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Vegan Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins with Fiber Boost!

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Bake up a batch of these fluffy-amazing Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins with a bran fiber boost and nibble on them all week long! Loads of bananas, oats and dark chocolate chips to keep you coming back for more. I used my special walnut flour trick in place of adding whole walnuts because it adds so much body and great texture to the muffins.

In this season of lattes, hot tea and warm 'n cozy everything, these muffins are a welcome addition to your busy day. Freeze or fridge and simply re-warm to serve. Also delicious chilled! Grab my vegan recipe..

So this is a baking recipe that (gasp) has no pumpkin in it. Crazy I know, for fall, but these muffins were so amazing I simply had to share the recipe.

These muffins are easy to make, contain a healthy boost of fiber, are low gluten and delish! PSL Latte or ginger tea-pairing perfection.

Walnut Flour! Instead of using whole walnuts, I used walnut flour. I processed the whole raw walnuts into a dense flour in my Vitamix. A food processor can also be used. Then I added the walnut flour as part of the batter mixture. Intense walnut flavor with some amazing muffin texture. Plus, since the walnut flour contains a good amount of fat, I didn't need to add much oil to make the muffins moist.

Fiber Boost! I boosted the texture and fiber content by adding in some super bran. The bran I used was a trio mixture or corn, oat and wheat bran. Though you can use whatever bran you'd like. If you choose not to add the bran your muffins might not be as dense and fluffy. But, yes, you could simply sub with more oat flour.

The addition of bran makes them so fluffy as they puff up in the oven, popping up in their muffin tins in perfect muffin top unison.

If you do not have walnuts, you can substitute with whole raw almonds, cashews or even pumpkin seeds. Though I adore the rustic walnut flour the best for this banana bread muffin recipe.

Each muffin contains around 240 calories, 6g protein and 5g fiber.

Change it up! You could easily substitute fresh fruit like apples, berries or even dried fruit like raisins for the chocolate chips if you prefer something a bit less decadent. Fall apples would be amazing! Or cranberries. Or even some chopped tangerines. Yum.

Or, keep the chocolate chips and ADD in some tangerines. Chocolate-orange is an amazing duo.

UPDATE! (pictured above) haha, I JUST posted this, but as my second test batch was cooling, I posted and then just now took a nibble from this batch which was AMAZING. I subbed cashews for the walnuts and blackberries (frozen) for the chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast! So amazing.. Love the nut flour idea I had - it really makes these muffins special! So must try-it: Cashew-Blackberry Subs. If you tried a substitute ingredient or the original recipe, let us know in the comments!

Speaking of comments, I am LOVING reading your #OwnTheDay comments on my Nii Bars giveaway post! So many inspiring ideas.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 11/02/2014Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana walnut muffins with a boost of bran fiber. Vegan and low gluten.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups raw walnuts
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ¼ cup whole oats
  • ½ cup bran (I used a mixture of corn,wheat, oat bran)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 large ripe bananas
  • 1 tablespoon softened virgin coconut oil + another 1 teaspoon for greasing muffin tins
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup maple syrup (or agave or bee-free honey)
  • ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a high-speed blender, process to oats and walnuts into flour. Be careful to not blend too long where the walnuts turn into a too sticky walnut butter. Pour this mixture into a large bowl and add in the salt, baking powder, cinnamon, whole oats and bran. Stir to combine.
  3. Add to the blender all the wet ingredients, bananas, oil, vinegar, maple syrup. Blend until smooth.
  4. Fold the wet into the dry and stir until a thick yet moist batter forms.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  6. Allow the batter to sit for at least three minutes before loading the muffin tins. This allows the bran and oats to soften a bit as they absorb the liquid. This also thickens the batter so things stay fluffier when baking.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 8-10 minutes, or until edges of muffin top begin to brown.
  8. Remove muffin tin from oven and allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm. Store in the fridge or freezer. Leftover muffins can be served warmed or chilled. Re-heat in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes or for 15-30 seconds in the microwave.

Yield: 12 muffinsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. Total time: 35 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 239kcal
  • Fat: 12g
  • Protein: p6g
  • Dietaryfiber: 5g
  • Totalcarbs: 27g

Tags: muffins,vegan,baking,chocolate,oats,breakfast,snack,bakery,bananas,walnuts,glutenfree,fiber

Pumpkin Pie Pillows. Low-Sugar, Vegan Cookies to Nibble!

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Yesterday I shared my favorite healthy fall beverage, Spicy Fresh Ginger Tea. And today I want to share with you the cookie recipe that I think pairs perfectly with it! These Pumpkin Pie Pillows are low in sugar, soft and tender. They are delicious served on-the-go or settle in and pause on your busy day as you nibble each bite and sip some tea. Spices, pumpkin, oats, apple, chia - plenty of healthy ingredients in each tender pumpkin pillow. Get this vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar recipe!..

These modest-looking round little cookies pack quite a punch with healthy ingredients, flavor and texture.

Though these cookies are lower in sugar and bold sweetness than most holiday-season cookies, they are still totally satisfying. And will not cause those spike-and-crash blood sugar effects from sweeter treats. And you may even notice that just one cookie satisfies, unlike higher-sugary treats that leave you wanting more and more sugar to consume.

Why do I love these so much? Maybe it is the fiber-ful rolled oats, the hearty chia seeds (ground in with the flour), the sneaky sweet apple blended in or perhaps it is just all that pumpkin puree goodness. Whatever the case, these cookies are yours to nibble anytime you please.

Serve these cookies paired with ginger tea, chai tea, coffee or a latte. These also make an excellent breakfast mini-meal replacement! Eat 2-3 cookies with a large beverage, juice or tea for a light yet filling, on the go breakfast bite. Add some fresh fruit and a few nuts (walnuts or Brazil nuts are my morning faves) for a heartier meal.

Why these cookies rock: all that whole food goodness! Pumpkin, apple, chia, oats - so much good stuff in there. Gluten-free too.

Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Pillow Cookies

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/28/2014Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Pillow Cookies
Tender round cookies filled with oatmeal-pumpkin-fall spice flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 medium apple, chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar (or another vegan sweetener)
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspoon almond butter (optional)
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • topping: cinnamon sprinkled on top before baking
  • grease pan: 1-2 teaspoon virgin coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add the oats, chia seeds and spices to a high-speed blender. Blend until the oats are a fine powder.
  3. Pour the dry oat mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt and baking powder.
  4. Now add all the wet ingredients to the blender container, apple, vinegar, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, sugar, ginger and optional almond butter and vanilla. Blend from low to high until the apple is completely pulverized and mixture is smooth.
  5. Pour the wet into the dry bowl and stir until combined and a soft dough forms.
  6. Place the dough bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up the dough a bit for easier rolling into balls. While dough is chilling, grease a baking sheet with some coconut oil.
  7. Pull dough from freezer and roll dough into balls, You can get about 18 mini-pillows out of this dough or 12 medium sized pillows. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of each ball and place baking sheet in the oven.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Serve warm and tender from the oven. Store on the countertop in a sealed container for up to 2 days. You can also freeze these cookies to store and re-heat to serve.

Yield: 12 cookiesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 18 mins. Total time: 28 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 87g
  • Fat: 2.9g
  • Totalcarbs: 14g
  • Dietaryfiber: 3g
  • Protein: 2g

Tags: cookies,pumpkin,snack,fall,pumpkin pie,dessert,breakfast

Speedy Spicy Fresh Ginger Tea (or Apple-Spice Ginger Tea!)

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This is my absolute favorite healthy, warming beverage for fall. Today I share two versions. Classic Ginger-Lemon and Apple-Spice Ginger.

If you have never tasted fresh ginger tea, and experienced the health benefits, then you are in for a treat. Warming, spicy ginger is excellent for digestion and warming the body from the inside out. I sip ginger tea just upon rising with loads of bright lemon, in the afternoon with a hint of maple syrup as sweetener and also after dinner, as a spicy digestion-enhancing beverage. Once you learn how to make basic ginger tea, using my super-speedy method, you will be livening it up in all sorts of creative ways!..

Spins on Ginger Tea:

* Add fresh lemon juice for zesty-brightness, (think fall-lemonade!)
* Add Mulling Spices! Diffuse some mulling spices into your tea as it simmers .. smells ah-mazing. (Mulling spices like clove, star anise..)
* Add cayenne for extra spiciness
* Add cinnamon to turn up the cozy
* Add a hibiscus tea bag for a pink-sweet-ginger tea
* Add maple syrup as a cozy vegan sweetener
* Add a whole fresh apple, blend and strain the pulp for a apple-cider-ginger tea
* Add a dandelion tea bag for a detoxifying morning tea (I add lemon and cayenne too)
* Add a bedtime or chamomile tea bag to calm your nerves
* Add some fresh or extract vanilla for a sweet aroma
* Add turmeric for a wellness super-spice boost
* Add fresh orange peel and juice for a citrus-ginger spin
* Add crushed cranberry for a cran-ginger tea
...and so much more!

Just whipped up another giant batch of my go-to fall beverage: fresh ginger tea! And the recipe is on #healthyhappylife.com 🍂🍋A photo posted by Kathy / HealthyHappyLife.com (@kathypatalsky) on Oct 10, 2014 at 1:38pm PDT

Benefits of Fresh Ginger Tea:

* Digestion enhancing.
* Sip between meals to curb cravings.
* ZERO Caffeine. Yet, I can attest that it provides quite an energizing BUZZ.
* If prepared as shown, 40 calories per cup, yet still offers a nice sweet sip flavor. You could omit the sweetener, add more or substitute with a whole apple for sweetness.
* It may relieve or prevent migraines, says Dr Barnard
* Ginger may be an immune system booster (especially if paired with lemon and cayenne!)
* Warming and soothing for your nerves.
* Can settle an upset tummy.
* Brings bliss and joy because it tastes so yummy!
* Spicy flavors to stimulate your spirit.

Most ginger tea recipes ask that you simply steep the peeled ginger root for a good 15-30 minutes to really extract that ginger flavor. But by using a vitamix high-speed blender, I can cut that steeping and simmering time in half. I blend, steep, then strain.

The recipe below is for the basic ginger tea with lemon, maple and cayenne. This is my favorite blend. But here is the Apple-Ginger method:

Apple-Spice Ginger Tea Upgrade: Prepare according to directions below, but instead of adding the maple syrup to sweeten at the end, pour the hot ginger lemon tea back into the high speed blender, Vitamix, and blend from low to high until the apple is pulverized. Then strain the liquid through a mesh cloth or nylon mesh bag (the kind used for almond milk). Your ginger-tea will now be apple infused! You can serve right away or re-simmer on the stovetop. Additional sweetener will be neede if you like a brighter sweetness for your tea. Try adding maple, coconut sugar or agave.

(And tomorrow I will share with you the perfect cookie to pair with this sip! Gluten-free, super healthy-delicious, Pumpkin Pie Pillows!)

Speedy Spicy Fresh Ginger Tea

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/27/2014Speedy Spicy Fresh Ginger Tea
This homemade spicy, warming, sassy-sweet ginger tea is made using fresh ginger, lemon and spices. Amazingly soothing most any time of day!

Ingredients

  • 6 cups purified or spring water
  • 1 ½ tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped into small bits
  • 2 medium lemons, juiced (about ½ cup fresh lemon juice)
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup, grade B (or another sweetener, adjust to taste)

Instructions

  1. Add 2 cups of water and the fresh ginger to a high speed blender. Blend from low to high for about 60 seconds, until the water turns a light yellow color and all of the ginger has been pulverized. A few tiny clumps is OK, as they will be strained later.
  2. Pour this ginger mixture along with the remaining 4 cups of water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add in the cinnamon or cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. (Note: If you have a Vitamix, you could also just use the "soup" feature to warm your tea!)
  3. When the simmering time is up, pour the tea back into the blender container, but use a mesh strainer to catch any of the ginger pulp and particles. A large mesh strainer will make things easiest, although a small strainer could work too. You could also use a nut milk back if needed.
  4. Add the lemon juice, cayenne and sweetener to the blender as well and do a quick thirty second blend on low to mix the ingredients.
  5. Take a sip and add additional cayenne or sweetener to taste. Serve warm. Store leftovers in the fridge and serve chilled or re-warm in a microwave or on your stovetop. Or even in your blender on "soup" setting.

Yield: 6 cupsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 15 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 42kcal per cup

Tags: beverage,drink,ginger,lemon,tea,fall,cozy,

Disclosure: I am a Vitamix affiliate and any links to their products are via my affiliate account.

Smart Snack: Cashew Butter Dip with Curry-Coconut Flavor.

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This savory sweet recipe is my new favorite snack for fall. Pair a little bowl of this Cashew Butter Dip with fall apple slices, veggie sticks or rustic grain crackers and let the nibble-fest begin. This inviting nut butter dip is flavored with warming ginger, silky cashew, coconut, sweet maple and warm spices like curry, cinnamon and optional cayenne. There is even a little boost of leafy greens in each bite! Thank you to the talented chefs at Vitamix headquarters for this recipe idea..

NOMnomnom.

Work snack approved! Five servings in one recipe, so share with friends or save for later!

Vitamix in person! This dip is a spin on a recipe I learned during my visit to Vitamix headquarters this past week. I ventured out to Cleveland Ohio to meet with several of the amazing staff members of Vitamix. The talented chefs prepared this snack one day, just one of the MANY amazing recipes I tried over the course of two fun-filled days. (I will talk more about my Vitamix experience in a later post!)

I love this dip because it starts with the basic idea of making homemade nut butter and turns it into a creative savory-sweet snack, with endless serving possibilities.

Pairing nuts with coconut milk and curry was Vitamix's genius idea. I boosted things by adding a few additional spices and a boost of warming fresh ginger in the too. They served this dip with a less blended portion of arugula, so you could see the green specks, while I kept things a bit silkier and greener, and fully blended the greens. They used a red curry paste for the curry flavor and I used my basic sweet curry powder.

Original serving cups at Vitamix HQ:

Curious to try the recipe? I highly recommend this one! Snacking is a fun and healthy way to fuel your day. And you can even spread this dip on sandwiches, drizzle into wraps, serve with fresh romaine leaves or roll into steamed collard wraps. So many possibilities for these spicy-sweet flavors.

You could even serve on romaine leaves with golden raisins! Golden ladybugs on a leaf 🙂

Nut Butter Rice Meal Idea! Try this: Toss 1 cup warm brown rice with 1-2 teaspoons of this nut butter for some cashew butter rice! Add tofu cubes, roasted broccoli or cauliflower and maybe even some steamed or baked chickpeas for a delicious cashew-butter-infused meal!

Ginger-Curry Coconut Cashew Butter Dip

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/24/2014Ginger-Curry Coconut Cashew Butter Dip
This delicious nut butter dip can be paired with veggies, appl slices, crackers or spread onto toast and add some avocado or veggies over top! Super for a smart snack with some savory sweet flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • ¼ cup light coconut milk or 1 tablespoon full-fat + 3 tablespoon water
  • ¾ teaspoon curry powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (add another spoonful for a sweeter dip)
  • ¼ cup greens, baby kale or arugula (optional)
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon pink salt
  • optional: a few pinches of cayenne for heat
  • garnish: crushed cashews, a pinch of grated ginger and dash of cayenne

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except the greens to a Vitamix, or another high-speed blender.
  2. Blend from low to high until silky smooth.
  3. For bits of greens, chunkier texture, pulse in the greens. For silky smooth dip with greens blended in, blend until silky smooth. Use high setting for silky texture.
  4. Spoon into serving bowl and add garnish on top. Serve as is! Store leftover in the fridge. Dip is best served at room temperature, nice and soft.

Yield: 1 ¼ cups, 5 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Total time: 5 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 197kcal
  • Fat: 15g
  • Protein: 5g
  • Totalcarbs: 12g

Tags: dip,snack,nut butter,cashews,curry,vegan,apples,fall

*disclosure: This post contains a Vitamix affiliate link. Ready to buy the best blender ever? Get free shipping by using my link!

10 Superfoods for Smoothies I am Loving Right Now! VIDEO.

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Today I am sharing ten of the smoothie add-in superfoods I am crushing on now. You all know I embrace a smoothie-a-day wellness habit. Well one easy way to super-boost the nutrient profile of your smoothie is by adding in superfoods. And just to be clear, I am using the term "superfood" quite loosely. Basically anything that adds some wellness OOMPH to my smoothie, I like to call a superfood.

There is a long laundry list of superfood possibilities including things like chia seeds, cacao, moringa, aloe vera, hemp seeds, acai powder, mushroom powder, turmeric, spirulina, protein powders, apple cider vinegar, matcha green tea, camu powder, Ayruvedic herbs, cinnamon, pitaya, cayenne, maca powder and on and on. Just hop on over to the supplement section of any Whole Foods or vitamin store and see what I mean! Well my superfood list changes frequently, but right now, these are ten superfood add-ins I am generously rotating into my smoothies. And this post includes a "fuss-free, aka no-makeup or wardrobe" chat and list, VLOG video!

Plus a bonus for 365 Vegan Smoothies book owners! Print out my 10-Day Smoothie challenge Scorecard. Print it out, challenge yourself and friends!..

10 Superfoods for Smoothies: Loving Right Now

1. Turmeric. Love this bright orange spice that adds an anti-inflammatory edge to my fave smoothies. Especially my Trinity Shake! Buy Ojio Turmeric Powder

2. Matcha. You guys know I love matcha green tea. Well, it has a cozy spot in my favorite smoothies. It adds antioxidant power as well as a Zenergizing boost! Compare brands via my matcha review article here. And get my favorite matcha-approved shake here.

3. Camu Powder. Load up on vitamin C! This light pink colored powder offers a lot of bang via a tiny spoonful. One serving offers over 1000% (yes, that is four zeros in there) 1-0-0-0% RDA of vitamin C. Note: Camu powder has a slightly bitter flavor, but that is ok because you only need a tiny bit, and you will probably be adding it to a sweet and flavorful smoothie.Buy Raw Camu Powder

4. Mushroom Powder! I am a huge fan of this new product I found by MatrixMushroom. I bought the "critical care" variety to help my thumb heal, and I have been using it ever since! Mushrooms are a vegan source of vitamin D and offer loads of immune system and wellness benefits. Plus, this powder does NOT taste like mushrooms, phew! So you can add it to smoothies without ruining their deliciousness. Buy Mushroom Matrix Critical Matrix

5. Protein Powder. Vegan protein powder is a great way to add nutrient complexity to any smoothie. And smoothies are a super way to boost your daily protein intake! Check out my laundry list of favorite vegan protein powders in my review article here.

6-10? Check out my video to get the other five superfood products I am loving right now!

BONUS smoothie fun. 365 Vegan Smoothie owners! Print out my brand new 10-Day Smoothie Challenge Scorecard for a fun way to inspire your smoothie-a-day wellness habit!.. Click below or PDF here jgp here

Thinking of upgrading your current blender? I greatly appreciate your support by using my affiliate code to purchase a Vitamix! pLus, you get free shipping...

Bold 'n Spicy Garlic Kale Chips, Halloween Orange

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The best part about devouring an entire batch of freshly-made kale chips is that it feels oh-so-naughty going crunch-munch-crunch, but in the end you can basically say, "Hey, I just ate a huge salad!" Nutrition score.

These not-so-spooky, vampire-not-approved, Halloween-approved, Garlic Turmeric Bold Kale Chips are frightfully fun and just may give your taste buds a wake up call with their spicy flavor and bold garlic bite. Each orange-tinted chip is loaded with yummy flavors and kale superpowers for a very healthy Halloween snack. These chips are amazingly unique because they use virgin coconut oil as the oil and that makes the flavor incredibly dreamy. You just may moan like a spooky ghost when you bite into one of these ruffled green bites. Plus, this is a QUICKIE version recipe using un-soaked cashews and a super fast broiling method for kale chips. Get my recipe!

Three notes before we get back to the CHIPS!..

1. THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU for your supportive response and sharing of my blogpost #WellnessGetsReal. Seriously want to reach out and give each one of you guys a big bear hug. Yes, I am a hugger.
2. Enter the Natural Life giveaway! It ends soon!

So now back to these AH-MAZE-ING chippies..

Garlic-Turmeric Vampire Halloween Kale Chips

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/19/2014Garlic-Turmeric Vampire Halloween Kale Chips
These garlic and turmeric flavored kale chips have a spicy bite and delicious super crispy and light texture from the coconut oil. This quickie version recipe uses non-soaked cashews and a broiling method for very quickly making the chips!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, leaves torn
  • Garlic-Turmeric Vampires-Not-Wanted Coating:
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon turmeric + a bit more as desired -- I use Ojio brand for the brightest orange color possible
  • 2 tablespoon raw cashews (you may soak cashews for a creamier base, but not necessary)
  • ¼ cup warm water (to help melt the oil)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pink salt
  • 2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted or softened
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon smoky spanish paprika
  • a few pinches of cayenne (2-3 pinches or to taste)

Instructions

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. I did a "quickie version" of these chips, but you may use your own method of kale chip baking or raw dehydrating if desire.
  2. Add all the vampire coating to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
  3. Wash and dry (very well) kale leaves.
  4. Toss the kale leaves in the vampire coating. Then arrange the coated kale leaves on a baking sheet, one layer, no overlapping leaves. Pour any excess coating over top the leaves.
  5. Place baking sheet in the hot oven and turn oven to broil. Add a few extra sprinkles of turmeric for extra orange color and flavor if you'd like. Allow to broil for five minutes, then open oven and flip any leaves you see that are looking a bit soft of smashed down.You can also fluff a few chips by pulling them up a bit or rotating. Allow to broil another two minutes or until most of the chips look nice and crispy. A few half crisp/half soggy chips are OK because they still taste delicious. Serve warm, right away. These will not last long!

Yield: 4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 08 mins. Total time: 13 mins. Tags: kale chips,snacks,halloween,turmeric,kale,vegetables,easy

updated - AUCTION CLOSED - 🙂 congrats to winners! Vegan shoe lovers!! Check out the cute Beyond Skin Shoes I donated to Closets for Causes, benefiting A Place Called Home. Never worn, they will fit a shoe size 8-8 ½. I have a size 9 wide foot, and they were a tad too small/narrow for my feet, so even though the UK conversion seems to be a 9, my guess is that they fit a 8-8 ½ foot. BID HERE. Vegan booties for fall.. (Bidding starts at $9.99 which is an INSANELY low price for BS shoes...)

You can also BID on a signed copy of 365 Vegan Smoothies, in the same auction, for the same cause. Starts at $9.99!

***BONUS! If a reader who reads this post WINS either of the auctions, email me your winning bid confirm to contact at lunchboxbunch dot com and mention this post and I will mail you a BONUS gift of a $25 Whole Foods gift card!***

Interview with the bloggers at fabLab, I am towards the end!..

Also up for grabs.. these limited time GIVE shirts..

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Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup with warming spices.

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This Curried Coconut Cauliflower Soup is a delicious and easy-to-make soup that is warming and soothing for fall.

Instant Cozy Meal. Pour a large bowl, serve it with some crusty bread or maybe homemade vegan jalapeño cheddar biscuits or cornbread, and sink into bliss. Creamy blended cauliflower provides the rich base and a slight hint of coconut milk makes things extra creamy.

Warming spices like curry powder, cinnamon and smoked paprika accent. You can even add in some optional saffron if you'd like. This soup also has some white beans blended in to add protein, iron and fiber.

collapse into soup-bliss and feel like this..

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/16/2014Coconut Curry Cauliflower Soup
Creamy and warmly spiced, this cauliflower soup has a spicy sweet flavor that soothes and comforts.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces vegetable broth
  • 10 cups cauliflower (one medium head)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoon coconut milk
  • 1 cup white beans, cooked (boxed beans used) - drain and rinse well
  • 2 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B (or use agave)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ - ¾ teaspoon salt
  • optional: a few saffron strands
  • to serve: a few pinches of smoked paprika, a few pinches of pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  1. Chop your cauliflower into large florets and remove and green leaves or thick stem.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and submerge cauliflower. Cook until tender but not mushy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain cauliflower and place half of it in a high speed blender.
  3. Also add to the blender, the cooked beans (drain and rinse first), coconut milk, ginger, curry, vinegar, veggie broth, maple syrup, garlic and cinnamon. Blend until very smooth.
  4. If you can fit all the soup in your one blender, simply add the remaining cauliflower (that you set aside) and blend it in too. But if your blender is getting a bit too full, pour out half the blended mixture, into a soup pot, and then add the remaining cauliflower and blend.
  5. Once all the ingredients are blended together, pour all the soup into a soup pot and warm over medium heat. At this point you can salt to taste and add additional spices as desired. You can also stir in the optional saffron strands.
  6. Simmer the soup one low-medium until ready to serve, at least ten minutes to fully warm it through and allow the flavors to mingle and heat. Serve with a few pinches of smoked paprika on top, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and optional additional sweetener if you like an additional bold sweet accent to all those spicy savory flavors.

Yield: 4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 25 mins. Tags: soup,curry,cauliflower,fall,comfort food

Nii Bars Review + Giveaway! #OwnTheDay

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Reading the ingredients list off the side of a snack you are about to eat can be a scary thing. Well what if it sounded like this: "Organic peanuts, organic dates, organic tapioca syrup, organic coconut nectar, organic dark chocolate, organic sunflower seeds, organic rice protein, organic hemp seeds, organic walnuts and organic sprouted quinoa." Not so scary after all! Well those are the ingredients in the Peanut Butter flavor (my favorite) of Nii Bars. Learn about Nii Bars, hear my #OwnTheDay story and enter an awesome giveaway. 16 giveaway winners will be chosen - wow!..

Chocolate chips anyone?..

Peanut butter. Chewy texture I love!..

Shanais Pelka started Nii bars in her kitchen. Her passion for feeding healthy, vegan, whole, nutrient dense foods to her family grew into an entire company. What an inspiring story!

Watch this to meet the story behind this kitchen-grown brand!..

Nii Bars. A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I wanted to try vegan Nii bars. At first I shrugged off the idea of trying another "bar" in the already crowded nutrition bar marketplace. But I accepted the challenge mostly because I am always excited to try new products (who isn't?) and I knew the bars would come in handy for a few upcoming travel events for airport and hotel room snacking. My review?..

Love at First Taste. I love these bars! I nibbled a bar at the airport and was immediately impressed. I first fell in love with the bar info: vegan, NON-GMO verified, Organic, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Whole food, RAW/cold-pressed ingredients - the kind of ingredients I find in MY kitchen I was incredibly impressed with the flavor and chewy texture. Nothing mushy or dry. Just moist, flavorful ingredients in each bite.

Flavors: Almond Chocolate (love!), Peanut Butter (swoon!), Berry Cashew, Cherry Coconut, Cacao Coconut (dying to try this flavor next!) The Peanut Butter and Almond Chocolate are my favorites. And the berry flavors were bright and lovely with real berry notes. The Cherry Coconut contains healthy organic tart cherries.

But Kathy, Don't You Make Your Own Bars? You bet I do! Like most of us in the healthy eating community, I love making my own energy/nutrition bars for snacking. But for events like travel, long treks and adventures requiring grab-n-go, packable snacks that will last a few days in a suitcase, I am always looking for new bars to love. And the story behind the bars is inspiring!

As I nibbled, I became curious about the brand and founder. I watched the video (above) and fell in love with the amazing woman who created the brand. Shanais Pelka started Nii bars in her kitchen. Her passion for feeding healthy, vegan, whole, nutrient dense foods to her family grew into an entire company. What an inspiring story!

And #OwnTheDay became a sort of Nii brand slogan - one that adds a positive message out there in the world of hashtags. How do YOU own the day?

My #OwnTheDay story: Each morning I make a special point to not let the pull of my to-do list get the best of me, and I make a mug of fresh ginger or goji berry tea, and simply sit and pause as I watch the cats play and think about how I can make the day a positive one for myself. How I can let any negative energy or thoughts wash over me and out the door, and just live the day how I want to: happy and content with a feeling of excitement for my life and the amazing people, art and energy in it. When my last sip of tea is done I then start the day, and definitely feel like I #OwnTheDay because I put myself first! How do you own it?

Love the bars. Love the company. I hope you all can try them!

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win bars and goodies - 16 winners!

PRIZES:
2nd prizes: 4-pack (one each flavor) of bars (10 winners)
1st prizes: a mixed box (3 each flavor, 12 bars total) (5 winners)
Grand Prize: 1 box each flavor, Nii sweatshirt and Nii hat (1 winner)

* USA prize shipping only

Order bonus for everyone! Buy Nii Bars and use the coupon code: HHL to receive->
1. Order a box of bars, use code "HHL" and you will receive a FREE "4-pack of bars" + FREE shipping!
2. Or use the code "HHL" to receive FREE shipping on ANY size order!

Follow Nii Bars online:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website - shop!

“The creation of Nii Bars began as a project in my kitchen. As a mother with three active children, I am extremely busy. I have always been in search for the perfect on-the-go food. I wasn’t willing to compromise our health just because we were busy; so I began on a quest to create the perfect nutrition bar. Countless hours and experimentations later, I bring you Nii Bars!” - Shanais Pelka, founder

Try the Bars: On NiiBar.com, use the coupon code "HHL" to receive free shipping on ANY order. Also, if you buy a whole box of bars and use the coupon code you will receive a 4-bar sample pack as a free bonus!

disclaimer: This giveaway post is sponsored, but all opinions are my own. Thank you to all the sponsors who support my site and make HHL possible.

Eating Disorder Reflection. My Story.

by 96 Comments

This is my Eating Disorder Reflection.

With each new blogpost, I am continually so grateful that this little food blog I started back in 2007 is now my full-time career. But besides being my dream job, the truly most valuable aspect of blogging for me has been all the amazing connections I have made with my readers and fellow bloggers, you guys on the other side of this screen.

You are a community of compassionate, aware, sometimes hilarious and always inspiring individuals from all over the world. I wake up each day excited to see what you are posting in the comments, tweeting me, Instagramming and reaching out everywhere else.

Heathy Happy (Real) Life.

Today I am pausing on a recipe and sharing a story. All because I want to chat a bit deeper with you on the topic of wellness. Because while I know we all love a good spin-on-avocado-toast recipe post, I also know that sometimes the best meals are not about the food at all, but rather about the person on the other end of the table, and the connections and stories you shared.

Wellness Gets Real

This story is one I haven't told in full here on HHL, and I kept making excuses to not share it, until one day last week I just started writing. And writing. And eventually ended up with this post. So here it goes.

But before I get to my story, I want to reflect on two things: wellness and our bodies.

Whole Body / Mind Wellness.

If you think the term "wellness" sounds a bit boring or passè, think again. You see, every fit of laughter, burst of energy, peaceful slumber, comforting hug, valuable friendship, each brilliant idea you have, illness your body fights and every feeling of hope, peace or gratitude is born from some aspect of wellness. In short, contrary to popular belief, wellness is much more than your half hour of cardio and lunchtime green smoothie. It is your entire world, mind spirit and body, doing its best to thrive on this planet.

Need a wellness refresher? Learn all about the six dimensions of wellness.

Favorite wellness skill: learning how to listen to your body.

An authentic, well-tuned ear takes time and dedication to acquire. Our bodies are speaking to us all the time, it is our job to listen and hopefully adjust our actions based on what we hear.

Why Trust Your Body?

Simply put, there is so much we can learn from them. As humans, when we landed in this world, inside these fragile and mysterious bodies, we didn't know our thumb from our belly button. But our bodies had been doing some pretty fantastic things from the very beginning. Creating organs, major body systems, digesting nutrients, fighting off bad bacteria, fine tuning our brains and developing our senses. Our magical bodies are the little geniuses in each one of us. Yes, YOU are a certified GENIUS just by having a body.

So it makes good sense to stop focusing so much on what outside voices and popular trends are telling us and start listening to our actual bodies themselves. They want nothing more than to help our spirits thrive on this planet. To usher us towards total wellness: spiritual, emotional, physical, social, intellectual and occupational.

But there is no such thing as perfect wellness. We all have cracks, weaknesses. Some more severe than others. These were mine. Story time!

kathy in high school
high school -- healthy and happy before my spiral began

Just a Girl in this World.

As a young girl, when it came to my body, I did what many young people do, I basically ignored it. Once in a while it would strike me down with allergies, asthma attacks, ear aches or common colds. Or if I ate too much Halloween candy or fell and scraped my knees. I would suddenly be very aware of its presence and voice. But other than that, I didn't pay much attention.

Then those teenage years hit, physical and mental changes unraveling at a speedy pace, and suddenly I was a 16 year-old girl becoming painfully overly aware of my body. And before even working through things with my body, on the same team. I treated my body like my enemy.

Distorted View

I had a twisted distortion about what was beautiful and what I was supposed to look like. Hm, that sounds like almost every teenage girl, like ever, right? Well I didn’t know that at the time. Maybe because there wasn’t a whole lot of authentic and loudly-voiced, girl-focused, self esteem-building body talk going on in the late 90’s. Social media - I've realized - can in fact do GOOD. Though yes, it's a mix of positive and negative images and messages in regards to eating disorders.

my first car...
my first car - sophomore year - healthy and happy

90's Life

In the late 1990's, we were in our own little boxes. Small worlds. School, friends, home, activities, newspapers, magazines, books, TV. My entire analysis of my own body was based on my surroundings: pop culture, magazines, friends, family, and maybe a few after-school specials just for good measure. The only convincing “girl power” I was aware of came blaring out of my boom box speakers, via The Spice Girls.

Taking My Body For Granted

When in reality, girl power was all around me. I was a pretty darn good example of it, excelling in school, sports, art, friendships and more. That very body I doubted, was actually the very thing that allowed me to do all my favorite things: play tennis, study hard, think and learn, make friends, care for animals, connect with people, dance, sing, use my creativity and more.

kathy patalsky high school tennis aptos high
sophomore year - tennis team bliss - still thriving healthy and happy...

My self esteem should have been soaring. And it was, in some respects. But when my weaknesses were tested, I struggled and I simply didn't make the connection.

Naturally Thin

The frustrating thing about my story is that I have always been naturally thin, and so the line between looking healthy or not was always strange. I was teased in junior high for me "lanky" limbs.

Teenage Girl Problems

And suddenly, as late high school insecurities and anxieties grew, my normal teenage girl doubts were manifesting themselves in some dangerous ways. Those small cracks in my wellness system, gave way to reveal deep canyons. Eating disorder facts:

  • 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking and using drugs.
  • The impact of low self-esteem often leads to behaviors that can be life altering well beyond teen years.
  • Girl self-esteem peaks at age 9 then plummets. - girlpowercampaign

Even though my body allowed me so many joys, I took one look in the mirror and decided...

I hate you.

When My Eating Disorder Started

This all started my senior year in high school. (Great timing, yes?) I was a sweet, smart girl with loads of friends and a happy life, but my overachieving tendencies, perfectionistic mindset and lack of stress-coping skills while applying for colleges and pondering my future got in the way of all the good stuff. Suddenly, changing my body, was high priority on my to-do list.

For a good year, I starved and overworked my body. Muffling anything it had to say. And I succeeded in my efforts, I lost weight at a drastic pace, and in my minds eye, I was winning this game.

Meanwhile, my body was screaming. Crumbling. Wellness deteriorating. Frail, exhausted, my brain became fuzzy, my energy levels plummeted and I found it challenging to climb out of bed each day, depression kicked in and my growth as a beautIful young girl basically froze, stuck blistering in frostbite from an endless blizzard that I started for myself. Think Queen Elsa, only much more traumatic.

High Functioning Personalities are Common in EDs

Somehow, I was able to maintain my straight A grades and participate in endless extra-curricular activities, though my inner happiness began to suffer. A body can only take so much.

This behavior spiraled into what official terms would call an eating disorder, though I was never formally diagnosed. It was a time when talking openly about eating disorders was a very awkward thing, no one really felt comfortable doing it. And even though I am able to write this today, I am annoyed to say that I still have some faint sense of shame from the whole experience. And that is the main reason why I am writing this. To free myself and other girls out there from that shame.

Shame-less

There is nothing shameful about it, and anyone who thinks that there is or judges you for it, probably has a lot more going on in their own life than they care to admit to. Life happens. People go through things. And then we find comfort in figuring things out together.

So that last year of high school, a time that should have been incredibly joyful and magical, became a battlefield. Me against my body. And while a few people in my life showed concern, I was so good at pretending that everything was ok that after a while I actually believed it myself. I shut down and did not let anyone in.

Eating Disorder Isolation

And one of the greatest challenges I faced was that feeling of isolation. I desperately ached to hear someone say that I wasn't a broken person and I wasn't alone. Through everything, I had no clue how many bright, loving, amazing girls (and boys) were going through the same problems as me, on varying levels. I wasn’t some strange messed up soul, but a normal one.

But normal can quickly take a destructive turn. There is a switch that has to click, to take you from normal self doubt to full on eating disorder or body hate status. To actively torture your body from the inside out. You have to be motivated by something extreme.

What motivates the eating disorder?

Maybe it is your own perfectionism or unrealistic goals for yourself, or a distorted body image, or a severe case of stress where controlling your body actually numbs the pain and makes you feel in control, or maybe even the pressure from participating in a body specific sport or industry like ballet, gymnastics, or modeling.

2006 - far beyond my worst years, but still body obsessed

For me, I put that pressure on myself and soon, like a wooden marionette character, my entire world was strictly choreographed by my disorder, I was being held up by tight thin strings just waiting to break, leaving me falling on my face. I had given away so much control to the puppet master that I had forgotten how to stand up on my own terms, walk my own path, dance, jump, sprint and leap.

Rock Bottom

Come winter break of my senior year, I was a mess. I have photos where I look like a skeleton. I don't share them here because they could be triggering for those still suffering.

My eating disorder could no longer be hidden from anyone. Teachers, friends, they all reached out. Looking back, I am so sad I didn't open up to them. I just didn't see it. And that is one of the major problems with eating disorders. You truly believe you are both fine and healthy -- and not quite perfect yet.

At some point, finally, I awakened somewhat from my protective coating of numbness and saw what was happening. And the sting of reality was harsh. I looked like crap. And felt even worse. I wanted out.

Help. Please.

I desperately wanted a quick fix solution. A reset button to press on all the damage I had done. But sending a dozen long-stemmed red roses to my body wouldn't work. I tried to maintain healthy habits, but it was a struggle. I felt hopeless at times and wondered if things would ever be normal again. All I wanted was to go out with my friends, eat three slices of pizza and plop down on the couch without my brain going on autopilot and analyzing calories and fat grams.

Eventually, I graduated from high school, all while still struggling to recover. Soon I was a new college student in Boston, 3,000 miles from home. My schoolwork still thrived, but my social life suffered. For the first time in my life, I found it challenging to make friends and to be a happy person with all the internal conflict I was trying to resolve, both mentally and physically.

It took me a good while to genuinely crawl out of that rabbit hole. And even today, I have some leftover physical and mental consequences from all those years of self-abuse and lack of support. But for the most part, I am lucky and grateful to have come out of it.

Getting Help Early

Just HOW I managed to do that is an entirely other conversation in itself. I 100% think that my eating disorder would have healed more quickly if I had reached out for help early on. But back then there was no Twitter or blog posts or ways to connect and get advice. I felt so alone and ashamed.

I will say that my plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle has had a valuable presence on my journey towards health and wellness.

Healing Started, Slowly...

Another cornerstone in my healing was realizing that all the good, real, stuff that makes someone truly beautiful is on the inside. So clichè, but I think young girls are not always brought up to truly believe this. So much beauty lies inside each one of us, but the world will only ever see that beauty if you first and foremost believe in it yourself.

Self esteem matters so much. Lets support one another and keep the conversation going.

Today's Life.

These days, my eating disorder is healed. I can say that with actual confidence. Not like how I did in college. Back then, "I'm fine" was really me screaming inside.

My actions towards my body reflect my goal for wellness. I want to thrive on this planet, play in the sunshine and have a smile on my face, and I have to take care of myself to do that. As a 33 year-old woman I now choose to spend my precious time and energy nurturing the things that bring me the most in return: people, thoughts, feelings, words, animals, adventures, art, my work, places, joy-inducing food and real nutrition, healthy happy fitness like dancing around in my bedroom as opposed to grinding away at the gym (though I have nothing against gyms), and overall trying to have a big old sense of humor about everything that life may sling at me.

Growth From Struggle

It is up to us to turn our challenging experiences in life into positive outcomes. And to hopefully give back to those still struggling. And for me, much good did come out of all this: this experience inspired my love and passion for authentic health and wellness, my degree in Health Promotion, this blog, my vegan adventures, many lifelong friends and all my work in creating healthy happy meals for my life and yours!

2016 - healthy and happy again
2020 - healthy happy and pregnant!

Share Your Story

Sharing this story about my eating disorder was not easy. It literally took me an entire day to press the "publish" button. But if I can make one person feel less alone or supported, then it is worth it.

I ask a favor. I hope you will join in this conversation of real world wellness. Leave a comment, share this with a friend or simply give it a like. It would mean the world to me and show me that you are hungry for more conversations. And if you have a topic you’d love for me to bring up and chat about, let me know.

A few of my favorite eating disorder / kindness / positive message reads online:

(Disclaimer: I do not want to generalize body image issues or ED's. Everyone is different. This was simply MY personal case. If you think you are struggling with any body or eating issues at all, seek help, do not feel ashamed. And most of all, keep working at it! I promise, it gets so much better. You can do this. 🙂

Copycat Vegan Rocky Road, aka Chocolate, Nuts and Marshmallow!

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vegan rocky road candy bar
Halloween time is the perfect time to turn your kitchen into your very own DIY candy station. From Almond Joy to Peanut or Almond Butter Cups and some creative creations of your own. I love veganizing some of my old favorite classic candy bars, and this week brings some marshmallow-filled Rocky Road fun. And this recipe offers up a new discovery: how to make a "milk chocolate" candy bar base instead of the dark chocolate version I usually use, combining dark chocolate chips and virgin coconut oil. Get the recipe and my milk chocolate trick! (Er, treat..)..

I love Halloween time! The glowing pumpkins, that spooky-fun feeling and costumes galore. I went to Disneyland over the weekend, and it was my first time there with all the Halloween decorations, and I loved it! If any place knows how to make an average Saturday night in October feel festive and special, it is Disneyland. From the giant Mickey Mouse Pumpkin plopped on the center of Main Street, cradled by a rippling pile of glowing pumpkins, to the fall foliage and orange and gold striped banners, to the playful Disney character statues, all dressed in Halloween costumes, surrounded by twinkly lights. I sometimes miss that east coast "fall feeling" but this made it feel brisk and cozy. Even if it was 75 degrees out.

disneyland pumpkins mickey mouse halloween

Milk Chocolate Trick: I discovered a new product! Coconut Butter. Artisana sent me a jar a while back and I am just now experimenting with it. It is whole coconuts made into a butter. So while coconut oil takes only the oil part, the coconut butter takes the entire coconut making a white opaque substance that stays white even when softened. So, when you use coconut butter instead of coconut oil to make a chocolate melted candy base, the results look and taste a bit more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate.

Coconut Butter Info from Artisana: "The difference between the Coconut Butter and the coconut Oil is actually the fiber content. Coconut Butter is the pureed meat of mature coconuts. It is roughly 60% oil, but it also has the fiber from the meat in it. It is solid at room temperature, a creamy white/beige color and when warmed up is thick and creamy and smooth. Coconut Oil on the other hand has no fiber .. and is clear when warmed."

How to make vegan (coconut) milk chocolate: Simply soften 1 part coconut butter with 1 part vegan chocolate chips. Stir briskly until smooth. Use for candy bars or chocolate drizzle. To harden chocolate, place in the freezer for a few minutes.

Vegan Marshmallows: There are a few vegan marshmallow recipes out there, but I prefer to simply delegate that recipe to the experts. Sweet and Sara have been perfecting the art of vegan marshmallows for a while now, and they are my favorite brand. Dandies are also amazing. But for today's recipe, I am using seasonal Pumpkin Spice vegan marshmallows from Sweet and Sara.

DIY candy bar time for Halloween..

Fluffy Sweet and Sara vegan (pumpkin-spice) marshmallows:

Must-have for me: a few simple candy molds, I have bars and peanut butter cup shapes:

Rocky Roads in their candy molds right after pulling from the freezer..

Artisana coconut butter..

Some with nuts, some all marshmallow!..

Vegan Chocolate Marshmallow Candy Bar

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 10/13/2014
Vegan Chocolate Marshmallow Candy Bar

These copycat Rocky Road candy bars combine creamy coconut milk chocolate, chopped nuts and fluffy vegan marshmallows.

Ingredients

  • 6 vegan marshmallows, chopped into tiny bits
  • ½ cup coconut butter
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips, vegan
  • 2 tablespoon chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or cashews)
  • optional: pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  1. Combine the coconut butter and chocolate chips in a small bowl to melt. You can easily melt them in the microwave, heat for twenty second intervals until melted enough to stir until smooth. Stovetop method: melt chips and butter over very low heat in a saucepan on the stove. Briskly stir the mixture until smooth and creamy and resembling melted milk chocolate. You could also use a hot water bath -- which is actually my preferred method. Get a nice how-to here on TheKitchn. Set aside.
  2. Next comes your candy bar mold. (If you do not have a "bar" mold, you could use lightly greased muffin tins, or make one large candy bar in a 9" brownie or bread pan and slice or break the candy into bars. For even thinner Rocky Road bark, you can use a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.) To layer the candy bars: Add ¾ -1 teaspoon of chocolate, then about 3-4 bits of marshmallow, a ½ teaspoon of nuts, then another ½ -1 teaspoon layer of chocolate on top. Optional: Add a teeny-tiny pinch of sea salt on each bar.
  3. Place the bars in the freezer to chill until firm.

Yield: 7-8 bars, mini
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Total time: 10 mins.
Tags: candy,chocolate,halloween,dessert,diy,vegan,marshmallows,rocky road

Fall Spiced Tofu and Apple Cubes. Ginger-Maple Bliss.

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These Ginger-Maple Fall Spiced Tofu and Apple Cubes are perfect for a fall entree or healthy snack that is savory-sweet and rich in plant-based protein. Ginger, cinnamon, maple and apple sweetness coat each perky cube. And guys, if you are not a fan of tofu like me, you can easily substitute in cubed tempeh or some chickpeas or even a cooked grain like farro or rice! Or even veggies like diced butternut squash, cauliflower florets or mushrooms. These savory-sweet fall spices are just the thing to perk up a wide variety of saute-able foods. The diced apple adds a perfect baked-apple sweetness to just about any savory ingredient you want to saute...

Two cozy things today. This awesome protein-rich recipe for fall. AND some goodies to share from a brand I adore: Natural Life. And a giveaway! Enter below recipe. The prize is a super cute art print (the one shown in these pics) and a surprise mug! I have the same art print hanging on my wall in a cozy corner of my bedroom.

The yum...

The cozy..

THIS RECIPE is sooooo easy and so flavorful. And as I mentioned above, you do not have to use tofu! Try beans, fall veggies, grains. Just saute them up with the fall spices and accents and get your cozy food on.

Ginger-Maple Fall Spiced Tofu and Apple Cubes

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 10/08/2014
Ginger-Maple Fall Spiced Tofu and Apple Cubes

These yummy snack or entree cubes have savory-spicy-sweet flavors in every bite. Eat as a snack or pile on top of a fall leafy greens or grain salad.

Ingredients

  • 10oz firm tofu, cubed**
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon + a few pinches for the apples
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt (pink salt used)
  • a few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider (or try orange juice!)
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • a few pinches cayenne
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • garnish: 2-5 whole pecans, optional fresh apple slices
  • for pan: 2 teaspoon coconut butter or virgin coconut oil
  • **Or substitute with chickpeas, tempeh or your fave fall veggies -- cooking method may vary based on main ingredient used

Instructions

  1. Press your tofu to drain off any liquid, use a paper towel to absorb. Dice your tofu and add to a large bowl.
  2. Sprinkle the spices, salt and pepper over top the tofu, then add in the liquids, vinegar, juice and maple syrup. Using a large spoon, toss well to coat the tofu, try not to break apart the cubes.
  3. Cover the tofu and allow it to sit and marinate for at least ten minutes, longer is optional for more infused flavor.
  4. When you are ready to cook your tofu, warm a medium skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add in the coconut butter or oil. When that is melted and coating the pan, pour in your tofu cubes. Reserving any excess marinade liquid in the bowl. Allow the tofu to sizzle for about a minute, then flip the cubes one by one using a spatula. Now you can pour in the excess marinade liquid. If there was not leftover liquid in the bowl, you may want to add in a splash of apple or orange juice to hydrate the pan a bit. Water works too. Turn the heat down to medium and sizzle the cubes for another minute, flipping every once in a while.
  5. When the tofu looks nicely browned on some sides and softens in texture, you can now add in the apple cubes. Sprinkle them in cinnamon and gently fold them into the tofu cubes. Cook the tofu and apple cubes until the apples begin to brown a bit. Then turn off the heat and add in the chopped pecans. Fold the pecans into the mixture and let everything sit for a few minutes as it sizzles and steams.
  6. Serve warm with pecan and apple optional garnishes. These cubes taste delicious served chilled from the fridge too! Store leftovers in the fridge and consume within a few days.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 08 mins.
Total time: 13 mins.
Tags: tofu,snack,protein,vegan,fall,spices,easy recipes,apples

nutrition: Each serving contains around 100 calories and 6g protein. (4 servings per recipe)

And of course my other fave Natural life product. This mug! Pumpkin Spice latte.

disclosure: Thank you to Natural Life to sending me some goodies and supporting this giveaway

Vegan Pumpkin Waffles. Freezer-Friendly! (GF)

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These fluffy yet hearty Orange-Spice Pumpkin Waffles are perfect for a cozy-healthy-happy autumn morning breakfast or brunch. They are gluten-free, made using an oat flour and seed base, with simple ingredients and a hint of orange spice to give them fall flair. And the best part? You can make a BIG batch of these waffles ahead of time (double the recipe I have provided) - simply freeze them. They re-heat like a dream. I literally popped mine in a standard toaster! I just did ½ waffle at a time. An oven works too.

There is something kid-approved and cozy, yet sophisticated and lovely about a waffle breakfast. I think it is all those nooks and crannies, don't you? Pumpkin lovers, dive in... (Plus some life updates as always!)

Hi there golden waffles, filled with fall cheer, snuggly snuggles and warm wishes. Yes, all that in each bite.

The thumb saga continues.. Oh boy kiddos, I have had quite a day. This morning I had a doctors appointment to check-up on my thumb. But it turns out, things are not healing up as well as I had thought they were.

Anyways, I am back at home now, snuggled with my kitties, and thrilled to find out that the pumpkin waffles I made yesterday (yes, one-handed, I'm becoming a pro lefty!) are completely freezer friendly. So I popped one in the toaster and within minutes it was warm and toasty and totally amazing. It was exactly the comfort food I needed on this exhausting Friday afternoon. I paired it with steamy cup of Sleepytime tea, a splash of almond milk, drizzled maple syrup and I was in heaven, well except for my ouchie thumb, but you get the picture.

You see, I made a big batch of these pumpkin waffles yesterday with high hopes that they would freeze well and be easy to re-heat for the weekend. I had never re-heated waffles before, since I always assumed they taste best freshly pulled from the waffle iron. But wow! Totally impressed at hot great these taste after a quick pop in the toaster, straight from the freezer. I guess the guy who invented toaster waffles knew what he was doing. I love how crispy the edges in crevices became, while the pumpkin-y insides stayed moist and nicely textured from the oat flour.

I am seriously considering reheating a few more and having breakfast for dinner tonight.

And yes, I used boxed pumpkin for this recipe.

Freezer-friendly! -- make-ahead, aka sleep in on your weekend morning. Hop out of bed in your PJs. Easily pop these babies in the toaster. Boom and done. Get back in bed.

I like my pumpkin waffle batter nice and thick for hearty, yet fluffy waffles. For a slightly spongier texture, add a bit more liquid, see note in recipe.

Get a few of my vegan waffle tips in this post.

Orange-Spice Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Waffles

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 10/03/2014Orange-Spice Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Waffles
These vegan, gluten free orange-spice pumpkin waffles are the perfect way to start a fall morning. They are freezer-friendly for make-ahead bliss!

Ingredients

  • dry:
  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats to make about 1 cup oat flour**
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder**
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds**, to process in blender (substitute with any nut or seed, or more oats)
  • wet:
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted (optional)
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree, unsweetened
  • ½ teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • ¼ cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • for waffle iron: 1 teaspoon oil - optional if using a 'needs to be greased first' waffle iron
  • **You could sub these ingredients with a 'pancake and waffle mix' (gf or not), if desired.
  • To serve: easy vegan caramel sauce or maple syrup - non-dairy whip if you please

Instructions

  1. Preheat waffle iron so it is nice and hot when you start your waffles.
  2. Add the oats and pumpkin seeds (or substitute) to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Add all the dry ingredients to the blender and give it another blend, a few seconds, to mix everything.
  3. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Using a whisk or hand mixer, beat in the wet ingredients: pumpkin, milk, vegan butter, zest and maple syrup. You should have a nice and thick batter. The consistency should be of a thin hummus. If needed, fold in 1 tablespoon additional flour.
  4. Fold the batter well for a minute to fully moisten the oat and seed flour.
  5. When the waffle iron is hot and ready, add a ½ teaspoon of coconut oil over the surface or the griddle, even if your waffle iron is nonstick. Then drop 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of batter (depending on your waffle iron size). Then drizzle another ½ teaspoon coconut oil right over top the batter before closing. Close iron and cook for about 3 minutes. Or until slightly browned crevices and edges of the waffle appear. Vegan waffle tips here.
  6. TO FREEZE: When waffles cool a bit, wrap them individually in parchment paper and fold over tightly or place in a freezer-friendly container or baggie. To rewarm, simple place in a toaster, ½ waffle at a time to toast (I needed two rounds of normal "bread" toasting, about 5 minutes) -- or toast in a 350 degree oven until browned and warm through. Serve warm! Optional: maple or caramel drizzle over top, vegan butter is a nice touch too. Vegan whip if you'd like. Fresh orange zest as garnish is also nice.

Yield: 2 wafflesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 18 mins. Tags: waffles,breakfast,fall,pumpkin,brunch,vegan

Oh! And my book made it to a round two of printing, and the publisher wanted to tweak the cover, so this is what they came up with. Yup, the green smoothie trend. 🙂 So if you are a 365VeganSmoothies superfan, you can now own TWO different covers! Or maybe you do not have a copy yet, snag one hot off the presses! It has a 5-star rating on Amazon! Buy Your Copy here. (Ps. I will be chatting all about my new cookbook Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen very soon!)

New cover..

24 Hours of Kale Recipes!

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Today is Kale Day 2014. Who knew, right? Well in honor of this super VIP, er VIV veggie, I am sharing 24 hours worth of my favorite vegan kale recipes for the green god or goddess in all of us. I promise, even if you look at a fluffy bunch of kale with a blank stare in curious wonderment, there will be a glorious recipe for you. And for any hour of the day. What time is it now? I have a kale recipe for that!

From my accessible go-to 5-Ingredient Kale Salad to my gone-in-a-flash delicious kale chips and even a glorious sweet green kale-infused beverage. Lets get our kale on with 24 Hours of Kale Recipes!

ps. My do-I-really-need-this-disclaimer? disclaimer: do not attempt to consume all recipes in one day. While that would be an ambitious and strange attempt on your part, I think your stomach would disapprove of that kale adventure. Instead, might you try even one of two of these delicious recipes today and leave the leftovers for tomorrow and the next day. Enjoy and happy kale-ing...

First some visuals (keep scrolling for your 24-hours of kale recipe links!)

KALE..

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Why kale? Kale is a nutrient powerhouse! One cup of steamed kale contains 1328% RDA Vitamin K, 354% RDA of Vitamin A and also fiber, calcium and more. kale nutrition facts

LETS GO! 24 Hours of Kale Recipes: Because if you are hungry, any time of day, there is a kale recipe for that!

* 4am Green Start Sip: Wake up (very early) with this Vibrant Green Tonic .. but add a handful of kale to the recipe!

* 5am Green Drink: Kale-infused green smoothies to wake you up!

* 6am Green Smoothie Start: Start your day right with a Green Avocado-Kale-Citrus Dreamboat Smoothie

* 7am Jar it! Wake up early and prep a kale-filled salad-in-a-jar for later in the day on if you are on the go, you can even nibble the ingredients as you prep the jars!

* 8am Breakfast Sandwich! This kale-infused vegan breakfast sandwich with avocado will fuel your day a delicious way! Husband and boyfriend-approved!

* 9am Kale Shake: OK, so this is a recipe for a spirulina-infused Sweet Creamy Frosty Green Shake (a favorite recipe!), but all you have to do it omit the spirulina and sub in a big handful of kale to have the same delicious GREEN results. Kale shake shake shake.

* 10am Taste the Rainbow: Sometimes life calls for a breakfast salad. This Mexi-Chop Rainbow Salad on a bed of kale is delicious any time of day, even breakfast!

* 11am Power Fuel AM Salad: Green Power Tower Kale Salad with avocado and chickpeas, because sometimes you need a monster-sized, amazing-tasting vegan salad to perk up your day. This delivers!

* 12pm Summer-y Salad: This raw veggie-infused, energizing Kale Corn "Summer Reboot" Salad with sweet tahini dressing is a sunny step in your day of food.

* 1pm Rolled Up Lunch: Ginger-Peanut Kale-Stuffed Rice Rolls - handheld way to eat your greens!

* 2pm Grains + Greens Lunch: Dreamy Black Rice Kale Salad is a delicious mixture of healthy black or purple rice (antioxidant-infused!) and robust, amazing kale salad. This is super healthy and super cravable fuel for your day.

* 3pm Snack Attack: Cheezy Kale Chips! or Spicy Cheezy Kale Chips to the rescue!

* 4pm Cozy Late-Afternoon Soup: Craving cozy time? This soup should do it.. Tomato Rice Kale Stew with Grilled Cheese Logs

* 5pm Early Dinner Go-To Salad: You always have time to make this easy 5-Step Raw Kale Salad! And did I mention it tastes ah-mazing?

* 6pm Cozy Food Bowl: One amazing bowl filled with whole grains, protein, kale, seeds and loads of flavor. You will crave this fall-perfect Pumpkin-Pistachio Kale Fried Rice Bowl with tofu cubes.

* 7pm Sunset Salad: When the sun dips down into the horizon, serve up this California Sunset Salad.

* 8pm Fiesta Food Dinner: If you love enchiladas, these swoon-worthy creamy cheese and greens-stuffed gems will wow you and your family. This is a sit-down family-style dinner to remember! Cashew Cheese and Kale Enchiladas Rojo to make them remember what cravable family meals can taste like ... with a hint of fiesta flair!

* 9pm Macro Meal: I love adding kale to my Vegan Macro Meal! Perfect way to end a day.

* 10pm Sweet Potato Comfort: Sweet potato lovers unite. Dive into these kale-stuffed and over-stuffed sweet potatoes for a late cozy meal.

* 11pm Wrapped Up Dinner: Make ahead-approved for late night meals - Kale Avocado Miso Tempeh Wraps

* 12am Midnight Snack, Kale Style: I could devour a bowl of this Spicy Peanut Kale Salad ANY hour of the day. Chilled from the fridge, this is a healthy midnight snack!
*
1am Cozy Butternut Bowl: If you are up this late, a cozy bowl will taste amazing. This Butternut Bliss Fall Salad on a bed of kale greens will soothe your soul.

* 2am Late-Night Snack: Kale-infused Fatty Taquitos with sweet plantains

* 3am Late Night Munchies: Choose this Kale Dip with veggie sticks and go back to bed!

Whew! We did it! So, did you find something green to inspire you??? I hope so! If you liked this 24-Hours of Kale food special, please share it with your friends using the share links above and below! Be sure to mention me so I can say thanks for sharing @lunchboxbunch of twitter and facebook or @kathypatalsky on instagram.

PS. FindingVegan.com Newsletter If you love amazing vegan recipes, be sure to sign up for my FindingVegan.com monthly newsletter! The latest spooky issue for Halloween is HERE.

Thanks and kale wishes and green dream smoothies to you all. Happy Kale Day!

Cozy Pecan Pie Oatmeal Cookies. Gluten Free. No Sugar Added.

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These warm and fluffy Pecan Pie Oatmeal Cookies are rustic on the outside, dreamy on the inside. They are filled with goodness yet taste like dessert. Perfect pairing with a warm fall mug!

These cozy-time cookies are vegan, gluten free and sweetened only with bananas and sticky sweet Medjool dates. Loads of robust fall spices like ginger and cinnamon accent each bite. Each giant-sized cookie has just under 200 calories and 6.5 g protein too. So grab a warm PSL and snuggle in your favorite spot while you nibble these sweet delight cookies!

Date and banana sweetened

These Bard Valley Medjool Dates are truly the best I have EVER had. so good.. (buy online here, a few of you asked for link!)

With a little help from my sous chef, aka husband, I managed to get back in the kitchen and make these super yummy cookies today. These were the perfect afternoon snack to nibble on since they look and taste like dreamy cookies, but they are quite nutrient dense with protein, fiber and healthy fats.

These are no-fuss spoon-drop cookies, which means rather than rolling them or scooping them into perfect circle shapes, I simply spoon the textured cookie dough onto the baking sheet for some wonderfully nutty, textured results. Easy too!

Add-ins. These would be even more amazing if you wanted to add in a scoop of golden raisins, a cup of shredded carrots or even, gulp, a few scoops of some pumpkin puree.

Pecan Pie Oatmeal Cookies

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/28/2014Pecan Pie Oatmeal Cookies
These vegan, gluten free, no sugar added oatmeal cookies are fluffy and tender, made from rolled oats, bananas, dates and spices!

Ingredients

  • dry:
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoon maca powder (vanilla spice flavor used)
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1 tablespoon ginger powder
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoon vanilla protein powder
  • wet:
  • 2 large bananas, extra ripe
  • ⅓ cup non-dairy milk, warmed slightly or room temperature
  • 1 ½ tablespoon coconut oil, softened
  • 5 large medjool dates, pitted
  • On top: 10 pecans for garnish .. optional: a tiny sprinkle of vegan granulated sugar or coconut sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet with coconut oil. Set aside.
  2. Add the rolled oats and pecans to a high speed blender of food processor and blend until a oat-pecan flour forms. Add this flour to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Add all the remaining dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir well.
  4. Add all the wet ingredients to the same blender or fp. Blend until smooth and thick.
  5. Fold the wet into the dry and stir until a thick and wet cookie dough forms. Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for about 5 minutes to firm up just a bit. Then using a large spoon, just spoon drop the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees and cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm. Store on the counter top for up to a day, or chill for later re-warming and serving.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees and cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm. Store on the counter top for up to a day, or chill for later re-warming and serving.

Yield: 10 large cookiesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 22 mins. Tags: cookies,dessert,fall,oatmeal cookies,breakfast,vegan

Also pairs well with me HOT PUMPKIN MUG. Pure pumpkin swoon flavor. Coffee-free!

Why I Will Not Be Opening Another Can of Pumpkin This Season

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Nope. I am not opening another can of pumpkin this entire season. Seriously. Here's why...

Rather than list safety tips, like these here, I'm sharing my recent story for a more personal connection to what kitchen safety really means. It all starts with you.

So aside from being my own seasonal version of a spooky storytime, this blogpost is also my friendly kitchen safety reminder, from me to you. If you plan on entering your kitchen this seasonal-goodies time of year, please please take a moment to read this post. Don't let a cooking injury slow you down this holiday season - or any time of year, really. My story will hopefully remind you to be extra careful in the kitchen.

Well, it's officially pumpkin season. Normally, I would be blissfully excited, stocking my pantry with towering cans of pumpkin purée. My kitchen buzzing and humming, happily churning out endless platters of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin rice, pumpkin pie, you get the picture. And yes, those recipes will still happen for me. But not via can. And not any time soon. You see, instead of pulling a batch of warm and fluffy pumpkin muffins out of a steamy hot oven, right now as I write this, I am collapsed on my couch, wrapped in a cloak of sorrow, aka my fuzzy sky blue bathrobe. And as the sparkly sun sets through blustery green bamboo stalks outside my window, I am using all my energy to write this simple blog post. And instead of typing eagerly with both hands, I am using my talk to type feature on my MacBook air, my right hand draped sadly at my side, thumb wrapped in a puffy white bandage.

Here is the short answer of "why no more pumpkin cans?" - Well, I recently acquired pumpkin-can-a-phobia, aka a fear of canned pumpkin. Smirk and giggle if you must, I know it sounds silly. And yes I am making light of recent events and the ridiculousness of it all. But the fact is, a can of pumpkin can do some seriously scary damage if you are not careful. I unfortunately discovered this first hand, er, first thumb, last week. And thus, right now I seriously cannot look at a can of it without thinking about what happened.

The story. Last Thursday started out so simply. All I wanted was a freshly baked pumpkin muffin..

That day. I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I bounced into the kitchen and decided to make a batch of pumpkin muffins. Dancing towards the kitchen, I pulled out all the necessary ingredients for my muffins, clicked on the oven, whipped up some fresh oat flour, tossed in some spices and reached into the fridge to pull out a giant half used can of unsweetened pumpkin. I had used just a small portion of the pumpkin the day before to make a delicious pumpkin spice latte, and the leftover puree was the perfect amount for a batch of muffins. Unfortunately, my can opener was not working properly when I initially opened the can, so I only opened the can lid about halfway. Enough room to scoop in a spoon. (And here comes the cringe worthy part, skip ahead if you don't like to squirm.)

For the muffins, I couldn't quite reach my large tablespoon into the half-opened can of pumpkin so I, very stupidly, decided to use my right thumb to push the can lid back bending it just so I could reach my spoon inside. I was just about to succeed, bending the lid back slightly, when the strength of the can kicked my ass (sorry mom) and bounced forcefully back into my thumb, slicing it quite badly. (end cringe-y part.)

I saw what happened and I immediately went into shock. Eyes wide, heart racing, adrenaline flowing. I felt no pain. I just saw the injury that just occurred and freaked out. After my internal stress-mode freak out, I screamed for my husband, who luckily had not left for work yet. I grabbed the dish towel off the kitchen counter, wrapped my thumb in it, tightly, and ran across the living room to tell my husband we had to go. Like NOW. I was very calm, yet very panicked all at the same time. I actually felt pretty good because I was, shockingly to me, in no pain. I mean, even when I get a tiny cut there is usually a little bit of pain. So this was strange to me. I decided that maybe it wasn't all that bad. I was wrong.

Still wearing my pajamas, aka, fluffy aqua sweat pants and an oversized purple T-shirt, I pulled on some hot pink flip-flops, yes I was looking like a fashion diva at this point, grabbed my purse and rushed out the door with my husband. I have never in my life cared less about what I probably looked like. Messy hair, mismatched everything. As we raced out the door, my thumb was concealed, still clutched tightly by my left hand, wrapped in that faded pink countertop dishtowel. I didn't dare loosen my grip, with fear it would start bleeding uncontrollably like in a horror movie scene.

We made it into our building's elevator. A man stepped in with his dog as we moved a few floors. I just stood there in silence trying to look normal. Oh don't worry sir, I'm just out for a morning stroll with my thumb wrapped in a dish towel. Keep on your way. I remember the dog giving me a sideway glance.

Once alone in the elevator again, we pondered where we should go for care. Urgent care seemed like a good idea. My husband googled directions on his iPhone and we hopped in the car. Or almost into the car. About halfway down the elevator ride I started to feel very dizzy. Then walking through the garage, I felt it. I started to black out. Splotches of purple appeared in my vision and I felt very lightheaded, dizzy and weak. It is a scary thing, blacking out. I have only blacked out a few times in my life. Once as a child getting out of a hot tub too fast, and once at a very loud and crowded concert. But this was different.

Luckily, I was able to pull myself out of fully passing out. My vision was completely purple for about 2-4 minutes, but I never lost consciousness. It was strange. It was scary. And all this for a darn pumpkin muffin. But the worst was yet to come. Deep breaths.

I propped my feet up on the the dashboard of the car to help blood drain to my head. They always say to keep your feet elevated if you feel like passing out, right? Well, it worked and I started to feel a little better although now my finger was starting to throb in pain. Great.

We made it to Urgent Care and rushed into the waiting room. The receptionist looked at my hand when I said it had been cut badly, and asked me if my thumb was cut off. I responded with a surprised, "No!" I was thinking to myself, would I really be this calm if my finger had actually been cut off? No. Way. At least I am not THAT guy.

After a few minutes I was taken back to a room. After telling the nurse that I briefly passed out, they told me to lay down and laid down is how I stayed for the rest of my time there.

And from there, it was pretty much how it always goes when you badly slice your finger. They take your vitals, ask you questions, clean your wound, and let you know what they need to do to get you on your way.

The doctor told me I needed stitches. I have never had stitches before so on some twisted and ridiculous level, I was excited to check that off my bucket list. Dumb. I am rolling my eyes right now at that notion. Going through life without stitches is a much more enjoyable route guys. I was gravely warned by the doctor that the local anesthetic, via the numbing needle procedure, would be the worst part. Hm, how bad could it be? No worse than novacaine at the dentists office, right? Well to put it simply, those numbing needles, at least three long pricks of them were by far the worst pain I had EVER experienced in my life. I felt like I was in a horror movie as my body clenched up, twitching in pain as I screamed out uncontrollably. Things like, "oh my god this hurts so much!" "owwwiiie!" "Oh. My. God." and "Oh my gosh. OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGosh" came out of my mouth. And my favorite swear word definitely made an appearance or two.

Two hours and seven stitches later I was ready to be sent home.

I took some Advil and had a rest day, blindly thinking that my body could have super powers and heal overnight. But after six days of stitches, healing, endless amounts of pain, Neosporin, arnica pills, gauze, hand cramps, stitches pain, swelling, wound checks and infection scares, I am now realizing this is going to be a long process of rehab. This entire experience has been a bold reminder of how fragile our bodies are. And how one accident can wipe your schedule and change your "to-do" list for a while.

So yeah. It's been a process. I've watched a lot of Netflix, finishing the OUAT series just in time for Sunday's season premiere. Taken a lot of Advil, something I avoid at all costs. Tried desperately to keep up with work, typing and texting with my left hand only. Cried in frustration. Whimpered when I could not put my hair up in a hair tie with one hand. Go on ladies, try it, it's impossible I tell you. Cringed at the site of my Franken-thumb. And acquired a very intense fear of open, sharp-edged can lids. Like I said, no more cans of pumpkin for me this season. I will gladly be using the box, tetra pack version, pumpkin ... or making homemade puree. Problem solved.

Friends, the moral of my not-so-Charlie-Brown , great pumpkin story is this: kitchen safety is no laughing matter. There are 1 million ways you could injure yourself in the kitchen. I had at least three people, in the past week, tell me that they similarly sliced their fingers on an open can lid. And a few other friends telling me their horror stories of slicing their fingers with knives while chopping. Other kitchen cautions include slipping on wet spots, oven burns, mandolin or peeler finger cuts, electrical shocks, broken glass accidents and more.

Perspective. It is just my thumb. I will heal. And while I may have a bit of permanent nerve damage, only time will tell, I got away pretty lucky! The kitchen injuries can get much worse, and I am thankful to have health care, a helpful husband (literally my right hand man through this) and a job that is flexible to life's ups and downs. So, me, I'm good. No pity party here.

You. To anyone and everyone entering the kitchen this holiday season, please please proceed with caution. I tried to take a shortcut by skipping the can opener, and it did not pay off. Shortcuts, bad decisions, risks, are all things you should avoid when cooking in the kitchen.

Stay safe everyone! And have a healthy happy holiday season, filled with delicious, home-baked goodies.

And with that, one of my fave fire-hazard kitchen safety vids..

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte VIDEO + 9 PSL Tips

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Skip the line at Starbucks by making a PSL at home! And this vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte is made using real pumpkin, warming spices, cozy maple syrup and non-dairy milk. Watch me whip up this seasonal latte in my latest YouTube video + get my PSL tips!..

Serve with some Cinnamon Toast Muffins! (lovvve these.)

This is for cozy time. Like THIS..

9 PSL Tips:

1 * Creamy Milk. For the yummiest texture, use a rich and creamy vegan milk. My two faves for lattes are Ripple or a soy milk. You can read more about non-dairy milk options here.
2 * Whip it! Make your own coconut whip or use store-bought soy, coconut or rice whip.
3 * Pumpkin. For that pumpkin flavor, use real pumpkin puree, the unsweetened kind, not 'pumpkin pie mix.' And if you want to get really fancy.. Make a big batch of homemade pumpkin puree by baking a whole pumpkin (remove those seeds) and then scooping out the flesh and pureeing it in a high-speed blender.
4 * Spices. I like to use pumpkin pie spice. But cinnamon and/or nutmeg works great too.
5 * Coffee Free. Not into coffee? You can substitute with some black tea or simply omit the espresso and have a 'hot pumpkin mug.'
6 * More Goodies. Add some vegan caramel on top. Or sprinkle some vanilla bean flakes or a few drops of vanilla extract into the blender. For a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne! Another tip: Add a pinch of sea salt to tone and brighten the sweet and warm flavors. I always do this if I am using an unsweetened noon-dairy milk, because sometimes they need a pinch of salt. (Teeny pinch!)
7 * To taste. This drink is easy to customize, just like at Starbucks. Add more or less sweetener, add more or less espresso or coffee. You can make it extra hot by warming the milk a bit longer or warming it just before sipping by popping it back in the microwave for a few seconds.
8 * Blend well! You do not want clumpy sips, so be sure to blend the pumpkin into the milk, very well, at a high speed, when the drink is hot. The heat helps to smooth things out.
9 * Make two! This drink tastes even better with one thing: a friend to sip and clink mugs with.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/17/2014Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
Easily make a PSL drink at home with real pumpkin and spice flavors!

Ingredients

  • 8oz non-dairy milk (try soy milk, or Ripple or another rich and creamy variety)
  • 1-2oz espresso or 2-4oz strong coffee
  • 1 heaping tablespoon pumpkin puree (unsweetened) -- or more to taste
  • sweetener of choice to taste - I prefer maple syrup, though coconut sugar, agave or traditional organic sugar works well too
  • a few pinches of nutmeg and cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice blend)
  • optional: coconut whip and caramel on top

Instructions

  1. Pour the soymilk into your serving mug. Microwave for 2-3 minutes or until very hot.
  2. Pour hot milk into blender and add the pumpkin, espresso, spices and sweetener. Blend from low to high until pumpkin is smooth.
  3. Pour this mixture back into the serving mug.
  4. (optional) Microwave for an additional 20-30 seconds to create a frothy top layer.
  5. Add vegan whip and/or caramel and spices and serve!

Yield: 1 servingPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Total time: 5 mins. Tags: pumpkin,beverage,fall,latte,coffee,vegan

You may also love my HOT PUMPKIN MUG. Pure pumpkin swoon flavor. Coffee-free!

SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel!

Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

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If you haven't been sprinkled with some autumn baking fairy dust yet, you know the kind that makes you suddenly have an unquenchable thirst for all things muffin-topped, loaf-baked and warm-from-the-oven, this nine ingredient muffin recipe just might get you in the mood. And in the kitchen. Pair these Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins with your first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, or with my favorite Hot Pumpkin Mug.

These muffins are moist and fluffy with cinnamon-sugar, espresso, buttery bliss and fall warmth in every cinnamon-toast inspired bite. Plus there is a nice amount of protein in these gluten-free, vegan gems. Share this muffin platter with your very best friends..

Inspired. I was browsing the internet when I found a (non-vegan) muffin recipe that inspired me. Sweet Butter's Coffee Doughnut Muffins. Cinnamon sugar-dipped with coffee built into the recipe. Well I simply had to veganize these dreamy bites.

And I think I did something right because these morning muffins are crazy-good. I will be making them all autumn long. And I will probably add in some pumpkin the next time I make these for some pumpkin-spice flair!

Two Versions. My first attempt at this recipe used organic whole wheat flour. They were light and lovely and totally amazing. But I wanted to try the gluten-free version too. And to my joy, the GF version is JUST as delicious, fluffy and moist.

Tip: Make sure to process your rolled oats long enough so that the oat flour you make is ultra-fine. (I use my Blendtec for this process, a Vitamix, another brand high speed blender or food processor will work.)

Gluten-free version..

Wheat Flour Version...

Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/11/2014Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins
Warm and fluffy, these cinnamon-sugar topped muffins are gluten-free, vegan and just what you crave on a cozy morning.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoon oat flour (homemade from rolled oats) -- traditional wheat flour can also be used
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (pink salt used)
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 11oz silken tofu (organic + non-GMO)
  • ½ cup melted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 shot freshly brewed espresso
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • topping: 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar mix
  • 2 teaspoon vegan butter: for greasing muffin tin

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with 2 teaspoon vegan butter.
  2. Process rolled oats into your flour. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
  3. In a blender, add the silken tofu, cider vinegar, espresso, melted vegan butter and sugar. Blend until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the mixing bowl and stir until a batter forms.
  5. Spoon batter into muffin tins and top each muffin with the cinnamon-sugar sprinkle - generous amounts.
  6. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 8 minutes. Serve warm or store in the fridge or freezer if not eating within a day.

Yield: 12 muffinsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. Total time: 30 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 221
  • Fat: 9.4g
  • Dietaryfiber: 2g
  • Protein: 5g
  • Totalcarbs: 30g

Tags: muffins,breakfast,cinnamon,tofu,glutenfree,cinnamon sugar,oats,vegan

Fall Oatmeal Power Bowl. Apple Spice, Chia & Pumpkin Seeds.

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One of my favorite fall rituals is having a steel cut oatmeal kind of morning. Nothing fuels a drowsy AM better than some warming comfort food in the form of fresh fruit, healthy seeds, creamy almond milk and rustic oats, warm and steamy from my stovetop. This fall power bowl of oats is a healthy breakfast to get you started with a warm, happy, glow-y smile. Get the recipe and find out what two recipes I would pair this bowl with! Plus my latest fall TV obsession. Hint: red apples..

Fall TV. Another fave ritual of mine? Fall TV! But nowadays it seems I much prefer to binge watch every new series I watch. You too? My latest obsession is Once Upon a Time, on ABC. Though the show first premiered back in 2011, I am just now watching the series front to back and I love it! I guess any Disney fan would. I cannot wait to catch up to be able to watch the new season 4, coming this fall, where they will have a Frozen twist! Can you tell I am a total kid at heart when it comes to Disney? I grew up with Disney princesses on my wall and the nickname Cinderella, what can I say. If you haven't watched Once, give it a try and let me know if you like it! The main storyline is around Snow White .. but there are no poison apples in today's recipe!.. (See how I transitioned there?)

Yup, fall means apples. And fresh fall apple picking or farmer's market hauls can be beautifully served up via a pretty sliced apple swirl in your morning oatmeal bowl. Cinnamon spice, a hint of caramel-y coconut sugar, nuts, seeds, fruit and creamy vegan oats. Dreamy! It may not be fall yet, but I cannot help but get in a fall recipes kind of mood. One sniff of pumpkin or apple spice and I'm under fall's spell.

Plus, Anticipation is half the fun.

nutritional info per serving (does not include optional ingredients) (4 servings per recipe)

I would serve this bowl with these recipes (for a more brunch-y style meal)

Hot Pumpkin Mug

Fall Fruit Salad

I also LOVE this go-to fall salad for lunch or a dinner side..

Fall Oatmeal Power Bowl

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/09/2014Fall Oatmeal Power Bowl
Vegan creamy steel cut oatmeal, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, fresh fall apples and bananas make this a cozy way to start your fall morning!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups almond milk
  • 1 cup steel cut oats
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 small bananas (optional)
  • 2 medium apples, thinly sliced
  • 4 teaspoon raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 teaspoon chia seeds
  • 4 teaspoon coconut sugar (or maple syrup)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • sprinkle of cinnamon and fresh orange zest (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add steel cut oats, almond milk and salt to a soup pot. War over high heat and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender and fluffy. Stir in one teaspoon cinnamon to cooked oats. Remove from heat and spoon into serving bowls.
  2. Add the seeds, sugar, sliced banana and apple on top of the oatmeal. Serve with optional side almond milk to cool and further hydrate oats, if desired. Also add and sprinkle of cinnamon and orange zest over top, if desired.

Yield: 4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 30 mins. Total time: 35 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 347
  • Fat: 13.9g
  • Protein: 11.6g
  • Dietaryfiber: 16.6g

Tags: oatmeal,breakfast,vegan,apples,fall,seeds,easy,

True Food Kitchen Sweet Potato Hash: My Copycat Recipe

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My favorite season is just about approaching! No, not "fall" so to speak. But rather, pumpkin and sweet potato season! Every day and every which way I will be craving those golden delicious flavors. So it always helps to have new ways to prepare my fave pumpkin and sweet potato ingredients.

Today's recipe serves up crispy golden cubes of sweet potatoes in a simple sweet potato hash that is a copycat recipe from a favorite dining spot: TruE Food Kitchen!..

So this is my favorite dish at TrueFood.. (And now I can make the hash at home if I want!)

Crispy Hash. Tiny cubes, some with the skins still on, a few crispy browned onion bits, a hint of garlic, salt and pepper too. These potatoes are so yummy and versatile. Serve them at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Serve them alongside just about anything for a dose of flavor, fiber, vitamin A and sweet potato coziness!

One of my favorite restaurants to dine out at here in Santa Monica California is called True Food Kitchen. It is the restaurant chain by Dr.Weil and restauranteur Sam Fox. The restaurant is not vegan or even vegetarian, but they do have a nice selection of vegan menu items. My absolute favorite is the TLT Sandwich featuring smoky tempeh bacon and avocado. You can get the sandwich served with either a side kale salad (say no cheese on top!) or sweet potato hash. I always get the sweet potato hash. The side dish is so unique and amazing yet incredibly simple in ingredients. The uniqueness, in my analysis, is all about the preparation. So I dove into my kitchen and decided to try and recreate the recipe so that I could make these delicious potatoes at home.

Success! These potatoes tasted very similar to the restaurant version. My husband even said they were better. Yup, he's a keeper!

Then, a while after I made the potatoes and posted a preview on Instagram, I had a reader comment on my Insta photo about exactly how to make the potatoes! She said she works at a TrueFood. I was so happy when her process and recipe was almost exactly like what I did. The only difference is that she said they use grape seed oil, and I used virgin coconut oil. And I added some broth to the recipe for flavor and moisture..

So if you love sweet potatoes like me, try these guys!..

Two versions. You may notice the plated potatoes are more browned and blackened. Well, simply put, those were sauteed about ten minutes longer than the less-browned potatoes in the gray bowl. For more blackening and crispy edges, simply cook the potatoes longer in the skillet.

note: this is my interpretation of the dish at TFKitchen, this is not the exact recipe at the restaurant. I think they might use a tad more oil than I have, and they do not add the veggie broth like I do. I do that to add moisture and flavor.

TrueFood Kitchen Sweet Potato Hash Copycat Recipe

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/08/2014TrueFood Kitchen Sweet Potato Hash Copycat Recipe
These tiny crispy cubed potatoes are simple to make and make a perfect sweet potato side dish! Serve in place of french fries for a healthy option side.

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato, diced (about 3 cups of cubes - leave skin on, or partially on)
  • 1 small sweet or white onion, diced
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 2-3 teaspoon oil (I used virgin coconut oil, TrueFood uses grapeseed oil)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. For the potato, wash and scrub skin very well to remove any grit. I scrape away about ¼ of the skin, leaving a partially peeled potato. The skins should be mostly kept on because they make the hash nice and crispy, and they also add fiber and nutrients!
  3. In a large mixing bowl, toss the potatoes with the vegetable broth, oil and garlic.
  4. Pour the potato mixture in a glass baking dish and roast at 400 degrees until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy. Usually about 25-35 minutes.
  5. Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ teaspoon of oil. Add the onions and saute for about five minutes to soften.
  6. Add the roasted potato mixture to the skillet, and toss the potatoes and garlic with the onions - add salt and pepper (to taste). Saute for at least ten minutes. You want the potatoes to brown and blacken and the onions to become crispy and very browned. The longer you saute the potatoes, the crispier they will become. Serve warm. (Note: YES, you could also just saute the ingredients if needed. About 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Then keep cooking on low until blackened to desired coloring.)

Yield: 3 cups Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 35 mins. Total time: 45 mins. Tags: side,potatoes,sweet potatoes,fall,easy,copycat recipes

Raw Vegan Walnut Cream Pie with Chocolate Swirl. No-Bake Dessert!

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You look like you need a little more cream pie in your life. Am I right or am I right? Well if your eyes got all wide and sparkly when you saw these cream pie pics, then you can most certainly hop into the kitchen and scurry to make this easy, no-bake. raw, vegan dessert.

So Yes. I think today is officially Raw Vegan Walnut Cream Pie with Chocolate Swirl day here at HHL studios, aka my living room. Why was such a day created? Well this recipe was so awesome, one bite and I knew this pie needed its own celebration. I mean, I think we ALL need a little more (vegan) cream pie in our lives...

Seasonal Schmeasonal. This started out as a spiderweb cream pie (the chocolate swirly design on top) but it ended up just being a stand alone amazing cream pie that really needs no seasonal attachment or introduction. I think this cute pie would laugh in the face at anyone who called it seasonal. In fact, this pie is a recipe you could whip up any month, any day, any hour, and feel gosh darn amazing about it.

But ok yes, the cute spiderweb design with the chocolate on top does make this recipe fun for fall. And fall seasonal-ness gives you a nice excuse to make this pie. Ya know, because you need to add some fall festiveness to your September and October and so on.

Healthy goodness! This pie includes healthy walnuts, virgin coconut oil and even some fiber-ful rolled oats in there. Feel good dessert!

Raw Vegan Walnut Cream Pie

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/04/2014Raw Vegan Walnut Cream Pie
No-bake raw vegan coconut walnut pie with a walnut oat crust.

Ingredients

  • filling:
  • 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 11oz coconut cream, chilled
  • ¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
  • ⅓ cup raw walnuts
  • crust:
  • 2 ½ cups raw walnuts
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • chocolate:
  • 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
  • ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (or use cacao powder for raw)

Instructions

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend the walnuts and oats until a fine crumbly mixture forms. Pour this mixture into a large mixing bowl.
  2. To the bowl, add the remaining crust ingredients: coconut oil, salt, cinnamon and maple syrup. Fold until the mixture becomes thick and pliable, like a dry cookie dough.
  3. Grease an 8" pie dish with coconut oil. Then spread the crust along the bottom of the pie dish. Set aside.
  4. In a blender, add all the filling ingredients and blend until silky smooth. It is ok if the chilled coconut cream melts a bit, it will just re-firm up when chilled. Pour the mixture into the pie dish.
  5. For the chocolate, malt the chocolate chips and the coconut oil together and stir until silky smooth. Use a microwave for easiest melting. Stovetop is your next option.
  6. Swirl the chocolate over top the walnut cream filling in one big spiral. Then using a toothpick or a butter knife, glide from the center of the spiral outwards, continue all the way around. You can swirl a second time by going in the reverse direction with the toothpick or knife.
  7. Place the pie in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes. Or until the pie is soft and fluffy, yet chilled enough to slice. The key to the texture is to chill it to the perfect amount. If you over-chill and it is too hard, simply leave it out at room temperature until softened.

Yield: 1 piePrep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. Total time: 20 mins. Tags: pie,dessert,nobake,walnut,coconut,vegan,chocolate

Pink Chickpea Smash Salad

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Serious. Pink. Power fuel. I'm turning up the beet and putting a pretty-in-pink spin on my favorite smashed chickpea sandwich. Today's Pink Chickpea Smash Salad Sandwich is super easy to make and big on flavor, texture and nutrition. Whip it up for lunch as a sandwich, scoop it onto a large entree salad or simply eat it by the spoonful any time of day. Pink power is calling you..

Chickpeas are a vegans best friend. They are rich in fiber, a good source of protein, vitamins, iron and more. They have a nutty lovable flavor. And they are used to make one of our favorite go-to recipes: hummus. They also can be smashed to make a chickpea salad that is simply amazing.

One of my favorite chickpea smash recipes is for my Faux "tuna" salad sandiwches. A bit of nori seaweed for ocean-fresh flavor, tons of lemon juice and some crunchy celery and a lovely salad for sandwiches is made...

This PINK smashed salad is an unBEETable creation that not only looks fun and pretty, but tastes super. I want to stress that even if you think you do not like beets, give this a try! Raw beets have such a mild, sweet flavor that you can barely taste them really, you can just boldly SEE them in all that pink. Beets add texture, a hint of sweetness and loads of crunchiness too. I also add in some roasted (or raw) sunflower seeds for nutty flavor, texture and saltiness.

To Serve. I spread a bit of dried dill + vegan mayo on sprouted grain English muffins by Foof for Life. Then added a few cucumbers and smoked paprika. On the closed face sandwiches, I added sliced cucumbers and vegan mayo. Feel free to add carrots, veggies, anything you'd like really!

Get your hands pink and make this for lunch or dinner!..

Pink Chickpea Smash Salad

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 09/03/2014Pink Chickpea Smash Salad
This vegan lemon and beet smashed chickpea salad can be used for sandwiches, pitas or scooped on top of salad.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups canned/boxed cooked chickpeas drained/rinsed
  • ⅓ cup beets, grated
  • ⅔ cup beets, finely chopped (into crunchy tiny cubes)
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice + pinch of zest
  • 2-3 tablespoon roasted + salted sunflower seeds (or raw_
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • salt to taste
  • optional: additional flavors like smoked paprika, cayenne or nutritional yeast

Instructions

  1. Drain and rinse your cooked chickpeas in hot water. Using hot water allows them to soften and easily be smashed with a fork. The hottest water from your tap will work.
  2. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice and tahini to a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, smash the chickpeas until about 80% of them are mashed, you can leave a few beans whole for added texture.
  3. Add the grated and chopped beets and fold well. Fold in the pepper, sunflower seeds and salt to taste. If desired, add additional spices like smoked paprika, nutritional yeast and cayenne.
  4. Serve right away or chill in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve on salads or sandwiches.

Yield: 3 cups, 3 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 15 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 230

Tags: salad,sandwich,beets,chickpeas,lunch,vegan,easy,pink

Coconut Milk Affogatto via my Nespresso VertuoLine. VIDEO.

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A cool, creamy coconut milk popsicle melts into frothy, rich, hot coffee freshly prepared using my Nespresso VertuoLine machine. This is a summer meets fall beverage to put on your must-sip list. Sweet and rich, this coffee beverage pairs well with brunch, afternoon nibbles or even as an after-meal treat. (For later in the day, just use decaf!) Get two easy coffee recipes, plus check out how much I love Nespresso's latest machine via a VIDEO to watch the machine in action. And FYI I always aim to please, so there are kitty cameos at the end of the video. your welcome 😉..

Coffee bevie inspiration today... An affogatto and a Nespresso VertuoLine Latte Video!

Video of my cinna-maple latte..

The Coconut Milk Popsicle Affogatto..

I credit the classic Affogatto beverage with turning me onto coffee. When I was about ten or eleven, my friends and I would stumble into a tiny coffee shop near my house after school or during the day in the summer months. We would order warm butter-melted-on-top cinnamon buns and dive into them with eager forks. Well one day we decided to try something called an Affogatto. We saw a girl order one and dive her spoon into the melting vanilla bean scoop of ice cream, submerged in steamy black coffee. One bite of that coffee-melted ice cream and we were hooked. Probably not the best beverage for pre-teen girls, but ah well.

So yes, what is an Affogatto? As I described, it is basically a glass of coffee or sometimes coffee and espresso with a giant scoop of ice cream plunged into the warm beverage. The ice cream melts as you sip and spoon the sweet coffee.

Flash forward to now, and I created this dairy-free, healthy spin on a classic Affogatto. Instead of high-fat dairy-free ice cream, I use a 80 calorie coconut milk popsicle (I used one from SoDelicious brand). Creamy rich and a bit lighter. Plus, the popsicle has a built in stir stick!

The base is coffee made using my Nespresso VertuoLine machine. I adore this machine because it carries all the speed and convenience of "pod coffee" but the flavor tastes like a freshly brewed pot, or even better, French pressed coffee. The most amazing thing about this machine is the froth! Mega froth from each mug. No separate frother required. Simply magical. I cannot wait to make fall-favorite vegan Pumpkin Spice Lattes using this machine!

So two easy chilled coffee inspirations for you today:

1) Coconut Milk Affogatto (recipe below .. super easy ..)
2) Cinnamon-Maple Iced Coffee Latte (see the video above for recipe!)

For the affogatto I used these coconut milk mini bars in just java flavor. Any non-dairy ice cream bar works. Store-bought or make your own. For make your own try my chocolate covered ice cream bars.

coconut milk affogatto

By kathy patalskyPublished 09/01/2014coconut milk affogatto
this easy as can be recipe for a dairy-free affogatto includes the two classic ingredients: coffee and ice cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 vegan coconut milk popsicle or scoop of ice cream
  • 8 ounces freshly brewed coffee (I used my Nespresso VertuoLine)
  • additional flavors: cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean to taste
  • Add additional sweetener and/or an added splash of non-dairy milk if desired

Instructions

  1. Brew the coffee. I used my one-touch method via my Nespresso VertuoLine machine. Tip: Leave about half the glass empty so you can add the ice cream part without spilling.
  2. Stir in the coconut milk popsicle and serve! If using ice cream, simply add a scoop to the coffee glass.

Yield: 1 drinkPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Total time: 5 mins. Tags: drink,beverage,coffee,coconut milk

*disclosure: thank you to Nespresso for providing me a machine + an iced coffee goody box. this is not a sponsored post.

Double Chocolate Strawberry-Banana Protein Muffins. Vegan + GF

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vegan chocolate protein muffins, gluten-free
These Double Chocolate-Covered Strawberry-Banana Protein Muffins are the perfect blend of treat meets healthy snack. Each fluffy, rich chocolate bite is loaded with whole grain oats, bananas, a hint of berry, cinnamon, rich virgin coconut oil and an extra dose of chocolate. Plus, I've added some vegan brown rice based protein powder and a scoop of optional maca powder too. Bake these babies and get your chocolate fix!..

Eat now or later. These vegan muffins are delicious served warm or chilled. They have a melt-in-you-mouth texture when warmed and a rustic textured, crumbly yet velvet-y bite when chilled. The gluten-free oat flour makes them moist and tender. They are sweetened with the sweet bananas and a bit of coconut sugar.

Make it a Dessert! Make this a sweeter treat by adding a scoop of coconut milk ice cream on the side of a warm muffin with some vegan chocolate sauce.

Double Chocolate-Covered Strawberry-Banana Protein Muffins

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/01/2014Double Chocolate-Covered Strawberry-Banana Protein Muffins
Vegan and gluten free double chocolate muffins rich in fiber, cocoa goodness and a hint of added protein.

Ingredients

  • 2 large or 3 medium very ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • ⅓ - ½ cup virgin coconut oil
  • 1 ⅓ cups rolled oats
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 scoops brown rice protein powder (about ⅓ cup total)
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (vegan)
  • ½ cup frozen strawberries (sliced or whole)
  • optional: 1 tablespoon maca powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a muffin tin with a generous amount of virgin coconut oil or use muffin liners.
  2. Place whole oats in a blender or food processor and blend until an oat flour forms.
  3. Add the oat flour, cacao, salt, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, protein powder and optional maca powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
  4. Add bananas, coconut oil and vinegar to blender and blend until smooth. With blender on low, slowly pour in non-dairy milk.
  5. Pour the banana mixture into the chocolate dry mixture and stir until combined. Batter should be thick and clump, but still soft.
  6. Fold in the chocolate chips and the frozen berries. The chilled berries will firm up the batter a lot. This will allow the muffins to bake up in clumpy textured mounds.
  7. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for ten minutes, then lower oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until the edges crisp up a bit, but do not burn.
  8. Serve warm or place in the fridge to chill up. Delicious served chilled (firmer texture) or warm and soft.

Yield: 12 muffinsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 13 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 22 mins. Total time: 35 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 186
  • Fat: 8.1g
  • Dietaryfiber: 3g
  • Protein: 7.5g

Tags: muffins,chocolate,breakfast,snack,vegan,glutenfree,protein,oats

Scenes From a Celebrity Gifting Suite: 365 Vegan Smoothies

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Last Friday I popped over to the Montage Hotel, a gorgeous hotel located around the corner from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I was there to attend a celebrity gifting suite to promote my book 365 Vegan Smoothies. This event invited actors, producers and media in and around the television industry to mingle, celebrate the Emmy Awards and collect a boatload of free goodies. Events like these are always more fun with friends, so I invited Sophie from Philosophie to help me blend smoothies and chat with the guests. Check out my Scenes From an Emmy Awards Celebrity Gifting Suite..

Event charity: HSUS + Shelter Pet Project
* Shelter pet adoptions are on the rise, despite the ongoing recession and high rates of unemployment.
* 2.7 million healthy and treatable pets are still losing their lives in shelters each year

Scene. I piled everything into my silver hatchback car. The phrase, stuffed to the brim, was an understatement. In my car went boxes of heavy smoothie books, ingredients for the smoothies in a giant cooler, assorted giveaway goodies, business cards, and more. Loading the car was a two person job, requiring multiple trips, and savvy Tetris-like skills to make everything fit. Friday morning. My pre-event adrenalin was high and my eyes wide. I was ready for the crazy-fun Friday. I woke at dawn, to Britney Spears "Work B*tch" blasting on my iPhone alarm, and a pink and orange sunrise outside my window, though I had no time to stop and gawk. I glammed myself up and drove across town to Beverly Hills. 

I pulled my car up to the luxurious Montage hotel, along the dusty grey cobblestone lobby entryway. A posh doorman with a friendly smile opened my door, "Welcome to the Montage," he sang with sparkly eyes. I eagerly announced that I was there for the gifting suite. He quickly informed me that unloading for the event was just around the corner. In the back alley. Well of course it was. I pulled my car around to the hot, humid, dark and musty loading dock. My perfectly curled hair, fresh and dewy makeup and Beyond Skin vegan high heels popped out of the car and for the next hour I single-handedly schlepped my gear from the dock to the ballroom. Lets just say I got a workout. Once I valet parked my car, popped back up the service elevator to the ballroom, via back hallways and kitchens, I was in the cool, calm, golden and bronze-accented comfort of the event ballroom. I blotted my face with a white event napkin, took a swig of the bottled water on my table for me, took a few deep breaths and waited for Sophie, the event start and a day of crazy fun. Round two came, and it was barely ten AM...

The What. The event had two purposes. 1) To celebrate the Emmys and the talented celebrities working in television by handing out VIP gift bags. 2) Give back by supporting charities. This event supported the Humane Society and The Shelter Pet Project.

The blurry exciting whirlwind day was a success because I handed out all my books to eager recipients and Sophie and I blended up a huge batch of smoothies. I hope the guests enjoy my book and embrace a smoothie-a-day habit. Thank you Amy from Secret Room Events for organizing such a fun and memorable day.

Scenes From my Emmy Awards Gifting Suite..

We blended up plenty of smoothies for the guests! Frozen banana + frozen watermelon + almond milk + turmeric + Berry Bliss in each sip.

Coolest person I didn't expect to meet: Melissa Disney! Who is she? She announced the Emmy Awards! You know when that person says, "And now presenting Best Actor in a Drama, Brad Pitt!" (Or whatever) That is her! And she was more than happy to take home my smoothie book.

The sweet and funny Richard Kind was happy to stop by our booth and mingle. Loved him in Spin City and a million other great projects.

Loved meeting vegan surfer girl Tia Blanco! Follow her on twitter..

I was excited to meet George Nerbern as he stopped by our booth! You may recognize him from Scandal .. or how I recognized him, he was the groom in one of my fave movies ever, Father of the Bride. George on twitter.

Love this vegan beauty! Victoria Summer, who played young Julie Andrews in Saving Mr. Banks with Tom Hanks, as well as a role in Transformers 4. She is vegan and gorgeous. She was happy to try our smoothie goodies. Follow Victoria on Twitter.

Marcus Shirock, who plays Cyrus in Hercules Reborn is a huge smoothie fan! Marcus on twitter.

Josh Brener, aka "Big Head" from Silicon Valley popped over! Anyone else love that show??

So sweet was Drew Seeley from Pitch Perfect and High School Musical.. Drew on twitter

Angela Rockwood from Netflix's Push Girls series. She was a huge smoothie fan as well! Angela on twitter

Carolyn Hennesy from General Hospital and True Blood was a fan.. Love her sassy haircut. Carolyn on twitter

Jorja Fox from CSI, The West Wing and ER grabbed a book.. Jorja on twitter

This cutie blogger Jillian was happy check out some vegan smoothies! Her blog is Teenage Wonderland.

And my booth neighbors? The lovely ladies from HSUS. Perfect. Sweetest booth neighbors ever.

Loved meeting Zorianna Kit from The Huffington Post! So glad she could grab a book!

Jamie Brewer from American Horror Story..

Neil Everett of ESPN SportsCenter fame stopped by..

Charles Halford who played Reggie Ledoux in True Detective and was into the smoothies..

And loads more sweet and fun people stopped by to chat smoothies!..

And of course Sophie and I made the best of the long day by being the silly smoothie girls we are.

Now who wants to see a Kathy + Sophie smoothie bar? A girl can dream, yes? 😉

End of the day salads from M Cafe..

And that's a wrap.

Easy Curried Carrot Slaw with Smoky Maple Tempeh Triangles

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Bold in flavor and dense in nutrition, this crunchy-nutty-sassy-savory-sweet meal is a golden delight you will make again and again! Whip up my Easy Carrot Slaw with Smoky Maple Tempeh Triangles and you'll be swooning over veggies and plant-based protein. This is an easy recipe with cravable flavors. Make-ahead meal approved!

And moms, dads and college students, this is totally back-to-school perfect for a weeknight meal...

This is one of my favorite vegan meals to make. A "go-to" status recipe for sure. I adore it because it is super easy to whip up, bold in flavor and complex textures and even better, if you want, you can make it a few hours in advance, stick it in the fridge and enjoy it when you are ready.

Hot or Cold. This entire dish, from the slaw to the skillet-seared tempeh is delicious served right away (freshly tossed slaw with steaming hot tempeh) or chilled (chilled tempeh and slaw, both a bit more marinated in flavors). The goods: vitamin A rich carrots are tossed in a light yet bold sweet-tahini-curry dressing, then topped with protein-rich tempeh triangles that are bursting with savory-sweet flavor. This vegan meal is a winner! I hope you will try it and share it with friends in family. Especially those of you looking to experiment with tempeh, aka a fermented soybean product that is less processed than tofu, and has a firm texture and nutty complex flavor. My recipe..

So nice to come back to this kind of food after a long and CRAZY weekend. Seriously guys, I went from Thursday night until Sunday afternoon without stopping. First up was an Emmy Awards gifting suite with my girl Sophie from Philosophie, and then I was a bridesmaid in a wonderful friend's wedding in Malibu! More on both of those events in a later post. Here is a snippet..

Easy Carrot Slaw with Smoky Maple Tempeh Triangles

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/24/2014Easy Carrot Slaw with Smoky Maple Tempeh Triangles
Bold, crunchy tahini and curry dressed carrot slaw meets sticky-sweet smoky-maple glazed tempeh triangles for a vegan meal you will come to crave.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces tempeh, sliced into triangles
  • ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
  • 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
  • 2-3 teaspoon tamari or 2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon crushed raw walnuts
  • 4 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (for added turmeric power, optional)
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon tahini
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • sweet stuff: 1 - 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup + an optional handful or raisins
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped + some for garnish
  • a few pinches of cayenne for heat (optional)
  • salt and pepper for carrot salad - to taste

Instructions

  1. Warm a skillet up over high heat and add in the coconut or olive oil.
  2. When oil is hot, add the tempeh triangles, tamari, maple and liquid smoke. Flip the tempeh around a bit to allow it to absorb the liquid. Cook for about 5 minutes, flipping the tempeh a few times throughout the cooking process. When tempeh is browned and edges blackened a bit, and all liquid absorbed, turn off heat. Sprinkle the walnut pieces and some black pepper over top the tempeh and set pan aside to keep triangles warm in skillet.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, add the carrots, tahini, lemon juice, spices, parsley, maple syrup, optional raisins and onion. Toss very well for a few minutes to marinate the carrots with the dressing. For a creamier salad, add another spoonful of tahini. To thin things out and make the salad zestier, add another splash of lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Finally, add salt and pepper to the carrot salad to taste.
  4. Pour the carrot salad in a large serving bowl and top with the tempeh. Serve right away or place in the fridge to serve in a few hours or up to a day later. The carrots will soften the longer they set in the fridge.

Yield: 4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Total time: 20 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 263
  • Fat: 12.8g
  • Protein: 14g
  • Dietaryfiber: 4.2g
  • Totalcarbs: 27g

Tags: salad,dinner,tempeh,entree,carrots,vegan,slaw,protein

Travel. Santa Barbara Girls Getaway: 10 Things to Do!

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A few weeks ago I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara for a friend's bachelorette party. My party-planning superstar friend, Jen planned the whirlwind girlie getaway, and cheers to her because it was amazing. Here are some photos of the trip as well as 10 Things to put on your to-do list / places to eat list on your next Santa Barbara Weekend Getaway! (Including my researched list of vegan-friendly wineries!)..

Girls Getaway. From the moment I stepped out of my car and rolled my green suitcase across the hot asphalt to our cozy rented house, I was immersed in girl time bliss. Santa Barbara sunshine, dusty roads past rolling hill wineries, early morning fog, bursts of laughter around every corner, "Heads Up" games, hummus dip and card games, day dresses and high heels, jukebox music requesting and limo-ride singing, champagne toasts, frolicking down busy State Street, early morning matcha latte runs, flowers in our hair, late night dancing and cabbing home to collapse into bed only to wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Then arriving home on a foggy Sunday morning, taking Highway One past Malibu on my drive back to LA, to be greeted by snuggling kittens and a ready-for-brunch husband. Sometimes a girl needs to get away, just to come home again.

Best mode of transport for wine tasting: a limo of course.

Inside a few winery tasting rooms..

Girl's Trip Mood

The beautiful bride-to-be!

Santa Barbara Getaway: 10 Things to Do / Places to Eat At!

1. Zaytoon. Some of the best lebanese cuisine (falafel, hummus, tabhouli, dolmas and pita) I have had in California. Beautiful outdoor seating, firepits at the tables, friendly service and a basically amazing food and drinks. Totally vegan-approved! I wish I had snagged more photos of the FOOD at this gorgeous restaurant, but you know how it goes, super hungry + beautiful food = no time to take photos.

All us girls at Zaytoon, showing off our silly sides..

2. Finch & Fork. Loved this restaurant for a mimosa brunch! I had an amazing grapefruit mimosa and vegan oatmeal with fresh berries, sliced almonds and golden raisins. Located inside The Canary Hotel. Great space and vegan-friendly options. Just ask your waiter about what they can veganize for you.

3. The Beach! Though we did not make it to the beach this time around, I have been to the SB beaches before and they are lovely. Since you are in such a beautiful coastal town, make time to check out the seashore.

4. State Street. For shopping, dining, frolicking, drinking and dancing, the State Street area is your go-to hub of all things exciting. You will find favorite stores like Anthro, Starbucks and more, with plenty of local favorites mixed in.

5. State Street Ballet. If you are looking for some artistic inspiration in Santa Barbara, check out SSB! One of my very good high school friends is a ballerina in their company and she is amazing, so I know State Street will always impress.

6. Wine-Tasting Tour. When you think of wine in California you most likely think of Napa and Sonoma. I know I do! I had an amazing wine tasting adventure in Napa last year. But this was my first wine tasting day-long adventure in Santa Barbara.

Visiting the actual winery as opposed to a tasting room "in town" makes a huge difference too. You step out of your car or tour vehicle and walk across the ashy ground, view the endless rows of grape vines, settle into a winery seat or table, sit outside, enjoy the view and breathe the fresh air. Wineries are basically farms for grapes and wine-making facilities! So the take up a lot of land, and are therefore very spread out. So it is a journey to get from winery to winery, but once you arrive, it truly makes a huge impact on you to experience the wine in its natural habitat. If you have never taken the trek out into the horizon to a working winery, search for one in your area, or plan a wine-tasting trip, it is a fun experience you will cherish and remember every time you take a sip of wine.

We had several wineries lined up, but due to our leisurely pace, we only made it to two spots during our 7 hour limo ride. Saarloos and Rusack. I tried looking up these wines on the Barnivore.com website (after the trip) to inquire about their vegan status, but they were unlisted.

I try very hard to buy vegan wine, but sometimes, due to the lack of ingredients info on-label for wine, it is difficult. I wish so badly that it was easier to find out if any wine was vegan. But even Barnivore can be lacking. And so that leaves us vegans with some tough questions. Do I really refuse the champagne at a wedding since I do not know for sure if it is vegan? Alcohol is tricky simply because you really have to ask the winery for the full ingredients list, the waiter or sommelier cannot simply look on the bottle (most times).

The solution: I think the more vegans ask about vegan ingredients in wine, the more wineries might realize that there is a demand there, and produce vegan vintages. So keep asking, inquiring and supporting the full disclosure wineries if you are interested in wine as a vegan. There are plenty of AMAZING wines that are vegan, so clearly animal products are not needed to produce delicious wines. From emails and in-person chats with winery staff, I seem to get the feeling that "traditional" wine making uses certain ingredients, and wineries are hesitant to experiment or switch over to animal free ingredients.

That all being said. I did research every winery in Santa Barbara for you..

Vegan-Friendly Santa Barbara Wineries List:
I cross-referenced the SB Wineries listings with Barnivore.com. The list below shows the confirmed vegan wineries. (There may be more that are not listed on Barnivore as confirmed vegn or vegan-friendly.) Some wineries only have a select number of vegan-friendly wines, so always ask the winery staff for details. And obviously, vegan-friendly status is subject to change.

Vegan-Friendly Santa Barbara Wineries:
* Babcock Winery
* Joseph Carr Wine .. love this quote "No animal products what so ever and not sub contracted. My daughter is vegan."
* Municipal Whites, not the reds.
* Melville
* JScott Cellars Reds, not the whites.
* Alma Rosa
* Ampelos Certified organic and biodynamic.
* Andrew Murray Vineyards
* Presidio
* Buttonwood Winery
* Tres Hermanas
* Stolpman
* Byron Wines
* Pres'Quile

7. Dancing! Santa Barbara is a college town and therefore has LOADS of young energy. Pop into any of the dancing-style bars and restaurants and take advantage of that energy by kicking wearing your fave dancing dress (or dancing outfit for boys) and getting in some cardio on the dance floor. And even better if you make it out during their annual Fiesta Fiesta celebration like we did.

8. Drink Smoothies! I love the Blenders in the Grass smoothie shop. You can find a few locations in Santa Barbara, including one near State Street.

9. Rent a House! Where to stay in Santa Barbara? For our big group of girls, the perfect solution was to rent a house in a nearby neighborhood. You could try AirBNB or another home rental site. There are also loads of cute hotels in SB. If you have stayed in a cute SB hotel, let me know in the comments!

10. Santa Barbara Brewing Company. OK, so maybe not a MUST do. But somehow we ended up here and I was THRILLED to see an entree called The Urth Burger on the menu, "vegan burger" was in the description. I was giddy. And it actually tasted pretty amazing for bar food.

Have you been to Santa Barbara? What was your favorite thing to do?

High up in the hills, there are little spots to find and experience. Like this little spot that takes you way back in time..

Our limo driver, loved him.

Warm Ginger Curried Lentil Dip. Spicy-Sweet.

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You know that feeling when you bite into something and your brain is like, "OMG. This is so good. I cannot believe I know how to make this. I rule." Well that was exactly how I felt when I dove my toasty pita triangle into this epically golden dip and took a taste of the ginger-curry-spicy-sweet flavor in this crazy-good-for-you recipe. This Warm Ginger Curried Lentil Dip is the spicy-sweet lentil dip of my dreams. And hopefully yours as well..

Let Lentils in on the Fun. In this post I asked why peanut butter gets to have all the fun .. so I made Cashew Butter Cookies. So in this post I am asking why chickpeas get to have all the fun? This lentil dip is just as creamy-amazing as hummus dip, and packed with healthy lentil nutrients.

Lentil Nutrition. They are such a superfood legume for anyone, especially those eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. Lentils are rich in iron, fiber and vitamins and they are an excellent plant-based source of protein. This dip makes it easy to love them.

This Recipe. I am in love with this golden-colored lentil dip. The flavors: bold spicy ginger mingling with a hint of sweet maple, spicy raw garlic, nutty tahini, a hint of lemon and plenty of curry spice. A very small accent of extra virgin olive oil can be added to make the texture even more silky. I will be making this again and again! Party-approved. Or party-of-one approved 😉

Pair with pita triangles, veggie sticks, rice crackers or dollop on the top of salads or even sandwiches. Use as you would hummus, because why should chickpeas have all the fun?

Update: I made a huge veggie sandwich using this dip, avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce, it was delicious!

Warm Ginger Curried Lentil Dip

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/19/2014Warm Ginger Curried Lentil Dip
This dreamy lentil dip is spicy and sweet and rich in nutrients like iron and fiber. The spicy curry flavor will have you swooning.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry green lentils (2 cups when cooked)
  • 2 cups water + a pinch of salt (for boiling lentils)
  • 2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 clove raw garlic
  • 2 ½ tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • ⅛ teaspoon fresh black pepper
  • 1 ½ tablespoon tahini
  • ⅓ - ½ cup water (for blending dip)
  • ⅛ teaspoon pink salt + more to taste as desired
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice + pinch of lemon zest
  • ¾ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • a few pinches of smoked spanish paprika
  • optional: 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Rinse the lentils in cool water until the bubbly foam stops appearing. Drain well.
  2. Add the rinsed lentils and 2 cups water plus a pinch of salt to a soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Drain cooked lentils.
  3. Add the 2 cups of cooked lentils, water, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and zest, curry powder, vinegar, maple syrup, ginger and pepper to blender. Blend from low to high until creamy yet still very thick. Add a few more splashes of water (or lemon juice) to thin out further.
  4. Salt to taste and blend. Add more spices or sweetener too if desired. You can also blend in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.
  5. Serve warm with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over top and a few pinches of smoky spanish paprika. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. (Delicious served warm or chilled!)

Yield: about 3 ⅓ cups, 10 servings ⅓ cup per servingPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 45 mins. Total time: 55 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 99
  • Fat: 1.9g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Dietaryfiber: 6.3g

Tags: appetizer,lentils,dip

Fresh Nectarine Summer Custard Pie. Walnut-Oat Crumble. No-Bake.

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This Fresh Nectarine Summer Custard Pie is a no-bake, dairy-free treat that is truly healthy enough to eat any time of day. I should know, as I enjoyed it for breakfast this morning. Plus I am giving away one ticket to an event I am speaking at..

This vegan custard pie is packed with rolled oats, raw walnuts, fresh nectarine slices, cinnamon, lemon and a hint of maple and coconut sugar. Plus the silken tofu custard base lends plenty of protein to go along with the fiber, healthy fats and fresh fruit antioxidants. This summer pie is a guilt-free slice you need to dive into, fork first. Easy to whip up in just a few minutes, chilled in a little over and hour - or your could eat it soft as a pudding parfait if you'd like for less fridge chill time.

No-Bake. The actual pie is no-bake. The granola crust does require a bit of quick baking for the toasting of the granola. BUT if you wanted to keep the oats raw, you totally could! The custard will soak into them and soften them as the pie chills in the fridge. So either way: baking granola or raw granola,: delicious!

This pie is a summertime dream. Light and creamy with rustic oat-y crumble on the bottom and top. When chilled, the pie firms up thanks to the virgin coconut oil blended into the custard. The flavor is subtle and lovely just like the end of summertime should be. The sweet organic nectarines add sassy sweetness to each cinnamon-dusted bite. No-bake and totally dairy-free. You could also use plums, apricots, peaches or even berries to top this pie.

Attention bloggers and blogger-wannabes: ticket giveaway. I will be speaking at Fab Counsel's blogging event Discover. Cultivate. Monetize. October 7th in Santa Monica. If you live near Santa Monica, Cali and would like to enter to win the ticket all you have to do is comment on this post and share this post on at least one social outlet (twitter, Insta, fb, pinterest, etc) - in your comment below say the name of your blog (no linking url's just the name) and also where you shared the post online. TICKET VALUE: $179.00 I will email one winner on August 28th. Winners have 24 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen. Make sure you have email info attached to your commenting account, or on your blog's website.

You can also grab tickets online, the VIP tickets include a closing party where you can mingle with the brands and speakers. I recently did an interview with Mary from Fab Counsel for the event, chatting about how I turned my blog into a book. Watch it here or below (sorry the picture is a bit wonky... it was captured via google hangouts.

Walnut-Oat Crisp Nectarine Custard Pie

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/17/2014Walnut-Oat Crisp Nectarine Custard Pie
This summery dessert is gentle and lightly sweet with whole grain goodness from a walnut-oat granola crumble crust and topping. Easy and healthy, this summer dessert is a dream.

Ingredients

  • 2 white nectarines, peaches or 5 apricots or plums
  • 1 ¼ cups rolled oats
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 12oz. silken tofu, room temperature
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon raw walnuts
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup maple syrup, grade B
  • 2 small lemons or 1 large, juiced (about 4 tablespoon total)

Instructions

  1. Combine the rolled oats, 2 tablespoon virgin coconut oil, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon walnuts and coconut sugar. Stir until well combined. Lay flat on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees, tossing oats every 5 minutes. You want this mixture to be lightly toasted and crisped, the oil and spices absorbed.
  2. When oats are done, spread them on the inside of an 8"-9" pie dish. Flatten with the back of a spoon. Important: Reserve about 2 tablespoon of the oats for topping.
  3. In a blender, blend the silken tofu, ¼ cup coconut oil, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup raw walnuts, 3 tablespoon lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend until silky smooth, about 2 minutes from low to high.
  4. Pour the silken tofu mixture over top the crumble crust.
  5. Slice the nectarines and toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Lay the nectarines over top the custard pie filling in a pretty design, leave the center open and use the remaining crumble oat topping to cover the custard. Add additional cinnamon over top if desired.
  6. Chill for at least an hour. The pie will be very soft to serve, you can serve in wet slices, or serve into parfait cups as a crumble.

Yield: 1 pie, 8 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. Cook time: 01 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 1 hrs. 25 mins. Tags: pie,summer

Calories per slice: 247 (8 slices per pie) - generous slice serving (estimate below..)

4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. Gluten-Free + Vegan Treat.

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These simple 4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies bake up moist and chewy with loads of nutty flavor in each nibble. Pair one warm cookie with a glass of chilled non-dairy milk for a blissful sweet treat experience. Grab the recipe and chat a bit about coconut sugar..

Cookie Time is Any Time. These cookies are so healthy I snack on them at any hour of the day. Cookies like these make great mid-morning snacks, pre-workout perks, afternoon nibbles or pre-bedtime treats. These cookies also make perfect back-to-school lunchbox additions. (Yikes, did I really just say the "S" word already?)

PB&J Option: Add a dollop of your fave jam to the center of each cookie before baking for a PB&J spin on these cookies. I like to use apricot or strawberry jam.

Flour Talk. I boosted the nutrient power of these cookies by using garbanzo bean flour! It has a slightly nutty yet mild flavor and adds some protein and fiber to each cookie. You could also substitute with any of the following, gluten-free status will vary though:

* homemade ground oat flour
* spelt flour
* all purpose flour
* any gluten-free flour blend

The mashed banana boosts the texture a bit and acts as a subtle egg replacer. These are not fluffy cookies, but rather, soft and chewy. I highly advise you stick the dough in the fridge for at least twenty minutes before rolling the dough into balls, since the freshly blended dough is quite soft.

Coconut Sugar. I adore coconut sugar in cookies. It reminds me of traditional brown sugar, but I like it because 1) I know that it is vegan (most brands will even label their bags with a vegan symbol) and 2) the manufacturing process is less harsh on the final product. Here is what DrWeil has to say about coconut sugar:

"Coconut sugar, more accurately coconut palm sugar, is made from sap of the coconut palm that has been extracted and then boiled and dehydrated. It provides the same number of calories and carbohydrates as regular cane sugar (about 15 calories and four grams of carbohydrate per teaspoon) so you wouldn't be gaining any advantage in these respects by making a switch. However, coconut sugar is 70 to 79 percent sucrose and only three percent to nine percent each of fructose and glucose. This is an advantage, because you want to keep your consumption of fructose as low as possible, and cane sugar is 50 percent fructose. Coconut sugar is caramel colored with a taste that is similar to that of brown sugar and can be substituted for cane sugar in most recipes." - DrWeil, Is Coconut Sugar a Healthier Sweetener?

Also a huge bonus is this little tidbit: "The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization named coconut palm sugar the most sustainable sweetener in the world in 2014. The trees use minimal amounts of water and fuel, especially compared to sugar cane production, and produce for about 20 years. It has no artificial ingredients and is not chemically altered in any way." - livestrong, coconut sugar

Lets get to it!

4-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/12/20144-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Chewy and sweet peanut butter cookies that are vegan, gluten-free and sweetened with organic coconut sugar.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chunky peanut butter, salted (organic) -- almond butter can be subbed, softened
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon garbanzo bean flour (or sub with your fave flour)
  • 1 cup organic coconut sugar
  • 1 large ripe banana, mashed
  • optional: ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, vanilla bean or extract to taste (I added ⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean powder)
  • optional: chocolate chips would be a nice add in too!

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet.
  2. Make sure the nut butter is soft and stirred well. Add it to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Fold in the sugar and mashed banana. Add in optional spices.
  4. Lastly, fold in the flour. Once combined, the dough will be on the soft side, kind of like a soft playdoh texture.
  5. You can either glob the dough right onto the baking sheets for oddly shaped cookies, or (advised) place dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to chill. Upon chilling the dough, you can roll it into balls and use a fork to create nice patted down patterns on top.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool. Serve warm or place in fridge to chill. Delicious served cool or warm. Eat in the next few days, or freeze.

Yield: 14 cookiesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 25 mins.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 205
  • Fat: 10
  • Totalcarbs: 24
  • Protein: 8
  • Dietaryfiber: 3
  • Iron: 13%
  • Serving size: 49g

Tags: cookies,dessert,peanut butter,vegan,glutenfree

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake. Fast. Easy. Lemon-y. Cheezy.

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My fast and easy Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake has accents of lemon, pepper and is loaded with dairy-free cheezy flavor. Dairy free Alfredo, put it on your menu this week!..

This creamy-rich, velvet-y texture is made possible by blending soaked raw cashews.

Speedy Recipe! You can easily get away with soaking your cashews in hot water for a few hours (as opposed to having to do 8 hours or overnight as I would normally advise.) The longer you soak cashews the softer they will become, but I did a hot water soak for about 2 ½ hours and this sauce was perfection. A quick two hour soak in hot tap water and you are good to go.

My favorite thing about this dish is the BAKING part. You may be tempted to just toss your vegan Alfredo sauce with some cooked pasta and serve right away (which is, yes, amazing and delicious) but baking the pasta takes it to this comfort food, super rich, soft pasta level that is very cravable. Then to make things extra decadent, I will serve each baked spoonful of pasta with an extra drizzle of leftover Alfredo sauce. Yup. This recipe is all about that sauce!

Note: The photos show the pre-baked pasta. The baked pasta becomes super soft and marinated looking like a casserole, and then I poured extra sauce on to serve. Comfort meal.

For the pasta, you should use either spiral, penne or maybe a tubed pasta. Macaroni or ziti could even work. I used our favorite pasta ever: Kamut Spirals.

Lemons.

Nutritional Yeast.

Cashews.

Black pepper.

Pasta.

This recipe really is a breeze. Serve with a nice hearty side salad and some crusty rolls and dinner is amazing.

Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/11/2014Creamy Vegan Alfredo Pasta Sauce
Just add pasta and bake! This creamy vegan alfredo sauce is rich and lemon-y with black pepper accents. Add your favorite spiral or penne pasta, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes and serve warm with extra sauce on top. This recipe will sauce about 5-6 servings of pasta, with some leftover for topping. (Add sauce amount to taste, as more sauce will mean creamier, richer pasta.)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups soaked raw cashews (soaked for at least two hours in salted hot water)
  • 1 large or 2 small lemons, juiced
  • ⅛ teaspoon lemon zest for sauce + additional zest for garnish
  • 1 cup almond or non-dairy milk, original or plain flavor
  • 2 tablespoon white or sweet miso paste
  • ⅓ cup nutritional yeast (or more if you'd like)
  • ⅛ teaspoon fresh black pepper + more to serve
  • optional: a few spoonfuls of the warm pasta water to thin out sauce as desired

Instructions

  1. You will want to pre-soak your raw cashews. You can quick soak in salted HOT water for at least two hours. The longer you soak, the better, but two hours will be sufficient.
  2. Add the cashews, non-dairy milk, lemon, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon zest and black pepper to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until silky smooth. Add optional pasta water to thin sauce as desired.
  3. Cook pasta and drain. Toss with sauce. I like to add about 2-3 tablespoon sauce for every cup of cooked pasta. But you can add more or less sauce per pasta amount to taste. Toss well. Pour into an oven-safe baking dish and top with some additional lemon zest and black pepper.
  4. Bake pasta in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until tender.
  5. Serve warm with extra sauce drizzled over top. You can also add more lemon zest or pepper just before serving.

Yield: 3 ½ cups saucePrep Time: 02 hrs. 20 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 2 hrs. 35 mins. Tags: cashews,pasta,entree,alfredo sauce,dairyfree,vegetarian,kamut

Delicious Frosty Sweet Green Smoothie. Protein-Infused. VIDEO

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Green smoothies are popular chatter on the wellness blogosphere for very good reason. 1) They are incredibly healthy and brimming with nutrient density. 2) They taste amazing when blended with ingredients you love. Today's recipe, my Thick and Frosty Sweet Green Protein Smoothie, puts a thick and frosty spin on my green smoothie. I add in frozen bananas to chill things down and pack plenty of leafy greens into my blender. In my latest YouTube video, watch me blend up this protein and nutrient-packed shake and then pop into your kitchen and try it for yourself!..

Adored this blend last week..

Green smoothies make me happy.

Kitties make me happy.

The color light aqua makes me happy.

Working hard to make a video to publish to my YouTube channel makes me happy.

(Hearing that you have subscribed to my channel also makes me insanely giddy and motivated to keep filming and experimenting with video.)

Being able to change my profile/bio photos by setting up and coordinating photoshoots myself, in my living room, with my kitties stepping in, makes me pretty happy.

Sipping and sipping and sipping an amazing sweet green, frosty-thick green smoothie makes me happy and satisfied.

So today I am sharing these little joys with you.

Green smoothie preppin' - just five steps, so it doesn't take long at all.

If you can't GIF yourself, who can you GIF?

Frosty Sweet Green Smoothie

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/10/2014Frosty Sweet Green Smoothie
This thick and frosty smoothie is sweet and delicious. So delicious you might forget how good it is for you! Rich in fiber, protein, magnesium, vitamins and leafy green goodness.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 apple, chopped
  • 2 bananas, frozen
  • 2 giant handfuls of chard (or spinach or kale)
  • handful of pumpkin seeds (salted + raw + sprouted)
  • optional: scoop of vegan protein powder, vanilla or plain

Instructions

  1. Prep ingredients by washing and drying the chard, chopping the apple and freezing a few bananas.
  2. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend from low to high until frosty and smooth. Tip: For an even thicker blend, only add ½ cup non-dairy milk OR add another frozen banana or another frozen fruit like mango or frozen melon cubes.

Yield: 1-2 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Total time: 5 mins. Tags: smoothie,green smoothie,dairyfree,vegan,beverage,drink,smoothie,protein

Raspberry-Mint Lemonade Fruit Salad + Avocado. For Brunching.

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My Raspberry-Mint Lemonade Fruit Salad with buttery avocados, perky lemon juice and crunchy walnuts is bursting with sunny-sweet flavor. This is not a shy and quiet fruit salad. It is packed with bold flavor that will leave you coming back for seconds. This fruit salad is boosted with savory accents that give it a wide variety of wellness benefits.

Raspberries are of course in the berry family - and we should all be eating more berries for their fiber, antioxidants like vitamins C and E, manganese, copper, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium and wellness enhancing properties from their unique berry phytochemicals. Berries are hydrating and satisfying since they contain a good amount of fiber. Also in this salad: healthy fats galore from the avocado and walnuts. And to add even more vitamin C, I've added in plenty of lemon juice. The sweetness of the berries combined with the lemon really does make this salad taste like raspberry-mint lemonade! Serve this fruit salad at your next beautiful brunch feast..

Why choose organic raspberries? Well there is this : "Recent research on organic raspberries has now shown organic raspberries to be significantly higher in total antioxidant capacity than non-organic raspberries." - whfoods.com

And their possible anti-cancer effects: "Anti-cancer benefits of raspberries have long been attributed to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients." - whfoods.com

One of my favorite smoothies from my book 365 Vegan Smoothies: Raspberry Rush! Creaminess meets perky tart-sweet fresh raspberries. Get the recipe in my book. Or head over to the MyDairyFreeGlutenFreeLife blog to enter a book giveaway!

Also, check out my interview with Fitbe.com! I chat vegan living, recipes, food faves and how vegans are very much not annoying.

Raspberry Mint Lemonade Fruit Salad

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/08/2014Raspberry Mint Lemonade Fruit Salad
This refreshing fruit salad tastes like raspberry mint lemonade with accents of healthy fat avocado and walnuts.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh organic raspberries
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • ⅓ cup raw walnuts, chopped
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • ⅛ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B
  • optional: pinch of cayenne and/or sea salt

Instructions

  1. Add add the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Toss well. Serve right away or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Raspberries will soften greatly after tossing, so this salad is best served in a few hours after making it.

Yield: 5 cupsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 10 mins. Tags: fruit salad,fruit,raspberries,lemons,mint,brunch,breakfast

Mint Chocolate Chip Blender Ice Cream, made with Fresh Mint.

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So I had this giant bag of fresh mint. Fresh, amazing, fragrant, bright green mint. Now what to do with it all? Do I make mojitos? Or maybe my favorite summer Watermelon "Tofu Feta" Mint Salad? Or maybe some mint-lemon iced tea or spa water in a giant pitcher? Try fresh mint in my fave minty cookies? Or these fun cucumber-mint tea sandwiches? Or make a favorite fruit salad: avocado, strawberry, lemon and mint? Yes, lets stay seasonal. I mean, it is too hot out for minty-cocoa. So something cool...

Minty Decisions. I stood in my kitchen inhaling the blooming aroma of the fresh and cool mint, debating what to do. As per usual, I decided to let my pantry and fridge make the decision for me. What else did I have on hand?? Aha! Fresh berries, loads of them, and a nicely chilled can of coconut milk, frozen bananas (always) and a fresh bag of vegan chocolate chips. Ding ding ding! We have two winners + some blender ice cream tips...

Here is what I decided on. Recipe number one was a yummy summer berry fruit salad that I will be sharing in a few days. But first, I decided to take a chance at making my favorite creamy mint chocolate chip vegan ice cream, but instead of peppermint extract, I would use loads of fresh mint for the minty flavor and mild green color. Would this work? Why yes it did! Pastel green color, creamy texture and a dairy-free status. This recipe has a very mellow sweetness that lets the fresh mint flavor shine through.

Grab some fresh mint from the store (or your garden .. lucky you), pull out your favorite dark chocolate chips and chill a can of coconut milk. We are making blender ice cream today!..

This is what Sochi feels like when he smells fresh mint. Cool. Relaxed. Drama-kitty.

Did I mention that this ice cream is super creamy-amazing?..

(I am) Bananas for Bananas. I adore banana blender ice cream. It is a go-to recipe for me at all hours of the day. I always have bananas in my freezer, and I mean always. They are a staple in my kitchen and I use them most every single day.

Peel the Love. If you are a banana fan like me, you may want to check out Dole's Peel the Love website and summer Cabana Tour, going on now. Check out my post here for details. Or head on over to Peel the Love for all the info and some fun recipes, banana inspiration and fun.

Remaining Peel the Love tour dates:
August 7-10: San Francisco, CA
August 11-15: Sacramento, CA
August 14-16: St. Louis, MO
August 17-18: Reno, NV
August 22-25: Portland, OR
August 21-24: Des Moines, IA
August 29 – September 1: Seattle, WA
August 29 – September 1: Minneapolis, MN

The website looks like this, super fun..

What is it? Organized by DOLE® Bananas and co-sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze® Almondmilk,the two caravans are stopping at supermarkets, special events and other local venues to help you get banana inspired! Fun, whimsy and creativity galore.

Tips for Fresh Mint Ice Cream.

* Blend very well. You want the mint to be in tiny little specks, kind of how vanilla bean specks end up in real vanilla bean ice cream.
* About Those Bananas. Make sure you freezer them when they are very ripe. Black-spotted. That means they will be sweeter and creamier.
* Coconut Milk! Instead of using basic non-dairy milk (like soy or almond) as the liquid base, switch over to chilled coconut cream. Coconut cream is the "white stuff" that forms when you chill a can of coconut milk. Only use the cream part of the can for super rich, fluffy, amazing vegan ice cream.
* Let it thaw! Let it Thaw! ..sung to the tune of Let it Go. That will help you remember a very important point when serving homemade coconut milk ice cream. Let it thaw. It will be rock hard just out of the freezer (if it chills too long) but give it a good 10-20 minutes and it will be perfectly cool, scoopable and creamy, melty bliss. So... "Let it thaw!..."
* Guar Gum. Guar gum is totally, completely, 100% optional. BUT it does add a fluffiness that is quite appealing. If you check out the labels of most store-bought vegan and traditional ice creams, they use guar gum. It binds the ingredients a bit, adds some oomph, and thickens the creaminess. I add a very small amount, about ¼ teaspoon for today's recipe.
* Chilled container! Be sure to chill your ice cream freezing container ahead of time. This will help the ice cream mixture chill faster and have less iciness, more creaminess. I use either a stainless steel container, bread loaf pan or glass dishes.
* Eat Soon. The fresh blender ice cream is best served the day you make it. The fresher the better for all things, including ice cream.
* Sweeteners? You can use 100% frozen bananas to sweeten your ice cream, or use the splash of maple or agave syrup like in the recipe. I add a pinch of salt to enhance the natural sweetness of the ice cream.
* Vanilla Bean. I think this ice cream tastes amazing with a hint of vanilla bean.
* Secret Add-In. A secret for making blender ice cream frosty-amazing and lightened up: frozen watermelon cubes. Add a few to the blend.
* More minty? If you like really strong mint flavor, you may want to add more fresh mint than I did. Or if you want to combine the subtle-ness of fresh mint with the boldness of peppermint extract, go for it, just a drop or two should do it.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Blender Ice Cream

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/07/2014Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Blender Ice Cream
This cool and creamy blender ice cream uses fresh mint, dark chocolate chips, coconut milk cream and frozen bananas. Summer dessert to crave. This recipe has a very mellow sweetness that lets the fresh mint flavor shine through.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 can chilled full fat coconut milk, white cream only
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup, grade B (or agave syrup) -- or add another frozen banana to substitute
  • pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon guar gum (optional)
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or a few drops real vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips (or substitute with raw cacao nibs)
  • Want extra green color? Add 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder or ½ teaspoon spirulina
  • garnish: fresh mint leaves

Instructions

  1. In advance: Chill the coconut milk a day ahead of time. Place your ice cream chilling container in the freezer so that it is chilled when you pour the mixture into it.
  2. Open the can and spoon only the opaque white coconut cream into the blender. Also add the liquid sweetener, guar gum and fresh mint.
  3. Close the lid and blend from low to high until the mint has been blended into very tiny green specks and the coconut cream turns a light green color.
  4. Add in the bananas, vanilla, salt. Blend until the mixture is creamy and thickened from those frozen bananas. Finally, add the chocolate chips to the blender and pulse 2-3 times or more depending on if you want your chocolate chips whole or chopped.
  5. Pour the mixture into your chilled ice cream container. Place in the freezer. Check on the ice cream in 20 minutes intervals until it has chilled enough to scoop or serve as frozen soft serve.

Yield: 4 large scoopsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 12 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 35 mins. Total time: 47 mins. Tags: ice cream,blender,mint,bananas,dessert,vegan,coconut milk,chocolate chips

VIDEO. My favorite thing about banana blender ice cream is that you can flavor it in so many ways. In this how-to video I made my favorite red, white and blue banana blender ice cream...

*As a banana-superfan I am happy to note that this post was sponsored by DOLE's Peel the Love Cabana Tour.

Seven Layer Santa Barbara Veggie Sandwich. Picnic.

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Meet my Seven Layer Santa Barbara Veggie Sandwich. This picnic-approved bite is a hearty meal-sized feast that is perfect for lunch or dinner. Pair with some cheezy-lemon spiced roasted potatoes for even more mealtime bliss.

Travel Inspired. Last weekend I visited Santa Barbara with a fun group of girls for a bachelorette party weekend. We danced, sang, drank and basically had the best time ever. And one of the highlights of the trip was wine tasting via a limo. And when one is tasting delicious wines, one needs to eat. Our lunch was prepared by a small sandwich shop called Panino. I had an amazing (veganized) veggie sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes, avocado and layers and layers of other flavorful ingredients. I devoured the delicious dish and was reminded of how AMAZING a basic "veggie" sandwich can be when you add inspiring components. So here is my spin on that delicious picnic lunch I tasted in SB wine country! (And in my next travel post I will share more about my trip and name a few hot spots in Santa Barbara that are not to be missed!) But first, this sandwich!..

This sandwich. Grab the ingredients and go.

walnut loaf from Le Pain Quotidien

And a picnic spot in Santa Barbara wine country as the scene..

Homemade hummus + roasted garlic in extra virgin olive oil:

sweet and spicy mustard:

Serve with potatoes:

Seven Layer Santa Barbara Veggie Sandwich

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/06/2014Seven Layer Santa Barbara Veggie Sandwich
This seven layer sandwich was inspired from a recent trip to Santa Barbara wine country where I feasted on a delicious veggie sandwich for lunch.

Ingredients

  • 4 large slices bakery bread (Le Pain Quotidien's Walnut Loaf used)
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 large roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 teaspoon spicy-sweet mustard
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup loose fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • 2 heaping tablespoon roasted garlic hummus (I added EVOO-soaked roasted garlic to some homemade lemon hummus)
  • ⅓ cup thinly sliced seedless cucumber
  • also: freshly ground black pepper + spritz of lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Using a panini press or a grill pan, toast your bread so that it has grill marks. You can rub some extra virgin olive oil on the outer sides if desired. Set toasted bread on cutting board and begin assembling your sandwiches.
  2. Start on the seven layers! One and two: Spread the garlic hummus on the inside of one slice of bread, and the spicy-sweet mustard on the other slice. Three: Lay the cucumber on top of the hummus. Four: Follow up with the red pepper slices. Five And the basil. Six: Add the tomato. And seven: Press the avocado into the mustard side of the sandwich. Spritz some lemon on the avocado and grind fresh pepper over top (optional). Close carefully, slice and enjoy! These sandwiches make GREAT make-ahead picnic fare. I actually placed these back in the fridge for a few hours before we ate them for dinner and they were still delicious.

Yield: 2 sandwichesPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 15 mins. Tags: sandwich,easy,lunch,dinner,veggies,entree,santa barbara,hummus

That Time I Met Grumpy Cat.

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This is just too much fun not to share with you guys. As a kitty fan, Twitter user and basic huge fan of pop culture, I obviously have a huge crush on the one and only fluffy sweet thing, miss Grumpy Cat. So when an email popped in my Inbox saying that she was making a tiny book tour appearance in my neck of the woods, at Kitson Santa Monica, I simply had to pop over and say hi...

Fun Fact: Grumpy Cat has a real name, it is Tardar Sauce! Yup.

Santa Monica. It was nearing sunset, on a busy Monday. I waited in a very long line with my wristband, but it was all worth it to see GC in person, er, in kitten.

Even if she was sleeping for most of the visitors.. sleeper..

still sleeping..

And then her eyes popped open! I like to think just for me.

The Meeting. I snagged a coveted wristband by pre-ordering Grumpy's brand new book, The Grumpy Guide to Life: Observations from Grumpy Cat

Grumpy Cat's book is highly advised. I read the whole thing tonight and giggled the whole way through. Perfect gift for someone you love, grump over or for yourself!

snapshot from the pages of my copy of Grumpy's new book..

So I waltzed over to Kitson, perched myself in the long, winding line at Santa Monica Place and awaited my turn.

It was mind-boggling to see hoards of people show up for one little kitty cat. (Kitson said they expected to allow 1000 people through to meet GC).

There was a woman wearing cat ears and a Grumpy Cat T-shirt that exited the store early on after meeting GC. She was fanning herself with the book with a giddy excited smile on her face, muttering "omg omg omg" to her friend. Then there was a girl wearing a full on GC dress. A girl wearing Grumpy Cat print leggings. And many teen girls wearing cat ears. There were a few older folks clutching books in their arms. A press crew of some sort interviewing people in line, asking them to make their best grumpy face. And overall the Grumpy Cat fans in line looked more giddy than grumpy. I guess we all left the un-cheer and grumpiness up to the queen of grump herself.

And yes, Grumpy Cat is a "she" even though I heard several people say "he." I restrained myself from correcting them all.

About half-way through the 90 minute line wait, we noticed people exiting saying "she was sleeping." As if they were sad that she wasn't running about the Kitson store spreading grumpiness and prancing her paws in a grumpy frolic. As if they were surprised Grumpy Cat was grumpy. How ironic.

And lets not forget that this is a kitty cat folks. If you own a cat, you know that they basically do four things in life, sleep, eat, bathroom and play. And the sleep part of that pie chart is giant.

As I entered the space of the store where GC was sitting in her little sky blue cat bed, to match her piercing blue eyes, I was told three rules:

1. No touching or petting Grumpy.
2. No flash photography, turn your cell flash off.
3. You get one photo per person per wristband. That's it. One shot at this guys.

The woman taking the photos was fast. Grab cell, head up to Grumpy Cat and pose. Literally each person had about 5-9 seconds of glory with the famous, superstar furball.

I prepped my phone and waltzed up to the throne. Observation #1: Grumpy Cat is TINY. She is a dwarf cat, but that doesn't even describe it. She is like a little bunny rabbit. Observation #2: Soft fuzzy fur. Bunny fur. It was incredibly hard not to give her a snuggle. Observation #3: Grumpy Cat may be grumpy, but she was making everyone quite giddy with happiness. Sorry Grumpy.

Observation #4: Yup, she was sleeping. Like, head burrowed into the bed, eyes closed, out like a cat, sleeping. And there was nothing any of us could do about that.

My photo op. I leaned into the shot and the fans looking on, still in line, all started to giggle and say "Awwwww!" I guess because suddenly Grumpy's little head lifted and wiggled a bit and her sparkling clear blue eyes opened up. JUST FOR MY PHOTO. But I had no idea. I basically prepared myself for a fuzzy dull photo.

I later looked at my shot and saw that her little eyes were open and sparkling up at my cell phone. Perfect. Success!

Upon exiting the store, I received an ink paw stamp inside my Grumpy Cat's Guide to Life Book. I was on a cloud of happy-grumpy air.

Meet The Real Grumpy Cat: Checked that off my life's to-do list 🙂

Then I Instagrammed. Of course. And tweeted.
And in an hour or so noticed that Grumpy RETWEETED and followed me. I die.

Overall, I was shocked how starstruck I was by a little kittay. 🙂 But I guess she is famous for a reason.

That Grumpy Cat charm and charisma is one in a billion. Purr.

Grab Grumpy Cat's new book! It is super silly and cute and laughter-inducing. And follow her online @RealGrumpyCat

Also, Grumpy Cat's book tour has a few more stops in NYC, Vegas and more. Get the schedule on Grumpy Cat's website.

More About Grumpy Cat from GrumpyCats.com

"Grumpy Cat became an internet sensation after her photo was posted on Reddit on September 22, 2012. It was suggested that the original photo was photoshopped, so we posted a few videos on YouTube. The videos went viral and her popularity has continued to increase!

We aren’t exactly sure about Grumpy Cats breed; but she looks nothing like her mother or father. She looks similar to a Ragdoll or Showshoe; but there have never been any of that breed around the house. Her mom is a calico domestic short hair cat and her father has grey and white stripes. (Though I suppose there could be a different father, promiscuous cats you know…)

Tardar Sauce visites the vet regularly and she has a clean bill of health. Her petite size and famous face is likely due to feline dwarfism and her rear end wobbles a bit when she walks due to this; otherwise she is a perfect little kitty! She is not a munchkin cat and was not bred purposefully from other munchkin cats. (We don’t breed kitty’s and her parents are normal sized domestic short hair cats.)"

Lemon-Pepper Cheezy Crispy Roasted Potatoes

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Cozy. Flavorful. Multi-talented. Easy. This is one of my favorite side dishes. Tiny taters become Lemon-Pepper Cheezy Tiny Crispy Roasted Potatoes in a flash. The flavors are lemon peel, black pepper, cheezy nutritional yeast, rich extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, smoky spanish paprika and some heat from a hint of cayenne. Roasted potatoes are a very fuss-free side dish that pair so well with sandwiches, salads, just about anything really. And the whole house will smell amazing with these little gems roasting in the oven...

Cozy-wozy is how these potatoes make me feel. Comfort food.

Kinda like this kinda cozy..

Yes, this.

Dipping Sauce. Serve with some spicy mustard dipping sauce. Or my fave, a maple-Dijon mustard dip! Add 1 teaspoon maple syrup to 1 tablespoon spicy mustard, and stir until silky.

Leftovers? Leftover roasted potatoes = amazing potato salad! You only need to add some crunchy veggies, maybe some dill or other freshly chopped herbs like flat-leaf parsley, some vegan mayo or plain yogurt or tahini sauce for creaminess and maybe some mustard and sweet maple syrup too. Try this recipe and simply sub with the leftover roasted taters.

The before shot:

Ready to devour!..

Lemon-Pepper Cheezy Crispy Roasted Potatoes

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 08/03/2014Lemon-Pepper Cheezy Crispy Roasted Potatoes
These vegan tiny taters are crispy, coated and lightly spiced with smoky, cheezy, lemon-pepper flavor. Roasted potatoes make a cozy delicious side dish.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups tiny potatoes, quartered (multi-color used)
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast (or more to taste) - aka nooch
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • a few pinches of fresh lemon zest
  • ⅛ teaspoon smoky spanish paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
  • a few slices of the squeezed lemon to roast with the potatoes - lemon peel flavor enhancer (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees and prep the potatoes by dicing.
  2. Add the potatoes and all the ingredients (except the salt and ¼ of the nooch) to a large casserole dish. Stir and toss them very well so that each potato is coated in oil, lemon and spices. Also fold in the optional (squeezed) lemon slices or quarters. Note: Start with ¼ cup nutritional yeast at this point.
  3. Place the dish in the hot oven and roast for 20 minutes at 415 degrees. Check on the potatoes and toss then around, flip them a bit. Add the other ¼ cup of nooch and the salt. Toss well.
  4. Roast for another 10-20 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy on the outside, lightly browned and tender on the inside. Do a taste test and add additional spices/salt/nooch as desired. I like to add an extra spoonful of nooch! Serve warm.

Yield: 4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 40 mins. Total time: 50 mins. Tags: side dish,appetizer,potatoes,cheezy,vegan,lemon-pepper

Thanks for modeling "cozy" for us today, Sochi 🙂 ..

Cool Summer Guacamole with lemon & cucumber. Eat More Guac.

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There are two dishes that I simply must have around in the laid-back, warmed up season of summer: hummus and guacamole. Both of these easy-to-make dishes are diverse in their delicious uses. Both can be used to add flavor and nutrition to salads, sandwiches, toasts or basic snack platters for dipping!

Today I share my favorite trick for lightning up my summertime guacamole. My Cool Summer Guacamole with diced cucumber and lemon adds cool texture and flavor, while easing out the caloric impact of each bite, which basically means I can eat more guac. And that makes me very happy. Get the recipe for my Cool Summer Guacamole!..

Super Cool. Another reason I love this recipe is that by adding chilled cucumbers to your fresh bowl of guacamole, you can actually help keep it cool, helpful if you are serving it on a hot day or outside for a summer picnic or event.

Oh I LOVE guacamole. Give me a few warm corn tortillas and a giant bowl of guac and I am a happy girl. The great thing about guacamole is that it is a satisfying snack or meal component that is rich in healthy fats. But the problem with guacamole as a snack is that it is quite calorie dense, so if you are nibbling through a party or dinner and not watching how much you are consuming, you may accidently notice that you just devoured an entire bowl in a few minutes. So by lightning up a bowl of guac, you can snack longer. Or just lighten up your normal portion size. The flavor and green color is still there.

Cool Summer Guacamole

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 07/31/2014Cool Summer Guacamole
This lightened up and chilled down guacamole is flavorful and zingy, with less calories per scoop, so you can eat more.

Ingredients

  • 2 avocados
  • 2 small lemons, juiced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup diced cucumber (seedless works best - chill cucumber before dicing)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • optional: ¼ cup sweet onion, diced
  • optional: 1 jalapeno, diced (do not add seeds)
  • optional: 2-3 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients (except the cucumber) to a large mixing bowl and toss well until soft and creamy.
  2. Fold in the cucumber so that it is well coated in guacamole. Serve or chill until ready to serve - place lemon slices over top of guacamole if not serving right away, so that the top does not brown.

Yield: 2 cupsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins. Total time: 10 mins. Tags: appetizer,snack,guacamole,avocado,party,cucumber,summer

My First TV Appearance: Smoothies on Connecticut Style

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Sitting at my desk, sipping a morning turmeric-strawberry smoothie, still in my pajamas and surrounded by napping kitty cats, I am reflecting on the busy long weekend I had. It was all a fantastic blur as I packed my Blendtec (and two blender containers!) in my suitcase, darted off to Connecticut via a red eye flight, met up with my sister and her cuties, took a stopover in NYC and had a rushed trip back home. But it was all exhilarating, fun, amazing and totally worth all the planning and travel stress because I was able to complete my very first TV appearance featuring a fun trio of smoothies demo on Connecticut Style, on ABC WTNH Channel 8, New Haven. Check out my whirlwind trip, hear my ten happy things that happened and watch the video as I blend smoothies from my book 365 Vegan Smoothies!

Read all about my smoothie-infused appearance and get the recipes I featured on the show over at Connecticut Style.

My video - aired July 28th on Connecticut Style Channel 8 ABC New Haven, CT!..

Thank you Meghan, she does a great job with the show.

10 Happy Things From My Trip:

1. My Red Eye Flight. Why was it fun? Well I actually slept! I always dread those overnight flights, but thank goodness I got at least a few hours of sleep. But I did still pass out for a long nap once I arrived at my hotel in New Haven.
2. Kids! Being greeted by my sister and her two kids who stayed with me for the long weekend. So joyful to see them!

3. Frolicking around Yale. The campus was right across from my hotel and the TV station. Yale is beautiful, simply gorgeous with its cobblestone buildings, crawling green ivy, slick silver windows and winding outdoor pathways. The kids especially loved the swing.

4. Vegan Food in New Haven. Eating at Claire's CornerCopia restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant right across from the campus. I had a soy chai and a hummus avocado pita - so good! I also shopped for TV show ingredients at the local Co-op market. Great place.

5. PIZZA. Eating at BAR for authentic New Haven pizza. Veganizing the pizza was super easy since a "red pie" with no cheese is already on the menu. I simply added some yummy veggies. They had a lively crowd, excellent salads and friendly service. We put our names on the waitlist and waited 45min for a table, but it was totally worth it.

6. TV Show Fun! It was perfect. I was so stressed out about getting all the stuff to Connecticut and then to the studio, all the logistics, but it worked out fine. And I had so much fun blending up smoothies with the show's beautiful and bubbly host Teresa LaBarbera. And the production team was SO NICE. Everyone I met was amazing. Thank you Meghan for inviting me on the show! And I even was able to coax the weather guy into trying a sip of my green smoothie. He was hesitant but said that he ended up liking it better than the chocolate one. Success!

7. Off to NYC to Celebrate. After the show we decided to drive into NYC to celebrate. We listened and sang to the Frozen soundtrack the whole traffic-y way there. Bliss! Sometimes the journey is half the fun.

8. More NYC. New York City is always fun, but for this trip we strolled through Central Park, listened to outdoor music at Lincoln Center, ate dinner at Rosa Mexicano and ended to night watching a movie, what else with a 5 year old girl .. (more) Frozen!

9. Boating. We also row boated in Central Park - something I had never done.

10. Brunching. Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. To make any amazing weekend complete, a lovely brunch is in order.

11. Bonus one... flying home I was on a four month old American Airline Airbus A321T. It was incredible! I was in coach and wildly impressed. Power outlets at every seat, touchscreens at every seat, comfy seats, free movies (I watched three!) and you should've seen the business and first class. Wow!

So it was an amazing weekend. Now to dream big: does anyone know the booking agent for the Ellen Degeneres Show? 🙂 Blending up smoothies or making anything vegan for Ellen would be Ah-maze-ing. A girl can dream right?

White Peach Salad with Creamy Cashew Carrot-Ginger Dressing

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Vegan White Peach Salad with Carrot Ginger Cashew Dressing
Ginger carrot dressing is one of my all time favorite salad toppers. I love when it is creamy and thick with a spicy-sweet flavor. So when I sliced up a few giant white peaches and was summer salad inspired, I knew I needed a ginger carrot dressing to complete my dish.

This Ginger Carrot Dressing is super rich and creamy from cashews. I also added in a hint of cayenne, turmeric, pepper, apple cider vinegar and optional nutritional yeast if you want a cheezy accent. (Yes, this Ginger-Carrot dressing could totally double as a quirky sweet-and-sassy vegan cheeze sauce if you add some nooch.)

Fresh summer peaches or nectarines are the perfect fruit for this dressing. Craving a heartier entree-approved salad? Add a generous dollop of hummus, some chickpeas, brown rice or even grilled tofu triangles or tempeh skewers! Summertime in a salad..

Vegan White Peach Salad with Carrot Ginger Cashew Dressing

creamy cashew carrot ginger dressing

And some cute..

White Peach Salad with Creamy Cashew Carrot-Ginger Dressing

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 07/28/2014
White Peach Salad with Creamy Cashew Carrot-Ginger Dressing

This white peach salad has a signature creamy cashew carrot ginger dressing on top. Dairy-free and super creamy.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups salad mix or romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 large white peach, diced
  • 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
  • dressing:
  • 1 cup raw cashews (no need to soak)
  • ½ cup carrot juice
  • ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger or ¾ teaspoon ginger powder
  • 2-3 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • optional: 2-3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • optional side: 1 pita pocket, sliced into triangles, toasted

Instructions

  1. Add the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and creamy. To thin out dressing, add more carrot juice. To thicken, add more cashews. Set aside or place in fridge until ready to use. (For cheezy flavor, add the nutritional yeast)
  2. Finely chop your salad greens or lettuce. Place in serving bowls and top with the peaches and cucumber.
  3. Drizzle a generous amount of the carrot ginger dressing over top. Add the pita garnish. Serve!

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Total time: 10 mins.
Tags: salad,dressing,carrot ginger dressing,lunch,peaches,summer

Some kitten views for today..

5-Step Vegan Protein Taco Bowl with Fiesta Rice and Beans.

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My 5-Step Protein-Taco Bowl with Fiesta Rice and Beans is a delicious go-to meal that is exploding with cravable flavors. Creamy vegan refried beans, corn or rice shredded tortillas, fiesta-spiced rice with Southwest style Beyond Meat Vegan Chick'n, avocado and citrus. Tonight's dinner just got easy..

First off, thank you for the amazing response to this post! I am SO happy (most) of you loved it.

Cashew Cheese on top would be extra amazing!..

Beans and Rice. For ultimate ease, use canned refried beans and a boxed fiesta rice kit! I like to use Amy's refried beans. Amy's now uses BPA-lining-free cans, which is great! If you want to make your own rice and beans, you are welcome to - use the recipes at the bottom of the post. PS. Not into Beyond Meat's yummy vegan fake chick'n? Sub with tofu, tempeh, seitan, roasted corn or simply omit.

Five Step Tortilla Vegan Beyond Meat Chick'n + Rice Bowl

Step #1: Add oven-warmed, shredded tortillas to a large mixing bowl. (Rice and corn tortillas used.)

Step #2: Grab the cooked vegan chick'n and rice (recipe below) and pour it into the mixing bowl. Fold well to soften tortillas.

Step #3: Warm beans and add to serving bowl.

Step #4: Add warm rice/tortilla/chick'n mixture to the serving bowl.

Step #5: Add avocado and citrus garnish. Top with spices or black pepper. Serve warm! Add additional tortillas on the side if desired.

Full recipe - see below for rice and bean recipes.

5-Step Protein-Taco Bowl with Fiesta Rice and Beans.

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 07/23/20145-Step Protein-Taco Bowl with Fiesta Rice and Beans.
This easy taco bowl is vegan dinner perfection with rice, beans, avocado and spices.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fiesta rice with vegan chick'n
  • 1 cup vegan refried beans
  • ½ avocado, thinly sliced
  • 2 slices citrus + zest to grate over top rice
  • 1-2 corn or rice tortillas, torn into bits
  • a few pinches of black pepper
  • extra warmed tortillas to serve
  • salsa on the side (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the rice to a large mixing bowl and toss with the tortillas until the warm and soften.
  2. Pour rice mixture into serving bowl. Add the beans too. Top with avocado, pepper, citrus. Serve with salsa and extra tortillas.

Yield: 1 servingPrep Time: 00 hrs. 15 mins. Total time: 15 mins. Tags: vegan,rice,fiesta,mexican,easy, beans,dinner,entree

Easy Vegan Fiesta Rice with Beyond Meat Chick'n

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 07/23/2014Easy Vegan Fiesta Rice with Beyond Meat Chick'n
Easy fiesta rice with spicy-veggie flair and an accent of vegan chick'n.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 ½ cups brown rice
  • 2 tablespoon vegan butter
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoon pico de gallo salsa
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon chipolte or chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • salt to taste, but none should be needed since vegan butter and veggie broth is salted

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients except the chick'n to a medium soup pot, over high heat.
  2. Bring to a bowl then reduce the temperature to low, cover pot with a lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
  3. Fluff rice with a fork and fold in the chopped chick'n. The rice will heat and warm the chick'n perfectly. Pour into a bowl and serve or set aside.

Yield: 4-5 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 30 mins. Total time: 35 mins. Tags: vegan,rice,fiesta,mexican,easy

Easy Vegan Refried Beans

By Kathy PatalskyPublished 07/23/2014Easy Vegan Refried Beans
Easy vegan smashed and baked "refried" beans.

Ingredients

  • 1 can canned pinto beans, drained
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon chili powder
  • salt to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoon lime juice
  • ½ cup sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • ¼ cup vegetable broth or water (add more as needed for texture)
  • Oven toppings: drizzle of ½ teaspoon EVOO or 1 teaspoon dab of vegan butter + ¼ teaspoon lime zest

Instructions

  1. Heat a soup pot, over high heat. Add the vegan butter, garlic, onions and spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add the beans, lime, broth. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and mash the beans with a large fork or potato mashers, while still in the pot, or transfer to a bowl.
  3. Turn heat back on and stir mashed beans, warming over medium heat. Add more broth to taste for desired consistency.
  4. Transfer beans into an oven-safe serving bowl. Drizzle oil or dab butter over top, lime zest on top too. Place in a 400 degree oven and heat for ten minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 3-4 servingsPrep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins. Cook time: 00 hrs. 30 mins. Total time: 35 mins. Tags: beans, vegan

Vegans are Not Annoying: Here are 10 Reasons Why.

by 139 Comments


Traffic jams: annoying. A sudden rain shower when you just left the hair salon and have no umbrella: annoying. Chatty talkers when you are trying to relax at a spa: annoying. The takeout delivery guy forgetting something in your order: annoying. Loving animals, saving the planet, enjoying yummy vegan food: not annoying. Vegans are Not Annoying: Here are 10 Reasons Why.

So, why this post instead of a recipe today? Today I listened to this awesome interview on NPR about how a new breed of boys, including two of my faves, Joshua Katcher and Dominick Thompson, are claiming their masculinity by embracing veganism.

After I listened to the audio, I started reading the webpage comments and was shocked to read such negative replies after such a rockstar, easy-going interview .. and on NPR. I would expect as much on say, BuzzFeed or even YouTube. But NPR? One of the oddest comments was how someone insisted that vegans are annoying. Why? Well his google search suggestions confirmed it for him. Well OK then. I was so mind-boggled that people are STILL so discriminatory towards vegans, calling them (me) annoying, that I decided to comment back here on my blog.

(This seems like such an obvious thing to me, but I guess I live in my happy Los Angeles, vegans-are-super-cool bubble. So for everyone outside the bubble, lets go..)

These are the comments that kinda inspired this... from the NPR article linked above:

Hi, my name is Kathy. I am vegan. And my friends and family will vouch for me, I am not annoying.

Annoying is a tricky word to use to describe an entire group of people. Because "to annoy" someone is really a relative feeling. What annoys me may not annoy you. But without specifics, and without using singular cases or people to describe an entire community (because you find some annoying people in every group) lets take a big picture look at veganism so that I can lay down to truth, hopefully once and for all: on average vegans are not annoying.

But before you delve into this post, maybe check out my 5 reasons for why I am vegan so you can understand the why of this story.

10 Reasons Why Vegans Are Not Annoying

1. We are Nice. Vegans care an extra special amount for animals. They care. They have emotions. They are responsive to the pain of others. Animals and (in most cases I have seen) humans too. So give them a big glossy, sunshine white smile because they will most likely return the grin and give you a friendly nod. Nice people should not annoy you.

2. We Bring You Food. We are often offering to bring you food. Seriously. We will bake you cookies, make you appetizers for parties, share our recipes and make you cupcakes on your birthday that you will swear were "just like your mom used to make." Vegans LOVE to share vegan recipes and so if you want us to make you food, just ask. We know that the BEST form of unobtrusive/non-annoying advertising for the vegan lifestyle is to get people to try the yumminess. Example: My non-vegan friends are always asking me to bring some vegan goodies to parties, both so I will have stuff to eat (just in case) and also so they can try out the food and taste what all the vegan buzz is about. Free food = not annoying.

3. We Were Probably Just Like You. I used to dunk my McDonald's chicken nuggets in barbecue sauce and honey. I used to eat pork chops (well maybe one bite until I cried to my mom). I used to slather A1 sauce on my steak. I used to smother my baked potato in dairy sour cream. I used to break eggs for my omelets and gobble down slices of dairy cheese pizza. I used to be just like you. I respect the old me and the new me. Obviously after living in both worlds, I choose the vegan me. But that also means that I respect you, whatever you eat. I know that non-vegans can take 180 turns and suddenly want to go vegan. I know that your view of food can change in an instant or morph slowly over time. I know all this. I was you. Now I am me. So just remember, when you think I do not know "how amazing!!" bacon tastes. I do. And I do not miss it for even a second.

4. We are Cool. I hate to have to go here, but it is true. Veganism is trendy. And in the superficial part of life, being on top of trends and knowing what is "hot" can help with your coolness appeal. And in case you have missed the boat, a giant, huge amount of "cool" celebrities and people are either going vegan, trying vegan, secretly leaning towards "vegan-ish" or are 100% waving their vegan flag. Warning, name dropping alert here. For starters, JLo recently went plant-based. No matter what her reasons, she did it. And looks amazing. Same for vegan-ish Beyonce and JayZ. More dedicated plant-based eaters include James Cameron, Toby Maguire, the coolest girl in school a la Clueless fame Alicia Silverstone, Ireland Baldwin (she was trying to be vegan and follows FindingVegan.com on Twitter), Carrie Underwood, Ellen Degeneres, Jared Leto, Rooney Mara, Moby, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Bill Clinton = veganish (as are many celebs) and more and more and more. Coolness smashes annoyingness in the social game of life. If you are standing next to Jared Leto and Carrie Underwood at a party and thinking "OMG these two! How annoying." You best be re-evaluating life.

5. We Get It. Lets get real folks. You know what? We get it. You like to eat meat and eggs and cheese. That is fine. I actually do respect that and I do not think I am better than you. I understand that being 100% vegan is not for everyone. Yes, most vegans totally wish with our shiny pink hearts that everyone was vegan, but we know that is not the case. Most of us love you just the way you are and will not judge you for your meat-eating ways. Though, when asked, we will go into long rants and lengthy explanations as to why we think you should at least try veganism, or eat more vegan versions of your favorite meals. But again, WE GET IT, most of us do not rant unless specifically asked. Do not ask and expect us to be shy. We get the differences between you and me and we respect them.

6. We Have Non-Vegan Friends and Family. No, vegans are not born in a vegan bubble. Most vegans I know nowadays were brought up in non-vegan households with meat eating parents and siblings and hang around plenty of non-vegan friends. We are not in our own little vegan worlds, Although yes we are a very friendly bunch so we make vegan friends easily, and love swapping salad and vegan cupcake recipes with our vegan buddies. But I love my non-vegan friends and family just as much as my vegan friends and family. No bubbles here, we live in the same world, and deal with the same annoying sh*t in life. We are actually on the same team. The team of life. Lets share in life's REAL annoyances together.

7. We are Actually Really Amazing at Restaurants. If you think "you cannot take vegans anywhere," think again. I am actually a freaking PRO at dining out at ANY restaurant. I have ordered vegan meals at steak houses. I can veganize menu items in a flash, like a swift unicorn. I know every specific question to ask the waiter to make sure my order is plant-based, and I do it all with a quiet voice that I promise you won't even be able to hear on the other side of the table. I am basically just like someone with a food allergy, or gluten intolerance. I take a bit more love and care, but after the ordering is done I am just like you. And no, you do not even have to ever ask me this question: "Did you find something you can eat??" Yes, yes I did. And if the restaurant is not easy to customize, I will be happy with whatever I eat because you know us vegans, we are a happy bunch. And I can totally make myself something amazing when I get home. I chose this lifestyle, and eating light at one meal is no big deal to me, I just love hanging out with YOU. And if you are grabbing the bill, guess what, the "veg" option is usually the cheapest thing on the menu. Winner. And ps: There are some mind-blowingly delicious vegan restaurants out there, so take a chance and come dine with me. I'm talking about you, Pure Food & Wine, Real Food Daily, Gracias Madre, Veggie Grill, Native Foods, M Cafe, Blossom, Babycakes, Flore and on and on. So seriously, chill out at the table, I totally have my meal plans covered.

8. We Do Not Shout Things at You. You know those shout-y protesting vegans? I am sorry if they annoy you, but get over it. I know some of them and they are actually really cool people. Like amazing, in fact. I love them for sticking up for animals in a loud way. But I also realize that shouting, no matter what you are protesting, is going to have to possibility of being annoying to some. In the words of Elsa, let it go. There are ALL sorts of shouters and activists out there, many of whom are not vegan. Sometimes people need to scream, even non-vegans, and that's ok. There is all sorts of noise in this world, it shouldn't bother you if you have an inner calm in your soul.

And ps. most vegans are not even the shout-y type. We have strong values for why we do not use animal products, but if you do not want to hear it, most of us will let you chomp on your meat in peace.

And although sometimes all I want to do is shout and scream and cry and SHOUT about how much it saddens me that animals are treated so inhumanely. But I know that once people start shouting, most people stop listening. So when asked, I will carefully, respectfully, passionately discuss with you why veganism is something that I am proud of and adore in my life. But no, I do not shout at you.

9. We Spread the Positive Happiness. As a vegan, I eat amazing food, I feel happy about it and I feel great about the glow I have inside and out. I feel great about saving animals at every meal and embracing compassion. My vegan diet makes me feel amazing. It also makes me feel all glow-y inside. So instead of a grump, with most vegans, you get a cheer-filled person to interact with. I am enthusiastic about the food I eat and overall I am one big positive proton to hang around. Hanging around positive people turns you into a more positive person. And the happy lovefest rolls on and on. (I mean really, most truly annoying people I have met are very grumpy on the inside and share their grumpiness with everyone else.)

10. We Can Take a Punch without Unleashing Drama. Vegans know how to take punches with grace. Go on, insult us. Make fun of our rabbit food diets. Tell us we look like Olive Oil and need to eat some protein, aka a big fat juicy beef burger. Because we all know plants have ZERO protein. (Wait, tempeh has 24g of protein, lentils have 18g per serving??? No way.) Tell us we look anemic. Tell us we are weak and wimpy and in need of nutrition, all while we run marathons, power through our days and explore the big beautiful world in front of us. Tell us that you have no idea where we get our protein, what we eat when we are traveling and how in the world we survive without REAL ice cream, all while we spoon-lick our creamy full-fat coconut milk ice cream. Tell us we are "the vegan" in the room, and greet us with a chuckle by saying, "Oh you are THE VEGAN." Tell us we are SO sad for not being able to eat bacon and hot dogs and cheese. Tell us we really are not helping the world because we feed our cats meat. And that plants have feelings too. And do we know how many bugs are killed in the farming of spinach? Tell us we are annoying. A million times, say it. I promise you, we have heard worse. We have experienced meaner glances and dirtier looks in our days. Whispers and groans, fake smiles and glances. We have heard it all. And beyond. But through it all, through all the bullying and strife we STAY VEGAN. Why in the hell do we do it? Why do we allow ourselves to be bashed so much? We stick it out. Through the punches. Because this vegan thing is pretty darn cool. Pretty darn amazing. And totally life-changing.

If annoying means, proud, happy, blissful, enthusiastic, animal-loving, Earth-loving, people-loving, sharing, food-generous, analytical, empathetic, passionate and understanding ... well maybe you should google "annoying." Wait, I will do it for you..

an·noy [uh-noi] verb
1. to disturb or bother (a person) in a way that displeases, troubles, or slightly irritates.

..So, "annoying" is really all relative, isn't it? What annoys me may not annoy you. So if kind, cool, progressive, animal and Earth lovers annoy you, maybe you should take a look at YOU before judging me.

My bottom line: "There are annoying people out there. And some of those people are vegan. But I do not think it is the vegan part of them that is annoying, more the people part of them." - Me

And if yucky food just annoys you and you think that is what vegans eat, well just take a looksy at my recipe index or FindingVegan.com

Or just gawk at 18 vegan toast recipes, because that really should get your mind off all of this..

photo credit, Kathy at top: my BFF Jen Loo

More Vegan Topics to Browse:

"Cashews Just Want to Have Fun" Cookies. Warm and Chewy!

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Cashew Butter Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies
Vegan cashew cheese and cashew cheesecakes are pretty popular in most vegan-friendly kitchens, but what about the cookie department? Why do almonds and peanuts always get to have all the fun when it comes to nut butter cookies? Well today, the humble cashew gets a shot at delicious glory in the cookie part of your day. Get the recipe for these warm and chewy "Cashews Just Want to Have Fun" Cashew Cookies!...

These lightly spiced Cashew Butter Cookies are dreamy, nut buttery and hinted with vanilla, cinnamon and ginger flavors. A swirl of optional blackstrap molasses adds some complexity and a boost of plant-based iron. Coconut oil adds richness and gluten free ingredients throughout. Let your cashews have some fun in the kitchen today!

It starts with this fresh cashew butter blend..
Fresh Cashew Butter Blend

Cashews Just Want to Have Fun! Cookies..

Cashew Butter Cookies

By Kathy Patalsky
Published 07/18/2014
Cashew Butter Cookies

These cashew cookies taste insanely amazing, and are vegan, gluten-free. Hints of spice and everything delicious. Give cashews a piece of the cookie spotlight!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups raw cashews
  • ½ cup maple syrup, grade B
  • ½ cup virgin coconut oil (softened)
  • 1 cup garbanzo bean flour (or another flour to sub)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses, chilled
  • ¾ teaspoon pink salt
  • 2 tablespoon vegan sugar for coating (optional)
  • 12 cashews, for topping cookies

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
  2. Add the raw cashews, coconut oil and maple syrup to a food processor or blender. I used my Twister jar for the Blendtec. Blend from low to high until smooth, about 2 minutes or so.
  3. Pour the cashew butter mixture into a large mixing bowl, it should be nice and thick, yet silky. Add in the flour, salt and spices. Fold until combined. Lastly, add in the molasses and lightly fold to "swirl" it into the dough. The chilled temperature of the molasses helps to firm up the dough just a bit too. Roll the cookies into balls and roll in a bit of vegan sugar (optional) then place on the baking sheet. Press down on each dough ball with a fork or spoon to flatten a bit. Top each cookie with one raw cashew.
  4. Bake at 390 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool on a baking rack for at least ten minutes before serving. Store in the fridge and warm to room temperature to serve.

Yield: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.
Total time: 25 mins.
Tags: cookies,cashews,vegan,glutenfree,easy,baking,dessert