Pretty-Cheesy

It’s smelling a little funky around here… it must be the cheese!

Let’s face it; cheese is delicious.  No, not the titty-suckling kind of cheese, I’m talking about cheese made exclusively from soybeans, nuts, seeds, and more delicious options!  I can’t even begin to explain to you how many times I have heard people say; “I could never give up my cheese”.  As for us Veteran Vegans, well many of us have been there.  From ooey-gooey grilled sandwiches, to brie covered crackers and the pungent smell and flavour that bleu cheese lends, there’s no end to the diversity.  Thankfully none of us Vegan-folks have to choose between our morals, ethics and empathetic evolution in order to enjoy the taste, texture and overall use of any cheese-centered dishes.  So for this blog post I won't be sharing any of my own creations, but instead gleaning and showing-off the shiny and all-too-delicious sexiness of other's delectable delicacies.  Scroll along and find what you like, as I've detailed which Vegan "Cheeses" are most suitable for different uses.  There really are options for everyone, and every style of food and different "levels" of a Vegan diet.  Try them all or try a few, but you can't go away thinking you don't have tons of options.

Vegan "Cheese" and some other stuff! - the packaged variety

Chocola Tree - Chocola Tree's Website
Try their Vegan Cheese Crumbles which come in Cheddar or Parmesan.  Sprinkle them over popcorn, salads, pasta, tofu, veggies and whatever else you want!  You could eat them out of the jar if you wanted.

Daiya - Daiya's Website *Aubrie's favourite for using on pizzas!

Daiya is the perfect substitute for classics like pizza, lasagna and quesadillas because it melts, stretches
and tastes just like it should.  Whether you suffer from allergies or are committed to a vegan lifestyle, our products are the perfect addition to your favorite dishes.
*Aubrie's Tip: when making pizza, nachos, or almost anything with Daiya, I add a bit of extra oil.  Just a drizzle of your favourite oil over the top of a pizza or nacho's makes it melt and stretch more, and also gives you that full-on fat flavour that you tasted when eating cheese from mammals.

Dr. Cow - Dr. Cow's Website *Aubrie's favourite for "just eating".

They have a variety of different Raw Cheeses.  Here's what they have to say about their "Cashew Nut Cream Cheese": Very fresh, very simple with a creamy texture. Traditional cheese maker style . Serve like cream cheese or sour cream. Try spooning it over freshly cut celery or cucumber. Smeared on sprouted bread or over crackers.

Food for Lovers Vegan Queso - Food for Lovers Website

Choose from their Mild or Original flavours. Our main ingredient is nutritional yeast. It looks a bit like flour but smells like cheese (in a good way). It's completely vegan and packed with Vitamin B. It's been a vegan go-to ingredient probably since the start of vegan cooking. We use this in addition to spices, tomatoes and green chiles to create an incredibly creamy, delightfully spicy dip. You'll understand everything you need to know about TexMex food after your first bite.

Go Veggie! - Go Veggie's! website *Aubrie's favourite for "Parmesan"

They carry Slices, Blocks, Shreds, Cream Cheese Alternative's and Grated Topping's.  Grab one of each to use on different things!  Try the slices in a sandwich, the cream cheese alternative in brownies, and sprinkle the grated topping over salad, popcorn or pasta.
*Aubrie's Tip: to maintain "fully vegan" status, please only buy their "Dairy-Free" products, which do not contain Casein, a milk protein with addictive qualities (and not because it tastes good).

Nacheez - Nacheez's Website *Aubrie's favourite Nacho cheese/dip for chips

Try their Mild, Medium or Spicy flavours.  A delicious dip or sauce to pour over just about anything you want to add a cheesy flavour to.  I love it over nacho's, or I could really just drink it.  Yes, it's that delicious!

Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso - Nacho Mom's Website
A delicious soy-free Queso's for dipping or dripping over nachos!  They have three varieties: Ultimate Vegan Queso, Fire Roasted Queso, and VooDoo Queso.  Grab one of these jars of goodness for the next time you need a little comfort food.

Parma! - Parama's! Website

Sprinkle Parma! (or pour) on popcorn, pizza, pasta, ​soup, and salad.​​ It is also great on sandwiches, ​tortillas, beans, avocado, lightly steamed ​veggies, grains, ​and most savory food.

Parmela - Parmela's Website

Delicious Parmela Parmesan style cheese cups add a rich authentic flavor to your meals.  Using entirely dairy-free ingredients, the nut based cheese undergoes a fermentation and aging process unlocking that rich savory flavor.  Parmela is perfect for a finishing touch sprinkled over your favorite dishes: pastas, stir-fries, salads, and sandwiches.

Road's End Organics Chreese Sauce Mixes - Road's End's Website
Comes in little packes that you mix with water or your preferred non-dairy milks to make sauces.  They offer Alfredo Sauce or Cheddar Sauce.  You can stir these into pasta dishes easily!  Try their Mac 'n Chreese, as well as their gravy.

Ste Martean Vegan Cheese Alternative - Ste Martean's Website 
Makers of Colby, Muenster, Pepper Jack, Olive and Smoked Gouda!  Grate these into a layer dip, slice and spread them into enchilada's, or chow-down on them with crackers and a sip of wine or your favourite spritzer.

And in keeping with a new tradition, I give you a cheesy-unicorn.  I'm not sure I'd want to eat this one, as it looks pretty sharp.  Get it? SHARP! Har-har-har!

Teese - Teese's Website

Teese Vegan Cheese, a 100% dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free alternative to dairy cheese, first launched in 2008. We created a product that tastes, melts, and stretches better than any other dairy-free cheese alternative on the market. Teese can be used just like regular dairy cheese in all of your favorite meals. Perfect for pizzas, mac 'n' cheese, grilled cheese, and nachos.

Toffuti - Toffuti's Website

One of the most popular, old Vegan brands!  They make Better Than Cream Cheese, dairy-free Slices, Sour Supreme, and Ricotta Cheese for your dining pleasures.  They also make Blintzes, icecream sandwiches, icecream cones, fudgecicles and pints of icecream.

Vegan Gourmet - Vegan Gourmet's Website

The makers of the amazingly popular "Vegenaise: better than mayo spread".  For their Cheeses, they make Fiesta, Cheddar and Mozzarella shreds.  Use them like you would any shredded cheese.  They also offer Salad Dressings!

Vegcuisine  - unfortunately they don't have their website up and running, but click HERE for a link to their outrageously tasty-looking Bleu Cheese

Vegcuisine (formerly Sunergia) strives to create innovative, delicious, and nutritious soy foods, and their Organic Soy Bleu 'Cheese' is no exception! Use any way you would use dairy bleu cheese - paired with bread, crackers, or fruit for an appetizer, crumbled into salads, or melted on pasta or other entrees. 

"We can't say it's cheese" spreads from Wayfare - Wayfare's Website *Aubrie's favourite cheesy-spread

There are many things in life that taste good; but few taste great…our cheeses are in the “great” category. It is not easy to recreate the flavor and rich taste of typical cheese, but our customers say we have done it. The good news is that we have done it without the casein, high fats and cholesterol. Ours even melts just like cheese. So next time you are wanting some nachos, mac ’n cheese or a quesadilla, look for WayFare!

They also make Ice Cream, Sour Cream, Pudding, and "Bacony Bits" -- all Vegan and all delicious!

Bon appetit!




Aubrie is an incredibly "Vegan- Cheesy" person. No seriously, it's everywhere I ever go.  It's like The Blob and wants to eat me.

Locavore Vegan Pizza + Homemade Omega-Rich Red Sauce

This pizza and it's unrelenting name, "Lovavore Vegan Pizza" are a mouthful x 1,000!  

It's delicious.  It's nutrient-dense.  It's sustainable.  It's VEGAN!  What more could a girl ask for on a super-warm summer afternoon?  Not a whole lot more.  WAIT.  Ponies!  Ponies would be nice.  Pizza eatin' ponies?  I hope it's got grass on it (not that kind, silly).  

This 'zah is dense enough to satisfy your biggest hunger pangs, but won't leave you with your head hanging like the Queen or King of lethargy. Indeed, it's delicious with it's perfect combination of the bittersweetness of the tomatoes and the creaminess of delicious Hemp Oil, combined with a perfectly browned crust.  Mmmm...  An added bonus is that this pizza is naturally and unwavering with nutrient density!  Packed full of omega's and fresh vegetables you'll find your skin glowing and your smile getting progressively more pretty and bright (not that you needed help, you beautiful person you!).  Basically this means that when you are ready to get movin' again it won't take long to get up to your favourite rate of speed -- which I imagine if you are reading my blog is fairly fast-paced, giggly and maybe a tad impish.  Teehee!

Where I live on little Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest, it is easy-peasy to find seasonal produce almost all year-round.  I often head North from my home-sweet-home to Coupeville where I can stop-by Mile Post 19 Farm and snag 3 pounds of delicious, farm fresh and chemical-free Raspberries for $12.  What a steal!  Even though I have my own small gardens, plus a large conglomeration of fruit trees, such as 4-5 different varieties of apples, pears, plums, peaches, kiwi's, and more; I still love to solicit other farms that grow things I haven't grown this year, or haven't got a clue how to grow in the first place!  My next door neighbours grow their own veggies on their gorgeous 20 acre farm called "SkyRoot Farm", part of which I am lucky enough to be able to let my horses graze on (bless your hearts, SkyRoot folks!).  A short walk and I can get to other farm stands filled with different seasonal produce or flowers.  My favourite stand for the past couple of years is Bur Oak Acres, who's delicious produce I used on the pizza that I'm sharing with you today.  Their farm stand is adorable and comfortable, and often bustling with other local fruit and vegetable lovers like myself.  I could probably survive on their mouthwatering melons alone, although the farmers at B.O.A are smart enough to know that a balanced diet should probably incorporate a few other things too (dang it...)

So without further adieu, I now give you the reason you visited my blog (it wasn't to read my ramblings and partake in my verbose enthusiasm?!); the 'ZAH, or more commonly known as... P-I-Z-Z-A! 

Note: I have broken this recipe up into three parts: the crust, the sauce, and the toppings/cooking.  I find it is easier to read recipes this way.  And if you don't like the recipe... well, have a Unicorn.


What I listened to while I wrote this blog:

Sherlock - SHINee
(click to listen/watch)

Locavore Super Hero Vegan Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza dough - You can make your own, or buy one from the grocery store that is already pre-made.  If you buy premade, I love Essential Baking Co.'s pizza dough, which as an added bonus is a locally made product from Seattle!

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450 fahrenheit.

Oil a pizza pan or cookie sheet with Hemp or other omega-rich (Flax or Chia would work) oil of choice.  Roll pizza dough out to desired thickness and place on baking sheet.  Set aside.

For the Red Sauce:
4 large ripe Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Hemp Oil
1 tablespoon Braggs Amino's or Soy-Sauce (if you're allergic or sensitive to soy, opt for a soy-free sauce or just replace the sauce with a few pinches of salt)

2-3 tablespoons basil, rosemary, thyme, or a combination of the three
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup raw, whole chia seeds

           Directions:

Slice the tomato's into quarters and place in to a blender or food processor.  Add oil, Braggs/soy-sauce/salt, herbs and cayenne.  Blend until desired consistency (I love a few chunks).  Pour into bowl and stir in the chia seeds.  Allow to set until the sauce is a relatively thick, tapioca pudding like consistency (see photo). Now it is time to prepare your toppings.

For the toppings:

1 whole Bellpepper

1/2 large Yellow Onion

1/2 small Eggplant

1 bag of Daiya cheese, or other favourite dairy-free "cheese" (grated)

1 tablespoon Hemp Oil

Salt to taste

Directions: 

Chop all vegetables to desired size.  Set aside.  Once the tomato sauce has thickened; spoon it onto the dough and spread it evenly until it is about 1/2 inch from the edge.  Place veggies onto pizza as you like them, pressing down gently so they are "embedded" in the sauce a bit.  Cover with your dairy-free cheese.  Sprinkle with oil and salt.  Place in oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the pizza is a light golden brown.  

This pizza is a serious NOM-NOM-NOMBOMB, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Namaste! xoxox

Aubrie is an avid food blogger chew-and-swallower.  She loves pizza's of all types, the red sauce being the best part in her opinion.

Two-Cheese Vegan Macaroni Casserole + Ponies

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately...

...explicitly pertaining to my horses and horses in general, plus how and if I want to choose a career path that specifically relates or is the embodiment of the equine world.  There are tremendous options; many of which would be entrepreneurial and some of which I could easily incorporate into a position to be hired as a professional in a specific horse-related field, such as Equine Sciences, Training, Riding Instruction; you get it right?  So many years have been spent cleaning equine manure and being covered in their delicious-smelling filth, and not without substantial rewards!  Never would I be able to attribute more to my life and understanding of life than I could to the horses in my life, they have been a blessing beyond a blessing and I don't see myself ever living without them.

With that said, I have pined over the school Meredith Manor since I was a teenager after my Mother first introduced me to the school, "Meredith Manor, this is Aubrie.  Aubrie, this is Meredith Manor."  It's always been really prohibitive considering it is across the country from my small hometown on little Whidbey Island in Washington state.  Yikes.  It's one of those schools that could make a career with horses over-the-top successful, which just increases the temptation for me to drop literally everything and just go.  Go for 9 months, work hard, come home a changed woman with incredible business sense and riding skills that far surpass what I originally left with, plus so many memories, friends and stories that would carry me through my life.  It could, and would be the ride of my life.  Pun dually intended.

Needless to say I'm still uncertain.  We'll see where I go with this, as I have also wanted to be a competitive Endurance Rider since I was about 19 years old, and I know that my paint horse, Jackolantern Blues (pictured above, clearing that fence with ease!); would be the absolute perfect candidate for Endurance Sports.  His spark, endurance, willingness to jump over just about anything (and he's freakishly good at it!  Hands down one of the easiest horses that I've ever worked with over fences), and desire to GO are all tell-tale signs of a great horse for endurance.  Conformationally speaking I don't worry about much, as he is delightfully proportionate, although his hooves are that of a Halter Horse, so I would certainly invest in couple sets of boots made for Endurance Horses.  My dilemma, if you can even call this a dilemma; is often that I have so many options, and don't give myself a lot of latitude to pursue many of them.  Ahwell, we'll see where it goes...

And last but not least, I now present to you an Aubrie Original recipe (they are all original recipes, lol), my famous (and new) Two-Cheese and Rosemary Vegan Macaroni Casserole, which is also Gluten-Free depending on the noodles that you choose to use.  A casserole is typically served and eaten in it's original dish, but you can eat it any way you like it as not everyone is comfortable sharing the same dishes with other people.  But we're all from the same egg, right?  C'mon, lick eachothers spoons at least!  Maybe get naked while you eat it!  No?  I suppose dropping molten-hot cheese-lava on your naked body would hurt a little bit.  Not a lot, but maybe a little bit.

What I listened to while I wrote this blog:
When Did Your Heart Go Missing? - Rooney
(click to listen/watch)

Two-Cheese and Rosemary Vegan Macaroni Casserole
1 1/2 boxes of elbow pasta (I used a quinoa pasta)
2 Cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
2 different types of Vegan "cheese", or 2 bags of a "Fiesta Blend"
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
2 Tablespoons Rosemary
1 Tablespoon Black or Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Braggs Liquid Amino's

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius.
In a pie or casserole pan, put your 1 1/2 boxes of noodles.  Pour dairy-free milk over noodles, stir; then add in dairy-free cheese(s), coconut oil, pepper, Braggs and mix well..  Sprinkle Nutritional Yeast over the top of the casserole and place into oven.  You'll want to bake this casserole for about 20-30 minutes, checking sporadically to make sure the top isn't burning.  About 10-15 minutes into baking, pull the casserole out of the oven and stir it well, making sure the noodles on top of the casserole don't dry-out.
Serve immediately when done, taking precautions not to burn yourself on the smokin' hot pan!

Enjoy, Vegan Food-Porn Lovers!

Love, Aubrie

Aubrie Rose is an avid food blogger eater.  She likes watching the food network and imagining it all as Vegan deliciousness.  One day...

Vegan Taco's made by Mr. Alex Jeffers (You rock, Alex!) + Chicken Silliness

Oh man, oh MAN o' MAAAAAAAAAAN!

It's been an eternity and a half since I last posted on here.  It looks like I may have gotten pretty wiped out from all of the baking that I did for the Earth Balance contest (which included posting some of the recipes on here), which didn't include the massive amount of Holiday Partying that I did (latke's anyone!?).  Sadly I didn't win anything in any category for the Earth Balance contest - super bummer, yes indeed.  Not even anything in the Gluten-Free category!  HUGETASTIC BUMMEROONI!  Poop.  Yes. POOP!

And now that I have mentioned "poop" in a non-literal form, I shall share with you this blog posts absolutely amazing recipe, however this specific recipe is not my own but a dear friend of mine!  Alex Jeffers, thank-you so very much for your contribution!  You can make me taco's ANY ole' day, I promise I shall stuff my face with them like crazy.  Nom nom nom!

Like usual, I shall share with you the music/music video that I was enjoying while typing this blog post.  I hope you get as big of a kick out of it as I did/still do (the original song that went with this video was "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus.  And before anyone asks, yes it was hard to write a blog with this song playing.  Ell-O'-Ell).  And I must absolutely share a couple of things that Miley and Snoopidy-Doopidy Doggy-Dog sing in this video, because I think they are hysterical, but when Miley sings "I got my Plasma Sword" I damn near pissed myself.  And when Snoopidy-Doopidy started singing about drinking smoothies and industrial windmills, and how we would need to buy two even though he already had one, but hey! he broke the first one!  Basically him singing those things debunked all possible stereotypes I ever could have conjured.  Not that I did, but I sure as heck could have!

What I listened to while I wrote this blog:
Black Umbrella (Not Official) - Miley Cyrus
(Click to watch/listen)

                                                                                    Alex Jeffer's "Off the Hook" Taco's

For the Tortilla's

2 cups Corn Masa 

1.25 cups Warm Water

Black Pepper

Cilantro

Garlic

-Mix together in bowl, let stand for a few minutes, divide into equal sized balls (Depending on how big you want the tortillas to be), place between a hot, damp, folded towel and use a rolling pin (or whatever you can scrounge together) to flatten it. Put in pan with oil for a few minutes on each side until sturdy. 

(Taco Fillings)

Black beans and corn cooked lightly in the pan with cumin & garlic.

Radishes, Sliced

Tomato, Onion, Tomatillo, Cilantro, Bell Pepper mixed in container for salsa

Mashed Avocado 

Sliced Spicy Peppers (Jalapenos, Habeneros, whatever you like!)

Lime wedges

Shredded Cabbage/Carrot Mix

Enjoy!

For those of you that hang around for Aubrie's shenanigans, then stick around a bit longer because that's about what I'm going to do, you know... have shenanigans.  Wasn't "Black Umbrella" enough for you?!  

It gets me laughing every time when Snoop Dogg says "Samurai" randomly, lolololol.  Not to mention when Miley randomly says, "I'm pregnant". HO HO HO!

A lot has been going on, needless to say it often (or always) is.  A great friend of mine, Ms. Charlene and I are now immediate family members as I have adopted her chicken daughters.  Before anyone goes "Aubrie! Don't you have enough responsibilities already?!  What do you need 10 more nonhuman animals for?!" let me be clear that they are rather low maintenance, which is quite nice.  Not to mention they are hysterical!  This morning one of the hens decided to flirt with Jiraiya (the one and only rooster!   And yes, I did name Jiraiya after "The Pervy/Toad Sage, Jiraiya in the Anime, Naruto.  Pictured right, sitting atop his frog friend is a chibi-like version of Jiraiya; and Jiraiya the ROOSTER is quite a lot like the anime character - he's adorable and perverted, protective and feisty, and his feathers remind me of Jiraiya's

"Spike Hair Jutsu" or whatever they call it in English) a little bit (she's never seen a rooster, let alone been cuddly with one).  How'd she go about this?  She opted to put her head under his wing, then when he turned and looked at her as if he were saying; "oh, you like me?!" she ran away!  Then about 10 minutes later I saw and heard him chasing her all over the yard, and she was screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs!  What a tease!  After that I am fully convinced that Charlene took to reading the hens Feminist or Religious novels, if not both.  Why?  Because not only are they liberated women, but they are a bit terrified of penis.  There, I said it.  P-E-N-I-S fear!  Don't worry religious ladies, I know plenty of men that feel the same way you do.  You may want to check the lock on your chastity belt though, it might be getting rusty.....  I'm such a little devil, three-prong tail and all!

All in all, I s'pose that would bring the nonhuman animal family members to a total of 39 family members, not including my Mother.  Lol.  Love you, Mom; even if I know you want to raid my freezer and get my Gardein!

Ahhh, that's a long post... more later!  Have a nice night, y'all!

Love, Aubrie

Aubrie is an avid food blogger  eater.  She enjoys her peppery-creamy Quinoa pasta piled high with Gardein and organic, locally grown spinach.  Sometimes I share with the dogs - it depends on how much they're drooling.

Happy Chanukkah! Vegan Latkes, Organic Gelt, and Dreidle Madness

Shalom!  Mazel Tov!  All that good stuff!

It's the third day of Chanukkah, and thus far I have eaten about 20 latke's and an entire jar of apple sauce.  It's wonderful.  I love it--it's good being Jewish.  Why?  'cause everything tastes much better when I'm Jewish, as opposed to when I'm not Jewish.  Make sense?  It should!  MmmMMMmmmmMMMMmMmm!

I was lucky enough to have found some Organic, Fairly-traded and Vegan Gelt this year.  Whoop whoop!  Want some?  Just visit Mama Ganache's online store.  Get to gettin' while the gettin' is good!  And when you get at gettin', I challenge you to a Du-Du-DUDUDUDUDUEL... with dreidle's.  I am so going to win.  And if I can't win I'll just frustrate you and keep spinning my dreidle off of the table like an adamant, not-happy-when-I-keep-losing 10 year old child.  Heed the warning.  And if you don't know how to play with dreidle's properly (what have you been doing with your life?  Go back to start!), then you can read-up on the basics here.

I'm actually rather exhausted at this moment.  I have officially entered 3 recipes in to the Cupcake Category for Earth Balance's 3rd Annual Holiday Bake-Off, and that $&!# is effin' EX-SAWST-EENG (exhausting. Derp!).  I am hoping to win.  I wanna win.  I am doing visualization exercises, imagining myself having an AMAZING TIME in Las Vegas.  I am so going to win.  And if I don't win the "Grand Prize" I'll at the very least PLACE WELL and get my name out there, which will turn-out to be the best thing.  I can't loose.  There is no such thing!

Without further adieu I now share with you my simple, delicious, and o'course VEGAN latke recipe!  


What I listened to while I wrote this blog:
Shake Your Bon-Bon - Ricky Martin
(click to watch/listen) 

6 ingredient Vegan Latkes
10 large potato's
2 red onions
Sea Salt (I like Celtic Sea Salt), about two dashes
Black Pepper, two dashes
3 tablespoons High-Heat Sunflower Oil
3 tablespoons Millet Flour or Garbanzo Bean Flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 2 stainless steel cookie sheets with oil and set aside.
Grate the potato's and onion in to a bowl.  Add the black pepper, Sea Salt, Oil and Millet or Garbanzo Bean flour.  
Pick-up about 1/2 cup of the Latke mixture and squeeze it tight between your hands, getting out much of the liquid out of the vegetables (and obviously the oil).
Form in to about 3 inch diameter, dome-shaped "balls" and set on to the cookie sheet.
Once you have 1 tray filled, put it in the oven.  They should take about 20-25 minutes to cook completely.
You should get about 12 to 14 Latkes if you follow this recipe exactly.
Top the latkes with Apple Sauce and dairy-free Sour Cream.  



Mazel tov?  Mazel tov!  NUNGIMELHAYSHINNNN!

Love, Aubrie

Aubrie is an avid food blogger.  She lives on a farm, listens to 90's music, and likes to eat Latke's with perfect proportions of Apple Sauce and Sour Cream.

Crazy Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond Buttercream

Another day, another dol-errr, blog post! 


I have been watching Extreme Couponing a couple of days per week (I watch it on-demand on Netflix) and man, has it ever got my antsy to do some couponing of my own!  The hard part about couponing for me is that I eat almost 100% Organic food, and I use only biodegradable, ethically sourced, chemical-free cleaning products.  Well, even though I haven't figured out how to save as much money (or in some cases MAKE money!) as the people on this show save (but I wouldn't eat that so-called "food" any way!) I HAVE learned a few things from them; such as look for sale items in the store, see if the store has a coupon for that item, and then see if they'll allow another coupon to be used with the sale item that they already have a coupon for.  It's also helpful to know ahead of time what items might be on sale.  For example; I took into consideration that it is the Holiday Season and stores put things that are commonly used in Holiday dishes (think chocolate chips, tea, sparkling cider and apples for pie) on sale.  Well, if I can figure out which items are on sale then I search the interweb to see if I can find even a .50 cent coupon -- it adds up!  Collectively between 2 stores I save about $18, AND since I use my own bags at the store I get an additional .10 cents, .05 of which goes to the local Food Bank, so it's a double feel-good whammy!  Yippee!

If you want to start couponing then type in the name of the company that you want a coupon from in to your browser (I like to type something like, "Ecover Printable Coupons") and search around.  It's not always huge savings, but it adds up!  I figured that if I saved $18 every two weeks that I would save $36/month on grocery and household items. Multiply 36 in to 12 (for 12 months in the year) and I would save $432 yearly.  See!  That IS a lot of savings!  And if you can get items on sale AND use a coupon then your pockets will definitely be singing a happy money-saving song.

And now, before I share with you the recipe that you came here for I must, must MUST rave about Daiya's Jalapeno Garlic Havarti wedges. I found them in the dairy/dairy-free section at the grocery store, and even though it was not on sale I snagged myself a package and took it home where I made a Daiya/Tempeh/Baby Spinach sandwich in the cast iron pan.  Delish!  If you haven't yet tried this dairy-free cheese then you're missing out.

Now, on to the recipe!

While I wrote this blog, I listened to:
That's What You Get - Paramore
(click to watch/listen)

Crazy Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes w/ Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream

I love these little cupcakes--and other people do, too!  In fact my friend's, Meredith and Brad love these cupcakes SO MUCH that they hired me to make them 100 of them for their wedding this summer (flowery cupcakes featured below. I stuck Calendula flowers in each cupcake).  I have never made so many cupcakes in my life, and I certainly don't want it to be the last time that I make that many cupcakes (although I wouldn't mind having someone to prep and clean-up after me).
They are the perfect mixture of softness, chewiness, and crunchiness!  I love adding various spices to this recipe, too!  This is such a strong, delicious little cupcake that you can try-out almost any spice or spice mix in place of the ones I recommend, I believe that the flavour will often (if not always) turn-out super-swell.  This little cupcake is a definite crowd-pleaser, and makes for a great little gift – to you or to someone that needs a little somethin’-somethin’.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose Gluten-Free flour

 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg 
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2/3 cup brown sugar or Sucanat 
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1/3 cup Earth Balance Original Soymilk (or other dairy-free alternative)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup raisins

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 325.  Line muffin or cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, oil, coconut cream, vanilla, flax seeds and lemon juice/vinegar and freshly grated ginger, leaving the dry spices out for now.  Whisk until smooth.
Add the carrots, chopped pumpkin seeds and spices.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until no clumps remain.
These cupcakes are dense and very moist because of all the fresh carrot.

Fill the cupcake/muffin tins ¾ of the way full.  Bake for about 10 minutes, but be aware that gluten-free flour cooks a little fast so I would recommend sticking a toothpick or fork in to one of them at about 8 minutes to see if they are done (the utensil should come out relatively goo-free).
When they are done remove them from the oven and let them sit in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack or a plate by an open window.  Top generously with the Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream (below).  You can put use pumpkin seeds as a garnish (featured above) and sprinkle them lightly with cinnamon to make them extra appealing.

Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Almond buttercream

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
3 cups of confectioners’ sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon Almond Butter


Directions: cream the shortening, Earth Balance Buttery Spread, Vanilla, Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Almond butter together until fluffy, then sift in the sugar in 2 batches, mixing between the first and second batch.  
You can cut this recipe by 1/3 if you are going to spread the butter cream instead of piping it.  I prefer piping!

XOXOX

Love, Aubrie

Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Spice "Cheesecake", Anime, and Daft Punk

Another recipe, another joy.

And yet I am putting up two in the same day?  What kind of insanity is this?!  It's the kind of insanity that I enjoy.  But before I share the recipe with you, you'll have the opportunity to engage with me on an intimate level.  Maybe you didn't know this about me but I have one heckuva history with Japanese Animation, or for short; "Anime".

I recently started watching Ouran Highschool Host Club -- FINALLY!  I had read some of the manga before I had ever watched any of the anime, but I was looking for a fun, non-sadistic and romantic-comedy anime series to indulge in; and boy have I ever indulged!  I can (proudly?) say that I was awake until what felt like well after midnight the other night, watching it obsessively.  After I turned off the television and powered down the Wii, I went to bed.  I laid there wide awake for another half an hour or so, thinking, "if I keep watching Ouran like this then it's going to be over too quickly.  There aren't that many episodes in the series, and I'll be really sad when it's all over, and even sadder if it's over in a couple of days.  I really should slow down the pace that I am watching this series at!"
I feel a bit like someone whom knows their relationship won't last for very long but doesn't want it to end too quickly, because it's really fun.  I am trying to recall the last time I was ever love with an anime series like this?  I don't think it's been since I discovered FruBa/Fruits Basket, Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu, and Strawberry Eggs. Ahh, the beauty of romantic comedies (although I still get a pretty intense knee-jerk/laughing reaction when I watch Golden Boy and Kekko Kamen.  Oh boy.)




Raw Chocolate Pumpkin Spice "Cheesecake"

I came up with this recipe on the fly.  It was just a couple of weeks ago that I put it all together for a Gentle Thanksgiving, and it's been on my mind to remake ever since.  It is absolutely amazing tasting and has a robust pumpkin flavour, which is greatly complimented by the chocolate base.  Mmm, just thinking about it makes me smile.  I am very pleased with this creation.  It truly was a stroke of creative, delicious genius.

While I wrote this blog I listened to:
Daft Punk - Digital Love
(Click to watch/listen)



What you'll need:
Food processor

Vitamix (you may use a food processor, but the consistency will be chunkier.  Which is delicious, too!)

Springform Pan

Wax Paper

Ingredients:
For the base
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw Chia seeds
1 Tbs raw almond butter
1 1/2 cup raisins
2-3 Tbs raw cacao power or cocoa powder
1 tsp Celtic or Himalayan Salt

For the "Cheescake"
2 cups raw dates (I prefer Medjool), soaked
2-3 cups raw pumpkin, roughly chopped in to 1-2 inch pieces.  If you are using a food processor I recommend making the pieces as small as possible.
3/4 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice, plus 1 tsp (optional)
1/2 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted
Pinch of Celtic or Himalayan Salt
1 tsp chia seeds optional

Directions: 
Cut the wax paper to fit into the bottom of the spring form pan, set aside.
In a food processor, combine the seeds, raisins, cacao or cocoa and salt.  Pulse until well combined with a sticky consistency.
Slowly pour the base into the spring form pan and press it down so that it reaches all edges, making it as level as you possibly can.  I find that a very small, circular jar (shot glass, anyone?) works well for making the top smooth and flat.

Melt the Earth Balance Coconut Spread in a small saucepan over low heat, keeping the temperature as low as possible. Note: This may take a few minutes if you have it in medium to large chunks.  I recommend making the pieces as small as possible or doing this step before you begin mixing ingredients in the food processor to allow plenty of time for the oil to melt.

Put the dates, pumpkin, salt, and the melted Earth Balance Coconut Spread in to your Vitamix or food processor.  Pulse or blend until well blended, making it as smooth as possible.  Pour the spices in and blend/pulse for about 5 seconds in the Vitamix or 10 seconds in the food processor.  Use a spatula to scoop the "Cheesecake" into the spring form pan.  Top with a pinch or two of chia seeds and spices if you like!

Set in the refrigerator to set-up for about 30 minutes.  Great served with coconut ice cream or eaten on it's own.  I love eating this for breakfast.  It is a truly yummy and nutrient rich way to start your day, and is also quite filling!

Enjoy! ~Aubrie