Flourless Grainless Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I've been playing with grain free recipes lately, which oddly enough leads me to a lot of Paleo websites. Except for the Paleo insistence that meat has some magical ingredient that's good for you, we actually have a lot in common. We all love chocolate! Yay! The following recipe originates over at Against All Grain. I've made some changes and simplified things a bit so the food processor does most of the work, but do check out the original recipe. It's really quite wonderful.

I use soaked, ground almonds here, instead of almond flour, which I hear is quite expensive. Besides, nobody in Taos carries it, so I had to come up with something else. I was able to find coconut flour, but if you can't, I think it would work to buzz up some coconut flakes in your food processor and use that.

One other thing to note is that size matters with these cookies. They hold together much better if you keep them on the small side. Take two! They're small!

Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Cookies
makes about 40

2 cups raw almonds, soaked at least 2 hours, but best overnight
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
2 T coconut flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave syrup (or maple, rice or coconut syrup)

Coarsely chop the walnuts, cherries, and chocolate chips, either in the food processor or with a knife. Set them aside in a large mixing bowl.

Soaking the almonds starts the germination process, making them more digestible and sweeter tasting. Soak them overnight if possible, then measure out 2 cups for the recipe. Munch what's left as a snack, or store them in the fridge.

Drain and rinse the almonds, and blot them dry in a towel. Place the almonds in the food processor and pulse to puree as thoroughly as possible. You'll have a coarse, crunchy paste. Add all remaining ingredients (except walnuts, cherries, and chocolate chips) to the food processor and blend well. Transfer the dough to the mixing bowl and stir in the chopped walnuts, cherries, and chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil or line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.
Make small tablespoon size balls and gently flatten them on the cookie sheet with your fingers. The cookies won't grow when baked, so you can place them close together.
Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes. Don't over-bake them. They'll be soft when hot, so allow them to cool a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Cabbage Steaks

I ran across this recipe on Facebook, and tracked it down to someone I can actually link back to. This is a very simple dish to make, and we like it so much, we've had it twice in three days. It's served here with garlic-broccoli mashed potatoes and my own favorite recipe for cheese sauce. Get the Cabbage Steak details straight from the source. (Actually, I think she got it from Martha Stewart, but Martha gets enough hits on her own.) If you don't want to go to the trouble of rubbing your cabbage with garlic, a sprinkle of garlic powder will do. We like our Cabbage Steaks with a little Dijon mustard on the side.

To make the Garlic-Broccoli Mashed Potatoes, boil cut potatoes along with sliced garlic until almost done. Throw in chopped broccoli and continue cooking. when the potatoes are tender, drain and mash it all up together with veg-butter, salt, and pepper.

And, My New Favorite Cheese Sauce goes like so:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 20 minutes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp miso
1 T tamari, or to taste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water (or non-dairy milk)

Rinse the soaked cashews, and place them in a blender or food processor with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a sauce pan, and warm over med-low heat, adding more water if necessary.

October Vegan Cuts Beauty Box

Check out my latest YouTube video over at PVTV! Fun stuff, and a cool witch hat. Happy Halloween!!!

Break Time

Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let you know I'll be taking a break from the blog. I have some big projects going that require my full attention. Rather than stress myself out trying to do too many things, I'm putting the blog on hold for a bit. I hope to be back soon with new recipes, new videos, and maybe even a book and some silly vegetable songs with my new ukulele!

If you miss me, please feel free to drop me a note. I'd love to hear from you!

Carry on, and...

Eat Your Greens!
xoxo Kim

Simple Gluten Free Vegan Bread. Really.

I've been making (and eating) bread for days, perfecting the vegan, gluten free recipe I posted back in March. It was good, but not good enough. It was also much too complicated and had too many different types of flour in it for me to bother with very often. So I've been tinkering with it, and followed a tip from a reader who suggested using an electric mixer. It worked! And it keeps working. I'm really quite pleased because I'm not a baker really, but I can finally make great bread! Keep in mind that your oven, elevation (I'm at 7,000 ft here), and even the weather can play big roles in your baking success. You might need to make adjustments.

This super-wonderful, easy recipe calls for only 3 kinds of flour (rather than 7!), along with a few other basic bread ingredients. Click the PayPal button below to get it now for just $1.99! I give away a lot here, and every now and then I need to get paid if we all want to keep this going. I know you understand, and I appreciate your support!


Get the Gluten Free Vegan Bread Recipe for just $1.99!
Click the PayPal button to the right or find it at the bottom of the Recipe Box page!


The recipe is also available in the Recipe Box, which can be yours for as little as $4.99! That's about the cost of one loaf of not-so-good store bought gluten free bread! The Recipe Box contains over 100 of my best recipes, along with darling printable recipe cards for each. With a simple binder and plastic page protectors you can create your own cookbook with all your favorite recipes in one place. Or just pull them up online as you need them. It's up to you! Pay whatever price you like, from $4.99 to $19.99. You decide what it's worth to you.

TIP! A good bread knife is worth it's weight in vegan butter. Hacking through a soft bread with a regular knife will only mash it in the center. I've just bought this nice, inexpensive knife from Amazon and I love it. I can't believe it took me so long to get the right tool for the job!

Victorinox Cutlery 8-Inch Wavy Edge Bread Knife, Black Fibrox Handle

This is what happens when you use the wrong knife. The inside gets crumbled and mushed.
It still tastes heavenly, but it's not as pretty as it could be, and it can even appear to be under-baked.

What's for dinner? Look in the Recipe Box! Yours forever from just $4.99!

Or Get the Gluten Free Vegan Bread Recipe for just $1.99! Click the PayPal button to the right, or find it at the bottom of the Recipe Box page!

Cilantro-Lime Salad Dressing

Always looking for ways to use less fat and add more nutrient value to our food, I decided to try using beans instead of cashews in this salad dressing. The result is creamy and delicious, and packed with protein and fiber. It's not just dressing, it's food!

Cilantro-Lime Salad Dressing
makes about 2 cups

1 can chickpeas or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 lime, zest and juice
1/2 - 1 cup water

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

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What's that amazing smell coming from the oven? 
The best (and easiest) Gluten Free Vegan Bread ever! 
It's in the Recipe Box today!!!

Vegan Cuts September Beauty Box

I'm a little late with this review because I wanted to have time to try all the products in the box. After closer inspection, there are at least a couple of items I will probably pass on to friends because sometimes the (always fabulous) Vegan Cuts Beauty Box is geared for a slightly younger crowd than I qualify for anymore. It's OK! I love the chance to sample unfamiliar products each month, and also to let you know what's out there that you might not have discovered for yourself yet. So here we go with the September Vegan Cuts Beauty Box!

Beauty Without Cruelty Rosemary-Mint-TeaTree Shampoo - So far I love all BWC products, and this shampoo is no exception. To be honest, because I have curly hair, I generally wash it with conditioner, and use shampoo only rarely. It tried this though, and it smelled wonderful, cleaned away the conditioner buildup, and left my hair nice and soft. Good stuff.

Manic Panic Creature of the Night Eye Shadow and Liner in Raven - From the wildly colored hair dye people, this full-sized set, complete with mirror, is super hip and glam, and certainly suited for other-than-Halloween wear. I tried it, I like it, and I'm passing it on because I already have something similar that I use all the time.

Weleda Lotion Samples - I adore lotion. The dry New Mexico climate I live in really takes a toll on my skin, so I go through buckets of lotion on a regular basis. These are vegan and cruelty free, although some Weleda products contain lanolin, so be sure to read labels when you shop. Of the samples I got, the Sea Buckthorn is my favorite, the Wild Rose my least fave because it's too sweet and strong for me, and the Citrus and Pomegranite are almost as nice smelling as the Sea Buckthorn. There's also a little packet of Citrus Refreshing Body Oil, which I keep forgetting to use, but imagine it will be lovely.

Good Clean Love Almost Naked Personal Lubricant... It's vegan, cruelty free, contains no parabens or petrochemicals, and it's latex-safe. You're on your own with this one.

Gladrags Washable Panty Liner... As a woman "of a certain age," I'll just say that this is something I, uh, no longer have a use for... But what a great idea, huh? One more thing we can keep out of the landfill. I'm all for it! My only thought for using this cute little soft flannel pad for myself was to snap it onto my seatbelt to keep my neck from chafing... yeah OK, probably not... I'll pass it on to someone younger for sure.

And in the box but not on the list is a little bar of soap from Fanciful Fox. The "California Dreamin'" scent is just that - dreamy. I love washing my face with it.

And there you have it. Purchase all the products reviewed here today at a nice little discount in the Vegan Cuts online Shop. And get your own monthly Beauty Box by clicking the banner below. It's always fun!



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What's for dinner? Look in the Recipe Box! 
Available as low as $4.99!