2 cup soy milk (i prefer silk original)
5 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegan margarine
salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

(you can also make this in the microwave)
Boil water and noodles until soft, drain. mix soy milk & yeast together, then add the macaroni & margarine.  add more soy milk to thin sauce, more yeast to thicken it, depending on your preference. add seasoning.

i like to melt a slice (or two!) of vegetable cheese over the top! :) and black pepper!