Strawberry + Goat Cheese Sandwich

I like to think I make a mean meatless sandwich. :)

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO

• handful of fresh strawberries, washed, tops removed, and sliced
• 4-5 large basil leafs
• 2 heaping tablespoons of goat cheese
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• bread (I LOVE Trader Joe's multigrain rustico bread)

On a flatiron, heat bread and goat cheese until bread is toasted. Spread warm goat cheese with a knife and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with fresh basil leafs and sliced strawberries. So easy!

Chickpea + Avocado Sandwich

The weather in Philadelphia has been deceivingly sunny, and I have been longing for refreshing summer foods like avocados and watermelon. Unfortunately, there is still a slight chill in the air that makes me want to cozy-up with hot chocolate and soup. Since Philly is in between seasons, today I paired roasted red pepper tomato soup with a light and tasty chickpea and avocado sandwich. 

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 1 can organic chickpeas
• multigrain bread (I recently discovered and fell in love with Trader Joe's Multigrain Rustico Bread)
• lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
• 1 tsp dill weed
• handful of fresh spinach (or a fresh tomato, sliced)

Soak chickpea in hot water to remove shells. Scoop avocado into a medium size bowl. Add chickpeas, squeezed lemon juice, and dill. Mash ingredients well with a fork. Optional: toast bread. I prefer to toast my bread when I make this sandwich. Scoop chickpea and avocado mixture onto bread and layer with fresh spinach leafs or sliced beefsteak tomato. The more veggies, the better! Serve with soup and enjoy!

The ingredients listed above are enough to make 2-3 sandwiches. :) 

Frosted Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

My cut-out cookie recipe was created by my great-aunt and is now a family tradition. While growing up, my mother and I would cut the cookie dough into tree and star shapes every year at Christmas time. I get a craving for my favorite cookie and make these for other holidays through out the year. This weekend, I took a road trip with a car full of Valentines from Philly to Western, NY to visit some friends and deliver heart-shape, flower-shape, Hello Kitty, and hockey-inspired cookies. I think there is a cookie for everyone. :)

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

Cookies:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large metal bowl, cream egg, softened margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour) to form a large ball of dough. Chill dough in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator and place a sheet of waxed paper sprinkled with flour on your counter top. Scoop dough (about the size of your fist) on to waxed paper. Cover dough with another sheet of waxed paper and roll with rolling pin. Dough should be rolled flat to about 1/8 inches thick. Now the fun part... cut into shapes! With a spatula, place cut-outs on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be lightly golden when removed from oven. Place cookies on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before decorating.

Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar **food coloring and sprinkles are optional, but highly encouraged :)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand-held mixer, cream ingredients. Add additional soy milk or sugar to create a thick, creamy frosting. Frosting should not be too drippy or else it will not set properly on the cookies.

Vegan Marble Banana Bread

When I was very young, my mother and grandmother made it very clear to me how sinful it is to waste food. They would invent new dishes out of leftovers and freeze quarts of unused homemade pasta sauce, and there was absolutely no leaving the kitchen table until my plate was cleared! It pains me to let food go moldy and uneaten, and then have to dispose of it-- even bananas! Of course the best use for very ripe, brown, unattractive bananas is banana bread. Recently I have been coming up with eggless, dairy-free recipes. Here is my vegan-friendly mini banana bread variation altered from my mother's traditional recipe.  The great thing about this bread compared to its original, the vegan version is super (this word makes me cringe...ew) moist! Sorry, Mom. I just discovered a low-fat, moist(er) banana bread!

**This recipe makes 4 mini loafs. To make 1 large loaf, bake for 45 minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons boiling water, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease 4 small bread pans (I use cooking spray). Boil water on stove top. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Wisk in sugar, coconut oil, non-dairy milk, and vanilla with a fork. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Scoop 1 cup of the batter into a small separate bowl. In this bowl, stir in cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of boiled water. Add remaining boiled water to the batter without chocolate. To marble the bread: spoon 1/2 cup of batter from the large bowl into baking pan. Next, spoon chocolate batter. Alternate spooning the batter until baking pan is 3/4 full. Using a knife, swirl the batter for a few seconds. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes until golden and spongy.