Eggless Whole Wheat Fluffy Waffles - Vegan!

No eggs, no dairy, higher in protein than some waffles and the calories are not that bad if you just have two squares.  This is a Sunday morning treat for me!

1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Flax Meal (I grind my own in a coffee grinder).
1/2 C Oatmeal
1 Scoop EAS Soy Protein Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 1/2 Cup Soy Milk

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Add soy milk and mix to remove any lumps.  Cook immediately in a waffle iron sprayed with cooking spray.  
The batter will thicken as it sits.  Thin with a little bit of water if needed.  
Makes 10 squares (2 each per serving).
Note: My container of Soy Protein measures 3 tablespoons per scoop (the scooper that comes in the container).  But, the calorie count is the same as added here (170 calories per scoop).  Our family traditionally enjoys pancakes and waffles with peanut butter and syrup.  We normally use 100% maple syrup.  Yummy!
Whole-Grain Goodness!

Leftover waffles will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.  You can also freeze them and toast them later for a quick snack!

I entered this recipe into my SparkPeople Recipe Box and this is what it shows for nutrients (197 calories for two squares):

  

My crappy little waffle iron.  It works great!  You would never know that one-day earlier it was a goopy-gummy mess after one of my recipes refused to let me open the lid! Note: Don't use too much protein powder! LOL

Gazing Ball Stand Being Tested

Well, I placed my Gazing Ball out in the yard today.  We're having high temperatures and high winds, so it's being tested!  So far so good!  It's pretty heavy and it's a spear on a cone, so I think it will handle the wind just fine.  I put some glass balls under the punch bowl base before I placed it.

See my Gazing Ball Stand Instructions Here

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Balls

Wow, I made these cookie balls and they turned out great the first try!  I also had all of the ingredients in my pantry.  I used almond butter this time and they turned out awesome!

Mix together:

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup flax meal (I grind my own flax meal in a coffee grinder)
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients.  I used a fork to smash the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Use your hands to compress it and mix thoroughly.  Roll into balls and chill in the refrigerator.  I made the balls kind of large.  This recipe made 13 balls.  You can make them smaller if you want.

Gazing Ball Stand - Made From Stacked Thrift Store Vases

I finally put together my Gazing Ball Stand. You can also use this technique to make bird baths or bird feeders. Just put a plate or shallow bowl on top instead of the gazing ball.  Or, turn a fish bowl over and place a statue, silk flowers, or something pretty inside.

I found this idea on Pinterest (search for "Garden Totems" and you'll find lots of pictures).  To make them, gather together a selection of vases, fish bowls, plates, pottery, punch bowls and platters and just go crazy stacking them too see what looks best.  If it does not work upside down, turn it right-side-up.  Use plates in between the vases or bowls for added stability.  Try them in different directions.  Think about what will happen when it rains; where will water collect?

I bought a few pieces, but found the rest in my cupboards. I washed all of the pieces, removed the price tags & labels and dried them before gluing them together.   Use a combination of 5-min epoxy and clear premium silicone (I've also heard that aquarium adhesive works) to secure the pieces.  I used the 5-minute epoxy for the heavier pieces then I sealed the edges with the clear silicone.  I just used the clear silicone for the smaller pieces.  You can find these in the paint department at Lowes. We shall see in a few month if this is the best way to do this.  I live in New Mexico and our summers are very hot, possibly wet (monsoons season), windy, and dry.  I will take a picture of this one in the garden as soon as the adhesive cures.  I'll also take pictures of the torches and other garden accents I made.

You can have a lot of fun putting little statues, glass beads, nuggets, smaller colored glass vases, or pottery inside the larger clear glass pieces.

Lucy checking out the gazing ball stand.

I put a talavera vase inside and a few blue glass beads for added color.

Spicy Tomato Snap Pea Salad with Corn

Oops, I keep forgetting to come here to make updates!
Here is another great high fiber salad to make if you don't have lettuce, coleslaw mix or spinach.

Spicy Tomato Snap Pea Salad with Corn

3 Fresh large Roma Tomatoes, Chopped (or 2 cups Cherub Tomatoes, sliced in half)
1 cup or more Fresh Sugar Snap Peas, chopped
1 ear Corn on The Cob, cut off of ear (or about 1 cup canned corn, drained and rinsed)
1 Small Sweet Onion (or purple onion, or 2 Green Onions, chopped)
Fresh Cilantro
1 T Veganaise Mayo
2 T White Wine Vinegar
1 T Sugar (yes, I use the real thing.)
Salt & Pepper or Lemon Pepper (Optional)
2 teaspoons Sambal - Chili Garlic Sauce (Optional)
Other Veggies that would work with this salad: Green, Red, or Orange Bell Peppers, Jicama,

Add the chopped veggies to a serving bowl.  Mix the Veganaise with the Vinegar and Sugar.  Add salt and pepper or lemon pepper to taste.  If you want to spice it up, add cheyene pepper or Chili Garlic Sauce.  I did this when I served it with Asian Veggie Spring Rolls.  Pour over salad, add fresh Cilantro and enjoy!  Makes 2 side dish servings or one meal.

Crunchy & Yummy!

Why Vegan?

I just posted some videos under a new page on this blog called, "What We Eat".  The videos explain a little about why we are Vegan. ;)

Chickpea Tahini Stir-Fry

Chickpea Tahini Stir-Fry

This is a filling, creamy, garlicky dish that is sure to satisfy!  You can choose whatever veggies you like for this dish.  Bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach or carrots would also be good.  You can also add some chili-garlic sauce or cayenne pepper to add some heat to it.

Stirfry Onion, broccoli, chopped kale until cooked to desired consistency.  I like it still crunchy.  Add 1 can of chickpeas.

In a small bowl, add:

2 Tablespoons Sesame Tahini

2 or 3 small cloves garlic

Juice from 1 small lime

Mix together.  It will become very thick.  

Slowly add water until it gets thin like salad dressing.

Add about 1 cup of coleslaw mix and 1/2 cup chopped snap peas to each serving bowl.  You can also use fresh chopped spinach as the raw base.

Top the raw salad with the stirfry mix, then add dressing.  Enjoy!

Great Inspirational Video of Will Smith on Success

Great inspirational video clips of Will Smith.  Love him!

"There's no reason to have a Plan B because it distracts from Plan A. Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity. Why would you be realistic? What's the point of being realistic? I'm going to do it, it's done, it's already done, the second I decide it's done, it's already done, now we just got to wait for y'all to see" I could listen to him all day!

Spicy Peanut Sauce on Veggie Stir-Fry

The great thing about this recipe is that it mixes cooked veggies with raw veggies.  I try to mix raw greens into our daily menu whenever possible.
In a saute pan, cook mushrooms, onions, broccoli and bell pepper.

Chop cilantro, fresh snap peas and organic baby spinach.

Put several cups of chopped spinach into each serving bowl.  Add chopped snap peas.

Make Peanut Sauce in a small bowl.

(I never measure ingredients exactly...)

About 1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon or more Sambal (chile garlic sauce)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 or 2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

This is great as a dressing on a salad or stir-fry, or a dipping sauce for veggie spring rolls.

Layer stir-fry veggies on top of raw veggies and top with peanut sauce, fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

Fajita Collard Green Wraps

Another Mexican boca burger dish, but with a different flavor!  You can make these in a whole wheat tortilla too.  Both ways taste great.

Fajita Collard Green Wraps

Spray frying pan with cooking spray and saute mushrooms, onions, broccoli, peppers and boca burger.  You can see from the look of this dish that I don't "cook the veggies to death".  They can all be eaten raw so I just saute them so they are still a little crunchy.  I also used vidalia onions (they are sweeter than regular yellow onions and not as hot). 

Wash collard green leaves and take out thick center stem.  You can leave the stem in if you want one large leaf wrap.  But, unless you cook it longer, the stem may be tough to eat.

Place on plate in microwave with a few tablespoons of water.  Cook for a few minutes until wilted and soft.

Add a few tablespoons of 'Claudes' Fajita spice (see in photo above) to the boca burger mix.

Spread one 100 calorie pack of guacomole onto two pieces of collard greens. Add tomato and cilantro.  Add stir-fry mixture and roll up.

Put extra filling on side and top with any extra tomatoes.

Put salsa and cilantro on top and enjoy!

The calorie count is low on these.  100 calories for the Boca burger and 100 calories for the guacamole.  The rest of the ingredients have minimal calories and lots of nutrients.

Black Bean Boca Burger Salad

We had a coleslaw salad for lunch and a Black Bean Boca Burger Southwest Salad for dinner.

Off My Eating Plan!

I just went two days without eating any raw fruit or veggies.  Now, my system is rebelling and my body is not happy!  The cleaner I eat, the better I feel and the worse it is when I mess up.  Time to get in some serious fiber and veggies!
This is One of my favorite recipes for peanut sauce!
You can use this for a dipping sauce for Spring rolls or a dressing for green salad or coleslaw mix. Yummy!

Poor planning

After being at the hospital all day with our auntie, we were starving and found a little Mexican place in Tucson.  Good tasting food, but not at all on my Vegan Diet plan!

My sister said, "What happens in Tucson, stays in Tucson...not true! LOL   I enjoyed it, but paid for it later with multiple trips to the bathroom.  I had decided against beans since we had a 5 hour trip ahead of us.  It would have been a better choice since the cheese didn't agree with me.  Jo had a burrito. ;)