Apple Cinnamon Topped Pancakes of Awesomeness

 

There comes a time in every girl's life when she screams to the heavens, "I need some fucking pancakes!" Hormones, or whatever. I don't know. I just know I heeded the call of the wild and made some killer fucking pancakes. 

I've never made an apple topping for pancakes or waffles, or any food, actually. But, I do love me some apple pie, so I took that idea and ran with it. 

The following recipe makes enough for 2 adult-sized servings of apple topping. I don't have a fancy recipe for the pancakes; I use Bisquick, almond milk, and a little vanilla extract. 

What you need for the apple awesomeness:

• 2 HoneyCrisp apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (so they cook more quickly)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 TB Earth Balance vegan spread
• 2 TB orange juice
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp (or more) cinnamon
• pinch of salt

What you do with it:

1. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add all ingredients and mix well. 
2. Once the mixture starts bubbling, I turned the heat to medium-low and simmered for about 30 minutes. Be sure to stir and taste the mixture every 5 minutes or so, so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. 
   
3. I cooked mine until the sauce cooked down to a syrup. Feel free to add more or less of everything. I liked mine pretty cinnamon-y, but if at all possible, add the cardamom. It really brings the flavor to a whole new level. 

Savory Chickpea Crepes - 1st attempt

Let me start by saying that I have never eaten a crepe in my entire life...vegan or not. So, I had no idea how thick to make the batter. These ended up somewhere between a crepe and a pancake in their thickness. Seeing how much I love pancakes anyway, I wasn't disappointed.

I'm that weird person who eats her regular pancakes without syrup, preferring a more savory flavor. That was my inspiration for trying to make a savory (and spicy) crepe. So, I suppose I should maybe try calling these pancakes since they were thicker than a crepe. Whatever. The whole point is that these turned out so deliciously that I had to share them with you. I am trying to think of some sort of sauce to use with them, but I'm coming up dry. I did, however, use some mint chutney (just a smidge), and it was tasty.

I will definitely be trying these again, thinning the batter out a little bit to see if I can make them more crepe-like in their density. Regardless, make these. They are delicious.

Makes 4 pancakes/crepes/whatever about 4 inches in diameter

What I used:

• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (also called besan flour)
• 2/3 cup water or slightly less
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 TB fresh cilantro, minced (or 1 TB dried)
• 2 tsp Earth Balance

What I did:

• Mix together the flour and water in a bowl until it's mostly lump-free. Add in the other ingredients (except the Earth Balance) and mix well. 
• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add in 1/2 tsp of the Earth Balance.
• Once the butter melts, pour 1/4 cup of the chickpea mixture to the pan. When it starts to get air bubbles and the edges look dry, flip the pancake and cook another 2 minutes. 
• Repeat until all the butter and batter are used up.

Buffalo Chik'n Salad

I've never been a huge fan of salads, but I'm always up for a challenge, so I decided that I need to work on that. Enter: buffalo chik'n salad. In the words of a ridiculously-annoying-piece-of-shit-actor, "WINNING!" I have made this salad 3 times in the last week, so I think that says something.

I'm a recent fan of buffalo sauce, as I always thought I wouldn't like it. I tasted it once about a month ago, and I try to use it every chance I get. I use the bottled stuff, which appears to be much lower in calories than if I'd made it myself. The brand I got has 5 calories per tablespoon, so that's not bad at all. You can do the (chicken) chik'n a couple different ways, but I chose to brush the sauce onto the patty in between flippings. You can also cook the chik'n, and coat it in sauce at the end. I've done it both ways, but I like the first method better. It seems to allow the flavor of the sauce to cook into the chik'n better.

As for salad dressing, that's up to you. I prefer to blend a little vegan ranch with a tiny bit of avocado and drizzle it over the salad. It was awesome. But, you can do whatever your little heart desires.

Serves 2 as a main

What I used:

• 2 Gardein Crispy Chik'n Filets
• 3-4 TB bottled buffalo sauce
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 3-4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 cup red onion, diced

What I did:

1. Heat a grill pan (or non-stick skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Once hot, add the chik'n filets. Cook about 3 minutes, then flip. Cook another 3 minutes, then carefully brush some buffalo sauce on the tops. 
2. Turn heat down a bit to medium. Use tongs to very carefully flip your chik'n filets over. They will sizzle and pop. It's supposed to. Now, brush the top with sauce. After about 2 minutes, flip the filets again. I end up flipping the filets a couple times, brushing sauce on each time.
3. Carefully transfer the chik'n to a cutting board and slice into strips.
4. Get 2 plates and toss together the lettuce and spinach equally on each plate. Top it with the onions and tomatoes and then add the chik'n strips on top. Dress however you want.

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower

Fuck Yes! I finally went there. I've had deep-fried, breaded buffalo cauliflower, and absolutely loved it. But, being a chickpea who's afraid to deep fry (long story), I decided to take a "healthier" (see: safer) method to pig out on my favorite sauce and one of my very favorite veggies. For the record, this whole plate pictured above, including the avocado, is only 187 calories. It's 3 cups of cauliflower, about 3 TB of bottled buffalo sauce, and 1/3 of a small avocado.

If you look online, you'll find an assload of recipes for buffalo cauliflower, each more fancy and complicated than the next. I'm here to assure you that this is the easiest. It took zero effort. It's fucking healthy. You'll thank me.

The batch I made was intended for a whole meal for 1 person. So, I'm not giving you an exact recipe. Just do the following and you'll do just fine.

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet (I used a silicone mat, but you could definitely use parchment).
2. Put cauliflower in a bowl.
3. Pour buffalo sauce on cauliflower and flip it around to coat the cauli.
4. Pour the cauli onto the baking sheet.
5. Place baking sheet in oven and cook for 25 minutes, stirring once about halfway through cooking. 
6. Pig the fuck out.

My 1st Chia Smoothie

Alright, dudes. I decided to try adding chia seeds to a smoothie. It's supposed to add protein and essential fatty acids, so I thought, "Eh, why not?"

It turned out quite well and way more filling than I would've thought. I read that there are 3 ways to add chia to your smoothies:

• soak the seeds in liquid a few minutes to let it gel up and soften the seeds
• grind the seeds in a coffee grinder
• or add them straight when you start blending in the, well, blender

I took the soaking route. I was not wanting to have crunchy whole seeds in my smoothie. I soaked 1 TB of chia seeds in 1/2 cup of coconut milk for about 6 minutes while I was gathering the other ingredients. According to MyFitnessPal, this smoothie is 203 calories.

Here's what I used in my smoothie:

• 1 TB organic chia seeds
• 1/2 cup Silk coconut milk
• 1/4 cup organic blueberries
• 1/4 cup carrot (1 smallish carrot)
•  1/4 cup fresh pineapple
• 1/2 small banana
• handful of ice
• 1/4 cup water

Here's what I did:

1. Mix the seeds and coconut milk together in a small bowl and let sit at least 5 minutes for the seeds to soften and gel up.
2. Add all of the ingredients into the blender and blend on high until smooth. Leave out the water if you prefer a thick smoothie. 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Quinoa Avocado Toast

I've been on this big quinoa kick lately. I've discovered that I really love it, and not just "like" it. This is kind of a big deal. Like many people, I've been trying to move toward a healthier plant-based diet, as opposed to the way I had been eating. I have always been a sucker for the vegan convenience foods, and I'm trying to cut down on my processed food and increase my whole foods. And quinoa is really helping me get away from pasta and rice because it's packed with protein and fiber, along with some important nutrients. So, yeah, I'm digging it. It keeps me nice and full, which is great for me and keeps me from snacking on junk between meals. This breakfast has become my new favorite lately.

My pudgy little tootsies need a new pedicure.

I also just decided to give sprouted grain bread a chance. I've always been a fan of wheat and multi-grain breads, but this bread rocks! It's dense, but not too dense. It's a bit chewy and has a slightly nutty flavor that goes exceptionally well with the quinoa, which also has a nutty flavor. Back when I could eat nuts (and not break out in hives), I would toast up almonds and add them to quinoa for a bit of crunch. It was fantastic and I highly recommend it. But, now I'm a jealous bitch because you can eat nuts and I can't. Wow, that sounds naughty, but I didn't mean it that way. Get your head outta the gutter, foo!

Okay, so, here's how I made this delicious breakfast of awesomeness:
Serves 2.

What I used:

• 2 slices sprouted grain bread
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 slices tomato
• 2/3 medium-size avocado, mashed
• Herbamare seasoning

What I did:

1. Bring water to a boil in a small pot with lid. Once it's bubbling, stir in the quinoa. Cover pot with lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium or medium low and let simmer 15 minutes. Fluff with fork.
2. In a bowl, mix mashed avocado with quinoa and season with a little Herbamare. 
3. Toast the bread. 
4. Slather the quinoa/avocado on the toast and then top with tomatoes. 
5. CHOW DOWN

This breakfast came at the suggestion of my very dear pal, Nicole of Nicole Eats. She's a tremendous inspiration in my cooking. Love ya, lady!

Zesty Quinoa

 

Dudes! This dish started out as a recipe from Eat Vegan, Get Healthy by Neal Barnard, and I changed it up a bit and it ROCKED. It is so stinking healthy, I could die....of awesome. Paired up with a quarter of an avocado, it became my very favorite quinoa dish ever. I've always "kind-of" liked quinoa, but never loved it. This dish may have changed all that. I cut the recipe in half, so it made 2 servings. It was so incredibly filling, and here I am hours later still feeling pleasantly full. That's some badassery right there.

So, here's the recipe with my changes. The original was meant to be served cold, but I prefer hot. Do what you want, dudes.

Serves 2 as a main dish.

What I used:

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 TB dried mint
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 3 TB fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 TB agave nectar
• 2 TB dijon mustard
• herbamare seasoning and pepper to your tastes
• chopped cilantro to garnish
• avocado to garnish

What I did:

1. Put the water in a small pot over high heat and put the lid on. Once boiling, stir in the quinoa and mint, and cover. Lower heat to medium or medium-low and cook about 10 minutes. 
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, edamame, herbamare and pepper. Stir, and replace the lid. Cook another 5 minutes. 
3. In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, agave and dijon mustard. Pour it into the quinoa and mix well. Leave the lid off, and cook another 5 minutes or so. 
4. Serve in bowls and garnish with the cilantro and avocado. Boom! You're done. Pig out time.

Veggie Fajitas

Life. It gets pretty busy, sometimes. Mine certainly hasn't been immune. I just celebrated my one-year anniversary at my wonderful job. I just took in a stray puppy. And I decided to re-dedicate myself to sharing my passion for food. I let myself get burnt-out on blogging, but after my two-month hiatus, I have decided to blog when I feel like it...and not force myself. I'm sure you can understand-- sometimes, when we force ourselves to do something, we lose our passion for it. So, I'm going to just blog occasionally, and see how it goes.

So, three days a week, I work until 8pm. That's totally cool with me since I hate waking up early. But, by the time I get home, it's nearly 8:30 and I'm ready for dinner. I never feel like slaving away for an hour making dinner after I've worked all day, so I've been making a TON of fajitas and wraps lately. This was one such meal.

Veggie fajitas are hella easy, dudes. And quick as can be. Have 10 minutes? Then you have time to make fajitas for dinner.

What I used:

• 1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 TB taco seasoning (I make my own blend)
• 1 1/2 tsp coconut oil
• salt and pepper
• juice of 1/2 lime (FRESH! Not bottled)
• fresh cilantro (optional, but very highly recommended)
• homemade guacamole (avocado, tomato, onion, cumin, splash of lime juice)
• 2 large tortillas

What I did:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Once hot, add bell pepper and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Then add the mushroom, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cook until the veggies are all cooked through - about 4 minutes. 
3. Pour the lime juice over the veggies and give it a good stir. Cook about 1 minute more.Your veggies should be cooked through and everything is ready.
4. Top a tortilla with about half of the veggies, some cilantro, and some guacamole and you're ready to roll. 

 Well, dudes, maybe I'll see you again soon. :)

Potato Chickpea Curry with Ginger

 

Potato Chickpea Curry with Ginger. Need I say more? Nope. Just make it already. It's delicious and inspired by a pal's IG feed. So, yeah, nothing to see here. Move  along to the recipe.

Serves 3-4 when accompanied by naan or rice

What I used:

• 3 medium-sized red potatoes
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 TB grapeseed oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Earth Balance
• 4 oz white mushrooms
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into half-moons
• 3/4 tsp ginger paste
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 TB Shan chana chaat powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup rice milk just to keep it from drying out.

What I did:

1. To speed up the cooking, (at the suggestion of a friend) I microwaved the potatoes for about 4 minutes, then diced them. This saved SO MUCH TIME. Be careful, they're fucking hot. /disclaimer.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion and some salt, and cook until softened. Add in the diced potatoes, garlic, Earth Balance, chickpeas, and chana chaat powder. Stir well and often for about 5 minutes, then add in the milk and the shrooms and stir again. Cook another 5 minutes.
3. Add in the ginger paste. Mix well, then check your salt and pepper levels. Adjust and serve that shit up with some naan, or rice, or both.
4. See? Easy peasy. Eat, eat, you're skin and bones.