Hudson's Healthy Pumpkin Snack Stacks

I've made quite a few versions of these little snacks for Hudson, but this time I wrote the recipe down! That's one of my biggest problems.... I make things and never write down the exact measurments of what I put in! I'm getting better though!:) Basically these are and easy go-to snack for your kids that you won't feel guilty giving them. They are sweetened with maple syrup, and only a little, so they won't spike the blood sugar or makes your kids run around like maniacs. White sugar is really really bad for you, so I never use it anymore. It is so processed, and stripped of the minerals that naturally occur in it, your body has to compensate for the missing pieces, so as a result, your blood and bones are leached of very important vitamins and minerals. Not to mention the havoc it wreaks on your body by spiking your blood sugar level, only to send you crashing a short time later and making you feel like garbage! It is also usually processed using bone char from animals, so that is another reason I don't like using it. Better choices for sweetening are brown rice syrup (which you could also use in this recipe), barley malt, maple syrup, applesauce (or other fruit), blackstrap molasses, and agave nectar. Enough talk, let's get to the recipe!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

You will need:

1 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup finely chopped raw walnuts
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together. Once mixed, add the wet ingredients, and combine thoroughly. Drop tablespoon sized spoonfuls onto a baking sheet that is either greased, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet liner. You should get about 20 out of this recipe. Bake for 12- 14 minutes (mine took 13 minutes). They should be lightly browned on the bottom, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet and then transfer to an airtight container. I keep them in the freezer, and pull a few out every couple of days. This way they won't go bad on you!:)

Chocolate Cheesecake ~ Veganized!

Who doesn't like cheesecake?! Well, I'm sure there are a few out there who don't, but this "cheese"cake  is sure to please vegans and non-vegans alike. This also great for people who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy. Enough talking, let's get to the recipe! And no one will ever know that there is tofu in it! Sneaky sneaky! ;)

                             Adapted from The Kind Diet's Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9" spring form pan, or a largish pie plate will do as well
For the crust:
3/4 cup vegan margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1-2 Tablespoons of vegan cane sugar (optional, depending on the sweetness of your graham crumbs)

Combine ingredients and press into the bottom, and slightly up the sides (about 1.5inches) of the baking dish you will be using. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, then let it cool on a baking rack.
Meanwhile, you can make the filling.

Filling:
1 cup of Better Than Cream Cheese (plain, non-hydrogenated version)
1 1/4 cups of medium firm, water packed tofu (about 340 grams)
1 Tablespoon of canola or safflower oil
1/2 cup of vegan cane sugar
1/4 cup rice, soy or almond milk
2 teaspoons Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 squares of unsweetened bakers  dark chocolate, melted (about 56 grams)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

Dark chocolate bar for garnish (use a vegetable peeler to make "curls").

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. You don't want any lumps in your mixture!:) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I'd recommend placing a cookie sheet under the cake as you bake it (the melted margarine leaked out a bit when I used a spring form pan). Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, and then transfer to the fridge and let cool completely. The cheesecake is best if cooled overnight (or 6 hours-ish), because the consistency is much more like cheesecake when it is fully chilled. Top with chocolate garnish and serve!

I will post another picture tomorrow when I serve it and it is cut and has the garnish on it! :)

Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Pumpkin Icing

Recipe courtesy of http://www.littlehouseofveggies.blogspot.com/

So I stumbled across this amazing blog, http://www.littlehouseofveggies.blogspot.com/, and I wanted to share this super amazing cookie recipe with everyone. The cookies are soft, almost like a cake, and the icing adds that little extra something special to them. They are perfect for the holidays, as they have that "holiday" flavor, and no one will even know that they are vegan! Plus, they are super easy to make which is always a bonus! This is the first time that I baked with parchement paper.... and Hello! Where have you been all my life? Definitely easier than oiling and then washing a baking sheet! ;)

What You Need:
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder mixed with 2 Tbsp. milk of choice (i used soymilk)
1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Spiced Pumpkin Icing (recipe follows)

To Make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a standing mixer or using a hand mixer, mix the butter and the sugar until pale in color and slightly whipped. Add the Pumpkin puree, vanilla, and cornstarch and mix to blend well. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix again.  Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, drop by the heaping tablespoon on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for 12-13 minutes. Let cool for 1 min. before removing from the baking sheet. Cool completely before icing cookies.

Spiced Pumpkin Icing:
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter
1 Tbsp Pumpkin puree
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
very generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp. milk alternative (soymilk, almond milk, etc.)

With a whisk beater blend until creamy and mixed well. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill well to help it spread easily.

Only 9 Days Until Christmas!

Wow time sure flies hey? I apologize for not posting any recipes lately.... I just don't feel like eating these days..... everything grosses me out! Even the thought of writing a recipe out is making me feel ill right now... haha. BUT! I will be doing some Christmas baking and making some homemade chocolates, so I will be posting recipes very shortly! My plan is to make sugar cookies, gingerbread, shortbread thumbprint cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip raisin cookies, chocolates filled with a chocolaty hazelnut filling, a orangy filling, and maybe a mocha filling? Haven't quite decided. Do you have any favorite vegan holiday baking recipes? I have made the sugar cookies already, but I have not iced them, so I will post a picture once they are iced! :)
Oh, and I'm going to be making a vegan chocolate cheesecake and a spinach artichoke dip for a potluck on Sunday, so I'll be posting those as well!

A Poem for Hudson

I found this poem online somewhere, but I can't remember where, so I can't take credit for it. I changed a few words to make it more "us" I guess you could say. I really love it though! I hope you enjoy it too:)

You'll never watch an elephant standing on her head
You will see amazing acrobats and painted clowns instead.
You'll never color Easter eggs or eat a "Happy" Meal
Instead you'll give pigs belly rubs - You'll know chickens dream and feel.
The clamor from the ice cream truck won't be music to your ears
You will know your vegan "ice cream" caused no suffering or tears.
You may hear a gentle gobble as you softly stroke a turkey
And give thanks that she's alive as you're eating your Tofurky.
While other kids buy leather shoes and eat at Chuck E. Cheese
You'll be kissing cows and feeding goats and saying "veggies please!"
Being different can be hard I know - This world is often cruel
Maybe you'll be laughed at by the other kids at school.
But compassion is a vital gift that too few share with others
And your heart will not be filled with guilt the way it plagues your mother's.
So don't ever be embarrassed or ashamed because you care
You'll be uniquely beautiful with an empathy that's rare.
And when you see a rescued lamb and touch his thick warm fleece
You'll feel no sadness or remorse - You can look at him in peace.
What took so long for me to learn, I'll start teaching you from birth
And your footprint will be much tinier on this fragile earth

Delicious Leek and Potato Soup!

Now I know the picture doesn't look to great, and it definitely does not do the soup justice, but believe me, this soup is really really good! It's super simple too, which makes it even better!
You will need:

1-2 Tablespoons of oil (canola, safflower or olive will do)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes (mine make 2 cups of stock per cube)
8 cups of water
1 large leek (about 1.5 cups chopped)
8 small potatoes
1/2 a cup of silk coffee creamer (original)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

First you will need to cut your leek into thin rings. Starting from the bottom, cut the bottom off and compost or discard. Then work your way up the leek, cutting rings that are about 1/2 a centimeter or 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry if they are too thick, as the really break apart in the cooking process. Now wash the rings. It is very important to wash them thoroughly as there tends to be a lot of dirt in leeks.
Now heat your oil on medium heat in a large pot. Add the leeks, and allow them to soften, but not brown. Keep and eye on them and stir as needed. While you are doing this, you can wash and chop your potatoes into small cubes. I used new potatoes, so I left the peel on.
Once the leeks have softened, add the water, potatoes, and bouillon cubes to the pot. Bring to a boil on high heat, and then reduce to low/medium and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Take a potato masher, or a hand blender, and mash the contents of the pot. You can leave it at whatever consistency suits you. Now add the silk creamer and the salt and pepper. You can add more or less salt and pepper to taste of course! Let simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

My Question to You

Yesterday I was on Facebook, and came across a post where someone was asking where the best place to buy Ugg boots was. I had recently been reading that apparently it takes 8 sheep (wool and skin) to make one pair of Ugg boots. So I commented on her post and let her know this, and that there are many fake versions of these boot on the market that are cruelty free. Sometimes people are not aware of the cruelty that goes on for some of their beloved possessions, and when they become aware, they think twice. Unfortunately that wasn't the case with the Ugg boots. She told me "Oh honey, that's where we differ;)". Ok, I tried..... and obviously that wasn't the response I was hoping for, but it raises this question; Why do we choose to buy things that bring harm to another living being, when there are countless other cruelty free options available?  I guess the same question can go for eating meat. Why do we eat meat? Do we eat it because it tastes good? Do we eating it because we just can't live without it? Do we think that we need it to survive? Or do we eat it just because we can? It's actually been proven that humans live a longer, healthier life, with less instance of disease when they choose a plant based diet. So if we know that we can live longer, be healthier, AND be more humane while doing so, why do we still choose to eat meat? Not to mention that eating a plant based diet is far better for the environment. These are my questions to you. I believe that life is precious, life is short, and death is final. So because of this, I choose to try and do my best not to take the lives of other living creatures. What's your take?