Category: Food Recipes

Southern Fried Mushrooms and Cheese Grits

Hey, yall!

Last night I made such a delicious meal- I really felt like I stuck my entire foot in it (not literally, though). It was by far, the best vegan dish I ever made. I hope you get a chance to try it out and surprise your family, like I surprised mine.

Fried Mushrooms

  • 2 cups of cornmeal
  • 2 cups of Louisiana Fish Fry Meal (trust me, it’s necessary)
  • 1/2 cup of almond milk
  • 2 packs of your favorite mushroom ( I used an assortment amount but oyster mushrooms work perfectly)
  • 1 cup of coconut amigos or low sodium soy sauce (you can omit this, if you like)
  • Your favorite egg replacement (just egg, egg replacement)

Cheese Grits

  • Instant Grits
  • 1/4 stick of earth balance
  • 2 cups of vegan cheese ( i used Daiya shredds)
  • 1/4 cup of non dairy creamer
  • 2 cups of non dairy milk

Marinate the mushrooms in a bag with the coconut amigos/soy sauce for about an hour. Take a ziplock bag and include all dried ingredients in a bag. Take the mushroom out of the sauce and dip it in the egg replacer and put it in the ziplock bag. Shake it well.

Add your favorite oil in a pan on medium heat. When its hot, carefully add the mushrooms. Turn it over every minute and a half.

Follow instructions on instant grits box. Once cooked, add non dairy creamer and cheese and butter and stir thoroughly. Melt some butter with a couple of tbsp of hotsauce. stir and drizzle over mushrooms. Enjoy while hot!

Mushrooms and Cheese Grits

Halloween Bites while we stay inside!

Halloween looks very different in the Howard household this year. I have always enjoyed Halloween and trick or treating and candy and costumes! This time of year always gets me super pumped because I do believe this is a special night for the dead. Yes, I’m the weird one who enjoys ghost tours and visiting cemeteries in New Orleans ( I have twice lol!)

Since I have a little one, I can experience my love for Halloween with her. Before the increase in covid cases, my plans were to put Gabs in a wagon and trick or treat through our neighborhood so we..i mean..she could enjoy her candy 🙂

Yet, Covid numbers have increased rapidly in Texas and so we figured it was best to stay inside and stay safe. L I couldn’t leave yall hanging though! Below is a tasty Halloween Margarita Recipe and Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Recipes that I fell in love with. If you follow me on Instagram at naturally cocoa, you can see my bartending/cooking skills come to life hahaha!

If you are bored tonight and staying in, I suggest giving these spooky treats a try. Very few ingredients on both recipes and it’s easy to make. Entertain yourself and as always, be safe!

yield: serves 2

HALLOW-RITA: HALLOWEEN MARGARITA

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 oz tequila
  • 2 oz triple sec
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 2 cups crushed ice
  • lime wedge
  • lime slices, for garnish
  • 1/2 cup black salt
  • blue food coloring
  • red food coloring
  • green food coloring

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a tumbler combine tequila, triple sec and lime juice. Pour the mixture into a large measuring cup or a bowl that you can easily pour from. Next, add the food coloring (about a drop of each at first). Continue to stir and add colorings until desired mixture is achieved. It took me about three rounds.
  2. Pour the black salt onto a plate. Take the lime wedge and rub it around each glass. Dip the glass into the black salt.
  3. Fill each glass with ice. Pour the margarita mixture into the glass and garnish with fresh lime slices!

adapted from delishAll images and text ©Lauren Grier for Climbing Grier Mountain

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups- by Nora Taylor

Ingredients

  • ▢2 cups (12 oz) vegan chocolate chips, divided
  • ▢2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
  • ▢1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, *not the natural kind if you can help it.
  • ▢4 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ▢coarse sea salt, optional for sprinkling on top

US CUSTOMARY – METRIC

Instructions

  • Line a 12 cup standard size muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Place half of the chocolate chips (1 cup) and half of the coconut oil (1 tablespoon) in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then another minute and stir until melted and smooth. If you do not have a microwave, you can use the double broiler method to melt.
  • Scoop about half of a tablespoon melted chocolate, and place it in each liner. Use a small spoon to spread it around and up the sides just a little bit. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • While the chocolate hardens in the freezer, add the peanut butter and powdered sugar to a bowl and mix with a spoon or fork until well combined and a sort of dough is formed. Taste for sweetness, and add more sugar if desired. If using unsalted peanut butter, add a tiny pinch of salt.
  • Remove the pan from the freezer. The chocolate should be quite firm and not melty anymore. Place a tablespoon of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate in each cup, and press down a bit with your hands. It does not need to be flattened completely. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Melt the other cup of chocolate chips and the last tablespoon of coconut oil, as you did before. Scoop 1/2 tablespoon on top of the peanut butter and spread immediately with a small spoon if needed and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired. Because the peanut butter was in the freezer, the chocolate will harden quickly. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set.
  • Storage: Store the peanut butter cups in the refrigerator or freezer, as they will melt rather quickly at room temperature because of the coconut oil. If you want them to be more shelf stable, substitute melted vegan butter for the coconut oil, or leave it out completely.

Video

Notes

  1. Many brands of chocolate chips are vegan, simply check the ingredients list for milk fat, butter oil or any other animal based ingredients.
  2. Instead of chocolate chips, you can also use vegan chocolate bars, which may be easier to find depending on where you live. 
  3. Calories estimate is for 1 peanut butter cup if you make 12.
  4. These can be made into mini peanut butter cups! Use a mini muffin pan and mini liners for smaller treats.
  5. I have found that when making candy, it’s best to use regular peanut butter, not the natural kind. Natural can be so runny or very thick, and is not as consistent. For the best filling, use regular creamy peanut butter.

3 Day RAW Plant Based Challenge!

Hey Ya’ll! I’m back with ANOTHER CHALLENGE!

This pandemic has caused all of us to stay at home, become inactive and eat whatever we have available..which is fine while on survival mode.

Now we are still in the midst of the pandemic BUT we can start working out more and focus on our health. I have been eating all the wrong things! My body feels sluggish and (TMI) my regular bowel movements have been kinda off schedule. When I added this challenge on Instagram stories- I was surprised at the number of people willing to join in the detox. It made me feel good knowing we have all been looking for a clean start. So this is the clean start.

A 3 day RAW DETOX Challenge.

three yellow orange and green juice in clear drinking glasses

Take a journey with me and follow a RAW Plant Based Regimen for 3 days! You may ask when does it start?? AND my answer is: THIS MONTH! In the month of September 2020- pick 3 days out of the week to focus on eating raw uncooked fruits and vegetables ALL DAY. Juices and Smoothies included! Now you may say…girl bye. But hear me out!! Eating uncooked fruits and vegetables will allow your body a chance to receive all of the vitamins and minerals that are generally lossed when cooked.  

 If this challenge is just “too much” incorporate 1 RAW Plant based meal a day. It’s all about the effort. I have created a meal plan with links to all of the recipes in the table below the plan. Make sure you start this challenge while you are in town and near a bathroom. Raw Fruits and Veggies will go through you pretty quickly. Eat/Drink as much as you want and as often as you like. Now is not the time to count calories. Take pics of your meals and follow my Instagram: naturally.cocoa while I travel this journey with my family. I’ll be keeping you posted on grocery list and food demos soon- be on the look out!

Day 1Day 2Day 3
Tropical Carrot SmoothieCitrus Zinger JuiceHealthy Mary Juice
Garden Party JuiceCaribbean SmoothieImmunity Boosting Smoothie
Raw Vegan SushiGreen Beauty JuiceGreen Salad with Tahini
Banish Belly JuiceVegan NachosNot Easy Being Green Smoothie
Raw TacosVegan Pad ThaiSpicy Chickpea Broccoli Salad
Each Meal is a hyperlink to the recipe

Vegan Lemon Bars

Hey, Hey, Hey! It’s been a minute and I know I made a promise to do better with blogging. Forgive me! .*Gives virtual air hug 6 ft away*. So, I bet you are cooped up at home and eating up everything in sight??…ME TOO! Thank God for breastfeeding.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I made some yummy vegan lemon bars that were gone in just 2 days. Now, this dessert is not healthy..but right now, while we are all quarantined in our homes..anxiously crossing our fingers for better days… take a BITE of the super sweet, tangy lemon bar. (FYI I personally cut the sugar amount in half and it was still super sweet. Do as you wish. The original recipe is still posted below) I will no longer promise I will be constantly posting recipes on time. Though I am at home- the introvert in me is in heaven, loving all the quality time I am having with my husband and baby girl. The world has slowed down and I have been able to work from home, meditate, pray, drink ( haha) and goof off with my best friend.

Stay Safe, Wash your Hands, and your Butt.

Recipe by NoraCooks.com

Shortbread crust:

Lemon filling:

  • 3/4 cup lemon juice from about 4 large lemons
  • optional: 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk, using mostly the white part
  • 6 tablespoons cornstarch
  • tiny pinch of turmeric, optional for color (1/8th teaspoon)

For serving:

  • powdered sugar, for dusting the tops

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
  2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, add the mix together the melted vegan butter, sugar and salt. Add the flour and stir until combined. The dough will be thick. Press it into the pan with your hands, evenly and firmly. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Set aside.
  3. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest if using for even more lemon flavor, sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch + tiny pinch of turmeric for color, if desired. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. (see photos in post above for reference)
  4. Spread the filling over the crust evenly, using a spatula if needed to smooth. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight, until set.
  5. Lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper, dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into 16 squares.
  6. Leftover bars will keep for up to 1 week in a covered container in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  1. For gluten free vegan lemon bars, use an all purpose gluten free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving: 1serving Calories: 203kcal Carbohydrates: 32g Protein: 1g F

Vegandale Food Festival

Hey yall- I lovvveee festivals. Margarita festivals, Caribbean festivals, food festivals— >> especially Vegan Food Festivals. Although I am not complete 100% Vegan, I am aware of the wonderful benefits behind the lifestyle! You’re helping the environment, the animals, your health..but no one told me about the really great food festivals in this benefits package. Vegandale Food Festival makes its way to several big cities throughout the year and when it made its stop in Houston on Saturday, I knew I had to check it out.

A few of the vendors I was already familiar with such as:

  • Agape Juices
  • Cinnaholic
  • Soul Food Vegan

However, they have 25+ vendors and I wanted to explore. Our first stop was Pythagoras conscious food philosophy. We stopped and grabbed a pizza. The wait was a bit much but that is a good thing for business. The pizza was very yummy. The pepperoni taste like the real deal and they warmed each personal pizza in the small oven. While waiting on pizza, I slid to the booth next to us called Cascabel. They had tacos with the original fixings of jackfruit and soy crumble. To me…I could make these same tacos at home BUT the sauces they had gave it a good punch. Hubs loved the spicy red sauce on one taco and that sold me as well.

We washed everything down with a Dragon Moon Punch from Pythagoras Conscious Food Philosophy. The punch was $4 but it wasn’t much in the cup. I was handed a open cup of roughly 6 oz. Tony and I gulped it down in 2 seconds, disappointed we didn’t have more juice. But that’s apart of the healthy food world. Food is pricey. So we went to what we knew, which was Agape Juices. We received a 16 oz. (edit original) for about $8 of freshly pressed juice. Pricey as well but its black owned so we let it go lol. I received a sunshine drink made of oranges, turmeric and ginger. Very tasty. It wasn’t sweet but I figured since oranges aren’t in season this was the reason. Tangy with spice. Loved.

Next we made our way through the crowd with our baby stroller to another booth. Side note: Next time I would suggest they chose a larger park. The Sam Houston Park was packed and it was a struggle going through certain areas. Maybe they didn’t anticipate the high turnout but I think Discovery Green might have been a better location. Tony went to a booth that advertised vegan crab cakes po boy. I stayed in a line that advertised vegan buffalo chicken sandwich. This booth was called Snackrilege and I’ll admit I was nervous going up there. Looked a bit demonic with the symbols and horns as such. BUT Never judge a book or booth in this situation, by its cover. Everyone was so nice and friendly. And the sandwich—literally >>>the BEST FOOD ITEM I HAD ALL DAY. Hands down- they won! The texture of the meat substitute was great. It didn’t leave an aftertaste like some products I have discovered. They also had great buffalo sauce but the star of the sandwich is the “blue cheese” dressing. Its mixed with shredded cabbage or slaw and it was out of this world. So amazing. It sucks they aren’t located in Houston. They are all over Cali and of course, Austin. Hubs swore that he would go back the next time he has an audition in Austin for them. He even followed them on social media. Yup it was that good.

Last but not least, we needed something sweet. I heard great things about the donuts booth towards the front but Tony really wanted the ice cream. We had to choose since our little one was with us and I knew she would be getting fussy pretty soon. We went for the ice cream. Eggloo company (based in New York) had a long line for their waffle cone and ice cream. Tony ordered cookies and dream but they were out of that ice cream so we had to sub it with vanilla. I got the strawberry. The line was super long but we made friends with the people in front and behind us. The friendly couple behind us offered a mozzarella stick from another long vendor line and we greatly appreciated it. Tony and I split the stick. Though there was clearly no pull, leaving the hot stick in your mouth gave a pleasing taste. Very yummy. I was impressed but not enough to get in line. After we got our dessert orders we sat on the bench and finished it off. The waffles were soft which is a plus because I hate hard shelled waffle cones (which is everywhere). The ice cream was good. I wasn’t super impressed by the ice cream. Ben and Jerry’s makes an amazing dairy free line that has made my taste buds spoiled so now I am a snob when it comes to vegan ice cream.

After we ate we made our way home. Our 3 month old received many compliments and honestly she was such a good baby there. Once home, the Howard family collapsed from food comma. Can’t wait for the next vegan festival!

Vegan Bacon Mac N Cheese

Really? A dish like this actually exist?! Heck yeah it does, and it’s pretty easy too. Now I will admit, while creating this dish I noticed some things that needed to be fixed. I should have soaked the cashews or just throw away my cheapo ways and get a LEGIT blender- to make the dish prettier. Also, I could use a dehydrator, which would have made my vegan bacon crispier. REGARDLESS, when I tell you its the cheesiest mac ever- I am not exaggerating. Try it out and let me know your thoughts!



Vegan Bacon Mac N Cheese

Author: Veronica Howard

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

½ cup of fresh water

2 cups of Viola Mozzarella Cheese (Vegan)

1 cup of Daiya Cheddar Shredds (Vegan)

½ stick of Earth Balance Butter

½ cup of flour

1/2 cup of Almond Milk (or any Dairy Free milk you prefer)

2 packages of mushrooms ( any you prefer)

2 tbsp of Liquid Smoke

4 dashes of Soy Sauce

1 package of noodles

Shake of Salt

Shake of Pepper

Shake of Slap ya Momma

Instructions:

Make noodles according to package, set aside when complete.

Soak your raw cashews for 3 hours or longer (for smooth cheese). Add water and blend in blender.

Add nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice with the cheese as well and blend.

In stove pot, add butter, milk and flour and stir slowly on low heat. Add Vegan Shredded cheeses in  the pot. Stir for 3 minutes. Add cashew cheese into stove pot and stir on low.

Mix noodles with cheese. Top with leftover Vegan Shredded Cheese.

For Vegan Bacon:

Pre-heat oven at 400 F

Slice mushrooms into very small, thin slices. In a bowl add liquid smoke, salt, pepper and soy sauce together. Add mushrooms. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

Place mushrooms on pan. Make sure they are not touching each other and spread out evenly. Put in oven for 25-30 minutes.

Sprinkle on macaroni when completed. Add Salt, Pepper and Slap ya Mamma seasoning at the top.

Spicy Taco Bites

Hey yall! It’s been a minute. If you follow me on Instagram ( Vmarie725) you know I have quite a few recipes that need to be posted on the blog. I promise I am working on that! I have been momm-ing a little hard core now because I have one more week of maternity leave and if you are a mom, you know it’s tough to let go!

Anyway, here are the yummy spicy taco bites recipe that is made by yours truly! Try it and let me know if you like it.


Author: Veronica Howard

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving: 10 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of vegan meat crumbles. I used Morning Star Chorizo Crumbles with this recipe
  • 10 flour tortillas
  • ½ tsp of olive oil
  • 1 cup of raw cashews
  • 3 tbsp of chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup of white onion
  • ½ cup of nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp of lemon juice
  • ½ cup of pico de gallo ( I purchased fresh package from HEB)
  • Several dashes of Slap ya Mamma
  • 3 slices of jalapeno
  • A squirt of siracha
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

For Cashew cheese-

  • Soak cashews in a container of water for at least an hour for smooth consistency in blender. You can also add the cashews with hot water in the blender but fyi- it wont be as smooth
  • Take cashews out of water and put in blender with garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and fresh water (makes a difference instead of keeping the soaking water in blender)
  • Blend for several minutes until smooth consistency
  • Toss in jalapeno slices, siracha and salt and pepper

For Tortilla Cups-

  • Set oven at Broiling Stage
  • Take all 10 tortillas and stack them in one pile
  • Cut all sides until it looks like a square
  • Place square tortillas in a muffin pan cup
  • Push the middle of tortilla down very gently
  • Leave in oven for 15 minutes or until a light browning of the tortilla appears. The tortilla cups are meant to be crunchy

Filling-

  • Warm olive oil in pan and add onions
  • Put Morning Star Crumbles in pan and follow cooking directions on package

Once tortilla cups are finished in the oven, begin layering the crumbles, cashew cheese and pico de gallo. Season with Slap ya Mama Seasoning. Enjoy! Optional: vegan sour cream, cilantro