Veganize it! Peanut Butter Cups

Unfortunately, most of the popular brands of chocolate candy in the grocery store aren't vegan. Many contain milk and other non-vegan ingredients.

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I've decided to veganize some of those popular candies. Even if you don't partake in the Halloween festivities, you can still have fun making your own sweet treats right at home.

You only need 4 ingredients to make this chocolate & peanut butter deliciousness - Coconut oil, cocoa powder, agave nectar, and peanut butter.

Very important: You must use unrefined or "raw" coconut oil in this recipe. If you don't, your peanut butter cups will be an oily mess. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I couldn't get this simple recipe together, then realized it was all because of the coconut oil. *shaking my head*

Also, be sure to store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat because the candy will melt at room temperature. 

All three kids agreed this candy is a winner and even asked me to make it again.  I guess all the candy they ate while I experimented wasn't good enough. lol I love my little guinea pigs. :-)

If you try this recipe, please update me and let me know what you think. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (7-8 cups)

• 3/4 cup UNREFINED coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use an organic peanut butter with sugar already added)

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together coconut oil, cocoa powder and agave nectar.

Put cupcake liners into a freezer safe dish. Spoon 2 tbsp of the chocolate mixture into each liner.

Freeze uncovered for 10 minutes.

Afterwards, spread the peanut butter on top of each chocolate piece.

Then spoon 2 tbsp of chocolate sauce on top of each cupcake liner and freeze for 10 additional minutes.

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

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On Wednesday I'm veganizing Snickers, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel below. 

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Parsley Pasta-Simple 30 Minute Meal Idea (VIDEO)

As much as I don't mind a lengthy (and sometimes complicated) recipe, I love to share tasty and simple recipes with you and my family.

Here's one of those recipes...

I found this delicious dish on eatingbeautiful and loved how it only took some cooked pasta and a few ingredients in the blender to come together.

You can enjoy this dish as lunch or a light dinner with salad and/or steamed vegetables.

Toss some of your leftover olives on top for additional flavor. Yummy!

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think.

Parsley Pasta

by eatbeautiful.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb whole wheat corkscrew pasta
• 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
• 2 C tightly packed parsley
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 10 olives
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

Combine olive oil, parsley, olives, and minced garlic in blender. Toss with cooked cooked noodles. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

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What's for Lunch? Bagel Pizza

Happy Sunday!

After enjoying some time with my parents yesterday, we're spending the day cleaning and watching movies. We had a pack of bagels in the freezer and instead of saving them for breakfast, I put together a fun lunch for the boys.

It took 15 minutes to put this together and less time for my guys to eat them up. :-)

I used a green bell pepper, red onion & Daiya cheese

What We Tried Today: Gimme Lean "Ground Beef" Style Burgers

Finished burger with ketchup and Vegenaise

My youngest son asked for a "regular burger" a few weeks ago, so I knew eating our favorite vegan burger was out of the question. He was looking for something with a bite and similar texture to ground beef. I picked up a pack of Gimme Lean ground beef style veggie protein and went home to experiment.

What I liked:

*I was able to prep and cook the burgers within 30 minutes

*Great source of protein and zero fat and cholesterol

*The flavor was pretty good and reminded me of char-broiled burgers

*It has a similar texture to regular ground beef and has a great bite

What we/I didn't like:

*Way too sticky to handle-one of my Youtube viewers mentioned it isn't as sticky when handling with wet hands

*Pricey-about $6 for 4 hamburger patties

Will I buy it again? Even though the kids liked it, I probably wouldn't buy it again because it caused my stomach to hurt. :-(  Fortunately, the boys didn't have any problems.

Watch my full review here. :-)

Have you tried this Gimme Lean product or any of their other products?

Simple Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This macaroni & cheese recipe is still my go-to recipe, but sometimes I don't have the time or patience to deal with the multiple steps. 

On those days, I use a much simpler and just as delicious option....

I adapted this recipe from Atlanta's Soul Vegetarian Restaurant and made it creamier by adding in vegan cheddar and mozzarella cheese. 

Here's a picture of what happened the first time I made this recipe for lunch...

The family approved!

It's funny how things change-I used to think of macaroni & cheese as a side dish, now I see it as the main entree with two vegetables on the side. 

Simple Vegan Macaroni & Cheese

by Soul Vegetarian Restaurant & Brown Vegan

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Keywords: bake entree vegan

Ingredients (8 Servings)

• (1) 1lb box elbow macaroni
• 2 cups soymilk
• 3/4 cup vegan margarine or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow or dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup vegan cheddar cheese
• ½ cup vegan mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon season salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add in macaroni. Cook until al dente-about 7 minutes.

2. Blend everything except vegan margarine and cheese.

3. Once everything is combined, pour the margarine in the blender slowly.

4. Mix the pasta with the sauce and cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe is inspired by Soul Vegetarian Restaurant in Atlanta, GA

Check out their video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhulOmHr3Kc

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