PB&C Layered Cake ~ Vegan

June 11, 2016June 11, 20162 Comments

PB&C Layered Cake ~ Vegan
(Peanut Butter and Chocolate layered cake)

I am looking forward to summer and it is almost here! We’ve had so much rain lately. This recipe is rich and moist. A few weeks ago we celebrated our little girls 12th birthday (time flies, doesn’t it?). I promise this recipe is not MY obsession with the peanut butter and chocolate combo, it was Jasmine’s idea and birthday request. First the brownies and now this cake – she does tend to go with what she knows. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 ½ Cups Cake Flour
½ Cup Cocoa Powder
1 ½ Tsp Baking Soda
½ Tsp Salt
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/3 Cup Non-Dairy Milk
½ Cup Shortening, softened (I use Earth Balance)
1 ½ Tsp Vanilla extract
½ Cup Hot Water
½ to 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, optional

Frosting/Icing:
Vegan Cream Cheese (Tofutti’s) – I used 1 (8oz tub)
Peanut Butter – about 1 cup
Powdered Sugar – about 2/3 Cup
Vanilla Extract to taste

Directions:
-Pre-heat oven 350 degrees. Grease (2) two (8-inch) round pan – Earth Balance (Vegan Butter) or cooking spray, if you prefer.
-Combine dry ingredients then mix in softened shortening.
-Add wet ingredients and stir in to combine using a spoon, adding Chocolate chips last.
-Pour into prepared baking pans and bake for 40 minutes.
-Remove from pans and let cake cool completely. Cut each into two pieces to make four layers.
Icing: -Combine ingredients to combine. Spread evenly onto each layer. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Swirl Vegan Brownies

May 17, 2016October 21, 20219 Comments

Peanut Butter Swirl Vegan Brownies!
(Makes 12-15 brownies, depending on size)

Greetings! I know – I know… it has been quite some time since my post. Almost 2 months 😕 but for good reason(s). We’ve had so many great things happen these last couple of months. We’re grandparents now – that is huge news! Our eldest Megan brought baby Nadia into this world in April. 🙂 I am now “GJ” (Grandma Jess) and Seth is Pop-Pop. In addition to that BIG news, Seth and I recently celebrated our anniversary. Some amazing years with such an incredible man. I love him so much 💕! Aside from all these great things, my time has generally been consumed with classes. This past semester was a bit more demanding on my brain than I anticipated. With my creative process on pause, we’ve had a lot of easy dinners or we’ve just been eating out recently, hehe! Hoping to get back in the swing of things on April 3^rd – Jasmine was begging me to make a dessert. She wanted to take a different approach on brownies and this recipe was easy enough. Using my basic brownie recipe I changed the topping of my rocky road brownies and swapped with a peanut butter swirl. I hope you enjoy this one – I look forward to reading your blogs and exploring some new ones too.

Ingredients:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 cups White Sugar
½ cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Water
½ cup Canola Oil
¼ Cup Earth Balance, melted (optional)
¾ cup Applesauce
1 teaspoon Vanilla
½ Cup Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet), optional
(Note: I omit the Earth Balance from original recipe only because I’m using it in the topping also).

Toppings:
3 Tbsp Earth Balance (vegan butter)
¼ Cup Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

Directions:
-Preheat Oven 350 degrees F. Prepare 7×11 Brownie Pan (Earth Balance/Flour or vegan cooking spray if you prefer.
-Combine all dry ingredients – whisk together. As I always say then ditch the whisk and incorporate wet ingredients mix with a spoon until combined. Add chocolate chips into batter, optional. Pour into prepared baking pan.
Topping:
-Melt earth balance vegan butter and mix into peanut butter adding powdered sugar. Combine until smooth.

-Place dollops of peanut butter topping onto brownies and swirl with a knife.
-Bake at 350-degrees for 30-40 minutes – checking for doneness after 30 minutes with a toothpick (toothpick should come out clean – in the center avoid a spot near a chocolate chip to not confuse the test).

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
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Fluffy cake-like vegan brownies with a sweet and salty peanut butter swirl.

Credit: http://www.veganrescue.com

Toppings:
3 Tbsp Earth Balance (vegan butter)
¼ Cup Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

Directions:
-Preheat Oven 350 degrees F. Prepare 7×11 Brownie Pan (Earth Balance/Flour or vegan cooking spray if you prefer.
-Combine all dry ingredients – whisk together. As I always say then ditch the whisk and incorporate wet ingredients mix with a spoon until combined. Add chocolate chips into batter, optional. Pour into prepared baking pan.
Topping:
-Melt earth balance vegan butter and mix into peanut butter adding powdered sugar. Combine until smooth.
-Place dollops of peanut butter topping onto brownies and swirl with a knife.
-Bake at 350-degrees for 30-40 minutes – checking for doneness after 30 minutes with a toothpick (toothpick should come out clean – in the center avoid a spot near a chocolate chip to not confuse the test).

Vegan Bread Pudding

January 15, 2016January 15, 20165 Comments

Vegan Bread Pudding
[Makes 1 (9×13 baking dish) ~ Serves about 12-15 depending on slices]

IMG_9404 (2)

This bread pudding is delish! This recipe was inspired by our little one and her science fair project. Yes, it’s that time of year again – Science Fair experimentation time. I think they strategically plan for it in January so kids can plan and execute their experiments during winter break. Both Josh and Jasmine every year seem to do a food related experiment, maybe I have an influence on them afterall.? This year Jasmine’s experiment involved bread baking/rising etc. Long story short the experiment resulted with about 6-8 loaves of bread over the last couple weeks. (Note to Self: Type out written Bread Recipe for Jasmine) she used one of my bread recipes. 🙂 So with that said, this recipe utilized one of her day old loaves of bread. I also used cashew milk, I feel like cashew milk is the skim milk of the non-dairy world… Maybe the low calories makes me feel better about the dessert too. 😉 Any non-dairy milk should suffice, cashew milk just happened to be what we had available this day. If you ever end up with 6 loaves like use there are options: freezing, croutons, bread crumbs and yes…Bread Pudding. Enjoy!

Jasmine making her bread… 🙂

Ingredients:
1 Loaf (9×5 size loaf pan-about 8-12 cups) Day of Bread, cubed
2 Cups Warm Water
2 Cups Non-Dairy Milk
¼ Cup Corn Starch
2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tsp ground Cinnamon
1 ½ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Demerara Natural Sugar (any sugar should work fine)
1 ½ Cups Pecans, chopped (optional)
1 Cup Raisins, optional
¼ Tsp ground Nutmeg
¼ Tsp Salt

Directions:
-Whisk together corn starch and warm water until dissolved.
-Add Non-Dairy Milk, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Sugar(s), Nutmeg, Salt and Pecans to corn starch mixture. Stir to combine and let stand for about 10-15 minutes.

-Grease 9x13x2 inch dish (using earth balance butter or a non-stick cooking spray).
Cubed Bread

-Add cubed bread to baking dish and pour mixture to combine. If using raisins add to bread now. Press down on bread or stir to be sure each piece has been moistened.
Let mixture stand for about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven during this time 350 degrees.
IMG_9302 (2)
-Bake for 1 hour and let stand before serving. Be sure to reheat leftovers – better served warm! Enjoy!

Our household seems to not be a fan of raisins, so I added raisins only to 1/4 of the dish. This is my piece with raisins. 🙂

Vegan Bread Pudding

Servings: 12-15
Time: 1hr 45mins
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Credit: https://veganrescue.com/

Directions:
-Whisk together corn starch and warm water until dissolved.
-Add Non-Dairy Milk, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Sugar(s), Nutmeg, Salt and Pecans to corn starch mixture. Stir to combine and let stand for about 10-15 minutes.
-Grease 9x13x2 inch dish (using earth balance butter or a non-stick cooking spray).
-Add cubed bread to baking dish and pour mixture to combine. If using raisins add to bread now. Press down on bread or stir to be sure each piece has been moistened.
Let mixture stand for about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven during this time 350 degrees.
-Bake for 1 hour and let stand before serving. Be sure to reheat leftovers – better served warm! Enjoy!

Vegan Omelet

December 2, 2015December 2, 201511 Comments

Vegan Omelet
(Makes about 3 Omelets) ~ Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Egg-Free

Last week Seth and I had a discussion about IHOP and we talked about how we used to frequent the restaurant for breakfast (pre-vegan) and he mentioned their omelets. Then I said, ‘next week, I will make you an omelet!’ I’ve attempted the vegan omelet several times over the years and continue to try and perfect it. Since we both had the day off and better yet, it was my hunny’s birthday – I made Omelets yesterday! This recipe is very flavorful in my opinion and you can add any filling(s) you’d like. I had spinach, onions and garlic on hand so that was today’s filling. Don’t get discouraged in your attempts to make your vegan omelet, sometimes they break or it can get tricky to flip. Just be patient, stick with it and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb Silken Tofu
2 Tbsp Chickpea Flour
¼ Tsp Turmeric
¼ Tsp Curry
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
¼ Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Potato Starch
½ Tsp Salt
¼ Tsp Pepper
½ Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Filling ideas:
Spinach
Onions
Garlic
Broccoli
Daiya (Vegan) Cheese
Mushrooms
Peppers (Green/Red)
Tomatoes etc.

Directions:
-Heat nonstick pan over medium-high, I add a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to the pan (about 1 Tbsp).
-Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth.

-Pour about ½ Cup of Omelet batter in center of the pan. Be sure to pour evenly, you can try a circular motion.

-Gently smooth out the omelet batter from the center and pulling outward until batter is evenly spread throughout the pan. (if there are any holes smooth the batter over to cover).

-Heat through about 3-6 minutes until lightly golden brown, gently flipping halfway through.
-Prepare your toppings ahead of time or in a separate pan. Add filling to omelet, then fold over before serving. Enjoy!

Vegan Omelet

Servings: about 3 ~ Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Egg-Free
Time: 10-15 mins
Difficulty: easy-med.
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Credit: http://www.veganrescue.com

Filling ideas:
Spinach
Onions
Garlic
Broccoli
Daiya (Vegan) Cheese
Mushrooms
Peppers (Green/Red)
Tomatoes etc.

Directions:
-Heat nonstick pan over medium-high, I add a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to the pan (about 1 Tbsp).
-Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth.
-Pour about ½ Cup of Omelet batter in center of the pan. Be sure to pour evenly, you can try a circular motion.
-Gently smooth out the omelet batter from the center and pulling outward until batter is evenly spread throughout the pan. (if there are any holes smooth the batter over to cover).
-Heat through about 3-6 minutes until lightly golden brown, gently flipping halfway through.
-Prepare your toppings ahead of time or in a separate pan. Add filling to omelet, then fold over before serving. Enjoy!

Wishing Seth a very happy birthday! – I hope you enjoyed the cookie cake. ❤

❤ Birthday man and I Cake cutting ceremony.

IMG_8971a

Broccoli & Chickpea Burritos

November 4, 20157 Comments

Broccoli & Chickpea Curry Burritos
(Serves 4-6) ~ Vegan

Straightforward and uncomplicated… I opened the pantry and the fridge and in less than a minute I came up with this recipe then in less than ten minutes I was eating. Great for lunch or dinner and very simple.

Broccoli & Chickpea Curried Burritos

Servings: 4-6 ~ Vegan
Time: 10mins
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:
1 (15.5 oz can) Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
16oz Frozen Broccoli, steamed
1 Tsp Curry Powder
¼ Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
½ Tbsp Garlic, minced
Salt/Pepper to Taste
Flour Tortillas
Salsa
Non-Dairy Sour Cream

Directions:
-Heat coconut oil over medium heat, sauté garlic for about a minute. Add chickpeas and seasonings continue sautéing for another 3-5 minutes. Toss in broccoli to combine, continue to heat for another couple of minutes. -Warm tortillas then add filling along with a dollop of vegan sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Cinnamon/Sugar

November 2, 20154 Comments

Vanilla Cupcakes with Cinnamon & Sugar Sprinkled
(Makes 12 cupcakes) ~ Vegan

I made these cupcakes on the fly! Well let me back up first and say hi again to everyone, it’s been a bit since I last posted and since the last time I had a chance to read everyone’s awesome blogs. I have a lot of catching up to do! It’s been a busy last few weeks. So busy that I’m not even posting a Vegan Rescue original here… I know I know. While I do have a few vegan vanilla cake recipes of my own, this morning I decided to make cupcakes using the old web, it was much quicker than digging one of my own out and my time was limited. My son’s Spanish class today was celebrating Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), so on the fly I made these cupcakes and added a little cinnamon and sugar love to them. With the cinnamon and sugar of churros in mind, I incorporated cinnamon mixed into the icing and then sprinkled with a mixture of organic cane sugar and cinnamon. Store-bought icing works well too using the cake base. Enjoy!

Check out Sam’s recipe here on the It doesn’t taste like chicken blog.

Enjoy everyone – we’ll catch up. 🙂

Best Ever Vegan Pancakes!

October 14, 20159 Comments

Best Ever Fluffy Vegan Pancakes!
(Serves 4 – Makes 12 Pancakes)

These pancakes are really the best ever, I make these often! I typically make a large breakfast on the weekend which will include a variation of: tofu scramble, toast, pancakes, grits, fruit, home-fries/hash etc. I’ve been off the last couple days since it’s my birthday and all, although I still had class the last couple nights it is definitely refreshing to relax and take a couple days off. Enjoy your day and make these pancakes!

Ingredients:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter (vegan butter)
2 ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
½ Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
½ Tbsp Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Water

Directions:
-Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together to combine.
-Cut earth balance into dry mixture until incorporated. I just use my whisk to mash it down.

-Add wet ingredients and whisk together to combine.
-Keeping the ¼ cup out used for the water, scoop out the batter and place into lightly greased frying pan over medium heat.
(Depending on pan size I’ll make two or three at a time.)
-Like any other pancake once the top of the batter starts to bubble in the pan you should be ready to flip. Cook until lightly golden brown.
-Serve with your favorite topping – fresh fruit, maple syrup or plain. Enjoy!

Note:
Flax Seeds: I just use my coffee grinder to grind up the flax seeds instead. Non-Dairy: I’ve made this recipe using Almond, Soy and Almond/Coconut blend milks in the past, they’ve all worked pretty well.

You may have read this pancake tip below from my buckwheat pancake post… Pancake tip: Between each batch, for instance, if I make two or three pancakes before going right in to the next set of pancakes: I take frying pan and run it under cool water, then return it to the stove before adding the additional coconut oil or Earth balance (vegan butter) and putting in my next batch/batter. I’d say for the past 10 years or so I’ve always done this while making pancakes. I do this to keep the heat of the pan consistent. It always bothered my how the first two or three would look great vs. the last two or three that would be burnt looking or darker.

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Servings: 12
Time: 20mins
Difficulty: Easy
Print

Directions:
-Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together to combine.
-Cut earth balance into dry mixture until incorporated. I just use my whisk to mash it down.
-Add wet ingredients and whisk together to combine.
-Keeping the ¼ cup out used for the water, scoop out the batter and place into lightly greased frying pan over medium heat.
(Depending on pan size I’ll make two or three at a time.)
-Like any other pancake once the top of the batter starts to bubble in the pan you should be ready to flip. Cook until lightly golden brown.
-Serve with your favorite topping – fresh fruit, maple syrup or plain. Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Soup!

October 5, 2015October 5, 20156 Comments

Hearty Vegetable Soup!! ~ (Serves 10-12)

Hello everybody! It feels like it’s been awhile and it has been, sorry about that. It’s officially autumn and October, oh yes and my birthday is coming soon too, woot woot!
About this hearty soup…
Lovely fall and its cool and brisk mornings or chilly evenings. Not to mention all the rain we had last week which makes me want nothing more than a bowl of warm and filling soup. Without exaggeration this soup is as hearty as it gets, truly meal in itself. The veggies, beans and barley in this soup are very generous and easily serves 10-12 depending on portion/bowl size. This is the perfect make ahead, keeps well and we have leftovers for a few days 🙂 . I hope you enjoy – stay warm!

Hearty Vegetable Soup!

Servings: 10-12
Time: 1hr 20mins
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large Sweet Onion, chopped
1 bunch of Leeks (4 total), white-light green parts only, sliced and rinsed well
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 handful Fresh Parsley, chopped
4 Carrots, sliced
2 Red Potatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
½ Tbsp Pepper
4 Quarts Vegetable Broth/Stock
1 Cup Barley
1 (28 oz can) Diced Tomatoes
4 Large Leaves – Collard Greens, stems removed/chopped
2 heads of Fresh Broccoli, chopped/florets
1 Zucchini, chopped
6 White Button Mushroom, sliced
1 (10oz) Frozen Peas
1 (15.5 oz can) Red Kidney Beans
1 (15.5 oz can) Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans
1 (15.5 oz can) Corn

Directions:
-In large stock pot, heat Olive Oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
-Stir in Leeks and Garlic then sauté for another 2 minutes.
-Add carrots, potatoes and parsley – sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Then add Salt/Pepper and Oregano.
-Add Vegetable Broth/Stock and bring to boil. Stir in Barley, Tomatoes and Collard Greens – cover then reduce heat to simmer for about 50 minutes.
-Add mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, beans, corn and frozen peas – cover and continue a slow boil for another 10 minutes.
-Let stand for 10-20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

A Ladle of Love & Health!

Easy Moist Vegan Cornbread!

September 23, 20159 Comments

Vegan Cornbread Cake
(Serves 15)

This here cornbread is should be award-winning! This one is truly a favorite with the family. I’ve made variations of this recipe some that are more traditional cornbread-like, however, this one takes the cake! Hehe, see what I did there, lol! This recipe comes out cake-like; it’s very moist and succulent with the perfect sweetness. Although you taste the pieces of corn within, I love that you still get that gritty cornmeal texture too. I bake it up in a 7×11 brownie pan and it comes out thick and fluffy. Nothing beats homemade cornbread. Enjoy and sing a song… “Beans and Cornbread had a fight, Beans knocked Cornbread outta sight…” 🙂 Happy Hump day and First day of Autumn!

Ingredients:
1 ½ Cup Flour
1 Cup Cornmeal (I used finely ground)
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk (I used almond/coconut blend)
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Applesauce
1 (14.75oz can) Creamed Corn

Directions:
-Preheat oven 400 Degrees F. Grease 11 x 7 brownie pan – Earth Balance/Flour or vegan cooking spray if you prefer.
-In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients until combined.
-With a spoon stir in remaining wet ingredients to combine: Non-Dairy Milk, Oil, Applesauce and Corn. – Don’t overmix.
-Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Vegan Cornbread

Servings: 15
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: Easy
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Credit: https://veganrescue.com/

Raw Energy Bites!

September 6, 2015September 6, 20155 Comments

Raw Energy Bites
(Makes 60+ Bites) ~ Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Dairy-Free

These creamy and decadent bites are a Superfood must try! The ideal fuel for pre/post workout and an excellent snack on the go. This is a kid-friendly super treat; it was hard to eat just one. 🙂 They can be chopped into bite-size pieces or cut into larger pieces for a great breakfast bar. These Energy bites will hopefully satiate your hunger; personally they were very satisfying and filling. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Raw Cashews, soaked
1 Cup Whole Walnuts, soaked
½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds, soaked
¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds, soaked
¼ Cup Raw Coconut Butter
¼ Cup Raisins (1 oz)
12-15 Pitted Dates, chopped
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Goji Berries
1/3 Cup finely Shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
½ Tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, fine
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil

(I chop the Dates before tossing in the food processor (a) to be sure they are pitted (b) so they get better incorporated)
Exhibit A below – I found a pit!

-Add parchment/wax paper to an 11×7 brownie pan. Turn out mixture and press evenly.
-Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.

-Remove from brownie pan and cut into bite-size pieces. Today I made 66 pieces.
Enjoy!

For the Raw Coconut Butter in this recipe – I used two of these little packs that equal 1/4 Cup if you’ve seen these in stores.

Raw Energy Bites

Servings: 66 Bites ~ Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Dairy-Free
Time: 5 minutes + overnight soaking
Difficulty: Easy
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Credit: https://veganrescue.com/
Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Raw Cashews, soaked
1 Cup Whole Walnuts, soaked
½ Cup Pumpkin Seeds, soaked
¼ Cup Sunflower Seeds, soaked
¼ Cup Raw Coconut Butter
¼ Cup Raisins (1 oz)
12-15 Pitted Dates, chopped
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp Goji Berries
1/3 Cup finely Shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
½ Tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, fine
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil

Directions:
-Soak Nuts/Seeds listed above (soaked) overnight – drain/rinse.
-Pulse together to combine the first five ingredients – nuts/seeds and coconut butter in a food processor. -Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.
(I chop the Dates before tossing in the food processor (a) to be sure they are pitted (b) so they get better incorporated)
-Add parchment/wax paper to an 11×7 brownie pan. Turn out mixture and press evenly.
-Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.
-Remove from brownie pan and cut into bite-size pieces. Today I made 66 pieces.

Vegan Rescue

Uncover the Vegan within.

Tag: kid-approved

PB&C Layered Cake ~ Vegan