Simple peanut butter cookies

These peanut butter cookies are gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, sugar-free, low-fat and fantatic tasting, if I do say so myself. They aren't technically fat-free, since the peanut butter is, well, nuts. But the oils and fat in peanut butter are very nutritious.

SIMPLE gluten-free, vegan,
soy-free, sugar-free, low-fat,
fantastic peanut butter cookies

1 c. sorghum flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. agave nectar
1/2 c. water

1/4 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Grease 2 cookie sheets and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Sift the sorghum flour and salt together into a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the peanut butter, agave nectar, and water together until smooth. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and combine thoroughly. Add chocolate chips if desired.

Take your prepared cookie sheets, and drop the dough onto them by the spoonful, spaced evenly. Press down each cookie with a wet fork. (Note: you don't need much space between the cookies, since they won't spread)

Slide the cookies into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check them after 10 minutes, since our dinky old oven from prehistoric times doesn't hold heat well, so it takes way longer to bake in our oven than it would in a newer one. You know they are done when they are firm to the touch. Serve hot or cooled.

Makes about 32 cookies

Enjoy your cookies,
VEGirl

Printable recipe

Pumpkin and spice makes everything nice!

I am very excited to share this recipe with you, the first on this blog. I guess I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, with Thanksgiving a month away, but I couldn't wait any longer to experiment with some pie pumpkin. I hope you enjoy these muffins, I sure did! By the way- they are great with a cold glass of almond milk. mmmmm...... :)
Note: the recipe is still in the proportions that I originally made it in, which makes 7 muffins. Double it for more muffins, I think you could squeeze all the dough into 12 tins.

Gluten-free Vegan Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. millet flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered orange peel
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt*
2 cloves
1 all spice
1/4 c. molasses
1 c. uncooked pie pumpkin, cut into small chunks
1/4 c. raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease your muffin tins.

Put the pie pumpkin chunks in a small pot with 1/2 inch of water, and steam it on medium heat for fifteen minutes, or until soft. While that is cooking, sift together millet flour, rice flour, baking soda, stevia, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into a medium sized bowl. With a mortar and pestle, grind the all spice and clove, and add it to your dry mix. You may be able to use a spice grinder.

When the pumpkin is finished cooking, drain as much excess water as you can, then dump it into a small bowl and thoroughly mash it up. Add the molasses and mix well.

Add the wet to the dry and mix well, but don't over stir! Put in the raisins if desired. Divide the batter into your muffin tins. These proportions make 7 (on the small side) muffins, but if you double the recipe, you could probably squeeze it all into 12 small muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes. Cooling them is optional.

Enjoy,
VEGirl

* I thought I detected a little too much salt when I used this amount, but my family didn't notice, so you make the call. If you generally don't like too much salt, use a bit less than 1/8 teaspoon.

Printable recipe

Two dreams in one post

I hope that you are not sick of product reviews and me raving about GF vegan snacks and sweets. Are you? Well, I'm going to tell you about two GF vegan dreams in one post. What a (sweet) treat.

Dream #1:

A literal dream, made by one of my favorite companies- Taste The Dream. They manufacture my favorite rice and soy ice cream, a wide variety of non-dairy milks, and as I recently found out.... chocolate. Now, I have a special spot in me for chocolate. I love darker percent chocolates (85%-mmmmm...) and mixing chocolate with other similar flavors (chocolate and strawberries.... chocolate and almonds.... chocolate and garbage.... anything goes with chocolate) and when I was strolling up and down the candy isle at my local Co-op, I found my dream chocolate. I immediately bought it and the second I was strapped in the passenger seat, I shared a piece with everyone.

Heavenly. As my mother said- it taste like milk chocolate- only healthier. The second a bit of this chocolate pops into your mouth, smooth and pleasant flavor rolls in and coats your tongue, meanwhile turning on every happy button in your body. Taste The Dream chocolate comes in many flavors, including Rice Crunch, Raspberry, Almond, Pure Dark, and Creamy Sweet. Looking for a "milk" chocolate? This is your golden ticket.

Dream #2:



Marshmallows. It may seem like a vegan oxymoron, but the Chicago SoyDairy Dandies air-puffed marshmallow tastes exactly like marshmallows as I remember them. I wish I could tell you more, but they just taste like delicious marshmallows! Apparently they also melt for rice crispy treats and s'mores. I can't wait to try!

Happy sweet-snacking,
VEGirl

5 ways to slash your plastic waste

#1 Okay, this is a no-brainer. You should already be doing this, yet I see so many people carry 50 plastic grocery bags every day. So- number 1: use reusable bags. For any situation. There are a few options for this:
(a) Use plastic or paper bags that you used on a previous shopping trip. The only flaw I see in this is the concern that the bags would rip on the third or fourth use.....
(b) Some chain supermarkets have reusable bags for sale in their stores, the thing is, a lot of them are made of plastic material. Go figure. Well, you can sometimes find old, yet functional, bags at thrift stores. Go hunting around, you'll be surprised at what you find!
(c) Or... (drum roll please)... buy a bag made of a bio-degradable material, such as cotton. Then, after you have gotten your use out of them, they will biodegrade, which is doubly good for the earth! Try purchasing your bag from Reusable Bags.

#2 Buy (and eat) little to no processed and packaged crap. Don't act so shocked, we all know it's crap. More commonly known as junk food, but crap, nevertheless. Apart from improving your health, junk food is packaged in so much plastic I feel like I'll explode. This is not to say that you can't have the occasional treat, but if you avoid the junk and focus on whole foods for the foundation of your diet, you and Mother Earth will fare better.

#3 Buy and USE a stainless steel water bottle. This will hopefully prevent you from buying those little plastic bottle of water. I know there tempting, so quick and cold, but resist it, you'll get into the habit of having your trusty stainless steel bottle around. You can buy lots of different sizes, and different tops, too! Buy your bottle from Klean Kanteen, or from a local store, where they are cropping up at a great speed! If you buy from a store or supermarket, just be sure that the one you choose is completely stainless steal (except for the top of course), because some companies are trying to line them with plastic. Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think? Anywho, check out Klean Kanteen for information and a huge display of bottles.

#4 Use tins and reusable containers, NOT PLASTIC ZIPLOC BAGS, to store food. Instead, use a bowl with a plate on top. So what if you have to wash it afterward? And besides, if you have a washing machine, you can clean it in there. Although, washing dishes by hand (which my family does) uses less energy. Plastic bags, after they're used, will ordinarily throw them away or, as my family did for years, wash them to use again. However, when you throw plastic ziploc bags in the trash, they clog up landfills, and when you wash them, they release harmful chemicals. Icky! So, QUITE USIN' 'EM! Use:
(a) A bowl with a lid on top.
(b) If you need to keep something in an airtight container, use a metal tin. I don't think you're
supposed to put them in the fridge for fear of rusting, but I would double check that. So
anyway- you can store bread, cookies (mmmm.....), or other such things in a metal tin. You
can commonly buy these cheaply at thrift stores (saving plastic and reusing. Bonus!)

When you need to take a lunch or snacks to a destination:
(a) Use a metal tin
(b) If you must, use a reusable plastic container (though metal is better)
(c) I have seen specially designed stainless steel lunch containers at health food stores, though I
do not have one, I'm sure they're handy.
(d) Use bio-degradable waxed paper bags for snacks (they are also good for dog poop bags, but that's another story)
(e) And of course, take water in a stainless steel bottle!

#5 You know those rolls of plastic bags in the grocery stores for carrying fruits, vegetables, and other bulk items? Well, give 'em up. Buy loose fruits and vegetables, and use cloth, old plastic bags, or paper bags for bulk items such as nuts, grains, and flour. It's that simple! In fact, it is very useful to have a shopping bag filled with reusable bags and sacks for groceries, as well as glass bottles and jars for buying bulk liquids.

More to follow.....
VEGirl

Update

Will you forgive me?

Hey everyone-

Just wanted to let you know.... I am still getting used to this whole blogging thing. So I, uh, a little while ago I sort of accidentally disabled the commenting option for you readers. But don't fear! I just fixed it! Now you can leave your comments!

Also, I haven't posted anything interesting (at least I think so) in a while. This is pretty much due the fact that in the past two and a half weeks I a have been sick. Twice. first with a mild flu, a week or more feeling better, then the one I got Saturday, which we think was swine flu. But I'm taking my last day "off" today, feeling almost normal, just to be safe, then back to busy life tomorrow.

And lastly, some good gluten-free vegan, mostly sugar-free and low-fat baked good recipes are coming your way. I'm on the brink with a couple, so stay tuned.

Thanks for understanding-
VEGirl

Nana's Nummy Cookies

Imagine a cookie- that is vegan, free of both wheat and gluten, contained only natural fruit sweeteners, no GMO foods (genetically modifies organisms) and also was dense, moist, and mouthwatering-ly delicious. Well, wake up, 'cause now it's a reality.



I cannot say enough about Nana's gluten free cookies, made by Nana's cookie company. Not all their products are gluten-free, but every baked good is vegan, GMO free, and contains no refined sugars. And they taste
DELICIOUS.
HEAVENLY.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

Yeah, I think you get it now. I have tried both the chocolate crunch and lemon cookies (because that was the gluten free ones that were available at my Co-op), but there are others, like ginger and plain chocolate, plus cookies bars and cookie bites. The chocolate crunch cookie had a wonderful cocoa flavor, that wasn't clouded by sugar, and then a nice little crunch from the puffed rice in it. The lemon is absolutely fantastic, with a tangy lemon scent and flavor, but not overly sweet. That is another great thing about them, you aren't left with that horrible taste in your mouth, that refined sugar gives you.

The cookies come individually wrapped in plastic, and are a bit spendy, so I don't get them often, just as an occasional treat. We used them for our Easter basket this past Easter.

I encourage you to try them, they are so yummy. They will give you a brand new view on healthy gluten-free vegan treats.

Happy munching,

VEGirl

Soy Whip

OMG I discovered the most delicious thing in my life.

Yes, it's Soy Whip from Soyatoo!®


This is straight from their website:

Soyatoo!® Soy Whip™:

• is 100 % vegan & free of cholesterol

• contains 40 % less fat than classic whipped cream

• is gluten free

• contains 0% trans fat and is heart-healthy

• is perfect with fruit, desserts & beverages

• has incredible flavor and texture and no soy bean taste

• comes in a practical spray can

YAY! And in addition to ALL that, it tastes fantastic. We had it on a chocolate zucchini cake that I made (gluten-free vegan, obviously!), and then the next day, in a homemade mocha. Just heavenly. It practically tastes like dairy whipped cream! No soy aftertaste, if you know what I mean. It was so good I did what my Grandpa used to do before I went vegan- I sprayed the stuff straight into my mouth. Please don't gross out and leave. It was delicious! I can't wait to use it for Thanksgiving....

Signing out-

VEGirl

Degutopia!

About three months ago, the family adopted three degus from River's Wish Animal Sanctuary in Spokane, WA. They were, I believe, rescued from a rodent breeding facility. These degus are about 7 years old (I think), and absolutely hilarious. They have come a long way since they got here. I hope you enjoy these photos!

This is the cage we built for them (they are on the top three floors, and the rats are on the bottom two floors. The two rodent groups are separated, of course). It's not as big as the cage they were in at the sanctuary, but they get out to play in Degu Disneyland (way below).



I think this picture was taken shortly after they arived at their new home. Their names are Cesar (boy), Jesse (boy), and Artemis (the only girl). Naaawwwww......



We have a tin of mixed seeds (from our garden, such as parsley seeds) that we sprinkle around their cage for a delicious challenge! This degu is foraging for his (or her, it's hard to tell) favorite seeds.



They just can't get enough!


*****


This is Degu Disneyland. There are containers underneath the fabric, holding it up so the degus can run under it. The basket, box, and hidey hole, all from their cage, are also fun features. The degus love to chew more holes in the fabric so they can have more entrances and exits!





*****


For Degu Disney Land, all the stuff that isn't already found in their cage, is displayed here....



.... And packed into this multi-use bucket for easy storage! The bucket is something the degus like to crawl in. It's just a really old Lincoln Log bucet that has been painted.



"Hoped you enjoyed these pictures"


-Artemis, Cesar, Jesse, and VEGirl

First Ever Leafleting Experience!

Last Friday at a local festival, I went leafleting for the first time ever! I was handing out Why Vegan? booklets from Vegan Outreach. I was expecting to be there handing out booklets for at least an hour, but when I started with about 70 booklets, they were gone within half an hour! WOW! It was definitely not what I expected, which was lots of people grilling me for information and wondering why a 13-year-old was concerning herself with animals. But no! Yippee! The leafleting was surprisingly easy, all I did was say "Brochure for animals?" while holding out a leaflet right in front of the person passing, and they either said "Sure" or "No thanks." And to my pleasure, no rude comments!



So anyway, I wanted to give some tips for those teens and children who want to leaflet. Don't be afraid! Just do it!

PREPARATION:

• Wear nice looking, presentable, clean cloths. Have your hair looking nice, and if your wearing makeup, have it be very light and friendly. You don't want to look like a raccoon (no offense to raccoons! But physical features should stay true to the animal!), and you want to look professional so people will take you seriously.

• When choosing the place to leaflet, choose a place or event that will have lots of people, yet where your not in the way too much.

• Choose how many booklets to order depending on the crowd or foot traffic of people who will be offered the booklet. A lot goes in a short amount of time. Be prepared!

• Before leafleting, remember what your intentions are. For me, it's to raise awareness about the animals suffering, and to provide information for a solution-- veganism. If you have your intentions straight, you will answer vegan related questions with ease.

DURING THE LEAFLETING:

• Always be polite, kind, and SMILE SMILE SMILE. :)

• If someone refuses the booklet, just say something like: "Okay, well, have a nice day!"

• If someone says something like: "I like meat" you can say something back like: "This booklet is for people who like meat" or: "Well then you'll like this, it has plenty pictures of meat in it."

• If someone asks a question be brief and polite. And if they ask something that really doesn't have to do with the topic, just be polite and always bring it back to what is relevant. So if someone says: "What about the insects killed in the growing of vegetables, don't you care about them?" You can politely say back: "Yes insects are killed in the process of vegetable growing, but insects are also killed in the growing of way more crops for animals raised and killed for human consumption. The fact is insects, humans, and farm animals are dying because of factory farms, and the suffering of them can be put to a stop." (Hope that didn't sound too corny)

• When offering someone a booklet, try holding it in front of his/her stomach, or putting it out before they are right in front of you. This lets them take a leaflet with little effort, so you don't seem like a nuisance.

• Always have a stack of leaflets in your hands, and keep more easily accessible, such as in a bag right behind you, or a bag slung around your shoulders.

• Smile, smile, smile

• SMILE (OK I think you get it now)

AFTER THE LEAFLETING:

• Relax, you helped the animals and now treat yourself to a break!
  

As an extra, I want to credit the book-- "Striking at the Roots A practical guide to animal activism" -By Mark Hawthorne that I got a lot of my leafleting tips from. The book is all about ways to be an efficient animal activist. If you've ever said or thought: "I want to help animals but I don't know how," then this the book for you! I have a link on the sidebar under Recommended Readings that will take you the book at Amazon.

Hope this helps for all of those who want to leaflet.

For the animals-
-VEGirl

Sorry Everyone!

I would like to apologize to anyone who has noticed that the template and layout of the blog keeps changing, over and over...and over! I'm trying to find one I like, which involves scouting around the internet and testing different ones. I hope it will settle soon. This one right now (called Meet the Chef) is from the most adorable website, that has the most adorable and awesome templates, for free! Check it out here.

**UPDATE** 9/13/09= changed the template again. Sorry! Again!

Thanks for you understanding!
-VEGirl