ice "cream" and sweet hummus

lately, i have found myself craving sweets.  normally, fruit would shake these cravings, but for some reason, this just has not been the case.  last night, i stumbled upon a "three-ingredient vegan ice cream" on peta's website - i was curious.  here is what i ended up with:

ashley's take on vegan ice cream
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp all natural peanut butter
splash of vanilla rice milk
handful of almonds

peel the banana, and place it in the freezer - it should be completely frozen.  combine the first four (all but the almonds) ingredients in the blender.  then, pulse on high until a creamy texture is achieved.  the peta version does not call for rice milk, but mine would not come together for the life of me, so i added it out of necessity.  top with fruit, coconut or nuts, and enjoy.  i found this as satisfying as a bowl of ice cream - which i would not lie about, i loved ice cream.

ashley's sweet hummus
1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo)
1 tbsp brown or raw sugar
1 tsp all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut
splash of vanilla rice milk
handful of carob chips

place the first four ingredients in the blender, and pulse until a dry doughy texture is achieved.  add rice milk, until it just comes together.  fold in carob chips, and enjoy with animal crackers or other substantial "dippers." i imagine this would even be good with apples.

this is my final plea with my body - i am tired of constant aching and illness

i recently decided to make "the switch" from not-so-strict vegetarianism to strict veganism.  i have suffered from stomach aches and discomfort for the past six or seven years - so far, the pain seems to have subsided.  i am currently on day 14 and i have yet to sneak or cheat. 

the main benefits i've found:

•  a lot more energy
• much better sleep
• higher degree of concentration
• a lot more organized

firstly, i must disclose my love for cooking. i love starting with raw ingredients, and slowly (or quickly) creating something completely different to indulge in.  therefore, my first conclusion: if you don't like cooking, don't become vegan.  when adopting this lifestyle, i viewed the change as a chance to eliminate preservatives - if you do not cook things from scratch, your body will run the risk of being preserved by tofu dogs and meat substitutes.

when i initially adopted the diet, i underestimated the change that it would have in my life.  because i had barely eaten meat for the past four years, i figured there was little change in giving up other animal byproducts (which, by the way, is a disgusting word).  the first day, i made cookies. cookies are my weakness - i started out with an oatmeal cookie, and finished with a carob chip - these two easily made it into my cookbook. 

ashley's vegan oatmeal cookies
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup rice/coconut milk (can use soy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut

whisk together peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - voila. drop onto an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes (until tops are golden brown).  remember these are oatmeal cookies, so they will seem undercooked, but they will continue to cook once out of the oven - and they will harden up.

ashley's vegan carob chip cookies
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola/veg oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips

in one bowl, stir together dry ingredients (other than carob). in a second bowl, stir together syrup, oil and vanilla. combine oil mixture with flour mixture and stir until combined. fold in carob chips. drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.


i would have included a picture of the cookies (and i plan to in the future), but there are none left.. i've just put another batch in the oven, so hopefully later on i will be able to present a picture.  if you are a vegan with a sweet tooth (as i am) - these are for you! these two recipes got me through the "snacking times" at which i would usually have prepackaged sweets.

xx take care, animal-friendly followers

ashley