BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL MUFFINS

I always buy a lot of blueberries when they are
in season. I use most of them for jam but the rest
for muffins and other baked goods! Here is one recipe
I use.
 
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 egg replacer
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil or melted margarine
1 cup blueberries (wild ones are best!)
 
Preheat oven to 375F. Mix Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar & salt
in a large bowl. Add blueberries & mix. In a smaller bowl
mix all other ingredients then add to flour mixture and
stir until just mixed. Do not over mix. Bake for 20mins.
Let cool in pan before removing.

KIND OF LIKE ALPHA GHETTI

Remember those canned pastas you might have eaten as a kid? Well there is cheese in those, but in case you miss the taste, here is something similar.

3 cups of dried pasta

1 can of tomato soup

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook pasta until done. Drain. Place back in saucepan and add tomato soup, yeast and salt & pepper. Mix until well heated and serve. You can increase or decrease the amount of pasta depending on how saucy you like it. This makes lots!

EASY ENERGY BARS

Too much exercise and no energy? Try these! I love this recipe because it's so versatile and it's very simple to make. I found it somewhere on Youtube, tried it and realliked the results

 3 cups puffed cereal (any kind..wheat, millet, rice or even crispy rice)
1/3 cup nuts or seeds
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 tsp of cinnamon or ginger (optional)
3 tbsp ground flax seed
 
1/2 cup syrup (brown rice, agave, maple or even honey if you use it)
1/3 cup nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew...)
a few pinches of salt
 
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small saucepan,
combine syrup, nut butter & salt. Bring to a boil then boil for one
minute. Stir and then add to dry ingredients. Mix well.
Place aluminum foil into a square pan and spray with cooking spray.
Add mixture and using more foil or wax paper, press down to pack
the mix into the pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Cool, cut and eat!
 

VERY OLD FASHIONED STRAWBERRY JAM

I found a recipe for old fashioned jam. It becomes quite dark and also very thick so if you like the runny-style jam this isnt for you. I really enjoy the taste of it and is amazing on buttered toast. It's a tad time consuming but well worth it! This recipe was adapted a little.

2 quarts of whole strawberries

6 cups sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Place strawberries and sugar in a large pot, stir in sugar and cover. Let sit at room temperature for several hours (anywhere from 3-8hrs). At this point I like to mash the berries a little before cooking  but this is optional. Add lemon juice, place on burner at high heat. Bring to bowl then lower heat and simmer for about 1:45-2 hours. Make sure you stir the jam a little so it doesn't burn. You will see that the jam becomes quite dark too! Place in canning jars and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.  

 

HOT GARLIC SAUCE 

Good on potatoes, burritos & even to use to replace cheese in lasagna!

1 10oz container of silken tofu (drained)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp hot sauce (more or less depending on how much you want)
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp oil
 
In a blender, blend everything but oil. When it's mixed, slowly pour oil into blender while it's running. Serve.
 

 CANDY APPLE JELLY

A perfect gift for valentine's or any other occasion. SWEET! This tastes like baked apples!

4 cups apple juice

1/2 cup candy cinnamon hearts

1 box powdered pectin

4 1/2 cups sugar

Put first three ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Boil 2 minutes. Add sugar, bring to a boil again and boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Pour into sterilized canning jars, tighten lids and process in water bath for 5 minutes. Remove and let stand 24 hours. Label and give away or eat it all yourself!

SPONGE CANDY

Looking for something easy to make for gifts? This is the stuff you'd find inside a Crunchie Chocolate Bar! If you want to make your own crunchie bar pieces then you just have to dip the finished candy in a mixture of chocolate (1cup) and 3 tbps margarine.

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 Tbsp Vinegar

1 Tbsp Baking Soda

Line a 9X13pan with foil paper and grease with margarine. In a medium saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup and vinegar, stir until sugar dissolves. Place candy thermometer in, and boil without stirring until it reaches 300F (hard crack stage). Remove from heat, then stir in the soda quickly, then pour into prepared pan. Do not spread out, it will do it on its own! Let cool for about an hour, then break into pieces. Dip in chocolate if you wish. Package in small plastic baggies or glass containers. Enjoy!

AMISH CRUSTLESS COCONUT PIE

This is by far the easiet pie I have EVER made. I've been reading a lot of amish recipes lately, not sure if i'm just obsessed with them or not but somehow I feel they must be more homemade than other recipes (I know, silly!) This is one of those pies that isn't fancy, but if you need to prepare something last minute it's perfect! I veganized the original recipe and it turned out good!

Ingredients:
2 cups non dairy milk

3/4 cups sugar (I use brown)

1/2 cup flour (I use light spelt)

1/4 cup softened margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetned or not, you're choice)

1 heaping 1/2 cup of soft/silken tofu

2 tbsp cornstarch

Heat oven to 350F. Put all ingredients in a blender, pour into a greased pie plate and bake for about an hour. Let cool, cut and serve!

 

NO PECTIN STRAWBERRY- RHUBARB JAM

Who needs pectin!? I rarely use it to make jam. Personally I dont mind if my jam isn't as thick as the ones in the store! Making jam with fruit and a little sugar is just fine! right now, rhubarb and strawberries are in season. Just take about 4 cups of chopped rhubarb, 3 cups of sugar, 2 tsp lemon or orange zest, 1/4 cup orange or lemon juice, 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, the simmer for 20 mins. Mash 2 cups strawberries than add to rhubarb and cook for another 5mins. Store in clean jars and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Use recycled jars with tops that "pop" (those that when u first open them when you buy them with stuff in it the lids will pop. Usually I don't measure  anything when I make jam, generally I just add the fruit and sugar and occasionally some citrus zest or peel to thicken it. It's so easy, and you can control how much/little sugar you want to use. Mine always have less than the traditional jams do.

SWEET POTATO FOR DINNER?

I LOVE sweet potatoes, as a dessert, snack or even...dinner! You can buy a medium sweet potato for about a dollar and this can really fill you up. Because it's high in Vitamin A, C and Magnesium and contains a fair amount of B12, Iron & dietary fibre it's a perfect choice for vegans. I like to cut them up in fries shape (skin on if organic, skin off if not) and bake them at 450F for about 20 mins with a little olive oil and 1tbsp brown sugar. You can also boil them & mash them. Usually after eating a medium-large one I am completely full. Great nutritional filler for those on a budget. You'll also get about 2gr of protein in a larger potato. This veggie has a fair amount of its natural sugars which might make it a better dessert for some people but i love sweets all the time.

MAKE YOUR OWN NUT & SEED MILKS

Nut milks are so much healthier for you than cow's milk! You can also make it so easily, here is a good general recipe for nut milks. Just soak 1 cup of any nuts over night or all day. (almonds are best because of their nutritional value) but you can use walnuts, sunflower seeds or pecans. I tend to buy larger quantities of almonds as its cheaper this way. Once the nuts are soaked, strain and put them in a blender along with 4-5 cups of water & blend for a few minutes. Strain using a cheesecloth and add 1 tbsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup & a pinch of salt. This should be used within 4 days and remember to shake before using. I love using my homemade almond milk for lattes & in my cereal. I use the leftover almond grounds for crisps, nut burgers or other desserts using chopped almonds/nuts.