Cooking | Chili Con Corn

Hi ladies! I am actually very excited to have finally found a recipe for a vegetarian chili that does not require 98976765465789 ingredients! I am very glad I stumbled upon this amazing blog, The Vegan Stoner, which only features cheap, fast and vegan recipes - exactly what I am looking for! It's perfect if you are starting to cook, and especially if you are newly a vegetarian/vegan.

You will need:

• 1 onion
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can mixed beans
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• BBQ sauce

Chop an onion and cook it in a pot. Add a can of mixed beans and a can of stewed tomatoes.

Add half a can of corn and half a cup of BBQ sauce (or to taste). Cook for 10 minute on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Vegan Stoner

Cooking | Apple Pie Muffins

Hi ladies! Since I started trying to eat clean this summer, I have found myself craving sweets less, which saddens me a bit at the same time because I don't feel the urge to bake desserts as often... except that I have found one healthy and delicious alternative, which are these scrumptious apple pie muffins!

*The following recipe is supposed to yield about 12 muffins but I got much more - although smaller - since I made them using my Babycakes Cupcake Maker.

For the muffins:

• ½ c. butter, softened
• 1¼ c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 x eggs
• 1¾ c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ c. milk

For the apple pie filling:

• 2 c. chopped apple
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp. butter

For the streusel topping:

• 1 c. flour
• ⅓ c. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅓ c. butter, room temperature

Start by making the apple pie filling. Melt 4 Tbsp.butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add apples and ¼ tsp.cinnamon and ¼ c. sugar. Cook until apples are soft and the butter and sugar has made a thick syrup. About 5 minutes.

For the muffins, cream together the first four ingredients, then beat in the two eggs.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and ½ tsp. cinnamon, then stir in the dry mixture alternately with the milk. Fold in the apples, and fill muffin tins ¾ full.

Combine streusel ingredients and blend until it forms pea sized crumbs, then top the muffins with streusel. Bake in a 375º oven for 30 minutes (I baked each batch 5 minutes in my Babycakes).

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Frankly Entertaining

Cooking | Vegetarian Bean Quesadillas

Hi ladies! I had some family over recently I was at lost at what meal to prepare - who enjoys being stuck in the kitchen and missing all the phone while there is a party happening in the dining room? I had some tortillas left so  I figured out I could whip out something quick yet delicious... and I was right! Who doesn't love quesadillas?

Here is what I used:

• any type of beans - I used a can of mixed beans
• grated cheese (I used mozarella)
• tortillas (you will need two per quesadillas)
• butter or oil for toasting

Start by mashing together the beans with a fork, spoon or potato masher, then grate the cheese.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a bit of butter or oil. Place the tortilla on the skillet and cover with cheese, bean mixture and the other tortilla. Cook until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, then gently flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden.

Simply repat for your other quesadillas!

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Spiffy Cookie

Cooking | Vegetarian Spaghetti With Cannellini Bean “Meatballs” And Tomato Sauce

I have recently realized that before becoming a vegetarian, beans were never a big part of my diet. It is not because I did not like them, but because my parents, just like the average "carnivores", were so busy focusing on meat that they never really served us meals with beans, except for the traditional eggs, bacon, maple syrup beans and toasts breakfast. I can't believe I have been missing out on these versatile and protein-packed wonders all this time!

I posted a very basic vegetarian spaghetti recipe on Gaby's Beauty Blog some times ago, but the truth is that I have never been a huge fan of tofu, so I am always researching alternatives. I was really excited when I came across this recipe on Pinterest - of course, where else? - because I have been researching a quick and simple vegetarian "meatballs" recipe for so long! OK, it's probably not the quickest recipe, but it is really simple, and you don't need any fancy ingredients - I did not have any egg or onion on hand so I simply skipped the egg (the bread crumbs alone are enough to bind the "meatballs" together) and I used shallots instead of onions.

You will need...

• 1 can Cannellini Beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped (you can roast it but I did not)
• ½ medium onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley (I skipped this)
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano (I used oregano leaves)
• 1 egg (I skipped this)
• ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 cups tomato or pasta sauce
• grated or Parmesan cheese
• spaghetti

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans and red peppers. Pulse until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.

Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg (if using any) breadcrumbs, salt and pepper until well combined.

Using a rounded 2 tablespoon portion of the bean mixture, form “meatballs” by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the “meatballs” on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and have developed a light golden brown coating, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the "meatballs" are baking, prepare spaghetti and grated cheese.

In a large saucepan, heat you favorite tomato or pasta sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add “meatballs” and stir gently to coat - I was a bit rough and some "meatballs" crumbled! Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti, top with greated cheese or Parmesan and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cookin' Canuck

Cooking | Black-Bottom Cookie Bars

I know I am a bit late on the Pinterest bandwagon but the main reason why I finally took the plundge and created an account is the neverending collection of recipes you can find on here. I have created a board for vegetarian recipes and another for desserts, and it is really fun to experiment with the countless recipes! I can never resist a recipe mentionning "cookie" or "cookie dough", and these beauties are heavenly soft, chewy and gooey!

You will need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (plus more for baking dish)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used a Valentine's Day chocolate heart instead)

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Whisk together butter and both sugars in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. 

Gradually add flour and salt, mixing just until moistened.

Divide batter in half, and transfer one half to a separate bowl. Stir in cocoa powder and chocolate chips until combined.

Place chocolate batter in baking pan, spread evenly and smooth top. Spread plain batter on top of chocolate batter and also smooth top.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake!

Yummmmmm!

Recipe adapted from Bake or Break

Cooking | Cookie & Cream Oreo Cupcakes

Ahhh Oreo cookies, they are probably my all-time favorite store-bought cookies, and they bring back so many childhood memories! I find it funny that now, on the packaging, they say the way to eat Oreo's is to separate the cookie, lick the cream, and dunk the cookie in milk - when we were kids, my brothers and I were not allowed to separate the cookie and lick the cream, and if we did, we were grounded! Ah well, time changes!

We had a nice promotion at the convenience store where I work - $4 for 2 boxes of cookies, which, combined with my employee discount, was a pretty great deal for an Oreo fan like me, so I had to stack up! I fugured out that with so many Oreo's, I could as well try a recipe that has been on my mind for some times - Cookie & Cream Oreo Cupcakes! I modified the original recipe just a bit by adding three crushed cookies in the cupcakes themselves, but I realized this was a bit of a waste since we don't really taste them, because the frosting tastes plenty of Oreo already... oh well, I did try at least!

The following recipe is supposed to yield about 16 cupcakes but I got much more - although smaller - since I made them using my Babycakes Cupcake Maker that I received this Christmas.

For the cupcakes, you will need...

• 200g flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 240g icing sugar
• 3tsp baking powder
• 80g unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• around 16 whole Oreo's (I used a whole package)

Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly butter a cupcake tray. Place a whole Oreo into each cupcake case. Beat the butter and sugar together until it combines then add the vanilla extract, eggs and milk, mixing well. 

Yes, I realize this looks like a whole lot of milk, but it is exactly what you need!

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder (and crushed Oreo's, optionally) and mix until combined.

Divide between the cupcake cases, covering the Oreo's and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes (I baked each batch 5 minutes in my Babycakes). The cakes are ready when a cocktail stick or skewer comes out of the centre clean.

For the buttercream frosting, you will need...

• 175g softened unsalted butter (or all-vegetable shortening)
• 350g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2tbs milk
• a few crushed Oreo's - use more or less, depending on how you want your frosting to look like - I used 3 (I put them in a bag and bashed them on the counter - very relaxing ahah) 

Make the buttercream by beating the butter, icing sugar, vanilla together and milk for a good few minutes until it becomes very smooth and fluffy. 

When you get the consistency you want, mix in the crushed Oreo's and wait for the cupcakes to be cooled down completely before frosting them.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Sweetharts Cakes & Bakes