Tag: cooking

Edible Cookie Dough

Recipes

Base Ingredients:

  • 1 1/3 cup Flour (gluten free or non-gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup Butter (vegan or dairy)
  • 1/4 cup White Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 3 tbsp Milk (vegan or dairy)
  • Pinch of Salt

Ways to customize your cookie dough:

  • 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
  • 3/4 cup Oats
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp Espresso Powder
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

Directions:

  1. Heat flour to kill of any bacteria. Either microwave for 1.5 minutes (stir half way through), or heat in a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes (stir half way). Cool.
  2. Cream butter and sugar together.
  3. Add vanilla, milk, and any other custom ingredients.
  4. Mix in flour.
  5. Try not to eat the entire bowl in one sitting.

It stays in the fridge for up to a week. Personally, I love to keep it in the freezer, and eat it like ice cream. Freeze in an air-tight container for up to a month. You can also make an awesome cookie dough dip by adding 3/4 cup of yogurt (vegan or dairy). It is the perfect summer snack.

Love, Liv

 

Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

Recipes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 shallot/small red onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp dill

Directions:

  1. Half tomatoes.
  2. Chop cucumber into quarters. Then slice quarters into 1/2 inch slices.
  3. Cut avocado into 1/4 inch cubes.
  4. Dice shallot/red onion.
  5. Zest and juice lemon.
  6. Add dill, salt, and pepper.
  7. Mix.

This is such a refreshing and simple salad. Also filling! It is sure to brighten up any summer party. Eat up!

Love, Liv

French Onion Soup

Recipes

Ingredients:

  • Aprox. 5 cups Yellow Onions (4-5 Medium onions)
  • 3 cloves of Garlic
  • 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Aminos (or 1/3 cup soy sauce)
  • 1 Tbsp Savory Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Thyme
  • 10 cups water or broth

Directions:

  1. Roughly chop onions. Saute over medium heat until soft.
  2. Add garlic and a pinch of salt. Keep sauteing until onions are translucent.
  3. Mix in balsamic vinegar and aminos. Cook for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
  4. Add savory, thyme, and water/broth.
  5. Cook over medium low for a minimum of 45 minutes. BUT, it really tastes best when cooked for 2.5-3 hours. The longer you let the soup cook, the better it tastes. Time is the best thing for this soup.

Serves 4-6 people

I strongly suggest using aminos rather than soy sauce in this recipe. Aminos are liquid amino acids taken generally from soy or coconuts. It makes a richer, meatier sauce. Side bonus it is lower in sodium and naturally gluten free.

We love this recipe. Serve with a crusty piece of bread, or even a (vegan) grilled cheese. It also makes a great onion gravy that we love to eat over mashed potatoes. You can find that recipe below:

Onion Gravy:

  1. Warm up left over soup over medium heat.
  2. In a separate dish add 1-2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder or pure corn starch to 1/4 cup of soup to make a slurry. Whisk until smooth.
  3. Add the slurry to the rest of the left over soup.
  4. Heat until thickened.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Love, Liv

Red, White, and Blue Jicama Salad

Recipes

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized Jicama
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Lime
  • 1 tbsp. Agave Nectar
  • Pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Chop Jicama into 1/2 inch cubes. Roughly chop Strawberries.
  2. Add Blackberries and Blueberries.
  3. Add the zest and juice of one lime.
  4. Mix 1 tablespoon Agave Nectar and a pinch of salt.

 

I love summer. There is nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables. Jicama is  is a globe looking root vegetable; the interior is sweet and starchy. I would describe it like a sweet water-chestnut, or a starchy cucumber.  It is easy to make sweet or savory, so be watching for more jicama recipes from me this summer. I hope you love this fresh salad as much as I do!

Love, Liv

Sweet Potatoes with Mexican Quinoa

Recipes

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 can diced chilies
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1 tbsp. taco seasoning
  • 1/2 jar of your favorite salsa

WhatsApp Image 2020-05-06 at 8.13.33 PM.jpeg

Directions:

  1. Chop onion and sweet potato. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes
  2. Add diced chilies, and quinoa. Cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add water, taco seasoning, and salsa. Cook until quinoa is tender.
  4. Top with your favorite taco toppings.

Serves 2-4

This recipe makes perfect tacos, quesadillas, nachos, or just on its own. Enjoy this simple dinner!

Love, Liv

Pad Thai Spaghetti Squash

Recipes

I love Asian inspired dishes. They are sweet, salty, tangy and delicious. I do not love all the preservatives, MSG and other gross things hiding in most soy sauces in the grocery store. SO! I have a clean version for you that won’t break the bank to make.

Let’s talk about coconut aminos. It is the sap from coconut palms. After the sap ferments, salt gets added; this process gives the coconut aminos a very similar profile to soy sauce. BUT there has 73% less sodium than most soy sauce. Not to mention, the amino acids and B vitamins that are packed into the sap. Overall, it is a great replacement for soy sauce.

Hornstail Terrariums

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Peas
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Yellow Bell Pepper
  • Carrots
  • Onion
  • Garlic

Dressing

  • 3 tbsp coconut aminos (or a clean soy sauce)
  • 1/2 tsp agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp chili paste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 1/2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you want non-spicy)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Roast spaghetti squash for 45-55 minutes or until fork tender.
  3. Mice garlic. Dice carrots, peppers, onion, and peas.
  4. Over Medium-High heat, saute vegetables for 5-7 minutes.
  5. Pull spaghetti squash out of oven, mix in vegetables and dressing.
  6. Enjoy!

This is such an easy dinner; it is perfect for a week night meal. I hope you enjoy it!

Love, Liv

Sweet Potato Curry Soup

Recipes

Another snow storm, another soup. We are preparing for life to get shut down again this weekend as more snow get dumped on us here in Wisconsin. Whenever the weather starts to look gloomy, I start to crave soup. Because we have a record breaking year of snow fall, we have been eating soup by the gallon. I have for you a Sweet Potato Curry Soup. It is sure to fill you up, and warm your soul.

This recipe is SO easy. It is perfect for a week night meal. You dump everything in a pot, and wait about 30 minutes. I love recipes you put in one big container, let it hang out while you get homework with the kids done or a quick load of laundry, and BAM! Dinner is ready. Plus, everything is in one pot, so clean up is a breeze!

Introducing

Ingredients

  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 5 medium yellow potatoes
  • 2 medium yellow onions
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 8 cups vegetable broth

Sweet potatos, yellow potatoes, and onion

Directions

  1. Place 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large stock pot over low heat.
  2. Add two minced cloves of garlic.
  3. Roughly chop: sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, and onion into cubes. Add to the stock pot.
  4. Raise heat to medium. Stir frequently for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions start to release their juices.
  5. Add 8 cups of vegetable broth. 2 tsp curry, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, pinch of red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper.
  6. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender, and reduce to medium low heat.
  7. Roughly chop red, yellow, and orange bell peppers into 1/2 pieces. Add to soup.
  8. Simmer for 10-15 more minutes.
  9. Remove Bay Leaves, and Enjoy!

You can top with coconut cream at the last second to tone down the heat if needed.

This is a new household favorite-I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Love, Liv

Vegan Sand Dollar Cookies

Recipes

I am really excited for this recipe. It makes me dream of a warm place without 6 feet of snow, digging my feet in the sand, a over sized, floppy hat, and those fun drinks with little umbrellas in them. We are making Vegan Sand Dollar cookies today. Now, this recipe is not an every day cookie recipe. This is one of the recipes we have on special occasions because of how much sugar is in the cookies. You could substitute the sugar for maple syrup or agave, but it just does not have the same taste. Plus, it makes the dough extra wet, and you need so much extra flour. SO. Once in a while, we all need a “treat yo’self” recipe, and this is a house hold favorite.

Vegan Sand Dollar Cookies
Let’s talk about this raw dough. It is AMAZING. If you have an upcoming girl’s night or just need some raw cookie dough to eat, this is the cookie dough for you. It reminds me of eating full tubes of Pillsbury’s cookie dough when I was in college with my roommates. I would not advise eating the full batch of batter, but it is so easy to in this recipe.
Make sure to use organic sugar to ensure it is vegan
Dry Ingredients:
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose baking flour
  • 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • dash of salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground flax seeds (you could use chia seeds, but they leave little dots in the cookies. Flax seeds blend into the batter, and are undetectable)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup room temperature vegan butter

Topping Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 slivered almonds

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Combine all dry ingredients. Put through a sieve/strainer. Make sure all the lumps are out.
  3. Add vanilla, almond, and butter. Mix thoroughly
  4. Place ping pong sized dough balls on a greased cookie sheet
  5. Press 4-5 silvered almonds into each cookie
  6. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until cookies start to tun golden brown around the edges.
  7. Combine sugar and cinnamon.
  8. Once the cookies are done baking, coat in the sugar cinnamon mixture..
  9. ENJOY!

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

I hope you love these cookies!

Love, Liv

 

 

Pasta Salad

Recipes

I am going to give you a super simple pasta salad recipe here. It is perfect for any potluck, family gathering. Plus, it is so simple. The homemade dressing is a basic Italian dressing seasoning. I was looking in the store at ingredients in most Italian dressings, and they contain everything from processed sugar to dyes. WHY?! So, if you want to ditch the processed ingredients, this will be your new favorite dressing.

Pasta Salad

For my pasta salads, I use an organic rigatoni pasta. I think the dressing coats the noodles best, and it has the best noodle-vegetable ratio.

Dressing Ingredients

  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/8 tsp paprika or turmeric
  • 1/2 tbsp Italian Herbs (or 1/4 tsp of each: basil, marjoram, oregano 1/8 tsp of each: rosemary, thyme)
  • zest from one lemon
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp vinegar (balsamic, apple cider, white, really any vinegar works here)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

And get creative with your Vegetables, throw whatever you have in the fridge in with the pasta. All of the measurements are for 1 box of pasta worth of noodles. I prefer the vegetables to be dices in about 1/2 inch cubes

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 7-8 cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 1 bag snap peas
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 box rigatoni pasta (or gluten free pasta)

You really cannot mess up this recipe. It is perfect to use up left over vegetables, or to have a fresh side salad for dinner. I hope you love the dressing!

Love, Liv

Bunnies in Snuggies

Recipes

One of my favorite girls’ night snacks was pigs in a blanket. It is so easy, and oh so comforting. If you are looking for that familiar comfort, but in a vegan/vegetarian option-LOOK NO FURTHER. I have a recipe for you all, that is sure to satisfy on every level. Since they are not pigs in a blanket, we will call them Bunnies in Snuggies.

Bunnies in Snuggies (1)

For this recipe, I used regular, full sized carrots, and cut them into smaller pieces. To save time, you can just use baby carrots if you want. Use what you have, this week, we had regular carrots for a different recipe. You can definitely make your own vegan puff pastry, or, you can use pre-made. For this recipe, I used pre-made.

Before going in the oven

Ingredients

  • 1 bag baby carrots (or about 7 carrots cut into 2 inch pieces)
  • Vegan puff pastry
  • Olive oil

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegan mayo (my favorite brand is earth balance)
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp stone ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp agave nectar or maple syrup
  • salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut carrots (skip if you are using baby carrots)
  3. Coat carrots in oil (about 2 tsp), salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet, and roast for 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and cool.
  5. Lower oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Cut puff pastry into 1 inch by 2 inch strips. Eyeball it- it does not need to be perfect.
  7. Wrap carrots in puff pastry, place back on the baking sheet (put the overlap of the pastry side down)
  8. Brush with olive oil.
  9. Put in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove when they turn golden brown.
  10. Make your dipping sauce (you could just use mustard, but the dipping sauce is definitely worth making)
  11. ENJOY!

Serves 1.

Just Kidding! It serves about 5-6. I hope you use this recipe for your next girls’ night, or just a late night snack.

 

Love, Liv