I want to thank you all soooo much for the comments and feedback you gave regarding why you blog, what prompted you to start your blog, after I revealed some of my reasons for why I blog and why I started my blog in yesterday’s post, and that I could care less about the food half the time, well, it was awesome to read your comments! Thank you for everything you had to say!!!! I was touched that so many of you took the time to drop a comment in and let me know what Your Blogging Path has been! It’s sounds like many of you are similar to me; you wanted to document your eats but in the process stumbled upon this amazing community and you now have tons of awesome, like-minded, fun, new friends! I’m also glad you enjoyed my super easy recipe for Overnight Vanilla Protein Oatsfrom yesterday. As well as my revamped recipe for No Bake Vegan PB Choc Chip Coconut Oil Protein Bars Can see the Peanut Butter woven into the inside of the bar here? oh yeah, baby! Moving along to the mailbox today…A Flirty Apron I won in Brandy of the Royal Buzz’s Give Away I am actually going to give this to my sister because she’s pregnant with her first baby and will probably be doing more dining in and cooking now and I think it will come in super handy for her! Plus, new moms always can use cute new things when you’re feeling sleep-deprived and less than cute. Plus, remember this post and this apron? Next I got a sample of Click Protein. No, it’s not vegan and the ingredient list is a mile long. But it’s Coffee flavored! They sent this cup, too so you can shake it up baby! and either drink it hot or coldaccording to their info. Moving onto a Chocolate Recipe Now! I’ve been playing around with creating my own Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate Bars. I am by no means an expert but I wanted to share what I’ve been doing lately. I know Evan’s been busy busting out the bars, too! And if you want detailed info, Heathy of Raw Goddess Heathy not only has an e-book on the topic, but she has a nice Chocolate Making 101 post, too! She’s definitely an expert! And my friend Alisa of One Frugal Foodie, author of, Go Dairy Free also has lots of dairy-free chocolate making ideas in her book, too! [print_this] Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate Bars – 5 Minute Recipe 1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil1.5 Tbsp Agave 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Note: You should be pretty precise when making this. More agave will impart more sweetness but also a softer chocolate bar. Less agave, I have found is just too dark (bitter) for me. But try it! The less agave you use, the firmer the bar will be, too. [/print_this] Directions: Melt the coconut oil and agave (I use the micro for 10 seconds) Then, Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract & Stir Then, Add 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder & Stir Pour into a dish lined with plastic wrap (or a silicone muffin liner or use parchment paper) & Freeze Remove from Freezer Peel away the Plastic and either just dig in… …Or cut into bite size pieces… …or into dice-sized pieces. And set these out in a little dish if you really want to get fancy and impress your out-of-town guests with your own homemade vegan chocolate! Are you inspired to get busy in the kitchen? Seriously, this chocolate recipe only takes me about 5 minutes to make and the taste is smooth, dark but not bitter, and coconut infused but not overwhelming believe it or not. The texture is that of a chewy protein bar so there’s some chew involved rather than a store-bought chocolate bar which is more of a snappy crunch. Homemade coconut chocolate is pure vegan deliciousness! I hope you try this one! Dinner was Mixed Field Greens, Sugar Snap Peas, Brussels, Baby Red Chard, Tomatoes, Cukes Dressed With my Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing Dessert of course was some Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate Bars pieces! Oh and while I was busy around the house getting ready for my guests, Skylar took it upon herself to dress up in a headband (she calls herself Pocahantas in it), her pink & purple wristband (which she calls herself a Ballerina in), and her Valentine’s Day red beads. Tip of the Day: Dealing with the Stinky Smell from Broccoli, Brussels’s Sprouts, or other Cruciferous Veggies (cabbage, bok choy, etc.) When you cook cruciferous veggies, the plant fibers are being broken down by the heat and the byproduct of this cooking reaction is hydrogen sulfide which is the stinky rotten egg smell. The longer you cook them, the more they will stink. For all cruiferious veggies, aim for the “sweet spot” with cooking, meaning cook til JUST tender. Then stop cooking! If you find this spot, no stink. If you go past it, and the longer you go past it, the house will become hella stinky It only took 20 years as a vegetarian (before becoming vegan) to figure this out. I aim to save you all the time and preserve the aroma in your casa. Please note, this will “work” as long as you don’t like your veggies cooked to very tender or very soft. If you like them really soft, then nothing you do is going to prevent The Stink because as you cook til the plant fibers are broken down to mush, the smell is just going to get worse and worse. I realize not everyone likes raw, raw-ish, or only mildly tender veggies, but if you hate the stink, then maybe make a sacrifice and cook things somewhat less. Questions I really prefer my veggies raw, and the longer I am high raw, the more I prefer things raw and am disgusted by soft veggies. I really detest mushy food. I know not everyone feels this way though and hey, how ever you like your veggies is great, just as long as you’re eating them! How do you prefer veggies: raw, almost raw, barely steamed, steamed well, or cook the crap outta them? For the record because someone will ask: I don’t like starchy veggies so much, i.e. potatoes, turnips, parsnips but if I was eating these, I would cook them, well. Raw potatoes? bleah!!! For my Brussel’s Sprouts, I steam for 1 minute in the micro in 1 inch of water. And for all other red, yellow, orange, or green veggies, I eat them raw. How do you like your veggies? Are you watching the Olympics? Are you enjoying it? I admit, I have watched very little. Life’s been getting in the way of TV time as it usually seems to for me! Did you play dress-up as a kid? What did you dress up as? For me, it was the standard ballerina fairy princess action complete with pink tutu’s! Do you have a “signature dish” or something you enjoy making for guests or company that is always a crowd pleaser or that is a total Impress Your Guests Recipe? That preferably is really easy on your part but seems way more involved than it really is!? What do you make when you’re entertaining, or for parties or guests that’s always a hit? Tell me about it! Recipe Links Welcome! Stay Tuned For Lots of Foodie Pics & Recipes and An Awesome Give Away!!!!… Hint: One of the recipes is Raw Vegan 3-Ingredient, 5-Minute Chocolate Mousse! I’ve made it before if you Click Here but I tweaked it up just a little and holy moly, Scott told me it should be illegal it’s so good! Stay Tuned!
