been pollen, PB, and cacao nib crackers

Looking for a power snack?  These crackers are packed full of protein and whole food nutrition.  Wheat crackers fill you with fiber, peanut butter and hemp seeds provide a protein punch, bee pollen is a whole food full of mineral and nutrients and is a natural defender against seasonal allergies, and cacao nibs add in some antioxidant power while providing a hint of healthy chocolately goodness.  Eat this as an afternoon snack to keep you going til dinner or add them to any breakfast or lunch meal as a sweet satisfying side snack.  

What you'll need:

• Low Fat Whole Wheat Crackers - I used Ak-Mak 100% Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers
• Natural Peanut Butter - Try getting the fresh ground kind that most supermarket deli's are providing now.  The only ingredient...ground peanuts!
• Hemp Seeds
• Bee Pollen
• Cacao Nibs

Simply spread the peanut butter on the crackers and sprinkle on hemp seeds, pollen, and nibs to your perfect taste proportions and enjoy!

buffalo chik'n tenders

We live right near Blossom du Jour, an amazing vegan takeout spot in the Upper West Side.  One of our favorite things to order are their Buffalo Bites.  However, being the budget minded cook that I am I started searching for a the perfect meatless chicken tenders to make our own at home.  After much searching and many brands I settled with Trader Joe's Chickenless Crispy Tenders.  The best part about them is the crispy crunchy oat coating on them.

How's this for budget friendly: an order of about 5 Buffalo Bites fro $5 or 9 homemade chickenless tenders for $3.50? ($2.99 a bag at TJ's + .50 per 1/4 of hot sauce)

Simply make the chicken tenders according to the instructions for using a conventional oven or toaster oven to ensure their crispiness and then toss with your favorite vegan buffalo sauce according to your spicy taste!

blueberry & granola waffles

This homemade blueberry sauce is so fast and easy it barely takes longer to make than the waffles take to toast.  I used whole grain waffles and organic blueberries for the tasty breakfast treat.

Blueberry & Granola Waffles

Serves 1 

• 2 whole grain frozen waffles 
• 1 handful fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• granola

1. Over medium heat, cook blueberries down using a wooden spoon to mash up the berries as they cook.
2. Once you have a nice sauce going stir in 1 tsp of coconut sugar.
3. Remove from heat and spread over two toasted whole grain waffles.
4. Sprinkle with granola of your choice. 

bacon tempeh pigs in a banket

I first got turned on to "bacon" tempeh when I had my first vegan BLT at Moon and River Cafe in Schenectady, NY.

We're suckers for a crescent roll though and made these bacon tempeh pigs in a blanket one morning for breakfast.  

Bacon Tempeh Pigs in a Blanket

Serves 4

• 1 package of crescent rolls
• 1 package of "bacon" tempeh
• 4 slices of vegan cheese split in half

1. Pan fry the tempeh in a nonstick skillet for a few minutes on medium high heat to crisp it up 
2. Divide the tempeh into 8 portions
3. Roll an 1/8 of the tempeh and half a cheese slice in each cresent roll
4. Bake according to the package instructions

juicing with collard greens

Apparently there were some unseasonably cold temperatures that were affecting the production of kale from the west coast this winter.  I couldn't find kale at any of my local stores for a few weeks, so I substituted organic collard greens.  Usually used for cooking, collards also are great for juicing because they are a plant based source of Protein, Thiamin, Niacin, and Potassium as well as many other nutrients and vitamins.  

If your unsure if you'll like collards in your juice, start by substituting them for kale in a basic juice like this.  In my opinion they have a sweet flavor to them.

Serves 2

• 3 celery ribs
• 1 cucumber
• 3 carrots
• 6 large collard green leaves
• 2 green apples