Rum Raisin Cupcakes

I don't like rum, but I love these little cakes. They're not too rummy. Just enough to go with the raisins and spice. Don't be put off by the beans. You can't taste them, and they do a great job of adding moisture as well as protein. These treats are actually pretty good for you, as cupcakes go.

Rum Raisin Cupcakes
vegan, gluten free, oil free
makes about 3 dozen mini cakes, or 1 dozen regular cupcakes

Wet:
1 cup raisins (packed), soaked in water for 15 minutes
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup black beans
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Meyers's dark rum

Dry:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 cup organic sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 350º. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Drain the soaked raisins, and place them in a food processor with all other wet ingredients. Blend well.
Stir dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Stir in blended wet ingredients.
Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
Bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the cupcakes. A toothpick should come out clean when they're done, and the tops will be lightly browned and a little crispy.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Orange-Rum Frosting
1/2 cup cashews, soaked 20 minutes or more
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
2 T rum
1/4 cup almond milk
1 pound organic powdered sugar

If you have a Vitamix or Nutribullet, you can get a super creamy frosting. If not, be OK with a little graininess from the cashews. It will still be sweet and lovely.
Place all ingredients except the powdered sugar in a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth.
Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl, and using a hand mixer, gradually add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well with each addition until you've mixed in all the sugar. You might want to add a few drops of liquid if it gets too thick, or leave some of the sugar out once you get the consistency just right. Frost cooled cupcakes and top each with a raisin.

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Vegan Cuts Beauty Box

I love girly stuff, like makeup, skin care, and nail polish. I also want products that are vegan, cruelty free, and free of harmful ingredients. They're out there, but not always easy to find. That's why I was thrilled to learn about the new Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. For just $19.95 a month you can subscribe to have a fun box of beauty surprises delivered to your door. The July box arrived a few days ago, and I've been having a great time trying out all the products inside. Here's what I got, and what I think!

This great collection came to me quickly in a USPS Priority box, all snuggled into a friendly nest of crinkly, recyclable paper shreds. Some of the items in the box are available on the VeganCuts site, along with lots of other great deals on vegan snacks, clothes, jewelry, and other necessities. Check there first if you decide to buy, because they often have discounted prices.

Starting from the left, we have a sample of Essence of Vali essential oil blend called "Sleep." It contains lavender, cedarwood, and other nice things to help calm the mind and ease you off to dream land. I like it a lot, and did sleep quite well the 2 nights I tried it. The recommendation is to place a drop of the oil on the corner of your pillow. That worked pretty well for me, although I found it a bit strong if I crunched my pillow up and put my nose right in it. I think I might try mixing some in a small spray bottle with water, and misting my pillow instead.

The darling little green zippered bag in the back is the Jemma Pouch from Namaste. It's soft, lovely, genuine not-leather, lined with genuine not-suede. It's really good quality, and just the right size for all sorts of little things. Now I also want the larger Devin wristlet, available on VeganCuts (in black please, if anybody wants to send me a present.) I can't help it. I'm a bag lady.

Next to the bag is a sample tube of Suntegrity tinted moisturizer with sun protection. I've been using it and like how it moisturizes nicely without being goopy, adds a hint of coverage, and keeps some of those harsh New Mexico rays off my pretty face.

The full size bottle of LVX nail polish was a real surprise, in a couple of ways. This stuff sells for $16, so it was a very generous addition to a $19.95 box of goodies. It's a non-toxic polish that goes on smoothly and wears great. The color (Deco), which didn't grab me at first, turned out to be a really fun summer color, kind of like peachy ice cream. I thought I might give it away, but no, you can't have it. It's mine, and I want more colors.

On the right is a sample bottle of NYL Skincare Rosewater Face Wash. It's supposed to act as a moisturizing cleanser and astringent in one. It smells nice, and I really wanted to like it. I have to be honest though, this was the only product in the box I wasn't taken with. It doesn't foam up much, and I didn't feel like it cleaned my skin. I used some of my regular astringent afterwards, and the cotton ball collected a lot of residual dirt and tinted moisturizer. I won't give up on the brand though. It looks like they've come up with some other really nice products, and I hope they'll send others.

Up front there's a small sample tube of GlamNatural mascara. It goes on nicely and doesn't clump, but doesn't really do a lot of lengthening or thickening. Mostly it colors the lashes in a soft, natural way that I think is really nice for casual daytime wear, when you want to look awake but not all made up.

The little pot next to the mascara is a shimmery loose powder eye shadow from Swagger Cosmetics, in Golden Rose. It's a pretty, eye-opening highlighter that goes on easily and stays in place. I like it!

And last is a sample of Argan Oil from Acure Organics. Argan oil comes from the argan tree in Morrocco, and is being used in lots of beauty products these days. It has a faintly floral, soft scent, and is reputed to repair skin imperfections and restore elasticity. It's too soon to tell, but I'll be dabbing it around my eyes at night until the sample runs out. If I had a vat of it I'd soak in it!

That's everything. I hope you found this helpful in your search for healthy, fun beauty products. It was sure fun for me, and I'm looking forward to my August Beauty Box, which of course I'll tell you all about! Shop VeganCuts or any of the contributor's websites for these products, and order your own Beauty Box for next month, because like I said, this stuff is mine!

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Recipe Box Link Fixed

Oh man... just when I think I have everything connected and working, a glitch sneaks in to spoil the fun. Just goes to show me how great and powerful I am... not!

If you tried to get to the Recipe Box Sampler this morning and it didn't work, please try again on the main Recipe Box Page. And do let me know if you have any trouble. Thanks!!!

The Positively Vegan Recipe Box is Here!

Over the almost 3 years I've been writing this blog, I've posted tons of great recipes for you. So many, in fact, that I'm always getting requests to do a cookbook. A book still seems way beyond my capabilities, but I do want you to be able to quickly find your favorite recipes here without having to scroll back through years of blabby blog posts. So what I've done is sort through all of my recipes, organize them by category, and list them all in what I call the Recipe Box. It's a step in the book direction, and one thing I really like about it is I can add to it as I go. Every time I post a new recipe on the blog, I'll also pop it into the box, without any of the bloggy banter.

Looking back through my older recipes, I could see that a lot of them needed re-writing and updating. I've learned a lot about writing recipes over the years, and now everything in the Recipe Box is written in a nice simple format, with lots of pictures to help you out and make you hungry. Pictures are important, and they're expensive when you do them in a printed book. I'm happy that I didn't have to skimp on them for the Recipe Box!

Unlike the original PV Recipes PDF, the Recipe Box is online. There's nothing to download or store, and you can open it on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. And if you prefer to have a printed recipe in front of you, it's easy to copy and paste your favorites into a text document and print them out.

Right now I'm only charging $9.97 for the the big fat Recipe Box. Get it quick before I raise the price! There are already almost 100 recipes in the Recipe Box, and as I said, I'll be adding more each week. (In fact I added one as I wrote this post.) You only have to pay once, but you'll get all the updates. A cookbook can't do that for you! (If you already purchased the PV Recipes PDF, I'll be sending you a free link to the Recipe Box. Check your email!)

Want to see how it looks? Go to the FREE Recipe Box Sampler page! I promise to keep working on the book idea, but for now, I really think you're going to like the Recipe Box! Enjoy!

UPDATE! The button wasn't working earlier. Grrr! For some reason Blogger won't let me hook up the html. So I've rerouted the link over to the Recipe Box page on my website. It works there! Please try again! Thanks!!!

Lemon-Blueberry Scones

Every since our honeymoon in Victoria, BC - more than 20 years ago... wow - I've been smitten with scones. I love to whip up a batch on a Sunday morning and share them with Rick over a hot mugs of tea. Much more romantic than biscuits or toast, scones are really easy to make. Here's a version we really like.

Lemon-Blueberry Scones
gluten free - makes 8 scones
1 T ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 cup water
2 C brown rice flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400º. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or a light coating of oil.
Mix the flax seeds and water first, and set aside for a few minutes.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and almonds.
Add and stir in the flax/water, vanilla, oil, agave, and lemon zest and juice.
Stir in the blueberries after everything else is mixed well.
Pat the dough onto a lightly floured board, into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges onto the baking sheet, and bake at 400º for about 20 minutes, until they brown slightly. Serve with vegan butter (we like Earth Balance) and all-fruit jam.

KeVita Love

I'm still sorting through all the biz cards and brochures I brought home from VidaVeganCon. There were so many samples there, it was hard to get to them all. (I did my best though.) One that stands out is the tasty and good-for-you KeVita sparkling probiotic drink. I fell in love with it at the conference, and continue to buy it here at home.

KeVita is organic, vegan, non-GMO, and gluten and soy free. The slightly fizzy drink comes in 10 lovely flavors. My absolute favorite is the lemon-ginger, which is the best thing ever on a hot summer day. Rick likes the mango-coconut. We sampled almost all of them at the conference, and really, you can't go wrong. They're all refreshing and tasty.

I also love the KeVita bottle. Not important? Is too! It's a nice size for holding and sipping, and has a wide mouth with a cap that closes tightly. It's glass, so readily recyclable, but also the perfect size to reuse for homemade sauces and salad dressings. And maybe best of all, there's a little heart molded onto the bottom of every bottle, which means there's happy energy mixed in. What's not to love?

Learn more, and find a store near you at KeVita.com! And take advantage of the $1 Off Coupon they've asked me to share with you. Cheers!

Tortillas + Pizza = Tortizza

Vegan pizza is an important thing to get right, and to eat often! I've shared these here before, but the method has changed some so it's time for an update. My friend Anne came up with the name. Before that I just called them Tortilla Pizzas. Ho hum... Everything tastes better with a snappy name, right? This is super easy to throw together on a busy week night or for lunch, and makes a great do-it-yourself party food.

Tortizza
1 pie per person is usually enough
flour tortillas - 2 for each pizza
Cashew Cheese - optional
Daiya shreds - any flavor, or any vegan cheese
spaghetti sauce
fresh spinach
mushrooms, sliced
black olives, sliced
fresh oregano

Of course the toppings are up to you. For families or parties, arrange a bunch of toppings like a "pizza bar" and let everyone make their own.

Preheat the oven to 425º.
Line cookie sheets with parchment, non-stick liners, or a light spray of oil. 2 pizzas will fit on each tray.
Place 2 tortillas side by side on each cookie sheet. Spread a thin layer of Cashew Cheese on each tortilla, OR sprinkle a little bit of Daiya on each.

Top each tortilla with another tortilla.
Spread sauce on the top tortillas, and sprinkle with a small amount of Daiya.

Arrange your toppings any way you like them, as far out to the edges as you can go.
Top with a little more Daiya. (Note: Daiya tastes great and makes a great "glue" to hold it all together, but I don't use as much as I would regular cheese. Less tastes better.)

Bake at 425º for 12-15 minutes, until the edges of the tortillas crisp a little bit.
Remove from oven and slide the Tortizzas off the trays, onto a cutting board.
Allow to cool for a minute or two.
Slice and serve with a salad.