i want candy (clap 7x) i want candy...

let's face it, it ain't cookie bakin' weather right now. it's chocolate bar outta the fridge days. are you craving the candy of your pregan days? don't feel refinancing your home to buy a specialty vegan candy bar? have no fear. just make the chocolate pecan no-bakes from vegan cookies invade your cookie jar and you'll be good to go.

they're effin' dangerous. perfect mixture of nutty, chocolatey, and gooey caramel. that's right, a nice vegan caramel. i'm so glad my braces are off. i put the mixture into pregreased mini muffin tins so i didn't eat the whole batch in an entire sitting. tip: keep 'em in tha fridge or they'll get sloppy.

gimme yer ideas for some good summertime desserts. they must be easy and ovenless.

cookin' up a storm with "american vegan kitchen"

hands down: my favorite cookbook this year is "american vegan kitchen". for. reals. tami really has refined the art of the vegan superpower and can take just about any comfort food dish and ((((pow!)))) make it vegan. i think she owns some sort of magical raygun.

pictured above is gazpacho! i always think of the "lisa the vegetarian" episode of the simpsons when i hear that fancy word. for people without a clue--this is a yummy tomato soup served cold. if you haven't tried it, set your prejudice aside and give it a whirl. if you like salsa, you'll love gazpacho. i served this with some raw zucchini hummus. yes, a hummus made without beans! i kept the skins on because i'm freaky like that.

these should be called sin-a-crunch muffins because they are so hellishly delightfully and crunchilly decadent. yo wait, is crunchilly a word? sure it is. sarah palin told me so. you don't have to butter these at all. the buttery bliss of cinnacrunch is baked into and on top of the muffin.
tofu rancheros. yum. the sauce is good on just about anything, and i can't believe i tried someone else's scramble recipe. it was a nice change of pace. i ate mine with toast because i didn't have any tortillas around.


above are the sweet garlicky ribz, which are pretty labor intensive to make, but soooooo worth it. perfect for our july 4th bbq at home.

i'm gonna try some more of her recipes, i just have been lacking some time. my mission is to fry up some avocado wedges and nosh on some doughnuts.

burgerz

i've missed you all SO MUCH and am so sorry i haven't been present enough on this blog. i really appreciate everyone's patience and understanding. i know i don't have to explain myself since i'm bizzay chasing around 2 small children, working full-time, and cooking up a big mess of food for us hungry folks.
i love kitsch spellin'. when it comes to vegan food, there's plenty of it. point in case: burgerz. the "z" is because it's fake and that's fine with me. let those cows roam the fields. a cow would probably like this burger and wonder how the hell i made such a fine sandwich. i took a recipe for walnut oatmeal burgers i was given at the local food bank and made some additions with spices and lentils. the result was a very tasty crunchy patty that i happily topped with avocado. no real recipe, but you could take just about any lentil loaf recipe and make patties out of it and get a good vegan burger. i kicked it up a notch and rolled this baby in some crushed up triscuits. i greased a cookie sheet, turned the oven up to 350, baked for 10 on each side, and they were good. brought some into work for the omni/vegetarian set and all were thoroughly impressed. they'd probably be really rockin' fried, but i wanted to be a bit healthier.

here's another gem from veganomicon : banana chocolate chip bread pudding. i don't think i made it wet enough, so it was kind of solid, but damn was it good. the leftovers got a little soggy and they were even better. this was made some time ago, so it's probably not a good dish to make in the heat of the summer. since this is a cupboard cleaner dessert, it is easy and ideal to make for a potluck. everyone else will just think you spent hours making it.

i think i've found a way to manage more posts. i've really been doing a ton of stuff in the kitchen, so i've been taking pics and making drafts so i can just type the narrative when i have some free time. in our next fun entry, i'll show off some dishes from american vegan kitchen, which is turning out to be my favorite cookbook of the year.