I was playing in the kitchen and deciding to take some of my favorite flavors and just whirl them together to make a vegan pudding. Let’s see, dark chocolate, cinnamon, peanut butter, coconut.  Hmmm…

And it came out great!

Prep time is about 5 minutes, and there are only 5 ingredients.  And it’s vegan, full of protein, has antioxidant rich dark chocolate and dark cocoa, and is low in sugar.  So eat your pudding and forget the guilt!

Dark chocolate & peanut butter vegan pudding

1 package mori-nu firm tofu

2 heaping tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 TBL peanut butter

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tsp coconut

Simply whirl tofu, cocoa, cinnamon and peanut butter in a blender until smooth.  Melt chocolate chips in a microwave (or double boiler) and add.  Process until smooth.

Divide among 4 parfait glasses or small dishes, and top with a little coconut.  

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Serves 4

Have you tried delicata squash yet?  It has an oblong shape and a striped green and yellow skin.  It’s sooooooo delicious and easy to prepare.

I love roasting it and serving instead on potatoes with anything from chicken, to braised tofu, to turkey (hello Thanksgiving).

Here’s what you do:

Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take 3 squash (to serve 4) and slice in half, then remove seeds.

Place squash halves in a pan skin down, then sprinkle with cinnamon, sprinkle with vanilla extract, squeeze on a little agave, and add a bit of vegan butter to each half.

Roast for about 60 minutes.

That’s it!

You can eat the entire thing, skin and all.

Peaches are in season and fantastic right now!  

I bought a big box of peaches at Trader Joe’s and let them ripen for a couple of days, then used four of them for this easy, healthy dessert.  

The fruit is juicy and just sweet enough, and the topping tastes just like an oatmeal cookie!

This recipe serves is made in an 8’ x 8” square pan and serves 4, but if you’d like to serve a larger group just double the recipe and bake in a 13” x 8” rectangular pan to serve 8.

Fresh Peach Crisp

For the fruit:

4 peaches, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup berries (I used blackberries)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the topping:

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 Tbl vegan butter

Preheat oven to 350 and spray your baking pan.

Put peaches and berries into the pan, sprinkle with vanilla, sugar and cinnamon.

Place oats, 2 tsp sugar, cinnamon and almonds in a blender or mini chop.  Process for 30 seconds and pour into small bowl.  Add butter and mix with your fingers until butter is incorporated.  Sprinkle topping onto fruit, and bake fo 40 minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm.  Top with a little vegan or dairy whipped cream.

Yum!

Serves 4

Sorry, followers, for the cryptic headline that I posted a few days ago, and NO recipe! I do not know what happened to my tumblr post, but it disappeared!  

Here is the recipe, and I hope you like it…  

An easy Vegan Chai Pie inspired by Tanya Petrovna, chef extraordinaire of Native Foods.

Vegan Chai Pie

3 graham crackers

1 15 oz can pumpkin 

1 package Mori-Nu firm tofu

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 Tbl vegetable oil

3 Tbl flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp grated ginger

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a pie pan with oil (I like to use coconut oil). Grind the graham crackers in a blender and sprinkle to cover the bottom of the pie pan.

Blend everything from the pumpkin to the ginger in your blender until smooth.  Pour into your pie pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set.  Cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  I actually prefer to eat it the next day!

Serve with berries and some vegan or dairy whipped cream (as pictured), or topped with candied ginger and sliced banana.

Serves 8

1 tsp vanilla

OK, so I love a parfait.  Enough to have parfait glasses.  But you can make this recipe using small bowls, although you will miss the chance to see the pretty layers.  But I digress!

An easy, fairly low sugar, no cook, vegan pudding.  What can be better for a light summer dessert?

Vegan Mocha Pudding Parfait

1 1/2 graham crackers

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 block firm tofu 

1 shot of espresso, or 1 Tbl instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbl hot water

3 Tbl coconut or brown sugar

2 Tbl cocoa powder

3 Tbl chocolate chips

Blend graham crackers and cinnamon until finely ground and set aside.

Add tofu, espresso, sugar and coca powder to blender and blend until smooth.

Microwave (or use a double boiler) chocolate chips for 1 minute and add to blender. Blend again until smooth.

Take 3 or 4 parfait glasses or small bowls and sprinkle the bottom with cracker crumbs, then add a layer of pudding, a layer of crumbs, and layer of pudding and top with crumbs.

Refrigerate for at least four hours!

Serves 3-4

I had two new friends over for dinner last night and they warned me that they were “meat and potato” people, not veggie lovers.  

So I grilled a couple of steaks (a real splurge if you buy organic meat), threw a pan of quartered, small yukon gold potatoes in the oven with a dash of olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper, and, since the oven was on, put this recipe in the oven to roast.

Guess what?  They both ate two servings of the veggies!  I think it’s because I cut them up small and let the flavors mingle.  It was less intimidating to get a forkful of tender, various veggies than to spear one large veggie chunk.

Whatever the reason, all I know is that I figured if they’ll eat it, then maybe your finnicky, veggie phobe girlfriend/boyfriend/kid/roommate might try it too!

Roasted Farmer’s Market Veggies

1 sweet onion

1 cup crimini mushrooms

1 cup brussel sprouts

1 medium sized zucchini

2 carrots

2 Tbl olive oil

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp oregnao

1/4 tsp marjoram

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl mix your olive oil, thyme, oregano and marjoram and set aside.

Dice all veggies into 1/2 inch pieces and put in bowl.  Add oil and stir, then place in a 9 X 13 baking dish.

Bake until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring veggies once at around 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

I love lentils and I love split peas, so I combined them together in this simple stew.  You can serve it over rice or quinoa, but since it’s hearty and corn is in season, I just served it with a light, fresh corn sauté.  Since I want to eat something green with every meal I simply add spinach to the corn.

This makes a great lunch or dinner, and left-overs heat up easily!

Lentil and Split Pea Stew

1 1/2 cups lentils and split peas

2/3 cup cherry tomatoes

1 small sweet onion (diced)

1 tsp curry

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

Corn with Spinach

1/2 sweet onion (diced)

2/3 cup sliced shitake mushrooms

2 ears fresh corn

2 cups spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Soak lentils and split peas for a couple of hours or overnight.  Drain and put in a pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.  Then add curry, turmeric, tomatoes and onion.

Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or under tender but not mushy.  Salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare corn heat up a little olive oil and cook diced onion until transparent.  Add mushrooms and cook until they are slightly brown.  Cut the kernels off of the ears of corn and add to pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then add spinach and stir until just wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

This is my new favorite middle of the day, gotta have something chocolatey, pick-me-up smoothie.

Of course it’s healthy, and it’s filling, and it’s cool and creamy.  What more can I say? Try it and see!

Chocolate Cherry Smoothie (serves 1)

8 oz unsweetened chocolate almond milk

1 scoop amazing grass cocoa drink powder

1 scoop natural unsweetened chocolate protein powder

1 Tbl flax seed meal

1/2 frozen banana

1/4 cup frozen cherries and/or blueberries (more if you like it thicker)

Just toss the almond milk, green drink powder, protein powder and 1/2 frozen banana into a blender and blend unitl smoot.  Add cherries and/or blueberries until you get it as thick as you like it.

If I’m really hungry I make it really thick and top with a few fresh berries. a few raisins and some chia seeds like so:

NOTE: If you can’t find the green drink powder or unsweetened chocolate protein powder you can order it online at iherb.com.

They have great prices too!