Summertime

Just finished my part of the e-book project! Just little tweeks here and there, but it's done :) Hopefully the other mom's involved had as much fun as I did! Thanks again to Rawkinmom for letting me be part of this project :)

Now i'm off to town to take my lil one to a parade then the beach! Should be fun :) Then it's back here, to look over my recipes one more time and then send it off. Summer is so busy, but i'm managing to find time to create some recipes, hike, play at the river and befriend butterflies :)

~Maggie

Vegan Baking Recipes

Well it's finally happened...the weather has turned itself into the summer season. I like to keep the temp down in our place if I can and since we don't have air conditioning it makes it a bit more work. I have to place fans in specific areas, open a close windows depending on the air flow to try to optimize. It's actually kinda silly and fun! Summer sure is busy, busy! I have a couple things on the go, plus life gets involved in there and before you know it I have no time for things I'd like to be doing. *coughs* blog posts *coughs* Anyways, I'm sure your all in the same boat or in a boat since it's summer time!

I'm going to be posting some lovely vegan baking recipes today that are not raw. You might want to try these out when it's not as hot out, so your house doesn't heat up, unless you have AC! Feel free to totally change and manipulate the ingredients in these recipes, that's the fun part of it all, yes?!

I warn you, these are the best pancakes I've ever tasted in my entire 28 years!!! So delicious that I did not add any toppings to them at all, no raw syrups, fruit, nut butter..nothing! They are so flavorful, and my lil guy LOVES them :)

Blueberry Chia Flax Pancakes by Maggie(livingfoodjunkie)

1/2 cup of applesauce
1 cup of nut milk

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 cup of Whole Wheat flour (or whatever flour you would prefer)

1/4 cup of ground flax
1/4 cup of chia seed

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 of baking soda

1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2-1 cup of blueberries

Combine nut milk and lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes, to make like a "fake" buttermilk. In mixing bowl, combine applesauce, and the buttermilk mixture. Add in brown sugar, salt, baking soda, flax and mix well. Add in flour, mix well. Fold in blueberries. Pour onto a non stick pan or griddle by 1/4-1/3 cup fulls. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Makes about 12 servings. Roughly 130-140 calories per cake :)

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Foccacia Flat Bread by maggie(livingfoodjunkie) No pictures sorry! :(

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp raw cane sugar (or whatever sweetener you prefer)

1 1/4 tbsp baking powder
1 cup warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp dill (dried, if using fresh just add more to your liking)

1.5 tbsp Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Knead to a dough consistency for 5 minutes. Roll out dough till its about an inch thick. Lay flat on a large cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees until brown, roughly 15 minutes

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Rustic Bread by Maggie(livingfoodjunkie)

5 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

4.5 tbsp of quick active yeast

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp poppy seeds

3 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp flax seeds

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

3.5 tbsp of raw cane sugar

2.5 tbsp of coconut oil
2 cups warm water

Combine 3 cups of flour and remaining ingredients (except the warm water) in a mixing bowl. Once all ingredients are combine then add the warm water and mix. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix until it forms a doughy ball. Knead dough for 5-10 minutes. Place back in mixing bowl, cover and let rise 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes has elapsed, pound the dough with your fists and knead again for 5-10 minutes. Shape into whatever bread form you desire (braid, french style, etc...) Cover again and let rise for another 30 minutes. Then bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

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So there ya have 3 vegan baking recipes I've used a few times for breakfast, lunch, dinner and have brought to potlucks.

Hope you enjoy!
~Maggie

Farmer's Market Shop and Summer

I'm proud to say that these are all local goodies that I was able to find today :) All grown at local farms near us. Cherries, tomatoes, corn, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, nugget potatoes, green onion, green & yellow zucchini, dill and cilantro were all in my local food pile.

Here is the not so local pile, friends from New Zealand, USA, Mexico and other area's of Canada were present. With all the fresh veggies and fruits in the house I'm excited to try a few new recipes I've found on your blogs! Thank you btw for sharing such inspiring recipes :)

Things have been busy the past couple weeks. We finally got a heat wave, so there has been a lot of swimming in the ocean, playtime at the water parks and lounging in the sun with good eats. I'm so exhausted today, because our weekend was filled with everything I just mentioned from morning till late at night. Mix that with heat, laughter, and running after little ones equals being tired today even after a decent sleep.

With all the busy days I've been making a lot of meals to go. I've been keeping things simple the past couple weeks. Easy peasy salads and dressings usually with a side of fruit.

I've also been exploring marinated vegetables...

Marinated Vegetable Salad

1 cup of chopped Broccoli
1 cup of chopped Cauliflower
1 cup of sliced Carrots
5 Radish bulbs (sliced)
4 ribs of chopped celery
1/2 cup of diced purple onion

Throw it all in a bowl and mix!


Marinade

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
Fresh herbs (I used some Oregano)

Just throw the marinade into the bowl with the vegetables and mix :)

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Hope everyone is enjoying summer!
~Maggie