Tag: Recipe

• I Love Carbs

  Posted at 10:58 AM by Brittany, on June 15, 2012

  One of my favorite things about half marathon training is all the carbs I need to eat. These will be my main energy source and with the running I will be doing, I will need A LOT of carbs! Carbs are my friend, they always have been. Any excuse to eat more bread is a GREAT excuse in my book. A lot of bread has been made around my neck of the woods, and it continues to get better each loaf.

  A couple weeks ago I shared a beer bread recipe from a vegan cookbook I have, but this bread was a bit dense. It was good..edible..but definitely needed something to go with it such as a jelly or PB. I have currently been sinking my teeth into the most amazing beer bread, with two simple variations. One with apples and cinnamon, and one with banana and chocolate. The loaves didn’t stand a chance and were gone within two days. If you take anything from this post let it be this: go make this bread..as soon as you can. Make sure you have friends with you because you WILL want to eat the entire loaf.

  Vegan Beer Bread 

  • 2.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (I use the soy free one)
  • 1 bottle of beer

  Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. Combine the first four ingredients, then add the Earth Balance, then the beer. Mix together and the base is done.

  -This is where the loaves can vary. To make an apple cinnamon loaf simply cut up one whole apple into small pieces and mix into the batter. Add a LOT of cinnamon..no measurements..just a LOT!

  

  -For the banana chocolate bread, using a banana flavored beer added extra banana flavor. Mash an old banana into the mix, and find your favorite chocolate bar to chop up. Add banana and chocolate to the batter.

  

  This is seriously SO easy to make. After deciding which variety you want pour the batter into a your greased bake pan and take brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats to lightly cover the top of the loaf. Pour a small amount of Earth Balance on top, and bake for 50 minutes.

  This bread is moist, flavorful, and a perfect snack on the go, or addition to your morning coffee. This bread doesn’t need anything except self control from the person eating it.

  Q: Have you ever tried beer bread with fruits and spices added to them like these two variations? 

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged Beer Bread, Food, Half Marathon, Recipe

• NEWWW

  Posted at 8:29 AM by Brittany, on June 1, 2012

  New Food Find: Fiddle head ferns.

  

  These alien like claws of goodness have a very mild flavor (WHEN COOKED CORRECTLY!!) I boiled them until the gooey green stuff came off, and then drizzled lemon and pepper over them. They are crazy good for you and are comparable to broccoli and asparagus. This must be their love child. I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s, but you may be able to find them elsewhere..try them!

  New Eating Technique: Watermelon with a spoon.

  

  So here’s the deal, instead of making a mess on your counter by cutting this up, designate one half of a watermelon as “yours” and eat with a spoon whenever you want. I don’t advise sharing watermelon halves with anyone, this must be your own goldmine. Especially don’t share with your cat. Mine is creeping in the upper corner of the picture, you can see his paw. He goes crazy for watermelon. The empty watermelon half can be used as a hat, Frisbee, serving bowl, you name it!

  New meals: Green tea noodles, and pita pockets.

  

  ^^^ THAT was the best meal of the week. If you have never tried green tea noodles, go now. Something you must add to your bucket list. The texture and flavor are unbeatable. I used these noodles that I found at a local health store. I didn’t know what sauce to use, so I experimented with adding garlic, asparagus, onion and olive oil. It was perfect.

  

  Pita pockets stuffed with Punjab, cabbage, and an extra can of garbanzo beans. Asparagus is quickly becoming my number two veggie. Quick and easy meal.

  New Twist On Old Favorites: Gnocchi and Pad Thai.

  

  Normally I would douche my gnocchi with cheese, that’s not very vegan of me. Instead a basic homemade tomato sauce was used. It was just as delicious!

  

  What is Pad Thai without crushed peanuts? When discovering I had no peanuts to top my meal, I quickly improvised. Insert wasabi almonds instead. The extra flavor and heat was almost better than the peanuts! Almost..

  New Recipe: Whole Wheat Beer Bread.

  

  I recently received a new vegan cookbook from the wonderful Kelly. Inside was a recipe for beer bread that turned out great. It was quick, easy, and most importantly I was able to tweak the recipe to incorporate vital wheat gluten. This stuff is a goldmine and I have been trying to find decent recipes to slip this protein powerhouse into.

  Vegan Beer Bread

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12oz beer

  –Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour and other dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour in the beer and mix until a dough forms. Use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. Put dough into a well greased pan, spread the dough with your hands so it’s evenly distributed in the pan, and bake for one hour (or until you feel it’s ready!)

  Good, dense, hearty bread. That loaf up there had over 100 grams of protein. WOWWZA.

  That’s all I have for now.

  Q: Tell me something NEW that has happened to you, or that you have eaten.

  

  | 56 Comments Tagged New, New food, Recipe

• Virtual Vegan Potluck: Save The Best For Last

  Posted at 1:41 AM by Brittany, on May 12, 2012

  A few weeks back, I jumped for joy at the opportunity to take part in a vitrual potluck put on by the adorable Annie at An Unrefined Vegan. What a fabulous idea. I was given the option of making an appetizer, beverage, salad, bread, main dish, side dish, soup, or dessert. I’ll give you eight guesses as to which option I chose, this shouldn’t be hard. I chose dessert..shocker I know. Any excuse for chocolate is a great excuse. Besides, I like to save the best part of the meal for my ending bites. Dessert is last for a reason.

  I wanted to make something safe, but unique at the same time. Something I knew would taste good. This was no time to experiment and be left at the pot luck eating my dish alone in the corner. I want people to crave my chocolatey goodness! The dishes had to be vegan, which was no challenge for me. I knew exactly what I was going to make.

  Chocolate Chunk Cookie Topped Zucchini Brownies

  

  • 1.5 cups of raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
  • 2 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa (and then some)
  • 3 cups of shredded zucchini
  • 2 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 cup of chocolate chips/chunks (and THEN some!)
  • 1 cup of warm water to start, and gradually add a bit more (if needed) until mixture is wet
  • 1 package of “Oreo” style cookies. If you are a strict vegan and don’t want products made on a facility that shares milk and eggs then Newman-O’s are certified vegan. Otherwise you can use any other brand as long as no dairy is listed in the ingredients. Newman-O’s tasted off, so I would use Late July brand, or even Trader Joe’s chocolate vanilla Joe-Joe’s. Don’t buy them off of Amazon. Joe-Joe’s are $2.99 in the store.

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease an 8×11 pan and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, coconut oil, and flour, combine until mixture resembles wet sand. While mixing, add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Add water (as much as you need) and stir in the chocolate chips.
  3. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan, crush cookies ontop, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

  

  Once brownies are done, you must eat at least half of the pan before completing a new task.

  

  Although, I like to wait until the next day when the chocolate chunks have set in and have hardened back to a thick chocolate. These brownies lasted all of two days.

  

  This is just the beginning of the dessert portion of the pot luck! If you want to see more dessert, or jump back to previous dishes click the photos below. These will lead you to the dishes before and after mine. Once you are on a new page you can continue to bounce from page to page by clicking the buttons! Have fun!

  

  

  

  | 45 Comments Tagged Brownies, Chocolate, Recipe, Vegan, Virtual Vegan Potluck

• Grill Love

  Posted at 8:40 PM by Brittany, on May 7, 2012

  It’s finally time. The grill has been dusted off and used for the first time this season. Browned veggies and crispy pizza make for an unbeatable combination. I went to a friends house to make some grilled pizza’s. We made these last summer, but they ended up burning on the bottom (I still ate every last bite.) After some research we found that the pizza’s need indirect heat, opposed to being placed directly over the coals.

  First things first, prepare the toppings. Grilled veggies, vegan sausage, and homemade pizza dough.

  

  There were 7 small/medium pizza rounds prepared, and there were 4 people. Not everyone gets two, but I made sure I had two. Normally I have to shank people to get two pizzas, but fortunately the host knows I throw away a lot of food. While the dough was setting we took part in some appe-teasers.

  

  

  

  Grilled peppers, grilled eggplant, and grilled oysters (for the non veggiebites.) Did I mention we used the grill? The eggplant was seasoned to perfection. After inhaling this produce, the main course was prepared.

  

  

  

  Two vegan pizza’s, and a garden fresh salad full of Swiss chard, beets, and tomatoes.

  If you haven’t tried a grilled pizza, I suggest you do this immediately. The flavor is unlike any pizza I have ever had. Be sure to indirectly heat the dough, and before applying any toppings quickly grill the side you’ll top to ensure crispy-ness on both sides.

  Perfect Piadine Pizza Dough

  • 1 active packet of yeast
  • Half a cup of lukewarm water
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup cool water
  • 2tblsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2tbsp salt

  -Mix the yeast, warm water and 1/2 cup of flour. Let dough rise, about 20 minutes. Add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup cool water, olive oil, salt, and start kneading the dough. Continue until the flour is mixed in, and then add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed to produce a moist and soft dough. After a fair amount of punching and kneading leave the dough on a floured surface and let rise, about an hour. Once ready to use the dough, roll out individual pieces and let sit for about 15 minutes to spread out completely.

  This is some of the best dough I have had for a pizza base. Make this dough, and then buy a grill. Grill the dough and use it as a pillow. Do this because the dough is fluffy, and because it will make a great midnight snack. Hooray for foodie friend adventures!

  Q: Have you had pizza made on a grill??

  

  | 28 Comments Tagged Grill, Pizza, Recipe, Vegan

• Banana-rama

  Posted at 8:01 AM by Brittany, on April 23, 2012

  If you feel like time traveling back to when you were 12, then I have the perfect recipe for you. Lets get our bikes, Polly Pockets, Ranger Ricks, Pokemon cards, (I may be the only person alive that still played with Pokemon cards in their 20’s. I have younger siblings and they taught me how to properly play, I was HOOKED! It was so much fun) and jelly shoes on, because it’s time to make a bite size treat fit for 12 year old royalty. I most definitely showed my age with this paragraph.

  Mini Banana Splits

  • Banana (or two..depending on how wild you’re feeling)
  • Chocolate
  • Sprinkles (or just steal a rainbow and put it in a blender)
  • Ice cream
  • Whipped cream
  • Fruit

  First things first..cut your bananas into pieces, but keep the skin on while you hollow out the top! Otherwise the banana falls apart.

  

  Use any device you’d like. All I could find was this anal probe in my moms kitchen. I kid, I don’t know what it is..but it looks like a torture device. It worked perfectly though. Now you’re ready for the best part.

  

  Melt the chocolate, dip the bottom of the banana, and then roll it in sprinkles.

  

  Now you’re ready to assemble. Take whatever ice cream you prefer (dairy, soy, almond, coconut, cat milk) and put a plop right into the hollowed hole.

  

  Plop.

  Then take whatever whipped cream you prefer (dairy, or vegan friendly) and swirl some of that on top of the cat milk ice cream.

  

  Once that’s done, you pick the fruit for the topping. I hate cherries, so I went with frozen blueberries. I chose those because A.) I hate cherries, and B.) That’s all I had.

  

  Voilà. 

  You can either be greedy and eat all four pieces alone, or share with your grubby friends. Make sure they trade you one holographic Pokemon card for EACH banana bite. They’re fun to make I promise.

  One time when I was in the 12yr old range, I wanted to play outside with my friends so bad I ignored the fact that I had to go to the bathroom (raise your hand if you know where this is going.) I stayed outside for hours riding my bike until I couldn’t hold it anymore. I ran inside only to find that I had waited too long. I had no choice but to stand in the tub, overalls fully in tact..and let the fluids run. I was now the only 12 yr old in my hood that peed their pants. Obviously I have a lot of cool points accumulated from my adolescence.

  Q: Share a funny story about your pre-teen years! 

  

  | 62 Comments Tagged Chocolate, Fun fact, Pokemon Cards, Recipe, Vegan

• Re-creations

  Posted at 6:35 PM by Brittany, on April 20, 2012

  I have often asked myself, “what’s a pizza without cheese?” I never had an answer for that question..until now. I decided to go on a cheeseless adventure to Hawaii, pizza style.

  

  These two amoeba like pizzas are vegan friendly and oh so delicious. We’ve got BBQ sauce, pineapple, tomato, spinach, green peppers, onion, and vegan sausage.

  

  Two slices were all I could muster because I got mind bogged by my appe-TEASER. Appetizers tease you before the main meal. I always eat too much of the pre-meal goodness.

  

  Olive oil, garlic, and jalapeno bread.

  

  Paired with salsa, artichoke antipasto, and pineapple. I didn’t stop for air. Fortunately my cat knows CPR.

  Another new vegan friendly creation was french toast (don’t click that if you’re sensitive to foul language.)

  

  That little guy on the left, browned to perfection and topped with chocolate. Simple recipe..banana, almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bam. Blend it all together and coat the bread. Cook in coconut oil (or vegan margarine) and bam BAM! Banana explosion.

  I recently purchased a pair of Tom’s, and I am a bit disappointed because they smell as if they have been sprayed by the ass juice of a skunk. They are horrific. Does anyone know if this is normal? I messaged the company, but no reply. Fortunately for me my mom pays Manfriend to hangout with me every month, because these shoes could scare away an embryo. The funny part is that my cats are obsessed with rolling their faces on them…my destiny has been confirmed. Crazy Cat Lady.

  Q: Favorite pizzaaaa toppings? 

  

  | 33 Comments Tagged New food, Pizza, Recipe, Vegan

• One Upped PB Cup

  Posted at 6:24 PM by Brittany, on April 18, 2012

  Last week I made some homemade vegan PB cups. This week, I one upped the recipe. In an attempt to better the first round, I eliminated extra ingredients and stuck with a simple recipe.

  

  • Vegan Chocolate
  • Peanut butter
  • Pretzels

  That’s it.

  

  Oh.My.Gosh. The sweet salty combo was explosive! Such a SIMPLE recipe, yet so damn delectable.

  

  The pretzels on top lasted an entire day (uncovered and in the freezer) without loosing their crunch. Do yourself a favor, and make 10 of these. Five for now, and five for later.

  

  Pardon me, I must clean the drool off of my keyboard.

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged PB Cups, Recipe, Vegan

• If You Can’t Eat Them..

  Posted at 3:18 PM by Brittany, on April 10, 2012

  ..Recreate them!

  I don’t know if everyone is aware of this, but last Sunday was Easter. What is Easter best known for in my house? Reese’s eggs. Gone are the days that I could suck down 5 eggs in one sitting without getting sick or feeling like Carnie Wilson pre surgery number two. 

  I recently decided to go vegan for a week..which then turned into a month..which may turn into six months..who knows! The point being I wasn’t going to change my diet just for Easter eggs. After successfully avoiding sweets for a week, (this was a challenge..I need chocolate like birds need to dance before they swoon a mate) I decided to satisfy my year round craving and make my own, “vegan friendly” PB cups. 

  Vegan PB cups

  -For the chocolate

  • 1.5 cups vegan semisweet chocolate
  • 2tblsp creamy peanut butter

  -For the filling

  • 3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar

  For the chocolate- combine chocolate and peanut butter in a pot using a double boiler (or a microwave safe bowl if you’re into using microwaves.) Once melted, coat a paper liner with chocolate. This recipe makes about 12 cups, so I used a muffin pan and prepared 12 liners. Coat the bottom and about 1/4 of the way up the liner. Once all 12 are complete, place the pan in the fridge to chill, about 20 minutes.

  Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing the PB and brown sugar in a bowl. Divide the mixture between the 12 chilled paper liners. Chill for 20 minutes. Finally, add the remaining chocolate to the tops of the 12 cups, and chill for another 20 minutes.

  Super simple recipe, in fact I concluded the brown sugar isn’t necessary, although it does give a nice grainy crunch to the cups. With that said you could easily melt some chocolate, add PB, and top with chocolate. Voilà. Pair these with some vanilla coconut ice cream and you’ll never be tempted by DQ commercials again. 

  

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Easter, PB Cups, Recipe, Reeses

• Breakfast Of Champions

  Posted at 12:27 PM by Brittany, on January 12, 2012

  We have all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It breaks our overnight fasting, and jump starts our day. On days that I am able to casually wake up, I like to make a breakfast fit for a nutrient craving king. 

  The plate must start with half fruit. 

  

  Apple and orange

  Then add protein.

  

  Eggs and peanut butter

  Lastly add the pleasurable item of the meal, because what is a good meal without something to indulge in. 

  

  Morning star sausage patty with sharp cheddar on a homemade biscuit

  ALWAYS save the best for last. Even if it’s just one bite. 

  

  Homemade biscuits 

  • 2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup milk

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add coconut oil and mix until dough resembles a crumb like texture.
  3. Add milk and stir with fork until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
  4. Roll, knead, and love the dough on a floured surface until no longer sticky. Roll into a log.
  5. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut dough log into 1/2 inch thick pieces, or larger if you desire, and place onto the baking sheet. Spray or rub olive oil on the tops of the biscuits and put into the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Enjoy!

  

  | 26 Comments Tagged Breakfast, Recipe

• 

• 

• Search for:
• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, deep connections, exploration, and lots of potatoes.

• If this blog does not meet your standards, please lower your standards.

• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

• ¿Quieres Más?

  Like my witty attitude and delightful charm? Enter your
  e-mail below for the party to come straight to your inbox!

  Email Address:

  Follow the adventure

  Join 4,726 other subscribers
• 

•