Frozen coffee drink

This is so simple, and just what I've been wanting on these hot days.  The vanilla almond milk has a density similar to lowfat milk.   I use other milks for baking.  But for drinking, I find rice milk is too watery, oat milk is too oaty, and hemp milk leaves a weird aftertaste.  Perhaps there are better brands of these options out there that I have yet to try, but almond milk has been a real winner lately.

In a tall glass, add:
12 ice cubes
1/2 c. coffee
1 1/2 c. vanilla almond milk (or other MSPI-friendly milk you like)

Repeat as necessary.  I haven't had coffee of any sort for about 9 months and I suddenly needed two of these yesterday.  And today.

Orange chocolate chip cake

Okay, so it seems I'm really into cakes these days.  Maybe it's because my local store hasn't had cococnut milk ice cream (or any other frozen treat I can eat) for months.  This is another recipe that doesn't dirty too many dishes and can be thrown together in about 5 minutes, or as fast as you can get all the ingredients out of your pantry.


Preheat oven to 350.


Add to 9x12 pyrex (or other baking) dish and mix together:
2 c. all pupose flour
2/3. c. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt


Then, add (wait to mix until the end):
1/2 c. canola oil (or other MSPI-friendly oil)
1 substitute egg (EnerG egg replacer) (or a real egg if you're not allergic like me)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 cup vanilla oat milk (or other MSPI-friendly milk or water)
1/4 c. chocolate chips (Enjoy Life is the only brand I can get here that doesn't have soy lecithin)

Mix well.

Bake 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Yum!!

Apple-Rhubarb Crumble*

A friend was giving away rhubarb from her garden.  So, I came up with this simple recipe.  It's somewhere between a strawberry rhubarb pie and an apple crumble.     I'm not sure how much nutritional value this has, but it sure is delicious.  It's vegan.  It's MSPI-safe.  And, it's something you could serve to anyone without any question about it being a 'real' dessert.

Preheat oven to 350F.

(A) mix together in a pyrex dish:
3 stalks rhubarb, sliced
2 macintosh apples, sliced
1 tablespoon orange juice

(B) mix in a bowl:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond meal (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sunflower oil (or safflower oil, or canola oil)

(C) sprinkle oat mixture (B) on top of fruit mixture (A).

(D) dust on top:
cinnamon (about 1/2 t)
brown sugar (about 1 T)

Bake in middle of oven for 45 minutes, or until oats are light brown.   Serve warm.  Perhaps with some MSPI-friendly coconut milk ice cream if you can find it.  My local market has been out for weeks now, so I had two helpings of crumble instead.

*My version of a crumble is fruit on the bottom with an oat/sugar mixture on top.  A crumble is like a cobbler, but to make a cobbler, mix up a scone-type pastry and cook fist-sized scones on top of the fruit.

Recipes are great.

A baby sleeping 11 hours at night is super-fantastic.

Eleven months of patience and love, and finally she's regularly sleeping a long night.  Ahhh.  It may not last long, and certainly won't last forever, so I'm enjoying the bliss now.

I had some no-cheese pizza today.  Apparently the crust was transported on parchment that was sprayed with non-stick spray that has soy in it.  We'll see how tonight goes.

In addition to lots of veg, fruits, and grains, here are some safe* pre-packaged things we've eaten lately:
- Earth Balance No Soy spread (red container)
- Field Roast Celebration Loaf -- it's good on sandwiches or heated as a vegan main dish (frozen)
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
- NuGo Free Dark Chocolate Bars
- Food Should Taste Good Chips (sweet potato, olive, or the works)
- Amy's California Burger (frozen)
- Blue Diamond Almond milk (original or vanilla)

*always read the labels and if you are unsure, call the company to make certain the food is truly MSPI-friendly

Creamy Broccoli Soup

This soup is great.  It could be called Creamy X Soup, where X is sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot, cauliflower or just about any vegetable!

In a large soup pot, heat on medium until onions are translucent: 

2 T olive oil

1 onions, chopped

1 head of celery, chopped

1 garlic clove, smashed

Then add and bring to a boil: 

1 tsp salt

1 head of broccoli, chopped

3 potatoes, cubed

1 bay leaf

4 cups water 

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch smoked paprika

Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.  Then, in batches, blend. Pour back into the pot and mix in:

1 cup almond milk

fresh ground pepper to taste

Serves 8.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

The cinnamon and cocoa together make this easy cake taste like mexican chocolate.  This recipe makes a thin 13 x 9 cake, or a thick 8 x 8 one.  Prep time: 5 minutes.  Cook time 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.  Then, to your baking pan (I like glass/pyrex) add:

1 1/2 cup flour (King Arthur All-Purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Natural cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix well.  Then, add, in this order:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup warm water
Stir until smooth.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes if large pan (thin cake) or 40 minutes if small pan (thick cake), or until knife comes out clean.


Let it cool and the top will become slightly glazed.  You can top it with frosting or not.  I prefer not.

MSPI Mac N Cheese

Okay, okay, it's not cheese.  It's not even close.   I think.  It's been so long since I've had cheese, that I couldn't say for sure.  My husband likes this recipe and he eats cheese all the time, so it isn't just my warped taste buds. (Lil Bee loves it too.)

Boil 1 pound of macaroni or other pasta and set aside (we've been having fusili lately). 

In a non-stick or cast iron skillet, on medium:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 T dried parsley
1 T spicy mustard
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup almond milk
1 T flour
pinch salt
pinch garlic powder
pinch smoked paprika (optional, but I love it)

Mix together for about 1-2 minutes, until well-mixed and starting to thicken, then turn to low and add cooked pasta.   I often add 1/2 cup of frozen peas at this point, too, but that's optional.

Mix thoroughly.

Serve with fresh ground pepper.

Eat right away or save for tomorrow's lunch.  Keeps well in fridge for several days.