Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries

I love that there are so many types of pastry and dough on the market that are vegan. Mostly because Crisco and Shortening are vegan, not healthy, but vegan none the less. So when I was craving something like a Beef Wellington pastry I thought oooh I bet I could make those with fillo dough, pie dough, Pillsbury Croissant Dough, or even pizza dough! So for my first attempt I didn’t go straight to the Gardein Beef but instead to some veggies and Daiya cheese but please feel free to try these with any type of faux meat, vegetable, cheese, or even fruit! The Farmer’s Markets are brimming with good things lately so I encourage you to experiment with this. Make an eggplant parm fillo or even a butternut squash one with a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar try a dessert fillo with peaches and earth balance , sugar, ginger, and cardamom. Whatever you can imagine will fit perfectly in this dough!

Fillo Primavera

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Fillo Primavera

Vegan Fillo Dough

  • 1 box Organic Fillo Dough
  • 1 head broccoli
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 block Daiya Havarti Cheese
  • Kosher Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Dehydrated Onions
  • Olive Oil
  • Optional: 1 Container of Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce or Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauces are available at www.veganessentials.com and Rao’s Sauces are available in most grocery stores including Whole Foods)

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Prepare!

  1. Chop all veggies into tiny pieces to accommodate the fillo packages that will go in the muffin pan.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Spray muffin pans lightly with olive oil.
  4. Cut fillo dough into squares twice as large as the muffin tin holes.
  5. Place at least 3 sheets of the fillo dough square into each muffin tin hole.               Fillo Dough
  6. Spray dough with olive oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and Spices.
  7. Place chopped veggies and crumbled cheese into each fillo muffin.                                                                   Fillo Filling
  8. Add 1-2 tsp of optional sauces at this time like Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo or Rao’s Marinara.         Fillo Filling 2
  9. Sprinkle tops with more salt, pepper, and spices.
  10. Bring excess dough to a point and twist. Spray with olive oil and a sprinkle of finishing salt.

Cook!

fillo primavera baking

  1. Bake for at least 15minutes or until the dough on top starts to darken and the dough separates from the sides of the muffin tin. It may take longer depending on how dense your cups and what types of ingredients you filled it with.      Fillo Baking Done
  2. Note: Use more fill sheets for juicier fruits and veggies and less for more dense foods like chicken and broccoli.
  3. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Quick and Tropical Mexican Rice Plate

When I first met my husband I lived in San Diego, California. I ate in for most of my meals and he ate out for most of his. I learned that he was beyond obsessed with burritos. I liked burritos well enough but the tortilla was always a little to filling for me. I prefered rise dishes or the filling over a salad. One day he made me this filling of beans and fish and salsa in the oven and put it over a salad for me and I was forever in love with it. I now place it in burritos or over rice all the time but instead of fish I use vegan chicken and he still uses fish. He prefers it over rice and in a burrito. So I will show you both and I will show you the quick way without boiling rice or making pineapple salsa from scratch 🙂 Don’t forget that anything can be subbed for the chicken portion. You can place in veggies, roasted peppers, portobello mushrooms, etc.

 Gotta love a quick Meatless Mondays dish for the whole family with easy clean up!

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Tropical Mexican Rice Dish

Ingredients:

  1. 1 package Spanish Uncle Ben’s 90 second rice
  2. 4-8 Flour Burrito Tortillas (I like the Fiber One 80 calorie ones)
  3. 1 jar Newman’s Own Organics Pineapple Salsa
  4. 1 can Fat Free Refried Beans (I use Old El Paso)
  5. 1 container of Beyond Meat Chickenless Strips Lightly Seasoned
  6. Optional Toppings: Onions, Hot Sauce, lemon, lime, garlic powder, salad, etc.

Baking:

  • Preheat oven to 425degrees.
  • On a long piece of aluminum foil smear 1/4 to 1/2 cup of refried beans in a circle in the center.
  • Place chicken (or veggies or fish if you aren’t vegan) on top.

burrito preperation

  • Cover with salsa and any optional items. I cover with the onions and hot sauce first and then the salsa.
  • Bring sides of tinfoil together and roll downward. Fold other sides into center.
  • Place directly on oven rack. Bake for 25-30minutes (longer for fish less for chicken).
  • Remove from oven.
  • Place 90 second rice in microwave.
  • Place 1/4cup – 1/2cup of rice in each burrito and top with oven baked filling.

burrito done

Enjoy!

 

(WW Points for filling without rice is 5 points, Rice is another 5 points for 1 cup, Fiber One Tortillas are 2pts each)

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Veganized Savory Chicken Pot Pie

Lately, I have been addicted to Food Network Star. It ended the other night and the pie man lost but that didn’t make me lose the inspiration he created on screen. He could make anything into a pie. When I saw that grilled cheese pie with the short ribs I started to drool. I have actually been lucky enough to visit his restuarant in DC on my April road trip and was suprised to see they always feature multiple vegan pies there! However, I do not know how to make a vegan short rib equivalent so I started googling savory pies and looking at his pie shop menus. Chicken pot pie and chicken pie came up a lot in all these searches.

When I was a kid my mother would make Chicken Pot Pie a few times a month I swear. My father was always traveling and I can only imagine how stressed my mom was, so a one pot/pie meal was something she could throw together from all the leftovers during the week and we would have our bellies full. We either got it from scratch or in the box from Willow Farms that was fresh and local and a good alternative. My favorite however was just chicken and stuffing or potatoes. After watching Food Network and then googling for hours I decided I was going to make a chicken pie that was half chicken pie and a smidge chicken pot pie. I called my husband and told him to pick me up some pie crust on the way home. I was lucky because he got the refrigerated vegan pie crust from Whole Foods instead of the boxed kind and defrost was not needed.

NOTE: He is such a good sport about supporting my culinary undertakings without question.

I then embarked upon my first ever savory pie attempt and the stars must have aligned because it was the most delicious pie I had ever made. I don’t say this lightly because I make an amazing chocolate strawberry pie but this one was unbelievable. The crust was just a little sweet and perfectly flaky and the filling was hearty and subtle with an aroma of calming rosemary filling the house and the slight crunch of the diced broccoli stalks just finished it off. It will be ideal when Autumn hits. My husband, the resident omnivore, even had two slices before I was done with my first.

So let me tell you how I did it and you can make this for your Meatless Monday or meatless anyday or meatless everyday!

pie cut out

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Savory Rosemary and Thyme Chicken Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Filling

  • 1 Container Beyond Meat Lightly Seasoned Chicken Strips (available at Whole Foods)
  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 1/4 of an onion ciabatta bread square (8×8) (or any bread you have leftover just add extra onions)
  • 1 carmalized onion diced into tiny pieces or 1/3 cup of dehydrated onions (which I prefer)
  • 2tbsp Rosemary
  • 2tsp Thyme
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1tsp black freshly ground pepper
  • 1tsp granulated garlic

Sauce

  • 1cup Almond Milk
  • 1/3 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
  • 1/3 cup Daiya Mozzarella Cheese Shreds
  • 1/4 block of Daiya Havarti Cheese
  • 2tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2tbsp dehydrated onion
  • 1tsp salt

Pie Crust

  • 2 Vegan Refrigerated Pie Crusts from Whole Foods
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Granulated Garlic
  • Dehydrated Onions

Finishing

  • Olive Oil for Misting the top only
  • Pinch of salt

pie slice

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COOKING:

Prepare Filling:

  1. Dice Beyond Meat Vegan Chicken.
  2. Dice into very small pieces broccoli.
  3. Dice cubed bread and soak in warm water for 3 minutes. Remove and add to mixture.
  4. Toss all ingredients of filling until well combined.

Prepare Sauce

  1. Place all sauce ingredients in sauce pan on Medium heat and stir until melted and well combined.
  2. Take off heat and add filling until all contents are covered in sauce.

Prepare Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350degrees.
  2. Take both pie crusts and knead in spices and salt until well-distributed through dough.
  3. Press 1 crust dough back into pie pan and then place parchment paper and pie weights on top for precooking. If you do not have pie weights you can use canned veggies with the paper ripped off or dry beans you have on hand to weigh down the crust and keep it from bubbling up while you precook the dough. Do not forget to precook the dough or the filling will cause it to come out raw. Precook until lightly golden.
  4. Knead second dough with spices and salt. Roll out to twice the size of original dough as this will cover the heaping pie.
  5. Take pie crust out of oven and fill with filling/sauce mixture. It will be dome shaped on top. Press in and condense. The Beyond Meat chicken is already cooked so you do not have to worry about raw meat.
  6. Once all the filling is in the crust cover with the second seasoned dough. Tuck in the edges so that it forms and thick layer that has no holes at the seam of the pie pan.

pie oven 2

  1. Cut air holes on the top of the crust to allow for steam to escape. I say 4 1 inch slits always work out well.
  2. Mist lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt on top.
  3. Bake at 425degrees for approximately 30minutes or until crust is golden on top .

pie done oven

Eat. Serve. Enjoy.

Serves 8-10.

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Veganized Savory Chicken Pot Pie

Lately, I have been addicted to Food Network Star. It ended the other night and the pie man lost but that didn’t make me lose the inspiration he created on screen. He could make anything into a pie. When I saw that grilled cheese pie with the short ribs I started to drool. I have actually been lucky enough to visit his restuarant in DC on my April road trip and was suprised to see they always feature multiple vegan pies there! However, I do not know how to make a vegan short rib equivalent so I started googling savory pies and looking at his pie shop menus. Chicken pot pie and chicken pie came up a lot in all these searches.

When I was a kid my mother would make Chicken Pot Pie a few times a month I swear. My father was always traveling and I can only imagine how stressed my mom was, so a one pot/pie meal was something she could throw together from all the leftovers during the week and we would have our bellies full. We either got it from scratch or in the box from Willow Farms that was fresh and local and a good alternative. My favorite however was just chicken and stuffing or potatoes. After watching Food Network and then googling for hours I decided I was going to make a chicken pie that was half chicken pie and a smidge chicken pot pie. I called my husband and told him to pick me up some pie crust on the way home. I was lucky because he got the refrigerated vegan pie crust from Whole Foods instead of the boxed kind and defrost was not needed.

NOTE: He is such a good sport about supporting my culinary undertakings without question.

I then embarked upon my first ever savory pie attempt and the stars must have aligned because it was the most delicious pie I had ever made. I don’t say this lightly because I make an amazing chocolate strawberry pie but this one was unbelievable. The crust was just a little sweet and perfectly flaky and the filling was hearty and subtle with an aroma of calming rosemary filling the house and the slight crunch of the diced broccoli stalks just finished it off. It will be ideal when Autumn hits. My husband, the resident omnivore, even had two slices before I was done with my first.

So let me tell you how I did it and you can make this for your Meatless Monday or meatless anyday or meatless everyday!

pie cut out

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Savory Rosemary and Thyme Chicken Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Filling

  • 1 Container Beyond Meat Lightly Seasoned Chicken Strips (available at Whole Foods)
  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 1/4 of an onion ciabatta bread square (8×8) (or any bread you have leftover just add extra onions)
  • 1 carmalized onion diced into tiny pieces or 1/3 cup of dehydrated onions (which I prefer)
  • 2tbsp Rosemary
  • 2tsp Thyme
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1tsp black freshly ground pepper
  • 1tsp granulated garlic

Sauce

  • 1cup Almond Milk
  • 1/3 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
  • 1/3 cup Daiya Mozzarella Cheese Shreds
  • 1/4 block of Daiya Havarti Cheese
  • 2tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2tbsp dehydrated onion
  • 1tsp salt

Pie Crust

  • 2 Vegan Refrigerated Pie Crusts from Whole Foods
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Granulated Garlic
  • Dehydrated Onions

Finishing

  • Olive Oil for Misting the top only
  • Pinch of salt

pie slice

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COOKING:

Prepare Filling:

  1. Dice Beyond Meat Vegan Chicken.
  2. Dice into very small pieces broccoli.
  3. Dice cubed bread and soak in warm water for 3 minutes. Remove and add to mixture.
  4. Toss all ingredients of filling until well combined.

Prepare Sauce

  1. Place all sauce ingredients in sauce pan on Medium heat and stir until melted and well combined.
  2. Take off heat and add filling until all contents are covered in sauce.

Prepare Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350degrees.
  2. Take both pie crusts and knead in spices and salt until well-distributed through dough.
  3. Press 1 crust dough back into pie pan and then place parchment paper and pie weights on top for precooking. If you do not have pie weights you can use canned veggies with the paper ripped off or dry beans you have on hand to weigh down the crust and keep it from bubbling up while you precook the dough. Do not forget to precook the dough or the filling will cause it to come out raw. Precook until lightly golden.
  4. Knead second dough with spices and salt. Roll out to twice the size of original dough as this will cover the heaping pie.
  5. Take pie crust out of oven and fill with filling/sauce mixture. It will be dome shaped on top. Press in and condense. The Beyond Meat chicken is already cooked so you do not have to worry about raw meat.
  6. Once all the filling is in the crust cover with the second seasoned dough. Tuck in the edges so that it forms and thick layer that has no holes at the seam of the pie pan.

pie oven 2

  1. Cut air holes on the top of the crust to allow for steam to escape. I say 4 1 inch slits always work out well.
  2. Mist lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt on top.
  3. Bake at 425degrees for approximately 30minutes or until crust is golden on top .

pie done oven

Eat. Serve. Enjoy.

Serves 8-10.

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Broiled or Grilled Peaches with Caramel Sauce

In the summer there are a few fruits that just beg me to eat them. Peaches are definitely one of them. The thing about peaches however is that other than eating them raw, putting them in iced tea, or making a galette I was always afraid to do much else with them. I mean they are soft and super juicy and I feared that any sort of cooking would reduce them to a sticky mess. Well the other night I proved my own fears wrong.

peaches

I invited a few of my guy friends over to have a cookout at my home with my husband and I. I made spiced vanilla cupcakes from the box (Organics brand using egg replacer and a dash of Penzey’s Cake spice then finished them off with a vanilla sugar). Then I took fresh peaches from my local Whole Foods in Swampscott and sliced them in half cut out the pit and put the oven on. The grill was off limits since my husband had been grilling steaks on there for the guys and I was not putting my peaches on that mess. Yuck.

The result was a softened warm juicy half peach enrobed in a quick stovetop caramel drizzle next to a slice of delicate vanilla spice cake. It was heaven and it was quick. Even the guys sighed when they ate them.

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Here is how I did it:

3 peaches
Coconut Spray Oil (like Pam but with Coconut Oil, I use Spectra brand)
1 Earth Balance Buttery Stick
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Soy Creamer

  1. Preheat oven at 400degrees.
  2. Wash peaches to slightly de-fuzz them.
  3. Slice peaches in half and remove the pit.
  4. Spray a cookie sheet with Coconut Oil.
  5. Melt 2tbsp of earth balance in a teacup in the microwave and baste the inside and outside of the peaches until well covered.                                                                                                                          peach preperation
  6. Place peaches flesh side down on cookie sheet with fuzzy side up.                                        peaches baking
  7. Bake until they appear to be bubbling juices out about 15-20minutes.
  8. Then turn the broiler on to HI, move the peaches to the top rack, and broil until brown and black spots appear on the top of the peaches about 3minutes. This simulates the grill marks you would get if you grilled them instead. If you were to grill them you would do something similar with keeping them on the top shelf until then were cooked and soft and then bring them down to the lower grill grate to get the grill marks on them.                                          peaches broiled
  9. In a medium sauce pan mix brown sugar, remaining butter, and soy creamer over medium until melted and combined. Be careful it does not burn and stir often.
  10. Once caramel is reduced remove from heat.
  11. Drizzle peaches with caramel and serve with your favorite cakes or ice cream!

SERVES 6.

(WW Points for just Broiled Peach – 3pts for 2 halves)

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Enjoy!

XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy

Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs

When I was just out of college I moved into my first place on my own. I always had roommates or suite-mates prior to that point in my life. After about 2 months I moved out of that apartment because someone had stolen the tires off my car and kicked down my door to rob me in a 30 day time span.

In an effort at safety my parents had me move to a quiet remote spot. My parents helped me find the most magical beachhouse on Point Shirley in Winthrop, MA. I loved this little house more than anything. My parents even bought me my first grill since I had a porch and mini backyard with my beach view. I learned quickly that if you are having people over for a party in which you intend to grill. You should not turn on the grills gas ahead of time without igniting it or else it will all simply seep out and you will not be able to use the grill (I thought I was preheating it like one would an oven). Luckily people were only coming for snacks and dessert so I improvised my grilling techniques and held my grilled fruit kabobs over the open flame of my gas stove. The party was great and no one even noticed my poor cooking abilities and naivety. They did however love my kabobs!

Now that I am older and wiser (and giving recipes to others) I say, be like I was when I was 22. If you can’t complete a step because you don’t have that fancy tool or you live in a place that you can’t grill or what have you, Improvise. It will always work out. Food is nothing to be afraid of. If it looks terrible at least it may still taste good! If it doesn’t, there is always the company to enjoy! You just need to be creative. No one will die or go home hungry. They will just stop at McDonald’s.

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Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs

1 container of Sweet and Sara (R) Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

1 box/bag of bamboo skewers (soaked 5-15minutes in warm water)

2cups Cubed Pineapple

2cups Shredded Sweetened Coconut

3 Starfruit sliced thin

2 mangoes cubed

1lb strawberries

1 container of melon balls (honey dew, seedless watermelon, or cantaloupe)

4tbsp melted Earth Balance (R) Butter Sticks (with a basting brush)

Vanilla Sugar (for sprinkling) ( I use Penzey’s)

1/2 bag of SemiSweet Vegan Chocolate Chips (melted in a bowl) (I use 365 brand)

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  • Prepare your grill or open flame to be of medium heat.
  • Melt Chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or a fondue pot. Keep a spoon nearby for drizzling the kabobs.
  • Place shredded coconut on a platter so that you can roll your kabob in it.
  • Lightly baste all hard fruits that will be directly on the grill with melted Earth Balance.
  • When stacking your fruit on the skewer, do not do it all at once. Place the thicker fruits like pineapple on first and place on the grill for 2-3 minutes (they need more time and won’t fall through the grate). Then the softer fruits and marshmallows and hold over the open flame like you are at a Camp Fire! this prevents them from falling through the grate or falling apart on the grill. Softer fruits will burn quicker and watery fruits may drip causing spitting flames so holding it over is a safer option.
  • Once the fruits are dripping just a tad you know that the sugars are extracting and the kabob is ready.
  • Drizzle the kabob with melted chocolate, sprinkle with vanilla sugar, and roll in coconut. Serve (or Eat) Immediately.

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NOTE: These are always a hit and the kids love to be able to make their own! If you want to prepare some in advance for a kids party, grill some starfruit ahead of time then use all softer fruits and marshmallow along the base (for when they grill their portion) and top with the starfruit for a “magic wand” effect. You can also get graham crackers and make fruit smores as well!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Veganized Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti Dish with an Alfredo Sauce

When I was a kid my family would go to Applebee’s on a regular basis and then to the movie theatre next door. We loved these trips. My brother would always order the Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti dish with a side of garlic bread. I began to order this dish as well. It was always a hit. It was only my second favorite to the chicken fingers because of their honey mustard sauce which even today I am sure has some sort of addictive drug in it and is made out of magic, but I digress.

*Please note: They have nothing vegan at Applebee’s anymore even their salads and side item veggies have meat or dairy in them 😦

My brother and his wife gave birth to a son this past month. So in honor of his new son (Nolan) and what will surely be his new son’s eating habits, I will post my recipe for a veganized Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti. I must also make note that my step children and husband beg for this meal and state it is their favorite dinner and they are all omnivores.

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Nolan’s Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 block of Daiya Havarti

1-2cups of Silk Soy Creamer

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1 dash of thyme

1 dash of nutmeg

1 tbsp granulated garlic

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

“Chicken”

1 boxed container of Beyond Meat (R) Lightly Salted Chicken Strips

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Broccoli

2 heads of broccoli

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Ziti

2lbs of boxed ziti

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PREPARATION

  • Boil a large pot of salted water.
  • Add 2lbs of boxed ziti. Cook until al dente drain.
  • Wait to place in serving bowl until other items are done.
  • Dice Chicken Strips into cubes place in frying pan on medium with olive oil salt and pepper and sautee until hot. Place to the side.
  • Preheat oven to 450degrees.
  • Take the stems of the broccoli heads. Then cut into small 1-2 inch florets and slice each floret down the center so it has one flat side.
  • On a cookie sheet toss broccoli with an ample amount of olive oil until well covered and the cookie sheet is as well. Toss with a good amount to salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  • Place broccoli in oven for 25-28minutes. Or until crispy and roasted with carmelized edges. Small pieces may appear burnt.

roasted broccoli

  • In a sauce pan place oil, salt, and pepper until warm then add cream and cheese. If it appears to thin as it cooks down feel free to add a cornstarch/arrowroot slurry or some Galaxy brand parmesan cheese or even nutritional yeast (“nooch”).
  • When sauce is complete add chicken to it until well combined and then toss with pasta.
  • Last add roasted broccoli and toss lightly into mixture.
  • Serve hot. Crusty bread is always a great side choice as well!

Enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Two Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies

So to keep the theme of fast recipes with leftovers… I came across this recipe from a former coworker who found it on another site and thought it was too good to be true. It was a 2 ingredient cookie (3 or 4 if you add some good stuff). I had two containers of half used quick oats and a quarter of a bag of vegan chocolate chips because my husband sneaks chocolate when I am not around, and of course at least 5 or 6 frozen brown bananas in my freezer just in case! I always keep them around because my step kids love banana pancakes. So whenever I don’t finish a bunch in the freezer one or two will go! This was the prefect recipe that I will make again and again because it is so easy and dare I say healthy! My husband thinks it needs more sugar. But I just told him to go snack on the fudge from yesterday :). Eat up!

cookies cooled

NOTE: The original recipe was on The Burlap Bag and my friend’s blog is Organic Glory. So take a looksy!

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RECIPE: Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

(2) Overripe Brown Bananas

1 cup Quick oats

Optional: Vegan Chocolate Chips, Walnuts, etc.

oats

Mash the bananas into the quick oats and then mix in any optional toppings.

silpat

Place on a cookie sheet with either a silpat or parchment, it will stick and be messy otherwise.

cookies on silpat

Bake at 350degrees for 15minutes.

cookies close up

Eat and Enjoy!

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XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy

Four Ingredient Fast Fudge

cooled fudge

So this was the weekend of leftovers. We have moved into a new house in the past 2 weeks and we have all of this half eaten food moving from our rented townhouse to our shiny new big house. I new I had some plain soy creamer that was about to expire at the middle of this month and I also realized during this move that my husband has a peanut butter issue. By issue I mean he eats 3/4 of a jar and then opens a new one. We had multiple jars of half eaten peanut butter all over the townhouse. So when I cleaned and organized the new kitchen with my mom, I got to work on finding something fast to do with the peanut butter. It was either peanut tofu a recipe from my coworker or this quick 15minute fudge with only 4 ingredients. I had a sweet tooth and a headache so fudge it would be! I didn’t have the patience for overthinking tofu at the time. However I did make a delicious lasagna with it later. Recipe is on the way.

So enjoy this recipe it is like 15minutes and done, which is nice. At the same time it will make a great holiday gift, potluck item, and you can take it with you anywhere. I am a big advocate of bringing my own food places so this is perfect. I can bring it to a picnic, on a roadtrip, or to a party.  Also it is omni approved by my husband! Love it! Hope you do too!

quarter jar peanut butter

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Four Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups Vegan Sugar

1/2 cup Soy Creamer

3/4 cup Peanut Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

vanilla and PB

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In a medium saucepan of medium low heat bring cream and sugar to a boil stirring constantly. it only needs to boil for a minute or two. Then take off the heat.

boiling sugar and cream

Please note if you do not take it off the heat before adding vanilla it will explode a little. I did this. It is a hot sticky mess. Do not repeat my dumb mistake 🙂 .

Moving on, after the saucepan is off the heat add vanilla and peanut butter and stir until it is well combined and melted down completely.

pouring fudge

Then pour into a heat safe container while still hot. Do this quickly so it doesnt start to cool and come out grainy. Preferably add parchment to the bowl so that you can pull out the fudge. I placed it in a heat safe glass container and regretted not using parchment later.

freshly poured fudge

Allow to cool on a countertop until solid (about an hour or two). Cut and serve!

fudge cooling

xoxox, The Hippie Gypsy

Mango Coconut Sorbet

So a coworker in my office made mango sorbet at a work party last summer and I stole his recipe which he altered from a recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com. This is the best kind of recipe because it starts as something standard and goes “viral” without anyone knowing it. It is a simple tried and true recipe for Mango Sorbet but it can be any kind of sorbet just swap out the fruit and toss aside the coconut and add another topping (the base ingredients for sorbet are at the bottom of this post).

So I am making this into a Mango Coconut Sorbet that has just a hint of lime in it. It will be fresh and cool and can accompany my Mango Cake recipe from Easter Dessert. Also, I just found out yesterday Mangos are on a one day sale at Whole Foods in Bedford MA on Friday 10am-6pm, so go get some for the weekend or cube a bunch and freeze them for summer! Heck if you are feeling that excitable make it into a milkshake and throw in a cupcake and some coconut milk and have 2 desserts this weekend!

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Mango Coconut Sorbet
Ingredients:

(4) mangos (I am a champagne mango fan)
(1) Cup of Simple Syrup (3/4 cup sugar dissolved in 3/4 cup water)
(3) Tablespoons Lime Juice (try key lime for a lighter flavor)
1/4 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut

Place ice cream maker bowl in freezer overnight.
Chop and peel mangos. Place flesh in a high-efficiency blender or food processor like Vitamix or Cuisinart SoupMaker. Once the mango is soupy add simple syrup and lime juice. Combine until liquid. If you want to you can strain it after to make sure there are no chunks and either reblend the chunks or toss them if they are minimal.

Next, pour into the ice cream maker bowl and sprinkle in coconut as it starts to stir. Then leave on until the sorbet is cold at least 10-15minutes.

Serve cold with a cupcake or by itself and enjoy!

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Optional: Drizzle with raspberry or strawberry sauce in an ice cream cone bowl for a summer dessert!
Optional 2: Make it a milkshake by adding 1/2cup of canned coconut milk to the blender after and 3-4 scoops of the sorbet. Toss in some mango cake for a little something decadent!

Note: The base recipe is simple: 2cups of fruit, 1 cup of simple syrup, 3 tablespoons of lime juice. Try it with any fruit you love!

XOXOX, The Hippie Gypsy