Banana Tortilla

Sometimes a girl needs a chocolate fix. Tonight was one of those nights. I love desserts and this one has become a regular for me lately. It is so good! My friend Rachel made this one night and I veganized it. Rachel got the recipe from Paula Deen.

Ingredients:

1 Tortilla (I used whole wheat)
1/2 banana sliced
cinnamon
brown sugar
non dairy chocolate chips (I used the mini ones)
Earth Balance

Directions:

Lightly coat a frying pan with earth balance butter (one small slab will do)
Place the tortilla in the frying pan and sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon on one side of the tortilla and the banana slices (reserving a few for the topping) and chocolate chips on the other side. No need to go crazy with any of the ingredients, a little bit goes a long way.

Fold tortilla in half and cook until the tortilla lightly browns and the chocolate starts to melt. I like to flip it over halfway through.

Remove from heat and top with whatever you like. I used the rest of the banana slices and some chocolate syrup. I think Paula Deens recipe calls for caramel but I didn't have any on hand.

Hurry Up Alfredo

In my dairy eating days, I lived for anything made with cheese. One of my loves was pasta with alfredo sauce. I made it once or twice from scratch, but usually I just warmed it up from a jar. I'm all about quick and easy. So when I tried to find a vegan alfredo sauce and found one as simple as this I couldn't wait to try it. And when I realized that I already had all the ingredients on hand, I went home from work and made it right away. The recipe comes from Lauren Ulm's cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum. It was slightly adapted by www.epicureanvegan.com, and that is the version I used. So Yummy!

Ingredients:
3-4 c small pasta (I used whole grain bow tie)

Sauce:
1 c soy milk
1/3 c raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 c nutritional yeast (this is NOT the same as yeast you use for making bread- it is a yellowish type of yeast with a cheesy flavor. you can find it at whole foods or other health food stores. trust me, you'll love it!)
3 tbs tamari or soy sauce (I used Braggs Liquid Aminos and I only used 2 tbs)
2tbs Earth Balance or Smart Balance margarine (I used Earth Balance)
1 tbs tahini
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
black pepper to taste
2-4 garlic cloves
(recipe change from epicurean vegan- 1/2 Tofutti Sour Cream)

Directions
Cook pasta according to instructions on box. Meanwhile to make the sauce, combine all ingredients except sour cream in a food processor or blender until smooth. Heat over stovetop and add sour cream. Stir until completely blended in. Serve over pasta.  I made this last night and had the leftovers tonight. For the leftovers I sauteed some spinach with earth balance and garlic and mixed that in to the pasta.  I enjoyed it this way even more!

Berry Delicious Breakfast Smoothie

It has been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  But many of us skip breakfast or eat something unhealthy on the go because our mornings are so chaotic, or because we hit snooze too many times.  This smoothie is filling, healthy, delicious and super easy to make.   I adapted it from a non-vegan version that my brother in law likes to make after he works out.  I tried lots of variations with frozen fruit, fresh fruit and non-dairy milks and yogurts, and this one is my favorite. This smoothie is great for so many reasons other than just being delicious.  Bananas are full of potassium which helps to reduce strokes and blood pressure, vitamin A and iron, they promote bowel health, lift your spirits and boost brainpower! Berries contain vitamin C, blueberries can prevent bladder infections and both blueberries and raspberries contain lutein which helps maintain healthy vision. All that and it tastes great too!                   

Ingredients
1 medium banana
5-8 strawberries depending on size (organic berries tend to be smaller- stay tuned for more on organic produce)
frozen blueberries (I usually just eyeball this but it is probably about 1/4 c.
frozen raspberries- about 10
almond milk (see below on how much to use)

Instructions
Combine all fruit in a blender.  Pour in almond milk until it rises to the 1 cup line.
Blend and enjoy

Newest Vegan on the Block

I'm not a writer, nor am I chef.  In fact, I'm not all that skilled in either category.  I'm a regular single girl living in Philly with two dogs and a cat.  I recently went vegan.  I decided to go vegan after reading some books about the horrors of factory farming. As an animal lover, I realized that I had no choice but to go vegan.  I love it and I'll never go back to my carnivorous ways, despite the funny looks and the questions I get from friends and family.  I've been vegan about 3 months.  When I first started, I had know idea what to eat.  I certainly was not looking forward to a life of salad three times a day.  But other blogger's recipes inspired me to try new things.  If you are a new vegan, perhaps we can take this journey together.  I've tried some recipes that I've loved and other attempts to make what I thought would be a delicious meal, have bombed.  I've been learning about healthy eating and have also been inspired to get back into shape.  So I took up exercising as well.  This blog is simply to share with you my delights, struggles and accomplishments in living a healthy vegan lifestyle.  If I find a recipe I love, I'll share it with you.  Some are incredibly healthy, some are chock full of calories....but hey, nobody's perfect!  Stay tuned!