Chayim Cupcakes

These Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes are amazing and are known in our family as Chayim cupcakes because it has become a tradition to make them for Chayim's Birthday!

The frosting is super easy and healthy!

In a small mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup techina, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and enough agave nectar to make the techina sweet and a creamy smooth consistency.  Add in 3/4 cup or more to taste of unsweetened cocoa powder and a dash of salt.  Mix well.  Then slowly add in small amounts of water till the mixture becomes smooth creamy frosting.

 Alternatives:

If you want to make the cupcakes chocolate then just add in 3 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.

If you like cinnamon add in 1/2 -1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

For Mexican-Style add in 2-21/2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the dry ingredients and add chili powder (to taste) to the techina frosting for a bit of a kick!

Moroccan Couscous

In honor of all of those who gave their lives for Israel, our dinner for the end of Yom HaZicaron and the beginning of Yom HaAtzmaut!

Make this quick spicy couscous recipe healthier by using whole wheat couscous or make it cheaper by using a couple carrots instead of sweet potato.

Pasta With Lenils & Kale

A great healthy and cheap dinner that kids should like too!

This recipe has simple ingredients, but has a few more steps than I like, but is worth it.

I used fresh kale from my garden and I used the larger, regular brown lentils and doubled the amount.

Enjoy!

Asiany Stir Fry

Making an asian stirfry is a great way to get lots of yummy veggies in to one dish.  I use what ever in expensive veggies I can find. It's usually onion, zucchini, carrots, and bell pepper.
Add in as many or as little veggies as you want and this could feed you and your family all week long!

Start by sautéing the onions and some garlic & fresh ginger. Then add in the carrots and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until carrots begin to soften. Add in the other veggies, some Bragg or soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper to taste and sliced green onion and continue stirring and cooking. Add in sesame seeds or cashews if you like and serve over brown rice.

Luscious Lemon Snaps

I love lemons and I love cookies.

These Luscious Lemon Snaps are delicious.

I wanted to try and make them a bit healthier so I used whole wheat flour and the 2nd time I made them I used only cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of oil (I use sunflower) and I added an egg. Next time I make them I will try with even less sugar and maybe agave nectar instead of sugar.

If you experiment, let me know how they come out.

Veggie Chili & Baked Sweet Potatoes

My new obsession is making a huge pot of veggie chili and baking a ton of sweet potatoes and chopping up some fixings.

Chili is like cholent, but in my opinion WAY better!

I used whatever dry beans I have around and soak them overnight. Then in the morning I saute onion and garlic then add in the beans with the water they have been soaking in and more water if necessary. Let them cook till partially cooked and geting soft, then add in seasonings: salt, chili powder, cumin, dry coriander and what ever else tickles your fancy. Add in veggies: carrots, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes and/or tomato paste, etc.. let in cook a bit longer. (The bell peppers and zucchini I tend to add in later as they get soft quickly. When its closer to being done I add in some kind of grain: bulgar, barley, brown rice. My favorite is bulgar, it gives it a bit of a ground beef texture which is good for those meat eaters. Let is simmer for a while till nice and cooked.

In the meantime I scrub a bunch of little sweet potatoes and throw them in the oven right on the rack and lt them bake till soft. Note they will make a mess in the bottom of the oven with sugar liquid that cooks out of them.

Then when I am ready to serve it I slice the sweet potato open just like a plain old baked potato and top with the chili, shredded cheese, salsa, chopped red onion, green onion, jalapeno, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips and whatever else sounds yummy.

This saves well and is great for quick leftovers.

Flourless Oatmeal Cookies

Tried these Flourless Oatmeal Cookies today and they are super yum!