Just-sweet-enough Cupcakes

These are GREAT! We like sweets - but not traditional sweets you buy at the grocery store. Those pre-packaged things are full of bad ingredients, not to mention WAYYYY too much sugar.

We use natural sugars and less than is usually called for.

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c almond mylk (pre-made or make your own with handful of almonds and water blended)
1 t vanilla
1/3-1/2 c raw sugar
Dash salt
Handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Icing:
Dates
Water
Splash of vanilla

First, put dates into blender. Squish down. Add just enough water to cover and let sit.

Mix mylk + apple cider vinegar. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put dry ingredients into bowl. Mix. Add mylk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until blended. Add chocolate chips.

You can see that I don't have the equipment for cupcakes, but I don't let that stop me! I just used my cast iron skillet and lined with cupcake papers.



Fill with cupcake batter.. if you don't eat it all first! This stuff is seriously yummy.

Bake at 350 for up to 20 minutes, or until cupcakes fluff back up when you push down lightly with your finger.

Let cool.

Blend icing and smear onto cupcakes. (We left some without icing - and they're great, too!)



Enjoy!

Hot, hot, hot, hot soup

I accidentally made this soup so hot that.. we almost couldn't eat it. Really! So, beware of accidentally adding too much cayenne or jalapeno spice. Other than that.. let me just say - YUM!



You'll want to cook some of it in a cast iron skillet and some in a pot full of water.

INGREDIENTS

In the cast iron skillet:
TVP (your choice of size and texture)
Olive oil
Water
Garlic, salt, pepper, paprika

In the stainless steel pot:
1/3 c brown rice
1/3 c lentils (your choice color)
1/4 c pasta (your choice)
Freshly sliced veggies: tomatoes, carrots, new potato, celery, broccoli
Cayenne, garlic, bouillon cube

Fill your pot with water, add the rice and bring to boil. Lower to medium. Cook about 15 minutes. Then add the lentils and died potatoes only. Cook another 10 minutes. (Add water as necessary to keep it full.)

While the pot is cooking. put your TVP into the small cast iron skillet.



Fill with water to cover TVP. Add a few spoons of oil. Cook until water is absorbed/evaporated. Grill TVP for a while until as crispy as you like.

Your pot should be ready to add the veggies.



Now, replenish water into the pot as necessary - and throw in the rest of your veggies and pasta.

Basically, we're cooking the harder ingredients longest. Add the other ingredients that require less time, as you go along.

Add spices at the end. Stir to mix. Voila! Don't be stingy with the cayenne or jalapeno. Spicy soup is great!

Quick chocolate mylk

So easy!



Throw into a blender:
ice cubes
water
hand full of almonds
raw cacao powder + raw sugar (or, if you're like us and trying to get rid of the nesquick, just add a few spoons of that)



Blend!



Just spoon off the floating chunks of almond bits that don't sink. Or, eat them!

Easy. Quick. Tasty. This really hits the spot.

Cherry-pineapple crunch

So easy! So good!



INGREDIENTS
Fresh cherries, pitted and diced small
Pineapple, diced small
Chocolate chips (optional)
Vegan wrappers
Agave (optional)

Purchase these at an Asian market. These are low-cal, yummy and you can fry or bake them into desserts, egg rolls, whatever you want.



I used the big wrappers for these desserts. That means you can fill them with a LOT of fruit!



So, have your fruit sliced and ready. Remove one wrapper. Lay flat. Have a tiny bowl of water (that you'll dip your fingers into and use to seal each wrapper.)

Fill with fruit and a few chocolate chips:



Add more chocolate for a richer dessert. Leave out the chocolate completely for a yummy, fruity treat!

Roll. Seal with water. Spray with your oil sprayer and bake at about 300 degrees until browned. Flip and do it again. Takes only a few minutes on each side.



This won't take long.. keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

YUM! Add a little agave for an extra bit of sweetness and presentation.



They're low-calorie and healthy.. so eat your heart out!

Cheesy, spicy, avo-sandwich wrap

I had a few veggies lying around that I wanted to use. And they went together perfectly!

SERVES 2

WRAP:
2 tortillas (look for a tortilleria in your town!)
1 new potato
Handful of sliced cabbage
Head of broccoli, sliced small
Half block of tempeh
1/4 c black beans
Veg worcestershire
Soy Sauce
Water
1 avocado to share

SAUCE:
Chreese mix
Water
Cayenne spices
Hot sauce (optional, to sprinkle on top)

First, slice your potatoes small and cook in cast iron skillet. Add water to help steam. Cook until done.

While that's cooking, break apart the tempeh with your hands. It falls into nice sized pieces. Cook in another cast iron skillet with a little olive oil, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce to taste.

Mix your finished potatoes and tempeh together.

Use one of your skillets to water stir-fry the broccoli and cabbage for a few minutes. Then, add all of your ingredients together.



Mix chreese sauce according to directions. Just make about 1/2-3/4 c of sauce for the two of you. Add a little less water than called for to make a thicker sauce. Or thin it out. It's really up to you. BUT DO NOT FORGET the cayenne spice. It makes the sauce SO much better.



Put your wrap ingredients into the tortillas. Grill on a low-medium setting until brown on all sides.



Serve with spicy, chreese sauce and freshly sliced avocado and hot sauce on top.

Chreese + avocado + hot sauce = YUMMMMMMMMM

Fantastic, fresh sandwich

Buy the best bread you can find. Break can make or break your sandwich, you know. So go to a bakery - or make your own. You won't regret it!

SERVES 2
1 ripe avocado
Lots of fresh spinach or your favorite dark green leafy veggie
1 medium ripe tomato, sliced
Cucumber, sliced
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
Best salt - my new favorite, Himalayan Pink Salt

So easy and SOOOOOO good....

Layer your veggies, top with vinegar, salt and pepper. Add some oil if you want. Olive oil is good for you. Don't be afraid of healthy fats!

We eat these all the time.