Funky Monkey Vegan “Ice Cream” Pie

by Emily

Do you like pie?

What a silly question, everyone likes pie. I know there may be some preference as to the pie variety, but I challenge you to show me someone who hates all pies. And this is a pie for the masses, vegan or otherwise.

This recipe started rolling around in my head a few months ago, but I made myself wait for Vegan Month to take it from the figurative tip of my tongue to my literal plate. You guys know how much I like Ben and Jerry’s, right? Well when I’m not eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream I tend to peruse their flavors page like a desperate stalker on restraining order. And from there the idea started knocking around in my head. What if Chubby Hubby and Chunky Monkey had a little rolly-polly baby. A peanut butter-pretzel-banana pie baby? With cinnamon for good measure?

I can tell you now what happens. You devour that pie baby.

I’m certainly not the first person to add peanut butter to the banana soft serve recipe that took the blog world by storm. But I’m pretty sure I’m the first person to serve it in a pie.

It was a good idea. An idea I strongly suggest you try on your own.

Peanut Butter Banana Pretzel Pie, serves 8

2 cups pretzels
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegan butter substitute
4 medium bananas, frozen
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (if using a plain milk substitute just add 1 tsp each vanilla extract and sugar)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
Place unwrapped butter in the center of a 9-inch pie pan and put in preheating oven until butter is fully melted.
Place pretzels into the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add sugar to bowl and pulse a few times until combined.
When butter has melted, pour the crushed pretzels into the center of the pie pan. Mix the crumbs and melted butter, then use your fingertips to gently push onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Bake crust 10 – 12 minutes until firm. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Wipe out food processor (it doesn’t matter if a few pretzel crumbs get in your filling) and place bananas and almond milk into the bowl. Process 2 – 3 minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add peanut butter and cinnamon to bowl and process 20 – 40 seconds more until well-combined.
Pour filling into cooled pretzel crust, using a spatula to spread it in an even layer.
Place pie in the freezer to firm up for 1 hour. You can make and freeze the pie a few days ahead of time if you like, just be sure to place in the fridge to thaw for 30 minutes before serving.

12Feb2012

Peanut Butter Practice

by Emily

It’s been a good weekend! Good food, good fun, good friends. Not much activity on the school-work front, but we’ve got a 4-day weekend coming up next week so it was hard to motivate myself. Plus Friday’s 3am session of book reading hit me pretty hard.

I’m so glad I did it though, this was the first book club where we all finished reading on time and we finally got to talk about the book! So much fun. I wasn’t an English major/teacher for nothing, I love analyzing literature.

The food wasn’t bad either. Janessa made vegan 7-layer bars.

And Anna brought this big bowl of fresh fruit that pretty much had my hand planted in it all evening.

My offering fit both the dessert and fruit categories; peanut butter pretzel banana pie.

It got good reviews all around and I’m excited to share the recipe with y’all tomorrow. But that could have been the booze talking too.

Lemonade, club soda, and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (to fit with the book!). I had that glass x2.

I got home after midnight and was very excited both to get in bed and stay in bed late this morning.

Breakfast was a toasted onion bagel with SmartBalance Light.

Plus a cup of lemonade and club soda.

I left the vodka out today, but had that glass x2.

Today was another round of fancy lunch and easy dinner. Lunch was healthy, vegan, and included a new recipe to boot.

Roasted French green beans,

pearled barley,

and Smokey Maple Baked Beans.

The beans weren’t quite Southern bbq good, but for quick and vegan I’d say they’re pretty great. Here’s a link to the recipe.

While Adam and I watched “Grey’s” this afternoon I ate this bowl of popcorn x2.

And then headed to yoga on a full belly. 90 minutes of hot yoga will make you wish you’d done more water and less salt. This class was the very last practice of my 30-day pass and I’m pretty devastated. I’ve come to enjoy yoga so much more than I ever thought possible. I’m still not very good, but every shaky, sweaty minute is filled with glee.

I picked Adam up for a “cookie walk” and we came home with peanut butter cups from the Co-op.

It was good but I wish it had been a bit smaller, even this sugar fiend couldn’t finish her serving.

Dinner was peanut butter laced too.

I promise that bowl was as tasty as the picture is crappy.

Into the skillet with evoo went leftover pasta, leftover (pre-cooked) yellow squash and broccoli, and my peanut sauce. The noodles get all crispy when you stir-fry them and the sauce forms a crust that’s pure heaven.

Now it’s back to the grind. Hopefully this weekend of play has left me rejuvinated for work!

Do you love to read? Do you enjoy discussing the things you’ve read, or would you rather not analyze them?

11Feb2012

Take Me Out To The Crowd

by Emily

We were lateto bed last night and now I’m late to blog. An 8:00pm grocery trip required a stop at Starbucks for soy frappuccinos.

Starbucks only caries vanilla soy milk which is annoying at times, but did make drink taste like it was fancy and vanilla flavored.

I did eat dinner last night, but I didn’t blog because I was deep in Firefly Lane for tonight’s book club. I had a great salad to start.

Romaine lettuce topped with ~ 2 Tbsp each buckwheat groats, peanuts, raisins, and Wegman’s Thai Peanut Sauce.

The Wegman’s peanut sauce was great.

Not quite as good as mine, but nicely flavored and with only 25 calories per Tbsp.

And the husband helped me out and roasted up plate of vegetables too.

Half a sweet potato and a bunch of okra, both dipped in ketchup.

And the book?

Finished. Start to finish in one evening, all 479 pages of it.

I think I made a mistake reading The Help in one sitting because now my friends don’t get the book club books to me more than a day or two ahead of time! But Firefly Lane was a story I’d want to read straight through anyway.

We had a late start this morning and basically slept through breakfast. I did have this handful of pretzels when I got up though.

And we went straight-up fancy for lunch. Roasted asparagus,

and three pieces of Ballpark Tofu.

Another recipe page that needed updating. Check it out if you like tofu, mustard, pretzels, or any combination of the above.

I also made a pie.

But you’ll have to wait until after book club for the recipe. I know I could have typed it up this afternoon, but when there’s a new Ryan Reynolds movie in town you get your butt to the theatre. Particularly when Denzel Washington is going to be staring too.

“Safehouse” was not great, but definitely good. And let’s be honest, I’d watch practically anything if it meant splitting Five Guys fries with Adam as a movie snack.

Definitely good.

Have you read Firefly Lane? Did you see “Safehouse” yet? Thoughts?

10Feb2012

What Do You Know About A Reduced Sodium Diet?

by Emily

Hello, hello! We’ve officially hit the weekend, woot!

Breakfast, which was eaten during class, was all about the fruit group.

A baggie of purple grapes,

and a can of coconut water from Goya.

There were pieces of coconut floating around inside and it was too good. Major props to Goya, because even without the pulp this was the best coconut water in terms of texture and taste that I’ve ever had! Minus coconut water drunk straight from the coconut of course.

My morning was a little nerve-wracking because I had a class presentation, but at least since I don’t mind public speaking all I really had to worry about was knowing my stuff. Just in case though, I rocked the Cameron from “House” look to make myself feel more confident.

It worked; everyone told us we did a great job! ~~Not to toot my own horn~~ totally to toot my own horn, but when I was in the library after class another student came up and told me that our presentation was the best in-class presentation she’d ever seen. Woot!

Our topic was the reduced sodium (2g) diet. Our teacher played the patient and a fellow student and I had to give her the diet education. I had a whole analogy about your viens being your pipes and your heart being your pump that I thought was pretty compelling (toot, toot). I can’t share the entire handout that I made, but here are some of my tips that I thought you guys might be interested in –

When Can You Reduce Sodium On Your Own?

In the kitchen –
- Experiment with new spices and herbs for extra flavor. Don’t buy pre-made seasonings though as most contain sodium.
- Make your own soup instead of buying canned. If you do buy canned look for a low sodium variety and/or dilute each serving with water.
- Replace canned vegetables with fresh or frozen varieties.
- Replace soy sauce with balsamic vinegar.
- Make your own microwavable entrees by making large batches of meals and freezing single portions in freezer-safe containers.
- Use a homemade hummus in place of cheesy or cream-based sauces.
- At the table –
  - Say goodbye to the salt shaker, sprinkle fresh lemon juice over chicken, fish, or vegetables instead.
  - Replace a glass of milk with water or unsweetened iced tea.
  - Replace condiments that are high in sodium with homemade salsa.
  - Top your salad with chunks of avocado instead of bacon bits. While you’re at it, replace store-bought dressings with oil and vinegar.
  - Instead of a slice of cheese, spread a Tbsp of tahini (sesame paste) on your sandwich.
  - For crunch, snack on baby carrots instead of potato chips.
  - Sprinkle your popcorn with cinnamon or chili powder instead of salt.

After class I spent an agonizing hour in the library finding an article for an upcoming paper, then had to hurry home to make it to 1:30pm yoga. I stopped at Subway for a quick lunch along the way.

I did some Googling in the library and everything on my veggie delight was confirmed to be vegan. On roasted garlic bread – lettuce, tomato, green pepper, red onion, banana pepper, extra pickles, and sweet onion sauce. All for $2.50, woot!

Plus a piece of dark chocolate.

Lunch was good, even when shoveled in in under 10 minutes.

And I made it to yoga on time. 60 minutes of hot yoga had me feeling good. But it wasn’t my best practice, I definitely prefer the 90 minute class because it gives me time to really warm up. Plus, running through each pose twice means I have double the chance of actually doing each pose! My 30-day pass expires this weekend and I’m pretty devestated.

I’ve been hanging out instead of showering since I got home, but hopefully my partner in crime doesn’t mind that I’m smelly.

Do you pay attention to how much sodium you consume?

9Feb2012

Let It All Out

by Emily

Question first – What is currently stressing you out? Think about it and really let it out in the comments, you’ll feel (a little) better!

I want to apologize for the on-again-off-again blogging schedule of late. I also want to be honest with you guys about the fact that I’m having a hard time. There’s not necessarily one big thing that’s bothering me, but there are a lot of little things that are adding up. I am 80% sure that I believe in fate, and I am 110% that I believe that any seemingly negative thing you go through leads you to a better place. But it’s still hard not to get a little freaked out by all the questions I have about the future.

Where will we have to move for Adam’s residency? What if Adam doesn’t get a residency? What if Adam’s chosen career means he’s away all the time and I’m lonely? Should we have kids? When should we have kids? Should I get pregnant next year so if that I don’t get a job right away when we move I’ll get to be home with the kid until it’s all sorted out? Should I wait to have kids until I’m established in my job? How do women with full-time jobs breast feed? How do you make an impression at your job if you excuse yourself every hour to pump and are also already 28 years old and starting out in a brand new field? What if I can’t find a job? What if the career path I’m on isn’t the one I want? What do I want to do with my life?

And to be honest, the above questions are only a snapshot of all the things I’ve been worrying about. It’s hard not to feel a little defeated when I can’t do anything proactive (at the moment) to answer those questions. Sometimes you just have to have hope/faith/optimism and wait it out.

Sometimes – like last night – you have to eat a veggie sub and a bucket of french fries and sit on the couch watching old episodes of “Family Guy.” But then the next morning you have to do your hair and put on your comfy-yet-sexy shoes.

So that’s what I did!

And in my comfy-yet-sexy shoes, I drove to school early and made my way through a big stack of school work. I haven’t stopped working since, and bit by bit, I haven’t stopped feeling a little better, a little more in control.

The theme for my meals today was – late. Breakfast was at 10, lunch was at 5, and dinner was at 9. My late breakfast was eaten in the computer lab while I worked.

Holy frick I love reusing containers so much I over-served Adam’s lunches for this week so that reused cheese container held a half serving he’d left behind. In the mix was penne pasta, roasted zucchini and yellow squash, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was yumtastic; I’ve been a good wife this week!

Also helping me get back my happy, clinic went really well this afternoon. We are starting to do SOAP notes and learning more about what RDs actually do helps a lot to relieve my anxiety. Plus, I screened patient who agreed to do another round of diabetic diet education. I can’t really say much about clinic (thanks HIPPA), but so far all of my patients have been really nice.

When we got back to campus it was time for late lunch.

Not cottage cheese*, another reusable. *I may not have been eating a very healthy diet lately but I have been sticking to the vegan challenge at least. And no soda for another 3 days either.

In the container were leftovers from Monday’s dinner; brown rice, roasted broccoli, and Asian Orange Tofu Bake.

Continuing the citrus theme, I had a navel orange.

And a piece of dark chocolate for dessert.

When we got out of class at 8 I drove a friend home and then hurried to make dinner.

Purple grapes.

And a Sandwich Thin with mustard, roasted garlic hummus, and 4 oz of raw tempeh.

I wasn’t expecting much but this sandwich was goo-ood.

This post took me awhile to write, but it felt good to put it all out there. Thanks for “listening,” seriously. I’ve got a low-sodium diet education presentation tomorrow and I’m still riding a productivity high so I’ll probably burn the midnight oil today.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

8Feb2012

Window Shopping Wednesdays

by Emily

I am not much of a shopper, much to my mother’s chagrin. The woman can spend days at the mall, while I start to feel itchy after just a few hours. It’s not that I’m not materialistic, I totally am, it’s just that the thought of adding more stuff to my life makes it hard to breathe. But I like the idea of things. So I’m an avid window shopper. I browse catalogs I’ll never buy from and hold my breathe when I pass the window at J.Crew. So while I’m stuck at school on Wednesdays, I thought we could have some fun via blog. Let’s window shop!

Here’s what I am coveting for Valentine’s Day –

1. The heart key chain bottle-opener from UO.

I find that you never regret a bottle-opener key chain. The need for one doesn’t come up often, but when it does you feel like a totally bad ass boy scout. Plus this one is adorable.

2. The Watermelon Ice Dress from Anthropologie.

I’m afraid that this is almost too precious. But I love the cap sleeves and eyelet.

3. Strawberries and cream malted milk balls from Oh!Nuts.

It’s becoming possible that I will include a malted milk ball variety in every WSW! But strawberries and cream sounds like the perfect foil to the malt center. And these are swirly red to boot.

4. The Daydreamer LA Solid Tulip Back Tee from UO, in red.

The back of this is super cute, but the sleeves are even cuter! I adore the back window trend but since I’m pretty busty I usually can’t play along; this shirt looks like there’s bra coverage. And either way, this would still look pretty good with a cami layered underneath.

5. The Dark Red Lace Skater Dress from Dorthy Perkins.

How can you not love a red lace dress? The cut of this is fun too. I’m not sure where I’d wear it, but I’d definitely pair it with my black Steve Madden heels.

What are you giving to your Valentine this year?

8Feb2012

Tropical Tapioca Panacea

by Emily

I love hot yoga but it’s a pain in the neck, literally. I felt fine on Monday night, just like I might have pushed my back a little too far, and fine all through the day on Tuesday. But then when I got home from clinic last night I was so sore I could barely move. I’m not sure why I took so long to feel the pain, but it came on strong. Even today I still feel pretty awful!

Breakfast was a serving of Quaker Oatmeal Squares with Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk.

Plus a naval orange for vitamin C.

I’ve got my first test of the semester this afternoon and I am not feeling ready. Fingers crossed!

For lunch I packed a jam jar of one of this weekend’s kitchen efforts, Tropical Tapioca Pudding.

This pudding was inspired by the great vegan tapioca pudding you used to be able to get at the co-op. I think my version is pretty great too. The pudding has the perfect balance of chew and cream and the bananas are little pillowy clouds floating throughout!

Tropical Tapioca Pudding, serves 4

1/2 cup small-pearl tapioca
13.66 oz can light coconut milk (aka 1 and 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place tapioca in a bowl with enough warm water to cover completely and soak for two hours.
After 2 hours, drain tapioca.
Combine coconut milk, sugar, salt, and drained tapioca in a small pot over medium-low heat.
Cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add banana slices to the pot and cook another 5 minutes, stirring carefully. Cook until tapioca are translucent.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Move to a covered container and cool in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.