Hot Chocolate with Kahlua

Serves 2
Time: 10 minutes

Yesterday was National Milk Chocolate Day. I love any excuse to eat chocolate, so I decided to celebrate the day. Only problem is, as a vegan I can't eat milk chocolate. So I decided to make vegan hot chocolate with a grown up twist. Here's my recipe for hot chocolate with Kahlua. It's simple, delicious and perfect for a cold day or any day!

Recipe Note: The hot chocolate will be pretty sweet, so add more coconut milk if you want to dilute it. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Silk or So Delicious Coconut Milk
2 shots Kahlua Liqueur
1 1/2 tablespoons Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

Directions
Pour the coconut milk and Kahlua into a small saucepan. Heat on low-medium heat, whisking frequently to prevent the milk from burning.

Bring the milk to a near boil and whisk in the cocoa powder. Whisk until all of the cocoa powder is dissolved and the milk is heated through.

Serve in a mug and enjoy!

Macrobiotic Plate

Photo credit: Souen

When I was in NYC recently, I stopped by Souen and had an amazing macrobiotic plate. I've since recreated the dish at home and love to have it for lunch. It gives me a great energy boost and keeps me plowing through the day. Here's what their macrobiotic plate includes:

-Hijiki seaweed
-Brown rice
-Beans (i.e. kidneys, pintos)
-Steamed greens (i.e. kale, collards)
-Vegetables (i.e. steamed broccoli)
-Side of dressing (Sesame vinaigrette, carrot or tahini dill)

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Photo credit: Pennies on a Platter

Serves 6  

Time: 10 minutes

My husband was working on the set yesterday for a Cooking Channel pilot episode "How to live to 100." Chocolate avocado pudding was one of the recipes featured on the show. I made this recipe for a baby shower and it was the first thing to disappear! Serve it in a red wine glass with sliced strawberries for a healthy, sexy dessert.

Recipe Note: The pudding thickens as it chills. It will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

1 medium avocado
1/2 cup Silk or So Delicious coconut milk

4-6 tablespoons pure maple syrup (more or less depending how sweet you want it)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 pinches sea salt

Directions 

Put all ingredients except the unsweetened, desiccated coconut into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. 

Transfer to individual serving dishes and serve immediately.

A Yummy English Breakfast!

Photo credit: The Kind Life

Serves: 2
Time: 20 minutes

Beans for breakfast is a foreign concept to me, but apparently our friends across the pond regularly eat them at their first meal. I decided to give them a whirl based off a recipe I saw on the Kind Life website and I must say it was fabulous!

I altered the recipe slightly to accommodate what I already had in my pantry-red kidney beans, regular whole wheat bread. Give this recipe a try sometime. You'll be surprised at how filling and tasty it is! Thanks to Alicia Silverstone for this fabulous recipe!

Ingredients

1 tomato

1 pinch of fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp. of Earth Balance butter

8 button mushrooms, halved

1/2 bunch kale or spinach

1 can vegetarian Heinz baked beans (the most authentic, but they contain sugar) or a healthier brand

4 slices French baguette (i like sourdough)

2 slices vegan cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

Preheat your boiler.

Cut the tomato in half. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, then top with a small amount of butter.Arrange the tomato halves on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and slide under the broiler for 3 to 6 minutes or until bubbly.Remove the tomato halves from the broiler, but leave the broiler on.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through, but still firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat water in a steamer to boiling, then steam the greens just until tender (4 minutes for kale, 2 minutes for spinach).

While the greens cook, heat the beans in a saucepan.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet, and place the baking sheet under the broiler for 1 minute. Flip the bread slices, top 2 with a slice of cheese, and return to the broiler until the bread is golden and the cheese melts. Butter the other 2 pieces of toast, if you like. You should be sort of dancing between all of these steps, as you want to keep everything warm and have it all ready at the same time.

Place 2 pieces of toast on each of 2 serving plates and top 1 slice with a few mushrooms, some kale or spinach, and a tomato half. Ladle the baked beans on top of the toast. Eat it all together.

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Photo credit: Chef Chloe Coscarelli

Serves 4 to 6
Time: 60 minutes

I am obsessed with this vegan-friendly recipe for Avocado Pesto Pasta by Chef Chloe Coscarelli! I've made it several times and it's also well-loved by my meat eater husband. My only wish is for the recipe to be lower in fat. I plan on tinkering with it on the next go around. I'll keep you posted on the results. Bon appetit!

Recipe Notes: I've used pesto sauce/spread in place of fresh basil before to save time.  This recipe makes enough pesto sauce for several servings, so half the recipe if you're only cooking for one meal. The pesto sauce keeps for two to three days in the refrigerator and I've used it on burritos the nest day to get rid of leftovers. It tastes delicious!

Ingredients

1 pound linguine

1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish 

½ cup pine nuts

2 avocados, pitted and peeled

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Toss pasta with pesto. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with cherry or sun-dried tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls and garnish each serving with a basil leaf.