For over a year The Beast and I have toyed with the possibility of sharing one of his manly creations on the blog. He does make up half of the blog title, after all. Every time he’s made something, however, he’s ignored my nagging request to pay attention to ingredient amounts, so none of his masterpieces have resulted in actual postable recipes…until now.
So. I made myself a vegan birthday cake. If you knew me in real life you’d realize how funny this is. If you knew me in real life you’d know that birthdays are a BIG DEAL in my family, and they are usually wrapped up by diving head first into a bucket (literally a bucket) filled with oreos, chocolate pudding, and cool whip. Dang girl, is it good.
I plan on eating both cakes today. It’s my birthday, so I get to cake myself as much as I want to! Birthdays are the BEST, aren’t they?
Happy New Year! 2013 was a pretty great year for Ryan and I. He started his own business, I had a cookbook deal fall in my lap, and then we got a puppy that I am ab.so.lutely obsessed with (sorry to those who follow me on Instagram for the overload of puppy pics).
To give 2013 a proper blog sendoff, here are my top 5 most popular posts of the year. Enjoy!
5. Fresh Veggie Quinoa Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing (Vegan) This salad is one of my go-tos when I’m looking for something fresh and healthy. It’s packed with veggies, and has tons of texture from the quinoa, chickpeas, and slivered almonds. The lemon tahini dressing is creamy, tangy, and super easy.
4. Hard Cider Cinnamon Spice Cupcakes with Whiskey Caramel Apples. These cupcakes were a huge hit with my coworkers, family, and even my little nephews (I left out the whiskey for them, don’t worry). The cake alone is ridiculously fluffy and flavorful, but it’s taken over the top with the addition of whiskey caramel apples and smooth whiskey buttercream.
3. Raspberry Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan). These cinnamon rolls were the high point of my one-month vegan challenge. They’re every bit as delicious as rolls that contain dairy and eggs (really truly), plus they’re relatively easy to put together. One of my favorite blogs even had me write about them in a guest post (!!!).
2. Peanut Butter Protein Muffins. These muffins are the perfect afternoon snack: 150 calories, 6 grams of protein, and tons of peanut butter flavor. They’re made with spelt flour, but you can easily swap in whole wheat pastry flour instead. This recipe will be featured in my high-protein vegetarian cookbook, which will come out late 2014.
1. Marshmallow-Stuffed S’mores Cookies. Before making these cookies, I hadn’t eaten a s’more in years. I had avoided s’mores because most marshmallows contain gelatin, but when I found a vegan brand I knew I needed to have some baking fun. The cookie dough is made with honey, graham crackers, and 2 types of chocolate chips. The cookie dough is soft, flavorful, and the perfect exterior to the puffy, melted marshmallow in the center. Some readers have commented that normal marshmallows dissolve in the center, so look for the vegan brand (available at Whole Foods and most natural food stores) to get the same result seen here.
I’m excited about what 2014 will bring! What are you looking forward to in the new year?
I’m not a big New Year’s Eve person. My plans over the years have run the gamut, from staying in and doing nothing (and I mean ab-so-lutely nothing), to hanging out at a club (ha! not my scene), to renting a cabin with friends for a long weekend of lounging, day drinking, and card games. I tend to prefer the latter, as it feels social but also like it’s not a big deal. I don’t think I’ll ever go to a bar again for New Year’s Eve – I’m too introverted for that many people, my voice is too soft to even talk to anyone above the roar of the crowd, and holy crow is it expensive. No thanks.
Give me champagne, give me people I enjoy, and give me a bedtime at around 12:30. Done deal.
I really didn’t set out to post 3 cookie recipes in a row. I wish I could say this was all part of my well-organized December Christmas blog plan, but the truth is that I just really really really like cookies, and my blog plan is determined by my tummy.
I’ve mentioned before that my family’s Christmas diet is about 90% cookies, and the other 10% is filled with various types of white bread. I guess the meat eaters also have some sort of poultry or pig, but really it’s all about the sugar and white carbs.
