No bake vegan chocolate avocado pudding

First off, I would like to say this recipe is definitely not for everyone. Black bean brownies- yes, most people will love it.

 This, is definitely different than your average pudding. I thought it was nice, good flavor, and creamy pudding consistency. My son absolutely loved it. But, I think you can taste the avocado, so if you really hate avocado, you might not like this pudding. 

My boyfriend who hates avocados and mashed potatoes... hasn't tried it yet. I'll post his review tonight. ***So my boyfriend says "not as lumpy as the other one, I guess it's okay.."

So I found this recipe on the cooking channel

The original recipe makes a lot more, I cut it in half, and added peanut butter.

You will need:

• hemp or chia seeds
• coconut oil
• 2 ripe avocados
• filtered water
• sea salt
• vanilla
• agave syrup or raw honey
• cocoa powder or raw cacao
• creamy peanut butter (optional)
• raw walnuts (optional)
• FRESH LIME JUICE

Step 1: combine 3/4 cup water, and 1.5 tablespoons of chia seeds in a blender or food processor. Blend

Step 2:Add a little under 1/2 cup agave syrup, and about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Cut avocados in half, remove pits, and spoon out flesh into blender. Discard peels in compost (or use them as bowls!) Cut a lime in half and give it a couple squeezes. Lime or lemon juice is important to protect the avocado from browning.

Step 3: Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder, a few dashes of sea salt, a dash of vanilla extract, and a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter. Blend until creamy and all lumps are well blended.

It comes out like a thick, creamy, luscious, chocolate pudding.

spoon into a cup, bowl, or your avocado peels. Add chopped raw walnuts/pecans or raspberries...

Holistic Flea Treatment

Before reading further, it is important to know that I am not a vet, and I advise you to speak with your vet before testing this on your pet. All animals are different, and some may have reactions.


Now, there are 2 recipes I made; both are topical (for skin), and both should not be ingested. And both need refrigeration.********

These treatments do not work like frontline, vectra, advantix or any of those. For best results, it needs to be applied weekly. If you are using a once a month chemical treatment, and your pet got fleas, you can also use this topical treatment (ask your vet first)

This first recipe, is extremely potent, and should only be applied from the neck to the start of the shoulder blades. Make sure your pet CANNOT reach this area to lick it, especially cats.

When I made this I didn't measure, but here are the basics of it, (all approximations):

recipe #1, potent, toxic if swallowed

• ·       3 tablespoons Garlic powder
•       1/2 cup Concentrated bottled lemon juice
• ·       1 teaspoon Tea tree oil
• ·      3 teaspoons Peppermint oil
• ·      2 tablespoons  Vinegar
• ·       1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ·       1 tablespoon Baking soda
• ·       1 tablepsoon Almond oil
• ·       1 tablespoon Eucalyptus oil
• ·       1 tablespoon Cloves or clove oil
• ·       1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• ·       a pinch Black pepper
• ·      3 tablespoons Sunflower oil (or other oil)
• ·      1/2 cup- 1 cup water Water

        WARNING: TEA TREE OIL IS TOXIC TO HUMANS AND ANIMALS. PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR VET TO FIND OUT IF IT IS SAFE FOR YOU AND YOUR PET.

I use this, and the other recipe on my dog, puppy, and cat, with no problem. I only treat at the back of the neck so they cannot lick it. This recipe will kill fleas on contact, and repel to some extent. I have also heard that lavender oil, and any citrus oil will help against fleas.
After you speak to your vet about tea tree oil, also know symptoms of toxicity
And if you have a little pet, dilute the recipe with water, and only use a small amount of it. 1-2 militers for a small dog, 3-5 milliltiers for a big dog. This recipe will also be effective without tea tree oil, lemon juice, peppermint, clove and eucalyptus are all very effective against fleas. DIRECTIONS: SHAKE WELL. Using a topical (needle-less) syringe suck up as many milliters as you need. Carefully select a part of the back of the neck/shoulder blades that the animal cannot reach. Part the fur and put the syringe directly on the skin, push gently, and apply in your safe 1-4 inch zone. (depending on the size of the animal) KEEP OUT OF EYES AND MOUTH

recipe #2, non toxic, (use all over)

• 1/4 cup concentrated store bought lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons peppermint oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves or clove oil
• dash of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Now, technically if ingested in small amounts this should not harm your pet, however, always consult with your vet when trying something new. DIRECTIONS: SHAKE WELL. spray directly on fur, skin, and fleas. Or treat directly on the skin with a needle-less syringe. KEEP OUT OF EYES AND MOUTH

If your animal has fleas and has already been treated;

1. call vet and talk about options, and trying new treatments, hazards of tea tree oil
2. Give your pet a flea bath with an all natural flea shampoo.Sentry Natural defense has a good one. Follow directions carefully! make sure you let shampoo sit for 5 minutes.
3. Use a flea comb to evenly distribute shampoo.
4. Rinse, and blow dry using a flea comb as you go
5. (after speaking to vet) Use recipe #1 on the back of the neck to shoulder blades (only where animal cannot reach) 
6. Use recipe #2 as a spray on the dogs body, or with a needle-less syringe draw a line against the skin, from the shoulder blades to the base of the tail, and from the chest to belly.
7. Vacuum your carpets, couches, rugs, floors, furniture, beds, and wash as much as possible. If necessary look into an all natural flea powder for your home.
8. If possible, keep your pet out of tall grass and wooded areas.
9. Limit your pet to only certain areas of the house. (ex: no bedrooms)
10. Brush pet with flea comb and check for fleas every few days
11. treat with both recipe every few days to every week

You should immediately see improvement in a few days, if you followed the directions.

If you find 1-2 fleas, you should remove and kill them, and re-treat. If your pet is re infested, restart from #2, or think about other options, such as outdoor flea preventatives.

We did not have an infestation, but our inside cat kept getting fleas, and then our new puppy also. The cat seems to be flea-less, the puppy only had 2 (that we found), and our doberman never had fleas that we could find.

This recipe works better on short haired dogs, fleas don't love short hair. Which is why I think our doberman never had any on her. The cat we had to shave, and bathe, and treat weekly. But this problem has been under control :)

Vegan Eggplant Timbale - cheesey Italian pasta stuffed in grilled eggplant

This dish is super delicious, and can be very healthy also! It makes a beautiful presentation, however, it does not hold it's shape well once you cut into it. The original recipe is here, on foodnetwork. Courtesy of giada de laurentis.
But my recipe is a tad different.

To make this you will need a spring form pan.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized long eggplants,peeled and  sliced 1/4-inch thick
• organic olive oil (as needed)
• sea salt (as needed)
• ground pepper (optional)
• 1/2 pound penne pasta,(a little over 1/2 lb). you can use whole wheat, corn or rice pasta. (with rice pasta undercook, or else it will overcook while baking)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package of you favorite vegetarian sausage, (or tempeh, tofu, white beans or artichoke hearts.)
• 1 cup frozen organic peas, thawed
• 2 cups homemade tomato sauce
• 1 package finely shredded alomond milk mozzarella, or rice milk mozzarella (about 6 ounces)
• 1 cup  fresh basil leaves, chopped. (I did not have fresh I used about 5 cubes of the frozen dorot basil)
• garlic powder (as needed)

This recipe is time consuming, so give yourself plenty of time!

1. coat a pan with olive oil, heat on medium heat.
2. add diced onions and stir
3. Bring a seperate pot of water to a boil, once it is boiling, salt it, add oil, and your pasta. cook pene for about 8-9 minutes or just "under al dente" it will cook more while baking. you don't want mushy pasta. Drain pasta, and put in a large bowl.
4. Once onions are translucent add chopped garlic to pan,cook for additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Remove contents from pan, add more olive oil, and then add your chopped vegetarian sausage, or whatever you are using. Stir occasionally.
6. while that cooks, shred your vegan cheese and put it in the bowl of cooled pasta. Add the tomato sauce to the bowl, the peas, and the basil. (if you are using frozen make sure to thaw). stir. 
7. once your sausage (tempeh or vegetable) has browned on all sides, add the onion mixture back to the pan, cook an additional minute, and then remove from heat.

8. preheat your grill.

9.preheat oven to 350.

10. Peel your eggplant,and slice it long ways. You want long pieces, that aren't very thick. Coat in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

11.Grill you eggplant on both sides for about 2-3 minutes each, or until there are grill marks.

12. Grease your springform pan with olive oil

13.stir together your onion/sausage mixture into the bowl of pasta. add a dash of sea salt.

14. Once your eggplants are done grilling, take your springform pan, and starting from the center, place a slice in the center, and pull it up the side, and drape some of it over the side. If you are worried you will have a hole in the very center on the bottom place and ugly misshapen piece of eggplant directly in the middle. (come on we all have ugly pieces on our first try)Working your way around the pan, slightly overlap the next piece onto the piece before it.

15. pack in your pasta mixture, and press down firmly to fit as much as you can.

16.one at a time, take the draped slices of eggplant and fold over the pasta. each slice should overlap the last.

It should look like this.If there is a gap in the center use one of your ugly pieces to place under the folded pieces.

(optional) lightly brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.

17.Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Let rest for a few minutes, and then remove sides of pan.

Using a very sharp knife cut into it, following the folds of eggplant, and spoon some onto a plate!

Wah-lah!  Super yumminess!

It is cheesy, hearty and comforting. I don't miss the meat or dairy, do you?

Hot or cold Cranberry and shaved Brussels sprout salad

This recipe is super easy, and a great way to get extra veggies in your diet.

Brussels sprouts. Not many people like them, but they are super good for you.

If you can't stand them, try shaving them, like I did.

Now technically you can throw this in a salad and just eat it with a nice dressing.

But if you still can't stand the taste, try this:

1. Shave your Brussels sprouts with a cheese grater
2. make a simple (or use store bought) red wine vinaigrette  (you could also use balsamic, lemon, or whatever you like)
3. in a pan heat some olive oil, to the pan add diced onions (about 2 tablespoons or so).
4. cook the onions until translucent
5. add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic   {the onion and garlic are optional, but will add more flavor}
6. after a minute or two, add your shaved sprouts, and a dash of sea salt and cook about 4 minutes or until they start to wilt.
7. Garnish with dried cranberries and chopped raw walnuts.
8. serve hot or cold

**Tip, if this is for your kids or you like it sweet cook the sprouts with the dried cranberries

very yummy, me and my son ate it

How to make delicious dairy, soy, and wheat free cream cheese

Me and my son enjoyed this tasty veggie cream cheese on crackers, it's great as a dip, or on a bagel!

This is for a big batch, adjust measurements if you only want a little

Take about 3 cups of raw cashews and soak in water overnight.
Drain, and throw in a food processor or blender. Add about a half cup of organic drained tofu. (The tofu is completely optional, but does help the texture a bit) Add about 2-3 tablespoons of sunflower seed oil, and keep adding water until thick, creamy, and your desired consistency. Add sea salt,  and garlic powder to taste.

Next, chop your veggies,

I used a yellow pepper, and organic broccoli/carrot slaw (diced).

Other great things to add would be: celery, bean sprouts, shredded carrot or broccoli, spring onions, chives, kale, spinach, watercress or whatever you like,

                                    Then mix in veggies with a spoon or rubber spatula

Serve with fresh vegetables, crackers, rice cakes, bagels... put in stuffed shells or use as ricotta

Enjoy!!

Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

Now, I don't mess around when it comes to food. These brownies are freakin awesome!!! I made them I brought them to a party and no one noticed a difference! They are a tad more cake-like and fluffier than your average brownie, but who cares!? Low sugar, high protein, high fiber and wheat free!!


For a tray of brownies you will need:

• 2/3 of 1 can of organic black beans rinsed well and drained (a little over 3/4 cup/ 7 ounces)
• 2-3 "vegan flax eggs" ( 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2.5 Tablespoon water)Or, you can use free range organic eggs. 2 eggs 1 white, or 3 eggs. The more eggs, the more cake like and fluffy the brownie will be.
• heaping 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup organic agave, or 1/2 cup organic sugar . Or to taste. (you can use stevia, but I don't know how much..)
• heaping 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy free)
• a dash of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a dash of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon espresso or instant coffee powder (optional) OR 1 teaspoon peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

If you are using "flax eggs" prepare them now, bu combining the flax and water, and letting it rest for 3-5 minutes. Chia seeds might work well also, I haven't tried vegan eggs, I have chickens.

Grease your pan with non gmo cooking spray, vegan butter, or coconut oil.

This strainer looks plastic but it's actually bamboo fiber!

Rinse and drain beans well, then blend in a food processor until creamy.

Add eggs, pulse.

And add all other ingredients, pulsing and scraping down the sides, after every addition.

Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For moister brownies the toothpick doesn't have to come out completely clean, just not wet.

For 3 eggs, and 1/3 cup agave, tastes like a fluffy dark chocolate cake, not ridiculously sweet.



I found a similar recipe from http://mylittlecelebration.com/food/vegan-black-bean-brownie-bites/
But, it was also on another site, so I don't think it's her personal recipe.