Watermelon Mint & Blueberry Tarragon Soda Floats

Talk about a last minute Fourth of July post!  I rushed home from work today with a pint of coconut milk ice cream for these lovely (and might I add, patriotic) homemade soda floats.  This recipe is just about as easy as it gets, and the addition of herbs makes it a little more special.  Now I'm off to bake a flag cake and get some black bean burgers together for tomorrow.  Can't wait to grill some veggie dogs, Happy Fourth!

Chocolate Pistachio Cherry Trail Bars

Finally, a recipe suited for adventuring!  In the coming weeks I'll be posting some camp-friendly recipes along with take along snacks for hiking or road tripping.  I'm currently preparing for a two-week road trip to the Pacific Northwest (I leave in 23 days ahhh!) so I'll be updating as much as I can until then.

This is a pretty basic trail bar recipe: oats, nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, and of course...chocolate!  I use flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water = 1 "egg"), peanut butter, and agave to hold the bars together.  Maple syrup or brown rice syrup can also be substituted for the agave.  It's hard to find raw, unsalted pistachios, but luckily it doesn't really matter.  In the bulk section of my grocery store I found shelled, roasted, and salted pistachios, and they worked out fine.  If you use unsalted pistachios (or substitute another nut), add a couple pinches of salt into your dry mix.

Minted Green Beans W/ Almond Parmesan

The best part about garden or farm fresh produce is that you don't have to do much to get delicious results.  This simple recipe features the green beans, wax beans, and fresh mint I picked up at last weekend's market.  Tossed in olive oil, fresh mint, and garlic, topped with lemon slices and homemade almond Parmesan, and baked until they start to brown.  This makes a great summer side, or make it a meal by adding tomato slices and serving over greens with a side of crusty bread.

Neapolitan Smoothie Shake

Okay, I'll admit it now, I LOVE smoothies.  Summertime turns me into a smoothie addict, but there's nothing wrong with that, right?  My freezer is currently stocked with frozen fruit: bananas, watermelon, mangos, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, you name it!  The best thing about smoothies are the endless possibilities, and how you don't really have to follow a recipe.  (Although, yes, I do own 365 Vegan Smoothies, and recommend it!)  Something I learned from this book is how amazing frozen bananas and watermelon blend into a frothy, creamy shake.

I'm sure most of you reading this have had "banana ice cream" by blending frozen bananas with a non-dairy milk until it turns into, well, ice cream.  I often add a spoonful of peanut butter and cocoa powder to mine for a super decadent shake.  This recipe takes this idea to the next level though, Neapolitan.  A layer of sweet vanilla, rich chocolate, and fruity strawberry "ice cream," mmm.  My best vanilla shakes happen when I blend frozen bananas and watermelon: they're creamy, sweet, and tinted pink.  If you are an aspiring smoothie addict, I recommend always having bananas and cubed watermelon waiting for you in the freezer.  (I mean you're a handful of fresh mint away from making a Shamrock Shake, try it).

Raw Kale Taco Salad W/ Cilantro Cashew Cheese

I love love love baby kale salads.  This past week at the farmer's market I picked up a big bag of baby kale, knowing I was going to eat this salad for the next few days.  With all of the coconut milk ice cream and smart dogs I tend to indulge in during the summer, I try to balance things out with smoothies, fresh fruit, raw nuts, and raw meals.  Did I mention my proximity to a vegan bakery specializing in donuts?  Luckily my town also has a pretty amazing farmer's market to help keep me on track.  If you don't have baby kale, just pick up one bunch of kale.  To make raw kale easier to chew, I chop up the kale into bite-sized pieces, and when rinsing in the sink I scrunch and massage the kale for about a minute until it gets noticeably tenderer.  Baby kale is tender enough for my taste, so I skip this step when using it.

Like all salads, this is pretty customizable.  If you don't have sunflower seeds, you can use pumpkin seeds or any nuts you may have on hand.  Feel free to add additional veggies, like a chopped red or yellow pepper.  The dressing is very tangy (a drizzle of agave can be added if you prefer it sweeter), but it will mild out after covering the entire salad.  The dressing is only enough for one salad, but the cashew cheese and sunflower seeds are enough for multiple salads.  Make sure you pick up a few limes if you plan on making multiple salads.

Strawberry Basil Spelt Hand Pies

Finally, a second post!  So I totally intend on updating more regularly than every three weeks, but soon after launching the site, I went on a week long camping trip with my sister (Zion, Grand Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands...swoon).  Hopefully I'll get better at balancing adventuring, blogging, and working (did I mention I'm also sick?)  When I get my film back from the trip, I plan to post some photos along with a camp recipe.  But for now, another dessert!

Intro + Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fudgsicles

Welcome to Adventuring Vegan!  I've been anxious to get this website running for a couple months now, and finally, the first post!  I'll start off with a little introduction.  I'm Krisan, a 27-year-old vegan living in Bloomington, Indiana.  I'm crazy about cooking, baking, summer roadtrips, camping, hiking, and my adorable (you guessed it) cats.  I wanted to start a vegan food blog heavily inspired by my love for the outdoors, so, Adventuring Vegan was born!  Don't you just love how the A and V form a mountain?  Swoon.  Anyway, this blog will feature recipes intended to prepare in your kitchen, along with plenty of camping specific recipes too.  I'll be trying out a lot of new things on the trips I have planned for the summer and can't wait to share them with you!  To kick things off, a super satisfying, super easy dark chocolate raspberry fudgsicle recipe.  These fudgsicles will hit the spot when you want a creamy, chocolatey, decadent dessert to cool you down.

I just bought a popsicle maker on Amazon (this one, if you're interested).  I highly encourage you to get one for yourself (trust me, you'll use it all summer long), but you are welcome to use a regular old ice cube tray too!  This recipe made 8 fudgsicles in my maker, but you can stretch it a little further by adding some extra non-dairy milk to the mixture.