well, can't you see that it's just raining...

Okay, it may not be raining, but it's awfully damn cold out. And therefore, banana pancakes! Well, more specifically Banana-Hazelnut Pancakes, but, "I'll make you banana-hazelnut pancakes..." just doesn't flow as well.

So how about a recipe?

1 cup flour (all I had was all-purpose, but I think whole wheat would have been better)

1 cup soymilk

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 (over)ripe banana

splash of vanilla (this could probably be omitted if you use vanilla soymilk)

handful of hazelnuts

super generous sprinkle of chai spice

This makes what is picutred on that blue plate that's facing the wrong way. I really need to find a way to fix that.

Apples & Cranberries

So, I have not posted lately, and that is quite the let down. I have been cooking though! Tonight I made a delicious (and vegan!) apple crisp, and a few weeks ago, I was testing Thanksgiving recipes. And I hopefully didn't erase the pictures.


Okay, now let's talk about delicious apple crisp. And vegan margarine. So I was searching the ingredient lists of most all of the margerines at the grocery store, and not having any luck. That is, until I stumbled upon the Smart Balance, and I was astonished to find that I didn't have to read the ingredients because it was clearly labeled on the package! It was fantastic. So I made apple crisp with it. And because I had apples that I picked about a month ago, and I was a little hesitatant to eat them raw.
Oh yeah, and shortly after the picture was taken, the amount of apple crisp in that dish decreased...well, I'm going to say that there is a significant amount missing.


Now, onto Thanksgiving. So, what you are seeing in the picture that I cannot put in the right direction is stuffing, cardamom cranberry sauce, and a Boca chiken patty.

So the stuffing didn't taste right. I didn't use sage because I didn't have any on hand, but it would have been ideal, and the recipe I used called for vinegar and I think I may have used too much.

AND here's the recipe for the cranberry sauce...because it's perfect.

1 12-oz. bag of cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, plus the juice from slice
1/2 tsp. cardamom

1. Bring the water, sugar, and orange to a boil
2. Add the cranberries and boil for about another 10 mins.
3. Towards the end of the 10 add the cardamom
4. Either serve warm or chill overnight (things just aren't as exciting at room temperature)

Well, I'm totally excited for Thanksgiving. There will maybe, hopefully be a post sooooon with more Thanksgiving recipes/testers. Until later,
Amy!