Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

I am addicted to Pinterest! 

For those of you who don't know the glorious wonderment that is Pinterest, it is a virtual pin board where you can link to pictures of anything online, or you can take your own pictures and pin them to one of your boards. 

I have pinned tons of recipes I want to try and it is likely I will never get to most of them... 

But here is one I did try!  

Peanut butter chocolate chip hummus, 

courtesy of the Half-Baked Baker.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

• 15 oz chick peas
• 1/4 c peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flax Seeds)
• 1/4 c + 2 T maple syrup (I eyeballed it out of a 1/2 c)
• 1/2 T vanilla (oops, I used 1/2t...I'm sure that extra vanilla would make it even better!)
• 1/4 c chocolate chips (I used vegan carob chips, and more like 1/2 c

1. Put everything but chips in food processor, process until creamy.
2. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Eat directly out of food processor bowl with spoon...or put it in a serving dish with apples, graham crackers, really just anything you can dip...

It is delicious!  Tasted like peanut butter cookie dough.

See, I have photographic evidence!!

cute kiddos enjoying peanut butter chocolate chip hummus!

yum! (and cheese!!!)

  Just trust me on this one, okay?

Purple Potatoes

What do you do with purple potatoes? Make purple potato chips of course! 

I got some purple potatoes at the co-op a few weeks ago and wasn't sure what to do with them. Then I got the inspiration to make purple chips.

purple potato

I sliced the potatoes on the mandolin and tossed then with olive oil, salt, and pepper and baked them at 400F for 40 - 60 minutes, I'm not really sure just how long, I just checked them when I started to smell roasted potato.

  I tried a new pepper, Trader Joe's Flower Pepper!

Trader Joe's Flower Pepper

The Flower Pepper has black peppercorns, lavender, rose petals, calendula, and cornflower. I don't know that I could really taste any difference, but it was pretty fun seasoning the potatoes with flowers.

purple potato chips

They were delicious! 

Why would you ever use regular potatoes again when you could use purple potatoes?

The First Day of the Rest of My Life...and a Yummy Sandwich

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to E. The man who had been the center of my life, my best friend, my everything (as unhealthy as it was) for the better part of the last nine years, left yesterday. He left because he had to get his self healthy, and he just wasn't able to do that here, for whatever reason. It was, and still is painful.

I had to leave first, I had to go to work. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I was crying so hard on the drive into work, I really should not have been driving at all. I was slightly comforted last night when we spoke and I found out that he had the same experience I did. The man who could hardly express emotion, who really didn't know how to express love, told me that when I left he sobbed so hard, he felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest too.

I have to wonder why, if we both feel this way, why did he have to leave? Why isn't loving each other enough? For however much he loves me, he just isn't able to love me the way I need to be loved, and I guess, that is part of what he is going to work on. We don't know if our paths will return us to one another. I have to be realistic and recognize that this is likely the end.

I have absolute faith that the Lord has this one. He has a plan for us and I know that we are both only moving closer to the living in the glory of that plan. If E is not the man I am supposed to end up with, but we keep holding on to each other at whatever degree, where is there room for God to bring me and my future husband together? I guess that is why he had to leave, so there is room in my life for someone new...

I sort of consider today the first day of the rest of my life. I have to figure out how to live without E waiting in the wings. I don't really know what that will look like yet. For now, I will just keep doing all the good things I am doing to get myself healthy. I am still eating vegan and absolutely loving it. I have started making a green smoothie for breakfast everyday which is surprisingly delicious. I highly recommend trying one. I started with spinach, but have since added in kale. I always add a banana and then either an apple, pear, or maybe some frozen berries. Then I mix in chia seeds at the end. I feel so good after drinking it!! I know I am getting my day off on the right start. I also started Couch to 5K, not necessarily because I plan to run a 5K, but because it seems like a good starter plan for getting fit...and I really like the app.

So, what did I have for lunch on the first day of the rest of my life you ask?  Well, a very delicious sandwich with avocado, spinach and falafel. YUM!

avocado, spinach and falafel sandwich

Vegan Again!

Wow.

I really like eating vegan. I now know this for sure.

I just got back from visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Miami... and from a six day break in veganism... and I definitely noticed some differences in how I felt.

My sister and I stopped at the produce co-op this afternoon, and I went a little fruit and veggie crazy. I now have fully restocked my fridge. :)

More on Miami to come... just a quick note to say hello, and reaffirm what a good choice this is for me.

30 Days!!

Well, my 30 days are up! YAY!!

I have come to realize that I am not very good at writing blog posts, consistently at least. If you do the math my 30 days were actually up last week and I have been procrastinating. I'm really not sure why... I don't know if I thought I would have come up with some big huge revelation, something very witty, or deeply profound... I don't know that I have come up with any of those...

Going vegan has actually been very easy for me. Out of any of the "diets" or lifestyle changes I have tried in the past, this is by far the absolute easiest. I finally feel free!  I don't have to worry about what I will eat; I know that I will be eating fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes..no exceptions (at least for now). I don't feel like I have to fight temptation.  I am choosing not to eat certain foods because they contain animal products or by-products and for me that is a lot easier than trying not eating something because of it's points or carbs or whatever else I might be trying to avoid.

I have lost a little over 10 pounds in 30 days, which is pretty good, I think. I did have to acknowledge early on that is was not realistic/healthy to think I could loose 100+ pounds in 30 days (my fantasy) and that my pace is just right for me.

I have noticed other things too, besides just the weight loss.  For one, my hair is a lot healthier.  It feels stronger, thicker, and has a great shine. My nails are stronger, no more splitting at the tips. My skin has a beautiful healthy glow. ...and this may be a little TMI, but I used to wake up in the middle of the night and be gross and sweaty, and that doesn't happen anymore!  YAY!  These are all great things, and I started to notice them even after just the first week!

The absolute best thing that has happened since going vegan is that I have inspired people!  Me.  Inspiring people. Just crazy... I am having people reach out to me...wanting more information on eating vegan, looking for support in making the switch, reconsidering their choices.  This makes me feel so good! Having people tell me I inspire them actually inspires me even more to keep this up. :)

Baked Oatmeal

I am having a love affair with baked oatmeal...

Oatmeal is full of all sorts of good for you things...like fiber and antioxidants...and it helps lower cholesterol and it can boost your immune system too!

For the past few weeks I have been making a batch on the weekend to have for breakfast throughout the week. I like to come up with a different flavor each week...

The first week I made apple cinnamon and walnuts oatmeal. It was good...but the apples didn't really cook down as much as I was hoping.
They just sort of dehydrated and really held onto their shape. I used Golden Delicious apples, which I already had in the fridge, but in the future I may use a different variety, and maybe cook them first with a little cinnamon and sugar before adding to the oatmeal.

apple cinnamon walnut baked oatmeal

Last week I made a chocolate, peanut butter and banana baked oatmeal. This one...while still tasty...just not as good. I think the bananas gave it a little bit of a gummy texture, and even though these aren't meant to be very sweet, I think this one could have benefited from a little extra agave.  No picture here...(chocolate baked oatmeal is not photogenic)

Then...yesterday I made the most ridiculously delicious one yet...

cranberry orange baked oatmeal!  

YUM!! 

The inspiration for this baked oatmeal was the most ridiculously delicious cookie ever...which I created this past Christmas. The cookie is pomegranate infused craisins, orange zest, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts. 

most ridiculously delicious cookie ever (not vegan)

So...for the baked oatmeal I used the same pomegranate infused craisins, orange zest, and pecans (cheaper than macadamia nuts, and I already had some).

..no white chocolate chips in this version.

cranberry orange and pecan baked oatmeal

This tasted so amazing!  All the flavors went together perfectly...I really like the orange/cranberry combination, and the pecans added the perfect crunch. 

The best part was sprinkle of brown sugar I put on top.  It didn't dissolve all the way when I first baked the oatmeal, but when I reheated it this morning, the sugar crystals melted into a sort of glaze on the top and added little extra delicious sweet spots.

Here is my basic baked oatmeal recipe:

Baked Oatmeal

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 2t baking powder
• 2t vanilla
• 1 c almond or soy milk
• 3/4 c ground flax
• 1/2 - 3/4 c agave nectar (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it)
• salt
• whatever other yummy things you would like to add

1. Mix the oats, baking powder, salt. 
2. Combine the milk with the ground flax, let sit for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will get thick and gelatinous and can be used in vegan baking in place of eggs.
3. Add the milk/flax, vanilla, and agave.
4. Add any other mix-ins you would like.  (This is where I added the craisins, pecans, and the zest and juice of three oranges.) 
5. Mix everything together and bake for 25 min at 350F.
   
   
   This sort of bakes like a cake...you know it is done when the toothpick comes out clean!

Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Kale

So, I wanted to test my vegan culinary skills on some other people...

Last Saturday we were celebrating my niece's birthday, this would be the perfect opportunity!

Eme is 3!

I had been playing around with the idea of polenta, topped with roasted mushrooms, something green, and marinara sauce.  I don't exactly know what to call it, except for darn good.  :)

I started with the mushrooms...  

Do you know how to tell a fresh mushroom from a not so fresh mushroom?

            

fresh

not so fresh

On a fresh mushroom the gills on the bottom are closed up nice and tight, 

on an older mushroom...well, not so much...

 I cleaned and quartered button mushrooms, added sliced shallots, and chopped garlic.

Then mixed it all with salt, pepper, olive oil, and sherry.

and roasted them until they looked like this...

I also added some red wine to the pan about 10 minutes before they were done.  

Altogether I roasted the mushrooms for maybe 45 minutes or so.

Then I took the kale...

washed it and tore it into pieces and put it in a large pot with a little garlic, salt, and pepper.

and cooked it down until it reduced in size...by a lot.  :)  

I drizzled a little olive oil on top with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Then I took ready made polenta, basil and garlic flavor...

 

sliced it...

it is fully cooked but I wanted to crisp it up a little, and sprinkle on some sea salt.

Next, I layered on the kale, roasted mushrooms, and topped it all with
Trader Giotto's Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce...

with kale

and roasted mushrooms

and topped with marinara

and just before baking I sprinkled it with nutritional yeast...
(which really is much more tasty that it's name makes it sound)

I baked it for 20 minutes or so at 350F, really just to warm it through.

It turned out like this...

please excuse the yellowish picture...apparently my brother's house is very yellow...  :)

SO YUMMY!!

It turned out great and everyone loved it!  

Well, almost everyone...my dad did not like it, but I would have been surprised if he had.  :)