Coconut Candy

Among the many foods I lust after, coconut and dark chocolate are two that rank high on my list.  Thankfully they are both vegan and go together like bread and butter.  This 3 ingredient decadent treat is so delicious you will probably not have any leftovers the next day.  So if you want it to last I suggest you either make A LOT or hide it from yourself and any children you have running around.

Coconut Candy

2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut (toasted)

6 ounces dark chocolate (melted)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Spread coconut out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees F or until golden brown.  Watch coconut carefully as oven temps vary and it can burn quickly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool until crisp.  Meanwhile melt dark chocolate over a double boiler or in your microwave just until melted.  

Do not add any liquid or other ingredients to the chocolate or it may seize up while melting.  Add coconut to chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.  Transfer immediately to parchment paper, foil, or wax paper on a flat surface like a cookie sheet.  Allow chocolate to re-harden.  Break into bite size pieces and store in a sealed container in freezer or fridge.  If you are impatient for the chocolate to re-harden (like I ALWAYS am) place mixture on flat surface directly in freezer for 5-10 minutes.  Voila!  

Coconut Bacon Bits Take 2

I decided to make another batch of Coconut Bacon Bits and experiment with adding more depth of flavor.  I have a feeling I will be making these a lot from now on as they are so versatile!  

The recipe is as follows:

Coconut Bacon Bits Take 2

2 cups thick flaked unsweetened coconut

1 Tablespoon liquid hickory smoke

1 Tablespoon molasses

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Toss all ingredients except coconut flakes in a large bowl and stir well to combine.  Add coconut flakes an d toss to coat evenly.  Allow to sit and marinate for about 10 minutes.  Spread out coconut into one even layer on cookie sheet (put parchment paper under it if you have it for easy clean up).  Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch carefully as it will go dark quickly!  Allow to cool completely before serving for a true crackly crunch.  

Rosemary Garlic Pita Chips

This recipe can be as easy or as complicated as you like depending on how much time you have to prepare these.  By this I mean you can whip them up in a flash using store bought pita pockets (white or wheat) or take the long route (like I did) and make them from pita pockets you have made from scratch.

They are better than store bought pita chips because you can control your seasoning level and you know what it is them.

Rosemary Garlic Pita Chips

6-8 Pita Pockets (sliced into desired size)

Generous drizzle of Olive Oil (or preferred oil)

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary (stems removed)

2-4 Cloves Fresh Garlic (crushed)

Salt and Pepper To Taste

In a large bowl drizzle pita pieces with oil and sprinkle with garlic and spices.  Toss to ensure mixture is well coated.  I like to use my hands to do this as it is the best kitchen tool I have.  Distribute pita into one even layer on a cookie sheet (use parchment paper for easy clean up) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp all throughout.  Serve warm or allow to cool and store in airtight container for up to 5 days.  Pairs well with hummus and red wine.

Chef note:  If you want to be adventurous and have the time try making your own pita pockets using the following recipe:

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/10/03/pita-bread-recipe-how-to-make-pita-pockets/

To keep the recipe vegan, for my purposes, I substituted the honey with raw blue agave syrup and used powdered soy milk in place of the powdered milk.  I also use this recipe to make English Muffins.  It is so versatile.  Enjoy!!

Coconut Bacon Bits

2 cups thick flaked unsweetened coconut

1 Tablespoon liquid hickory smoke

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Toss coconut flakes in a large bowl with liquid smoke and then sprinkle on dry seasonings.  Spread out coconut into one even layer on cookie sheet (put parchment paper under it if you have it for easy clean up).  Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch carefully as it will go dark quickly!  Allow to cool completely before serving for a true crackly crunch.  

Store in pantry in air tight container for up to 3 days.  Pairs beautifully with tofu scramble, salads and sandwiches.  Superb!  Now go make some!

Coconut Bacon Bits

Best Pizza Sauce

1 can tomato paste

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine (or water)

Combine all ingredients well.  Can be stored for 8-10 days for ongoing use.  This pizza sauce is very thick and rich so a little goes a long way.  It works very well spread thin on english muffins to create fast easy mini pizzas with your toppings of choice.  Enjoy!!

Chumbutt Pizza Topper

I didn't need to put an entire 1/3 cup of canola oil in my pizza toppings.  But I did.  I didn't need to consume nearly an entire pizza in one sitting.  But I did.  I didn't know this mornings' batch of roasted vegetables was going to be one of the best things I ever ate.  But it was.  Follow this recipe next time you are craving a truly decadent vegan pizza.  I guarantee you won't miss the cheese.  Did I really just say that?!  Me?  Miss Hardcore Cheese-Lover who in my former life would have put at least a pound of cheese on this bad boy.  Yep.  I did.  Consider me converted.

This recipe is only for the vegetable pizza topper.  The other components of the dish, crust, pesto and red sauce were all homemade and things I like to keep on hand at all times.  I crave Italian food.  Constantly.  I have made some notes to indicate the other components of the dish so use your imagination when making your own.  In all honesty, I'm pretty sure you could put this pizza topper on a piece of cardboard and it would probably still be tasty.  It's that good.  Give it a go.  Share your adventures with me.

Chumbutt Pizza Topper

1 Eggplant (peeled and cubed)

1 Red Bell Pepper (roughly chopped)

1/2 Bunch Green Onions (roughly diced)
1/2 Bunch of Kale (finely chopped, use food processor or use pure kale pulp from juicing)
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1/3 Cup Canola Oil or Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Thin Crust (made my own but any crust will do)
Pesto (made my own in my food processor with basil, garlic, cashews and lemon)
Red Sauce (made my own with tomato paste base, red wine, herbs and spices)
Red Pepper Flakes (garnish)
Curly Parsley (garnish)

This is the easiest pizza topper ever.  All you need is a casserole dish, the above ingredients and an hour of time.  Add all ingredients to casserole dish and toss to combine.  Roast at 400 F degrees for about 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes to ensure even browning.  Allow toppings to cool slightly and scoop them up with your favorite crust and sauce.  Or just grab a fork and start eating straight from the dish.  Delish!

Chef note:  the pizza dough pictured here is made using Chef Mario Batali's wonderful recipe that can be found here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pizza-dough-recipe/index.html

Chumbutt Pizza Deconstructed

Close up of the Chumbutt Pizza Topper - "Ah"-Mazing

Chumbutt Pizza Topper - before being roasted, so colorful, so flavorful, so luscious...

Chumbutt Pizza Toppings - after being roasted, you can see they shrunk considerably and browned beautifully

Extreme Vegan Escapade

I think I am going a little nuts with My New Vegan Life. Literally, physically, figuratively, extremely, utterly, impossibly, hypothetically, nuts. I just shucked a half pound of peanuts and made my own peanut butter. I also whipped up a huge jar of vegan mayonnaise and a lovely batch of vegan peppered turkey.

And I'm just about to make a double batch of pizza dough. All of this from scratch and all using recipes that I made up. Okay really?!

I am NOT trying to brag. I am just saying I am an over achiever with this vegan cooking action and this is clear. My kitchen is wrecked. All of this and it's not even 2 o'clock! WTF is going on with me?!

Clearly I have serious excess energy to burn. Or maybe just way too much time on my hands. Whatever is going on, obviously I am NOT going hungry over here. Whoever said being vegan is hard, hasn't eaten my food. Stay tuned for new recipes. Thanks for listening to today's rant. Now who wants to eat?

Vegan Peppered Turkey - get the recipe here - http://chumbutt.blogspot.com/2013/04/vegan-peppered-turkey.html

Recipe Remix - Wrap it Up

Vegan food is beautiful. I strive to eat the rainbow. This lovely mash-up included chunks of my homemade vegan southern fried chicken, steamed veggies and fresh herbs. I topped it off with creamy sauce that I made that resembles La Victoria's Orange Sauce. Stay tuned for the recipe! Have a great weekend! Enjoy - IN JOY - eat well, be well, see you soon.

Recipe Remix, get the fried chicken recipe here - http://chumbutt.blogspot.com/2013/04/vegan-southern-fried-chicken.html

Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

This Ice Cream will blow your mind.  I am sure you could make it using any non-dairy milk you prefer.  I just really like the creaminess that is achieved with the use of a combination of soy milk and soy creamer.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups Vanilla Soy Milk
1 cup Original Silk Soy Creamer
4 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon Agave Syrup
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 frozen Bananas
2 Tablespoons Coconut Spread Butter (I used Earth Balance brand)
1 small bar Dark Chocolate (crushed)

Place all ingredients in your blender (EXCEPT Coconut Butter and Dark Chocolate) and blend at high speed.  Add Coconut Butter and blend at low speed for a couple pulses (you want the butter to be a little chunky for texture).  Add mixture into ice cream machine.  Halfway through cycle, add crushed dark chocolate and finish cycle.  When it completes, it will be soft serve consistency.  If you want it more firm (as pictured) transfer to a freezer safe dish and freeze for several hours.  If frozen solid, I suggest letting ice cream sit out for 20 minutes prior to serving.  Enjoy!  This frozen concoction is one of a kind!

Easy Goddess Green Beans

This recipe was adapted from my Godmother, Sondra. It is so simple to prepare and yet extremely complex in flavor. I strongly suggest dressing up your next batch of green beans with the following recipe.

I am being pretty imprecise with measurements because it all varies based on the size of batch you are making and what strength of seasonings suits your individual palate. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Easy Goddess Green Beans

1 bunch of fresh green beans (ends trimmed)
Splash of olive or canola oil
Splash of tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 inch nub of finely grated fresh ginger
1-2 cloves finely grated fresh garlic
Water (for steaming beans)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Splash of Agave syrup (optional, I usually don't add this but it does make it more appealing to kids and picky spouses, when you do) :)

Steam green beans in an inch or two of salted water just until fork tender (should be a tad bit crunchy). Transfer beans to a collander and run cold water over them to stop cooking process.

Return beans to the warm pan you used to steam them and toss with oil, tamari, garlic, ginger and agave. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Can be served warm or at room temperature. They get tastier as they hang out and all the flavors marry one another. A real crowd pleaser for a potluck party. Enjoy!

Easy Goddess Green Beans

Dinner and Platinum Do's

I have mostly always been blonde, some shade or another. Some of the happiest moments of my life I have been full blown, Gwen Stefani, Platinum Blonde. My wedding day, after the birth of my two beauitiful children and today.

I'm not sure today really counts to be clumped in with the other milestones. But anyway, I love my hair super blonde. Now if only I could figure out how to remedy the dark roots that I will have tomorrow morning. My thick locks grow faster than weeds.

So the photograph of my lovely evening meal is pretty self-explanatory except for the pile of faux ground meat that I made from scratch using homemade seitan. If I tried to re-create the recipe for you, my beloved readers, I would. But for now I will just say it was spicy and delicious, just like LIFE should be!

I am working on a few new recipes that I will share very soon. For now, I just wanted to send you all some love from my Platinum coated Soul. Be well! Eat to Live AND Live to Eat. And most importantly, prepare your dishes with LOTS and LOTS of LOVE. Blessings...