Vegan you ask? Well this recipe is inspired by the vegan cookbook that I checked out from the library. It is NOT the same recipe. I actually changed it a lot, which I think made it 100 times better!

With that said, let me tell you what happend. As I was preparing the cookie dough, I noticed that the dough was very dry and crumbly. I tried to add some almond milk, but I was absolutely sure this thing would turn out a DISASTER! However, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the cookies survived!

So I did total vegan on these cookies. Here's what you'll need.

1/3 cup nondairy, nonhydrogenated butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
2.) In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, almond butter, almond milk, and vanilla extract until creamy.
3.) In different bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
4.) Add flour mix to wet ingredients and mix. Add extra almond milk if the dough is too crumbly.
5.) Roll batter into balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Use a fork to create criss cross lines on top. This will also flatten the cookies... that's ok.
6.) Pop cookies into the oven for about 12 minutes or until the edges are a nice golden brown.

I was able to get a dozen cookies out of this recipe. I like my cookies kind of large. If you made them smaller, you can probably get almost 2 dozen cookies.

So here's how it turned out...

Enjoy!

Alison

I had great plans for this Wednesday morning. I stayed up late reading Fifty Shades Darker, so my plan was to not set an alarm and wake up on my own...whatever time that would be. Well my lovely cat, Gracie, had different plans for me. She was up early playing with all sorts of things around my apartment. So here I am, awake earlier than I had anticipated, drinking my very large cup of coffee, while my precious kitty has finally calmed down.

While I'm up, I probably should get started on breakfast. This morning for breakfast I was thinking about something very easy. Easy is good. Wouldn't you agree?

So here's the menu...

1/2 grapefruit and a banana, blueberry, orange juice fruit smootie with a multivitamin on the side. Sounds good doesn't it?

Here's what you'll need....

1 whole grapefruit - cut in half (put the other half in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow or to eat as a snack sometime today)
1 whole banana
3/4 cup of fresh blueberries
1 cup orange juice
About 6 ice cubs

What to do for the fruit smoothie ...
1.) In a blender, put in the ice cubes, sliced banana, blueberries and orange juice (in that order).
2.) Blend together until nice and smooth.

So here's how it turned out...

Enjoy!

Alison 

My mom introduced me to this awesome lunch recipe! It's a great and light lunch option that's quick and easy!

Here's what you'll need...

Wheat tortilla (Salad pockets are optional)
Fresh spinach (or just lettuce)
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Bell Peppers (your choice of color)
Cucumbers
Olives
Avocado
Olive oil and vinegar dressing


All you have to do is chop up all your ingredients. Stuff it in the tortilla, roll it up and cut in half. Any left over ingredients can go in a container and in the fridge to use for lunches during the week.

As far as sides go, I had some left over homemade sweet potato fries from yesterday, so I decided to use those. However, you can cut up some fresh fruit.

So here's how it turned out...



Enjoy!

Alison

I recently was a huge nerd and decided to go to the public library to browse at vegetarian cookbooks. My mom and I stumbled upon a vegan cookbook with some super exciting recipes. Vegan you ask? Well, I only checked it out because the pictures of the food looked really good. That's it... no other reason.

Flipping through this vegan cookbook, I came across a recipe for quesadillas. The original recipe called for a wheat tortilla, hummus, scallions and salsa. I thought that was kind of boring, so I decided to spice it up a little.

Round One:
After creating the first round of this quesadilla, I opted to forgo the scallions because I thought they looked gross. Replacing the scallions were olives, black beans, cheese and tomatoes. I topped this referbished quesadilla with salsa and avocado.

Well, to my surprise the quesadillas turned out really delicious! I figured that I didn't get sick and my mom and Uncle D liked it, so I'll try it again.

Round Two:
Tonight I tried this recipe again. I named it "Veggie Quesadilla"... clever I know, but just go with it. In this round two of the veggie quesadilla I decided to spice it up a little bit more. With that said, this newly jazzed up recipe included one wheat tortilla (to be folded in half like a taco) filled with garlic hummus, black beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and fresh spinach.

My first step was to gather all my materials and get all the ingredients washed, cut and ready to go. I'm kind of a control freak, so having everything out in my view keeps me feeling in control... weird I know, but go with it.

Second, I coated the bottom of a flat pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. I spread a good layer of garlic hummus on the whole tortilla then added all my ingredients (in no particular order) to half of the tortilla. After that, I placed the tortilla into the pan and let it cook until it was a little golden brown. I flipped the tortilla in half and let it cook until it was a perfect golden brown color.

Lastly, I placed the quesadilla on my plate, cut it in half and topped it with cilantro salsa and avocado. I had some black beans left over, so I decided to add the beans as a side.

So here's how it turned it....



I do have to say that round two was MUCH better than my first attempt! Next time, I think I'll add some olives. Actually, the can of olives was out on the counter, but I forgot all about it.

To all the cheese lovers... you can certainly add some cheese. Like I said, this recipe was inspired by a vegan recipe and vegans don't eat cheese. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't miss the cheese.

So my version of the veggie quesadilla is a perfect vegetarian meal! I give it an A+!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting a recipe for a really great fruit smoothie... inspired by my mother.

Until then... happy cooking!

Alison

Hello World!
I've been wanting to do a food blog for some time now. Over the past couple of years, I've found an interest in baking and cooking new recipes. It all started out with my love for baking cupcakes! There's nothing more exciting than gathering all the different ingredients, throwing on my super cute apron and creating something that you hope will be delicious!
Not only do I have an interest in cooking new and exciting recipes, but I also have a newly found interest in living a healthier lifestyle. Reflecting on my eating habits actually makes me want to vomit. I don't actually know exactly what I've consumed over the past few years. Was it actually meat or just bits and chunks of pieces of different animals. Ugh... the thought of it makes me shiver.
So here I am, committing myself to a vegetarian lifestyle. My plan is to cook my way through different vegetarian recipes and carry you all with me as I go. I'll let you in on the ups and downs of each recipe and I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Until then... happy cooking!
Alison