Mini Hail & Review

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I ran to Target and Ulta today to pick up a few things and I decided I would make a blog post about it since a) I haven't made a blog post in a while and b) I haven't made a BEAUTY blog post in QUITE a while.

Pacifica Hand Creams - Ulta - $9

I looooove Pacifica but I've never tried their hand creams before. Ulta was doing a buy one, get one 50% off deal for all Pacifica products so I thought that was a good enough reason to try them out. I bought them in the scents Tuscan Blood Orange and Tahitian Gardenia because they both smelled ahhhhhmazing. I'm looking forward to seeing how moisturizing they are. My hands can get quite dry at times from how often I wash them at work. I'll report back with a full review at some point!

Pacifica Perfume - Ulta - $22

I bought these two perfumes in the same scents as the hand creams because I loved the smell of them so much. They were a part of the same deal as the hand creams so... why not, right? Can't have too many perfumes! And they're really perfect scents for the summer. 100% justified purchase.

Pacifica Aquarian Gaze Waterproof Mineral Mascara - Target - $13

Are you noticing a Pacifica pattern? This brand is amazing not only for the quality of their products, but because they're cruelty and most (maybe all?) of their products are vegan! Anyway, this mascara is fantastic. It's my second time repurchasing it and I don't think I'm going to switch to another mascara anytime soon. It adds length and volume and can easily be layered for a more dramatic look. and it's REALLY waterproof. Seriously, get out your best make up remover to scrub this stuff off because you're gonna need it. 

Too Faced Melted Lipstick - Ulta - $21

This is another tried, tested, and true product for me. I already have the colors Melted Fig and Melted Berry and decided to add Melted Candy to the collection. They're a little pricey but for the quality and longevity of the color, it's completely worth it. I'll do a full review on these and include swatches of the colors soon! 

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Recipe: (Non-Alcoholic) Pineapple Mojito Smoothie

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I'll be honest... I've been going a little smoothie crazy lately. I seem to always crave them as soon as the weather warms up a little bit. I plan on experimenting with different, interesting ingredients and sharing all my smoothie-masterpieces with you guys- starting with this one! It's light and refreshing and perfect for the spring and summer. Plus, it not only makes a great quick addition to your breakfast or snack, it can be turned into an awesome cocktail smoothie by adding some rum

Makes 1 serving

Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple

3/4 cup water (use 1 cup if using frozen pineapple)

4 fresh mint leaves

the juice of 1 lime

Blend all ingredients together for about a minute - or until the mint leaves are distributed evenly throughout the smoothie. Sprinkle with a bit of raw cane sugar if you please! Enjoy :)

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Recipe | Garlic & Herb Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Zucchini

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Makes 3-4 servings

1/2 box whole grain spaghetti
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 zucchini, quartered and then chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Set a large stock pot filled with water over high heat for the spaghetti. Set a large skillet with your olive oil over medium-low heat.

While waiting for you pasta water to boil, add your onions and garlic to your hot olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions become translucent/slightly browned (about 5-7 minutes) and then add some salt and pepper. Add your zucchini to the onions and garlic and and saute for another 5-7 minutes. Salt and pepper the mixture once again.

At this point, your pasta water should be boiling. Generously salt your water and drop your pasta in. Occasionally stir throughout the cooking process to make sure the spaghetti is not sticking together.

While your pasta is cooking, turn the heat off for your zucchini, onion, and garlic mixture. Add your tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine. The goal is to just heat the tomatoes through and give them a chance to lend their juices to your sauce - you don't want to actually cook the tomatoes and make them mushy.

When your spaghetti is ready to be drained, reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking water and add it to the pan with your veggies. Drain your spaghetti and add it to the pan. Fold the pasta in with the sauce and make sure everything is coated. Add your fresh herbs and some more salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Morning Glory Green Smoothie

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Hey friends! Long time, no blog. The past couple of months have been rough... emotionally, psychologically, physically... I have been neglecting to do things that I love and make me truly happy for a number of reasons, and maybe I'll elaborate in a future post, but for now let's just get into this awesome smoothie recipe.

I call it a "morning glory" green smoothie because I like to have it in the morning for breakfast and it gives me the boost of energy that I often need to get my day going. Call it whatever you want, just give it a shot. If you're skeptical about green smoothies, this is a perfect one to ease you into this delicious, healthy trend.

What you'll need (this recipe makes 3 smoothies):
3 apples, roughly chopped
2 bananas, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups of your favorite leafy greens (I used a mixture of baby spinach, chard, and kale)
2 kiwis, peeled and roughly chopped
the juice of 1 lemon
2 cups water
8-10 ice cubes

Throw all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I left the skins on my apples because I don't mind the texture and the skins add more nutrients to the smoothie. Peel the apples if you're not into the little specks of skin throughout your smoothie. Also, I'll sometimes add a tbsp of chia seeds to the smoothie after blending for some extra nutrients and texture.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Super Grain Veggie Bowl

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What you'll need:

• 1 cup Super Grains mix (mine was from Whole Foods with red & white quinoa, buckwheat, and millet)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10-15 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 carrot, shredded or thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
• 1 cup frozen edamame
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*to make this a complete meal, add some sauteed tempeh or seitan

Combine the super grains, vegetable stock, onion, garlic, and some salt and pepper in a pot and set over high heat. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. With about 5 minutes left of cook time, add the frozen edamame to thaw.

If you're adding tempeh or seitan to the dish, start sauteeing in some olive oil on medium heat while the grain mix is cooking. This should take about 5 minutes on each side.

When the grains are done cooking, add the tomatoes, carrots, crushed red pepper flakes, and some more salt and pepper to taste. Fluff with a fork to combine everything. 

Enjoy!

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Recipe Tips | Healthier Smoothies

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With the warmer weather in full bloom around here, a smoothie is a quick and refreshing snack to indulge in to keep yourself cool and satisfied. While they're easy and pretty much fool-proof, it's very easy to end up ingesting hundred of calories and lots of sugar and fat if you're not careful. Here are a few tips and things to look out for to ensure you're getting the most out of your smoothie!

1. Try and avoid a dairy base

For my own personal taste, this tip is easy for me to follow because I'm not a fan of creamy, yogurt-based smoothies. If you share a similar taste to mine, you can used the following to replace milk or yogurt in your smoothie recipe to achieve a thinner consistency:

• Water - adds a liquidy base to your smoothie without any fat, sugar, or calories.
• 100% Fruit Juice - if you choose this route, just make sure you're not using a fruit juice cocktail - those are loaded with unnecessary sugars. If you can, juice your own fruits/veggies to add to a smoothie!
• Almond, Soy, Rice, etc. Milk - if you still like a milky texture for your smoothie but don't want to use dairy, try these instead

For a thicker smoothie, still without milk or yogurt, try the following:

• Applesauce - make sure you buy the kind that has no added sugar - apples are sweet enough and don't need any help with that! Adding pplesauce in smoothies is a great way to achieve that desired consistency with some extra flavor while not overdoing it on the calories, fat, and sugar
• Chia seeds with water - chia seeds develop a jelly-like consistency when introduced to water -  perfect for thickening up your smoothie while also adding lots of nutrients
• Bananas - perfectly sweet way to thicken up a smoothie
• Avocados - gives your smoothie perfect thickness and a unique, delicious taste if you're feeling adventurous to try it out 

If you insist on using yogurt in your smoothie, try and avoid full fat yogurts with syrups/sugars added. Go for plain, low fat or non fat yogurt, Greek yogurt, or a non-dairy yogurt like soy, almond, or coconut yogurt.

I personally like the combination of water and applesauce the best. I like to mix chia seeds in afterwards because I enjoy the texture.

2. Use fresh fruit only when in season and ripe enough

A lot of people add sweeteners like agave, honey, or maple syrup to smoothies, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you do it in moderation. However, you can avoid this step altogether by using only in-season fresh fruit and subbing any out-of-season fruit with their frozen counterparts. Using fresh fruit when it's out of season can cause your smoothie to taste sour, bitter, and overall just not delicious. This is when people try and compensate that off taste by adding unnecessary sugars.

Frozen fruits and vegetables, much like the canned versions, are picked and packaged at the peak of their ripeness, so they'll always taste the way they're intended to. Plus, the combination of frozen and fresh fruits gives your smoothie the perfect consistency.

3. Be creative!

Don't stick to the normal strawberry banana smoothie everyday - it'll get really old, really fast. Incorporate your favorite fruits into your smoothies and keep making different variations of them to keep them interesting. Add leafy greens like baby kale or spinach to add more nutrients and an interesting spin on your typical smoothie - I PROMISE your smoothie won't taste weird!

Top your smoothies with something crunchy, like my homemade vegan granola, to play up different textures. Or add things like protein powder, flax seeds, and nuts to bump up the protein level and make it into a sustainable snack. 

Most importantly - have fun! Smoothies are a great way to get lots of fruits and veggies into your daily diet. You just want to make sure you're not undoing all the benefits of the fruits and veggies by adding lots of fats, sugars, and calories.

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Recipe | All Purpose, Everyday Seasoning Blend

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So, if you've noticed in my past recipes... I use a lot of the same spices as sort of a "base blend" and work other flavor components into that specific mix. 

Last week, my lazy self came up with a groundbreaking idea - mix those spices together so that I'm only reaching for one jar while cooking instead of 5 different ones! The ultimate lazy cook's dream. I stayed away from spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric, because I don't think those flavors are necessarily appropriate in EVERY dish that I cook. Again, I wanted to make something that I could use in almost every recipe as the foundation of flavor, and then build up from that.

So, for the mixture, just combine the following in a mason jar or an empty spice container. If you plan on making a larger quantity, just follow the basic ratio of the 5 parts.

4 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Vegan Strawberry, Mango, and Blueberry Smoothie

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Before we get to the recipe of this post, I wanted to update you guys really quick - I moved! Only about a half hour north from where I previously was, but I'm much closer to where I'll be working in two weeks as well as my job at the coffee shop. My apartment still isn't completely done being decorated, so I'm not going to post any pictures just yet, but they will come! I like how everything's turning out so far, but I have so much more space to work with than I did at my previous apartment so the place still looks a bit empty.

Today's breakfast was another quick, easy, and delicious one - three characteristics I require for sleepy morning breakfasts.

Avocado toast with a delicious vegan strawberry, mango, and blueberry smoothie. Yeah, a SMOOTHIE! I finally have a blender! Which is good news for you guys as much as it's good news for me, because that means I'll be whipping up lots of smoothie, blended soup, and maybe even some frozen cocktail recipes for you guys in the upcoming future.

Avocado toast is pretty self-explanatory... plus I've already let you in on my spice combination that I top my avocado toast with, so on to the smoothie recipe!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup mango lemonade (you can easily use some mango nectar/juice and the juice of 1/2 lemon, but Trader Joe's has an amaaaaazing mango lemonade that I used)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
4-6 strawberries, depending on their size
8-10 chunks of frozen mango, again depending on their size
1/4 cup frozen blueberries

Blend all the ingredients on high for a couple minutes, or until your desired consistency has been reached, and enjoy!

What are your favorite smoothie/juice ingredients?

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Recipe | Spicy Mustard and Grapefruit Vinaigrette

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I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to use a grapefruit in a dressing, but I've been wanting to do so for quite some time. I was really nervous about how it would come out, but this vinaigrette is absolutely fantastic... I was pleasantly surprised.

Pour this over your salad, use it as a dipping sauce or marinade, or... check back soon for a delicious spring-time recipe utilizing this vinaigrette :)

In a mason jar or a small mixing bowl combine the following:

the juice of 1 grapefruit - about 1/4 cup

2 tbsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp raw agave nectar (maple syrup or honey would work just fine)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

*if you're using a mason jar, just pour all the ingredients together and shake them up. If using a mixing bowl, slowly whisk in the olive oil at the end to combine all the ingredients.

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger

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As promised, here's the recipe for the burgers I used for my burger-bar set up for me and Chris on Valentine's Day.

Yields 10-12 burgers, depending on how big you make them.

1 small eggplant, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, roughly chopped,
1/2 cup quinoa cooked in 1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp chipotle hot sauce
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Spread your chopped sweet potatoes on a lined or greased cookie sheet. Season with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and half of the paprika. Pop that in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. When the sweet potatoes start to soften up, remove them from the oven and add the chopped eggplant and onion to the mix. Season with some more olive oil, the remainder of paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook together for another 15-20 minutes.

While your veggies are cooking, prepare you quinoa - 1/2 cup dry quinoa to 1 cup of water (or vegetable stock). Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

When the sweet potato and eggplant mixture is cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before adding to the food processor.

Once cooled, Add the veggie mixture to a food processor with the 1/4 cup vegetable stock. Pulse until the mixture is at your desired consistency. I liked mine to be slightly chunky, but this step is totall up to you.

Add the veggie mixture to a big mixing bowl. Throw in the oats, cooked quinoa, hot sauce, mustard, and some more salt and pepper. Mix together thoroughly and form into patties.

Now, you can either bake the burgers off in the oven, since it's already heated up. Or you can sear them up in a pan with some olive oil. If you choose the former option, they'll take about 10 minutes on each side in a 375° oven to get a nice golden brown color. On the stove, they'll take about 5 minutes on each side over medium heat with about a tbsp of olive oil.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I took the base recipe for these cookies from Oh She Glows (one of my favorite food bloggers) and tweaked it to make my peppermint chocolate chip cookies.

Makes 12 cookies

1/2 cup vegan butter + 1 tbsp melted vegan butter
1/2 cup packed coconut sugar OR brown sugar
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 3 tbsp water (egg substitute)
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
a pinch of salt

*I do not have a stand or a hand mixer, so my cookies came out a little more crumbly than they probably should have, which is find with me, but I'm assuming a mixer would make the dough a bit smoother with the initial creaming of the butter and sugar... But smushing everything together with your hands makes for a perfectly tasty cookie as well :)*

Preheat your oven to 350° F.

Combine the butter, coconut or brown sugar, and cane sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Either mash everything with your hands, or cream together with a mixer. Then incorporate your chia seeds and water mixer to the butter and sugar.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and peppermint extract and combine well. Again, either use your hands to combine everything, or a mixer.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Prepare a baking sheet with either parchment paper or some cooking spray. Form your cookies into 12 good sized spheres. Pat them down a bit so they're a little flattened out.

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown on the top and bottom. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring them off the baking sheet. They may crumble if you omit the cooling step.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Vegan Granola

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A lot of granola recipes aren't vegan-friendly because honey is used as the sweetener/binder. This recipe is 100% vegan because agave is used in place of honey. Maple syrup is another good substitute if you don't have agave on hand

2 cups old fashioned oats (rolled oats)

1 cup steelcut oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup agave

1 tbsp coconut sugar OR brown sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup canola oil

a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure you mix everything well so all the oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit are coated with the agave, canola oil, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and salt.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes, or until the granola starts to brown.

Let the granola cool off before transferring to an airtight container.

Enoy! :)

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Recipe | Vegan Pumpkin Maple Walnut Scones

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This recipe was loosely based on this pumpkin scone I found here. I had never made scones before, let alone vegan ones, and needed something to base my measurements off of.

Makes 10 scones.

1 cup raw walnuts
2 cups brown rice flour (or any flour you have on hand, really)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup solid coconut oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit

Spread your walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast them for 3-5 minutes in your preheated oven. Remove them and chop them into tiny pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and walnuts.

In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla extract.

Cut the solid coconut oil into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly and lumpy. You can do this with a fork or if you're fancy, with a pastry cutter. The you can introduce the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Remove from the bowl and onto a lightly floured clean surface. Form the dough into a about a 1 inch thick circle.

Use a circular cookie cutter, a cup, mug, or some sort of small circular object to cut your scones into rounds. You could also cut them into triangles, but I'm partial to the round scone... I think it's because Ireland really only had round ones when I was there.

Place your scones on a lightly greased, or lined with parchment paper, baking sheet.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven, or until lightly golden brown.

And there you go! A delicious addition to your morning coffee routine, afternoon snack, or just an anytime treat.

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Chana Masala (non-traditional)

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Before I get any hate from hard core Indian food snobs about this not being a traditional Chana Masala recipe - I AM NOT CLAIMING IT IS. I understand that some key ingredients are left out ( It's not exactly easy to obtain an ingredient like amchoor powder for me). I am also aware that I introduced some new ingredients (I like zucchini, so what?). I was just working with what I had on hand and catering the recipe to what I like. I wanted this to be relatively easy and equally as tasty. I hope you can look past these minor details and try this recipe out for yourself. It's quite good, if I do say so myself, even if it isn't traditional. One day I'll try my hand at a traditional recipe, but for now this is a great alternative.

1 large white onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
2-3 small potatoes, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 heaping tbsp mango-ginger chutney
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large skillet to medium heat with some olive oil. Start off by sauteing the potatoes because they'll take the longest to soften up. After about 5-7 minutes, add in the other vegetables. Saute together with some salt and pepper for another 5-7 minutes.

Introduce the drained and rinsed chickpeas to the veggie mix. Then add the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, and turmeric to the pan to wake them up a bit. Stir to coat all the veggies with the spices.

Now you can stir in the tomato paste. When the tomato paste becomes fragrant, add the mango-ginger chutney and the chili-garlic sauce. Stir to combine everything.

Add in the vegetable stock and simmer until the liquid reduces by about half (15 minutes or so) Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. 

(what it should look like BEFORE it has reduced)

Serve over jasmine rice or just eat on its own.

Enjoy! :)

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Update + Recipe | Happy Thanksgiving!

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No, this Friday I am not bringing you my face or the products used on it... mainly because I didn't feel like doing my make up. Instead, I thought I'd just make a little Thanksgiving-themed post since yesterday WAS Thanksgiving and all... for Americans at least.

My mom, sister, nephew and I drove up to my aunt and uncle's house for the holiday and it was really a nice time. I hadn't seen my cousins, aunt, and uncle all together since Liam's baptism back in September, so it was nice to see everyone again.

The night progressed as usual for our family get-togethers... political arguments, making fun of each other, and attacking the vegetarians of the family, and eating delicious food... just the way it's supposed to be!

Liam and I, before heading out to Thanksgiving Dinner

I am so thankful for the family I have been blessed with. They've helped me get through the roughest points in my life and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to raise me and watch me grow up into the woman I am today :)

Now, for a recipe.

My mom gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted with the sweet potatoes we were bringing for the dinner, so I came up with this easy and delicious recipe for spiced, mashed sweet potatoes

8-10 sweet potatoes

2 tbsp butter OR butter substitute to make this a vegan recipe

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp dried, ground sage

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit 

*You can peel the sweet potatoes if you want. If you choose not to, make sure you scrub them really well

Bake the sweet potatoes for an hour, or until they are soft and mashable. Transfer them to a bowl and add the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or with a hand-held or stand mixer... whatever's easiest for you... until you reach the desired consistency.

Enjoy letting people guess what the spices you used are!

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Recipe | Baked Vegetable Eggrolls

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This is more of a process suggestion rather than a recipe. You can add whatever vegetables you have on hand in your egg rolls, this is just how I chose to prepare mine.

This will yield 6 egg rolls.

6 egg roll sheets... mine were vegan but that's up to you
1 bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots, cut into matchsticks, or julienned
1 cup alfalfa sprouts, or any kind of sprout
a couple tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 425°F

Evenly distribute your veggies among the 6 egg roll sheets, layering a few pieces of each veg ontop each other

To wrap up your egg rolls, fold in the left and right sides of the egg roll sheet, so that your filling is partially covered. Then just roll over your filling until the bottom of the wrapper is facing up at at you. Then take a dab of water on your finger, and run it across the final edge of the wrapper so that it sticks to itself and doesn't come undone in the oven

Repeat this for all of your egg rolls. Place them seam side down on a baking sheet prepared with tinfoil/parchment paper and/or spray cooking oil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown.

I didn't salt the veggies inside the wrappers because I didn't want to bring out all of their moisture and make my egg rolls soggy. I served mine with some soy sauce mixed with grated fresh ginger, honey, and crunchy peanut butter and that was all the seasoning I needed.

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Cinnamon Banana Butter

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When I buy bananas for myself, there's a very small threshold of time where I can eat them and actually enjoy them. I love slightly green bananas... just under their ideal ripeness. Once the green is gone, so is my appetite for them.

Because of this weird banana preference that I have, I'm often left with 2-3 bananas on hand that are too ripe for my liking. I usually will give them to my mom to make her delicious vegan banana bread, but if I won't be seeing her for a while, I thought up a VERY easy and VERY delicious way to use them up so they're not just sitting around.

Makes about a pint of "butter"

3 ripe bananas, mashed
*my bananas were on the larger side. if your bananas are looking a little skimpy, just add another one.
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until they are thoroughly incorporated and the bananas are mashed to a smooth but chunky consistency.

Spread over toast, add to your oatmeal, or just eat it up with a spoon! Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week (if it even lasts that long)

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Vegan Apple Pumpkin Muffins

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Makes 12 muffins

2 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup raw cane sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2-3 tbsp plain, unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*optionl* 2-3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (brown rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, almond milk, canola oil) in a separate mixing bowl.

Once both are separately combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients gradually until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The batter will be relatively thick.

You can either lie your muffin tin with muffin cups, or you can just spray the tin with some canola oil cooking spray to ensure that the muffins don't stick when you try to take them out. Scoop the better into each muffin mold about 3/4 of the way up.

*If you want, you can top each muffin with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds before you bake them off. The pumpkin seeds will roast in the oven a little bit and provide a nice contrast in flavor with the slight sweetness of the muffins*

Pop those bad boys in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine were perfect at 15 minutes. Just keep checking on them after the 15 minute mark by sticking a toothpick or a knife or fork through the center of a muffin to see if the inside isn't a gooey mess.

Enjoy! :)

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Recipe | Chunky Vegetable Soup with Cannellini Beans

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This recipe yields roughly 7 pints (I stored all my leftovers in handy pint-sized Mason jars- I suggest you do the same to portion everything out and have easy, quick dinners for the week!)

1 quart of Vegetable Stock (you might want to get a low sodium one so you can control the saltiness level of your soup)
a couple tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups water
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 zucchini, cut into fourths, length-wise, and then chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (use whatever colors you have - I had a green and a red so that's what I used)
2 cups frozen broccoli
1 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
1 cup pasta (I used broken up pieces of linguine)
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (not photographed - this was a last minute addition)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large stock pot over medium heat and add some olive oil. Sautee the carrots for about 7 minutes. Then add the chopped bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic and sautee for another 5-7 minutes, or until they start getting tender. Add some salt and pepper and the cumin, turmeric, and hot sauce. Stir to incorporate the spices and then add your stock and water. Add your broccoli, beans, and soy sauce to the pot. Cover with a lid and bring the soup up to a boil. Once at a boil, drop your pasta in and cook until the pasta is al dente (or of desired consistency). Adjust seasonings to taste and enjoy! The soup gets better the longer it sits - so left overs are GREAT :)

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