vegan MoFo day thirty one: the ultimate chocolate chip cookie 'n "oreo" fudge brownie bar

vegan MoFo day 31: the ultimate chocolate chip cookie 'n "oreo" fudge brownie bar.

a few weeks back i saw these on Joanna's always awesome Food for Thought Friday.
i couldn't stop thinking about them, so of course we deglutened 'n veganized and they became a reality.

this is some seriously sweet shiz, guysers. but let me tell you, totally worth rotting your teeth out over. :) using our favorite gluten-free chocolate chip recipe, vanilla sandwhich cookies and Celine's gluten free fudge brownies the ultimate chocolate chip cookie 'n "oreo" fudge brownie bars were created and demolished faster than the speed of light.

truly ultimate, indeed!

i must admit, while this vegan MoFo's been a little stressful with work & going back to school, i'm a little sadfaced it's coming to an end. everyone kicked so much MoFo booty this year - invading the world with so much vegan awesomeness! MEGAyay!

happy halloween, everyone!!!

veganMoFo day thirty: Allysia's Vegan Mac And Cheese

vegan MoFo day 30: Allysia's Vegan Mac and Cheese.

Allysia of The Real Meal posted her vegan mac and cheese just a few days ago. i love trying out new mac 'n cheeze recipes and wanted to give it a whirl. i can tell you this - it's one delicious way to start a sunday, that's fo 'sho! our food processor isn't the best, so the onion & garlic never achieved the status of smooth, but it didn't stop this cheezy sauce from being a truly scrumptious one. we used chickpea flour and soy-free earth balance and were uber pleased with the delicious results. like Allysia, i too enjoy greens with my mac, especially kale sauteed in olive oil and topped with a little red chili flakes. of course i had to add on a little Franks 'cause that's how i roll. thanks for a crazy delicious bowl of vegan mac and cheese, Allysia!

vegan MoFo day twenty nine: Hannah's buckwheat pancakes

vegan MoFo day 29: Hannah's buckwheat pancakes.

today's starting off with rain, and i believe it's going to be this way all day. i don't mind rain one bit - it slows things down and makes me feel more present. i like it! so to celebrate a cold 'n rainy day i thought i'd start it off right with Hannah's buckwheat pancakes and some ketchup graced hashbrowns. these buckwheat pancakes are gloriously good - hearty, filling, perfect. in every way. brown foods are the best, just ask Panda!

vegan MoFo day twenty-eight: K's Lentil Soup Inspired Salad

vegan MoFo day 28: K's lentil soup inspired salad.

today's absolutely awesome eats are brought to ya by K of In the Mood for Noodles. this easy peasy lentil soup inspired salad is crazy delicious! since we've got a ton of lentils hang'n around this dish was perfect in depleting our supply a good bit.

parsley was subbed in for mint, we didn't have any cheeze on hand, and a little raw kale & minced red onion was added. oh yeah, and we did add in vegenaise for extra mmmmm factor. thanks for the tasty suggestion, K. we've got leftovers for days and it makes me so very happyfaced just thinking about it. this salad is one creamy, tangy combination of yum, indeed!

vegan MoFo day twenty seven: all i've got is this bowl of quinoa and beans

vegan MoFo day 27: burned out quinoa and beans.

i know we're all busy bees and kick'n booty with the MoFo posts, but i've gotta admit, i'm burned out today. but 'cha know, there's only 4 more days and i'm thinking i'm gonna make 31 posts again this year.huzzah! so today i'm taking a break 'cause my brain hurts. here's what i've got going on - easy peasy quinoa and beans bowl. i'll have something more exciting looking tomorrow. promise thomas. ;)

here's how the quinoa bean bowls go (don't let the simplicity of this dish fool ya, it's crazy tasty just like it is - although i will admit if you drizzle on a little lemony-tahini sauce it'll take you places you've never been to before. fo 'sho.):

- bring 1 cup of water + 1 cup of well-rinsed quinoa to a boil in a small pot. once boiling - cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low & cook for 20 minutes.
- saute 1/2 a minced, yellow onion on medium heat.
- add in 2 cups of beans (user's choice - i chose black & white beans this go around) once the onion has softened.
- while your beans are cooking mince 2 big fat cloves of garlic.
- make a well in the middle of the beans 'n onions - add minced garlic and a glub of olive oil.
- stir it all up once garlic is fragrant.
- season bean mix with sea salt & black pepper. turn off the heat and let the beans, onions and garlic hang out for a bit.
- chop kale & massage with olive oil & a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- at this point your quinoa should be ready to go - remove from heat when finished, flush with fork and add everything together (raw, massaged kale + beans & onions + quinoa) in a large bowl.
- another glub of olive oil, another shake of sea salt 'n pepper.

what are some of your favorite easy peasy/i'm too tired/feeling kinda "meh"/don't have time meals to make?

vegan MoFo day twenty six: T's Potato Carrot Latkes

vegan MoFo day 26: T's potato carrot latkes.

these are (by far!) the best latkes i've had. last december we attempted some when visiting my mom 'n dad for christmas - we used a binder (flax egg) and they just didn't crisp up right, but T's cornstarch 'n flour method (we used brown rice flour) worked perfectly (we should have used her recipe last year!)!

i told T last year i couldn't wait to try out her potato carrot latkes and it's about time i got off my ass and made these deliciousnesses. i'm so superhappyfaced we finally did - 'cause these are some seriously scrumptious (and easy to make!) latkes and i absolutely adore love the addition of carrots. they give them great color, awesome flavor, and makes latkes that much more fantastical! thanks for the yummiest latkes, T!

p.s. - we don't have a potato ricer, so we used a clean kitchen towel to wrap up the taters 'n carrots & gave the towel a good wringing over the sink. worked great, too!

vegan MoFo day twenty five: Celine's gluten free fudge brownies

vegan MoFo day 25: Celine's gluten free fudge brownies.

(made with homemade, local sweet potato puree and additional chocolate chips were added to the batter)

five words: you've gotta make these happen!

vegan MoFo day twenty four: inspired by Sarah - bbq soy curled quesadillas!

vegan MoFo day 24: bbq soy curled quesadillas breakfast inspired by Sarah.

if you haven't visited of Sarah's blog, I'm Vegan, and no I'm not starving, then you totally be checking it out right now! she makes crazy deeeelicious vegan eats and has the cutest little lady, Livi! you should check out her blog, fo 'sho! a bit ago she posted these ridiculously delicious look'n quesadillas stuffed with bbq soy curls and since then i've been craving them. yesterday they were created (using brown rice tortillas and cheddar daiya) and oh. my. science. were these quesadillas enjoyed to the fullest extent. mmmmmmmmmm! i'm pretty sure the remainder of the bbq soy curls will only be gobbled up inside warm quesadillas oozing with cheeze, 'cause it's simply the best! thanks, Sarah!

i also wanted to share our bourbon-maple bbq sauce recipe with you all - here ya go!

(makes enough to thoroughly cover a 1/2 bag 'o soy curls)

ingredients:
1 shot of your favorite bourbon (we use Old Crow or Jack)
1/4 large red onion, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
5 cloves o' garlic, minced
3 packed tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp olive oil
big pinch of sea salt
big pinch of garlic powder
big pinch of onion powder
olive oil cooking spray

what 'cha gotta do: spritz a cast iron skillet with the olive oil cooking spray. heat the pan to medium & saute the red onion with a pinch of sea salt until the onion just starts to brown. make a well in the middle of the onions and place the 2 tsp of olive oil + minced garlic in the well & once the garlic is fragrant give it a good mix'n. turn the heat to to medium-high and add add in the bourbon. let this cook down for 2 minutes then add in the apple cider vinegar. stir well & let this cook down for another 2 minutes. lower the heat to low and add in the remaining ingredients. stir well & simmer for 5 minutes.
(the soy curls we reconstituted in water + 1/2 not-chicken bouillon cube. after 10 minutes we strained the soy curls and used a coffee mug to squish all the moisture we could out of them while they were sitting in the strainer. then we tossed them in the pan with the bbq sauce and let them hang out with the heat off (but the cast iron still over the burner) for 5 minutes. that's it!))

vegan MoFo day twenty three: breakfast inspired by Jojo!

vegan MoFo day 23: breakfast inspired by Jojo.

you guys know Jojo, right?! she's awesome (ridiculously awesome) and her blog vegan.in.brighton is just as fantastical as she is! for real. every post has me inspired (or jealousfaced 'cause her eats look so damn delicious) and wanting to move to brighton. :) we could be neighbors, it would be the best. and the food......oh, the food! so when i saw Jojo's breakfasting post a few days ago i just had to have something similar. it looked too good not to try and recreate in my own way. so i did.

yesterday i had clinicals and decided a proper "english breakfast" was to be had in order to fuel me up before massaging volunteers. beans 'n gluten-free toast, some sauteed mushies 'n broccoli (with a spinkle of cheddar daiya), a big thick slice 'o roasted tomato 'n asparagus to boot. i'm just gonna say this - every morning should start this way. i'd never complain. i was full for almost 8 hours and just thinking back on this breakfast makes me most happyfaced. thanks so much for the inspiration, Jojo!!! (and you can bet your boots dan and i will be incorporating dessert plates into our lives super soon!)

vegan MoFo day twenty two: friends are the best!

vegan MoFo day 22: emily's black bean burgers.

my friend emily and i finally had a chance to catch up. she offered to cook dinner and i brought wine (and an unphotographed gluten-free chocolate pumpkin bread pudding), and julie, to meet her pup Lulu. she whipped up these gloriously good black bean burgers (peppers, onions, all purpose gluten-free flour, lots of tasty spices, rolled in cornmeal & sauteed in olive oil) & served them atop spinach salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, artichokes, sriracha, a spritz of bragg's and a side of roasted (homegrown) peppers stuffed with wild rice. MEGAyum!

emily rocked out one fantastical meal (and sent me home with leftovers to share with dan. superw00t!) to fill our bellies while julie and Lulu got to know each other. lots of vegan wine was had, great conversation, and dessert was pretty darn delicious, too. don't 'cha just love vegan-friendly friends?!?! they're the best! <3