Blueberry Muffins

Spring is in full swing, and we are loving all the fresh produce around town. We were inspired to make our favorite “fresh” dessert: blueberry muffins! As usual, today we’re sharing two different recipes, one vegan and one that is omnivore friendly. Both recipes are sure to be loved by everyone! Nikki shares a blueberry and lemon crumb muffin topped with a lemon glaze and Jess will show you how to make blueberry muffins with a brown sugar topping- yum!

  

Click the link below to see both recipes and step-by-step instructions!

Vegan Lemon Lemon Cookies

Hey guys, Jess here, bringing you one of my favorite go-to cookie recipes. I love bringing treats in for my coworkers but needed a recipe that was easy and quick so I wouldn’t compromise my beauty sleep. These vegan lemon cookies from Isa Chandra’s latest cookbook are the perfect solution. They are soft, sweet, light, full of tasty lemon flavor, and take only about 30 minutes to make. The rumor is true, nurses love snacks, and these were gobbled up in seconds!

They’re called lemon lemon cookies because they have a lemon cookie with a zesty lemon glaze!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 1 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup lemon zest (about 4-5 lemons)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if it is clumpy
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, use a fork to beat together the coconut oil and sugar. The only good thing about the 85 degree weather during fall in San Diego is my coconut oil is always melted and ready to use! Add the almond milk, lemon zest and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined. It should resemble applesauce.

Add the cornstarch, baking powder, salt and half of the flour and mix. Mix in the remaining flour until a soft dough forms.

Scoop medium spoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Press the center of the cookies with your thumb so a little indent forms.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are golden.

While the cookies bake, prepare your glaze. Add all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir vigorously; you want a thick, creamy glaze to form.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks. Place your used parchment paper, or paper towels, under the racks; the glazing can get messy.

With a small spoon, drizzle the glaze over each cookie, allowing it to fall over the sides. Top with extra lemon zest if desired. The glaze will set after about 15 minutes.

Savory Veggie Cakes, Two Ways

Today we’re sharing two versions of savory veggie cakes, perfect for an appetizer or even as a whole meal. Nikki shares her cheesy vegetarian quinoa cakes while Jess shows you how to make spicy lentil cakes. The quinoa cakes are paired with an addicting spicy lemon and garlic aioli (it’s vegan!) that makes it feel like you are eating something way more guilt-ridden than quinoa! Both are protein and nutrient packed and perfect for a Meatless Monday or sneaking in some veggies.

Click the link below to find the recipes!

Breakfast “Egg” Muffins, Two Ways

Today we’re sharing an easy breakfast recipe that is perfect for busy mornings and full of nutrients. Jess will show you how to make a vegan version, tofu egg cups, while Nikki shares a healthy, yet carnivore-friendly, turkey bacon and kale egg muffin. Both are quick and easy to make and everyone in your household is sure to love them. Check out both recipes by clicking on the link below. Enjoy!

Click the link below to keep reading.

Current Obsessions

Hey guys! We’re back for part 2 of our new series, Current Obsessions; sharing our current favorite books, products, restaurants, etc. This week we are both sharing a couple of cookbooks we can’t keep our hands off of lately! We love browsing through cookbooks for ideas and then putting our own twist on them.

 

There are so many great cookbooks on our shelves it’s hard to highlight just a few! Be sure to check your local library for cookbooks, it’s a great way to incorporate a variety of recipes into your diet.

 

Click the link below to read with us!

Heart of Gold

Happy Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day is definitely one of our favorite holidays; there are so many cute crafts to be done, and treats to bake! Pinterest gets a little crazy around the 14th, there are so many cute ideas floating around out there! Today we’re sharing a favorite that allows you to be super creative; sugar cookies! You can decorate them any way you’d like, whether that is dunking them in icing and sprinkles or piping details on to each cookie.

You can find the vegan dough recipe with buttercream frosting (perfect for piping details or spreading) here, we make these around Christmas every year. The cookie & frosting are vegan, you can find two additional vegan icing recipes below.

As a treat for Jess & her one year nurse anniversary, Nikki decided to try something new, & quite intimidating at first-vegan royal icing using aquafaba. Aquafaba is the liquid you drain from a can of chickpeas. The liquid has similar properties as egg whites, and so can be used to substitute egg whites in baking recipes. This is something we’ve been wanting to try & now that we see how easy it is we can’t wait to use it again! You can find the recipe for the icing here. Nikki piped the icing into EKG heart rhythms.

It’s best to pipe even your base frosting onto the cookie to get the most precise edges and details.

Jess made conversation heart cookies, using 2 types of frosting. The base is this corn syrup icing, then topped with piped buttercream frosting for the words and designs. Again the recipe for the buttercream frosting and cookie are here.

Shiny Corn Syrup Icing

(VEGAN)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons almond milk/soy milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• food coloring

Stir together powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla extract until the icing is smooth and glossy. Add more corn syrup if the icing is too thick. You should be able to easily spread the icing on with a spoon or even dip the cookie to cover with icing. Divide the icing and add food coloring as needed.
Use a spoon to cover the cookie with icing, or dip, and allow the icing to set before piping on the buttercream.

To create the marble effect above, cover a cookie in white shiny icing and make one very small bowl of red shiny icing. Dip a toothpick in the red icing and make sloppy lines back and forth in the cookie, spreading around until the cookie looks like this!

Super Snacks: Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

The Superbowl is tomorrow-we’re getting hungry and excited planning our snack menus! So far this week we’ve shared Nachos two ways & Jalapeño Poppers two ways. To conclude snack week we’re sharing another classic favorite, Spinach Artichoke Dip. Jess has veganized the recipe into a creamy, salty, savory fan favorite dip. Plus it’s a little healthier than the traditional version, and Paleo too! I served most of the dip in little ramekins, but then I had a brilliant idea and rolled the remainder of the dip inside of Pillsbury crescent rolls. Little pockets of breaded, creamy dip-yum!!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

(VEGAN)

Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, measured and then sliced in thin strips
• 1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced or diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• sprinkle of salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, seasoned to taste
• 1 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 1 cup hot almond or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch/tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• Crescent roll dough (optional)
• Bread, sliced veggies or crackers for serving

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together artichoke hearts, spinach, onion, garlic and generous sprinkling of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine and set aside.

In a food processor, blend together remaining ingredients for about 1 minute or until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a small pot or saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the sauce begins to thicken, stir continuously, turn down the heat a tad, and continue for about 2 minutes. Tapioca starch does amazing things to make sauces stretchy and thick!

Pour the sauce over the veggie mixture and stir well. Add any spices you feel are lacking and pour into a baking dish, divide into ramekins, or roll into Pillsbury crescent rolls. For the crescent rolls, I laid a piece of dough out flat, spooned a small amount of dip at the base of the triangle and then rolled it forward as you normally would with a roll.

The bake time will vary according to your dish, the crescent rolls take about 15 minutes to bake, while the ramekins took about 40. Keep your eye on the oven, you want the dip to get nice and golden on top. Serve warm with bread, crackers, sliced carrots or bell peppers.

If you’re looking for more snack ideas try our popcorn, potato skins, or brussels sprouts!

Super Snacks: Jalapeño Poppers

Today we’re continuing our Super Bowl theme with two versions of Jalapeño Poppers! Both are so easy to make and are one of our favorite party foods. If you like spice, these are a must! You can even make them the day before and quickly pop them in the oven before kickoff- more time to mingle with your guests! Nikki will show you how to make 20-minute chorizo and goat cheese jalapeño sliders while Jess shows you classic cheesy vegan jalapeño poppers.

Click the link below to see both recipes and step-by-step instructions!

Super Snacks: Game Day Nachos

The Superbowl is around the corner and whether or not you’re into sports, the Superbowl is a great excuse to make some fun snacks and host a little get-together. Especially because it is hosted in one of our favorite cities and Nikki’s home- San Francisco! This year, Nikki will be celebrating in the streets of San Francisco, Super Bowl City here we come! Jess will be working in the hospital, but will definitely whip up some of these savory treats to stash in the break room for her lunch break! ER Potluck anyone?

To kick off our “Super Snacks” series, we’re sharing two nacho recipes, suitable for everyone at your Super Bowl party. Jess shows you how to make potato nachos with a homemade vegan cheese sauce (yum!) and Nikki shares BBQ chicken nachos with a green-chile queso sauce.

Over the next week we’ll be getting you Super Bowl-ready by sharing a few of our favorite snack and appetizer recipes that have proven to be crowd pleasers for foodies following any diet. We’ve got your carnivore, vegan/vegetarian, GF and paleo friends covered here and with our flavor-packed upcoming snack recipes. Stay tuned!

Click the link below to find the recipes!

Current Obsessions

Hi there! Today we’re starting a recurring feature, our current obsessions, which will feature products, restaurants, other blogs, etc. that we are totally obsessed with at the moment! Think of it as a personal Pinterest board just for our readers. These are the things we think you guys will absolutely love, because we do, too!

You guys, can you believe that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner?? (P.S. have we mentioned how much we LOVE this holiday?! I mean, with all the girly, pink, hearts, and sparkly things how can you not love it?!) One of our favorite parts about Valentine’s Day is baking super cute (and of course, tasty) treats-stay tuned for recipes! And the best part about baking? Decorating! Who doesn’t love a perfectly-iced cupcake topped with adorable and festive sprinkles? Sometimes it can be hard to find just the right “accessory” for your dessert, but search no more! We have stumbled upon the most adorable online sprinkle shop, Sweetapolita.

{image via Sweetapolita}

I mean, how cute are those sprinkles? This shop seriously has some of the best sprinkle mixes we’ve seen, perfect for decorating all those V-Day desserts! They come in several different varieties, from single-color to mixes of shape and size. You can also order sets of multiple sprinkle bottles, and everything is reasonably priced.

{image via Sweetapolita}

and you guys…the BEST part?? There are TONS of vegan sprinkles to choose from!

How cute would these edible, vegan stars be on a perfectly-iced cake??

{image via Sweetapolita}

So, head over to Sweetapolita, order some super cute sprinkles, and get baking! Everyone wil be seriously swooning over your adorably-accessorized desserts. Happy baking!