Vegan Cake Hack

Vegan Cake Hack

The Minnie Chef
Sweet Treats

Ok, so at some point in our childhoods, we’ve probably all been sent to school with a couple dozen made-from-a-box cupcakes to share with our classmates and celebrate our birthdays.  While I’ve always personally preferred to make my desserts from scratch, there have been times where a boxed mix has come in handy…  Like last week when a certain indecisive toddler happened to change her mind every five minutes about what kind of cake she wanted on her birthday.  By the fifth change of heart, I just gave up on making sure I had all of the ingredients for all different flavor cakes on hand.  So I went to the grocery store . . .

Tofu Banh Mi Salad

Tofu Banh Mi Salad

The Minnie Chef
Salad

Given my belief that sandwich perfection may have been achieved in the gloriousness that is a Tofu Banh Mi, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that I decided to see what other ways I could spin it.  Turning the sandwich into a healthier, but equally as beautiful and delicious, salad seemed like the obvious thing to do.  Because of the gorgeous rainbow of colors in the original Tofu Banh Mi, I decided to . . .

Minnie Cucumber Sushi

Minnie Cucumber Sushi

The Minnie Chef
Snacks

Who’s excited about homemade sushi that doesn’t take over an hour to make and leave behind a sticky mess with tons to clean? 🙋🏻  These raw, rice free, completely plant-based cucumber alternatives are so much healthier than the real thing and are completely no-fuss!  They take just about 5 minutes to make and there’s no nori involved to scare away those leery toddlers.  This is the perfect lunch or snack to satisfy the whole family!  

There’s also a ton of room for creativity with these.  They make a great veggie appetizer for a party or dinner party—instead of serving chips with your guacamole, try putting it in a cucumber instead.  Want to fancy them up a bit for a party?  Instead of . . .

Fajita Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Rice

Fajita Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Rice

The Minnie Chef
Meals

Sooooo… this recipe has gotten rave reviews in my household.  My other half said that this falls into the category of his top five favorite meals… EVER.  And he eats a lot of pretty decent meals quite often, if I do say so myself.  😉 He said it reminds him of a vegetarian burrito bowl from Chipotle, but better… and I’d bet it’s significantly healthier too. The original recipe was made with white rice as a base, but recently I have tried it with brown rice and quinoa.  While I happen to prefer it with quinoa (it has the same great taste and I feel better about eating it knowing that it’s a little healthier than the rice), the general consensus in my household . . . 

Rocket Pops

Rocket Pops

The Minnie Chef
Sweet Treats

Hello fireworks and new beginnings, Bye bye 2015!  It is absolutely surreal to me (I’m sure it is to most of you too) that it’s 2016 already and I’m the mommy to a very-soon-to-be 3 year old… I just had a baby!  Like yesterday…  At least it feels that way.

These all-natural Rocket Pops are totally fitting while ringing in the New Year, but that’s not why we actually got to making them.  Every time Zoey and I go to my parents’ house, she likes to rummage through their Tupperware drawer in search of their ice pop molds.  She always finds them and demands that we make them “right now!”  And it’s not so easy to explain to a not even 3 year old little human that . . . 

Warm Beet Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Warm Beet Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

The Minnie Chef
Salad

🎉🎊 It’s that time of year where New Year’s Resolutions are plastered everywhere.  You can’t turn a corner without hearing about resolutions to eat healthy and get fit.  It’s a goal that’s on all of our minds.  So let’s stay strong together and start thinking creatively about fun and interesting ways to switch up the salad game.  Let’s leave the lettuce aside for a change and try adding some heartier roasted veggies to the mix. 

Last February I was at a wedding and enjoyed a salad with a butter lettuce base, topped with beets, figs and a vegan blue cheese dressing.  Almost a year later and I still haven’t been able to get that salad off my mind… 😜drooling right now… but vegan blue cheese dressing? . . . 

Jelly Dough-Not Holes

Jelly Dough-Not Holes

The Minnie Chef
Sweet Treats

Ok, so who doesn’t love a good donut hole, or munchkin?? And how about a fresh, hot jelly donut?? Take away the greasy fried dough and the fake sugary syrup and you’re left with these healthy, fruit-filled “dough-not” holes! 

One of the great things about toddlers is that their worlds are really small—what you don’t bring into their worlds doesn’t exist as far as their concerned.  This is one of the main reasons why I emphasize how important it is to start tailoring their eating habits from a very young age—as young as their first foods.  I've never fed my daughter store bought baby food from a jar and the one desperate attempt I made to do so failed miserably.  We were at Disney World for our first time as a family.  We went directly from Tampa, Fl. where I had just taken the Florida Bar Exam.  With so much on my mind (the bar, our first family vacation), I didn’t think to . . .

Creamy Pasta Alfredo

Creamy Pasta Alfredo

The Minnie Chef
Meals

Ok, so we're about to ring in the new year and that means New Year's Resolutions are coming our way quick!  So before we all start fresh in our commitment to eat healthy and exercise more, let's go out with a final shebang! Creamy. Pasta. Alfredo. 🎉

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m going to go ahead and let you all know right now that I did not intend to make an Alfredo sauce when I was concocting this recipe.  I was out having dinner with a friend recently, at one our favorite vegan spots, and she ordered a side of mac n’ cheese.  It wasn’t very good, and tasted nothing like my idea of mac n’ cheese.  She also told me about some boxed brands that she had tried with high hopes, but was let down by those also.  So the night after our dinner I got to thinking about . . .

Minnie Christmas Fruit Snacks

Minnie Christmas Fruit Snacks

The Minnie Chef
Sweet Treats

Last week I posted a recipe for my “Minnie” Zucchini Christmas trees, and since they were so much fun and it’s almost Christmas, I decided to serve up some sweetness to go with that savory treat.  I love baking and decorating cookies this time of year—I feel like it’s just good for the soul… So I thought about breaking out the flour and sugar and baking up some holiday goodies, but after some thinking, I figured . . .

Simply Perfect Pancakes

Simply Perfect Pancakes

The Minnie Chef
Breakfast

The smell of pancakes cooking on the griddle brings me right back to my childhood.  One of my favorite childhood memories is waking up to the smell of my dad’s homemade pancakes on the weekends.  Instead of packing lunches and rushing to get ready for work and school, weekend mornings were ours to spend some quality time together in the kitchen—a favorite place of both of ours.  

Pancakes are actually one of the first things I ever learned how to cook.  From whipping up the batter to pouring it straight onto the griddle from a spouted measuring cup, and flipping them over as soon as the bubbles and that perfect golden-brown color were achieved, my dad let me help out every step of the way.  Always made from scratch (and never one of those store-bought boxed mixes that my dad would never—and still won’t—let you find in his pantry), my dad taught me step-by-step how to make the perfect pancake.   When we’d sit down at the breakfast table to eat, every time—without fail, my dad would relish in his first bite and say . . .

Minnie Christmas Trees

Minnie Christmas Trees

The Minnie Chef
Snacks

Who says cookie cutters can only be used for making cookies?!?  Is anyone else over the dozens of cookie cutters that sit tucked away in a drawer and only come out to play once a year?  Break out your cookie cutters more often and break out of the box when you use them!  

Getting toddlers to try new foods is half the battle, right?  Once they try new things, they often find they like them.  But getting a toddler to step into uncharted territories and taste something new isn’t always a walk in the park.  Making food fun—cutting it into fun shapes, creatively decorating it or turning it into a game—is one way to help break down that barrier.  

Last week I had some friends over for a slightly belated “Friendsgiving” dinner.  I have quite a few friends with . . .

Curried Chickpea and Carrot Stew

Curried Chickpea and Carrot Stew

The Minnie Chef
Meals

Back when I was in second grade I had to do a school project on India.  I promise you this isn’t just a trip down memory lane, I’m taking you back to my second grade schoolwork for a reason… I don’t remember the details of the project so much, but what I do remember is that my parents took me all over Miami, searching high and low for all things Indian to report back to my class about.  We went to the Metro Zoo, what is now called Zoo Miami, to learn about Bengal tigers.  We went to a clothing store where my parents recorded me being wrapped in traditional garb.  And we also went to and Indian restaurant to learn about and sample the cuisine.  I don’t remember the restaurant, or the food, but what I do remember is . . . 

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