Sweet Potato fries

I absolutely love these fries! I think it is the coconut oil that makes them especially yummy. My 2 year old eats them up. Who knew something so simple could be soooo good?

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 22 min
Oven temp: 400 degrees
Tools: Cutting board, good knife, vegetable peeler, medium bowl or large ziploc bag, parchment paper (optional)

Ingredients:
1 small to medium sweet potato
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions: Peel sweet potato and cut into thin strips (~1/2 in). Add sweet potato to bowl or bag and then add the coconut oil. Mix or shake until sweet potato is thoroughly covered by coconut oil. Place fries in a single layer on baking sheet covered in parchment paper (optional). Bake for 15 minutes and then turn sweet potato fries over. Bake another 7 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Lemon and Ginger Infused Water

Other than my iced kukicha tea, this is my go to drink. This is a nice refreshing beverage that also helps to curb cravings.

Prep time: 5 min
Infuse time: 4 hours
Tools: Large mason jar (quart or larger), good knife, vegetable peeler and a cutting board.

Ingredients:
1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp of ginger
water

Directions: Slice lemon and remove peel* over your mason jar, this way you don't waste any of its juice. Put the lemon in your mason jar. Next cut a piece of ginger off your root, you will need about a 1-2in slice depending on its thickness. Use a vegetable peeler to remove its skin. Slice ginger thinly. Add ginger to your mason jar. Fill mason jar with water. Put the lid on the mason jar and give it a good shake before placing it into the refrigerator. Let it infuse for 4 hours before drinking. I usually let mine do its magic overnight. Once you are half way through drinking your infused water you can fill your mason jar with more water. I do this process twice, any more than that and your water will have little flavor. Your water will last 4 days in the refrigerator.

*You can use the peel of the lemon in the infusing process but you need to remove it after 4 hours or your water will have a bitter taste.

Ratatouille

I am currently following the Eat to Live way of life and this is a go to meal for me.  It makes about 6 servings and is very versatile. I will talk more about its versatility later. Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Tools: Large pot with lid, wooden spoon, cutting board, good knife

Added peas and lentils to my individual serving

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant
2 yellow squash
2 zucchinis
1 red, yellow or green pepper
2- 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes 
1 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp oil of your choosing*
1 tsp thyme
black pepper to taste

Directions: Cut eggplant, squash, zucchinis, pepper and onion into 1/2 inch or 1 inch squares (depending on your preference). Mince the garlic. In large pot add a Tbsp of oil and set stove to medium high. Add your onions and garlic into the pot and let cook for 4 minutes. Stir regularly so they do not burn. No you can add your peppers. Let the peppers cook for about 3 minutes. Now stir in the thyme, black pepper and only one can of diced tomatoes. Stir together until blended. Now add your eggplant, squash and zucchini. Stir everything until blended (I usually use the folding method here, as to not make a mess and have vegetables flying out of the pot). Once everything is blended then blend in your second can of diced tomatoes. Turn stove top down to medium. Add a lid to your pot and let cook for about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Stir occasionally.

*I usually use olive oil but on occasion I will use coconut oil if I want a sweeter effect.

Now about its versatility...

If you follow Eat to Live, like me, you can add 1/2 cup of beans and a tbsp of flax to this meal. I prefer lentils or garbanzo beans. Mostly I use lentils though. I love their flavor!
(I always cook my beans separate. That way I can make sure I am getting the 1/2 cup needed in each serving.)

      If your cooking your lentils separate and want a heartier option, you can cook the lentils
      with a chopped up sweet potato or russet potato and mix that into your ratatouille (if you
      do this, add an additional 1/2 cup water to the lentils when cooking)

You can serve this on a cooked bed of broccoli so that you get more green vegetables into your diet.

After you have cooked the Ratatouille you can turn your serving into a soup by simply adding water. I add peas and broccoli to my Ratatouille when I do this. It makes for a really good soup.

You can add leftover ratatouille into a wrap with hummus and lettuce.

My husband eats his with fried eggs and hot sauce - not so vegan- but he likes it and it saves me from having to cook separate meals.

Easy Vegan Apple Pie

Here is a recipe that I have been using for quite some time now. It is the best apple pie and is always a hit at any event I take it too, especially if there is another vegan in the bunch. It is so easy to make that you might make it a little too much ; )

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Oven Temp: 350
Tools: Medium mixing bowl, a good knife, a spatula, measuring cups and spoons, a pie plate

Ingredients:
2-3 medium apples
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c sugar
1 c flour
3/4 c vegan butter, melted
1/4 c applesauce

Directions: Cut apples into quarters, this makes them easier to core and peel them. Once they are cored and peeled then cut them into 1/4" slices (doesn't have to be that exact, just don't make them too thin). Place apples into bowl or pie plate and add 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Toss/mix the apples so the sugar and cinnamon get evenly distributed over all the apples. Spread out fairly evenly over bottom of pie plate. Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl, mix together all other ingredients. Once mixed, divide mixture into four sections and place each section onto a different area of the apples (dividing mixture makes it easier to spread out over apples). Use a spatula or the back of mixing spoon to evenly spread mixture over the apples.
You can add a few apple slices to the top of the pie for decoration or you can just go ahead and place it in the oven.
Bake for approx. 45 min or until top is starting to brown. Let cool for 10 min before serving. Enjoy!

Note: I use a fuji or honeycrisp apple when I make this. Choose apples with a good mixture of red and green (Braeburn apples are a little too soft to use in this recipe). I chose to use these apples in order to reduce the amount of sugar needed. these apples already have a natural sweetness to them and are not tart. When choosing an applesauce I use a natural, no sugar added option. For butter, I use Earth Balance soy free buttery spread, which most Walmarts and Kroger's carry.

The Sentient Bean

The Sentient Bean

Over Labor Day weekend I went to Savannah with my boyfriend Jack. Savannah is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We took our bikes and rode around all weekend. It is so much more relaxing on a bike than in a car. We hung out in the park, took a tour of the historic district and went on a late night ghost tour to name a few things.

Inside the Sentient Bean

Prior to the trip I planned out meal plans. We brought most of our meals with us so we could picnic wherever we went each day. Of course, the fun of going on a trip is finding places that have vegan menu items. I looked for a place that didn't offer items that I could just go to the grocery store and make at home. The last time I was in Savannah we went to The Distillery and got vegan black bean burgers. They were good but I can make that at home. This time, after reading a ton of reviews, I came across a restaurant called The Sentient Bean. Online it looked like they were a cafe that offered baked goods, which is better than nothing.  Jack and I planned on going there the first day we got there for breakfast.  By the time we got ready and put our bikes on the car it was 10:30. Make some room for getting lost (I was stubborn and didn't use the GPS) and we got there at 11.

Our table number

The place was very cool on the outside. There were benches outside where people and their dogs were hanging out. Large landscapes of beautiful flowers were lining the sidewalk out front. The inside was just as cool. Lots of bright colored walls that were covered with artwork from local artists.
We stood in line planning on ordering a coffee and some king of baked banana loaf or pumpkin loaf. It was Jack who noticed that on the wall to our left were a whole bunch of papers that listed the menu items for the day.  Low and behold there were vegan items on the menu.


 They had a vegan parm and a BBQ tofu wrap. Jack got the parm and I got the BBQ tofu wrap. They gave us a number which was very cool all on its own. We ordered some iced tea out of their large selection of teas and found a table.

The place had free Wi-fi, it seemed all of Savannah had free Wi-fi, so Jack and I planned out where we were going to go for the day. It took about 10-15 minutes to get our meals and let me tell you, they were both fantastic. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who goes to Savannah. Also, while I was there I found out that there is a health food store next door that offers vegan meals as well. They were closed so I can't really tell you anything other than that.  

Pacifica products

These products are vegan and they smell fantastic. They offer candles, perfumes, soaps, lotions, and more.

They have a scent for everyone. They categorize their scents into 4 categories -florals, fruits, herbs and spices, and woods and resins.
My favorite is Hawaiian Ruby Guava. Its fun and tropical.

You can find these products at Whole Foods, some natural food stores, on their website pacificaperfume.com, on amazon.com and sometimes you can even find the products at TJMaxx (at discounted prices, which is nice).

Vegan Banana Almond Milk Ice Cream

I am back. I have been vegan one year and one month and I wont lie, I had a few hiccups in the road.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't stray from being vegan, I just went for the easy way out too many times (vegan processed foods). I am back on course however and want to share some recipes that I have been back piling. Since I haven't posted in awhile I will honor you all with a very easy dessert first. 

Prep time: 1 day

Cook time: 5 minutes

Tools: Ziploc bag, small blender, spoon

Ingredients: 

2 yellow bananas (some brown spots are okay)

~1/4 c almond milk (you can use soy or coconut milk as well)

Directions: One day in advance, peel bananas and place them into a ziploc bag. Then put them into the freezer.  After a day, take the bananas out of the freezer, slice them into quarters -try not to hold them for too long in your hand as they will thaw more quickly- place them into a blender. Add about half the milk. Turn on blender. Continue to add milk -depending on the size of the bananas you may need to add more milk than just 1/4 cup - until the mixture is just thin enough to blend thoroughly in the blender. You want it too be blended well but still the thickness of ice cream.

Notes: I use a Magic Bullet to make this as I find it to be just the right size to blend this to perfection.

It's just that easy! And oh so good!