Vegan Kid-Friendly Nail Polish

How cool is this?!? Hopscotch Kids is a vegan, non-toxic nail polish line for kids!  I stumbled upon them this morning, as I was looking for a vegan alternative to Zoya nail polish (I'm having some trouble with their lack of customer service skills).  So, Zoya is out, and Hopscotch/Scotch Naturals vegan nail polish is in!

Evelyn always wants me to paint her nails as I paint mine, but I usually can only bring myself to paint one little baby toe.  I worry about the toxins in nail polish, even though my polish was vegan, that still didn't mean it was safe enough for my kid.  Not to mention the polish remover!  Evelyn's one painted toe stays painted, until the polish chips off.  She doesn't seem to mind the chipped look.  :)  But, it appears that Hopscotch Kids has a safe nail polish remover for kids!  I'm just so excited to try this out!  Woo hoo!

Mardi Gras + Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookie, Cookie!

1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup rolled oats 
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste 
1/2 cup vegan chocolate or carob chips 
1 cup  sugar in the raw 
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce 
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl mix flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. Add the chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix sugar, oil, and applesauce. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry.  Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Put them in the oven at 350. Bake for 9-10 minutes

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer than you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool.

Here is the original recipe.  I have changed a few things, just because it makes my life easier.

Whole Wheat Flat Bread

 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
    2/3 cup water 
    2 tablespoons baking powder 
    1/3 cup coconut oil


*I made minor changes to the original recipe (linked to the title).


Mix all of the dry ingredients together.  Pour the water and melted coconut oil in, and incorporate them into the dough.

Gently knead the dough together.  Knead until the dough feels slightly elastic. Set the dough aside under a moist towel, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

In the mean time, fire up the oven to around 400-500 Fahrenheit.

The dough can now be rolled out in whatever way you want. You can divide it into 8 rounds and make flat bread. 

If you are using the oven, dust a baking sheet with cornmeal or flourl and bake the dough until it is tender and soft.  For flat bread, it takes me about 15-20 minutes, but your oven my be different.

Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
3/4 to 1 cup Brown Sugar (depending on preference of sweetness)
2 tsp Baking Powder

Wet Ingredients:
1/3 cup Oil
2/3 cup Orange Juice
2 tsp flax seed meal (or egg replacer for two eggs)
1/3 cup Water
zest from one orange
1 cup Cranberries, coarsely chopped (or use dried cranberries)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven at 375F. Grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients and keep it aside.

3. prepare egg replacer separately

4. Measure orange juice in a liquid measuring mug, add water. To this also add the egg replacer, orange zest and stir together well.

5. Pour all liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just moistened. Fold in the cranberries too. Do not overmix.

6. Spoon in the batter in the greased muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Move the muffin tin to a cooling rack and let it cool for just 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan and cool it completely on a wire rack.

*This recipe came from Group Recipes.  I used a cup of Cherry Craisins for the dried cranberries, and flax seed meal, instead of egg replacer.  I used coconut oil, instead of canola or veggie.  The only issue with coconut oil is that it is solid, so I mixed it in with the dry mixture and set the bowl in the oven, until the oil melted.  It worked like a charm.  Yum!  This recipe made 18 muffins.  

These are wonderful!  

Sweet Potato & Bean Burritos

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1 onion (chop it)
4 garlic cloves (crush & mince them)
1 bag kidney beans, soaked and cooked -or-3 16 ounce cans of kidney beans
2 tsp cumin

Boys like 'em

3 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp mustard
1 pinch cayenne
3 tbsp soy sauce
2.5 to 3 lbs sweet potatoes
8-12 tortillas, large burrito size
8 oz. shredded cheese or daiya

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash and poke sweet potatoes.  Put them in the oven, until they are soft and oozing sticky sweet stuff.  It takes about an hour.  While still warm, but not too hot, peel potatoes and scoop out the insides into a bowl.  Mash them with a masher.  Throw away the peels or give them to your dogs.

Heat oil in cast iron wok or skillet (whatever you own to saute large amounts of food) over medium heat.  Saute onion until soft.  Add garlic and cook for a minute or two.   Stir in beans and cook them, until heated through.  Add chili powder, cumin, mustard cayenne pepper and soy sauce.  Mix it up.  Add 1-2 tbsp of water.  Mix it up.  Remove from heat.

Divide bean mixture, mashed potatoes, and cheese evenly between the tortillas.  Fold up the tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees and serve with salsa.

*This recipe makes so many burritos, that it is better to bake them as needed, and freeze or refrigerate the rest until you want to enjoy them.

Yep, we eat cookie bars for breakfast!  








Here is the recipe:

3 1/2 cups wheat flour (or any flour of your preference)
1 1/2 cup raw sugar (Sugar in the Raw or Florida Naturals)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix together, then add:

1 cup vanilla soy milk (or any non-dairy milk of your preference)
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup vegan (Ghirardelli semi-sweet) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Pour into 9x13 pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool for a couple minutes before digging in, and then eat them (again) the next morning for breakfast.