Vegan MoFo- Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This morning my niece Olivia and nephew Ethan came over VERY early to hang out with us for the day.  Since we were up before 10 am it was the perfect excuse to make and extravagant breakfast.  I figured if I wanted to impress my niece and nephew, chocolate needed to be in involved, so I made Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes from Vegan With a Vengeance, Chocolate Drizzle and Sweet Cashew Cream from Vegan Brunch and a batch of oven baked potatoes. 

The cashew cream needed to rest in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up, so I made that first.  It was an easy recipe made of soaked cashews, almond milk, agave and vanilla extract. After that I tossed the potatoes in the oven with loads of onions, olive oil, coarse salt and pepper.  

With the potatoes in the oven, it was time to make the chocolate sauce which was made of almond milk, chocolate chips and vanilla extract.  Last but not least Olivia and I made the pancakes.  

We all cleaned our plates!  Olivia said, "These pancakes are...YUM!"  and after a little encouragement we even got her to reluctantly try the potatoes. To our surprise and hers she said, "wait... I actually really like these!"

Ethan skipped the potatoes and sauces and had his pancakes with maple syrup.  He gobbled them up so we could tell he liked them even though his preteen attitude forced him to say, "Eh... they, were alright..."
Jared and I both thought that everything was delicious!  Sharing breakfast with two of our favorite littles makes rising early totally worthwhile! 

Vegan MoFo- Gardein Ultimate Beefless Burgers

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Jared and I both had an overwhelming urge for junk food, specifically a burger, so we stopped at the grocery store and decided to give Gardein's Ultimate Beefless Burgers at shot.  I am always pleased with what Gardein has to offer so I knew I wouldn't be let down.  We topped them with grilled onions, mushrooms and eggplant as well as sliced tomatoes, veganese, and barbecue sauce....  They were exactly what we both needed at that moment.  It was quick junk-foody pleasure!  These will definitely be my go to veggie burger from now on. They are pretty meaty.  I haven't eaten meat in well over 7 years, but they seems to be what I remember a burger tasting like. Yummy!

Vegan MoFo- Spicy-Buttery-Bliss Popcorn

One of my favorite snacks is popcorn.  You can make it many ways, but my favorite at the current moment is spicy-buttery-bliss.  Here's what I use to make it!

Popcorn..... of course....

A Whirley-Pop stove top popcorn popper. I found this little guy at a garage sale for $2.00 and it was the best $2.00 I've spent in my life.  It makes the popcorn super fast and my arm doesn't get tired from having to shake the pan back and forth like I used to have to do.  It makes making popcorn a breeze!

For the yummy buttery flavor, a little melted Earth Balance always does the trick.

Adobo all purpose seasoning with pepper is a great seasoning for popcorn. All has in it, is salt, garlic, black pepper and turmeric, but it seasons it just right!

Frank's Red Hot is my favorite hot sauce for popcorn.  It gives it just the right kick.

There you have it, Spicy-Buttery-Bliss Popcorn!  The perfect snack to enjoy over an episode of Dexter with Jared. 

Vegan MoFo- Smoky Split Pea Soup

When I think about split pea soup I imagine a green mushy mass with rubbery pieces of ham inside.  Since Isa Chandra Moskowitz rarely lets me down I decided to hold back my prejudices and give the Smoky Split Pea Soup recipe a shot.

I am so glad that I tried this recipe out!  It was AMAZING!  It's nothing like the split pea soup I remember.  This soup had loads of paprika and carrots creating a truly delicious blend of flavors that wasn't mushy or rubbery at all.  This was hearty, smoky, and vegetabley joy!

Jared and I were super hungry, as we usually are at lunch time, so we made tofu sandwiches to go along with the soup.  I know I've already blogged about these delicious sandwiches, but we both thought that sharing this photo with the added avocado would definitely be worth your time!

Vegan MoFo- Cauliflower Pesto Soup

Whenever fall arrives, it puts me in the mood for soup. With extra basil on hand, I decided to try the Cauliflower Pesto Soup out of Appetite for Reduction.

I love a vegan cream soup that doesn't have soy milk or tofu in it, but is still creamy.  Instead of imitation ingredients, this soup had garlic, cauliflower, vegetable broth, salt, black pepper, arrowroot powder, and basil.  As suggested in the recipe, I used my immersion blender to get it suuuuuuper creamy and garnished it with toasted pine nuts.  This soup was light, creamy and surprisingly filling! I will definitely be making this one again.

Vegan Mofo-Brownies

Once in a blue moon Jared will get a craving for something sweet, and I can never turn down sweets, so I scurry into the kitchen and start poking around to see what I have on hand to make dessert.  This time I had everything we needed to make Bitchtastic Brownies from Vegan Bitch in the Kitch. They are supposed to be a healthier brownie recipe than the average so I felt good about my decision to make them.  I was out of vanilla extract, so I used coffee extract as a substitue and that worked out beautifully.  They also contained unsweetened vegan chocolate, sucanat, silken tofu, oil, whole wheat pastry flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and salt. They were SUPER chocolatey and rich, so one small brownie definitely satisfied our craving.  

Vegan MoFo- Breakfast Smoothies

Jared and I have been working hard at adding nutritious treats into our diet.  Lately, Jared has been making some of the BEST smoothies that have ever sipped.  Each week we buy a healthy assortment of frozen fruit so that he can work his magic each morning.

strawberry-mango-pineapple-almond milk

raspberry-strawberry-pineapple

mango-pineapple-vanilla soy yogurt-orange juice

I often refer to these smoothies as slurpees.  They taste just as good as I remember slurpees tasting and you honestly can't tell that they aren't unhealthy.  Even though I can't take credit for making them, I thought that everyone should know about these fantastic healthful drinks.  I love my breakfast slurpees!