This year for Mother’s Day our first stop was the “Art in Bloom” installation at the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis Minnesota. It was such a treat to see all of the gorgeous art and flowers. It was SO busy, and we had a difficult time finding parking, but ultimately it was worth it. We visit MIA several times a year, but this was special. A great way to greet spring, and a lovely way to celebrate Mother’s Day.

If you’re in the area, I always recommend visiting our amazing art museum. They have a fantastic little bistro/wine bar/cafe called Agra Culture where you can grab a bite to eat, sip an espresso or a glass of wine, and do some people watching. They also have a beautiful gift shop.

XO,

Melissa

The post art in bloom appeared first on ChinDeep.

I brought the ingredients for this delicious salad to my daughter’s house today so we could enjoy our lunch together while watching the new installment of Shining Girls on Apple TV. Have you been watching that show? It’s so good! It’s definitely creepy, and will keep you on the edge of your seat, so if you don’t want to have Caesar Salad while you watch, you should definitely make some popcorn so you can nervously eat that.

This salad was actually really easy to prepare. You’ll have to make the separate components, and that may seem intimidating, but I assure you it’s simple. If you don’t want to make vegan caesar, buy some. Good & Gather brand (from Target) makes a pretty good one, and the JUST brand, plant based Caesar is fantastic if you can find it. The homemade version is best, in my opinion, but if you’re in a hurry or just don’t feel like making dressing, there is nothing wrong with just opening a bottle of the already made stuff.

Some people like to make their own crunchy chickpeas for this recipe. There are a ton of recipes online. If that’s something you’d like to try, just Google it. I love to use the Biena brand, vegan ranch chickpea snacks that I get at Walmart. They’re also available on Amazon. They are the BEST darn crunchy chickpeas on the planet. The ones I’ve made in my own kitchen don’t even come close. I can’t seem to get them as crunchy. If you have any tips for making good ones, please let me know.

And, of course, the Parmesan cheese component. What would Caesar salad be without it? Feel free to get a block of Violife Parm, if you’d like. It’s my favorite Parm, and it’s really good on this salad. If you don’t have access to a store that carries it, have no fear. My walnut Parm is amazing. It adds even more crunch, and is oil free if you’re a vegan that doesn’t do oil.

Okay, ready? Let’s make this thing.

for one big salad:

one small head or Romaine lettuce, or one Romaine heart, chopped up

1/2 avocado, sliced and fanned (optional)

vegan Caesar dressing (recipe below)

crunchy chickpeas (I used BIENA brand, pictured above)

a generous sprinkle of vegan walnut Parmesan “cheese” (recipe below)

freshly ground black pepper

for the Caesar dressing:

1 and 1/2 cups cashew cream

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup capers, drained well, + 1 T. of the brine from the jar

2 Tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon mustard

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix all in a large mixing bowl. Whisk smooth, adjust seasonings, and then transfer to a canning jar with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. This dressing will keep for 7 days in your refrigerator, and you’ll have a bunch left over, which is good because it’s fantastic and you’re going to want to put it on everything. If it seems too thick, you can thin it out with a tiny bit of water or more caper brine. if it seems too tart, you can even out the tartness by adding a little more salt, to taste.

for the vegan walnut Parmesan cheese:

1 cup walnut pieces

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Place all in bowl of a food processor and pulse until uniform. It will resemble powdered Parmesan cheese. Keep the rest in a jar with a tight fitting lid in your refrigerator. Use within 14 days.

Place the chopped lettuce in a bowl, top with some dressing, crunchy chickpeas, vegan Parm, the fanned avocado half (if using), and some fresh pepper.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

The post vegan caesar salad with crunchy chickpea croutons appeared first on ChinDeep.

From melted lemon chicken to lemon meringue pie milkshakes, all of these recipes are sure to delight. They make lemons the star of the show, and are all bursting with the bright, sunshine zest of tart citrus. Enjoy a blueberry fizz vodka lemonade poolside, a plate of delicious lemon pasta primavera for lunch, or maybe a big slice of decadent lemon lush cheesecake pie to go with your coffee or tea. This collection includes these recipes and many more! Here are 45 lemony recipes for inspiration. Enjoy!

To view the collection, click HERE.

XO,

Melissa

The post 45+ lemon recipes appeared first on ChinDeep.

This Cinco de Mayo the taco truck is coming to your kitchen! Have fun celebrating with these 45+ delicious taco truck recipes! All the classics, some fun new tacos, condiments, horchata, margaritas, and fried ice cream for dessert! Enjoy!

For the collection of taco truck recipes, click HERE.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

~Melissa

The post 45+ taco truck recipes appeared first on ChinDeep.

This delicious, crunchy sandwich wrap is easy to prepare and totally craveable. It’s loaded with fresh, savory ingredients, lots of taco flavor, and a surprising crunch from the Fritos! I have a feeling this will be on your weekly lunch menu rotation. It’s irresistible! Everyone loves this wrap!

Feel free to add your favorite taco ingredients to this wrap. Add black beans instead of the refried beans, or omit the beans all together. Start with mayonnaise or cream cheese if that sounds good to you. There really are no rules when it comes to making a wrap. Just add the stuff you like! Here’s how I make mine.

For one Fritos Crunchy Taco Wrap:

3 Tablespoons refried beans, warmed slightly

1 teaspoon taco seasoning

one large (burrito size) flour tortilla, warmed a little

a large handful of shredded cabbage or already made coleslaw mix

1 or 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, sour cream, or cashew cream

1/2 teaspoon agave syrup

2 Tablespoons of your favorite salsa

1 Tablespoon chopped Jalapeno pepper (optional)

4 chopped cherry tomatoes

1 green onion, sliced thin, including the green tops

1/4 avocado, chopped

3 oz. cooked and cooled vegan chicken strips, or rehydrated soy curls

1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese

1/3 cup Fritos corn chips, crunched up a little

a little shredded lettuce, and/or chopped up, fresh cilantro leaves

your favorite hot sauce

Warm up your tortilla for a few seconds in the microwave between two paper towels, or for a few seconds over a low lit gas burner.

Place warmed tortilla on a plate. Spread the slightly warmed refried beans on the tortilla in a thin, even layer. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the beans.

In a small bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, mayonnaise (or sour cream/cashew cream), agave syrup, salsa, and chopped Jalapeno. Spread this slaw mixture over the beans.

Next, scatter the tomatoes, green onions, avocado, vegan chicken substitute, cheese, Fritos, and lettuce over the slaw. I build up one side a little more than the other for easier rolling. Start with the fuller side and tightly wrap the ingredients inside the tortilla. With the wrap seam side down, cut it in half on the diagonal using a sharp knife. If the wrap is a bit overstuffed, just put a wooden skewer or decorative toothpick in each half to keep it in place until you serve it.

Top with your favorite hot sauce as you eat it.

Enjoy!

~Melissa

The post cruncy fritos taco wrap appeared first on ChinDeep.

Vegan Hot Chip Burger Bar, Rochester Minnesota

Vegan Classic Cheeseburger (with vegan bacon added) + fries

“Sweep The Leg” Boozy Chocolate Mint Milkshake

Vegan 9-5 Salad (small)

We’ve been having fun checking out more restaurants with vegan options in Minnesota. We usually head to the Twin Cities and surrounding areas, but this time we went further south to Rochester to try Vegan Hot Chip Burger Bar. My daughter Andrea loves this place and we had to go see what all the fuss was about.

Wow! Very good vegan burger! They offer the Impossible patty, which is pretty legit and tastes so close to a beef patty it’s kind of scary. What I loved about Hot Chip was the delicious vegan topping options for burgers and salads. The vegan cheese and vegan bacon made the burger experience even more of a treat. Most of the time when a restaurant offers a vegan burger they don’t have cheese, bacon, or even mayonnaise that is plant based. Good job, Hot Chip!

Annnndddd… the toppings on that salad! Crunchy chickpeas, something that reminded me of Parmesan cheese, and creamy ranch dressing. Yum!

And dessert. I can not tell you how much vegans appreciate a vegan dessert option! The fact that someone even thinks to create one warms my heart. And that shake was good! But beware, they aren’t for sissies. Not sure how much alcohol was in it, but my oh my. Day drinking, anyone? If you don’t want a beverage/dessert that contains alcohol in the middle of the day, you could easily order the shakes without them. They have so many delicious flavors! (See menu above.)

So there you have it. If you’re in the Rochester Minnesota area and have a craving for a burger… Go to Hot Chip. Fun atmosphere, great food, and great service.

XO,

Melissa

The post vegan hot chip burger bar ~ restaurant review appeared first on ChinDeep.

Here’s my favorite, easy peasy way to make candied baby carrots for holidays, dinner parties, potlucks, and pretty much any gathering you can think of. Everyone loves them, and there are never any leftovers.

I made up a Crock Pot-ful for Easter and they were the perfect accompaniment to all of the other awesome food. Candied carrots scream springtime. I mean, you could have sweet potatoes, but they just don’t seem as festive as the little carrots this time of year. Amiright?

So here’s the no fuss recipe for candied baby carrots. If you don’t have brown sugar you could use pure maple syrup, or even white sugar. I used to use honey (when I made this recipe), but now I’m vegan and decided to stop being an as*ho** to the bees. They work hard enough. Stop stealing their food. And please don’t write to me telling me how it’s good for them. Just don’t.

Anyhoo… Enjoy!

36 oz. baby packaged petite baby carrots (as shown above)

1/3 cup butter (I used organic Earth Balance)

3/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar, or pure maple syrup…)

1/2 teaspoon salt

a little freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Place everything in a buttered, 4 quart Crock Pot/slow cooker (except for the parsley.)

Cover and cook on the HIGH setting for 4 to 5 hours. Carrots are done when they’re firm/tender. Not mushy.

Serve with the chopped parsley as a garnish.

XO,

~Melissa

The post crock pot candied baby carrots appeared first on ChinDeep.

If you’re looking for an easy coconut cake recipe, this is the recipe for you. I love using cans of soda for easy cakes! I’ve made a couple other ones, and they always turn out super moist and perfect. I used 7-Up for this delicious, patriotic, flag cake… and Coca Cola for this super simple 2 ingredient Chocolate Cake.

This coconut cake starts with two ingredients. Cream soda and white cake mix. I added a little coconut extract to make it super coconutty (is coconutty a word?), and of course fluffy, marshmallow frosting and tons of shredded coconut. So, five ingredients. You’re going to love how fast this goes together! And, if you’d rather have cupcakes, just line 12 muffin tins with cute cupcake papers instead of buttering a 9×13 cake pan, and voila. Cupcakes!

This would be good with chocolate frosting or strawberry frosting too. I love coconut with these options. But I thought just coconut for Easter because I don’t like to veer too far away from this tradition.

If you can’t find a can of cream soda, 7-Up will work too.

Butter a 9×13 cake pan (or 2 square 8×8 cake pans, or 2, 8 or 9 inch round cake pans if you want to make a layer cake.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

You’ll need:

1 (15.25 oz.) boxed, white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 (12 oz.) can cream soda (or 7-Up)

1 Tablespoon coconut extract

1 jar coconut frosting, vanilla frosting, or marshmallow frosting

shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, cream soda, and coconut extract. Mix gently just until completely mixed and only a few lumps appear in the batter. Don’t over-mix.

Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool completely in cake pan set on a wire rack.

If you’re using a 9X13 cake pan you can just leave the cake in the pan and frost it. If you’re making a layer cake, VERY carefully remove cakes and assemble on a tiered cake stand with a domed top.

Frost with the frosting and press the coconut into frosting so it sticks to the cake.

Enjoy!

~ Melissa

The post easy 5 ingredient cream soda coconut cake appeared first on ChinDeep.

Carrot recipes for your Easter celebration! Recipes at the link! Enjoy.

Click here for the carrot recipes!

Happy Easter!

xoxo,

Melissa

The post 15 Carrot Recipes appeared first on ChinDeep.

If you’re in the mood for something fast, delicious, healthy, and filling, it doesn’t get any easier than these four ingredient black bean burgers. You probably already have everything you need to make these in your cupboard or pantry. Change up the seasonings to suit your taste, and gather your favorite hamburger buns, bagels, or English muffins. Pile on the burger toppings, and air fry a big batch of fries as these yummy patties bake in your oven.

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, well drained and well rinsed

1 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste

seasonings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place oats in food processor and pulse until oats turn to flour. Transfer oat flour to a large mixing bowl.

Place the well drained and rinsed black beans in food processor along with the tomato paste. Add whatever seasonings you’re using. I added 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, a few grinds of fresh black pepper, a couple teaspoons original Mrs. Dash seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ad 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Blend all in food processor until uniform and well mixed.

Form mixture into 3 or 4 patties of equal size.

Line a baking sheet with cooking parchment. Place patties on parchment and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. You want your patties to be very firm and browned around the edges.

Place patties on buns and top with your favorite burger toppings. We used lettuce, cashew cream, ketchup, mustard, and garlic refrigerator pickles!

Enjoy!

~Melissa

The post 4 ingredient black bean burgers appeared first on ChinDeep.