Motivation

Just some motivation for you guys:

Also, look what I found at Wal-Mart the other day. I've never seen this before and it was only five bucks. I can't wait to try it!

See you tomorrow for WIAW! YAY!!

Much love,

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

How was everyone's Christmas?! What did you all get?!

I got a LOT of great stuff, including: gift cards (Whole Foods, gas, Anthropologie, Target, iTunes, Sperry Topsider, Starbucks, and more), candy, chocolate, Goldfish [I'm not *completely* dairy free], books and cook books (Vegan Pie in the Sky! and Thrive! and Thrive Foods! And Skinny Bitch: Home, Beauty, and Style!), documentaries (Forks over Knives and Food, Inc.), a new Bible (NIV/Message parallel Bible with my name engraved on it), Audrey Hepburn move & coffee mug, money, a Cuisinart portable blender, and more! Great Christmas! Christmas Eve was a little.... terrible, spent crying with a headache and feeling sick, but let's not get into that, shall we? :)  

Someone requested the recipe for these cookies I showed in my last WIAW - here you go! I hope you enjoy them!

• Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) Earth Balance, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 flax eggs (2 T. flax meal mixed with 6 T. water)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 T. Royal Harvest Caramel Flax Oil
• 2 T. Royal Harvest Chocolate Flax Oil
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. In a large bowl, beat Earth Balance and sugars until light and fluffy.
• 3. Add vanilla, flax eggs, and flax oils. Mix until combined.
• 4. Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. 
• 5. Bake NO MORE than 10 minutes or they will become VERY crispy. You could probably even bake them for 8-9 minutes if you like. Just do not cook them longer than 10 minutes!
• 6. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Feel free to decorate tops with sprinkles prior to baking if desired.
• What cookies did you bake for Christmas?
• Much love,
  Rachael

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

As I've mentioned before, fall is my new favorite season. Especially when the weather is cool, but not chilly or cold. When fall is here, I know it's time for one thing: giant corn mazes.

Although I still have yet to go to a corn maze this year, I always make great memories when I go. The first time I remember going was my sophomore year in high school. (5 years ago now...wow...I feel old!). I went with my friend P- and his girlfriend at the time, MBD, and my friend A-. I liked both A- and P-, but since A- was available, he was who I was going for. It was a beautiful night, it was cool, skies were clear, and I was in the company of good friends. And there was caramel apple cider. LOTS of caramel apple cider. 

I watched P- and MBD as they held hands and enjoyed their time on the hay ride. I sat with A- and we chatted and watched the stars. I thanked God for putting me here, in this place, in this moment.

Ever since that first trip to the giant corn maze, going to a corn maze has become somewhat of a fall tradition. We went nearly every year after that, and our usual group became P-, A-, my friend B-, and myself. It was our little clique.

We have since grown apart, although B is still one of my best friends and I talk to A- on occasion. Yet the idea of corn mazes lives on. Unfortunately, the farm we typically go to closed last year because of the drought, so we didn't get to go. I'm hoping it will be back and ready for action this fall (I still have to check).

Through all of this, I come back to one thing: caramel apple cider. I think of fall and corn mazes and I think of caramel apple cider. 

My cafeteria recently had a pumpkin decorating contest and gave out free pumpkins to those who wanted to participate. I signed up, took my pumpkin back to my room, and started carving my pumpkin. Then I realized... I could save the pumpkin seeds! And what do I love about fall? Caramel! Why not combine the two?

Therefore, I leave you with my recipe for Pumpkin Seed Brittle. I hope it brings you all the fall-goodness and deliciousness in the world!

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Ingredients:
2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1 T. Earth Balance
1 T. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. apple cider
2 t. cornstarch
1 T. + 1 t. water

Directions: 
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine Earth Balance, almond milk, brown sugar, and apple cider.
2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until it is lump-free. Pour into caramel sauce, stir, and allow to come to a boil for a minute or two, then remove from the heat.
3. In a medium sized heat-proof bowl, combine caramel sauce and pumpkin seeds.
4. Pour pumpkin seeds onto a foil lined baking sheet that has also been sprayed with baking spray. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Grease your foil!!!
5. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes, or until the caramel has started to turn a dark brown and it sticky and thick.
6. Remove from oven and scrape seeds onto another cookie sheet that has also been lined with aluminum foil that has been greased. Flatten it out with a spatula and allow to cool until it hardens.
7. Once cool, cut or break brittle apart into pieces. It tastes like caramel popcorn! Delicious!

What is your favorite way to eat pumpkin seeds?
Much love,

Back to the Tropics...

I was sitting in class the other day, not really paying attention, but thinking about the pineapple in my fridge instead. It was about to go bad, but I didn't want to waste it... and it was still in perfectly good eating condition. What should I do with it?

Then I had an epiphany: cupcakes! Of course! I whipped out my notebook and began writing down ideas... and here is the recipe I came up with. So good, you'll have to try it yourself. (Note: the middle may sink a little when they cool; the pineapple pieces make the batter a bit heavy. However, once covered with icing, you can't tell at all.)

Also- make the caramel sauce FIRST, so it has time to cool. Once it's been made, put it in a bowl and place it in the fridge for, oh, and hour? It will firm up a little more once it's chilled. I'm just impatient and used mine right away. :)

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes with Pineapple Caramel Drizzle

Don't they just look scrum-diddly-umptious?

Pineapple Cake

Ingredients

1/2 c. unrefined coconut oil, in it's solid form (i actually used refined- but i think unrefined would work better here for a stronger coconut flavor.)

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour

3 Ener-G Egg Replacers (powder form)

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1 c. milk substitute

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. fresh pineapple, shredded/crushed and drained

3T unsweetened coconut flakes

1 T. pineapple juice

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Shred your pineapple, if using fresh, with two forks. Drain any excess pineapple juice (save this for later!). If using crushed, just drain and measure out 3/4 c. 

2. In a large bowl, combine coconut oil and sugar and mix until light and fluffy. 

3. Add pineapple, unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 T. pineapple juice and milk substitute. Mix until combined. 

4. Add all dry ingredients to bowl (salt, flour, egg replacer, baking powder and soda) and mix only until all is combined. 

5.  Line cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each liner to the top with batter. You should be able to make at least 15 cupcakes. (I made 12 full size and then realized we didn't have another cupcake pan, so I also made 12 mini cupcakes!)

6. Bake for about 25-27 minutes, until tops are light brown and delicious. Let cool!

Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients

4 c. powdered sugar

1 T. milk substitute

1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

1 t. vanilla

8 oz. Tofutti cream cheese

1/2 c. Earth Balance butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and Earth Balance until creamy and well combined. 

2. Add vanilla and coconut and mix.

3. Add powdered sugar; pour mix over the top. Mix until icing comes together. 

4. Place in fridge to chill while waiting for cupcakes to cool.

Pineapple Caramel Drizzle

Ingredients

1/2 c. Earth Balance

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. plus 1 T. pineapple juice

1 T. cornstarch

dash of cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small pot, melt Earth Balance, brown sugar and pineapple juice. 

2. Once melted, stir in a dash of cinnamon. 

3. Add cornstarch (or flour) and whisk until mixture thickens. Keep mixing for a minute or two so the thickener has time to cook a little bit.

4. Transfer to a bowl and place in fridge to firm up a little bit, for maybe an hour (or if impatient like me, use right away! It will just be a bit more runny).

Sorry, the picture is sideways...

Cupcake Assembly

1. Pipe icing onto top of cupcakes.

2. Using a spoon, lightly drizzle each cupcake with caramel sauce. 

3. Careful... these are messy!!! Put them on a plate :)

4. Eat one!!