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

Summer Fresh Vegan Grilled Cheese

This past weekend I was lucky enough to find some fresh garden tomatoes at the farmers market, along with cucumbers, a Cajun spice mix, beets, carrots, beans, potatoes and purple garlic. Of course I was happy to bring home all of my vegetables but I was mainly happy about the tomatoes! For me there is nothing better than a fresh tomato out of the garden. It literally is one of those simple pleasures you can only experience a couple months out of the year here in Saskatchewan, so when they are in season I really try to eat as many as possible because I know it’s going to be short lived.

When I got home I was contemplating what to eat for lunch and then I remembered that I had just bought a new kind of Daiya from Safeway, the Swiss Cheese Slices. And what better way to use them but in a grilled cheese sandwich. I got out the bread, the Daiya and some coconut oil and got to making my lunch, but then I thought “what could make this better?” I searched around my fridge and couldn’t really think of anything to put on top, but then I spied the tomatoes I had just got from the farmers market and that sparked the idea of a tomato, spinach grilled cheese.

After I decided what to put on my jacked up grilled cheese, I wasn’t too sure how this was going to turn out with the spinach and tomatoes. Would the tomatoes make the bread soggy? Will the spinach be too wilted and turn into mush? I wasn’t totally positive this was going to be a hit, but I like to cook dangerously and I was willing to take the risk. And I am really happy I did! Not only did the bread not turn soggy, but the spinach and tomatoes were cooked just right and the cheese was melty!

The tomatoes and spinach really brought this typical sandwich to another level for me. The freshness of the garden tomatoes with the earthiness of the spinach really brought this typical sandwich to another level for me. It going to be really hard to go back to just eating a just plain grilled cheese again because this was one of the best grilled cheeses I ever had.

Summer Fresh Grilled Cheese

2 slices of Bread

2 slices of Daiya Swish Cheese Slices or any other Daiya cheese your prefer

1 tomato

Baby spinach

Coconut oil

I like to layer the sandwich with the cheese on the bread then the spinach then the tomatoes. You want to keep the tomatoes as far away from the bread as possible so it doesn’t get soggy. Also when making a Daiya grilled cheese you kind of have to be a little inventive. Daiya doesn’t melt as quickly as dairy cheese, so when making something like a grilled cheese you have to be a little patient and watchful or else you could end up burning your bread or not having a completely melted sandwich. So what I do is turn the stove onto about medium high and cook the one side until golden brown (about 2 minutes). Then when I flip the sandwich over, I take it off the heat, cover the frying pan with a lid and let it sit for another 2-3 minutes. That way the steam is trapped and helps melt the cheese.

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N

This is what I found when I cut open the tomato I was using! Gotta love life's little messages!  

Lets Celebrate with Charmed Chocolate Cupcakes!

Lets eat cake! I have something to celebrate!

It has been a whole year since I turned vegan and boy does it feel GREAT! Its crazy to think that a whole year has gone by. It feels like yesterday I was struggling to find vegan food in Sturgis, or explaining to people that, No I don’t eat cheese anymore. And by turning vegan not only have I changed my lifestyle but also my husbands. Devon now eats less meat and dairy than he used to and now looks forward to my vegan experiments in the kitchen. To think that we have saved between 150-200 animals this year just warms my heart and soul.

It was one year ago today that I was on Pinterest and came across a pin by the Regina Vegetarian Society and thought WOW this is cool. I didn’t know they had a Vegetarian Society and to think I came across it on Pinterest! Fate was on my side that day because all it took was clicking on that pin and my life was changed forever.

I had reduced my meat intake to just bacon and fish and I was still consuming dairy last July, so it wasn’t necessarily cold turkey…. Or Cold Tofurkey! (haha lame, I know!) But once I did decide to go vegan I did stick to it very strictly. So I guess kind of cold Tofurkey. Now that worked for me, but for some it might be a lot more difficult. Just think every step in the right direction paves the way to greater things. It took me three years to get to a vegan diet and once I made the switch I never looked back. To read my whole story please go to my previous posts found here and here!

Also another big reason to celebrate is that I have reached over 11,000 hits on my blog! That is fricken insane! I never thought I would be so happy making up vegan recipes for you all to try. I literally get a high from people telling me they have tried something I made, or even when someone on Pinterest repins one of my recipes. I do a little happy dance inside every time!

So to commemorate this special milestone in my life I hosted our TGIF (a family and friend get together) at my house and made it a vegan themed night. So everyone who comes must bring a vegan appetizer to share with everyone. When planning this I was kind of expecting a lot of salsa, guacamole and black bean dip, but I was surprised when no one made the black bean dip or guacamole and only one person brought salsa!

So what did everyone bring?
Mary B and Bruce – Sweet potato fries
Jenn and Sean – Cauliflower Buffalo Bites and Banana Muffins
Michelle – Veggies and Hummus
Jody and Dave – Pico de Gallo and Blue Corn Chips
Robyn and Steve – Fruit and Chocolate Dip
Me – Mediterranean Surprise Dip, Black Bean Dip, Homemade French Fries and Chocolate Cupcakes

There was so much food I was so stuffed by the end of the night. It was such an amazing feeling to be able to eat everything and not have to wonder if I could eat something. The biggest hit around the table was the Cauliflower Buffalo Bites that Jen made, they were amazing! I tried making these a couple months ago and they didn’t really turn out, so I will definitely get the recipe from her to share with you guys.

The reason I called them Charmed Cupcakes is because this was the third time trying to perfect the recipe. So like the saying goes... Third times a Charm!

I knew from the start I was going to make a cupcakes because really who doesn’t love them and what’s a celebration without cake! Plus needed to redeem myself for the cupcakes I made for my nephews birthday. I forgot about them in the oven and overcooked them so they were pretty dry. This time I was determined to make a moist delicious chocolate cupcake, that everyone would love! It was however my dads idea to make them with zucchini, seeing as it is zucchini season and we all know that zucchini is the perfect secret ingredient to make any cake moist. So thanks dad for the great idea!

I saw the recipe for the frosting on Pinterest and knew I had to try it out. Not only did it look super simple to make but it was only two ingredients and it didn’t contain any powdered sugar (something that every frosting recipe contains). Its just coconut milk and chocolate chips! And you don’t have to be vegan to appreciate the easiness and deliciousness of it. It really finished off these cupcakes by adding a rich, creamy and more chocolaty goodness.

And yes those are Toy Story Cupcake Liners!!

And did I redeem myself? I think so! Not only were they devoured but the kids were asking every 2 minutes if they could have a second one and in my books if a 4 and 5 year old love them, then they must be good!

Charmed Chocolate Cupcakes - 12 cupcakes
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla powder
2 bananas, ripe
1 zucchini, peeled and shredded
¼ cup coconut oil, melted

Blend the zucchini and bananas together until smooth. Combine all dry ingredients together and mix well. Add the oil and banana mixture together with the dry mix and stir until well combined.
Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake at 375 for 20-25 mins.

Rich, Chocolate Frosting
1 can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup of chocolate chips (vegan)

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.
Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until set.
Using an electric beater, beat the mixture until smooth and a frosting consistency. Top your cupcakes with frosting, serve and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Spicy Cajun Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes have become very popular in the last couple years in both households and restaurants. I normally would only see this vegetable on holidays whipped with butter and brown sugar and topped with marshmallows (not the healthiest way to eat this amazing root vegetable) but now they are everywhere. From restaurants serving them deep fried with some sort of dipping sauce to moms now substituting them out for potatoes on a regular basis at home.

Ever since I got my Actifry I have loved making sweet potato fries because I find that they come out crispier than baking them in the oven, plus I get to use less oil too. So that got me thinking about what else I could use this thing for and I thought “well they don't have to be fries all the time do they?” I could make thick wedges or even just cube them up like a hash.

So for a snack one day I cubed up 2 sweet potatoes and I was just going to put salt on them but while reaching in to the cupboard I noticed this Cajun spice that we had. Light bulb! Cajun Sweet Potatoes! What a perfect combination! So I tossed the cubed potatoes into a bowl and put two tbsp of this Cajun spice on top and tossed them around. The smell was amazing but I felt like I could go one step more into making these perfect. That’s when I grabbed the cinnamon. It would be the perfect complement to the spiciness of the Cajun while also bringing out the earthy flavours of the sweet potato. 

Results? Of course amazing! It was the perfect twist to one of my favorite snack foods. They weren't too spicy that you wanted to stop eating them and that cinnamon really packed an aromatic punch, especially while cooking. It kind of reminded me of Thanksgiving! A holiday that I can wait for, because I am really enjoying our summer! 

Spicy Cajun Sweet Potatoes

2 sweet potatoes

2 tbsp of Cajun spice

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp of cumin (optional)

1 tbsp of coconut oil – Actifry – cook for 20 mins or until tender and crispy

3 tbsp of coconut oil – Oven – bake for 30 mins, or until tender and crispy