I wanted to make oven fries since deep frying at home is pretty unsafe and I am sure I would set a small fire in my kitchen. At first, I was setting my oven a little too low for those really crispy fries that I wanted so be not afraid of cranking your oven up! Also it is important to make sure that you preheat your oven so the potatoes go into a hot oven to achieve maximum crispiness. You can omit the spice mixture and just use salt if you don’t like spicy foods. The milkshake is simple and unlike diner-style milkshakes, this one does not have any dairy or refined sugars. The salted peanut butter and chocolate combination is the best as any Reese’s cup lover would understand. The bananas make the milkshake thick and creamy. What would we vegans do without bananas?? What weird food combos do you love? 

4 recipes down, 26 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 5: Best Sandwich Ever! Missed Day 3? Check it out here.

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Day 4 Vegan MoFo: Salted PB Chocolate Shake

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

This sweet and salty milkshake is naturally sweetened with bananas and dates, has a touch of cacao, and big peanut butter taste. This recipe takes almost no time to make and satisfies a sweet tooth. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, soy free, and refined sugar free. This recipes makes about 3 cups of milkshake.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: vegan, gluten free

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Salted PB Chocolate Shake
• 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 frozen bananas
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanut butter (I buy unsalted)
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 2 pitted Medjool dates
• 8-9 ice cubes (more if your bananas aren't frozen)

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a high powered blender. Blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

3.3.3077

Day 4 Vegan MoFo: Spicy Oven Fries

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Crispy fries in the oven are possible! Deep frying at home can be dangerous so opt for oven fries instead. These fries are made with russet potatoes since they have a high starch level which results in a crispier fry. They are seasoned with a spicy mixture of paprika, garlic powder, and ancho chili powder. If you don't like spice, feel free to omit the ancho. Served with the milkshake above or ketchup.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Sides

Cuisine: vegan, gluten free

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 large russet potatoes, washed and cut into fries (peels on)
• 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, coat the cut potatoes with the oil, salt, and spices.
3. Transfer the potatoes to the baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
5. Remove from oven once they are golden and crispy. Depending on how thick you cut your fries, the cooking time will vary. After you flip them, keep an eye on them. No one likes burnt fries!!
6. Serve with the milkshake above or ketchup.

3.3.3077

The post Day 4 Vegan MoFo: Salted PB Chocolate Shake + Spicy Oven Fries appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

VeganMoFo creators suggested to bloggers to have a dedicated theme for a certain day of the week so I have decided for the next month Wednesdays are going to be the”Pick-Me-Up Hump Day Drink!” because who doesn’t need a little boost midweek?

I am excited to share this recipe with you because it was definitely what I needed one particularly grueling week when everything was going wrong and I just couldn’t get my feet on the ground.

This milkshake is a variation on my previous frozen treat love Chocolate Cherry Garcia by Ben & Jerry’s. I was a weird kid that always preferred the not so typical ice cream flavours meant for children- it was never just vanilla or chocolate or strawberry but mint-chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio and I would eat anything in cherries and chocolate. I remember getting those bright red and syrupy maraschino cherries covered with a waxy hyper sweet chocolate as a Valentine’s Day present from a high school boyfriend and eating the whole box in one day. Perhaps I lost my taste from them after that because I haven’t eaten them in years but this milkshake recipe is definitely a keeper (unlike my high school boyfriend and don’t worry, it wasn’t because of the cherry chocolates.)

This recipe calls for raw cocoa nibs and maybe you are like I was, discouraged to use them because they are an acquired taste, rather bitter and hard. Not at all like those luxurious melt-in-your-mouth smooth chocolate memories of your past but raw chocolate has its place and tons of good things for you. So what is so good about raw cocoa nibs? (PS I am not a doctor so this is not intended to be medical advice)

Antioxidant Power

Raw chocolate has loads of antioxidants in them to fight off free radicals in your body. Now what is a free radical? Free radicals are an uncharged molecule (typically highly reactive and short-lived) having an unpaired valence electron [1]. They have the ability to damage your cells and cause them to mutate their DNA. Mutated DNA is the root of a lot of diseases because your cell is getting all the wrong messages about what it is suppose to do [2]. So fight those free radicals with antioxidants! Cherries are also known for their antioxidant powers so this milkshake is pretty good for you on that level!

 Mighty Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral that is important for muscle and nerve function. Magnesium helps calcium in your body! [3] You need a balance of both to make sure you are absorbing calcium properly. This mineral also helps restore your body’s pH balance.

Feel Good Chemicals

Phenylethylamine and serotonine are the brain’s feel good chemicals and raw chocolate does contain a small amount of both. However there is a “too much of a good thing” with raw chocolate [4]. Phenylethylamine is a stimulant so it can have the same effect as caffeine for some people so if you are caffeine-sensitive I would recommend lower the amount of cocoa nibs used in this recipe.

More Minerals!

Raw chocolate also contains many other essential minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese [5].

Raw chocolate power mixed in with cherries packs a good antioxidant punch against all those nasty free radicals. Science aside, this milkshake is also fresh, creamy, rich and insanely delicious. I hate when I get cherry-stuff and it isn’t cherry-y enough! You know what I mean? Cherry is the star of the milkshake with a subtle hint of raw chocolate in the background. Drink up!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I will be posting a lot more eats and treats as the month continues! Happy VeganMoFo! 2 recipes down, 18 to go….

[1] Google definition of a “free radical”

[2] http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/how-antioxidants-work1

[3] http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5473/11-Miraculous-Ways-Magnesium-Heals-Your-Mind-Body.html

[4] http://www.cacaoweb.net/nutrition.html

[5] http://www.cacaoweb.net/nutrition.html

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Turns out having a kid around wasn’t nearly as easy as I thought since they ask probably 100 questions an hour and while he doesn’t have to be constantly entertained like a toddler, he couldn’t understand why I did not have any kid-stuff or know any children that live in my building. This questions and concerns all occurred before we hit the front door of my apartment. I wanted to take a mental nap.

 But kids are funny in their way and they will say things that are really ridiculous but make perfect sense when you try to rationalize it from their perspective. Sammy renamed a few daily things around Toronto that I never gave a second thought to such as:

1)   The TTC Subway System is now and forever will be called the “basement train.” (I tried to explain to him that it is train under the ground in which he responded “like a basement!” I agreed and he named it the basement train. This actually got a few laughs from commuters on the same train as us.)

2)   My apartment building he named “the shared box house.” This one I did not understand at first until he explained to me that everything was organized and the balconies look like boxes.

3)   To him the escalators are the “scary stairs”. When I asked why he found them scary he said that they are spikey and then the floor eats them at the top.

 Fair enough…

We were walking down a busy street and saw a giant billboard ad for McDonald’s Milkshakes and he asked if he could have one. Call me a party pooper but I wasn’t about to bring him there knowing what is in those milkshakes. I worked there as a teenager and I KNOW what is in there and the answer is nothing good. Still his craving was there and I suggested to him that I could make him one the next day (it was late and we were out when we saw the billboard) if he really wanted. Of course, being related to me did not pass the opportunity for a sweet treat and ask for one the next day.

I decided to do an ice-cream free milkshake. Say what!? I know I know how sacrilege of me but recently when I headed to my small hometown I couldn’t find one vegan ice cream brand. So this is one for those people who may not have access to the prepare vegan foods like I do living in Toronto.

Thankfully, I did a little prepping and the milkshake was ready to be made. Just toss most things in the fridge or freezer the day or night before and you are ready to make a rich, creamy and insanely delicious shake.

 For the freezer:

• Strawberries (fresh strawberries washed, trimmed and then frozen or just buy frozen strawberries)
• Almond milk in an ice cube tray (this is how I got away with not using ice cream so it is really important to do!)

For the fridge:

• Canned coconut milk (this will solidify all the creamy goodness of the coconut milk to use in your shake) If you are just making 1 or 2 milkshakes, 1 can in the fridge should be fine but if you are making more, add a second can to the fridge.
• A large and deep glass or metal bowl (you will be whipping the remaining coconut milk in. How else would you top your shake but with a little or a lot of whipped coconut milk? I followed the Oh She Glows Coconut Whipped Cream recipe)

Once everything is prepped, just toss it all in the blender the next day and whirl away! This shake is fairly thick which I love but if it isn’t your thing, just add more coconut water.

I know this seems like a little more work than just buying a milkshake but it is super delicious, fresh and kid-approved by Sammy (unless your child has a nut allergy since it does contain almond and coconut).

His milkshake craving was satisfied and the glass was empty by the time I photographed my shake. The day after the first shake, he asked for another. Success! Cool Aunt Jess is making a come back!

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