Perfect Summer Treat

First of all I cannot start my post for today without saying, Happy Anniversary Ben!! We have officially been married for 4 years!! Happiest years of my life! Okay now that we have the anniversary party down, I want to share the perfect Summer treat! Frozen Brownies!!! My good friend Kasie sent along a recipe from FitSugar for "Raw Vegan Brownies" and I knew I had to try it--and for those of you not on the band wagon with me on the Vegan stuff (ie Ben and everyone else I know) stick with me b/c they are super delicious and do not include any unrecognizeable ingredients! The best part about this recipe is it requires no baking or mixing--well you do use a food processor or blender but thats easy right??!!  So let's not delay the chocolate fix any longer than we have to, Frozen Brownies! (I'm sorry so many of the pictures are upside down! Taking my own photos can be challenging sometimes...)

You know the drill!

 Add 1c of pitted dates (or raisins, or actually, any soft dried fruit...cranberries, cherries etc.)

Add 1/2c Walnuts.....

 and 1/2c almonds (any nut combination will do...)

 1/4c Cocoa Powder

 1Tbs Water

 And whiz it in your food processor or blender until it looks like this!

 Press the mixture like a crust into a baking dish

 Now for the topping mixture...you don't even have to clean out your food processor just empty it into your pan and continue! So add two bananas....

 3 Tbs of Peanut Butter....I used crunchy peanut butter....

 and 1Tbs of either peanut butter or any other "nut" butter you have, I had alittle almond butter so I used that...

 and 4tbs of agave nectar (or honey)

 and a capfull of vanilla (i have no idea what a "capfull" is measurement wise...?)

 and a half cup of cocoa powder

 mix it in the food processor until smoothe....

 smoothe the mixture over the top of the crumbled nut mixture.......

 and place in the freezer for approx 30-40 minutes.....now this is why its Perfect for summer! Who wants hot brownies when you can have frozen!?!

 This is what they look like when they are done yummmmmmmmm.....

 This pic is included so you can see how the layers look .....

 and this is a pic of me stuffing my face (again) with this perfect treat!

Frozen Brownies (as inspired by the recipe on Fit Sugar called "Raw Vegan Brownies")

The Crust

1c pitted dates (or dried fruit)

1/2c walnuts (or any nut)

1/2c almond (or any nut)

1/4c cocoa powder

1tbs water

Whiz all ingredients in the food processor until the mixture is crumbled but not chunky (does that make sense?) Put in a baking dish and push down with your fingers until the "crust" sticks together without breaking.

The Topping

1/2c cocoa powder

2 bananas peeled

1 capful (1/2tsp??) vanilla

4 tbs agave nectar (or honey)

4 tbs of any nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.)

Whiz all ingredients in food processor until completely smoothe, spread over your crust in an even layer and freeze the dish for 30-45 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy . Makes approx 12 Brownies. 



More than One Way Use a Zucchini!

I have the best In-Laws a gal could ask for and lucky for me, my father in-law is also handy! Ben is handy at times, but it is always best to consult Ricky first to make sure his handy-ness will actually be handy instead of making a bigger problem.....Thanks Ricky for helping Ben lay the new Sod in the backyard, and helping Ben detail my car, and all the other amazing things you help Ben and I do! On top of being handy, my in-laws are also growing a garden! They have corn, and tomatoes, jalapenos, and the top grower so far is Zucchini!! I LOVE fresh veggies but I sometimes get in a rut with what to do with zucchini besides roasting it in the oven...and just had another idea, I could make Zucchini bread too be looking for that post soon! Well last night's solution was Zucchini Fritters, delish! It is one of our favorite appetizers to order at Cafe J's, so I thought I might try my hand at making them with the fresh from the garden Zucchini and man oh man they were good! It's exciting now that I am figuring out how to recreate something I have ordered at a restaurant (and cheaper too!) As a side note for those of you who are wondering, Ben takes the bar in exactly FOUR WEEKS from today, time flies when you are having a good time right?!? And by good time I mean, spending the whole summer looking foward to August!  Enjoy!!

Thanks Lea for taking the pictures for me!  Look at that Zucchini grow!!

Minimal Ingredients....obviously you can use an egg if you are so inclined, this recipe will call for one egg or one egg replacer.

I sometimes lose perspective of the title of my blog--so just as a friendly reminder, my kitchen is really small--and yes Ben, I am using a cutting board on the stove--and no Dad/Landlord, I am not complaining about the kitchen, we appreciate it greatly!

Grate 1 1/2 Large Zucchini on a grater.....

Then Grate 1/2 of a white or yellow onion....

Combine the mixture and add salt to help draw out the moisture.....

Drain the zucchini/onion mixture in a colander......

and press with a paper towel......

While the zucchini is soaking.....mix 1/3c of flour to your egg replacer/egg

as well as 1/4c of Italian bread crumbs and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.....

add your drained zucchini/onion mixture.....

and combine the ingredients well......

Preheat your skillet to medium-high heat with 1/4 c of clear colored oil, I used vegetable oil...

and flip when golden brown on the bottom.....about 5-6 minutes....

cook other side for an additional 4 minutes or until nice and crispy....and there you have it! Fresh Zucchini Fritters!



Zucchini Fritters

1 1/2 fresh zucchini grated

1/2 onion grated

1 egg/egg replacer

1/3c flour

1/4c italian bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon of pepper/same for salt

1/4c light colored oil for frying

Combine zucchini and onion and sprinkle with salt. Put mixture in a colander or squeeze through a kitchen towel to get out excess moisture.  In a bowl combine, egg, flour, bread crumbs, and pepper. Once zucchini has drained add to your "bowl mixture" and mix well ( I know thats not very cook-booky language). Preheat your skillet at medium high heat with 1/4c of clear cooking oil.  Add 2tbs full dollops of zucchini mixture to skillet (about six at a time) pressing each one lightly to create more of a flat patty.  Cook on each side until golden brown and serve!

Trying Something New in a Home of Type 'A' Personalities.....

Although I would consider myself an adventurous person when it comes to eating, I would not necessarily use that term to describe me in any other aspect of life.....I don't even like to call the pizza guy because I don't like "unpredictable" conversations....I know, I know....TYPE A (and maybe alittle crazy too)! But when it comes to eating, I can't get enough and I have given everything a try (and never met anything I didn't like--that is until I realized meat was once attatched to a face--my vegetarian beliefs require that I throw that in there :) ) Ben however, is adventurous in the opposite way.  He will try anything in life once, decide out of the blue he is going to stop going to grad school to be a professor (midway through I might add), and instead study for the L-SAT and go to Law School, and he knows he can do it, has total faith in himself and his abilities....but for some reason he is not that way with food. Let me just take you on a little journey.....When Ben and I first started dating (8 years ago, WOW) he had never, and I repeat, NEVER TRIED A PIECE OF LETTUCE! What 18 year old male has never put a piece of lettuce in his mouth? Let me rephrase...what person has the faith and gumption in life to pay his way through school, apply/get into grad school, apply/get into law school but CAAAANNNTTTT eat lettuce?? Say What!?!?! So our adventures together with food have been interesting to say the least and I give Ben MAJOR props, he has come a lonnnng way.  He has tried many varieties of greens, veggies, legumes, fruits and even likes salad now!  This "eating lettuce experiment" convinced him of what I've said all along, you cannot decide you "don't like" something if you have never tried it/don't have any clue what it tastes like (for the record I have tried calling the pizza guy and I didn't like it so I can say with confidence that I "don't like" calling), so now he is usually willing to give most things a try....but when it came to Tofu/Seitan/Tempah....he took one bite and decided it wasn't for him. So trying new and interesting vegan meals is challenging in terms of looking for new, fillilng recipes without meat! So last night I decided to make a twist on Pesto....if it tastes different then it is different right!?!  This recipe calls for cilantro and sun dried tomatoes (and I snuck alittle Nutritional Yeast in there..SHHH!) red onion--kindof a twist on a classic.  The kicker was that Ben actually picked this recipe out of our new cookbook Veganomicon. Now if Ben will pick out a recipe that calls for ingredients like "spinach linguine" then you can try it too folks!  Per usual I don't usually follow recipes, mostly look to them for inspiration and then make my versions of things.  Thanks Veganomicon for providing a change in recipe that even this Type A couple could handle. And with all this change, maybe I will order the take out next time....wait, who are we kidding, no I won't....I digress...ENJOY!
Cilantro Pesto with Spinach Linguine (or if you are watching your calories, Spaghetti Squash) with a side of garlic bread and Polenta.....

 Gather Up the Ingredients...

 The original recipe called for 1cup Cilantro and 2cups Basil....I used about 2 1/2cups Basil to 1 Cup Cilantro....

 2/3 Cups of almonds

 3 Garlic Cloves...

 The Juice of Two Lemons.....

about 1/2Cup Olive Oil

a dash of nutritional Yeast (or parmesean yeah yeah yeah...)

 

 Whiz it in the Food processor until it lookos like this!

 Now for the spaghetti Squash....cut it in half (it can be difficult so use a sharp knife!) and clean out all the seeds....

 Fill a saute pan with about 1 inch of water, place the squash face down.....

 Cover pan with lid and let it steam for approx 10-15 minutes....

I used this time to boil bens "spinach linguine" noodles

and make the extra Oomph (oooo-mm-f) for the pasta......1/2 red onion chopped

 2 cloves of garlic chopped...

 1/4c Sundried tomatoes chopped...

 Let simmer until veggies are soft and then add 2/3 cup of dry white wine or veggie stock....let reduce and simmer until your nooodles are cooked.

Ben was even willing to try Polenta! Polenta is basically just corn meal, we bought the pre-cooked kind.....

that you slice and saute until crispy and browned on both sides...kindof like a cornmeal cake!

we sliced bread too incase Ben did not like the polenta....after he tried it of course!

By this time, your spaghetti squash should be cooked.....use a fork to scrape out your "spahgetti"

should look like this.......

your noodles are cooked too...so add them to your veggie mixture (I reserved some to add to my squash)

Add a large spoonful of your pesto per serving, and VOILA! Spinach Linguine with Cilantro Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes!

Or Spaghetti Squash with Cilantro Pesto and Sun dried Tomatoes.....

We bent the rules and watched the Rangers while we ate.....oh and for the record, Ben loves polenta...try it, maybe you will too!

Cilantro Pesto

2 1/2c Loosely packed Fresh Basil

1c loosely packed fresh Cilantro

2 lemons juiced

3 garlic cloves

2/3c almonds

sprinkle of Nutritional Yeast (or parm)

1/2c olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Whiz all ingedients together in a food processor or blender until smoothe consistency is acheived. Serve over pasta, rice, or even black beans!!

Extra OOmph (oooo-mm-f) to the pasta

1/2 red onion diced

2 cloves garlic diced

1/4c sundried tomatoes diced

1/2 cup dry white wine or stock

Add onion, garlic and sun dried tomatoes to a pan over medium heat with 1tbs olive oil. Let saute until clear and add wine or stock. Let reduce approx 5 minutes. Add pasta to the mixture and Serve. This is very flavorful and could serve as your pasta sauce if you don't have the time/ingredients for the pesto. 

*Side note* You can make pesto with any variety of herbs/nuts that you want, try new and different combinations and find out which ones you love the most! Same with the OOMPH  (oooo-mm-f) sauce, whatever veggies you like, give them a try (mushrooms, squash, fresh tomatoes, asparagus...you get the idea)