Easy healthy and delicious snack :)

i just got ingredients for two bowls: one is a really warm wintery one i made a couple weeks ago that i’m going to tweak, it’s got tempeh chickpeas brown rice sweet potatoes and kale <3 and the other is a noodle bowl with shiitake mushrooms, arame seaweed, red bell pepper, carrots and cubed tofu!

hi y’all! i just made these tasty babies for kevin today. he has yet to try them but i think they’re deliiicious! the cupcake recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World; the frosting recipe is my own! a lot of the ingredients Isa’s vegan frosting recipes are harder to find at a regular grocery store so i had to improvise and i think i did a pretty great job! because the cupcakes are sweetened with maple syrup rather than sugar they aren’t very sweet on their own. however the frosting makes up for any sweetness lacking in the cakes!

For the cupcakes you will need:

• 1/2 cup soymilk
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup all natural maple syrup
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (Isa uses maple for part of this but I just used all vanilla)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and vinegar, then let sit for a couple minutes to curdle.

In a medium/larger bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the milk is a bit thicker, mix the maple syrup, brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla in with it.

Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the soy milk/syrup mixture, stirring together until all large lumps are gone.

Pour into lined cupcake tins, filling each paper cup 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-22 minutes. You will be able to tell when they’re done because a toothpick inserted into the cake will come out clean.

Remove cupcakes from pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before frosting. Makes 10-12 cupcakes.

For the frosting you will need:

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance (a vegan alternative to butter, they only had it at my grocery store in the tubs but it works!)
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp maple syurp

Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter until it is fluffy. Then begin adding the sugar about 1/3 cup at a time, stopping between batches to scrape the sides of the bowl to grab any stray sugar. Once the butter and sugar are completely combined and creamed together, add in the vanilla, cinnamon, and syrup and beat with the mixer until fully incorporated. The frosting should still be fluffy and beautiful—you’ll be able to tell when it’s ready. This recipe makes enough to frost two or three batches of cupcakes so save the rest in the fridge.

hi guys! know i haven’t posted in forever…i have been cooking a lot though over winter break! i also got my own recipe journal. ALSO i cooked raw meat for the first time tonight. it was pretty interesting but not really hard. but that’s not what this post is about. i’m here to share my recipe for peanut noodles!

this recipe is based loosely on Ann Gentry’s recipe for Szechuan Noodles with Hot Spicy Peanut Sauce (from her cookbook Vegan Family Meals). i didn’t have all the ingredients for her recipe, plus her recipe makes way too much food, so i made my own up. i really eyeballed the sauce ingredients though so if this doesn’t taste right to you, feel free to adjust the flavors as you see fit (also the sauce tastes MUCH better on the noodles than by itself, so if it still tastes a little off it might just be cause you’re tasting it straight).

For the Sauce:

• About 2 heaping tablespoon smooth all-natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• Juice of 1/4 lime
• 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp of sugar (use agave or honey if you have it-I didn’t)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (be sure to peel it first!)
• 3 cloves minced garlic (I just used two really fat ones)
• 1/4 tsp sriracha asian chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

For the noodles:

• 1/4 box of soba noodles
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• 1/2 package of tempeh cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1/2 regular bok choy (NOT baby) stems and leaves sliced thin horizontally
• chopped peanuts (optional)
• sesame seeds

First, put the tempeh in a bowl with the tamari and let marinate, tossing together about every five minutes or so.

Then prepare the sauce. Just whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt, 2 tsp sesame oil, and noodles. Let the noodles cook for about five minutes until al dente, then drain in a colander. Set aside.

Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a wok or larger skillet. Drain the tempeh of any excess tamari and add to the pan, turning over every minute or two so it browns on all sides. After about 4 minutes add the carrots, then the red pepper about a minute later. After the peppers begin to soften, add the bok choy and saute the tempeh and vegetables together for about 5 minutes so that everything is tender and tempeh continues to brown. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles to the pan and as much sauce is desired (I had about 1/3 left over of my sauce), tossing together to coat the noodles and veggies with the sauce. Top individual portions with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.