Tag: Vegan Option

Black Rice Burrito Skillet

November 25, 2015

Black rice is the thing right now. Everyone seems to be talking about it in one form or another. Just check out this NPR article by biologist Jeremy Cherfas  titled How ‘Forbidden’ Black Rice Flourished For Millennia. The anthocyanins or pigments that colors (and dyes your wooden spoons purple) black rice has been touted to have anti-inflammatory benefits, and be great for heart health.  Black rice also contains amino acids like Tryptophan, the one that puts you into your Thanksgiving turkey coma. As well as vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and folic acid.  But beyond its abundance of health merits it also tastes great. So enjoy that fast, flavorful, nutrient packed meal that is flexible enough for both vegans and carnivores.  Continue reading “Black Rice Burrito Skillet”

Paleo Fish Taco Bowls

April 12, 2015

We have a serious amount of life happening right now.  Everything seems to be moving at rapid pace.  We are also sitting on the cusp of some potential monumental changes, or simply solidifying that everything in our little ecosystem will stay exactly the same for a touch longer.   But right now we wait, and while we wait I have been trying to keep busy.  Thus I have been cooking, baking and talking non-stop.   Which just means you reap the rewards of new recipes, such as this awesome Paleo (or vegan if you choose) dish.  Try using this recipe as your base and customize any way you like by throwing in any extra veggies laying around in your crisper (broccoli is pretty darn great).   Experiment, enjoy, but most importantly take advantage of the approaching warmer temperatures. Continue reading “Paleo Fish Taco Bowls”

Paleo Chicken, Lime and Avocado Soup

April 10, 2015

Simple, one pot dinners are my jam.  When we get home from the gym every night we are ravenous, and after we feast neither Jameson nor I have much ambition to tackle a lengthy clean up.  So I am always looking to create flavorful meals that adhere to our dietary preferences, and can be accomplished quickly and painlessly.  This soup meets all our lofty, stringent criteria.  Also, if you are like me and don’t eat meat you can skip the chicken all together- it will still be spectacular. Or if you reside in a household (like ours) with a mix of herbivores and carnivores, simply cook the chicken in a pan on the side and stir into the soup when you add in your avocado. This is the perfectly effortless meal that is flexible enough to meet everyone’s needs. Continue reading “Paleo Chicken, Lime and Avocado Soup”

Chocolate Drop Cookies

May 8, 2014

cookie 4

As you know we have been church hunting non stop since arriving in NYC.  Then alas through Crossfit Jay met an exceptionally wonderful girl who invited us out to church.  Thanks to her generous and inclusive spirit we have cultivated the most exceptional church family, and met people that really have changed how homey New York feels. Every other Thursday there is a bible study, but I have been cooped up in a lecture hall every Thursday night this semester.  So it is with great excitement that I exclaim that tonight is my first evening of freedom to enjoy the company of those we have come to hold dear. Horray!   So naturally with two finals and three summer classes stand between me and mastering all of education I decided to bake cookies for tonight rather than crack a textbook (It seems to be a theme this year). So please enjoy the fruits of my procrastination.  These rich, seriously delicious cookies do not disappoint.    Continue reading “Chocolate Drop Cookies”

Peanut Butter Cookies

April 17, 2014

pB cookie

So it’s official. I have a cookie problem.  One that I cannot even dignify with a valid defense. Midterms kicked it into high gear, and the job hunt has fueled the fire.  The evidence against me has been building up over these last few with post after cookie post, so now all I can do is admit it. I love cookies, and these peanut buttery treats are no exception.  The inspiration for this batch came via the fact that my mom is visiting my grandparents and I am not so secretly wishing I was back on the west coast with them all.  My grandma makes hands down, the best peanut butter cookies known to the human race.  So I tried my hand at a version, that is vegan, and isn’t too loaded with anything that will kill you.  So indulge and enjoy.  Continue reading “Peanut Butter Cookies”

Skillet Shrimp and Chicken Paella

April 16, 2014

paella

My mom makes excellent paella. It is bar none one of her unsung talents.  So last weekend when I was meal planning and missing her a little extra I decided to try my hand at it.  Now she is the master, and I the student so I do not in any capacity feign superiority in my dish.  I have watched her whip it up on several occasions, but what is tricky is that my mom happens to be a wiz in the kitchen so she never follows a recipe directly.  Thus no paella is ever rendered the same again.  It is a dish only to be enjoyed in that moment, because next time it will be equally as wonderful but slightly refined.  So as I crafted my version I tried to think back on what I seen her incorporate, and then substituted in and out a few items to suit our palates (like quinoa instead of rice, extra veggies instead of meat and turkey sausage instead of chorizo).  I am sure I missed plenty of ingredients but the result was nonetheless stellar.  Furthermore, pausing to enjoy my take on paella on this sunny New York Spring evening, whirled up all sorts of nostalgia as it left my feeling as if I was sitting on my mom’s back porch catching up over our days.  I love you mom 🙂 Continue reading “Skillet Shrimp and Chicken Paella”

Chewy, Gooey, Ginger Molasses Cookies

April 3, 2014

cookie 2

I have officially worked my brain to capacity.  30+ peer reviewed articles and legal statutes later and I think I have enough knowledge to craft an adequate position paper on the martial rights of persons with disabilities (fingers crossed).  I have left a permanent impression of myself on my couch the past few afternoons as I have chipped away at my scholastic to-do list.  So what I need now is refueling, both mentally, creatively and physically.  Which is where these cookies come in. I have a basic cookie dough recipe I tend to use for the base of all my cookies and lately I have been craving ginger snap, so I decided to play around.  The result was fantastic on the first attempt.

Oh, and they’re vegan.

 

And another thing, the only real molasses in them is in the brown sugar. So they’re healthier than the traditional variation of this cookie.

Alas, in my books today was a successful day -cookies and academics included.  Continue reading “Chewy, Gooey, Ginger Molasses Cookies”

Quick and Easy Snickerdoodles

March 27, 2014

cookie

I have been feeling a touch overwhelmed with the everyday, mundane demands of life as I juggle graduate school, teaching, job hunting for the fall and figuring out what comes next; all well striving to quell a bout of homesickness that has resurfaced after having to say good bye to our two sets of wonderful family who just left NYC.  I now it is all going to turn out, and that given time I will have answers to all the questions I am seeking.  However, nonetheless in times when my nerves feel a little more frayed than usual, and my normal disposition of moderate over thinker is on overdrive I am diligent to carve out time to cook or bake. It is how I combat stress.  So today I bring to you a batch of Vegan cookies that are as simple and they are quick to whip up.  Thus allowing the baker to promptly return to their lengthy list of tasks that need accomplishing or those journal articles sitting on their desk unread.  But before you return to everything that awaits, take some times to unwind by prepping (and eating) these cookies that Jay swears may just be the best he has ever eaten.  Which is good because he’s eaten a lot of them lately as my brain has been desperately in need of multiple study and life breaks.  Enjoy! Continue reading “Quick and Easy Snickerdoodles”