Marla from Family Fresh Cooking

Please welcome a friend of mine, Marla from Family Fresh Cooking, where she blogs about delicious, whole food recipes to inspire healthy lives. We are cross-posting today, so be sure to pay a visit to her wonderful blog!

Take it away Marla!

Hi everyone! My name is Marla and I am beyond thrilled to guest here at Oh She Glows. Angela and I met online recently and we hit it off as soon as we connected. I discovered her blog while gawking over her recipes at Tastespotting and Foodgawker. We are two gals who love sharing recipes that encourage creativity with whole food ingredients. Huge flavor and energy rich healthy foods are the focus on our blogs. People say that we eat with our eyes first. Both Angela and I love making healthy food beautiful to gaze upon and munch on.

Although I am not vegan I embrace all kinds of culinary choices. The vegan world fascinates me. I have been having a blast experimenting with animal free ingredients, especially in my baking. I am happy that I have become enlightened to the endless possibilities of the vegan lifestyle.

With two little kids and a super busy life I choose foods that keep our physical energy and emotions running at peak performance. The recipes I share here with you are from my blog Family Fresh Cooking. The ones I profile are vegan, they range from sweet to savory and everything in between. If occasionally you see dairy products in my posts feel free to adapt with vegan alternatives. Angela has been great at teaching me the in’s and out’s of the vegan world. You can also ask her or me which adaptations would work for my recipes that are not 100% vegan.

Vegan Baking

I have to admit that this category thrills me the most. I avoided baking for so long because traditional sweets, heavy flours and refined ingredients don’t agree with me anymore. Thankfully my world has now opened up, I have found amazingly healthy ingredients that can be baked up and enjoyed any time of day.

I love the bonus of no yucky energy crashes after eating these treats. There are so many great replacements to dairy out there. Tastes and textures remain heavenly and addictive even without eggs, butter and such. I partner a lot of my vegan baking with gluten free flours too. Some of my favorites include:

• Almond Chickpea Cookies
• Avocado Scones
• Telluride Trail Bars

Veggie Soups

Simple to prepare and filled with flavor, soup is a wonderful way to eat your veggies. I make big batches of soups for grab and go meals. For more protein I add tofu or tempeh. Soy sour cream and fresh herbs are always a great garnish.

• Broccoli Cauliflower Avocado Soup (shown above)
• Sweet Potato Chickpea Soup
• Zucchini Carrot Soup

Tofu or Tempeh Stir Frys

I keep large amounts of cleaned and prepped fresh veggies in the fridge at all times. Simple stir frys are a cinch to cook up and awesome to tuck in the fridge for quick meals and lunch boxes. Seen here is my Sesame Tofu with Spring Vegetables and Quinoa.

Applesauce

We love apple sauce in our house. More a method than an actual recipe, I enjoy using all kinds of fruits and spices for variety. Not only is applesauce a delicious snack, it adds great texture and helps to reduce fats used in baked goods. You can layer it in soy yogurt parfaits. It is also wonderful stirred into a steamy bowl of oatmeal.

• Chai Tea Applesauce
• Cherry Earl Grey Applesauce
• Cinnamon Stick Applesauce (shown above)
• Pumpkin Vanilla Applesauce

Angela, thanks so much for inviting me over to Oh She Glows. Come visit with Angela over at my place too!

Feel free to contact me at any time. I can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon and at the local coffee shop. Find more of my recipes and healthy lifestyle tips on my blog Family Fresh Cooking.

Our favorite place on Earth: Telluride, Colorado. Crisp cool air, a great place for all kids of outdoor exercise and amazing food!

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How adorable are they!? Thank you Marla for guest posting today! Be sure to check out Family Fresh Cooking as I have a feeling you will enjoy it as much as I do!