Sweet & Sour Vegan Meatballs PLUS My first Baby Quilt!

-       Apples
-       Plain Pasta
-       Soda Crackers
-       Cucumbers
-       Doritos

This was my life for almost two months. Having no appetite and throwing up almost everyday.

OH THE JOYS OF PREGNACY.

You guys know me as a foodie, a lover of food and making new and fun dishes to share with you. Well that all changed in December when I was taken over by my baby. I stopped wanting to eat almost all together, well anything with real nutritional value, and the stuff I wanted to eat were things that I didn’t even really care for. But hey the baby gets what they baby gets!

This was my brain before the baby

Spring rolls…….. salad……….carrots…….. smoothies…… bananas………tomatoes……stir fries……good healthy food.

This was my brain on baby

………………..apple………………..crackers………………DORITOS…………pasta……….DORITOS……….apple.................

GET THOSE BANANAS OUT OF MY HOUSE AND DON’T EVEN TALK ABOUT CHICKE PEAS!

I had to take almost two weeks off of work because I literally couldn’t get off the couch, I lost 10 pounds in a week and felt like I was dying. Again, the joys of pregnancy. Luckily that is all behind me and can now eat smoothies and salads and all of my favourite foods again. It feels so good to feel normal again, because there were times where I honestly didn’t think I ever would again.

So I apologize for being MIA the last couple of months, I just haven’t felt inspired lately to make fun and delicious foods. But today is my first post since the beginning of January and I thought I would give you guys both food and fabric!

First for the food!

I was looking through the cupboards for a snack and saw a can of pineapple, and that's all it took to spark my appetite for some Sweet & Sour Vegan Meatballs.

My brain started putting together everything that I would need to make this amazing supper and awesomely enough I had everything to make this except the sauce. I thought about making one from scratch but I was feeling a little lazy and ended up just buying one from Safeway. I think next time I make these I am going to try my hand at a scratch made one, and bake them in a slow cooker. Mmmmm.

Easy Sweet & Sour Vegan Meatballs

Vegan Meat Balls

1 can of chick peas

¼ cup cashews/pecans

3 sprigs of fresh parsley, de-stemmed

½ lemon, juiced

Dash of liquid smoke

½ cup GF quick oats

Salt and pepper to taste

1 jar of Sweet & Sour sauce

1 can of pineapple, diced (drain liquid)

2 red peppers, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tbsp coconut oil

In a large frying pan, on medium heat, melt coconut oil and sauté the onions and peppers. While those are cooking combine all of the ingredients except the oats into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Then stir in the oats by hand until well combined.

Form into balls and place in the frying pan with the onions and peppers, brown each side. Pour in the sauce and the pineapple and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Pair with your favourite rice, serve and enjoy!

Now the FABRIC!!

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to make multiple baby quilts for our newest edition, but where do I start? We aren't finding out the sex of the baby so that limits the themes of baby quilts I can make. If I knew we were having a baby girl I would make a Cinderella themed one, or something really flowery, but I guess I will have to wait!

So what kick ass, gender neutral baby quilt idea did I come up with? HARRY POTTER!!!!!

I am completely obsessed and like most Potterheads I have read and reread the books, and watched the movies a thousand times. AND whats even more awesome, my sisters are throwing me a Harry Potter themed baby shower. I cant fricken wait!!

Veggie Lentil Loaf {vegan gluten free}

If any of you who are reading this blog, you know some days you just want to share your recipe but you don’t feel like typing up a whole blog story to go along with it. Sometimes its just a huge pain in the ass and you don’t feel like doing it.

So this is me not doing it, sorry guys no funny stories today, just a kick ass recipe for a veggie lentil loaf that is hearty, filling and has a sweet and sticky glaze that will have everyone wanting seconds.

 

The first time I made this, I made it without the oatmeal and it came out a little moist and it kind of fell apart when I took it out. So I added to the list 1 cup of oatmeal to help bind it together more. I hope your family loves this as much as Devon and I did! 

 

 

Veggie Lentil Loaf

1 large can of lentils

1 yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp of coconut oil

3 tbsp of ground flax

½ cup warm water

1 cup of gluten free quick oats (I used Only Oats)

2 tbsp of chili powder

1 tbsp of oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Sweet and Sticky Glaze

4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp of ketchup

 

Or 

4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp of tomato paste

1 tbsp of maple syrup.

 

Instructions

-Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

-Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in a frying pan for about 7 mins or until browned.

-While that is cooking combine the flax and water and let sit on the counter until thickened.

-Once the veggies are done cooking, in a large bowl combine everything together (not the Glaze) and mix the crap out of it until everything this combined well.

-Spoon into your greased loaf pan and spread out until smooth.

-Finally pour glaze on top and smooth out.

-Bake for 40 mins.

-Let cool for 5 mins and serve!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Le Pizza Fries

Muhahahah I have suckered you in to another pizza recipe! You maybe wondering "is this woman mad? This is the like 20th pizza post!" Why yes, I am mad... mad about pizza!
I didn't even like pizza back when I wasn't vegan, it was just another supper idea that didn't really catch my attention. But ever since I turned vegan I am addicted! I love creating new fun ways to eat pizza, some healthy like my spaghetti squash pizza boats found here, or some not so healthy like my newest post...PIZZA FRIES!!!
Yes I said pizza fries. Two of the greatest foods ever, combined into one amazing dish that will have you wondering why you never thought of this before. I know I did!
Well its simple, bake fries in the oven until toasty brown.
Top with your favourite vegan pizza toppings, like:

• hot peppers
• tomatoes
• olives
• mushrooms
• mock meats
• onions
• pineapple

Sprinkle with some Daiya Mozzarella, broil it for 5 mins (be careful you don't burn it like I did!)
Heat up some pizza sauce to dip in and viola you got yourself supper! Or a snack, or maybe ever breakfast! This would be the perfect college breakfast!
If you are feeling generous you could even share this dish at a party with your friends. If not eat this in the car before you go in and blame your dog for eating it while you were getting ready (if you don't have a dog, I cant help you).

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesnt love cookies right out of the oven, especially on a snowy Saturday night while hanging out with your sister! We both had nothing to do last night so naturally we decided to hang out together. I just got US Netflix so I asked her to come over so we could watch some of our favourite tv shows and some stand up comedy.

While on the phone she stated that she was craving chocolate and I suggested we make some cookies. I had a can of chick peas in my cupboard and I have heard of these chick pea cookies and was curious to try them. Cheslea was game for trying out something new so she looked up a recipe and came over.

What I loved about the recipe that she chose,was that it was so simple to make and didn't call for that many ingreidents. Basically chick peas, peanut butter, chocolate chips and a few other basics. They turned out warm, gooey and super delicious and we may or may not have eaten about 10 each. Yes they were that good.Plus they are vegan, gluten free and if you substitute the peanut butter for almond butter it's nut free too! The only thing that could have made them better was a glass of Chocolate Almond Milk.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chick Pea Cookies
1 large can of chick peas
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp of vanilla powder
4 dates soaked in water until soft or 1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips (more if you love chocolate

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchement paper.

In a Vitamix or food processor combine all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. With the dates: de seed them and add a spash of water to the mix.

Blend the mix until smooth. Make 1 tbsp size balls and place them some what close together because they dont spread out. Bake for 12 mins and enjoy!!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

 

-N

Spaghetti Pizza Squash Boats

I love pizza! For those of you who follow my blog you can attest to that with all of my pizza posts. And I can guarantee that this will not be my last rendition of this amazing dish, more on this at a later date!

Last Friday night we went to Jen and Sean’s house for a deck warming party and we decided to order a whole bunch of pizza instead of doing our traditional TGIF party where everyone brings an appetizer. I loved this idea because I really didn’t feel like making anything. There was probably 12-14 of us, so we decided to get 6 extra larges for everyone to share, me getting my own pizza because I am special! I always order from Family Pizza because I know that their crust and sauce is vegan and I think that they have the best pizza for the best price. So what did I order? a tomato, onion, hot pepper pizza and when its delivered I sprinkle some Daiya on top and throw her in the oven. BOOM awesome pizza… and its extra large! Now I didn’t eat it all, don’t worry, I only had about 5 pieces leaving some for a snack later and supper the next day.

We planned on going back to their house the next day for the Rider game so I didn’t feel sad that I left it there over night. Knowing that it’s a meatless, cheese-less pizza, makes me feel pretty safe that no one would eat it. Well I was wrong, dead wrong. Not only was it eaten, but there was only 1 piece left! Out of almost a whole pizza!? I was super shocked! Who would eat this? Then I realized that there were drunk men, still drinking after we left and really who really cares what kind of pizza it is… when you are drunk pizza is pizza.

So what is another way to satisfy your pizza craving… spaghetti pizza!! Well Spaghetti Squash Pizza! I was originally going to do this on a large zucchini but Devon said he would rather have it in the squash so I complied because that also sounded great! It is super simple to make and even easier to devour! I would HIGHLY recommend, like super highly, baking the squash before hand for at least 25 mins. Or else you will end up playing the waiting game like me…I waited an hour and a half for mine to be done. Apparently they cook A LOT faster when they are face down in the oven.

 

Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats

1 large spaghetti squash

1 can pizza sauce

1 tomato, diced

¼ cup hot bell peppers, diced

½ onion, diced

½ cup black olives

1 cup Daiya, mozzarella

** you can substitute any ingredients for your favorite pizza flavors

Split the Spaghetti Squash in half and de-seed. Lightly oil the halves, lay them face down on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 25 mins at 375 degrees. Chop up the veggies and once the squash is almost fork tender layer inside with the pizza sauce, veggies and then top it off with the Daiya. Bake for another 15 mins. Take out of the oven and start scraping away at the sides so the squash turns into spaghetti, throw it into a bowl and enjoy!!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo -Nikki

Autumn Calling Soup

October is such a great month, I know I have said this before but it really is. Not only is there the changing of the leaves, my birthday, Halloween but it’s the perfect time to eat the squashes and pumpkins that come straight from the garden. I unfortunately do not have a garden because my backyard is a) too small b) gets little to no sunlight because of the trees c) my dogs would tear it apart!! So I rely on the wonderful farmers market on River Street. Its not huge but it fits the needs of us Moose Javians very nicely by supplying us with a great assortment of veggies and some fruit. 

The last time I was there (picking out the pumpkin and butternut squash for this soup) it was there final get together because here in Saskatchewan it gets pretty cold in October. This news makes me so sad, because I now have to go back to eating grocery store cucumbers and tomatoes, which just are SO NOT the same. Oh the hurdles I have to face on a day to day basis. *cue in the song Don’t Cry For Me Argentina* its really a horrible day for my taste buds to have to eat the grocery store knock offs, they do not taste anything like the real thing!

But I digress. Back to this amazing soup. It is so earthy, creamy, rich and warm that it just gets down to your bones and makes you feel all good inside. Soup is truly the ultimate way to ward off the winter time chills, because not only does it warm your hands by holding the bowl, but your face, mouth and your tummy. Plus if you are like me it really fills you up because you end up eating half of the pot in one sitting (its that good!!!)

Autumn Calling Soup

1 small pumpkin – I used a sugar Pie pumpkin, if they are out of season you could use a can of pumpkin puree too.

1 butternut squash

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

7 stalks of celery, diced

3 carrots, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

6 cups of water (you can add some vegetable broth if desired)

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt pepper to taste

Pre heat oven 450 degrees.

Split the pumpkin and squash in half and de-seed each. Using the melted coconut oil brush on the insides of the squash/pumpkin halves. Place face down on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 25 mins, or until fork tender.

While those are in the oven, dice up your veggies and in a large soup pot fry them in the left over coconut oil on medium/high heat for 15 mins.

Pour in coconut milk and spices and cook for 5 mins, letting the flavours all meld together.

Remove the squash/pumpkin from the oven and using a knife, cut away the skin. Be careful these will be hot!!! You could wait until they cooled but I am impatient so I just used a oven mitt.

Throw the squash/pumpkin and the water into the pot and stir in. cooking for another 5 mins, again letting the flavours all meld together.

Finally blend the soup in a high speed blender until smooth! Serve with roasted pumpkin seeds on top and enjoy!

Thanks for reading 

xoxo -N

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving: As seen on Global TV Regina

I am super excited to announce that Ashley Clark from Naturally Ashley featured my Quinoa Stuffing recipe on Global Regina News this morning . Ashley was brought on to the show to talk about how to veganize your Thanksgiving meal this holiday season. Her recipes included my Qunioa Stuffing and her raw vegan pumpkin pie.

With the holidays are upon us you start to get excited about spending time with your family and eating a ton of amazing food. However, some of us get stressed out in the kitchen trying to get the food all done on time, while others are relaxed because they know they just have to bring buns to moms house and everything else will be made for them. Well, this year my sisters and I plan on helping out my mom in the preparations of this huge meal and the stress that can come with it. So we divided up the dishes and took some of the responsibilities off my momma (aren’t we great kids!) Plus it doesn’t help that all three of us are vegans, with Ashley being gluten free/raw vegan and Chelsea being gluten free/vegan, it can make for a lot of bowls on the table.


So what were we going to bring?
Ashley – salad, raw vegan pumpkin pie
Nikki – vegan/gluten free stuffing, vegan gravy, S’more Pie
Chelsea – mashed potatoes, cranberries 

I am most excited for my stuffing, cranberries and my sisters raw vegan pumpkin pie. Those are definitely the three top things I crave when Thanksgiving comes around. Before we discovered quinoa my mom would always make a rice stuffing for my gluten free family members, it was good and everyone like it, but I thought it was missing something. So last year when quinoa came to my attention I just knew that it would take gluten free stuffing to the next level. 
Then there is my sisters raw vegan pumpkin pie. Something that may not sound as good to you,  but trust me when you try it you will fall in love with it! It is rich, creamy and perfectly spiced just like a cooked pie is, the only major difference is the fact that it has to be served cold. To find the recipe for this awesome pie go to Naturally Ashley's blog found here. As for my stuffing I have re posted it along with some helpful tips to make your Thanksgiving vegan friendly this year!


Tips and Tricks to Make your Thanksgiving Vegan
- Mashed Potatoes: instead of using milk or butter, use almond milk and Earth Balance
- Make a mushroom gravy instead of a poultry based one *see recipe below
- Buy a mock meat substitute if you want to keep up the turkey tradition 
- For appetizers go with hummus or salsa with chips and veggies for a dairy free snack option 
-Salads are usually vegan, all you have to do is choose a dressing that is vegan and voila you got yourself a vegan side dish!
- Try to keep the meat/dairy/egg dishes away from the veggie ones, you could even prepare some of the veggie ones the night before to elevate stress 




Gluten free Vegan Stuffing
·         1 cup of quinoa
·         2 cup s of water
·         1 cup of wild rice
·         4 cups of water
·         1 white onion, diced
·         2 medium carrots, diced
·         5 stalks of celery, diced
·         1 small pkg mushrooms, diced
·         2 tbsp of coconut oil
·         1 clove of garlic, minced
·         1 cup vegetable broth
·         3 tsp of sage
·         2 tsp of cumin
·         Salt and pepper
.
First you will need to clean your wild rice and quinoa. A simple way to do that is to put it in a strainer and run cold water over it.

To make the wild rice: combine rice, the 4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, until the rice has opened and fluffed out. Strain out any excess water. Or if you have a rice cooker use that instead, it’s a lot easier!

To make the quinoa combine quinoa and the 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for approximately 20 minutes, until the water has all evaporated.

Next dice up the mushrooms, carrots, onion, and celery into bite size pieces, and place the mushrooms aside for later. Heat up a medium/large sized frying pan on Medium/High heat, add your oil and sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery for about 15 minutes, or until they are soft. Add the mushrooms and broth, spices and quinoa/rice mixture to the pan,  and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Serving bowl and enjoy!  

Gluten Free Vegan Gravy
1 medium Onion, diced
1 cup of Mushrooms, diced
1 tsp of Coconut Oil
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 cup of gluten free Flour, I used Quinoa Flour
1 cup of Vegan Broth
2 tsp of Soy Sauce, Vegan Gluten Free 
1 tsp of Worcheshire Sauce, Vegan Gluten Free

In a small sauce pan saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms in oil until soft. Gradually alternate adding flour and broth to the onions and mushrooms until there are no clumps. Add the soy sauce and the worcheshire and continue to cook for another 5 mins. If the gravy is too thick then add more broth/water until you get your desired consistency. I like my gravy to have a smooth texture so I blended mine in my Magic Bullet until smooth. However, if you like the chunky texture then exnay the blender.

Want S'more Pie, a gluten free and vegan dessert!

S’mores. A summer time favourite for many and a staple when camping. But who says it has to stop there? Why not double the chocolate and marshmallows and put it into a pie? To me, that sounds amazing especially since I turned it into a vegan S’more pie!

I got this idea about a month ago when I was making the frosting for my Charmed Cupcakes for my vegan party. When I took the icing out of the fridge I noticed that it was the perfect consistency for making a pie. *insert lightning bolt… Hey I just bought marshmallows… chocolate… S’MORES! And the rest is history!

The pie is really easy to make, it just takes some prep time and some waiting time in the fridge. So if you are wanting to make this for Thanksgiving I would suggest making this a couple days before and when you are ready to serve it just throw the marshmallows on top and broil them. That way you can save up some space on your counters and your stove. Plus I love that this is a no bake pie too, so if you do end up making it on Thanksgiving you wont have to worry about taking up room in your oven.

Want S’more Pie

Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crust

1 pkg of gluten free graham cracker crumbs

¼ - ½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup of melted coconut oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until moist. Pour onto a pie tin and using your fingers evenly flatten out mixture. Place in the fridge for about an hour or until chilled.

Chocolate Filling

1 can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup of chocolate chips (vegan), I used Enjoy Life Brand 

Put can of coconut milk in the fridge over night. Open and remove all liquid so only the solidified coconut milk is left. Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water and gradually melt the chocolate. You don’t want to heat up the chocolate too fast or else it will burn.
Once melted combine the hardened coconut milk and melted chocolate and stir until smooth.

Pour over chilled pie crust, making sure it is evenly distributed. Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours or over night.

Marshmallow Topping

1 pkg of vegan marshmallows

When ready to serve place as many marshmallows as you desire on top of the pie, ( I only had half a package) set pie under broil in your oven and roast the marshmallows until golden brown. Watch carefully because they will burn easily!

Cut, Serve and Enjoy!

Mini Vegan Lasagna's

I love my husband! I seriously bagged one of the good ones and I say a little prayer every day that I have him in my life. Not only does he love me for who I am, he also understands me and accepts me for the way I live my life. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that because it is truly one of the hardest things in life to find.

One of the most recent examples of his awesomeness is on Sunday the Riders were playing and we were going over to our friends house to watch the game. Devon had gone golfing in the morning and I had gone to get groceries for the week. While I was there I called him and asked if he wanted any game time snacks, and usually its just chips of some sort or a drink. However this time he asked if I would pick him up dry ribs….dun dun dunnn. As the main grocery-getter in the family and a vegan he knows that I do not pick up meat or eggs unless asked, I might get cheese for him but that’s where I draw the line. Most of the times he come with me to pick out what he wants for meat products (which is rare), so I don’t have too.

So I reluctantly say yes and go to the death (meat) section to find them and get out ASAP. Well with my luck they are no where to be found and I am caught in the viscous cycle of wandering around trying to find them. With no one around to help me, I start to have an slight anxiety attack and got that feeling of just wanting to get the hell out of the section. So I grabbed chicken wings instead and literally run to the living (produce) section.

When I got home one of the first things I said was “Please understand how difficult it was for me to pick these up…” then I started to cry my eyes out (I'm a crier!!)  Instead of him asking why I was crying or telling me to stop, he just pulled me in for a hug and said “I will never ask you to get those again, I can pick them next time” THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS MAN! He is understanding and loves me! So thank you to the powers that be for bringing him into my life.

So in light of this event I thought it was time for something amazingly vegan, and one of Devon’s favourite meals. Mini Vegan Lasagnas! Every time I make my vegan lasagna he so kindly reminds me that it is amazing and that it can hold up to any meaty lasagna out there. Another great reason why I love him, he knows how to compliment a lady!

I have been meaning to make these for about two months now but I just haven’t been inspired to do so, until this weekend. They are cute individual sized lasagnas that are cooked in a muffin tin and enjoyed by all! I'm not too sure what was drawing me to make these but they seemed so much fun to make and it was a fun twist on a traditional meal. Plus I wanted to see how the quinoa tasted instead of using regular lasagna noodles.

I was a little wary because I wasn’t sure if they would hold their shape after they were removed from the tin, and that was one of the reasons why I liked them. They were mini lasagnas! Basically anything mini is so much better! And as you can see by the pictures they came out beautifully and tasted amazing!

I truly and utterly feel that the reason why these taste so great is because of the cashew cheese. If you plan on altering my recipe please do not omit the cashew cheese, trust me when I say that it is worth the extra step!

Mini Vegan Lasagna’s

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 jar of vegan pasta sauce

2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise, for 12 servings you will need 24 slices
1 tbsp of coconut oil

½ of medium onion, diced

1 cups of mushrooms, diced

2 red bell pepper, diced

4 cups of fresh spinach

2 cups of Daiya Cheese, mozzarella flavour (optional).

Cashew Cheese

1 cup of cashews, soaked overnight

1/2 cup of fresh basil

¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast

¼ cup of water or vegan broth

Place all of the ingredients into a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth.

**While you are cutting up and cooking your veggies and making the cashew cheese, place the sliced zucchini on a baking sheet and put in the oven on the lowest temperature. That way you can cook off some of the excess water that they contain. I happened to do a load of dishes while cooking these so I would say I left them in for about 25 mins and they turned out perfect. If you don’t have time for this step, don’t worry because the quinoa will absorb some of the moisture too!

Sauté all of the veggie in a large frying pan until fork tender. Grease the muffin tins with some coconut oil so they are easier to remove. Then layer each muffin tin like so:

1)    2 zucchini slices
2)    1 large tbsp of Quinoa
3)    1 large tbsp of veggies
4)    1 large tbsp of sauce
5)    1 large tbsp of cashew cheese
6)    Optional - top with some Daiya

Take the ends of the zucchini and fold over until completely covered. I used some cashew cheese to secure the ends down if they kept popping up. Heat up the remainder of the pasta sauce and put aside.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 mins and serve with the left over sauce! Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N

Fresh Rolls with Low Fat Lime Peanut Sauce

I am on that mission again! Trying to find another sauce that holds up to my fresh rolls original peanut hoisen sauce. I swear it is my lot in life to try as many dipping sauces as I can, yes I am that addicted. And this new Lime Peanut sauce is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. I am really satisfied with the results, especially since its low fat!

As usual I was craving fresh rolls for lunch while at work and I was thinking of that sweet and salty sauce that accompanies them. Which got my brain thinking about how I can adjust my original sauce to make it low fat. Cue in zucchini and you got your self a Low Fat Party! Zucchini is really the best kept secret in the cooking world. It can be used in so many ways its ridiculous.

Low Fat Lime Peanut Sauce

1 zucchini peeled

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 lime juiced

1 handful cilantro

½ clove garlic

Salt to taste

Puree in a high speed blender until smooth and serve with your favorite fresh rolls. My recipe can be found here!

Vegan Peanut Buster Parfait

Chocolate. Peanuts. Banana. Ice Cream. That is all...

Okay maybe not all, but that's all that's really important here. Who doesn’t love the amazing combination of peanuts, chocolate and ice cream? I bet most of you aren’t even reading this, you just want to skip to the bottom so you can eat one right now!! Let’s play a game! Let’s see if anyone is really paying attention. I love dogs, dogs are awesome, awesome awesome, awesome! Cats are great too! I love cats, catty cat, cats!..Anyone read that?  Haha!

 This dish really brings back childhood memories of my dad taking my sisters and I to Dairy Queen where I would order the peanut buster parfait. I would never finish it and I am sure my dad knew this but being the awesome dad he was he never once said “no honey you should just get the hot fudge Sunday its smaller” He knew that there was something special about ordering the PBP that a Sunday just couldn’t live up to!

So one hot summer night I was trying to figure out what to make for supper and I was coming up with a blank. I wasn’t going to turn on the stove or the oven because that would be just silly. So I opened the freezer and there was my answer! Frozen Bananas! The perfect summer time supper! I mean I don't live with my parents guys, I can have ice cream for supper. I’m kind of a bad ass.

So I whip up the banana ice cream and throw it in the freezer while I make the chocolate sauce. It probably only took me 8 mins to throw this all together which is a good and bad thing. Good because this doesn’t take long to prepare, bad because this doesn’t take long to prepare. If I had a constant supply of frozen bananas in my freezer I would probably make this every night! But when you think about it it’s not that bad, its really just bananas, peanuts, cocoa powder and dates! A pretty guilty free snack/supper if you ask me!

Vegan Peanut Buster Parfait 

2 frozen bananas – pureed into ice cream using a high speed blender

Chocolate sauce

5 majool dates

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Water

Blended at high speed, gradually adding water until you get the desired consistency.

Peanuts – you can find the Dairy Queen peanuts at Superstore in the bulk section!

I hope you enjoy this awesome Summer time treat!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N