Chocolate Dipped Stuffed Dates (vegan "Snickers")

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This is an idea I have seen floating around a few places, so I wanted to try it at home. My boss was sweet enough to give me a large container of Madjool Dates, so it seemed like a great time to test the idea out on my kids. 

This is back to school week here, so I am actively trying out new lunchbox ideas and treats for my teens. So far, the Gardein Crispy chicken wraps have been the winner for sandwich idea. This little treat won desert, hands down yesterday. These "vegan Snickers bites" were simple enough to make the night before and refrigerate until morning. They held up well in the lunch boxes and the kids shared with friends, who also approved ( always a plus for them as teenagers). 

** If you have a peanut allergy, these can be made substituting any other nut and nut butter, or ( in case of  nut allergy, use a tahini paste and seed mixture (maybe pumpkin?)**

Looking for more great Vegan Deserts or Lunchbox ideas? Try my Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, Summer Berry Cobbler, Vegan S'Mores Pie, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches, & Pineapple Upside Down cake

Recipe:

1/2 cup Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy Life)

12 Madjool dates, pitted and peeled (peeling is not necessary, but makes the candy smoother)

peanut butter

peanuts

Method: 

1. Using a double boiler, gently heat chocolate chips over low heat until smooth. ( If you do not have a double boiler, boil water in a small pan and heat chocolate chips in a small bowl placed over the pan to avoid direct heat on the chocolate). 

2. While chocolate melts, stuff your dates. Place a layer of peanuts in your dates. Top peanuts with peanut butter to fill dates.

3. Once chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

4. Roll dates in warm chocolate quickly to coat ( Careful not to melt peanut butter)

5. Place dates on a plate covered in parchment paper.

6. Refrigerate dates for at least an hour to allow chocolate to set. ( I let them set overnight and they held up well in my kids lunchboxes).

Makes a dozen "Snickers" bites.

Basic Marinara Sauce

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It's late into Summer and my Grandma just harvested some of her last tomatoes for the season. She gave me several tomatoes yesterday when I went to visit. Today I decided to take full advantage of those lovely tomatoes and make a marinara sauce. 

I will write this recipe two ways. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, or just don't have the time to steam and peel a bunch of tomatoes before dinner, I will write an option using canned crushed tomatoes too. There is nothing like making a fresh from the garden sauce, but I understand it's not always possible. Take the help & use the cans if you need it.. your family will not complain. It will still be more impressive than just dumping sauce from a jar.

Looking for more simple vegan recipes? Try my Easy Sunday Dinner , Red Beans & Rice, Chili & Cornbread Casserole, Portobella Philly & Cheeze, Hot Chili Ramen with Tofu & Veggies, Mediterranean Cucumber Salad & Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Recipe:

About 10 medium tomatoes, steamed, pealed and seeded to equal 4 cups of crushed tomatoes. (Or 4 cups of canned crushed tomatoes)

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 small onion, diced

5 cloves sliced garlic

1 handful of fresh basil, sliced into ribbons 

Salt & pepper to taste 

(*, ** see notes for variations) 

Method:

Heat oil and onion 

over medium heat in a deep sauce pan.

Cook onion until tender.

Add basil and garlic to oil.

Cook an additional 30 seconds, just until fragrant. 

Once you can smell the garlic, add your crushed tomatoes, salt & pepper. 

Reduce to simmer. 

Cover and cook over low heat while you prepare your pasta and garlic bread.

*For a smoother sauce, use a submersion blender (or pour into a  standard blender) and puree until smooth before serving. 

** For a thicker sauce, add tomato paste, a Tbsp. at a time until desired thickness. 

Makes 4-6 servings of sauce. 

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

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This is not an original recipe. I have been making these for so long, I don't know where I saw the original recipe. This is the EASIEST pumpkin spice cupcake recipe you will ever make. They are so moist and delicious they will "wow" anyone. They are also "accidentally vegan", so even if you share the recipe, no one will "connect the dots" unless you want them to know it's vegan. I love making these for potlucks because they are so easy & make me look like a rock star baker.

Looking for more Vegan Deserts? Try my Summer Berry Cobbler, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes, Banana Pudding Pie, Vegan S'Mores Pie, & Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Recipe:

1 box of Spice Cake mix*

3/4 can (15 oz) can of Pure Pumpkin 

1 (16 oz) prepared cream cheese icing.. (check the label, but most are vegan!)

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix together cake mix and pumpkin until smooth. (* if you can't find spice cake mix, use a yellow cake mix & add 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice)

Pour batter into paper lined cupcake pan. (It will be thick, like peanut butter.)

Bake 17-20 minutes. 

Allow to cool completely before icing.

Make 1 dozen cupcakes. 

Hidden Veggie Macaroni

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We have a "picky eater" in our house. Getting vegetables into her is sometimes a challenge, to say the least. I "hide" vegetables in everything from smoothies to pasta sauce to make sure she is eating balanced meals. 

This meal is full of vegetables, but your "picky eater" will never pick them out in this sauce.  I added broccoli because my daughter actually likes broccoli, but if your child prefers another vegetable, just substitute that vegetable as the "obvious veggie" to get them to try the pasta. Yes, broccoli is my bait! Make it your own recipe because you know what works best for your family.

Looking for more Vegan family meals? Try my Hearty Hidden Veggie Spaghetti, Easy Sunday Dinner, Portobella Philly & Cheeze, Creamy Jackfruit Casserole, Chili & Cornbread Casserole & finish with my Summer Berry Cobbler

Recipe:

1/3 cup oil of choice 

1 tsp. Chopped fresh garlic 

1 cup yellow squash, chopped * 

1 cup carrots, chopped 

2 cups cauliflower, chopped 

2 1/2 cups of unsweetened  plant milk

  1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder 

1/2 tsp. Paprika 

1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice 

1/2 cup nutritional yeast 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

3 cups steamed broccoli 

1 (16 oz) package of pasta

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and return to the pot.

Heat oil and garlic over medium heat, just until the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add plant milk and allow to come to a boil. 

Add cauliflower, squash, carrots, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper. 

Cook an additional 10 - 12 minutes,  until vegetables are soft.

Pour milk and veggies into a high powdered blender. 

Add nutritional yeast  and lemon juice. 

* adjust salt and pepper if needed*

Blend on high until smooth. 

Pour vegetable sauce over pasta.

Add broccoli and stir to combine. 

Cook over medium heat an additional 2-3 minutes to thicken sauce.

Makes 4 - 5 servings.

* If you cannot find yellow squash, you can use any squash you like. (Butternut is great) If you are using zucchini or eggplant, make sure you peel the skins off first so it doesn't make your cheese sauce a funny color ( which can make picky eaters suspicious!). 

  

Protein Power Burrito

I have been walking daily and becoming more interested in my physical fitness. This is my high protein creation to help me build a little muscle and nourish my body. The "meat" is so healthy. It's full of tempeh, seeds and lots of flavor. After all, if it doesn't taste good, you are not going to eat it, right? 

Recipe:

high protein "meat" :

1 (8oz.) Package tempeh, crumbled

1 Tbsp. Chia seeds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp. Ground flax seed

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Smokey paprika

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Onion powder

1/2 tsp. Chili powder (optional)

1 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast

1 tsp. Salt

Pepper to taste

2/3 cup veggie broth

Burrito filling:

1 cup nopalitas

1 medium onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 cup corn

1 (15 oz.) Can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 (15 oz.) Can pinto beans, rinsed & drained

6-8 flour tortillas

Salsa to top (optional)

Combine all "meat" ingredients, except broth, in a food processor.

Pulse on high until a "meaty" texture is reached.

Pour "meat" into a frying pan. Add broth.

Cook on medium high heat for about 10 mintues, until liquid is absorded.

Set "meat" aside.

Cook onions, peppers, nopalitas, & corn over medium high heat until tender. 

Add beans to your pan and heat throughly.

Layer "meat" and veggies into your torillas and roll tightly.

Top with salsa and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Oven Baked Cactus Tacos

Last week my boss retired and we through a big party at work. My boss is a spicy foods enthusiast, so we had a lot of spicy foods at the party. One dish really excited me at the party. The dish was made from cactus. Cactus is something I have never had the pleasure of trying before the party. I asked around and found out a coworker had made this dish. I wanted to know more, so I  sat down with her and found out what was in the "cactus salsa". After trying the cactus dish, I immediately went to the store and purchased nopalitos  (cactus) to use in a meal this week...  and this was what I came up with:

Recipe:

1 package of Gardein beefless crumbles 

2 Tbsp. Chipotle peppers 

1 medium onion, diced 

1 (15 oz) can pintos, drained and rinsed 

1 tsp. Cumin 

1 tsp. Paprika 

1 cup chopped pickled nopalitos 

Olive oil 

1 cup Daiya pepper jack cheese 

5 minute Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

8-10 taco shells

Fresh spinach and salsa to serve 

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°

Cook Gardein beefless crumbles with Chipotle peppers, onions, nopalitos, pintos, cumin, and paprika in olive oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes. 

Layer taco shells with Daiya pepper jack cheese, Gardein beefless crumbles, and top with vegan beer cheese sauce. 

Bake tacos in the oven about 15 minutes until browned. 

Top with fresh spinach to serve.

Makes 8-10 tacos.

Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

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This is my husband's favorite lite meal. We make this lovely, colorful, salad frequently. It's a great salad to keep in the refrigerator during the summer, or take to the pool. It's bright and refreshing with fresh lemon juice and parsley, a perfect dish to take to a picnic or cook out.

Looking for more great Vegans recipes? Try my Vegan Cabbage Rolls, Summer Berry Cobbler, Sriracha Black Bean Burger, Mediterranean Hummus Pizza, Hearty Vegan Spaghetti, & Vegan Philly & Cheese

Recipe:

3 medium cucumbers, pealed and chopped into bite sized pieces 

2 medium tomatoes, chopped 

1 medium purple onion, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped 

Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons 

1 cup olive oil 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

1/2 tsp. Dried mint leaves 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and cover.

Let marinate at least 1 hour before serving. 

Makes 6 servings.