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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Peanut Butter Cupcakes


We have a birthday party to go to tomorrow night so I decided to make Peanut Butter Cupcakes to bring. The recipe came from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I made a few changes. Instead of soy milk, I used Almond and instead of canola oil, I used safflower. I also substituted dark molasses for maple syrup.

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas


I always laugh at the title of this recipe because they mention cheese TWICE and there is absolutely no cheese in these enchiladas! On a positive note, they are the richest, creamiest, most delicious enchiladas I have ever eaten. They make a huge batch so I usually freeze half of it for a later dinner, unless company is coming for dinner. The first few times I made my own enchilada sauce but have recently just been purchasing it to save time. It is nice because you can make them mild, medium, or spicy based on the sauce you choose.


I made guacamole and served chips on the side. The guac recipe is in an earlier post.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Summer Delight Green Smoothie


My friend Debbie introduced me to the book Green For Life. It is a nutritional plan based on the diet of chimpanzees that requires the blending of lots of greens and fruits. I was so happy when John jumped right on board with replacing a meal a day with a smoothie. He also found me a fantastic industrial strength blender on Craigslist for $10! First, the smoothies are unbelievably delicious. Second, it is so fast and easy to get a variety of nutrients from greens and fruits by drinking them versus taking the time to cook and/or eat them. Third, nothing is lost, as is sometimes with juicing, and it is raw, whole, fiber and vitamins. It can get pricey, but it is worth it to buy organic.

This smoothie is a combo of 6 peaches (no pit), 2 handfuls of spinach, and 2 cups of water blended smooth.

Asparagus Quiche with Tomatoes and Tarragon


Not only was this meal so delicious but it looked really cute! It did take a few hours to put together but was worth the time because we had a lot of leftovers that heated up really nicely the next day. I have been on an asparagus kick lately but have just been cooking it in a little olive oil, stovetop. The asparagus is pureed in this recipe. The baked tomatoes on top added a perfect additional flavor.

I am not sure I would call it a quiche in front of people that are non-vegan. It did not taste like, have the texture of, or resemble a traditional quiche. In my experience, if you use a non-vegan name for something that has been "veganized", people expect it to be like the traditional dish.


On the side, we had a simple Caesar salad. The highlight was home-made croutons. I found the recipe here. I used Ezekiel Bread and left the onion powder out because I didn't have any. The dressing was from an earlier post.