Tag Archives: vegan

May 13, 2013 · 5:00 am

Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

The recipe was supposed to be a way to use up all the extra pulp and fiber from juicing.  That’s one of the disadvantages of juicing – all the leftover solid, fruit/veg mix that gets thrown out.  If you’re a composter, you’re fine, lots of wonderful pulp to throw in the compost pile.  I am not a composter; I’ve taken students to a composting center where we looked at indoor composting kits with worms.  For some reason my roommates are against the idea keeping worms in the apartment…

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

As I was looking for recipes, I struggled to find one that met my needs.  I wanted a recipe that was mostly vegan or at least easily adaptable to vegan and didn’t have too many weird ingredients.  This recipe was close enough.  By substituting the applesauce and grated carrots for my leftover carrot-ginger-pear pulp and using vegetable oil, I had all the ingredients I needed  already in the apartment.

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

These are good, super good.  My expectations were a little low, but these exceeded anything I could have dreamed of!  The muffins are amazingly moist, tender and flavorful.  The little bit of fresh ginger shines through like a diamond.  The top is just a bit crunchy from the flax seed.  I ate one everyday for breakfast and these stayed fresh for the whole week.  You would never guess this is vegan or semi-healthy.

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

If you’re a fan of carrot cake, I imagine it would be pretty easy to add some raisins, walnuts, and a whipped coconut milk frosting to make these guys into a lovely vegan treat!  I have a vision, it’ll come to fruition one day.  But before I turn a solid breakfast into a dessert, you should make your own muffins, start the day off right!

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

One Year Ago – Margarita Whoopie Pies

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Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins
Adapted from Oh She Glows
Yield – 12

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot, pear, & fresh ginger **

  1. Preheat the oven to 400.  Line 12 cupcake cups with paper liners and spray the paper liners with cooking spray.  Set aside
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, flax seed, powder, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In a smaller bowl whisk together the maple syrup, oil, water, vanilla, and grated carrot mixture.
  4. Stir the liquids into the dry until just combined.
  5. Portion equally among the 12 muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned.  Let cool on a wire rack and remove the paper liner.
  6. Once cooled, store in an air proof container for up to a week.

** I used the pulp left over from making a carrot, pear, ginger juice.  I used about 6 carrots, 2 pears, & a 1” piece of ginger.  If you don’t have leftover pulp from juice, grate 1 1/2 cups worth of carrot and add 1/3 cup of applesauce.  Grate in fresh ginger if desired, but the fresh ginger gave fantastic flavor!

Vegan Carrot Muffins | Pale Yellow

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May 10, 2013 · 5:00 am

Cashew Nut Milk

cashew nut milk // pale yellow

This juice is fantastic!  Rich and creamy and totally satisfying.  It totally saves you after a long day of drinking acidic juices filled with all the fruits and vegetables you can imagine.cashew nut milk // pale yellow

Drinking the cashew milk before bed leaves your tummy full and happy while providing your body with needed protein and fat to start the next day off right.  The vanilla and cinnamon add great flavor.

cashew nut milk // pale yellow

This juice was the first one I prepared because it is the easiest to make ahead.  Simply soak the nuts over night and the blend with the rest of the ingredients.  Portion the juice into mason jars and store in the fridge.  You’re now ready for easy grabbing and drinking!  No worries, the juice cleanse is over now!

cashew nut milk // pale yellow

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Cashew Nut Milk
Adapted from Juices 101
Yield – 64 ounces

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
6 cups filtered water + more for soaking
3 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
3 teaspoons cinnamon

  1. Soak the cashews overnight with plenty of water to cover.
  2. Drain and rinse the cashews.  Add them to a VitaMix with 6 cups water, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.
  3. Blend for 2-3 minutes on high and then pour into a nut milk bag.
  4. Squeeze out all of the nut milk until you are left with a dry pulp in the bag.
  5. Portion the milk into 3 mason jars and then pour the rest in a glass to drink or store for later.
  6. Store in the fridge and shake before drinking.

cashew nut milk // pale yellow

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May 9, 2013 · 5:00 am

Carrot Apple Beet Ginger Juice

carrot apple beet ginger juice // pale yellow

This is the drink I was most concerned about – I didn’t think I would be able to drink beet juice.  I had tried it in the VitaMix and I don’t know, it was just too grassy.  The pureed beet juice was too much to handle, but the juiced beet juice is delightful.

beet carrot ginger juice // pale yellow

Fresh ginger is key!  It provides fantastic, sharp flavor and really covers up the grassyness of the beet the juice.  I enjoyed the lack of acidity in this juice, and my stomach definitely appreciated the break.

carrot apple ginger beet juice // pale yellow

The best part of the beet juice is the color!  I wish Essie would make a nail polish called beet juice, I would wear it all the time.  You can see all the beet juice stains on the cutting board!  Again, this is a great make-ahead situation.  Peeling beets is messy and your hands will be all pink.  Bite the bullet and peel them all at once for the week.  While you have the peeler out, you might as well handle all the carrots.  Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later when you just grab a bag of prepared veggies out of the fridge and juice away in seconds!

carrot apple ginger beet juice // pale yellow

One Year Ago – Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate and Caramel

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Carrot Apple Beet Ginger Juice
Adapted from Juice 101Yield – 1 16-ounce serving

3-4 carrots, peeled
2 beets, peeled
4 stalks celery
1 red apple
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice

  1. Peel the beets and carrots and roughly chop the beets, carrots, celery, apple, and ginger.
  2. Place everything in the juice and juice.
  3. Add the lemon juice and stir.  Drink immediately or store in the fridge.

carrot apple ginger beet juice // pale yellow

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May 8, 2013 · 5:00 am

Spicy Lemonade

spicy lemonade // pale yellow

This one is spicy!  It just looks hot and was hard for me to drink.  The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and I knew that would be too much for me, so I reduced the amount to 1/4 teaspoon.  Even that was too much.  If you’re not a spicy person, I would definitely recommend an 1/8 teaspoon.

spicy lemonade // pale yellow

Usually I highly recommend shaking all the juices to mix properly, but for this one I tried to let as much cayenne pepper settle at the bottom as possible.  Let’s have some honesty here – I only drank one of these, I couldn’t stand the cayenne pepper.   I know I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to spice, so do what your heart tells you for this situation.

spicy lemonade // pale yellow

I replaced the spicy lemonade with a plain coconut water.  Calorie-wise it was about the same and kept me full.  If I did a juice cleanse again, I would either completely eliminate the cayenne or add 1/16 of a teaspoon.

spicy lemonade // pale yellow

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Spicy Lemonade
Adapted from Juices 101
Yield – 1 16-ounce serving

2 lemons
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/4 and it was WAY too spicy for me)
14 ounces filtered water

  1. Juice the lemons into a 16-ounce mason jar.  Add in the agave and cayenne pepper.
  2. Add water to fill.  Screw on the lid tightly and shake.
  3. Refrigerate before drinking.

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May 7, 2013 · 5:00 am

Pineapple Apple Mint Juice {Blue Print PAM}

pineapple apple mint juice // pale yellow

This was my favorite of the juices.  It is refreshing, light, and springy.  It was also the easiest to drink, probably because it was the most traditional in terms of fruit juice.

pineapple apple mint juice // pale yellow

My one complaint – some serious heart burn.  The acidity from the pineapple and lime juice really got to me and I needed a few Tums after drinking the juice.  Sipping water between sips of the juice helped to ease the acidity level in my stomach as well.

pineapple apple mint juice // pale yellow

Best of all, this juice kept really nicely in the fridge.  Since I had one pineapple, I cut up all of the produce and sectioned it out into gallon-size Ziploc bags.  That way when I was ready to juice I could just grab a baggie and throw everything in the juicer.  That step made clean up and prep so much easier from subsequent juice making!

pineapple apple mint juice // pale yellow

One Year Ago – Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

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Pineapple Apple Mint Juice {Blue Print PAM}
Adapted from Juices 101
Yield – 1 16-ounce juice

1/3 pineapple
2 granny smith apples
1/2 handful mint
2 tablespoons lime juice

  1. Roughly chop the pineapple, apple, and mint and place in the juicer.  Juice.
  2. Mix in the lime juice.  Enjoy!

pineapple apple mint juice // pale yellow

 

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May 6, 2013 · 5:00 am

Green Apple Juice {Blue Print Green}

green apple juice // pale yellow

A couple of weeks ago I did a 3-day juice cleanse.  There are kits you can purchase that deliver all the juice to your house and you can just grab and drink.  That’s probably an easier way to do a juice cleanse, but I’ve never done anything the easy way.

green apple juice // pale yellow

Of course I wanted to make it all myself.  I’m going to post each day this week and walk you through a homemade juice cleanse.  The first step is planning.  Look at your calendar and find a 9-10 day window without many obligations.  Even though the actual juice cleanse is only 3 days, there is an easing in and an easing out process.

green apple juice // pale yellow

The second step is grocery shopping.  Be prepared to buy and store a lot of produce!  Clear the fridge, clear the cupboards.  I spent about $100 on produce for the three days.  That does seem like a lot, but to buy directly from Blue Print, it’s going to run about $180.

green apple juice // pale yellow

Finally, you need some time for juicing.  All that time you used to spend eating will now go towards preparing the juices.  One tip I can offer is to make multiple batches at once.  Since you’re drinking 2 green apple juices a day, make both at once.  The green apple is the first juice of the day and you drink a second juice later on, so I made the juices the night before and stored both in mason jars for easy grabbing and consuming.

green apple juice // pale yellow

The texture of the juice is easy for drinking.  When making smoothies, the texture sometimes tickles my throat, not so with the juice.  The green apple is bright and fresh.  The strongest flavors are the cucumber and lemon juice.

green apple juice // pale yellow

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Green Apple Juice {Blue Print Green}
Adapted from Juices 101
Yield – 28-32 ounces, enough for 2 servings of juice

3 large romaine leaves
5 large celery stalks
1 large English cucumber
3 kale leaves with stalks
5 parsley ribs
2 large granny smith apples
handful of spinach
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  1. Clean all the produce and chop into chunks except the lemons.  Juice them in the juicer.
  2. Scrape the foam off the top of the juice.  Add the lemon juice to the juice and stir.
  3. Divide the juice into one glass for immediate consumption and a mason jar for storage to drink later in the day.

Note – If your produce isn’t large enough to make enough juice, add 1/2 cucumber or apple to get the required amount of juice.  Your goal is two 16-ounce servings of green juice.

green apple juice // pale yellow

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April 26, 2013 · 5:00 am

The Frenchy Cocktail

frency cocktail // pale yellow

Sometimes after work there are beautiful, sunny afternoons where all important work is put aside, and it becomes possible to enjoy life.  For this perfect afternoon I sat outside on the deck, stretched out my legs, and read a book while basking in the sun.  Some music played in the background and life was good.

frency cocktail // pale yellow

What is needed to make a good life better?  A cocktail, of course.  Something light and fruity, and a little bit fizzy.  After coming inside to check my level of redness, definitely some color, but not too much, I looked through my bookmarks to find a cocktail to make.

frency cocktail // pale yellow

This Frenchy Cocktail looked beautiful and simple enough.  Obviously I needed to buy all the ingredients so I put on my flip flops on and headed to the store.  On the way I passed an adorable little boy, probably 8 or 9, singing as he walked home.  He was so cute I couldn’t help but smile.  As I did, he turned to me and said “Good Afternoon.”  This made me smile even more so I turned and said good afternoon back and told him how much I liked his singing.  He responded with a big grin and a cheerful thank you.  My interaction with him made my perfect afternoon even more lovely!

frency cocktail // pale yellow

Once I got home this cocktail took about 2 minutes to make; add some ice, portion out some pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and vodka, then top with some seltzer, done.  I tried the drink with and without seltzer and the seltzer just adds a little extra zing.  This is a delightful cocktail that seems fancy, but is super easy to throw together.  I imagine this would be lovely in a pitcher for a party.  A surefire way to make a great afternoon even better!

frency cocktail // pale yellow

One Year Ago – S’more Cookies

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The Frenchy Cocktail

Adapted from Intoxicology

Yield – 1 delightful drink

1 1/2 ounces Pear Vodka (I used Smirnoff)
3 ounces Pineapple Juice
1 ounce Cranberry Juice
Ice
Seltzer, optional

  1. Add a handful of ice to your glass.
  2. Pour in the vodka and pineapple.  Pour in the cranberry.
  3. Top with seltzer if you desire a bit of bubbly.
  4. Don’t stir!  Enjoy responsibly.frency cocktail // pale yellow

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April 24, 2013 · 5:00 am

Almond Pulp Breakfast Bars

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

When you start making your own almond milk you’re left with a lot of leftover almond milk.  Almonds are kind of expensive so it seemed kind of wasteful to just throw it away.  Luckily I was able to find a recipe, and then severely doctor it, to use up the almond pulp.

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

I tend to be a creature of habit, eating the same thing everyday for breakfast and lunch.  It makes my life so much simpler when I don’t have to plan or think creatively for these meals.  There was a long phase of eating a banana and fiber one bar every morning for breakfast.  When I went vegan I cut out the fiber one bars and switched to a handful of almonds.  Although almonds are delicious, they can be a little dry in the mornings.

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

The idea of a breakfast bar still appealed to me so I decided to make my own.  There are a lot of recipes out there for breakfast bars, protein bars, and homemade granola bars, but none of them seemed to have what I am looking for.  These are not perfect, but they were flavorful and had much of what I was looking for in a breakfast bar.

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

Next time I would pump up the coconut and chocolate chips.  I would also leave out the dried cranberries.  Although I normally enjoy dried cranberries, their chewiness was weird in these bars.  I really enjoyed eating these bars and look forward to making them again with all that almond pulp!  This is a great, chewy bar for breakfast or snack time.

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

One Year Ago – Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Chai Buttercream

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Almond Pulp Breakfast Bars

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Yield – 8 (1 1/2 x 6 inch)

1 cup loosely packed almond pulp

1/2 cup mashed banana, very mashed

6 tablespoons peanut butter, natural

1/4 cup ground flax seed

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B

pinch of salt

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup cinnamon chips

1/4 dried cranberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Mash together the almond pulp, banana, peanut butter, and flax until you have a loose ball of dough.  Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt.  Again mix well.

  3. Add in the coconut, chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, and dried cranberries.  Feel free to substitute any nuts, seeds, fruits, or mix ins.  The total should be about 1 cup.  Mix together

  4. Press each dough on a baking sheet as thin as you can into a 12×6 inch rectangle.

  5. Bake for 20 minutes and then cut into 8 pieces.  Bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the bars are browned and crispy.

  6. Wrap in parchment paper and enjoy for breakfast!

almond pulp breakfast bars // pale yellow

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April 17, 2013 · 5:00 am

Peanut Butter Oat Bites

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

One of my goals of 2013 was to include more healthy recipes on the blog this year.  Although I haven’t been posting my meals on the blog, going vegan in February has definitely helped me to eat healthier.  The intent of my goal was to bake healthier too.

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

To me baking healthier isn’t about reducing butter and sugar per se, it’s more of a diversification of what I considered a dessert or sweet snack.  These bites are a perfect example of that.  They were great to grab after work or while traveling as a satisfying treat without much guilt.  It’s hard to go wrong with creamy peanut butter, dates, oats, and mini chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

This past weekend I traveled to San Antonio with Jackie for the NSTA annual conference.  For those of you not in the know, that’s the National Association of Science Teachers.  As you can imagine, only the coolest of the cool are invited!  We had a great time learning about the new science standards and updating our teaching repertoires to bring back to our staff.  In between conference events, we definitely found time to explore San Antonio and sample some delicious Tex-Mex cuisine.  It’s a fantastic city.

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

Our trip started a little rocky with delayed planes, serious danger of missing our connection, and a brief stint of running through the airport.  I was so glad I had thrown these bites in my bag!  They kept off the crazies that come from being hungry and no plan for the next meal.  It was also great to have a mini snack while getting ready to go out for dinner and drinks in the evening.

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

The bites take a moment in the food processor to come together.  They are no bake and simple.  I’m sure you could adjust the mix-ins and included other dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.  Next time I’m going to make a double batch and store them in the fridge.  These bites are satisfying and tasty!

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

One year ago – Grasshopper Pie

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Peanut Butter Oat Bites

Adapted from The Frosted Vegan

Yield – 8 (easily doubled or tripled)

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond milk

pinch of salt

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor.  Blitz until well combined.

  2. Use a 2-tablespoon scoop to portion the bites.

  3. Roll into tight balls and place in mini cupcake liners.

  4. Store in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Oat Bites // Pale Yellow

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April 8, 2013 · 5:00 am

Almond Milk

Almond Milk // Pale Yellow

Really?  Homemade almond milk?  I know it seems a little high-maintenance and overboard with the DIY, but it’s absolutely amazing!  I started drinking almond milk as a special treat to myself because the sweetened chocolate and vanilla versions taste like milk shakes, but lack the guilt.  When I was vegan I was drinking almond and coconut milk everyday as a satisfying snack.  Once I realized you could make your own almond milk, it was only a matter of time before I did.  Ruth getting the VitaMix helps too.

Almond Milk // Pale Yellow

One key to this recipe is the nut milk bag, I know, it’s a funny name.  When I posted on Facebook that I had just purchased the bag from Amazon, my friends had many fresh comments to make.  I have some sarcastic friends!  Whatever, almond milk is as easy to make as it is to make a hilarious comment about the nut milk bag.

Almond Milk // Pale Yellow

Homemade almond milk tastes so much more almondy.  I don’t know how else to describe it, but the almond milk really, truly tastes fresher and less processed than any store-bought version.  Also, the vanilla bean adds a ton of fantastic flavor.  Homemade almond milk feels richer and thicker than its store bought friend.  If you have the tools, or are willing to buy the tools, homemade almond milk is totally worth the effort.

Almond Milk // Pale Yellow

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Almond Milk

Adapted from Edible Perspective

Yield – 32 ounces (1 quart)

1 cup raw almonds

3 1/2 cups water + more for soaking

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds removed

agave to taste {I used 1 tablespoon}

  1. The night before – soak almonds in quart container with enough cold water to cover.

  2. Rinse and drain the almonds and place them in the blender with 3 1/2 cups water.  Add the vanilla seeds to the blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add agave to taste and blend to incorporate.

  3. Pour all of the liquid into a nut milk bag over a large bowl.  Squeeze all of the liquid out of the bag.

  4. Store the almond milk in an airtight container in the fridge.  Shake before using, it tends to separate into layers.

Almond Milk // Pale Yellow

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