Jamba Juice All-Fruit Smoothies

I just got back from a Jamba Juice run where I discovered that they are now (and probably have been for some time) offering all fruit smoothies!!!
These consist of fruits and juices like usual smoothies, but minus the dairy base. They are also no sugar added. And they are AMAZING.

I tried the Pomegranate Paradise with pomegranate juice, strawberries, mangos, and peaches. I could definitely taste the pomegranate and it actually tasted like fruit.

They also have:

Strawberry Whirl
Peach Perfection
Mega Mango

Also, some good vegan snack items to have on hand.

Golden Raisins: my mom bought these from the Farmer's Market one week and now I love them. They sell at most local Farmer's Markets.

Frozen Blueberries: I have been obsessed with these since I was about two, and as I result I can vouch for the best brand. Get the Trader Joe's Regular Frozen Blueberries. If you prefer smaller and tarter blueberries, get the wild ones. They also sell them at Safeway but they are not as good as the Trader Joe's ones.

Frozen Mangos: They sell these in a large package at Trader Joe's, and I like to snack on them plain. They are also great for smoothies, especially because they are already frozen!

Maple Leaf Cookies/ Joe Joes: These are definitely not health food items, but they are vegan. These are found at Trader Joe's. I love the Candy Cane Joe Joes, which are seasonal.

Trail Mix: Not just for hiking! It's yummy and easy to carry around. You can make your own by buying the nuts and chocolate chips from Whole Foods.

There are lots of other vegan snack food options, these are just several of my favorites.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I recently had to make a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for a class, and I stumbled upon this recipe at the last minute. These cookies turned out great! They're very sweet as dough but turn out with the classic oatmeal raisin taste after baking. A bit thin and crumbly, but still completely delicious. Everyone (vegans and non-vegans) will love them, and there is so much room for variation that they never get boring! The recipe can be found online (with more comments and suggestions) here, or below:


Ingredients:

1/2 cup non-dairy margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon egg replacer (ex: Ener-G Egg Replacer)
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/16 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups Cinnamon Apple Quaker Oatmeal (or any other cinnamon apple oatmeal brand, or plain rolled oats)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup soymilk


Directions:

1. Cream margarine (do not melt beforehand), granulated vegan sugar and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl

2. Add vanilla, egg replacer mixture (mix the egg replacer and water together in a separate dish) and dried fruit to the wet ingredients

3. Add the rest of the ingredients in steps: first the flour, then baking soda and powder, then salt, then oatmeal

4. Add a dash of soymilk (just enough--usually about an 1/8 cup--so that the batter isn't dry; it will still be very thick)

5. Bake at 350 degree F oven for ten to twelve minutes (remember to space the cookies out on the cookie sheet--they will spread out pretty wide and thin!)

6. Cool one minute on cookie sheet

7. Remove to wire rack or foil and allow cookies to cool

Variations: substitute vegan chocolate chips/carob chips, dried cranberries, other dried fruits, or nuts for raisins (or add a combination!), add cinnamon or extra vanilla, etc.

Serves: makes about 2 dozen

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Vegan Replacements

Many times people prefer to purely make Vegan recipes, however there are replacements that can be substituted for milk or eggs.

There are many milk replacements, such as soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, and more, so it is fairly easy to switch out milk in a non-Vegan recipe.

Eggs are harder to replace. They require more chemistry to bind the products in baking, and there is no (as far as I know) available egg replacer for cooking things like omelets or other fried egg products. The most common egg replacers for baking are banana, apple sauce, flaxseed, or the commercial egg replacer. A more detailed list can be found here.

Overall, it is easy to make non-Vegan recipes Vegan with the right knowledge and supplies.