Classic peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies

Sunday morning peanut butter & chocolate cookie craving. Need I say more? It is an experience to bake and cook with no counter top or sink, but I have been managing. Its sorta like camping, except you don't have to stash the food in the car.

This recipe is adapted from food.com.

Classic peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies
makes about 26 cookies

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar- I used organic cane- but brown would be nice too
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup soy milk
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375
With an electric mixer blend the first 5 ingredients until creamy.
Pour in the flour, soda, and salt.
Mix until well combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Roll into golf size balls, place on a baking tray.
Squish down with a floured fork.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.



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Chocolate zucchini loaf

I am going to tell you a secret....I love CHOCOLATE! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I read an interesting article about chocolate here. I wish I could grow it :P


1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup dark chocolate- roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan
Combine dry ingredients and wet in separate bowls.
Add wet to dry. Stir it up.
Pour it into pan. Bake until done, about 1 hour.

Almond butter chocolate balls

The holidays are just a few short weeks away, and we have been planning on making them pretty chill. Sometimes its easy to get caught up in all the holiday crazies, but I just remind myself what is important. 

Family, love, happiness and good food 

I dream about going into a grocer where everything is vegan and I don't have to read the ingredients...maybe one day.  Until that day comes I will be perfecting vegan treats in my kitchen. These peanut butter chocolate balls are super simple to make, and tasty!

I found this recipe, and changed it a bit.

1 stick of earth balance butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups almond butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3 cups rice cereal
2 cups dark chocolate chopped and melted

In a large pot, melt butter.
Add almond butter and vanilla.
Stir until combined and smooth.
Add powdered sugar and rice cereal.

Let mixture cool.
roll into balls

With a fork dip balls into melted chocolate
Place on a parchment paper lined baking pan.
Refrigerate  until hard.
Dust with cocoa powder

Fudgy Wudgy

When my daughter came home after school with her friend, she said we had "no good food", meaning no junk food. HA! She then kindly asked me to make some brownies for them to eat, after dinner of course :)

It turned out pretty good for using an old oven that SUCKS!!! I am going oven shopping this weekend. I definitely want a convection oven...any recommendations?

Back to the brownie/cake/yumminess....I usually don't take chances with baking, so I was thumbing through my cookbooks. Of course the Rebar cookbook is one of my favorites. Everything in the book always turns out great, and this was no exception.

I have had my hardship with vegan brownie making.sometimes they just don't taste good. Too oily or crunchy or something just doesn't taste right. But this one....if you love chocolate you won't be disappointed.

Nobody's birthday.....cake

I felt like eating cake today! 

Which is what explains this.

We had it after dinner,

It was really good.

Banana, Avocado, Chocolate smoothie GIVEAWAY!!

This is the most amazing smoothie EVER!! I promise if you love chocolate, you will LOVE this! Avocado pairs really well with chocolate, and the banana...well its a match made in heaven. CHOCOLATE HEAVEN.

2 bananas

1 avocado

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 cup ice 

1 cup non-dairy milk

1tsp Acai powder

kid approved

A Canadian company Earth Notions sent me a bunch of Organic Acai powder. I have never used Acai powder before so I had to do a little research on it.  I have read that it has health benefits, along with the essential fatty acids and is very high in antioxidants.There is only one ingredient  Organic Acai fruit, which is what you want when you are buying Acai products.With anything its important to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. 

If you would like to try out some Organic Acai powder just leave a comment, one comment per person please...and you will be entered to win a bag! ( there will be 5 winners!!)

Chocolate truffle cupcakes: made in the heart of the home

I have been running around a lot trying to get the home we just bought in order. Buying an old home has its ups and downs. I love the look of older homes, the charm that they seem to have. New homes are nice but they don't have the same qualities. I guess its like a young teenager compared to a cool old lady. I would way rather spend my time with a cool old lady hearing her stories and learning from her, then a has everything going for them, but it doesn't last (because its no longer in style) teenager. lol

I finished priming Oceans room, we picked two colours. Watermelon splash (for 1 wall), and whipped cream for the other 3. I have so many ideas for her room. We have moved around a lot with her, never being able to put down any roots. She is a super kid I figure she deserves her room finished first. After all she will be in her room a lot more then me in mine.

I like to dream about things I want to do with our home, mainly the kitchen. Since that is my space, and I have come to realize through home decor books that it is the "heart of the home". I like the way that sounds.

On to the cupcakes, getting mail is fun especially when its a present or in this case ORGANIC RAW CACAO CHOCOLATES, from UliMana. Yum Yum. I wanted to showcase these yummy treats so I used them as the topping to my chocolate cupcakes. OH YEAH!! These are amazing. I wanted to eat them as soon as I opened the package, but I contained my impulsiveness. Decided to wait for something special to do with them.

I used my GOTO chocolate cake recipe, its good, moist and has never failed me. This time I added a shot of espresso. Just to kick it up a notch. The frosting I usually eye it out and taste along the way, but here is the jist of it, feel free to change it up ( too sugary, not enough cocoa powder, etc...)

3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup organic icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp earth balance margarine
3-4 tbsp vanilla almond milk

With a mixer, blend until fluffy

What is more special then a cupcake topped with a truffle?

Ulimana

The quest for the ultimate vegan chocolate chip cookie

Let me start out by saying that this is by far the best vegan chocolate chip cookie I have made...EVER!

Usually I find myself returning to the same old recipe because I know it works, but there was always something missing. I like my chocolate chip cookie soft, with a little crisp on the edge.

To get this its all about the cooking of the cookie. Which is why I have experimented with how long the cookie is in the oven for. I use to put them in for 12 minutes, and always came out crunchier then I liked. Reducing the time down to 9 minutes, they might look under done, but trust me, pull them out and let them cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

I tweaked this recipe that I found on vegweb.com and watched a few youtube videos, that is where I got the idea to add the molasses. Which is what I think was totally missing.

I will be selling these cookies at the market tomorrow (among other yummy treats), so come by and taste one! 2304 Hunter Street in Halifax (the corner of Hunter and Cunard)

2 cups flour
1 cup organic sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup veggie oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp black strap molasses

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
In a smaller mixing bowl combine wet ingredients.
Pour wet into dry and mix with a wooden spoon, until mixed up good.(I used my hands to really get it mixed up).
Roll into balls and squish down with the your fingers on a parchment lined pan.
Bake in the oven for 9 minutes. (this is the best for my oven, you might need to experiment with the timing on yours, every oven heats differently :)

Coconut Chocolate Macaroons

The good  folks at Tropical Traditions sent me a big jar of  Virgin Coconut Oil to sample. When the mail person delivered it to my door this morning I quickly opened the box, then the jar... took a sniff and stuck my finger into the thick coconut goop, tasted it YUM!

I love coconut, but I have never worked with coconut oil before. It sort of  reminds me of sun tan lotion:P  This is my first recipe. I wanted to keep that amazing coconut flavor. Rummaged through my cupboards and decided to make coconut macaroons, with a little chocolate flare:P  This is not to be mistaken for the french macaron, that I have been seeing all over the blog world.  Which is probably why I made these...subliminal messaging (must make macaron:P)

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1//4 cup soy milk-(if I had almond I would of used it)
• 2 tbsp Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil-melted

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in a seperate bowl.
Combine the two together. Stir it up.
Spoon onto a parchment papered baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Avocado & Chocolate Tart

When I first saw this recipe on another blog  I did a little research and watched a video on you tube, I was like crazy avocado and chocolate. This I have to try...and today was the day! I know this is referred to as a raw dessert, but I don't think mine is, because I used cocoa powder. And that is processed.  I really like all the recipes that I have been seeing out there in the blogosphere on raw food. It inspires me. The only thing I wish I did different was I would of bought the right dates. I ended up having to push the chocolate mixture through a sieve, the dates were to hard (even though I soaked them for a half an hour). I still managed to get the sweetness out of them, I just didn't want all the little hard bits in it.

You must taste as you make it, adding a little bit of cocoa, maple syrup, water, etc... I like my chocolate not overly sweet. The crust is really interesting, and very tasty, It could be used with many different kinds of tart fillings. I got this recipe from my friend, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen.
We haven't eaten them yet...saving them for after dinner, but I did taste the filling and the crust....YUM!

Day of Love

For the last few days I have been brainstorming what I am going to do for dinner on Valentines day. Today was the day to make the dessert, so this is it.
I call it " WYLMF" will you love me forever.

Peanut Buttah Bars

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate? When I go to the store I avoid the junk food aisle like its the plague, everything I use to enjoy when I wasn't vegan has milk product in it. So when I came across a recipe that put my two favorite things together...I had to try it! Are they good for you, probably not, and they good to eat, OH-YEAH!

• 3 cups rice cereal-crushed
• 1 cup natural peanut butter-smooth
• 1 cup powdered sugar (how to make vegan powdered sugar)
• 1/4 cup earth balance-melted

• 1 cup dark chocolate- melted
• 1 tbsp earth balance-melted

Crush the cereal in a food processor-or in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin.
In a large bowl, mix together, cereal, peanut butter, sugar, and butter
Don't be scared to get you fingers dirty, mix it up well.
In a square pan, press the cereal mixture down until its firmly together.

Fill water in a small pot 1/4 full. Place a small bowl on top of the pot and fill it up with the chocolate.
Bring water to a boil, melting the chocolate. Add melted butter.

Pour Chocolate over the rice cereal, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate is hardened.

Chocolate Banana Pie

I recently borrowed a movie from the library...Waitress. I know, I know, but it was a  feel good movie. I especially liked it when the main character named the pies she was making like " I hate my husband pie". It was funny:P  The ending of the movie is good too, I won't give it away because that would be lame. Anywho....when I make pies I think of this movie. I made this for Ocean's birthday!

• 1 box silken tofu
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup of dark chocolate-melted in a bain marie
• 1 tbsp cornstarch-mixed with 1 1/2 tsp soy milk
• 3 tbsp maple syrup

In a blender, add tofu and mix until creamy, add bananas.
Melt chocolate in a bowl on top of a pot of boiling water (bain marie),
Add to blender, add cornstarch and maple syrup.
Pour into a precooked pie crust, and place in the fridge for as long as possible.
(I sprinkled chocolate shavings and crushed peanuts around the edge, to make it pretty:)

Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake

It was my birthday yesterday, and since I am really the only person in the home that knows how to bake (somewhat), I decided that I would make myself a cake. Its hard to go to a bakery and request a vegan cake:P
So I checked out the best chocolate cake recipes, and found this one. It was really easy and inexpensive, because it used cocoa powder instead of chocolate. The results...I would make it again

http://www.instructables.com/id/SGR3JXJFFEA6XLY/

Cake Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix in a bowl dry ingredients, combine wet into dry and mix well.
Pour into a greased cake pan, and bake for 23-30 minutes.
or until a knife comes out clean.

Chocolate chunk cookies

I have always had a weakness for cookies, and becoming vegan has not had an impact on my love for them<3. Actually making cookies vegan is more economical for your pocket.

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup water
• dark chocolate- chopped

(I like the presidents choice 70% bars, they run for about $3.50 and you can easily get two batches of cookies.)

In a large bowl mix together flour, soda,salt and cornstarch.
In a medium sized bowl mix sugar, oil, vanilla and water.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix it up, add chocolate.
Mix until it forms a dough like texture.
On a foil lined pan, roll into rounds, squish down and place a piece of chocolate on top.
Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes.