Hi everyone! I hope the holiday season has been enjoyable so far. I know it’s hard to feel positive and happy during a pandemic but we have to push through this difficult time. We have to focus on the positive things we have in our lives and practice gratitude.
Continue readingTag Archives: Christmas
~ Chocolate Mousse Pie ~
Chocolate Mousse Pie!
This pie is so easy and fast to make so it’s now become my go to dessert. It’s made with simple ingredients that I always have on hand. To save time I usually buy a vegan already pre made graham cracker crust but a simple nut & date crust would also work really well. Depending on how sweet you like your desert you will need to adjust the agave/maple syrup to suit your taste. I’d like to try my recipe using stevia as a sugar-free alternative. When I do I’ll update you on how that turns out! It doesn’t hurt to try right? 🙂
*My apologies everyone. I posted the recipe originally without proof reading very well and I missed a crucial ingredient! THE DATES!!! Don’t forget those!*
Ingredients:
- 3 large avocados
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 cup agave
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1Â pre-made graham cracker pie crust/shell
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup medjool dates
Method:
- Add the dates to a bowl and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes to soften up.
- In a food processor add the dates (pitted), avocado, cocoa, almond milk, vanilla, agave and maple syrup and combine very well. If you are finding it a bit too dry then add a touch more milk to the mixture.
- Add the mixture into your pre-made pie shell and smooth it out.
- Place in the fridge to set. I find that it is best to make it the day before so the chocolate moose firms up slightly. It’s easy to slice up once set properly.
*I add Christmas sprinkles on top during the holiday season which makes the pie look really nice. My kids also like to drizzle peanut butter on top of their slices which tastes amazing!*
Enjoy!
Christmas Chocolate Mousse Pie!
Chestnut Love!
Chestnuts!
I look forward to this time of year not only because I’m a Christmas-a-holic but I also LOVE Chestnuts! I grew up eating them and they bring back so many great memories. Memories that mostly contain my wonderful grandfather who was like a second father to me. He passed away 11 years ago and I still miss him terribly. I do however have these awesome memories and I truly cherish them.
As per Portuguese custom my grandmother would boil the chestnuts and my grandfather would peel them for me. Yep I had the life eh? 🙂 YUM! I now prefer to roast my chestnuts these days. They are so easy to peel once roasted too which my kids really appreciate! Chestnuts are super fast to cook up and they are a fantastic snack to have this time of year. They are low in calories, have protein, minerals, vitamins, are gluten-free and contain less fat than other types of nuts. They are rich in vitamin C and 100 g provide 43 mg of vitamin C!
Here is how to make this tasty & healthy snack …
Roasted Chestnuts
- Preheat your oven to 400 F
- Line a baking pan/cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper
- Cut a slit into each chestnut so that the steam can escape when your roasting them. Use a small sharp knife or a chestnut cutter. Don’t skip this step or else your chestnuts will explode in your oven!
- Pop them into your oven for 20 minutes.
Enjoy! 🙂
* Below is a picture of the chestnut cutter if you’re not sure what it looks like. I’ve wanted one for years but never bought one. This year I finally treated myself to one! The one I’ve pictured is the one I bought but many different types are available to choose from. *
Garlicky Mushroom Phyllo Triangles!
 Ok these are seriously delicious!!! Mushrooms and garlic go together insanely well as we all know so I thought they would be great for this recipe. I’ve wanted to try working with phyllo for a long time but was too intimidated to. I finally tried yesterday for the 1st time and it actually went pretty darn well! I’ll be making these very often now! I’m also going to try cutting down on the amount of butter used next time I make them. Although I didn’t use an excessive amount of butter in my recipe I think I could probably cut it down even further without jeopardizing the taste.
I bet these would be great with other filling options as well. I plan on creating some other options soon. My youngest daughter is super picky with her veggies but does enjoy broccoli. I will be making a broccoli filling along with this wonderful mushroom mixture next time. There are so many possibilities and I plan on creating many different options!
This recipe would be fantastic served as an appetizer during this holiday season for those of you who are entertaining your friends & family. This will definitely be on our Christmas menu at our house. 🙂
Garlicky Mushroom Phyllo Triangles
You will need:
- 1 package of phyllo dough
- About 2Â tbsp’s. melted vegan butter
- large sharp knife
- parchment paper
- 1 baking pan/cookie sheet
- 1 package of mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Himalayan pink salt and black pepper, to taste
- small frying pan
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- small plate
- Small pastry brush
Method:
- Add the 1 tbsp. of olive oil to your pan and toss in the minced garlic into it. Sauté it for a minute on a medium/low heat setting.
- Next add in your mushrooms and salt and pepper. Sauté them for about 5 minutes until softened at a medium heat. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line the cookie/baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Unroll your phyllo dough and using a sharp knife cut 2, approximately 10cm strips. Then you are going to cut each strip in half.
- On the small plate your going to add 3-4 pieces of your phyllo squares and lightly brush a little bit of vegan butter on top. You only need a tiny bit of butter! Don’t over do it!
- With a spoon scoop a bit of your mushroom mixture onto your phyllo piece. Then shape it into a triangle and seal it shut.
- Transfer to your cookie sheet/baking pan. Continue to make more triangles using your phyllo and mushroom mixture.
- Once your baking pan is full then lightly brush a tiny bit of the butter on top of each one.
- Bake for approximately 18 minutes. Keep an eye on them as ovens vary in temperature.
These went very fast in my house! Next time I will be doubling the recipe! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 🙂
* These made approximately 15 triangles*
~Debbie~
Baked Mushroom Triangles
My baked Garlicky Mushroom Phyllo Triangles!
~Vegan Mommy Dee~ 
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