Bruised red cabbage is a traditional German dish that is often served around Christmas time. Red cabbage not only tastes delicious, but is also super healthy. Cabbage is anti-inflammatory and loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, including vitamin C and calcium, that shield against oxidative stress and cancer. How awesome is that! Continue reading “Braised Red Cabbage Salad with Oranges and Pomegranate Seeds”
Category: Recipes
Yummy Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
Instead of knitting or doing yoga to calm down, I usually head in the kitchen for a baking session. I find the baking process very meditative and ultra relaxing. While baking, any negative thoughts that I may have fade away and I become completely zen. Om!
As the holidays tend to be a stressful time period, I have a baking session practically every day. My baking session rewards me with a two-fold return (yup, I was an econ major). The sessions not only quiet the mind, but also result in the creation of delicious treats that make great gifts for anyone. Awesome!
I recently made these cookies with my sister for friends and family. They were an absolute hit. I can’t tell how many times I have been asked for the recipe. These aren’t ordinary vegan chocolate chip cookies. These beauties contain cranberries and hazelnut brittle, which skyrocket the cookies’ flavor to new heights. One word: yummy!
Instructions
Servings: approx. 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g vegan non-dairy margarine
- 100 g brown sugar
- 50 g white sugar
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 175 g spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 150 g vegan dark chocolate chips
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 50 g hazelnut brittle (homemade or store-bought) or chopped unsalted peanuts
Instructions
Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
- Preheat oven to 180 ºC.
- Place parchment paper on a baking tray.
- Mix butter and sugars in a large bowl until well-combined.
- Add banana and vanilla extract; and then mix again.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
- Add combo to the wet mixture and then mix all ingredients until well-combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips (100 g) and hazelnut brittle.
- Add teaspoon-sized cookie dough scoops to baking tray.
- Bake until golden-brown, i.e. approximately 10-12 minutes.
- Remove tray from oven and then let cookies cool-off on baking tray for roughly 5 minutes.
- Remove cookies from tray and let them cool-off completely (approximately 1 hour).
Dark Chocolate Glaze
- Melt chocolate chips (50 g) in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Stir until smooth.
- Remove from heat.
- Use immediately.
Grand Finale
- Place cookies on parchment paper.
- Drizzle each cookies with chocolate glaze – “Pollock-Style”
- Let glaze set.
- Enjoy!
Suggested Kitchen Soundtrack
Quick & Easy: Veggie Butter w/ Lemon Zest & Chives
The past week and
a half have been somewhat crazy. I had a ton of prep work to do for a major presentation that I held last Friday and afterwards was rewarded with a mild cold. I rarely get sick nowadays and I credit my lifestyle for that. I maintain a balanced, plant-based diet; try to stay physically fit through Pilates, tennis and long walks with my dogs; and try to enjoy life to the fullest. It is easier said than done. I try not to be too hard on myself and occasionally give myself breaks. Honestly, life is too short to be stressed out all the time. Just breath!
I did not get to much cooking and baking this week, so my post probably won’t ignite any fireworks, but the recipe is still kind of nifty. My sister and I recently attended our annual family fondue, the ultimate meat fest. The hosts had brought a ton of veggies for us. I mean like 6 huge platters full of veggies. I think that they were worried that we wouldn’t have enough to eat. In the end, we were the only ones eating the veggies and barely managed to finish one platter. I felt like I myself had morphed into a broccoli floret, once tea and coffee was passed around.
Well, at the event, a relative of mine served homemade butter with lemon zest and sage. Although it was regular butter, I tried it anyway because I was curious how it tasted. It tasted really good, so I decided to make a vegan version for the blog. If you are invited to a potluck dinner and have little time to prepare something, I suggest bringing this butter and some baguettes. This butter is yet again an absolute crowd pleaser and only takes a minute to make. This butter takes any sandwich up a notch. Try it and be pleasantly surprised!
Instructions
Ingredients
- 250 g of vegetable butter
- Zest of 2 organic lemons
- batch of fresh, washed chives, to taste
- sea salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add butter to a medium-sized bowl.
- Chop some chives into little pieces.
- Add the sage, together with the lemon zest, to the butter.
- Mix all ingredients with a fork.
- Season with salt and pepper. If desired, add more sage and/or some lemon juice.
- Done!
Suggested Kitchen Soundtrack
belle + wild 