Kettle Corn

My friend Cory came over tonight to watch a movie and of course we needed popcorn! I should warn you though this recipe is highly addictive. Here is what you need:
1-2 Tbs coconut oil
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 popcorn kernels
1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a stovetop popcorn popper with crank. Put over medium heat and turn crank until popping stops. Enjoy.

Vegan Food Swap

This was my first month participating in the Vegan Food Swap it was really a lot of fun. I sent a box of goodies off to San Fransico, a place I have always wanted to visit but never been and got a box from Washington State, very near to a place I will be visiting in 5 short weeks. My box came from Sage. It was full of some yummy things, the Somersaults were my favorite. Can't wait to see what next month holds.

Gluten Free Birthday Bars

So one of my favorite people in Jacksonville had a birthday this week and didn't tell me so I missed it. But I decided to make a treat to make up for me missing it. The recipe is from the Chocolate Covered Katie blog that I follow. It is super simple and only requires 3 ingredients. I used my food processor and my Calphalon square baker pan as a mold. These are raw, so they don't require any baking.

All you need is 1/2 cup of raw cashews and 1 1/2 cups of dates. Put them in the food processor with 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla and process until sticky. I added just a splash of water to mine. I then lined the pan with birthday baking papers for easy clean up and scooped in the mixture. I wanted them to come out square, so I used the pan for a shape but you could free form them and wrap in cellophane. I refrigerated them overnight before moving them out of the pan. Super yummy and quick and easy. Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Nut Bread

Here is what you need:

2 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. diced fresh strawberries
1/2 c. Lite No Sugar Added Applesauce



Place the bananas and oil in the mixer bowl and with the flat paddle attachment mix until banans are mashed. Add in the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chopped walnuts and applesauce. Mix thoroughly. Stir in strawberries. Pour into an greased loaf pan. Bake 40 minutes

Avocado Potato Salad

This is so fantastic. I love avocados. This recipe is inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Creamy Avocado Potato Salad from her book Vegan Brunch. As soon as I saw avocado I knew I would be making this. I went to the local flea market to get avocados this morning. I am having lunch at a friend's house this afternoon and can't wait to take this to have them try it. I didn't have all of the ingredients so I improvised a little. Here is what I used:
2 lbs of potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 avocados
2 tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
2 green onions, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1 ear of cooked corn, cut off ear

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and let cool. In a food processor add the avocado flesh, lime juice and salt. Purée, scraping down the sides as needed. Dice the pepper, green onion and cucumber. Mix all the ingredients together and chill. Enjoy.

Coconut shrimp

I made these a few weeks ago before starting "Eat to Live" they were so good. They may not be the healthiest thing to eat, but it sure was a nice treat.

Here is what you need:

Shrimp peeled, deveined and butterflied
Coconut milk
Oil for frying
Flour( I used unbleached flour)
Shredded coconut and breadcrumbs mixed together

Dip the shrimp in the flour to coat. Dredge through the coconut milk and roll in the shredded coconut bread crumb mixture. Fry about 4-6 minutes until pink. Enjoy.

Marinated Chickpeas

I started the "Eat to Live" diet on May 1. It has only been a few days but I am really liking it so far. I was away from the house all day yesterday, which went surprisingly well. I had two different social functions, but with a little bit of planning and a whole lot of willpower I ended up doing pretty good.

These are so amazing either as a side dish or on-top of salad.

Here is what you need:

2cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15oz can of chickpeas (I prefer organic)

Spicy brown mustard (to taste I use about 2 tsp)

Juice of one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse the chickpeas well. In a container with a lid, places all the ingredients, snap on lid and shake. Let sit overnight in fridge. Serve chilled