Fat Tuesday!

Have you gotten any Mardi Gras beads today?? I haven’t but oh well Lol

So to celebrate Fat Tuesday I decided to have pancakes since I grew up always going to Fat Tuesday pancake suppers at my parent’s respective churches when I was a youngster.  However, instead of your regular pancakes I made sweet potato pancakes with a spinach pesto!!

Can we say DELISH!? I think I should get some beads for this concoction 🙂

Sweet Potato Latkas

Lightly adapted from Spark People

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup green or white onions, finely minced

1 Tbsp dry parsley

1 tsp dry stage

2 Tbsp flax meal

2 Tbsp boiling water

1/2 lemon

1/4 cup brown rice flour

Celtic sea salt (course) to taste

Black Pepper to taste

* Pour boiling water over flaxmeal in a bowl and let turn to gelatinous mass.

* Mix sweet potatoes and onions with lemon juice

* Add Seasonings, flour and flax – mix together

* Heat oil (coconut oil) – drop spoonfuls on hot pan, use fork to spread out into a thin pancake

* Cook until corners are browned and crisp, flip – cook till golden

Spinach Pesto

2-3 cups baby spinach

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 large garlic clove

Lemon Juice – to taste

2 tsp sesame seeds

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt to taste

* Put all ingredients into a food processor, and process until fully blended.  May add some spinach if taste is too strong.  This recipe is really to each persons own taste, so you can add a bit more of any ingredient until you find the right combination 🙂

BEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the Oscar goes to…..

Ohhh how I love award shows! Especially the Oscars.  I love seeing all of the celebrity’s, the fashion, the fact that it’s live and anyone could say anything!

I am totally celeb obsessed! And yes, it has also been my life long dream to become famous.

I’d be great at it don’t you think??  Lol

So I’ve been hemming and hawing over what to make for tonight’s special occasion, and finally came up with a nice menu for two, my roommate and I.  I was deathly ill yesterday… let’s just say that I had a lapse in judgment, more rather, was having a fantastic time out with friends and did not stop to think that after having a couple glasses of red wine, drinking a long island iced tea might not be the bestest of ideas….. yea noooo bueno.  However, I treated myself with extra sleep, coconut water then made a lentil vegetable soup and today I feel as good as new!!  Again, the powers of whole foods strike again! Lol

Oscar Night Menu

– True Cilantro Cheesy Grits

– The Fighter Garlic Basil Sweet Potato Fries

– Black Swan Grapefruit Avocado Sprout Salad

– The Kings Speech Peppermint Tea

– Toy Story 3 Chocolate Cake with a Lemon Mint Blueberry Glaze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the Oscar goes to…….

Me!!! Lol

Yes, that is a real Oscar!!  About 4 years ago I went to LA for a wedding and it was right around Oscars time so they had this whole display with all of the real oscars in cases, and then one that was attached to a cord that you could hold and take a picture with!  You can only imagine my sheer excitement!!!

I won’t post all of the recipes here as that is a tad overwhelming!  So I’ll start with the Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake!!

Gluten Free Vegan Brownies with a Lemon Mint Blueberry Glaze

– 3 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer

– 6 Tbsp Warm Water

– 1 3/4 Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour

– 1/3 cup Carob Powder

– 1 tsp Baking Powder

– 1/2 tsp salt

– 1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil

– 1/3 cup chopped Green & Black 86% Chocolate Baking Bar

–   1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

– 1 ripe banana mashed

– 1 cup Vegan Sugar

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

– Whisk together the EnerG Egg Replacer and warm water and set aside.

– Add the flour, carob, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until they’re thoroughly blended.

– Chop the chocolate bar and place in a medium-sized microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir again. Whisk in the melted coconut oil until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla, mashed banana, and egg replacer and blend well. Stir in the sugar.

– Add the wet mixture to the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently mix together with a large spoon or curved silicone-type spatula until the batter is just blended.

– Line an 8” x 11 ½” pan with parchment paper. Spoon the batter into the pan and spread out to the edges.  Place in the middle of the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

– Cool in the pan, remove, and cut into squares. (Best stored in the fridge.)

Lemon Mint Blueberry Glaze

– 1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries

– Small bunch mint roughly chopped

– Juice from 1 inch of lemon

– 1/4 – 1/3 cup vegan sugar

– 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

*  Place all ingredients (minus the chia seeds) into small sauce pan and heat (stirring constantly) on medium heat.  Heat for about 2-3 minutes until it comes to a rolling boil.

* Add in the Chia seeds and keep stirring constantly until the sauce becomes a slightly thick jam like consistency.

* Pour onto the chocolate cake and enjoy with a nice cup of peppermint tea!!