The Most Amazing Candy Bars on Earth (and Beyond) – Contest, Too!

We can’t say enough about how amazingly nom nom nom these Go Max Go candy bars really are. Nevermind that at some locations they can be close to $3 a pop, they could be $40 and we’d still buy them. They are THAT FLIPPIN’ GOOD! Dairy free, no trans fat, no cholesterol, totally Vegan, no hydrogenated oils, and 100% tasty in a wrapper.

Behold the wonders known as Mahalo, Buccaneer, Jokerz, and Twilight:

The fine folks at Go Max Go sent us these to sample and review. So we rallied up two willing omnivores to also join us in this taste test to get a good gauge on how these bad boys really measured up. The omnis were pleasantly surprised at how good these candy bars were, with the Twilight being their favorite. “This is Vegan? Really?” seemed to be the question at hand. Yes, yes, they are Vegan and damn good, too.

Although tasty by their own merits, the appeal of these to many Vegans is they are quite similar to the candy bars we loved before we knew any better. Twilight is the cruelty free version of the Milky Way bar, Buccaneer is the modern day Three Musketeers, Mahalo is the twin sister to the Almond Joy, and Jokerz is the Snickers bar that no cows had to suffer for to be so delish. These candy bars are rich, quite tasty, and simply amazing. The only criticism received came from both the Veganos and the omnis: the Jokerz needs more peanuts to truly stack up and satisfy. Make no mistake, however, it did the trick and then some.

So, here’s where you come in. Tell us your favorite flavor and why. If you haven’t tried them yet, tell us which one you’d like to nosh on and why. We will randomly pick THREE WINNERS next Tuesday with the prize being your very own Go Max Go bars sent directly from them. Okay, go (Max, go)!

NOM.

We Heart Coconut Bliss (Remembering Eugene – Pt. 2)

There are few things we love love love like we love love love Coconut Bliss. It is hands down, no ifs ands or buts, the BEST non-dairy ice cream on the market (and made in our beloved Eugene!). We are going to say this once, and only once, so pay close attention…all vegan ice creams are NOT created equal. We admit that there are some other yummy non-dairy frozen desserts out there, but nothing, and we mean nothing, comes close to Coconut Bliss.

The good folks at Luna & Larry’s (the creators of Coconut Bliss) were kind enough to send Wozzie a t-shirt for being such a fan. Say soy cheeeeeeeese!

In addition to the fabby shirt, they also sent coupons for their yummy dessert. Oh how we heart them! So, although we’d LOVE to use those coupons to get our little hands on the Bliss, we are going to pass along the happiness to YOU! We promised you a contest and here are the details to win a pint of any flavor Coconut Bliss your tummy desires. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us your favorite Coconut Bliss flavor and how you like to eat it (in a float? in a cookie sammie? in a bowl at 5 a.m.? You get the picture…) Haven’t tried the Bliss? No worries! Simply go to their site and pick a flavor you’d like to try and let us know why! We will be choosing TWO winners; one will be chosen at random from the comments and one will be for the most creative way to partake in the Coconut Bliss. We’ll be choosing the winners on October 10 (which happens to be Rahzh’s 4 year Veganniversary).

Still craving more Bliss…and really, who wouldn’t? Be sure to enter Luna & Larry’s A Night of Bliss contest! On November 7th, Coconut Bliss will be making people smile with fifty simultaneous parties across the United States. They’ll provide the Coconut Bliss and you host the party. Together you’ll create a critical mass of ecstasy that will ripple across the country, awakening joy and delight from Petaluma to Poughkeepsie. Not a bad way to spend an evening, eh? Click here for complete details. Be sure to hurry, the deadline has been slightly extended until October 7!

With so many ways to get your hands on Coconut Bliss, what are you waiting for?

NOM.

Chocolate Upside-Down Pudding Cake

Our copy of Vegan A Go-Go! is already getting some chocolate fingerprints on it from making this yummy recipe. Just being introduced to this super easy and super yummy lava cake of sorts was worth the price of admission alone!

What was almost as fun as eating this dessert was baking it in our latest yard sale find. We found this happy little toaster oven over the weekend for only $2. We were so pleased because we’ve gotten so tired of cranking up the entire oven when a little guy like this could easily do the trick! We also love that we don’t have to keep opening the oven door to see how something is doing since ours in a model with no window. Toastie has solved that problem and happily baked her first Chocolate Upside-Down Pudding Cake!

Smelled sooooo good baking!

Add a side of any vegan ice cream (our choice for the evening was So Delicious Neapolitan).

Very happy tummies! NOM.

Fabulous falafel gyro with titillating tahini sauce

Falafel is one of our most favorite foods EVER. Especially for rahzh (he could probably eat it all day,every day). Sad thing is we both just discovered falafel a couple of years back (or less). Neither of us ever tried it before we went Vegan. And it is sad to think we missed out on years of fabulous falafel gyros Luckily Woz discovered this food of the Middle Eastern gods and introduced it to rahzh’s unsuspecting and unknowing mouth during one of his early visits.

 

As you all know we moved from Eugene to Watkins Glenn (West of Ithaca),but we would still like to promote our favorite falafel places back in Eugene (we have mentioned them before). Mommy’s Falafel has some of the most delicious falafel we ever tried. Once we found them we rarely ever went anywhere else unless they were closed or to try a new place. Alexander’s Great Falafel is a little different,but just as good (Mommy’s had the added benefit of having seasoned fries). Alexander’s is also a completely Vegan cart. We shall miss them both and look forward to finding somewhere here with delicious falafel (even if only in Ithaca).

 

These gyros are nommers ( We swear that it’s a word. Go and look it up if you don’t believe us )and only take 5-10 minutes to prepare and about 20 minutes to cook. So in 30 minutes or less you will have magically delicious falafel err… wait a second this is a Middle Eastern food not Irish. As always we will continue to personalize the recipe as we continue to make it (after a certain point we usually start eye balling many of the ingredients). As for now this is the recipe that we followed.

 

To make the falafel you will need:

15-19 oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans,drained (you could also soak your own)
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon baking powder ( 1/2tsp + 1/4tsp or 3x 1/4 tsp)
salt & pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (you could try another type if you wish)

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and drizzling the oil evenly in a shallow baking pan (we used a small glass baking pan/casserole dish).

Next, mash the chickpeas/garbanzo beans. You may use a mortar and pestle or a food processor but we have neither. So we used a spoon, potato masher, and our blender. This way requires more work and depending on your blender it might mean doing it in a couple of batches to make sure the chunks of chickpeas/garbanzo beans are gone.

Add onions and garlic and blend some more.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and you should get a thick paste-like consistency. Spoon out the mixture and roll (using your hands) into walnut size balls and place in preheated baking dish. Flatten the falafel a little. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flip the falafel halfway through baking.

 

To make the tahini sauce you will need:

1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
4 gloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt ( 1/2tsp + 1/4tsp or 3x 1/4 tsp)
2 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon warm water

You may use food processor or mortar and pestle to combine garlic and tahini but we just used our blender. Then add salt, parsley, cilantro, and cumin to the mixture. Next, add olive oil, lemon juice, and water. If the mixture is too thick slowly add more warm water until you get the thickness that you like.

 

Now all you have to do is take your favorite pita bread and top it with your favorite toppings ( greens/tomatoes/onions/etc) add the falafel and tahini sauce. AND don’t forget to add some hot sauce. That puts it over the top. We love Cholula hot sauce (especially the garlic version). And voila!

If you like the recipe please go vote for it at at CHOW.com. We submitted as a recipe to be part of the site,but right now there is a contest going on and we submitted it for that as well. Thanks

Huckleberry Potatoes

Is the first month of the year almost over? Already?? Well, we’ve still been hungry veganos but we’ve been doing our favorite standbys of pizza, lazy tostadas, pasta and winter soups. We haven’t done a whole lot of new stuff in the kitchen and were taken off guard one night as I was making my version of shepherd’s pie ala Sarah Kramer. I won’t be modest in the fact that I make some of the best damn mashed potatoes on this planet and was intrigued when Huckleberry Potatoes arrived in our weekly food co-op order.

Here they are in their purple splendor just before boiling:

I really wasn’t sure about them or how they were going to mash/taste, but since they were all we had and no one was going to step outside into the crazy cold weather we were having at the time, these were simply going to have to do.

I’m glad we gave it a try because 1) it gave some really beautiful color to this dish:

(I really need a better camera for these food pics!)

And 2) They gave a slightly sweet taste to this that we just loved!

Huckleberry potatoes aren’t new to the scene but they are new to us. I’ve said it time and time again that we eat WAY more interesting foods now that we are vegan than we ever did when we were omnis. And purple potatoes are just the beginning.

NOM.

Soysage, Biscuits, and Gravy Is Oh So Vair Tasty

This has come to be our Saturday morning breakfast. And if we can’t have it on Saturday well then it becomes Sunday breakfast. And guess what happens if we can’t have it Sunday? It becomes dinner one night of the week! Yes, this is one delish and versatile dish.

Soysage, biscuits, and gravy is extremely easy to make and extremely customizable (every time we make it, it is slightly different). It all really depends on the spices/sauces that you add to the biscuits and to the gravy. Sometimes what we add, or don’t add, is just based off of what we have on hand that day. So feel free to experiment and remember that the spice is the limit!

We mess around with various ingredients, so below is the basic recipe with mention of what we like to do. You can use the recipe as a base to make your own version or make them the way we do.

The gravy recipe originated from this other biscuit and gravy recipe on Vegweb but is now much different.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12230.0

Gravy:

1/3-1/2 tube Gimme Lean, Ground Sausage Style
1 Tbl Earth Balance (or oil of choice)
3 Tbl flour
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable broth
Pepper

Drop Biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbl baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 cup soymilk
1 Tbl vinegar
1/3 cup melted Earth Balance (or canola oil)

Put Earth Balance in a pan and turn on medium heat. Add the Gimme Lean and break into small pieces. Next, add whatever amount of pepper to taste and stir fry (you may need to lower the heat depending on how long you take to prepare everything else).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. At this point we add spices such as garlic powder (this is always the main spice for us), onion powder, pepper, cumin, and paprika, but again, these are all just suggestions. Next, mix the soymilk and vinegar together and then add it to the dry ingredients along with the melted Earth Balance. Stir until just moistened then spoon into 4 or 5 piles on baking sheet. Bake for around 8 minutes or until the bottoms are browned.

When the biscuits are nearly finished, complete gravy preparation. The Gimme Lean should be nice and browned. Add 1 cup of the broth to the pan for the base of the gravy and to deglaze the pan if that is needed. Mix the rest of the broth in a bowl with the flour to make a paste like consistency. Add this mixture to the pan and mix. This next part is what we do and is entirely optional and always varies. Depending on what we have on hand, we add things such as a couple teaspoons of A1 sauce, mustard, soy sauce (Woz’s favorite!), and/or vinegar.

Makes enough for 2 large servings or 3 smaller servings.

Scrumptious Pizza Made Simple

When both of us became vegan we got pretty used to eating pizza without cheese but after a trip to Seattle and indulging in one made at Juliano’s we decided it was worth another try to recreate the pie we know and love. We’ve tried different doughs (we know we can make it but we are going for really super easy here), different “cheeses” (after much debate Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet is by far our favorite!), and even different sauces. After a good amount of trial and error, we share another comfort food with you that has become the Sunday night favorite straight out of the Little Kitchen That Could.

Ingredients:

16 oz pizza dough (we like Eugene’s very own New Day best)
3/4 block Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative grated (Vegan Gourmet is the best we have tried, but if you prefer another brand of Vegan cheese use it.)
16 oz pizza sauce (we use 16 oz canned tomato sauce and add spices such as Garlic Powder, Oregano, Basil, Onion Powder, Red Pepper flakes, Black Pepper to taste)
1 Tbl Earth Balance (or oil of choice)
1 1/2 – 2 cups sliced mushrooms (we also like to use Tofurky Italian Sausage, LightLife Smart Bacon, or LightLife Smart Deli Pepperoni)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the dough on a standard cookie sheet (you can use whatever type of stone or pan that you prefer). Next, evenly cover the dough with grated Vegan Gourmet (Monterey Jack is our favorite). Next, spread the pizza sauce on top of the Vegan Gourmet. We have found this to be the KEY to a nice melted cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. While the pizza is cooking saute the mushrooms in Earth Balance. Take out the pizza and cover with the mushrooms and then put back into the oven for 5-7 minutes. What comes out is pure tasty!

Saucy Shells

Looking for comfort food? Look no further than this recipe and enjoy the deliciousness that is known as “Saucy Shells” in the Little Kitchen that Could. If you need something relatively fast and easy we got ya covered with this one:

Here’s what you need to make this tastiness appear in your kitchen too:

1 1/2 cup water

1 cups plain soy milk

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 3/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs pepper

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 pound firm tofu

1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable)

1 1/2 lbs pasta (preferably shells!)

1 dollop mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta. Blend all remaining ingredients in a blender. Once pasta is done put in a large baking pan and pour cheezi sauce over it. Bake about 15 minutes and ta da! You are having some good eats.

This makes a TON of saucy shells. If it’s just you or you and someone else, you may want to consider halving this recipe or you’ll have enough food until next October.