I've got a lot of kale growing in my garden plus I babysat my daughter's pups for a few days and picked the kale in her garden as well (my paycheck:)). So I came up with this delicious kale chip snack that uses on 4 ingredients. I hope you love them as much as I do.

I love tomatoes and any derivative of tomatoes (think paste, sauce, diced, etc.). So to satisfy my strong desire for this delicious fruit (although considered vegetable by nutritionists) I came up with this yummy salsa. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups tomato (chopped or cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 T garlic powder (or 5 cloves fresh garlic)
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1/2 t cuman
water as needed to get to your desired consistency

Mix all of the above in either a food processor or blender and process enough to keep it somewhat chunky.

Ingredients

1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis 
1 t fresh jalapeno pepper, more if you like it spicier (jarred is ok in a pinch)
1/4 cup yellow onion chopped
2-3 cloves fresh garlic chopped
1/2 t cumin

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend for a few seconds. If you like it thicker, add some tomato paste until desired consistancy is reached.

I have not made Rice Krispie treats since becoming vegan. You could substitute vegan marshmallows in a regular Rice Krispie treat recipe but that can be pricey (I found Dandies on Amazon for 6.60 for a 10 oz package) or you can make them like this!

Ingredients:

3 cups Rice Krispies (use gluten free for a gluten free version)
1/4 chopped nuts, I had cashews on hand for the above picture which was good, but feel free to use peanuts or whatever other nuts you like
1/4 cup vegan chocolate
1/4 cup peanut butter

Topping
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by putting parchment paper in it. Mix rice krispies and chopped nuts together in a bowl. Melt the vegan chocolate and peanut butter in a pan until well mixed and melted. Add this mix to the bowl of rice krispies and mix well. Put in the prepared pan and freeze about 30 minutes or so. Meanwhile, melt the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. You can also use melted vegan white chips or make a glaze with powdered sugar and vegan milk as a topping also. Use your imagination!

Ingredients

2 packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 packages of vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
6 T ranch spices - I use the Penzeys ranch spice
2-4 cloves garlic pressed
Use what ever veggies you like chopped small. I used about 5 cups of broccoli, cauliflower, yellow peppers, carrots and tomatoes. You can use more or less veggies of your choice.

Method:
Roll the crescent rolls out on a cookie sheet and pinch edges together to form a pizza like crust. Bake according to instructions. Let cool completely. Meanwhile, mix the vegan mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic and ranch spices together in a bowl. Top the pizza crust with the ranch mixture and veggies, slice in squares and enjoy!

​​​So I was craving granola BUT I wanted a savory granola...Check out this recipe I conjured up to satisfy my craving! You can put this granola on salads, pasta or straight from your hand to your mouth. I even gave some to my puppy and he loved it 🐶.
​
Ingredients:

Dry:
3 cups of old fashion oats 
3 T pumpkin seeds
3 T sunflower seeds
3 T sesame seeds
1 T Chia seeds
1 T Hemp seeds
1 T rosemary
1.5 T paprika
1 t cumin
1t curry
1 tsp tumeric

Wet:
1 Cup warm water

Method:

Heat oven to 325. Mix all of the dry ingredients together well. Add the water and mix well into a ball. Let sit if possible, for at least 15 minutes. Dump the mixture in a large parchment lined baking sheet. Spread on the sheet completely using a spatula. Put in the oven. You will be baking for about 2 hours but every 20-25 minutes or so, you will need to mix and re-flatten to prevent burning. Depending on how well your oven heats, you may have to do this more often. When you are satisfied with how crisp your granola is remove from oven and let cool. Alternately, if you have a dehydrator, dry over night at the highest temp (mine is 160). Let cool in the morning and for storage, place in a sealed bowl.

​If you have about 1/2 hour of time in the morning, here's a super easy delicious Cinnamon Roll recipe. I tried it with my family in Florida and they really liked it!

Ingredients:

For rolls:

1 can of Pillsbury dough sheet or crescent dinner rolls (if you use the crescent rolls, you will have to pinch together the perforations).
4 T vegan margarine softened enough to spread
1 t cinnamon
4 tsp granulated sugar

For topping:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 T of plant based milk 

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unroll dough (if using crescents, pinch together the perforations). Spread the vegan margarine across the rolls. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle this over the rolls. Carefully roll up. Cut about 6 slices (8 if you would like smaller crescents). Carefully place them in a pie pan or round baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. While baking, you can make the topping by mixing the powdered sugar with the 1 - 2 T of plant based milk. Only use enough to make a slightly thick mixture. When cinnamon rolls are done baking, remove from oven and let place rolls on plate. Add the topping and glow in the compliments your family will give!

In this recipe, I had some leftover sesame ginger dressing from my asian salad and decided to saute it! Just press your tofu between paper towel and place a heavy item on the top for as little as 1/2 hour and cut into cubes. So easy! Just listen to how delicious it sound!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup vegan margerine
1 1/2 cup of flour
​1 cup brown sugar
1 vegan egg ( I used Vegg)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cup oats
1 cup walnuts
2 T hemp seeds

Method

Heat oven to 375. Cream the vegan butter well and add brown sugar, vegan egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the baking powder into the flour and mix well and then add to the creamed butter, egg cinnamon and vanilla mix. Mix well. Add the hemp seeds, walnuts and oats and continue to mix well. To bake, take a teaspoon of the dough and roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass dipped in water (to avoid sticking). Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Prepping for a Super Bowl Party is easy even if you are following a plant based diet. Here are a few of our favorite easy suggestions! To create a delicious Ranch Dip for chips, vegan meatballs or whatever you like to dip into ranch dressing,  we love using Penzeys Buttermilk Ranch spice. We add a couple of Ts of the spice with a jar of any of your favorite vegan mayonnaise. I always add at least a couple of ts of freshly minced garlic but you can reduce or increase this option depending on your love for garlic.

Next we're going to offer our guests an easy peasy sweet offering. Chocolate Chip Muffins! We use the Vegetarian Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix which we found at our local grocery store (Kroger in Michigan or Win Dixie in Florida). We used plant based milk and an egg substitute to make it vegan. We used a product call Vegg for our egg substitute. We also added about 1/3 cup of vegan chocolate chips and mixed and baked per the instructions!

We're also going to provide an quick and easy pizza option for our guests. For this, we use:

1 Pillsbury Crescent Roll 
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T minced garlic (more or less if desired)
1 jar of Plant Based Pizza Sauce (any with our cheese should work)
1 8 oz pkg of Daiya Cheese or any other plant based cheese
Any chopped veggies you like

Method:

Pre Heat oven to 375. Roll out the crescent roll and stretch onto a rectangular baking pan. Mix the olive oil with the garlic and brush onto the stretched out crescent roll. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven and top with pizza sauce, add plant based cheese and any chopped veggies you've prepared. Place back into the oven for another 6-8 minutes and serve.