Quick and Easy Brownies

Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnut halves


Directions
1.Melt the butter or margarine and mix all ingredients in the order given.
2.Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan.

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

Ingredients
1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil


Directions
1.In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Vegan Baking Tips

Vinegar and baking soda works great for cakes, and COCONUT MILK makes the best texture. It's delicious. Banana and peanut butter as a replacement for eggs in chocolate chip cookies makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever (says my non-vegan mom and I).

And believe it or not I make some divine black bean brownies. My coworkers used to beg me to keep making more for them. People go nuts over them, without knowing what's in them.

You can use any chocolate chip cookie recipe you like, then in place of one egg you can use a thumb size bit of banana along with an equal amount of peanut butter. For my original chocolate chip cookie recipe I actually used "White Chocolate Wonderful" peanut butter by Peanut Butter & Co. If you can't get this kind, and want to mimic it, you can probably just add a bit more vanilla extract and a little powdered sugar.

For the black bean brownies, again you can use any brownie recipe you want, then in place of the eggs, rinse out a can of black beans, then with the black beans inside the can, fill the can up with water, pour in a blender and blend til smooth. Pour in as much black bean liquid as you need in order to get the consistency of a typical brownie batter. You may want to add a bit of extra powdered sugar, a little extra vanilla extract, and my personal favorite: chocolate chips. Trader Joe's has vegan chocolate chips you can use or you can go for Ghirardhelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Vanilla Cake With Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Dry:
1 big handful of flour
1 handful of organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 small dash of salt

Wet:

1 handful of coconut milk
1 small handful of canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or add vanilla extract to taste starting with 1/2 teaspoon or whatever suits your fancy
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients together first, then eyeball the wet ingredients as you pour, in the order that they're listed. You may want to before you add the vinegar, fold the wet and dry together to see if it's going to be moist enough. It should be slightly less moist than batter for brownies from a box, but closer towards that consistency than the consistency of pizza dough. If you're confident in the moistness, go ahead and add the vinegar and lightly mix. DO NOT OVERMIX - you'll get dense cake.

Now, microwave it for about 45 seconds, then check on it, and keep checking on it in 15-30 second intervals until it looks done.

Frosting:

3 1/2 tablespoons of Earth Balance vegan butter
1 enormous handful of powdered sugar (probably about 3/4 cup powdered sugar)
1 small dash of vanilla
1 dash of lemon extract, to taste

First, beat the butter til it's fluffy, then add the powdered sugar. Beat together. It should form little balls, then you keep beating til it's smooth. Then add your vanilla and lemon extract and beat again.

Now, spread frosting on cake and thank me. :)

Fruit Salad

1 cantaloupe
1 honey dew
1 watermelon
1 bag green seedless grapes
1 bag red seedless grapes
1 pineapple

Pick grapes off the stems and place in a strainer, wash throughly then set aside. Cut up the 3 melons into small chunks (I like to use a melon ball scooper). Cut up pineapple into chunks. Mix together!

Wicked Cupcakes

   

    1 1/2 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
    1/4 cups prune juice
    3/4 cup all-purpose flour
    3/4 cup sugar
    1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoons salt
    1 large egg
    1 large egg yolk
    1/3 cup buttermilk
    1/4 cup vegetable oil
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
    4-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
    4 cups confectioners' sugar
    2 tablespoons milk
    1 drop food coloring (green), optional
    Chocolate wafer cookies
    Licorice strips
    Toasted coconut
    Small candies
    Special equipment: 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Set liners in muffin cups.

Put the chocolate and prune juice in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on low power, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.

Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and yolk with an electric hand mixer at high speed until slightly thick and lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Slowly add buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Divide the batter among muffin tins, filling them 1/2 of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed gently, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and cool completely.

For the frosting: Beat the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and milk mixing until the frosting is smooth. Add food coloring as desired. Refrigerate the frosting until firm.

To decorate the cakes: For the witches hat, score a circle in the middle of a cupcake. Cut a deep cone-like shape with a knife held at an angle. Rotate the cupcake to complete the circle and remove the center. Repeat with all the cupcakes. Generously scoop or pipe enough frosting into the center of each cupcake to fill the hole and to come over the cake to make a face. Top with a chocolate wafer cookie. Put a dot of frosting in the middle of the wafer cookie and invert the cone shaped piece of cake on top to make a witches hat. Use skinny licorice, toasted coconut or cereal flakes for hair and candies for eyes and/or nose. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Jello Shots

Cut an Orange (or lemon or lime) in HALF and gut it. Mix the jello shot (1 cup hot water, box jello, 1 cup various liquors), stir till dissolved, then add the jello mix to the half shell and place in the fridge for 3 hours or more. Once solid, slice and serve!