Come to the Island of.....

MMM Plantain! Do you know why we eat black beans and rice? Because it pairs itself so nicely with Plantain!

Plantain, a large hard banana that can be pinkish when you open it, and yellow when you cook it! We LOVE plantain!

MiniB Muffin still isn't sure about this fried banana gig. But she sure does LOVE the beans! The only kid I know who will pass up fruit for black beans and rice!!!

YUMMY!

Taco Salad, Nacho Supreme...No matter what you call it, its a Haystack, and it tastes great!

This is an awesome hot weather food, as its all cold except the beans. Here is how you make a haystack

Chips
beans
cheese (optional)
lettuce
tomatoes
onions
mushrooms
peppers
olives
other salad veggies
quacamole
salad dressing
sour cream

Stack ingredients in order that you like them. Eat. Enjoy.

WARNING!!!! Its impossible to make a small haystack!

Hot Dog!

Hot Dogs and Macaroni Salad! What could be more American. Macaroni Salad is one of Muffin Man's favorite foods, so whenever possible I make it for him. This time we had MorningStar Farm hotdogs with them. Obviously not vegan, as the hotdogs have eggwhites and the macaroni has cheese, but you can make the macaroni salad with vegenaise and leave out the cheese!

MiniB Muffin LOVED it, it was her first time with hotdogs. She's not so sure about eating them in the bun, but dipped in ketchup she likes!! She also loves the macaroni salad!

Muffin Man was overjoyed at the sight of the salad, so he was very happy.

A Good Deed

I would like to encourage all of you to do a good mitzvah (a good deed) this next month. If you know or hear of anyone who has just had a baby, please ask to pay them a visit, and bring them food! When MiniB Muffin was born, our church made us food for a week, different people taking a different day. It was so nice not to have to cook while I was bonding with my baby, and healing from my ordeal.

This time around, someone thought to bring me a meal even though it wasn't my first baby. She even made us a vegan meal!!! I appreciated this so much, and her food was so delicious, I had to share it on here.

Here is what she sent, vegetable barley kale soup, whole wheat pita bread, strawberries, salad, and small dishes of hummus and salad dressing. Thank you, my friend, for your kind gesture! May all good cooks do the same for others!

Happy Shavu'ot!

Our newest Mini Muffin is here!! He's two weeks old now, and life is slowly returning to normal!

Happy Shavu'ot Shavu'ot is the same as Pentecost, and traditionally cheesecake is served during this holiday. So I have a nice present for you all, a vegan cheesecake recipe.

I do have a disclaimer though, its been a while since I have made this and the last time I did, the vegan cream cheese I used wasn't up to par texture-wise. However, this is a TNT recipe that tastes like cheesecake and is completely vegan!!

Vegan Cheesecake

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup real maple syrup

1 (8 ounce) package firm silken tofu
1 (8 ounce) container nondairy cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
1 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy milk

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling (substitute with something??)

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2 In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Press into springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes.

3 In a blender, combine tofu, vegan cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, and confectioners' sugar. Dissolve cornflour in soy milk, and add to the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into crust.

4 Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and continue baking for 15 minutes, or until set. Cool on a wire rack, and then chill for several hours.

5 Remove from springform pan, serve.