Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Fruity Snack Balls February 1, 2013

Filed under: Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 11:42 am
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These are such a great snack and take minutes to make! I LOVE these (and so will kids). They come from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores and the only thing I added was about 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. I try to throw chia seeds in all kinds of dishes, especially breakfast/fruity/smoothie things. Check out these 10 reasons you should eat them. You can use just about any dried fruit or nuts for these, such as apricots, apples, raisins, even dried blueberries. I also think mixing in a tablespoon of almond butter or peanut butter would be dee-licious! The original recipe says it makes a great crumbled cereal topper as well. The recipe also says it makes 2-1/2 dozen, but I got exactly 2 dozen–just depends on how small you make them.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 C unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 C dried cherries

1 C dried mango

1/2 C dried cranberries

1 C sliced raw almonds

2 Tbs chia seeds

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DIRECTIONS:

Toss the first four ingredients into the food processor and blend for a full minute.

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Add the almonds and blend again for another full minute.

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I then transferred the mixture to a bowl and stirred in the chia seeds.

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Take small handfuls and squeeze, then shape into a ball. Repeat. Enjoy!

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Soy Yogurt Covered Blueberries with an Unexpected Ending January 23, 2013

Filed under: Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 2:44 pm
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I was very excited to try making yogurt-covered blueberries . . .

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So how did they go from this . . .

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. . . to this?!

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Easily. Nondairy yogurt just doesn’t set up like regular yogurt. Either that, or there’s more to the ingredient list than just yogurt and blueberries that companies use to make them turn out like this . . .

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Has anyone had luck making these with nondairy yogurt? Do share!

Anyway, they certainly made great smoothies.

 

Vegan Pigs in a Blanket June 20, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Sides,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 12:19 pm
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I can’t say I recall having pigs in a blanket much when I was a kid, although I’m sure many of you grew up on snacking on these. Even vegan, they’re  probably not the healthiest, but that’s ok–there’s nothing wrong with some Pillbury Crescent Rolls once in a great while. The Seventh-Grader really wanted to try these, so after a tiny bit of prep, we had a quick snack. I added a little Daiya cheese to one, just to see how it tasted and it was pretty darn good!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg Pillbury Crescent Rolls (8)

4 Smart Dogs (or other veggie dog of your choice), cut in half

Daiya cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Unroll the dough and separate each piece. Roll up one of the dogs, starting at the wide end.

Mine with cheese…

Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

These are great served with ketchup, horseradish, mustard…you name it. Enjoy!

 

Baked Truffle Polenta Fries June 5, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Sides,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 10:13 am
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This is a first for me. I’ve never eaten polenta at home, but I’ve ordered it in restaurants. I decided to try making polenta fries, but the easy way . . .

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This is certainly an ideal way to make fries: crack open a polenta log, slice, season, and bake!

INGREDIENTS:

 1 tube of polenta

1/8 C olive oil

2 Tbs truffle oil

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450. Combine the two oils in a small dish. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil with some of the oil mixture. Slice the polenta into 1/2″ slices.

Then cut each slice into thirds.

Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the oil mixture; season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning once halfway through. Enjoy!

 

Papaya Trail Mix May 29, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 8:36 am
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The Seventh Grader is on a school hiking trip this week, so it gave me an opportunity to make some homemade trail mix that has everything he likes; nothing gets picked over. I also used butter-flavored olive oil that a friend gave me (it’s dairy-free) and works perfectly for trail mix. The subtle buttery taste is amazing. (It works great on pasta, too). Mine is from Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Company in Fort Collins. After the family had some of the mix, I got, “This is all you made?” I’ll be making another batch today.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 C almonds, raw and unsalted

3/4 C walnuts, raw and unsalted

1/2 C pumpkin seeds (with the shell), unsalted

1/2 C dried papaya, cut into chunks

1/4 C chocolate chips

Butter-flavored olive oil

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a little cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the nuts. Drizzle with the olive oil—just enough to lightly coat the nuts. Do the same with the salt. Mix well. Layer onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Since most ovens tend to run different, check often—don’t let the nuts burn.

Let cool for just a minute or two and combine the nuts and papaya in a bowl.

Once the mix has cooled completely, stir in the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

 

Gluten-Free Granola Bars February 3, 2012

Filed under: Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 4:24 pm
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These are packed with nutty love! They’re also simple to make and grab while you’re on the go. You can sub in your favorite nuts, dried fruit, or even some chopped coconut. Go wild!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 C quick oats

2 Tbs brown rice flour

2 Tbs quinoa flakes

1/2 C nuts, chopped (I used peanuts and pecans)

1/4 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C chia seeds

2 Tbs flaxseeds

1/2 C dried fruit, chopped (I used Craisins)

1/2 C dark chocolate chips

3 Tbs almond butter

1 small avocado, pitted

2 Tbs brown rice syrup

3 Tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, quinoa flakes, nuts, seeds, fruit, and chocolate chips.

Using a fork, mash up the avocado. Add the almond butter, almond milk, syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and thoroughly combine. Lightly oil an 8″ baking pan and press the mixture evenly in the dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Cool the pan on a rack, then cut into squares. Enjoy!

 

Lemony Quinoa-Almond Granola January 31, 2012

Filed under: Breakfasts,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 11:16 am
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Ok, yes, this is from Big Vegan again. And no, I won’t be posting every single recipe from this fabulous cookbook. I just saw this and had to make it. I’ve been needing to get more creative with breakfast and this recipe jumped out at me. I made it last night so breakfast would be a snap this morning. It has a bit more oil and sugar than my granola recipe so I won’t be replacing it with it, but it’s certainly a nice change! The only thing I might add next time is some chopped coconut flakes, otherwise, it was perfect with some soy yogurt and fruit.

INGREDIENTS:

3 C rolled oats

2 C quinoa flakes (look in the cereal aisle)

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1-1/2 C all-fruit lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 C almonds, chopped

1 C apricots, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300. In a large bowl, combine the oats, quinoa flakes, flour, cinnamon, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lemonade, sugar, oil, and extracts. Pour into the dry ingredients and using your hands, combine thoroughly. Let it sit for 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Since I don’t have rimmed baking sheets, I used foil to create small sides on the pan. Spread the granola on the baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, turning it over with a metal spatula every 15 minutes.

I added another 5 minutes to the last 15. Ovens temps vary, so check often.

Let the pan and granola cool on a rack, then stir in the apricots. Stored in a ziplock or airtight container, the granola will last for 2 weeks at room temperature. Enjoy!

 

Fruit and Nut Energy Bars July 29, 2011

Filed under: Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 10:28 am
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I came across these all natural energy bars on Oh She Glows. I made a couple of alterations like using almonds and sunflower seeds instead of walnuts, and using brown rice flour instead of kamut flour. They are chewy, crunchy, a little bit sweet, and ideal for on-the-go. They’re also great for munching on while you’re hiking. The only thing I found was that they didn’t hold together very well for cutting them up. I think part of it, is that I used too small of a pan even though I went with the size recommended in the original recipe. I suggest using a shallow baking sheet, not a 8″ baking dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 C brown rice flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 C brown sugar

1 C almonds, toasted

1/2 C sunflower seeds, toasted

1/2 C dried cherries or craisins

12 dates (about a cup), pitted and chopped

1 C apricots, chopped

1 flax egg: 1 Tbs flax meal + 3 Tbs warm water

1 Tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9″x13″ baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Toast the almonds and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often until golden brown. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the nuts and fruit.

Combine the flax mixture with the vanilla and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add the flax meal and almond milk to the dry mix and combine well. Spread the mixture onto the prepared pan. You can press down pretty hard—I would say until the mixture is about a 1/2″ thick.

Bake for 33-35 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool for 10 minutes.

Return it back into the pan and place in the freezer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer, cool for 10 minutes and then cut into squares. I’m not sure what the rationale behind this cooling process is, especially since they still fell apart a little when I cut them, but that’s just what the recipe says to do . . .

No matter how they’re cut, they’re delicious. Enjoy!

 

Reboot Wrap-Up July 24, 2011

Filed under: My Vegan Life,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 4:57 pm
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So I did about 6.5 days of the reboot and I feel GREAT! I won’t lie . . . it wasn’t easy, but it was well-worth it. I’ve lost about 6 pounds, too. This reboot is a great way to jump start you into healthier eating habits. As much as I loved my vino, I actually didn’t miss it since there were so many other things I couldn’t eat. I discovered new foods and learned to love those green smoothies every morning. I also really loved this mango-strawberry-pineapple-avocado smoothie:

This morning, we headed over to one of our favorite restaurants, The Rainbow.


Restaurant breakfasts can be tough since most items have egg, milk and meat in them. But The Rainbow offers some great vegan items.

As you can see . . . about 98% of the vegan items on the breakfast menu are under “Light & Healthy.” Hmmm . . . what does that tell you? ;) Anyway, I usually get Dan’s Groatmeal. It’s amazing! It’s a bowl full of oatmeal, granola, fruit and you can order soy milk to go with it. I highly recommend it! Oh—and they also make a vegan coffeecake that is to die for!!

One thing this reboot taught me, was that I needed a new blender. Mine sucked. I had an old Hamilton Beach and the only good thing about it, was the pitcher was glass. That’s how old it was. Anyway, I went shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond and after talking with the electronics guy who went through all the specs of all the blenders, I settled on the Ninja.

This thing is amazing and highly satisfying to use. For $80 (I used one of their 20% off coupons), it comes with a 1000 watts and features a vertical 3-blade system. It crushes ice like nobody’s business. When I fired it up to make smoothies for a picnic this afternoon, The Husband remarked that it sounded like a jet plane taking off. The Seventh Grader joked, “I thought ninjas were supposed to be quiet.”

Mango-Strawberry-Cherry smoothies

For the picnic, I also made some hummus and crock cheez and instead of eating them with bread or crackers, we brought cucumber slices, celery, and yellow & red bell peppers with us.

We also picked up some noodles with sesame oil, cucumber, and cilantro from Whole Foods.

It’s been a delicious day . . . and Moe enjoyed the picnic, too.


 

Pumpkin-Peanut Butter Dog Treats June 14, 2011

Filed under: Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 3:56 pm
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These are similar to the other dog treats I made, but this time I added pureed pumpkin. I meant to add some fresh parsley and mint, but completely forgot—next time, I guess. We’ll just have to continue to deal with Moe’s stinky breath until it’s time to make more treats. Since commercial treats are full of artificial ingredients, preservatives and animal products, we prefer to make his own treats. It’s especially convenient since Moe has been working on his Canine Good Citizen training so that he can be a therapy dog. Lots of training means lots of treats, so I feel better about loading him up with these and not the gross store-bought ones. I also froze the remaining pumpkin puree to use the next time I make treats.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 C peanut butter

1/4 C canned pumpkin (make sure it’s just the puree and not the pie-filling that contains spices and other stuff)

1 C water

2 Tbs oil (flax, omega, olive, or vegetable)

1-1/2 C flour

1-3/4 C whole wheat flour

1/4 C fresh mint, minced (optional)

1/4 C fresh parsley, minced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, combine the peanut butter, pumpkin, water, and oil. If using, you can throw in the parsley and mint here, too. Combine until smooth. Slowly add the flours and mix until well combined.

Divide the dough in half. You may want to cover the portion you’re not using, as it will start to dry out. Working with half the dough at a time is easier. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thickness. I then used a pizza cutter to make small squares.

Place the pieces onto a large baking sheet. Yes, this step is time-consuming (a great job for the kids to help with!), and you can cut them into any shape and size  you’d like, but this size works great for training and you don’t have to break them up. If you cut them like I did, you’ll get just over 2-1/2 of the baking sheets of them. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

They come out pretty crispy, so I pour them into a large metal bowl so I can reuse the pan. Once they’ve cooled, store them in an air-tight container and they will last up to 6 weeks.

They are Moe-Approved!

 

 
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