Zucchini + Chocolate = Toddler Eating Her Veggies!

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp ground flax seeds
• ½ c warm water
• 2 c turbinado sugar (or light brown sugar)
• ½ c oil
• ½ c applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 to 2½ c grated zucchini (~3 medium-sized ones)
• 3 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 c chocolate chips 

Instructions

1. Grease two loaf pans.
2. Mix together flax seeds and warm water.
3. Add sugar, oil, applesauce, and vanilla; beat well.
4. Add grated zucchini; stir til combined.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients.
6. Add dry mixture to wet and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and everything is incorporated evenly; some lumps are fine. If adding additional mix-ins, fold them in now. Divide batter between prepared pans.
7. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or until knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes before slicing.

Smiling!

I found this recipe on hell yeah it's vegan!  It is very yummy, and even the batter was tasty!  It is a sweet, dessert type of bread.

Baking

Complete

Now is the Moment that Never Ends

The past is gone
The future is not here
Now, I am free of both

-Deepak Chopra

Vegan Spanakopita

http://www.madejustright.com/user/recipe/spinach-and-mushroom-phyllo-squares

Just made these last night.  First time working with phyllo bread, and I think I did pretty well.  I did over "butter", but I'll use less next time, because it was pretty rich.  The filling is really yummy.  I used grapeseed oil, instead of the olive oil the recipe calls for.

• 2 10-oz pkg chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 tbsp. of Olive oil (I was out of olive, so I used grapeseed oil)
• 1/2 cup(s) of Earth Balance Margarine (I used more, oops)
• 1 1/2 cup(s) of Daiya mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cup(s) of mushrooms, diced
• 12 phyllo dough sheets
• 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper, or to taste

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Drain the thawed spinach. Squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible. Transfer to a large bowl. Pull apart the spinach as much as possible.
3. Add the diced mushrooms to the spinach, as well as the salt, pepper, and olive oil. (yummy)
4. In a small saucepan, melt the Earth Balance.
5. Using a pastry brush, coat each side of the phyllo bread and layer them on top of each other in the pan.  (I used four or five sheets for the bottom.)
6. Layer on the spinach/mushroom mixture, then the Daiya cheese.
7. Layer the remaining (4-5) phyllo sheets on top, again buttering each layer as you put them down. Butter the last one.
8. Cut into squares and bake for 40 minutes.  (I cut it, after baking.)

Saturday Baking Urge

Chocolate Cardamon Drops link here.  I get the urge to bake, and these cookies lent something else to the calming down experience of baking.  You get to roll them in your hands, almost like gardening.  Well, only in the therapeutic way that occurs when you are all alone and your toddler is playing outside with your husband, who agreed to give you a thirty minute baking break.

The cookies just came out of the oven, and my daughter is furiously signing "more" and saying "more".  They need to cool, but sure smell good!  My husband popped one in his mouth, fresh from the oven; it was hot and he had to use the kitchen sink to cool his mouth.  This whole episode only fueled the signing of my toddler, who just watched Daddy eat a hot cookie.  Again, they need to cool.

Cool Cookies

Share with a friend!

Carrot Cake for all the bunnies out there!

Making carrot cake from this link minus the raisins.  Instead of a butter cream frosting, I'm going to make a cream cheese vegan frosting from Vegan Celebrations by Alicia Simpson.  It contains:

1/2 cup cream cheese, vegan
1/4 cup Earth Balance, or that's what I'm using for the margarine
1 tsp coconut extract with 2 drops (liquid) vanilla Stevia (this is changed from the original 1 tsp vanilla extract)
3 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat till light and fluffy.

So VERY yummy!  And healthy...carrots, walnuts and coconut = healthy!

Eco Sevi = Awesome Company!

Vegan Nom Noms: How To Make Seitan: An Illustrated Guide

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