Cranberry Almond Granola Cookies

Welcome Virtual Vegan Potluckers!

I am so excited to be participating in the virtual vegan potluck again. This time there are over 100 bloggers from all over the world sharing everything from appetizers to main courses to desserts.

If you've visited my blog before, you know that I'm no stranger to dessert, and so that is what I'm bringing to the pot luck today! Last time I brought a salad, and even though I do love a good salad, in my kitchen cookies totally win every time. Sorry brussels sprouts, I still love you.

Cranberry Almond Granola Cookies

6 Tbsp vegan butter
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C natural granola
1/4 C almonds, chopped
1/4 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Combine butter, sugar, applesauce and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add in the flour and baking soda and mix again. Gently stir in the granola, chopped almonds, and cranberries.
Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool and enjoy!

These cookies were delicious! I was almost out of ideas after all those vegan mofo posts, but I had some granola to use from the last food swap, and these were the perfect thing. I hope you enjoy them!

To see more amazing desserts, go FORWARD to: Balanced Living
To go to the blog before mine, go BACK to: Veganville
Start from the beginning at Vegan Bloggers Unite

Vegan MoFo 2012: Wrap Up

Well, Vegan MoFo is winding down to a close, and I thought It'd be the perfect time to do a wrap up post of all the things I blogged about this month. It was a little crazy, but I'm glad I participated!

1. Philadelphia
2. Maui
3. Paris
4. Denver

1. Caesar Salad Tofu Wraps
2. Alfredo Pasta with Brussels Sprouts
3. Corn Dog Muffins
4. Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

1. Pomegranate Vanilla Limeade
2. Soft Pretzel Bites
3. Vanilla Milkshakes with Hot Fudge Sauce
4. Maple & Sea Salt Popcorn

1. No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
2. Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad
3. Carrot Soup with Garlic Croutons
4. Tofu Scramble Toasts

Flashback 1
Flashback 2
Flashback 3
Flashback 4


I hope you'll check out the posts you may have missed over the month, and stick around for next month! On November 1st I'll be participating in the Virtual Vegan Potluck, and I have some more travel posts and fun recipes planned in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Flashback

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to continue with my Friday tradition of posting an update to my week in photos. It's a little glimpse into my everyday life. Also lots of cat pictures.

1. Salad and Butternut squash soup from Mod Market
2. Minnie lounging 
3. Gearing up for the rainy, snowy season
4. Tote bag from Nooch Vegan Market in Denver
5. Fried Tofu with noodles

Have a great weekend!

Tofu Scramble Toasts

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to dedicate my Thursday posts to recreating my family's favorite recipes - vegan style. My hope is that no one would be able to taste the difference!

Whenever my family would have a free weekend morning, we would whip up a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, usually with some fruit on the side. We'd sit around the table in our PJ's and hang out, in no rush to do anything or go anywhere. I thought that for this addition of "family favorites" I'd take a crack at recreating this scramble + toast breakfast.

Tofu Scramble Toasts
serves 2, adapted from magic jelly

1 block extra firm tofu
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 C almond milk
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder
pinch of chili powder
salt & pepper to taste
toasted bread


Drain the tofu and press if you have the time. Saute the olive oil, onion and pepper in a pan until slightly softened. Crumble in the tofu and stir until it starts looking golden.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the nutritional yeast, flour, almond milk, and spices until smooth.

Lower the heat on the tofu and add the milk mixture to the pan. Gently stir until it thickens and has a creamy consistency.

Enjoy by itself or on top of toasted bread of your choice!

This is a perfect breakfast to make and enjoy on the weekend. If you've been missing your "eggs and toast" type breakfasts, I would definitely give this one a try!

Thanks for stopping by!

Maple & Sea Salt Popcorn

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to dedicate my Wednesday posts to Ladies' Night! You'll find ideas to host a fun movie party complete with drinks and snacks for the perfect girls night in.

For my final ladies' night post (at least for now), I decided to make something no movie is complete without - popcorn! I love popcorn. It's one of my favorite snacks. I bought an air popper a few years ago and I love that thing. I love salty popcorn and sweet kettle corn equally, so I though I'd see what happened when I combined the salty and the sweet together.

Maple & Sea Salt Popcorn
1/2 C unpopped popcorn kernels
1 Tbsp vegan butter
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Sea salt to taste

Pop your popcorn in an air popper, or on the stove. Melt the vegan butter in the microwave, and then whisk in the maple syrup. Pour over the top of the warm popcorn and shake. Add sea salt to taste.

This was amazing! Kind of like eating waffles for a snack or eating popcorn for breakfast. Basically the perfect combination of sweet and salty. I think I have a new favorite popcorn flavor combo! I could barely take these photos because I kept sneaking handfuls. It you are a fan of salty and sweet flavors together I highly recommend this tasty snack for your next party or movie night.

What are your favorite popcorn flavors or toppings?


P.S. Sorry for these less than stellar photos. Other food bloggers - are you having trouble with your photos too now that we are loosing hours of daylight?

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to dedicate my Tuesday posts to easy weeknight recipes. We can't be fancy all the time, so these recipes are quick to put together!

When I first moved out on my own in college, fried rice was one of the meals I made myself most often. It was quick and easy, and it was something I knew how to cook! I have some great memories of making a big pan of fried rice for roommates and for my new boyfriend (now husband). I haven't yet tired of an easy fried rice dinner night.

Vegetable Fried Rice
serves 4-6

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cups rice, cooked
3 Tbsp vegetable broth
3 tsp soy sauce
1 cup frozen peas/carrots

Heat the oils in a large wok. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and onion. Cook a few minutes until softened. Toss in the rice, broth, soy sauce, and frozen vegetables. Heat until the rice is sizzling. Remove from heat and serve.

I used to make fried rice with lots of scrambled egg and only soy sauce, but after I tried this vegetable broth method I will never look back. It was much more moist and flavorful. Feel free to add in whatever vegetables you like or have on hand, and have dinner ready in no time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Travel: Denver

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided It would be fun to dedicate my Monday posts to travel. I love to try out new restaurants and local cuisine whenever I travel to new places, and I also love to plan!

I decided to do a travel post by "visiting" my own home of Denver, Colorado. Denver is actually a very vegan friendly city! I don't live near downtown, so I haven't had a chance to check out of all these places yet. I think it's harder to find the time to go out and explore your own area sometimes because you have all your other usual commitments. I will definitely find time for each of these soon!

City O City
A casual but hip place that serves vegetarian and vegan foods. I highly recommend the City O burger or the Savory Waffle! Everything from their bakery is vegan too.

Udi's Supper Club
The Arvada location of Udi's Cafe has a once a month vegan supper club. It's a set 4 course menu that changes every month. I've been a few times and it's always fantastic!
My posts: here and here.

Sweet Action Ice Cream
A small but super popular ice cream place in the South Broadway neighborhood. They always offer at least 2 vegan ice cream flavors AND have vegan ice cream cookie sandwiches! Awesome.

NOOCH | Vegan Market

Brand new to Denver, Nooch is a small vegan grocery and retail store. They also have to-go foods like wraps, salads, and bakery items. I finally made it downtown to check this place out and it's awesome! I picked up a few things while I was there: local organic ketchup, ranch dressing, homemade bread, rice crackers, chocolate sprinkles and vegan lip balm. If you are in the area, you must check this place out!

Vegan Van
That's right - Denver has a vegan food truck! I can't believe I haven't been able to visit yet!
You can find the van through their website, and currently they at Nooch on Wednesdays and at Sweet Action on Friday nights.

Watercourse Foods
Maybe the most well known vegetarian restaurant in Denver, Watercourse also has a full bakery and always seems to be busy. I hear that their Seitan Buffalo Wings are the best ever. Also, Vegan Milkshakes! 

Linger
A fairly new upscale Denver restaurant that has been getting rave reviews. They offer several vegan options, including pad thai, masala dosa, tamales, and salted butterscotch pudding for dessert. I also hear the bar is covered in lite brites, so clearly I need to go here very soon.

Larimer Square in Downtown Denver

Colorado vegans - I'd LOVE to hear more suggestions in the comments!

Friday Flashback

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to continue with my Friday tradition of posting an update to my week in photos. It's a little glimpse into my everyday life. Also lots of cat pictures.

 

1. Cookie dough from Eat Pastry

2. Green Bean Casserole and BBQ Tofu

3. First snow of the season in Colorado

4. Thai Pizza with Tofu Curry from Mellow Mushroom
5. Roasting some carnival squash

Have a great weekend!

Carrot Soup with Garlic Croutons

As a part of Vegan MoFo I decided to dedicate my Thursday posts to recreating my family's favorite recipes - vegan style. My hope is that no one would be able to taste the difference!

 

I'm so excited to share today's family favorite recipe! This carrot soup cooking on the stove means that fall has arrived. The recipe was from my Mom's father, who is the resident gourmet in the family. It's delicious and creamy, and very easy to make!

I decided to veganize our carrot soup (not too hard actually - just subbing out cream with some almond milk) and it tastes just right! I added some quick homeade croutons on top, since I always love some bread with my soup.

Carrot Soup 
serves 6-8

5 C carrots, chopped
1 C potatoes, chopped
3/4 C onion, chopped
1/2 stick vegan butter
4 C vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 C almond milk

Chop and prep your carrots, potatoes and onions. Melt the vegan butter in a deep pot and saute the vegetables for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add in the vegetable broth, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Cover and lower heat. Gently simmer for 45 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches as needed, and return to the pot.
Stir in 2 C almond milk and heat through. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Garlic Croutons
6-8 slices of sourdough bread
2 Tbsp vegan butter
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Slice the sourdough bread into cubes.

Heat the vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the bread slices and top with some garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Lightly toast until slightly browned on all sides. Remove from heat and add to your soup.

I just love the bright orange color! Even though I made a huge batch and froze some, I know I'll be making this soup again throughout the winter. What is your favorite soup to make this time of year?

 

Thanks for stopping by!