Not AT ALL healthy, but WOW! Peach Cobbler

Wow.... No point in it being vegan since it is SO bad for you.... But it is SOOO good going down!

You can use canned peaches with this if you choose. I would try 3 cans peaches with liquid and corn starch to thicken up the juice.

4 cups sliced peaches

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

4 TBSP Earth Balance

1 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 1/2 cups soy milk

ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Get your oven heating up to 350 degrees.

On the range, combine the peaches, 1 CUP sugar, vanilla, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 3qt dish by throwing it into that heating oven. In another bowl, mix the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and soy milk slowly into a batter. Pour this over the butter in your dish. Then, spoon the peaches mixture and juice over the batter carefully. You want to create layers. During cooking, the batter mixture will float to the top. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake for 30-45 minutes. Try not to burn your tongue since you will be wanting to scarf it down the moment it is out.

And yes, make this even more healthy by serving that warm goodness with vanilla soy ice cream.... Heaven...

Tropical Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad... is what you make of it. It is all delicious, but sometimes you have it and something about it made it spectacular. In my opinion....this stuff is that!

1 container of strawberries, quartered

2 mangos, cut into smaller chunks

3 kiwi fruits, cut into half moons

1/3 of a cantaloupe (optional)

The dressing:

4 TBSP agave

3 TBSP fresh chopped mint

3 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

Mix the dressing with the chopped fruit and let it sit for a long while (I prefer overnight) in the fridge. It will get all sweet and cozy and delicious....right in time for you to eat it!

Guacamole Salad

This stuff melts in your mouth... And even though it is just like guacamole, it is nothing like guacamole since you keep the avocados in chunks when you serve it versus mashing them. Either way it is super delicious.

It is sitting in the refrigerator at this very moment taunting me...telling me to eat more!

For the salad:

2 jalapenos, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in halves

2/3 cup diced red onion

1 can of black beans

1/2 tsp lime zest

3 ripe, small Haas avocados *** cut into 1/2" squares but WAIT until the end to use

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)

1/2 tsp minced garlic

Cut up all the items for the salad and toss to combine. DO NOT add the avos to the salad until the moment you are about to serve it. This is one of the yummies that makes this salad perfect.

Whisk together all the dressing items and coat the salad items. You can allow these to sit together (at room temperature) before serving. Moments before you serve, carefully fold in the avocado pieces into your salad/dressing mixture, adjust the seasonings and enjoy!

Brown Rice with Toasted Almonds and Parsley

This is a main staple at our house.... It is a way to accent the nuttiness of brown rice and make it irresistible. When you add nuts to anything it becomes irresistible to me. THE TRICK: USE SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE, people!! You don't need to cook brown rice for the ridiculous 45 minutes when you use my method with short grain!

This will change your life.... But be warned...doubling this recipe will increase your cook time.

1 veggie bouillon cube

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup SHORT GRAIN brown rice

1 garlic clove

1 cup toasted and chopped almonds, chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Bring the 1 1/2 cup water to boil with the veggie bouillon cube in there. Once at a boil, salt your water some. Add the rice and a whole garlic clove. Cover, bring the heat to low, and wait for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, the visible water should be evaporated. Turn off your heat and let the pan sit. This is the steaming phase of your cooking.

SIDE NOTE: So - you SHOULD let it sit. I feel that it is already quite cooked at this point and only allow it to sit for about 5 minutes since I am so anxious. You MAY run into it being quite moist since you havent allowed ample time for steamage. I feel that it is fine. Just a side note...

Once cooked, toss in your toasted almonds and parsley and reseason with s and p. Mmmmmm

Corn Salad with Basil Dressing

Oh my! I love this stuff! I have dreams about this stuff! I am growing these items in my garden JUST so that I can make a continuous supply of this stuff! Try it! Yes, there is a lot of veggie chopping prep work, but there is for anything that is good...right?

1/2 lb fingerling or very small red potatoes, boil and cut into halves

4 ears of corn, kernals cut off the corn

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup shallots

3 TBSP white balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt (plus more to season at end)

1/2 tsp pepper (plus more to season at end)

3 TBSP olive oil

6 cups arugula (or other greens mix)

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

Place your potatoes in a small saucepan and boil for 12 or so minutes. Remember to put your potatoes in the cold water and bring the entire pot to a boil (or they get funky on the inside!). Once done, run under cold water and set aside. Cut into halves once cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together your shallots, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and dijon. This is the delicious dressing for your fresh and crunchy veggies!

To make it easy, simply mix together all your veggies in one bowl - corn, red bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, arugula, and potatoes. Toss the dressing all over your delicious, re-season with salt and pepper and serve.

To consider - if you toss it all together in one step, you will get less dressing on each individual item. If you toss everything BUT the arugula in the dressing and then serve the salad ON the arugula, you get more. Ive had it both ways - both are great. I might serve it the second method first and then decide from there the next time you make it.

Because there will be a next time, trust me....

Slap Ya Mama Banana Bread

Sorry, Mom..... you know that is just an expression. This is melt in your mouth, add 10 lbs because you can't stop eating it, kind of delicious! I can't even believe that it is vegan!

You're going to use my favorite "vegan buttermilk" trick for this one. I adapted this recipe from "anonymous" on the web...wish I could take credit for it! Great job, Anonymous!

1 tsp vinegar

1/3 cup nondairy milk

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup mashed bananas (I use 3)

1/2 cup veggie oil

3 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer and 5 TBSP warm water (egg mixture)

1 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 325 and grease 2 loaf pans. Also, create your 'buttermilk' mixture by combining the vinegar and nondairy milk. Set that aside.

In one bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a bowl, mix together bananas, oil, and 'buttermilk'.

Combine the banana mixture and flour mixture, stir well.

Add in the egg replacer and the nuts.

Pour into your prepared loaf pans and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the fork comes out clean trick!! ENJOY!!

Blueberry Cornbread with Maple Syrup

So....we're going to revisit an old favorite recipe of mine and change it up for breakfast time. Talk about sinful and a Saturday morning breakfast treat.... Basically, you're making my cornbread recipe, adding 1/2 a cup or so of fresh blueberries, and when it comes out of the oven in that cast iron skillet all warm and toasty, serve it with some warm 100% pure maple syrup...or even just some agave... What a treat....

1 cup organic corn meal
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup rice or soy milk
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
1/3 cup of vegetable, corn, or canola oil
3 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

WarM maple syrup to top

Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix water and Ener-G Egg Replacer until there are no white lumps or residue. put to side. Mix dry ingredients in a med to lg mixing bowl. (If you use a vegan sugar substitute, note that not all subs are 1:1)

Mix in soymilk, oil, then egg replacer. mix well. Fold in the blueberries. Grease baking pan with oil or vegan margarine. I use a medium cast iron skillet for my vegan cornbread and swear that it comes out better.Pour mix in pan and bake for 20-25 min or until you can poke the center with a toothpick and it comes out clean. Slice and enjoy with some maple syrup over the top..