Vegan@Trader Joe's

I am so thankful that we have Trader Joe's near by. Without them, it won't be this easy for me to being Vegan at all.

These are some of things I buy from them...

I don't use "meat like product" often, but if I do I usually get them from here or frozen section. Needless to say, these are very good quality tofu! Their Vegan cheese is okay. At least, it doesn't contain "casein"(milk protein) but not the best vegan cheese.

I hated Tofu when I was growing up! However, this is one of our favorite dish these day!!

Vegan cream cheese and onion dip mix. 

This Vegan Cream Cheese is very useful! I mix it with their onion dip mix with a splash of almond milk to make a spread. I baked up savory pastries and my boys loved them. I rolled them up with baby spinach in crescent rolls and baked them for lunch today. 

Along with my chia seed pudding with cranberry sauce and some salad. 

I hated avocado when I was growing up as well. Now I cannot live without them. I remember first time I even tasted this green weirdo at my grand mom's house....with soy sauce and wasabi! Now that's one of my favorite too! Avocado used to be a fancy FRUIT back then and could not believe she dipped with SOY  SAUCE!! Well, what can I say... she was very different. I miss her!!

Anyhow.... get back to the topic. Trader Joe's chia seeds and coconuts oil are really good price for those quality products.

I found a few chia seed pudding recipes with different ratios. 2/3 cup (or little less) chia seeds, 2 cups of nuts milk and a little bit of agave. Mix well occasionally and refrigerate it until it gets firm.  I like it with some fruits or 'nata de coco!'

Haven't seen this cashew pieces for a while, but it is the best deal for raw cashew. Now they have cashew meal (powdered cashew nuts) they might not carry this kind any more...

I make Vegan alfred pasta, creamy soup or nacho cheese with it.

Alfred pasta

I add garlic and nutritional yeast, very similar recipe is on here. This dish is our family favorite instead of mac n' cheese. ;) 

Soup

Can't add a photo of my vegan nacho grande but it's on my Instagram page, http://instagram.com/p/dQlsniwiLd/ check this out. :) 

These refrigerated jumbo cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls are vegan. :)

Sorry for this disturbing portion of this photo!

Speaking of sweet vegan dreams this Brown Rice Marshmallow Treat is a real treat!! It's a completely vegan too. :)

On the left hand corner. Only a few box left! 

Have not seen this Meatless Meatball for a while and they told me that they are working on making improvement so it might take a little while until it gets back on the shelf but if you find them, I recommend you to pick them up! These little balls are amazingly good. I used it for my vegan lasagna and everyone loved it. Their mandarin chick'n and chickenless strips are pretty good. I use chicken less chicken strips for sandwich sometimes and boys really like them. We also like Vegetable Masala burger. Pizza flavor one is vegetarian and we didn't really care for other veggie burger...

I've grabbed two more bags of Turkeyless Turkey after the sample turkey dinner the other night, I figured we'll need more. 

This picture showing only half of one piece. I cut one piece into four pieces, this bag contains two pieces. It also comes with the delicious gravy and it is enough amount to go with my own mashed potatoes. Can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner already! 

This gluten free and Vegan pancake is our boys favorite for special breakfast for weekdays. The pumpkin butter uses honey but I allow myself to have a little bit of honey. I found a new word from a book to describe me as "beegan" ha!

These are something I look forward to, in the morning. This cinnamon sugar grinder is crazy good. So watch out, if you are trying to cut down sugar!!

These cookie butter items are dangerously good as well....One with cocoa swirl got hazel nuts in it. That kind of remind me of Nutella and and it might be even better....but not nutrition wise. It said on its label "contain wheat, soy & coconut" and also said "may contain traces of tree nuts, milk and eggs." I spotted emulsifier (addictive; might be made out of egg yolk or animal source) this may not be vegan from the start... :( 

This Fried Onion has a big V sign, I had to get it this afternoon and this rosemary cracker that I found on Instagram is Vegan as well. I cannot wait to try it!!

I love Trader Joe's not just because people are so friendly, their store and packages are so cute, they have plenty vegan stuff, they are affordable or small enough to get in and out in 15 mins. On top with all that I love them because their products do not use GMOs. I am completely against GMO products so I don't have to feel suspicious while I shop there. Thanks Trader Joe's!! 

Very Vegan Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

It's the time of a year for pumpkin everything. I started baking pumpkin muffins and I finally got satisfaction with my recipe to share with you all. 

Very Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Makes regular size 12 muffins

Start preheating oven, set for 400F(200C)

Oil spray a muffin pan or have liners ready

-A-
1 1/4 cups  Any kind of Flour 
   ( I mix spelt sprout flour, whole wheat sprout flour or  white whole wheat) 
1/4 cup      Almond Flour 

1 cup          Turbinado (Raw)Sugar

1 tsp           Baking Powder

1 tsp           Baking Soda

1/4 tsp       Salt

2 tsp           Pumpkin Pie Spice 

 -B-

1 cup        Pumpkin Purée (NOT Pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup    Grape Seeds Oil (or any kind of oil, like canola oil works well)

1/4 cup    Apple Sauce or mashed ripped banana

1/2 cup    Almond Milk (or any kind of milk, soy, coconuts, cashews..cow?)

1 TBS       Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 tsp         Vanilla Extract 

1. Shift the ingredients under -A- together. 
    I prefer using a clean plastic bag and put all dry ingredients together and shake them up!

2. Mix all the wet ingredients under -B- together.

3. Add the entire dry ingredient from 1. to 2.

 4. Using an ice-cream scooper, transfer mixture into a prepared muffin pan about 2 scoops each and bake them ABOUT 16 minutes. I always check about 2 minutes before suggested time so I won't over bake them. Remember, every oven is different!! 

Cool them on a baking lack and enjoy!

Here is another shot of my muffins that I made for Japanese Bazaar the other day. On this picture, I used Japanese turbinado sugar that make looks rumply. If using regular turbinado sugar, all those dots won't be there.  

I wind up making about 100 of them. I also baked up Green Tea Muffins as well and I got recipe from  this site. I've received really good compliments for both of muffins. They could not believe they are vegan! Really don't need  butter or high cholesterol eggs in our yummy muffins, plus it is less work. ;) 

Go Vegan!!