Something about being inside for most of the day makes you want all of the desserts. Although I've been doing my fair share of baking, the recent heat has made me crave something just as comforting, but just a bit cooler. Enter: Vegan Cheesecake Cups.
I recently got a shipment of Completeats cookies and knew instantly that I wanted to use them as a delicious crust for the vegan cheesecakes that have been making it around instagram for a couple of years now. I have been loving this brand's vegan and gluten free cookies for a while and am happy to have a discount code that you can use! (TINYTEATHINGS15 gets you 15% off!)
I've also been playing around with using agar agar, which makes the jelly filling stay in place. It becomes just softer than a fruit leather texture, and is the perfect contrast to the smoothness of everything else in this dessert. I make a batch of the cheesecakes and keep them in my freezer for a couple of weeks, snacking on half of a cheesecake cup every night or so.

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Vegan Cheesecake Cups with Jelly Center

Ingredients:
2 Completeats Cookies (I used Cherry Almond) (TINYTEATHINGS15 or 15% off)
1 cup frozen berries
1/2 tsp agar powder
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (optional, plus 1 tbsp to grease pan)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon (~ 4 tsp)
1 3/4 cup water

Directions:
1) Put frozen berries and 1/2 cup water in a small pot over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Once water is mostly evaporated, add another 1/2 cup water.
2) Once water is mostly evaporated, smash the berries using a potato masher. Add 1/2 cup water and agar powder. Stir well. Raise heat to medium high and bring to simmer. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3) Let jam mixture sit for about 5 minutes
4) Either place muffin liners into the muffin cups or grease the muffin tin with coconut oil. This will help make it easier to take the cheesecakes out of the muffin tin
5) Cut each cookie into 4 pieces. Gently press each cookie piece down into a separate muffin cup. Slightly raise the edges by pressing them against the sides of the muffin cup. This will help keep the jam in place
6) Once jam has cooled to a warm temperature, scoop some into each muffin cup
7) Put muffin tin in refrigerator to let the jam set for about 10 minutes
8) In a high speed blender, blend the cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water until smooth
9) Pour mixture into the muffin cups over the jam layer. Use a spoon to create a swirl design on the top.
10) Put tin in freezer for 1 hour and store in freezer for up to 2 weeks. Let the cups sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving

Happy cheesecake eating!
<3 TTT

I was inspired recently by my dad's cooking adventure to make a dish we grew up with -- Tifteli, which is a Russian style meatball in tomato sauce. It's gluten free, because it uses rice and egg to bind instead of bread crumbs. I didn't have rice, so I tried substituting quinoa. I've also been getting more comfortable with using a cast iron skillet and wanted to get a nice sear on the meatballs. Welcome my version of Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. No fancy name here. Just all the deliciousness.

There are a handful of things I have been missing dearly since becoming gluten free. One of those is what I call my favorite kind of bread -- cornbread. Ironically, though the name would suggest, it is not purely made out of corn. The recipe almost always calls for wheat flour. I decided to finally make some for myself for Friendsgiving, and it was a success! I referenced this recipe by glutenfreefollowme for proportions and went through my cabinet to make it my own, as is my norm for whatever reason. I must say, these are super fluffy, moist, and cure that cornbread craving without the gluten-induced pain for my fellow gluten free folk.

This is also one of my many recipe attempts to use up almond pulp. If you make your own nut milk, you know how much pulp you're left with! Don't throw it away! There is so much you can make with it. Just search "Almond Pulp" on my blog to find what I've come up with. I just store it in the freezer and defrost overnight in the fridge when I'm ready to use it.
As happens when I make up my own recipe, the original proportions don't produce the desired result, so I typically need to add more liquid or more dry ingredients, and hope for the best! I always jot down measurements on a notepad, fully expecting to make adjustments for the next time I try the recipe out. This one, however, somehow, turned out perfectly on the first try (after adding extra liquid because grits are THICK).
 I've tried this recipe in a loaf pan as well, and it works beautifully. Simply add about 5 more minutes to your bake time and voila! I might try these on a pan next (a cornbread pancake?). These are best served with some butter and honey on top. I've also tried it with some homemade orange marmalade. Mmmm!

Once I realized how easy it is to make homemade almond milk, without all of the chemicals that come in the store-bought version, I have been making it at least once a month. After making the milk, you're left with "pulp", which is the remainder of the almond and skin that didn't emulsify. I didn't want to throw it away, so I decided to try my hand at making a delicious snack. Welcome the Almond Cookie Dough Bite (because Snack Ball doesn't sit well with me...)

This recipe came to be because my arugula was about to go bad and I needed to do something with it. In comes pesto -- the quickest and easiest way to use up some greens. All you need to have on hand, really, are your greens, nuts, oil, citrus, and garlic, which is generally what I always have around the kitchen, anyway. I'll give myself a pat on the back and say that I made this recipe on the first try and was so impressed with it that I didn't make any changes. I even went back to try it several times and kept having to ask myself "wait, did I put parmesan cheese in that?" Nope! It has that amazing flavor while being completely vegan. And, even better, there's only one step to make it.


It's also a perfect dip for anything, like sweet potato fries.
Ingredients:
2 c of arugula
1 clove of garlic
1/4 c pine nuts
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c olive oil
1/8 c lemon juice (about half a lemon)
A pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend. It's that easy! Put the arugula on the bottom so it's easier to blend. Enjoy! Store left overs in the fridge
*Tip* After a few days in the fridge, it gets thicker. Make it thinner by adding some olive oil.

Happy Pesto Making
<3 TTT

I've been having so much fun in the kitchen lately, and these delicious cups are a result. I've been trying to see what creative things I can do with pulp from making almond milk (I use this recipe from Minimalist Baker) and this one is a winner. So, may I suggest, you make yourself some delicious almond milk, and make yourself some amazing raw vegan cheesecake cups to enjoy with it.




Raw Vegan Cheesecake Cups (Yields 10)

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk pulp
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/4 + 1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond butter
2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 oz dark chocolate, melted

Directions:
1) Line a muffin pan with plastic wrap
2) In a medium sized bowl, mix together the almond milk pulp, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, the almond butter, and 1 tbsp maple syrup
3) Once combined, spoon 1/10 of the mixture into each muffin cup. Press it down with your fingers
4) In a blender (I use a nutribullet), blend together the cashews, 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, and the vanilla until smooth
5) Pour 1/10 of the cashew mixture into each of the filled muffin cups.
6) Drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the cashew mixture
7) Put in freezer for 1-2 hours. Before eating, defrost for 10-30 minutes depending on how soft you want it.
8) Enjoy!

Happy Cheesecake Eating
<3 TTT

These are gluten-free and not too bad for you! Each cookie has about 7 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, and 13 grams of carbs. They are also 219 calories. (Compared with a normal chocolate chip cookie that has over 300 calories and has 42 grams of carbs). I eat these delicious cookies as a snack between lunch and dinner or for breakfast with a cup of tea and a bowl of fruit.
And did I mention how fluffy and moist these are? They melt in your mouth!

Banana Almond Muffin Top Cookies (Yields 10-11)

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1/2 c almond butter
1 1/4 c almond flour
2 tbsp melted coconut oil, and extra to spread onto the foil for baking
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) Mash the banana (or let your mixer mash it for you)
3) Put all the ingredients into your mixer or a large bowl. Mix until combined
4) Spread some coconut oil over a lined baking sheet to prevent sticking
5) Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter. Fill the measuring cup about 3/4 of the way and pour onto baking sheet into circles. About 6 will fit per cooking tray
6) Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Happy Cookie Baking,
<3 TTT

This has quickly become a favorite in my household because it is super delicious, very easy, and features my peanut sauce that my boyfriend is obsessed with. Almost every time we go to Costco and grab a rotisserie chicken, this is the dish we make when we come home. (Hint: then you can use the rotisserie chicken remains to make my broth).
The star of the show is my peanut sauce, which is very easy to make. I just put all the ingredients in a small put and let it heat up on low until everything is combined and it reaches the consistency I like. After making it so many times, I don't care to measure anymore, but I did list some measurements below. I tend to taste and add as I go, but the below is a good bench mark to start with.
This would also be great to serve if you have guests over. It's all very simple to put together and it looks pretty when laid out. I also think it's fun to let the guests decide how much of everything they want to include -- I try to have set ups similar to this when I have friends over (like Make Your Own Grilled Cheese Night or Sweet Potato Toast Night).


Peanut Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Peanut Butter
1 1/2 tsp Fish Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Honey
1 1/2 tsp Worchesterchire Sauce
1 tsp Soy Sauce
Juice from 1/2 Lime
2 tsp Fresh Ginger, Minced (sub with 1tsp powdered)
2/3 cup Water

Directions:
1) Put all ingredients into a small pot on low to medium low
2) Let everything melt and thicken to desired consistency, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes. If too thin, let it cook longer. If too thick, add more water.

Thai Lettuce Cups:
Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce, 1 bulb feeds about 2 people
Shredded Chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
Carrot, peeled and grated
Green Onion, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
Spinach, chopped
Cucumber, cut into strips
Lime, cut into 8ths
Optional: sliced red cabbage, diced jalapeno, bean sprouts, chopped water chestnut

Directions:
1) Cut the end off of the bulb of romaine. You can then separate the lettuce cups.
2) Assemble remainder of ingredients and load up the lettuce cups.
3) Enjoy!

Happy Eating,
<3 TTT

Once I figured out how easy it was to make my own broth (vegetable or chicken), I have rarely since purchased boxed broth. It's so delicious, there are no preservatives, and I can control how much salt I add. It's also a delicious way to use up what you would have thrown out. I hope you give this broth a try and I hope it changes your soup game.
I don't use measurements in this recipe because it's all up to you and your taste. It'll also depend on what you have on hand, because a large portion of this stock is veggie scraps. What is that, you ask? Well, it's the peel of the carrot you used for a sauté, it's the butt of an onion you were going to throw away, it's the stalk of broccoli, it's the fronds of fennel, it's any piece of any vegetable you were going to throw away. There are only a few key ingredients that I add each time -- the bulk of it, the scraps, changes each time and creates a fun touch of new flavor. To make chicken stock, I simply added the remains of a rotisserie chicken that I was about to throw out (the bones, the remaining skin/meat). If you would like to make this vegetarian, simply omit the chicken and add more veggies.

Ingredients:
Veggie scraps (I used carrot peel, end of an onion I chopped earlier, fennel fronds, young stalks of celery, cilantro stems)
1 carcass of a rotisserie chicken (omit for veggie)
4 Bay leaves
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
Water to cover
Salt, soy sauce, or coconut aminos to taste

Directions:
1) Put all ingredients into a large pot
2) Cook on medium heat at a simmer for 2-3 hours
3) Strain the broth
4) Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week
** If making chicken broth, the broth will form solid film at the top when refrigerated. Don't worry! This is good stuff! This is flavoring from the skin/fat and collagen from the bones

See? It's that easy. Enjoy!

Happy Broth Making
<3 TTT

Lately I've been looking for a little something sweet that isn't too unhealthy. I came up with these cashew bars, that have no added sugar, as a way to curb my sweet tooth. Let me say, they came out quite pretty and quite delicious.

Ingredients:
White Layer:
1/2 cup soaked cashews
1/2 cup reduced fat coconut milk
1 tsp coconut oil
Pink Layer:
1/2 cup soaked cashews
1/4 cup reduced fat coconut milk
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup strawberries
Optional: chopped pecans to top

Directions:
1) Cover the cashews in water and soak overnight
2) Put all of the ingredients for the white layer in a high speed blender (I used a Nutribullet) and blend until smooth
3) Pour white mixture into a square tray, spread to a smooth layer, and place in freezer until hard on top (about 30 minutes)
4) Put all of the ingredients for the pink layer in a high speed blender and blend until smooth
5) Pour over the hardened white mixture in the square tray, spread to a smooth layer, and return to freezer
6) After about 30 minutes, if you'd like, top with chopped pecans.
7) Freeze for 3 to 4 hours, or until hard all the way through
8) Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing into squares (you can heat the bottom with some hot water and remove from the tray to cut on a cutting board if you'd like)
9) Keep it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Before eating, let the squares stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Happy Cashew Bar Eating!
<3 TTT

Some mornings you wake up and want the deliciousness of dessert, but the health of a breakfast. Enter Carrot Cake Oatmeal. I topped this with some Spiced Sweet Potato Croutons and pecans, but you can top this with anything from dried currants or raisins, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, switch up the nuts, or fortify with your favorite protein powder or collagen peptides (I used Further Foods Collagen Peptides. You can use my code TINYTEATHINGS for 10% off of your purchase). The recipe below is not very sweet, so add a sweetener of your choice if you'd like it to be sweeter.

I made the Spiced Sweet Potato Croutons by peeling then cutting a sweet potato into small dices. I covered them in 2 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, ground ginger, and cardamom. Then, I baked them in the oven at 425F for 20 minutes.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal (2 servings):

Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened)
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)
1 dash each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cardamom
1 tsp molasses
Optional: for more sweetness, add 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Directions:
1) Bring almond milk to a boil in a small saucepan with the cinnamon stick
2) Slowly add in the oats and grated carrots
3) Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently
4) Reduce to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes depending on preferred consistency, stirring occasionally
5) Add in the spices, molasses, and optional sweetener if you would like a sweet oatmeal.
6) Serve with sweet potato croutons and pecans, or toppings of your choice.

Hi everyone! This Ginger Lime Shrimp is in constant rotation at my house. it's so simple and delicious -- perfect for a quick meal.
I let the shrimp marinate in the sauce for just 15 minutes. This is ample time to prep your sides. Last night, when we had this for dinner, we served it with some roasted zucchini and a salad.

Ingredients:
1 lb of shrimp (I used 35 pieces of the 31-40 in a lb variety)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp McCormick Cedar Plank Salmon Seasoning
3 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lime. (optional: a few more wedges to put on top once served)
1 tsp honey

Directions:
1) Defrost the shrimp in a bowl of warm water. If the skin and tails are on, remove them once defrosted. Drain the water from the bowl.
2) Mix the remainder of the ingredients in a small bowl
3) Pour oil mixture over shrimp and allow to marinate for 15 minutes
4) Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat
5) Place shrimp in hot pan and pour some of the marinate into the pan. Cook shrimp on one side for about 2 minutes, flip, then cook about 1 minutes on last side.
6) Repeat until all shrimp are cooked.
7) Serve with more lime juice if you'd like.
8) Enjoy!



Happy Shrimp Eating,
<3 TTT

In my effort to explore vegetables that I hadn't used before, I bought myself a beautiful butternut squash and a bulb of fennel. Never in my life had I cooked with these two before. I thought to myself, why not try to make a soup? It can't be that hard, right? And let me tell ya, it's so super easy.
 First, I roasted my veggies in the oven while I cooked up some homemade stock on the stove. This is also super easy. Into a sauce pot, I put in a few left over broccoli stalks, the scraps of the fennel (stalk, fronds), a slice of onion, a carrot cut into 4-5 pieces, salt and soy sauce to taste. Cover that with water and let it simmer for 2 hours. Homemade veggie stock makes a world of difference. For the roasted veggies, I had the butternut squash, fennel bulb, and a quarter of an onion, covered generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 4 appetizer servings or 2 meal servings

Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 bulb of fennel, sliced
1/4 of an onion, chopped roughly
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of stock (I used homemade, but you can use any low sodium stock)
Optional: 1 tbsp greek yogurt per serving and a couple fennel fronds

Directions:
1) Toss butternut squash, fennel and onion in 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet covered with foil
2) Bake veggies at 425F for 25 minutes, or until fork tender
3) Sautee garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat in a sauce pan until golden and fragrant
4) Add stock and roasted veggies to the saucepan
5) Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes
6) Transfer to a large bowl and blend until creamy and smooth with an immersion blender
7) Top with greek yogurt and fennel fronds
8) Enjoy!

Happy Butternut Squash Soup making
<3 TTT

Hello friends! I made these mini quiches for Friendsgiving a week ago, and they were a hit! They are so easy to make and fun to play around with -- you can make whatever flavor you'd like! Below is a recipe for the egg mixture and the 3 quiche flavors I chose to make.


Ingredients:
2 Premade pie crust
Butter or non-stick spray

Batter (Yield 24):
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle seasoning (I use the Flavor God one)
salt and pepper to taste

Sausage and Parmesan (Yield 12):
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup ground pork sausage
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
** Sautee onion and sausage in butter until golden brown

Ham and Cheese (Yield 12):
1 cup deli ham, chopped
1 cup medium sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella (Yield 12):
1/2 Beef Steak Tomato, chopped
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup basil, chopped

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2) Unroll the pie crust (after you let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes per package instructions). Using a circular cookie cutter or a glass, cut out circles in the dough. Each pie crust should yield 8 circles (feel free to roll together the remaining dough and roll out to form more circles, yielding 4 more circles)
3) Butter your muffin tin or spray with non-stick spray
4) Lightly press the pie crust circles into each of the muffin cups
5) Fill each muffin cup with your desired flavorings, filling to about halfway up
6) Fill each muffin cup with egg mixture, about 3/4 of the way up
7) Put in oven for 20-25 minutes
8) Let cool for a few minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Happy Quiche Eating!
<3 TTT