Moroccan Stew

Lately we've been hosting Sunday night family dinners. Family dinner is basically when my cousins and I get together and eat all the food. We go out to eat or we stay in and have a homecooked meal. It's becoming a tradition in the same way that soup group or girl dinner was in Pittsburgh. Some highlights lately have been fish tacos, peanut noodles, and this stew! Restaurant-wise, Vedge was literally the best dining experience of my life (so far). All vegan. All vegetables. I mean the rutabaga fondue was enough to make me fall of my chair.

Also, with Sunday dinner comes Game of Thrones. Sadly it's over now but this stew from The First Mess makes it better. I doubled the recipe easily to serve all of us.

Moroccan Stew

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 red onion, small dice
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 dates, pitted + chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled + chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked chickpeas
salt + pepper

1 bunch lacinato kale

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook  until soft and translucent. I just let this cook for 15 minutes or so stirring occasionally. Then add spices plus garlic and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly. Watch out for the spices burning. 

Add the dates, carrots and sweet potatoes. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the vegetable stock. Boil the soup then turn down heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add the chopped yellow peppers and chickpeas and stir the soup. Season the whole thing again with salt and pepper. Simmer until everything is cooked to your liking. Chop the kale and add to the pot for a couple minutes. Serve with brown rice, additional dates, or bread + cheese to make it a meal.

Bitchin' Sauce + Bowl

This sauce is amazing. Like really. I have been putting it on everything lately. Sweet potatoes, Bitchin bowls, empanadas. Additional ideas for dipping include raw or steamed veggies or chips. This sauce tastes like an awesome queso. The ingredient list looks ridiculous but these are probably all things you have in your kitchen already.

This recipe originates from the Fauxmartha and the San Diego farmer's market. Hopefully the next time I'm in California, I can check it out!

The sauce:

3/4 c. + 2 tbsp water

1/2 c. + 2 tbsp grapeseed oil

1/2 c. raw almonds, soaked overnight 

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp tamari 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 chipotles in adobo sauce

1 tsp adobo sauce 

1/4 cup diced red onion 

Rinse almonds after soaking. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until super smooth. 

Keeps in fridge for a week or so. 

Back in college a couple of my good friends always had beans and rice for a quick dinner. With fried egg on top. The first time I ever had rice and beans was on a mission trip to Louisiana. Yum! This is like a step up.

Bitchin bowl:

Brown rice

Black beans or chickpeas

Sautéed onion plus cumin

Steamed greens (kale or spinach)
Sautéed mushrooms

Pickled red cabbage (I made my own but this one is similar)

Goat cheese Brie

Salsa 

I should have probably added a fried egg

And obviously cover the entire bowl with sauce.

Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothies

These mint chocolate chip smoothies have been my life for the last month or so. I'm not even kidding. I've been making them for dessert every single day and they still haven't gotten old. Each batch I make is different presumably because the ripeness of the bananas is not consistent and the strength of the fresh mint varies. I recommend adding ingredients a little at a time, tasting, and adding more. You cannot detract mint extract from a recipe. I would know since I drank a fair share of smoothies that taste exactly like toothpaste. On the plus side, they make my breath really fresh! The smoothies are based off of the Oh She Glows recipe.

Just last weekend I was in town for the Pittsburgh half marathon. I wasn't planning on actually doing it but I did. It was seriously painful and I promised myself I would not sign up for another race without training again. It was so much fun since I saw so many friends that weekend and during the race. I do love marathon weekend. There's nothing better than 10,000 runners gathered for 1 event. I was in Pittsburgh when the marathon started up again. Brittany and I handed out water and we were inspired to sign up the next year! When we finished she wouldn't even speak to anyone. That gives you a small idea of how difficult running a half or full marathon is (but still totally fun and worth it). Every year the race keeps getting bigger and more awesome. Yay Pittsburgh!

Makes 2 smoothies

2 frozen ripe bananas (but not too ripe)

1 3/4 cups light coconut milk (1 can)

1/4 cup almond milk

2 handfuls baby spinach

1 small handful fresh mint leaves

1/4- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maca powder (optional)

1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Add spinach and mint to blender first. Then add milks, bananas, and vanilla. Blend. Taste then add the peppermint extract. Add the optional ingredients if desired. Blend until smooth. Then add chocolate chips and blend just until suspended. You could also just use mini chocolate chips and skip blending them. Try cacao nibs stirred in for a healthier option!

Mango Smoothie

I've been meaning to do a mango smoothie post for ages now. This one is based off of the blood orange smoothie post but with mango instead!! These saved me when I was in Vietnam. I love mangoes. I would eat them daily there. Here, I just settle for frozen mango smoothies. Still delicious!

This recipe makes 2 servings 

1 ripe mango (or equivalent amount frozen mango)

1 large ripe banana, frozen

6 clementines, peeled

1 can light coconut milk 

1 tbsp hemp seeds

5 ice cubes

Coconut flakes for topping 

Peel and cube the mango. Slice the banana. Place all ingredients in blender except ice and blend on high for awhile. Since we're adding whole clementines it takes longer to blend the pith. Add the ice and blend for a bit. Then pour into glasses and top with coconut flakes and additional hemp seeds. Also you can throw in a handful of spinach but it'll change the color.

Coconut Cherry Cobbler

Cooking gluten free and vegan recipes generally directs me to a lot of paleo sites. Surprisingly I really like all of the recipes! They are really creative and use ingredient in ways I never thought of. For example, this cobbler from Predominantly Paleo. The recipe was fantastic and I'll definitely be making it again. 

2 cups cherries, pitted (I used frozen)

1/4 cup cane sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup coconut shreds (unsweetened)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the cherries to the bottom of a small dish. I think mine was 5x7?? I have no idea really. Do what you want. I am the worst blogger. Anyways sprinkle cherries with 1/4 cup sugar.

Combine the rest of the ingredients minus the coconut oil. Then add the coconut oil and use your hands or a fork to cut into dry ingredients.

Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden brown on top. Serve warm or cold. If the cobbler is served cold, it's extra crunchy! Yum!

Toasted Oatmeal

I've been eating oatmeal daily with a cherry smoothie. This is how I've been making it! Actually I've been making toasted oats and oats the regular way too depending on how much time is on hand. The toasted oats from A Couple Cooks take oatmeal to another level. So yum. Also coconut manna is a must. I am so obsessed. You can make it at home easily in a food processor.

The goji milk is part of recipe from Earthsprout's 30 raw breakfasts app. It's actually the first thing I've made from Elenore's recipes. Check out her blog from Sweden! It is gorgeous. Also she just posted about foods that we can use for skincare! 

Toasted oats (serves 2 people):

1 cup rolled (old fashioned) oats

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 cup cashew milk 

1/2 cup water

Pinch salt 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the oats and toast for about 5 minutes until they smell nutty and delicious. Don't toast so much that they start browning. 

In a separate pot, boil the water, milk, salt, and cinnamon. Turn off the heat as soon as this happens, add the oats, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes. Serve with goji milk and toppings!

Goji milk:

1/2 cup cashew milk

2 tablespoons goji berries, soaked overnight in 1/4 cup water

Blend cashew milk, goji berries, and soaking water until completely smooth. This recipe makes extra.

Toppings:

Coconut manna (same as coconut butter)

Goji berries

Almond butter

Maple syrup 

Blood Orange Smoothie

I know, another smoothie post. But this is necessary, I promise. Also, it's from How Sweet Eats. So Laura and I are continuing on the trend of how we make everything she does. Also I super stalk her baby page. So much cute. And I'm writing incomplete sentences. What else is new? That's how excited I am about this smoothie. I made it like 5 times already. The best part? I can share the leftovers with Rex because it's vegan and delicious. I kept the recipe the same but sometimes I would add an extra blood orange or clementine depending on what I had. The ganache recipe makes a lot so when I doubled the recipe, I only made one batch.

Makes 2 smoothies

1 can coconut milk

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1 frozen banana

6 clementines, peeled

1 blood orange, peeled

Ice cubes

Take out 4 tablespoons coconut cream at top of the can and place into bowl of chopped chocolate. Microwave on low for 30 seconds at a time, stirring until melted. Place the rest of the ingredients in blender and go crazy!! Then spoon the ganache into sides of glasses and pour smoothie up to the top.

Tahini Date Smoothie- 2 ways

Lately I've been into smoothies and doing yoga. They kind of go together. I also just biked to work for the first time since August since the weather is now only somewhat chilly. My bike route takes me on a bike trail right next to the Schuylkill river. It is actually a pleasant commute minus the fact that I'm completely out of bike shape! Anyways, I've been making this shake from Cookie+Kate continuously. In fact, I'm drinking it for breakfast right now. I use Soom tahini in the smoothie. It's super smooth and made of Ethiopian sesame seeds. My cousin turned me onto this brand which is Philly based. In fact, one of the best restaurants here (Zahav) uses it in their hummus. Soom also makes a chocolate tahini which is the second way I make this smoothie!! I know a tahini smoothie sounds strange but I promise it's delicious.

Tahini Date Smoothie

Makes one large smoothie 

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 frozen ripe bananas

1/4 cup tahini 

4 Medjool dates

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pinch cardamom

Ice cubes, if desired

Soak the dates in some warm water for a couple hours if they seem tough. Then drain and throw everything (minus Ice cubes) in a blender. Blend until really smooth! Then add ice cubes (maybe like 3) and blend again. Top with more cinnamon and black sesame seeds.

Chocolate Tahini Smoothie

Makes 2 medium smoothies

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 frozen ripe bananas

1/4 cup chocolate tahini 

2 dates

1 blood orange, peeled

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 pinch cardamom

Place everything in blender and blend until completely smooth. Alternatively you could make the smoothie above and add cocoa powder if you don't want to buy chocolate tahini paste. But then you wouldn't have a whole jar to eat out of!! If you choose to go this route, I would taste once blended and see if some maple syrup is needed.

Vegan Brownies

These are my favorite brownies. They take some more work than my other brownie recipe but if you have the time it's so worth it. I love the texture from the ground flax and the subtle taste of coconut throughout the brownie. The first time I made this was on rotation in Oregon. I didn't have a full kitchen so to grind the flax, my friend Chris and I had to pound the flax seeds with a wine bottle. That's improvisation! It was a lot of work, but this time I just bought them preground. You can also use a food processor. This recipe is from Guilty Kitchen. I actually tried a different recipe for vegan brownies and they were such a fail that I had to throw them out. Tragedy. On a happier note, baby monster feet!

1 cup coconut oil

4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp instant coffee powder

1/2 cup hot water

1 cup white sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp ground flax seeds

6 Tbsp hot water

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8 x 8 pan.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax and 6 tablespoons of hot water. Set aside to get goopy.

In a small pot, melt the coconut oil and chocolate chips together over low heat.

Mix the coffee powder with the 1/2 cup of hot water in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in sugars and vanilla. Stir in the flax mixture.

Then stir in the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. The brownies are done just when a toothpick comes out clean or just before.

Let cool completely before serving. When I make these, they puff up a lot so there are some parts that are crunchy and some that are raw. Otherwise they will completely fall apart. Once the brownies are set, they'll be a little coconut oil greasy. That's totally normal. If you store them in the fridge, they'll get a little coat of solidified coconut oil on the bottom.

Chickpea Blondies

Not all of the holiday desserts have to be unhealthy! These blondies taste fantastic. You can even eat the whole pan while feeling good about yourself. At least that's what I did. Then my cousins and sister proceeded to do the same. I made these before I went to Bethlehem, which is also known as Christmas city. They set up little shops all over town like in Europe with local crafts, etc. It was freezing but there was plenty of hot cider and mulled wine. Best of all, it was Rex friendly. Below is a picture of the Bethlehem steel stacks.

 I've made this recipe 3 times in 2 weeks so far. That's how delicious these blondies are. The recipe is from Chocolate Covered Katie, a healthy dessert blog. She's very vegan friendly, so check out the site!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (250 g) cooked and drained chickpeas

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

l/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup ground flax seed or quick oats (both are great, though flax has more nutrients by far)

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter

1 tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Za'atar Spiced Hummus

Lately, hummus has been my go-to. I've been making it in infinite combinations (sundried tomato, minted pea, and garlic have been my favorites) as well as buying all the awesome flavors at Trader Joe's. Can I tell you all that there is only one TJ's in all of Philadelphia (5th largest city in the States). Furthermore, I had to wait in line just to ENTER the store on Sunday. Luckily I had plenty of time and Nick was watching Rexie. It was insane, but worth it because caramel waffle cookies!

Brittany is here this week watching Rex and exploring Philadelphia. I have to admit I'm not a very good tour guide history-wise. Food wise, I think I'm doing ok! We went to Sketch in Fishtown yesterday to get vegan milkshakes and Dr. Pepper pulled pork sandwiches.

 

The recipe for this hummus is from Food 52. I had been wanting to make hummus from dried chickpeas for ages and I finally did it. It was just as delicious as I thought it would be. My sister Tiffany came home for a couple weeks and ate all of the hummus in one sitting. No leftovers for me!

 

 

 

1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas
6 1/2 cups water
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality tahini
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water

1 tablespoon za'atar
Salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight. In the morning rinse chickpeas and add 6 1/2 cups cold water to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer from 45 minutes to an hour. It really depends on the chickpeas. I started tasting them at 45 minutes. You want them to be soft but not too mushy. When they're ready, strain and let cool. So this is an Ottolenghi trick--remove the skins by popping them off of the chickpeas. It makes the hummus way more smooth. It's not necessary, but if you've got the time why not?
Then dump everything into a blender minus the ice water and za'atar and process until completely smooth. Then add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time to lighten up the hummus. Season with salt.
To serve, drizzle with lots of extra virgin olive oil and plenty of za'atar. I like to swirl some za'atar into the mixture.

Strawberry Vanilla Lavender Jam

I was just about to post this when I saw that Kate had just made some jam! It's pretty awesome that we're in sync. Although, as it's strawberry season strawberry jam just makes sense! I went picking with my sisters at the cutest little family farm (Jollyview Farms). It's not far from my family's house, but the windy country roads make it a long, beautiful drive. Eastern PA has really great farms for picking fruit. We packed a picnic and were set for the day. We picked about 18 pounds of strawberries in under an hour. Not bad!
Most of the strawberries were eaten fresh for Kelly's graduation party. My family goes nuts for fruit. One of the things I miss most about Vietnam is all the amazing tropical fruit. I have to say summer in PA really makes up for it! Coming up is blueberry season (I even bought 2 bushes for my parent's house!)! Also peaches and cherries.
This recipe was found on Cooking up a Story! Such a cute blog name.

Makes enough to fill one half-pint mason jar

4 cups ripest strawberries, whole
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 vanilla bean, split
1 tsp dried lavender flowers
1 tsp chopped fresh lavender leaves

A note on the lavender: I like to add excessive amounts. If you don't, just cut back some. Also go crazy with herb combinations! Rosemary, mint, thyme, etc.

Set a small plate in the freezer to chill. In a wide saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for about 15 minutes. Then pull the plate out and add 1/2 tsp jam onto the cold surface. Tip the plate. If the jam runs slowly, it's ready. It really depends on how set you want the jam to be. The slower the jam runs, the thicker the jam will be. If you want it thicker, just cook it longer.
When it gets to a consistency you like, pull out the vanilla bean. Then you can blend the jam if you want it to be smooth. I made 2 batches, with whole strawberries and one with pureed strawberries. Then pour into a sterilized mason jar.
I don't bother to process the jam. We keep it in the refrigerator and eat it within 2-3 weeks. You can use it to make great strawberry ice cream and brownies.
Also Rex likes my Surly as much as I do. I need to get him to stop chewing the tires though.

Vegan Black Bean Soup

We have shelter! Now everyone can come visit. We move in this Saturday but we won't fully be living in the apartment until later this month. The kitchen floor is being converted from carpet (ew) to hardwood floors or tile. My sister is in town from California so we're spending time with her aka she is free labor to help me move in.
I made this soup for dinner last night. It's so versatile. I just threw whatever veggies we had in the fridge and it came together nicely. The inspiration for this soup came from a vegan restaurant we ate at over the weekend plus a recipe from allrecipes.com. It was served with a green strawberry salsa. So, so delicious. Strawberry season is only days away so I'm looking forward to some strawberry picking!
This soup is not so photogenic.

Soup Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
4 stalks celery
3 carrots
5 cloves garlic
2 red bell peppers
2 jalapeños
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 lb dried black beans
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Garnishes:

Fresh cilantro
Spicy salsa
Sour cream
Tortilla chips
Avocado
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Soak the black beans in double the amount of water overnight.
Dice all the veggies and mince the garlic. At this point, you can throw everything into the crock pot...which I couldn't do since mine is in Pittsburgh! I would imagine the soup would take all day to cook, maybe with some extra water added in.
Anyways, if you're doing this over the stove, rinse and drain the soaked beans. Add to a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about an hour. This may take some more time depending on how old the beans are. Keep the cooking liquid when straining the beans after they are cooked!
In a separate soup pot, sauté the onions, celery, and carrot over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spices and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, half the black beans, and half the can of tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Take the other half of the black beans and tomatoes and blend. Add about a cup of the cooking liquid from the beans to thin out. Add to the soup and simmer for about 20 minutes more until all the vegetables are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Spiced Tomato Soup

I know I've posted this recipe already, but I've made it so many times with so many variations that I feel it deserves a repost. This version is for people that don't like the addition of coconut cream. It is originally from 101 Cookbooks and one of my go-to recipes when cooking while traveling. There are minimal ingredients and the soup can be adapted to just about anyone's tastes. I just made this for our friends that recently had a baby girl, and they were very happy for some hearty soup. Who wouldn't be?
This picture was taken in Portland. I ate this soup for lunch with my leftover carnitas burrito smothered in green hot sauce. Such good food in that city.

4 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
lots of garlic cloves
1 heaping tbsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes (for even more spice)
2-28 ounce cans Muir Glen fire roasted, whole tomatoes

Toppings:
plain Greek yogurt infused with herbs
fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, etc.)
olive oil
farro or brown rice
paneer

Saute the onions over medium heat in the coconut oil for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and spices. Saute for another 2-3 minutes until really fragrant. Add the canned tomatoes plus 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender.

Sun Dried Tomato Soup

Sun-dried tomatoes are one of my favorite foods, and this soup did not disappoint. While scouting my regular food blogs that I follow, I stumbled on this gem from Love and Lemons.

So on one of my last days in Saigon, I was trying to return our rented motorbike downtown by myself. Nick and Cate had gone on a tour of the Mekong Delta for the day. Of course the place was not open at its designated hour because this is Vietnam and things happen at their own pace. Usually I can deal with it, but the day was getting steadily hotter (it has been in the 100s this past week). Mostly, I was being impatient. I was also thirsty but I couldn't leave the bike. All of the sudden, a lady at a stand next to me pours half her fruit drink into a glass of  ice and offers it to me. These little gestures happen all the time and the generosity of the people here make it so easy to love this country. Just like that, my day turned around. A random guy showed up, told me the woman I was looking for was still sleeping, and miraculously produced our security deposit. There was a substantial amount of cash, so he went out of his way to make sure I got into a taxi safely. The next couple days went perfectly since (surprise!) my dad as well as my friend Cate came to visit. We celebrated my birthday with tons of delicious Vietnamese food and lots of cousins. My grandma was also very happy that this was the first birthday she got to celebrate with me! That's the last of the updates on Vietnam since we're now in Bali. More on that in the next post...

Ingredients:
1 red onion, roughly chopped
 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups veggie broth
1 can coconut milk (reserve a couple spoonfuls of the cream for garnish)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (found perfect size at Trader Joe's)
pinch red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Tuscan herbs
2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
salt & pepper

Directions:
Strain the sundried tomatoes from the oil, reserving both. In a soup pot, heat the reserved oil and saute the onions until almost translucent. This should take about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
Add the white wine and let alcohol evaporate for a couple minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients including the sundried tomatoes set aside.
Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until tomatoes are completely softened. Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup well. Dish into bowls and garnish with coconut cream, extra sundried tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil, or all of the above.

Cookies and Cream Cake

This is a seriously late post, but I seemingly misplaced my recipe somewhere in the Highland Park house. Things are a little slow nowadays in the pharmacy, so I had time to dig up a recipe from online. The photo credit goes to Kate, who took great pictures at the wedding. They're the only documentation I have of the cakes! My sister and I made about 7 cakes total, most of them vegan. I will be posting more cake recipes from the wedding in the future.
Anyways, my duties have been shifting to English teacher here! Lots of people want to talk to me to practice and I've taken on 2 students so far. I don't feel I'm qualified to teach although I'm perfectly willing to chat. In exchange for my time, I get fed. The ladies here cook me lots of food (vegan!) and pick up fruit for me from the market. I'm really grateful because lately I haven't been into eating meat. The hospitality here is phenomenol. Today I got coconut water and some apple-like fruit. Nick also gets food just because he's my husband and the ladies think he's cute. In fact, everyone that we have met has decided Nick is the nicest person ever. Our co-workers infer this via his mannerisms as he can't actually speak to anyone. As for me, everyone has decided I'm nuts which is about right. I get a pass because of my Vietnamese blood, though. Haha.

This recipe is from the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I used the basic vanilla cupcake recipe and made it twice. Then I added oreos to the batter. Can you believe I could not find a single vegan vanilla oreo cake on the internet?

	1	cup almond milk
	1	tsp. apple cider vinegar
	1¼	cups all-purpose flour
	2	Tbsp. cornstarch
	¾	tsp. baking powder
	½	tsp. baking soda
	½	tsp. sea salt
	⅓	cup canola oil
	¾	cup pure cane sugar
	2	tsp. vanilla extract

10 Chocolate Newman-O's

Directions

Prepare 2-8 inch round baking pans by greasing them, lining the bottoms with parchment paper, and greasing again. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure out the almond milk in a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes to curdle whle measuring other ingredients.
Place the Newman-O's in a large freezer bag and go to town crushing the cookies. You don't want them to turn into crumbs, more like small to medium chunks depending on what you like.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until uniform. Then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix! Then fold in the crushed cookies.
Pour the batter into one of the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick can be removed from the center cleanly.
While the first cake was baking, I made the batter for the second cake. I did this instead of doubling the recipe because the cake was on the smaller side so I decided to turn it into a layer cake. Bake the second cake and let both cool completely. Then remove them from the pan by turning onto a cooling rack and removing parchment paper.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. There's really no exact recipe. I think I used vegan margarine (you can also use flavor neutral coconut oil), powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk. My sister was in charge of the frosting. We were trying to re-create that sugary Oreo filling. She just played around with the ingredients until they reached a perfect consistency.
After frosting and layering the cake, we froze them on little cardboard circles covered in aluminum foil. After 20 minutes or so, we wrapped the cake with plastic wrap and foil until the day before the wedding. It was a lot of work and without my sister I couldn't have done it!

Pumpkin Roll Cookies

If I had to choose one word to describe Saigon, it would be chaos. From the nonexistent traffic laws to the endless crowds there is much chaos. I love it. On the plane ride here, I was feeling nervous since I had no idea what to expect from the country that my family comes from. Long term travel is nothing like a vacation and not something to take lightly. When we landed, we were welcomed by the abundant sunshine and the shouting hoards of people at the airport. I felt instantly at home. Unlike the Philippines, I was in a country  whose language I understood (at least, sort of).
We had a great welcome dinner with all the other volunteers and some of our co-workers who make up our group of friends here. There's nothing like bonding over being in a strange and foreign country to bring people together. We were thrown into a mix of Vietnamese and French speaking and I love it.
Anyways back to the chaos, which if you haven't guessed yet, is the theme of the post. I'll describe my first day working at the pharmacy so you all can get a good idea of what happens daily. So I walk in and the pharmacist (the sweetest lady!) starts telling me what my jobs will be (inventory, dispensing meds, writing up a list of what age groups of children should receive what meds, and a tobacco cessation presentation). Then after about 10 minutes of chatting, about 5 people rush in and start yelling. By the way, yelling is the normal here. I couldn't exactly understand what was happening and then all of the sudden everyone starts moving the shelves, etc. out of the pharmacy and everyone continues shouting. Things need to be discussed here (by yelling) before any work gets done. It actually reminds me of France a little bit. I slowly understood that they decided that during my first week working, they would be repainting the pharmacy. This meant that I would not really be working since the computers and drugs are...in the pharmacy. I did get to help with the heavy lifting and some packing away of files and medical supplies (my other useful skill). Instead of working the first week, I spent my time getting to know people that the pharmacist introduced me to like the people in the physical therapy rooms and the workers for Maison Chance. It was actually a lot of fun. I got to practice my Vietnamese and hear lots of people comment on how I don't actually look like a Vietnamese person. So that concludes our first week here! Pretty awesome all in all.
So pumpkin roll cookies. These are vegan and my contribution to the cookie exchange. They are from Oh Ladycakes and her pictures are much lovelier than mine. These are super soft and delicous!

Dough (makes 2 dozen cookies)

1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Filling
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients together in a small mixing bowl with a wire whisk. The in a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, molasses, vanilla extract, pumpkin, and milk until thoroughly combined.
Line a flat surface with parchment paper and sprinkle with a little flour. Make sure to use as little flour as possible. I used too much and the cookies didn't roll as nicely as I would have liked. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 10×18 rectangle. Brush with coconut oil then sprinkle with other filling ingredients. Roll dough tightly, starting at the long end, into a log. Wrap the log with plastic wrap and place on a plate. Put  in freezer for 15-25 minutes until firm.
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Get nonstick baking pans ready and line if desired. Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut the dough into 1/2″ segments and line on baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes, let sit for 1 minute after taking out of the oven, and then transfer to a cooling rack. I skipped the glaze since the cookies were pretty sweet by themselves.

Green Smoothies

It's our second last day in Orange County. We're staying with my aunt Theresa in Westminster which is where little Saigon is located. It's basically like a warm-up to Vietnam with more space. Every morning we wake up, drink Vietnamese coffee that my uncle makes, eat Vietnamese pastries from the French bakery down the street, and drink a green smoothie made for us by my cousin, Kevin. He got a Nutri-blend (magic bullet on steroids) and it liquifies almonds. Pretty awesome. Just because it's your lucky day, I'll be blogging 2 of my favorite green smoothie recipes that he has made for us.

We've been spending a lot of time with my little cousins and my aunt. The thing about not having a job is that it leaves time for other things like extra eating time and daily mass. All in all, it's pretty amazing. Everyone in our family has been taking us out to the best Vietnamese food in town (which by deduction via my uncle is the best Vietnamese food in America). We've had pho, crawfish, a 7-course spring roll dinner, French-Vietnamese pastries by the dozen, and so many other treats. I'm grateful for the green smoothies so we have some small amount of healthfulness going for us.

Also, my aunt lives just 15 minutes from the beach! We rented single speed bikes that were the heaviest things in the world and biked 14 miles from Huntington to Newport beach and back. We were fueled by ham and cheese croissants, poke bowls (like a Hawaiian sushi bowl) + a spam roll, and banzai bowls.

This is not a picture of the smoothies Kevin made for me, but rather a failed attempt by me to replicate him by not using any part of his recipe.

So back to the recipe (each recipe makes enough for you plus a friend.)