Awesome Chocolate Pudding

All you need is a blender

1 12-oz. package of soft or silken tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt

Blend tofu until smooth. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Blend until well mixed.
Serve chilled. Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups.

My son Kyle loves this stuff!!!

Banana Walnut Bars

Very easy with lots of taste!!!

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 banana, mashed well
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup with cinnamon and sugar mixed together for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Add the soy milk, oil, vanilla, lemon juice, banana, and walnuts. Stir gently until just mixed Pour into a lightly oiled 8X8 cake pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake for 30-35 minutes. While still warm, cut into bars and remove from pan. Makes about 8 large bars.
-The Garden of Vegan

Another Reason To Not Feed Your Kids Hot Dogs

There are many reasons not to eat hot dogs (or any meat) aside from how they are made and what they are made out of and the fact that they contritbute to diabetes and heart disease, here is a reason to never let your children eat them.

University of Southern California epidemiologists have reported in Cancer Cause and Control that children who eat more than 12 hot dogs a month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia. Other reports in the same journal suggested children born to mothers who eat at least one hot dog a week during pregnancy have double the risk of developing brain tumors, as do children whose fathers ate hot dogs before conception. The trigger for the cancers is thought to be the nitrates used in the process to preserve hot dogs and other meats including sandwich meats.

Egg Substitutes

Baking without eggs can be tricky but it can be done. Eggs provide liquid in the recipe, so if you leave eggs out you need to replace them with something else.

Powdered egg replacer: This stuff is great. This is what I use most of the time. It is available at health food stores but even grocery stores carry it now. It may seem pricey at 4-5.00 a box, but one box last for months.

Banana: Use 1/2 a banana, mashed to replace one egg in sweet baked goods.

Applesauce: Add about 1/4 cup applesauce in place of an egg in sweet baked goods. It's a great binder but you may need to add a little extra baking powder (about 1/2 tsp) to help with the rising.

Tofu: Use about 1/4 cup mashed silken tofu for one egg. Also add 1/4-1/2 tsp extra baking powder.

Soy flour: Use 1 heaping tbsp of soy flour or cornstarch plus 2 tbsp water to repace each egg in a recipe.

-The Garden of Vegan

Blueberry Muffins

This is from The Garden of Vegan

Very hearty vegan muffins!!!

1 cup soy milk
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
egg replacer, equal to 1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the soy milk and the oats. Set aside for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the egg relacer, oil, sugar and oat mixture. Gently stir in the blueberries and spoon into lightly oiled muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note- I always double this recipe when I make it.

Welcome

My family and I have been vegan for quite a few years now. Here we will share our favorite recipes, health benefits of being vegan, answers to questions we are asked on a daily basis, etc.
I will start with a great breakfast recipe and in the days and weeks ahead post each family members personal story and benefits they have achieved by eating a plant-based diet.