Vegan Rice Krispie Treats!

So I'll bet that if you are vegan you get a craving for these succulent babies from time to time. Rice Krispie Treats were one of my favorite desserts ever-I even remember making them in Home Ec class in middle school to sell during lunch-we were in different teams in class and had to come up with little businesses to run-ours was insanely popular! I mean what's not to like? Crispy cereal, vanilla-ey gooey goodness-YUM.

I tried the boxed Glenny's Organic Marshmallow Treats over and over again-trying to make myself like them-but I never really did. They are expensive,small and not gooey enough for me. I also didn't want to spend $6 on a bag of vegan marshmallows every time I had a craving. So after much research I found this recipe and went for it!
Classic Rice Crispy Treats(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    1 cup light corn syrup
    1/2 cup sugar(I used Wholesome Sweeteners Raw Cane)
    2 tablespoon soy margarine
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    6 cups puffed rice cereal

Directions:

In addition to the above ingredients you'll need a heat resistant spatula, a small pot, a very large bowl and a 9x13" pan to press the treats into.

Begin by heating the syrup in the pot over medium heat then add the sugar to the pot. Stir continuously for a few minutes, you might start to notice it bubbling at the bottom, if it starts to become frothy turn down the temperature some. When it starts to look like its boiling add the margarine (I used earth balance) stir till evenly mixed, then add the vanilla, still stirring. If you notice that the syrup/sugar mixture does not boil you can turn up the heat, or just add the margarine and the rest of the ingredients after a few minutes it will still work fine, just make sure to spend a few minutes stirring the syrup and sugar before adding the other ingredients).

As the syrup and sugar are on the stove in the very large bowl measure out about 5 cups of the cereal.
Pour the heated mixture over the syrup and began stirring with the spatula making sure to evenly combine the ingredients. You might want to add another cup or more of the cereal, depending on the amount of saturation your looking for (I find about 6 cups of cereal allows all the cereal to be covered in syrup but not too gooey:  still crispy.)
I greased a large pan with more margarine and pressed it into that-press down hard so it sticks together.

I found that the treats stick together better when covered and refrigerated.

I cut mine into 16 squares and estimated them to be around 150 calories apiece.

Preparation time: 15 prep, 1 hour to cool

I think they turned out delicious. Ryan said they taste just like the Glenny's, but I believe the fresh margarine and very crispy cereal made them taste WAY better. Not to mention that the price for a whole pan is negligible. I think a batch of these in a cute pan and tied with a ribbon would make a really cute gift too.

Next time I make them I think i am going to whip the syrup and sugar mixture up in my Kitchenaid and see if i can make them gooeyer.

My Favorite Sandwich-TLT!

I am about to share one of our favorite foods in our house-one that we don't eat that often because we usually don't have bread around. It is simple,definitely not revolutionary,but one of the best concoctions ever. The textures and flavors sing! Presenting:

The TLT! Tofu made just so(recipe to follow) with crispy iceberg lettuce,ripe tomatoes and of course vegan manna(Veganaise).

Make the tofu as such:

Gather your ingredients:

• one brick of extra firm tofu drained


• 2 Tbs ketchup


• 3 Tbs soy sauce


• 1/4 cup beer(I used Magic Hat #9 but I have also used juice here apple or cranberry work best)


• 1 Tbs of maple syrup(skip if you are using juice)


• 2 cloves of minced garlic


• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke( I usually use a little bit more-but I LOVE the flavor-add to your taste)

Whisk last 6 ingredients together in a shallow bowl or plate. Slice tofu into 16 strips- I usually do it in half,then cut each piece in half and so on until I get as many slices as I want. Poke slices with a fork and dip each slice in mixture-do both sides! Place on an oiled sheet pan and lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on each slice. Flip and do other side. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes on each side. Let cool briefly.

To assemble sandwich:

Toast your bread if that is your thing-I like mine soft and squishy,Ryan likes his toasted(we used Heidelberg pumpernickel). Spread Veganaise on both sides of bread. Use one big leaf of iceberg lettuce,followed by two sliced and blotted dry pieces of tomato. Add 4 slices of tofu and eat! I have also used mashed and seasoned avocado instead of mayo and it is equally delicious.

We each ate a sandwich and a half! That is a lot but it was far too hot and I was way too lazy to think beyond this into side dishes.

Puppy Sundaes

Luckily,today was the last day of the heatwave. It is supposed to storm tonight and be a little cooler tomorrow. I did work out today but I did yoga and weights-I just couldn't muster the cardio! Oh well, I'm back on it tomorrow.

Someone has been having a particularly hard time with the heat:

He has been hiding in the bathroom-the coolest room in the house. Poor bubby. There was some relief when we brought this home for him:

How sweet is that-the diner down the street from us does puppy sundaes! The crazy part is that they do them for free-I felt kind of bad because we obviously don't eat ice cream so we didn't buy anything,so I made sure to leave a big tip.

Crofter's Morello Cherry Premium Spread

Oooohhhh...was I excited when I spotted a bountiful array of Crofter's Jams on the shelf at my favorite store! I have heard lots of wonderful things bout these products and after checking out their website, I may like them even more! They have lots of recipes and explain the difference between a jam ,jelly and preserve. They are all organic products which is cool too.

I purchased the Morello Cherry flavor and paid $3.99. The price was a little steep- I usually but Polaner for about $2.79,but like I said, I REALLY wanted to try this after hearing such good things. The first taste I had was just the spread on a spoon-the flavor is pure cherry-not black cherry but like a pure fresh and sweet summer cherry. Not too sweet though-just right. The texture is chunky but has plenty of body and spreadability. The next day I tried it on an almost traditional PB+J. I used Teddy's PB,Heidelberg pumpernickel and the jam-about equal portions of each. It made a really nice sandwich-the flavor didn't get lost in the shuffle and I also really liked it cold-the first time I tried it it was still room temperature. The cooler temp made it almost refreshing-a palate cleanser in the midst of a heavy PB sandwich. Sometimes sweeter spreads can make it too much-but this was a really nice contrast. lastly I used it for what I usually use jams for-in my yogurt. I always buy a big tub of Silk Plain Yogurt and add fruits or jams-the presweetened stuff is too sticky sweet for me. So I simply measured out 1/2 a cup of yogurt and 1 Tbs. of the cherry spread,mixed and ate. Perfection.

PROS:

Delicious pure fruit flavor.Organic.Unique flavors.Not too sweet.

CONS:

The price is a little high.

VERDICT:

I think this would make a nice addition to your jam collection. If you go through a ton it could get a little pricey, I would probably use it more where the flavor could really shine. I really enjoyed it though and will probably try other flavors. I think it would also make a nice little gift for someone-a jar of this,a good jar of natural PB and some hearty artisan bread. Or is that just a gift that I would enjoy?

Alf's Red Wheat Cereal Review

I know I have been doing lots of reviews lately-I guess I have been feeling adventurous in trying new things? Hey, I have my staples-Teddy's PB(although now it tastes super salty after getting the plain old ground kind-I may have to convert),Crystal Hot Sauce,Drew's Lemon Goddess Dressing, etc.-but I am a sucker for a new product and I like reading reviews-so why not throw my opinion into the mix?

As you can see from the pic, I already opened the bag-OOOPS. So here it is: Alf's Red Wheat Cereal. It is unfortunately exclusive to Walmart but if you are forced to go in there like lots of us are from time to time, it is worth picking up. I paid 99 cents for it which contains eleven 1 cup servings. I usually only eat 1/2 cup at a time in a yogurt parfait, so I get 22 servings-quite the deal! It is not vitamin fortified, but it is 100% all natural,good tasting and contains a little fiber and protein too. It has a good nutty crunch and would be great topped with some fruit or maple syrup in your breakfast bowl. Seriously, in an age where even "healthy" cereals have tons of sugars and cost $4-$5 a box, this stuff is a godsend. I honestly don't think it is a great idea to overload out bodies on added vitamins anyway-if you take a multi and eat a balanced diet,you don't need to eat them all over again in your cereal. It just doesn't make sense. It is usually located on the bottom shelf by the Malt-O Meal bagged cereals,so it could be easy to miss.

PROS:

Awesome price.Simple and natural. Not a lot of packaging. Tastes good. Can be fully customized to your liking.

CONS:

Only available at Wally World.

VERDICT:

I say give it a go. For the price it is worth seeing if you dig it. If you have kiddos make a little breakfast buffet with all sorts of toppings and I bet they will be on board too!

Heatwave 2010!

We are having our first official heatwave in my area since 2002! Today is the fourth day in a row of above 90 degrees and it has been a rough go. Working out has been miserable,and my appetite is killed until nighttime of course,and then I turn into a stark raving mad binging lunatic! Not to mention that it is a million degrees in the upstairs bedroom so we are sleeping in the living room and it has turned into a flop house!

Okay, I am pulling myself together. Even though the heatwave is still going strong I am putting my foot down and getting back to normalcy.

Mulder is going to be sad though-we put the air mattress in the living room and he thought it was the best thing going-I think he thought it was an awesome new dog bed and that we had the audacity to be sleeping on it.

Stay cool.

ZICO Coconut Water Review

After hearing so much about the stuff,I finally decided to try ZICO Coconut Water today-it is 100 degrees here after all! We took our weekly trip to Peter's and we were SWELTERING. We usually grab some sort of fun drink there,but usually paying  $2.69 for a beverage is enough to make me yak. The heat must have been cooking my brain because I talked Ryan into splitting one with me and we shelled out the money for our very first coconut water. I went with the plain flavor so we could get an accurate feeling on how the stuff is supposed to taste.

So we get outside and I open the top and the seal-I really like that actually-in my mind it makes it fresher somehow. We take the first sips. It is weird. It tastes salty and milky and smells of tanning oil. I have to remind myself that it isn't dairy and that is just coconut water. I take another sip. It is kind of thick-maybe its not cold enough? But it is growing on me. Ryan says he could get used to it and has to try another before he can give an honest review. By the end of the bottle I decided I liked it and wish I didn't have to share it.

You really have to like coconut and have an open mind with this stuff. I mean it really does taste just like coconut water-that's what it is after all-and it is a very distinctive taste.  It is wonderfully healthful-rehydrates your body quicker than water,all natural ingredients and is packed with potassium and electrolytes. I probably wont be buying it often-that price tag is a killer-but I like it well enough, and can see why people rave about it. If I were to get it again I would probably buy the big container of it to keep in the fridge and use for smoothies or add a shot to my workout water.

If anyone has tried any of the flavors like the Pomberry or Lime-how were they?