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Winter Solstice
Happy Winter Solstice! Winter Solstice is a time of rebirth so I am using this time for simple reflection. The holiday season can be so hectic and stressful sometimes you need to take a mini break to take a deep breath and relax. I am hoping that looking at these peaceful images will provide me with a moment of zen while I am at the airport tomorrow. The thought of traveling on Christmas weekend is freaking me out a bit. I have a quick overnight work trip to Dallas so I will fly out tomorrow morning and fly back home the next day. I hope the airport is not too…
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Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies have always been Eric’s favorite. He was a little bummed out when he discovered they were not on my list to make this year so he decide to make his own. Eric is even less of a baker than I am so I was pretty shocked when I came home from the gym to find him with the first batch of these vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies in the oven. If Eric can bake these you can too! They were super easy to make. Simply mix together: 1/2 cup coconut oil 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup peanut butter 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup plant based…
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Biscuit Bar for Christmas Morning Brunch
If you have a crowd to feed at your house over Christmas weekend a biscuit bar might be a fun easy option for breakfast. We kept our biscuit bar pretty simple and low key. I offered stone ground mustard, three different store bought jellies (cherry, apricot, and fig) and one homemade nut butter spread. It is easy to put together. Simply scoop a little bit out of the store bought containers into small pretty bowls or jars. I used small ramekins for the jellies and and mustard. Eric loves mustard so that was a must! I made Gingerbread Walnut Butter from the blog Well and Full. Sarah’s recipe is delicious and…
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Lemon Pistachio Vegan Cookies
These cookies are a nice change of pace because they are not overly sweet. The fresh citrus brightens the tangy flavor of these chewy vegan cookies. This recipe makes 24 cookies and uses an electric mixer. You don’t have to have an expensive stand mixer any old hand mixer will do. One of my favorite things about this recipe is I was able to use my Squirrel Nut Grinder from World Market for the first time. It was an impulse buy when I saw him I just knew I had to have! He is so adorable! If you don’t have a nut grinder you can chop the pistachios in a…
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Moose Drops – Vegan No Bake Cookies
These vegan no bake cookies are super easy and quick to make. They are called Moose Drops because well…they look like moose poop. They may look a little unsightly but they smell and taste amazing. Our whole kitchen smelled like rich hot coco while I was making these treats. To make Vegan Moose Drops you need: 2 cups quick oats 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup coco powder 1/2 cup vegan butter 1/2 cup plant based milk 1 tsp vanilla parchment or wax paper Lay out a large sheet of wax paper on your counter top. In a large bowl mix together quick oats and coconut…
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Goodbye November Hello December
Goodbye November! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Rather than staying at home and cooking we went went out of town this year. It was really nice to take a mini vacation in Chattanooga. I felt like I was able to relax and slow down a bit. Thanksgiving day we went for a walk at the Chickamauga Battlefield. It is maintained by the national park service and they have around 50 miles of trails. We were surprised that the visitor’s center was open on Thanksgiving but happy because we were able to grab a trail map. The battlefield was a fun place to go to enjoy being outside. It…
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Sekisui Vegan Sushi in Chattanooga
Recently I saw another blogger, Chattavegan, mention that a Japanese restaurant in Chattanooga had added back their vegan menu. Since we were going to be in town for Thanksgiving it sounded like a fun place for us to try. We drove up to Chattanooga Wednesday afternoon. After checking into our hotel we headed over to Sekisui for dinner. The restaurant is located downtown near Warehouse Row and there is plenty of parking nearby. Eric was starving and wanted to order one of everything. We ordered and shared the Bongos Roll, Buttercup Roll, Sea Otter Roll, and Vegan Futomaki. The Buttercup Roll was our favorite. It has avocado and pineapple on…
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Cranberry Bourbon Arnold Palmer
This Cranberry Arnold Palmer drink is perfect with or without the bourbon. It just depends on the time of day whether or not I add it. If you are not adding the bourbon just add a little more tea. An Arnold Palmer is traditionally half lemonade half tea. This version is perfect for the holidays because it is refreshing and not too sweet or too tart. I hope this cranberry twist on a classic becomes your new favorite fall drink! To make one Cranberry Bourbon Arnold Palmer combine: 1 oz bourbon 1 oz cranberry juice 2 oz sweet tea 2 oz lemonade Stir well and garnish with a lemon wheel.…
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Roasted Carrots with Farro
Farro has a reputation of being hard to cook but we really like it. I enjoy the chewy texture of it. We have been making it in place of brown rice or quinoa. Farro also has more protein and fiber than other grains like quinoa. I bought a small bunch of rainbow carrots and wanted to try to do something special and healthy with them so I decided slow roasting and serving over farro would do the trick. Who doesn’t love roasted carrots? To make these vegan roasted carrots you need: Small bunch carrots 1 cup peeled pearl onions 1 cup farro 3 cups vegetable broth 1 tbsp olive oil…
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Cheesy Vegan Mash Potato Casserole
Are you looking for a new vegan holiday side dish? Or better yet something to do with your holiday leftovers? This recipe will do the trick either way. It is a little bit like a twice baked potato casserole but healthier than traditional versions that are normally full of cream and bacon. To make this casserole you need: 3 cups mash potatoes (we leave skins on but thats up to you) 1 cup frozen collard greens 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup plant based milk 1/2 cup So Delicious dairy free cheddar flavored shreds Bring a small pot of water with…
