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Summer is here – the extremely hot 92 degree days that normally wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t 9 months pregnant!  Anyway, I wanted a little something sweet that I didn’t have to bake so I whipped up my fabulous chocolate peanut butter bars again but this time added some Dandies vegan marshmallows to the peanut butter part (just threw them into the food processor with everything else) and for the chocolate I melted some chocolate bars that had bits of coconut in them!  What a delicious combination!  For the full recipe check out this post…and consider playing around with the flavors like I did!  The combinations are endless!

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Back in 1993 I received “Favorite Brand Name Cookie Collection” cookbook for Christmas. One of my favorite things to make from this book was the Kahlua Pumpkin Squares with Praline Topping. My nana especially enjoyed these and I have fond memories of us enjoying these over a cup of tea as an evening treat. The other day I realized I hadn’t had them in years and set out to veganize them.

1 C flour

1/4 C powdered sugar

1/2 C Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

1 C pumpkin

1 8oz pkg of vegan cream cheese (I usually use tofutti but this time used Galaxy Nutritional Foods brand as I was so excited to see they are also making a chive & garlic version – yea! I don’t have to flavor my own cream cheese now!)

2 T arrowroot powder or corn starch

1/4 C So Delicious French Vanilla Creamer

1/4 C Kahlua (this time I was out so used amaretto – was good but doesn’t compare to using Kahlua!)

1 C chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar

3 T Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and powdered sugar, cut in 1/2 C butter until mixture forms fine crumbs – you can do this right in your 8 inch square pan, press mixture into bottom of pan and bake for 18 minutes or until golden.

Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree pumpkin, cream cheese, arrowroot/corn starch, creamer, sugar and Kahlua until smooth. Pour mixture over warm baked crust; return to oven and bake about 25 minutes or until set. Cool, cover and refrigerate.

In small sauce pan melt 3 T butter and combine with nuts and brown sugar. Sprinkle over top just before serving.

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photo and recipe by Kathy at Happy.Healthy.Life

I’m seriously obsessed with this insanely easy pumpkin pudding from Lunch Box Bunch!  It takes 5 minutes to make and calls for only 5 ingredients (silken tofu, salt, maple syrup, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and coconut oil optional) tossed in the blender.

Kathy suggests using coconut oil to thicken it - I’m out of coconut oil right now but I have a raw coconut butter so I melted 1/4 cup of that and added it.  Next time I’ll definitely add 1/2 cup in hopes that it sets up a bit more.  It’s not as thick as a traditional pudding is but it’s not too far off and the flavor makes up for that.  If you can hold off eating it until the next day it will be much more set up, if not, it’ll still taste just as good

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Thank goodness my Dominick’s had silken tofu on sale for $1 a package – I stocked up so I can make more of this!

Enjoy!!

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These are my new favorite treat! They’re just like peanut butter cups but I think they’re better! They were perfect for making in our insanely hot summer weather since you don’t have to turn the oven on but they’re just as good to make as the weather cools.

Toss the following in the food processor:

1 package of graham crakers (not the entire box, just one of the packages inside the box)

2 cups of powdered sugar

1 cup of peanut butter

2 sticks of vegan butter (melted)

Once that is blended, put into a 9×13 pan and set in the refrigerator. While it is cooling, melt 1.5 cups of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (or any other vegan chips) with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Pour over top of the first layer and cool. Amazing!