Lazy Day Sweet & Spicy Soup

1 large can pineapple, chunked
2 bar mixer sized cans of pineapple juice
1 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 block extra firm tofu, chunked
2 single stalk of celery, rinsed & chopped
4 Tablespoons hot sauce
Sprinkling of Trader Joe's sweetened Nori crumbles (in the snack sections!)

In a large saucepan mix, pineapple, pineapple juice, garlic, water, tofu, celery and set to medium-high heat until it comes to light boil.  Add hot sauce and crumbles.  When celery is tender and cooked through, serve hot.

Enjoy!
<3thehappyinsomniac

Sweet Sunday

I have always had a sweet tooth.  It's got me in trouble, especially when managing my neverending battle of maintaining a healthy weight.  Since adopting veganism however, having to closly monitor what I'm eating and using as fuel has seriously put a damper on the random sugar buzzes when I hit the grocery store.  My favorite things ever are bakery items and it has become somewhat more difficult to find.

Being an advocate for local small businesses, I always look for delicious vegan options that are locally run by Spokanites just trying to make they're living by doing what they love.  Is there seriously anything better than someone loving their job when so many others don't?  Nope.  Don't think so.

Petit Chat
9910 N Waikiki Rd 
Spokane, WA 99218

(509) 468-2720

Our first favorite that we visited for pretty much the first two years of our Sunday Sweets tradition, we would gather up in the car, drive all the way the North Spokane about three blocks from the beautiful Whitworth College campus and visit the elegant, Petit Chat Village Bakery.  This cute, French style bistro is one of my favorite bakeries for their naturally vegan bread (especially their Swedish Breakfast Bread!). My dear friend, Elyse, introduced me to "the chat" about 4 years ago and how far they've come!  Recently expanding from their little compact bakery shop into a full scale seating area, huge pastry display and extra room for all the bread and goodies.

If you are in the Whitworth part of town, make sure you go by Petit Chat.  Great homemade pastries, breads and espresso fresh made everyday.  Also, if you get there soon enough, day-olds are half off!  My freezer gets stocked up every time I go, so I can have delicious, homemade bread everyday of the week.


Dawn of the Doughnut

3402 N Division St
Spokane, WA 99207

Located in the newly renovated Papa Murphy's building on lower Division, this unique zombie themed shop focuses on tasty doughnuts of all favors, vanilla, chocolate, weird and wacky.  With a variety of crazy doughnut recipes and equally fun names, any zombie lover or horror movie fanatic will love this place.  My step-son, Chris, who is 7 gets extra excited that the entire staff is dressed up as zombies as part of their regular work uniform.  And, the owner looks like Sally right out of the Nightmare Before Christmas, which is pretty freakin' cool.  Visit the drive-thru or head inside where EVERYTHING is dripping with "blood" complete with bloody hand prints all over the ceiling.  It's so original for Spokane and delicious.  Really delicious.  

Support Local Vegan-Friendly Businesses!  

Happy Sunday!

<3thehappyinsomniac

Apple Cider Water

Since the thought of drinking actual apple cider practically puts me in a sugar coma, I found this recipe online that actually sounded ok.

1 mug of steaming hot water
2 slices of apple
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon agave syrup or rice syrup

*Maybe add an apple tea bag too? For an extra flavor kick?

Combine and let seep for 5 minutes.

Yum. Fall.

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The Perfect Fall Appetizer

Baked squash is the perfect, easy prep appetizer. Tasty!

Squash, sliced
Coconut oil spray
Seasoning salt

Sliced, spray and sprinkle...then bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

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Orange-Ginger Teriyaki Sauce

Orange-Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Cup Water
1 1/2 Teaspoons ground Ginger
1 Orange, juiced
1 Tablespoon Orange zest
5 Tablespoons Raw Sugar
1-2 teaspoons agave syrup

2 Tablespoons of corn starch
1/4 Cup cold water

* For Orange Zest, use the littlest teeth on the grater.

In a saucepan over medium heat, start adding the Soy sauce, water, ginger, orange juice, zest, sugar and agave.  Bring to a light boil. In a small cup or bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water thoroughly.  Add to the sauce pan, and allow the sauce to cook for 6-8 minutes to gain it's thickness.

Serve warm over rice or noodles.

With Love,
<3thehappyinsomniac

Pesto Quinoa Salad (vegan)

 

Dinner tonight was my favorite pasta sauce ever, basil pesto, mixed with hearty protein-packed superfood, quinoa!  Jake made up some whole-wheat noodles to mix with his, but I ate it straight.  Yum!

Pesto Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Fridge Time: 1 hour

Cooking stuffs:

Salad:

4 cups quinoa (cooked)

1/4 cup whole or pieced cashews

1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Handful of Green olives

1 large Carrot, rinsed&shredded

Sprinkling of sea salt

Pesto:

2 Cups Basil

1/2 cup Cashews

1/2-3/4 Cups Grapeseed oil

1 Tablespoons chopped garlic

In a Cuisinart, mix all of the pesto ingredients and blend well.  It should be creamy, and if not, add a bit more Grapeseed oil until smooth.

Cook the quinoa in a rice cooker or on the stove until tender.  In a glass bowl, toss the remaining salad ingredients with the cooked quinoa.  Using a spatula, scrape all the pesto in the salad mix, and fold in thoroughly.  Cover and refrigerate until cold, approximately 1 hour.  

Serve as is or tossed with 4-6 cups of whole wheat noodles.  

With Love,

<3thehappyinsomniac

Carrot Cake

We celebrated the first day of spring just last week, and since then, it's been snow, snow, snow! That's Washington State for ya! :) Hoping to help it along (or at least get prepared for a yummy Easter treat) I tested out a delish carrot cake recipe I converted to vegan, complete with a yummy vegan cream cheese frosting. Yum, yum, yum!!! Happy Baking! <3

Vegan Carrot Cake

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 40-50 Minutes

Cooking Stuffs:

Cake:

4 Tablespoons ground flax seed

1/2+ cups water

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups Raw Sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Sprinkling of Sea Salt

2-3 cups carrots, rinsed&grated

Cinnamon Sticks for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all your ingredients in order of the ingredient list in a large bowl.  If it is too thick, add a bit more water so that it is batter consistency (mine did this because of the flax seed substitution).  When thoroughly mixed, pour into a slightly greased (no Pam spray for vegans!) 9x13 glass pan.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, and test with a knife or toothpick to ensure it is cooked through.  Allow to cool before frosting.  

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting recipe HERE. 

Happy Easter!!!

<3thehappyinsomniac

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup Vegan Cream Cheese
1 1/2 to 2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Using an electric mix, whip on high until fluffy.  Refrigerate until use.

<3thehappyinsomniac

The {vegan-sushi-is-completely-pointless-but-so-tasty} Roll

The {vegan-sushi-is-completely-pointless-but-oh-so-forkin-tasty} Roll was created because I simply decided I couldn't live without sushi in my life any longer.  I was first introduced to sushi when I moved to Spokane, because Wenatchee was a little behind the times...and it was love at first bite!  My favorites when I was starting out were the tempura-battered ones, but soon my tastes grew.  Now, being vegan, fish is an off limit eatable, but the alternative, California rolls (among a few others), are so boring!  The Roll is my attempt at everything delicious about sushi: the vegan way.  Happy Rolling!

Roll Time...

The {vegan-sushi-is-completely-pointless-but-oh-so-forkin-tasty} Roll

Prep Time: 30-40 Minutes

Cooking Stuffs:

Rice

Dried Nori (Seaweed)

(1) Avocado

(1) Cucumber

(1) Carrot

Vegan Cream Cheese

On-the-side...

Spicy Sushi Sauce:

{Recipe: Here}

Wasabi Sauce:

2 Tablespoons of warm water
2 teaspoons wasabi powder (Mines from Huckleberry's)

Optional:

Horseradish Sauce {Recipe: Here}
Soy Sauce

Pickled Ginger

Sesame Seeds

Poppy Seeds

Other Supplies...

Sushi Mats (World Market!)

Chop Sticks (World Market!)

Small dishes for dipping sauces (World Market!)

Go Here for Instructions:  They have pictures!!! :D

Sweet&Hot Stir Fry

Confession #1:  Veggies bore me. 

I'm a huge fan of Asian food, but of course with Panda Express no longer an option, I must make take it upon myself to find alternatives! 

Spice rating for this recipe is about 5 out of 10.

Sweet n' Sour Stir Fry

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Stuffs:

Rice Noodles

White Sticky Rice

3 large Carrots, rinsed&chopped

2 Celery stalks, rinsed&chopped

2 kale stalks, rinsed&chopped

1 can kidney beans, drained&rinsed

1 can black beans, drained&rinsed

Sauce: (based loosely from a recipe I found on about.com)

1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/8 teaspoon powdered cumin

1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger

2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

In a rice cooker, start approximately 4-6 cups of rice, estimating 1 cup of rice per person eating (I always make extra for breakfast the following morning.).  In a saucepan, start your sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch.  Let the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce,  hot sauce and spices mixture warm on low for approximately 5-6 minutes, before adding the cornstarch.  Mixing it with water in a small cup before pouring it in, will prevent lumps (ick).  While the sauce is warming, start prepping your vegetables for your stir fry.  In a skillet, mix the carrots, celery, kale, and beans, cover and allow to cook until tender.  When the sauce it fairly heated up, drop the rice noodles in, and turn the heat up slowly to allow them to cook in a timely manner.  Rice noodles cook especially quickly, so watch closely to make sure they don't get overly done.  When your stir fry and sauce are done, remove both from heat immediately.  

Use your rice as a base, with a large scoop of veggie stir fry and the rice noodle sauce to top!  

Enjoy!

<3thehappyinsomniac

Vegan No Bake Cookies

It's a good week for chocolate.  

And an even a better week for the laziest (and most delicious!) recipe ever created.  

Vegan No Bakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

No Cook Time!!!  

Cooking Stuffs: 

2 Cups Raw Sugar (Mines from Costco)

1/4 cup organic Cocoa powder (I used Trader Joe's Brand)

1/4 Cup Vanilla Coconut Milk (Silk Brand)

1/2 Cup Earth Balance margarine (I probably didn't use the full 1/2 cup)

1 tsp Vanilla 

pinch of Sea Salt

 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Adam's)

 2 cups Oats (I don't buy quick oats, so normal it is!)

In a pot on the stove, start with adding coconut milk on a low temp.  Stir in raw sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, salt, and vanilla.  When combined, add peanut butter as well.  Allow to mix thoroughly.  This liquid combination should never come to a boil, or even a high temp.  When the sauce is fully melted, shut the stove off and mix in your oats.  Use a cookie scoop to portion them out onto wax paper and allow them to dry overnight.  

Enjoy!

<3thehappyinsomniac

Blackened Tofu

Anyone had blackened chicken?  I was in love with it before I jumped on the vegan train especially drowned in fettachini alfredo sauce.  Luckily, on accident, I created recipe of my own. 

I love it so much I have a hard time not eating it out of the pan... 

Technically I suppose it's just burned chicken, but it has a nice, crusty, seasoned layer on the outside that makes it crispy and delicious.  Enjoy!

1 package extra firm tofu
sesame oil
soy sauce
garlic, chopped
sea salt (soy sauce is saltly enough alone, so be careful)
Sprinkling of Oregano

Preheat a cooking skillet and throw in the garlic to brown.  Drain the tofu and cut into small cubes.  When the pan is hot (you'll know because the garlic will be browned lol), throw the tofu in and allow to cook for approximately 2-3 minutes or until it starts to get tender.  Spread the cubes evenly out in the pan and drizzle with a modest amount of sesame oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Toss and allow to cook slightly until it begins to brown.  If it's not browning, you may add a bit more oil.  When the majority of the cubes are browned, add about 4 Tablespoons of soy sauce in the bottom of the skillet, and allow the cubes to soak it up. Toss until completely brown and the soy sauce has evaporated.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Makes a good "crouton" for salads, or a quick, yummy snack.

<3thehappyinsomniac 

Black Bean & Rice Salad

This recipe has been around my house, I think pretty much forever.  Most college kids live on mac n' cheese...I pretty much lived on this.  I actually have the recipe memorized!  My mom's made it for years and without fail, the large amount it yields never goes uneaten.  As it turns out, now it's just as popular in my household, and a popular 'take-leftover-to lunch lunch'.

I actually had to call my mom to find out where it came from originally, and then tracked it down via Google.  It was originally published in Bon Appetit magazine in August of 1991, and is now posted on epicurious.com's website.  Track down original recipe HERE.

Tip: Jake's pretty miffed that I used the coffee grinder to grind cumin seeds for "fresh cumin powder",  use the Cuisinart instead...or buy a coffee grinder just for spices :)



Black Bean & Rice Salad 
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour

• 
  
• 1 1-pound package whole wheat rice 

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained, rinsed
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing: 

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly juiced orange juice 
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin (freshly ground is better)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Fresh cilantro sprigs, finely chopped

In a rice cooker, cook approximately 10 cups of rice.  Drain, rinse and prep your veggies.  If you're in a hurry, throw everything into the Cuisinart  *chop chop* and you're done.  In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, black beans, peppers, onion & cilantro.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the olive oil, juice, vinegar, and seasonings.  Pour dressing over the rice mixture while the dressing is still well mixed. If it settles & separates, whisk again before pouring.  Toss the salad thoroughly so that the dressing covers the entire salad.  Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  

Always better the 2nd day!!!

Happy Cooking! :)   

<3thehappyinsomniac

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I've been craving potato soup all day.  So I came home, and made some.  It turned out wonderfully and was vegan to boot.  Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Stuffs:

• 6 Large Potatoes, washed 
• 3 Stalks of celery, rinsed&chopped
• 4 Cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 3-4 Cups Coconut milk
• 1/4 white onion
• 2 Tablespoons concentrated vegetable soup base (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base...any grocery store carries it, I think I got my jar at Safeway)

Seasonings to Taste:

• Sage
• Oregano
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Chives

Using a sharp knife, slice each potato down the center to allow for venting, and microwave all six potatoes together on a plate for 8 minutes.  While your potatoes are microwaving: Set a large pot on the stove on medium heat and mix 3 cups of coconut milk & the veggie base, stirring well.  If the milk begins to boil, turn down immediately.  Add celery, minced garlic, and onion allowing them to cook thoroughly.  When the potatoes are done cooking, cut them into chunks and add to the pot.  Stir regularly, allowing the soup to thicken.  As the potatoes break down, add the remaining cup of coconut milk as needed to avoid over-thickening. 

Allow the soup to come to a slight boil, and serve immediately. 

Happy Cooking! 

<3TheHappyInsomniac

Bad-Day Banana Bread

Banana bread is amazing no matter why mood you're in, but this recipe definitely falls into the comfort food zone, is completely vegan-safe (cinnamon rolls...You're next, muahaha), and will turn any bad day upside down.

Generally, vegan banana bread seems to be particularly grumpy when it comes to either cooking all the way through, having a poor flavor, being to dry, lumpy, and just overall blah.  However, this one I tripled, which tells you how good it must be. :)

As always, most recipes I post are open to creative interpretation by the baker and often have room for add-ins to cater to your preferences. Extra goodies that would be good in this bread would be unsweetened coconut flakes, vegan chocolate chips, or sliced almonds.  Also, since it's not overbearingly sweet, it pairs well with strong coffee & tea (especially for those of you who are creamer fans)!

Bad-Day Banana Bread
Prep Time: 15-20 Minutes
Bake Time: 1-1 1/2 hours

Cooking Stuffs:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 Tablespoons flax meal (ground flax seeds)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/8 cup raw sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• sprinkle of salt

In a large bowl, peel the bananas and using a potato masher, mash thoroughly.  Slowly stir in the remaining ingredients using an electric hand mixer or a wooden spoon (com'mon muscles!).  It should make a fairly thick batter that smells divine!  Pour into a loaf pan, 9x13 glass dish, or cupcake pan that has been greased with olive oil.  Bake for 45 minutes, then use a knife to see if the center is done.  If not, bake in addition 15 minute intervals until the knife comes out clean.  Allow to cool and serve.  Store in a sealed ziplock to preserve their freshness and they are completely freeze-able!

Happy Baking!

<3thehappyinsomniac