Graham crackers. Perhaps one of my all-time favorite snacks.

No, I didn’t say all-time favorite desserts.
That title is already held by cake and ice cream.
And dark chocolate.
And Sunday donuts – one in each hand double-fisting with chocolate milk style.
a.k.a. Fatty McPudgyton style.

But yes. Graham crackers are good. Very, very good.

Especially when the graham cracker dough tastes like straight up cookie dough.

Yes, cookie dough, as in the kind that tastes like happiness and childhood, and is loaded with butter and sugar and every other thing in the world that will surely give you cancer by 30 and morph you from a size 6 to a solid 10.

Except, this dough is healthy. It’s vegan and gluten free and doesn’t have any chocolate chips.

So yeah, you can stay a size 6 and have a cookie.
Isn’t that nice?

I came upon this recipe after having a huge fail with trying to make savory buckwheat crackers.
I rolled them too thick.
I didn’t add enough salt.
I slightly overbaked them.
They tasted like sand.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaa.

The idea of buckwheat graham crackers became more appealing to me than savory ones.
Because if I can’t have a cookie until March 8th, I can at least have a healthy graham cracker, right?

Right?

Well, I say yes.

These crackers are abundantly healthy.
They contain no butter or gluten and have very little sugar.
And they really do taste like a graham cracker!
Granted, a healthier graham cracker. But a graham no less.

I’ve never baked anything similar to this but the recipe was very easy to follow.
It came together quickly without much effort and the result was beautiful.
I think they look like gorgeous little rustic beauties, and I want to eat them all.

I followed this recipe only I used 1/4 cup regular sugar instead of 1/3 cup coconut sugar.
And I ground my own buckwheat flour from raw buckwheat groats.
The result seemed pretty consistent with the original recipe.
I was a happy baker.

I find that the taste of buckwheat flour isn’t much different than whole wheat.
Others have described as earthy or nutty, and that may be true.
But regardless, the difference is minimal and I find the taste very pleasant.

I thought it coupled well with the subtle flavor from the coconut oil.
And they had just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.
They’d probably be great as cereal, broken up with a little milk!

Dream big.

They are really great just plain.
Or with a smear of peanut butter.

I have big plans for these little guys once my no-sugar challenge is over.
Think homemade vegan smores.

Yeah, I said it.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

xo, dana.

You know how sometimes you have a bad eating day and then you swear the next day you’re going to do better and not touch any chocolate covered pretzels on your boss’s desk? But then the next day arrives as unwanted as your period and you don’t know what to make for healthy breakfast and then your coworker calls telling you she’s bringing donuts to the morning meeting and while you’re listening to her explain the elaborate array of glazed and sprinkled donut holes she picked out, there’s a lone chocolate chip last bagel eyeing you from the counter, taunting you and wistfully calling your name?

Well, this is my solution to that.

Breakfast salad. Easy.
Just chop up some fruit and veg, put it in a bowl, and blam.
You have a breakfast salad – to go.

The ingredients are simple. Just spinach and fresh fruit.
Lemon juice, chia seeds and peanut butter act as an additional garnish.
You know, for protein, flavor ‘n stuff.

As I was preparing my salad John walked into the kitchen and we shared this exchange.

John: What are you making?
Me: A breakfast salad.
John: That’s my honey.
Me: Would you like some?
John: Aaahhhh, I’ll stick to coffee.

Then he walked off.

What do you expect? The boy doesn’t like veggies, especially not at 7a.m.
Coffee is his only sustenance until lunch. Lit’rally.
Clearly we have nothing in common when it comes to breakfast.

Breakfast Salad
serves 1 | vegan

Ingredients
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 green apple, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced
3/4 banana, sliced
1 orange, peeled and separated
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Method | Plate spinach and arrange with fruit. The prettier the better. Then sprinkle the entire salad with lemon juice and chia seeds. Place peanut butter in the corner for dipping. Marvelous.

I was beaming as I ate this.
It doesn’t get any healthier, fresher or more delicious than this.

It was like giving my body a big hug first thing in the morning.
My little way of saying ‘I love you, body. Thanks for being healthy for me.’
‘And for this, I will reward you with salad.’

We have a special bond, my body and I.

Breakfast salad. Yeah, I think I could get used to this.

Enjoy! Dana.

Friends, guess what? John planned a surprise trip to Breckenridge, CO for our 2-year wedding anniversary! Wahoo!

He finalized the plans last week and has been keeping it from me for months. How he does it I do not know because I am relentless in my hint dropping. For the past month or so I’ve been daydreaming aloud and mentioning left and right how I’ve been jonesin’ for a trip to Colorado. And it worked! See? Sometimes whining does get you places in life.

Dad, you lied.

If you remember, we went to Breckenridge last year for our 1-year anniversary and it was amazing. Breckenridge holds a special place in our hearts because it’s where we honeymooned for two weeks before moving to Portland.

It’s one of our very favorite places on earth because of its laid-back vibe, amazing views and incredible places to eat – including our favorite little French Bakery. World’s best ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches on baguette. World’s best cup of coffee au lait. And world’s best french pastries, no lie.

I couldn’t be more thrilled. We’ll be gone the 8th – 12th and I plan to document our adventures so it’s like you’ll be there with us the whole time. Hope that’s not weird. I’m cool with it if you are. Just go with it.

We’ll be staying at John’s Uncle’s cabin, which is incredibly spacious and has a hot tub. A flippin’, hot tub, on the deck, in the snow. Be stoked. And two of our very best friends will be joining us as well – Daniel and Kelsey! We’re going to have a blast. I seriously can’t wait.

And let’s be real. I’ve already strategically planned our first four meals. I will gain 5 pounds. It will be awesome. Yes, I’m that food-obsessed. Why would you expect anything different?

Soooo my no sugar challenge is an effort to trim up a little before we leave so I can fully (over)indluge on the trip. I’m planning to do no sweets until March 8th since sugar is my current downfall.

Anyone care to join me? It is a worthwhile pursuit. Because if you had a Valentine’s Day like mine you’re still sitting on a little extra love pillow, if you know what I mean. Think chocolate bar overload to the max.

Muffin top BE GONE.

Anyways, it shall be fun. I hope you’ll join me. It’ll be like a little winter trim down for all of us. How rad.

see ya soon! xo. dana.

Allow me to introduce you to two of my very best friends: PB and J.

They’re besties, kinda like PB and banana. Except these two go wayyyyy back, which makes them old school besties.
They play well together, especially on top toast, bread, inside of cupcakes and more recently, on pancakes.

Awww, how cute.

I was inspired to make these pancakes after recently smearing melty PB and J on toast and falling back in love with my childhood favorite all over again.

The base of the batter is actual oatmeal, which makes them a slightly more dense, rustic pancake.
Plus, there’s no butter or oil and they’re completely vegan. So it’s more like a plus, plus, plus.

This isn’t your ‘might pass off as birthday cake’ pancake.
This is your ‘I really want cake for breakfast but still want to feel semi-healthy’ pancake.
Make sense? I sure hope so.
Because I wouldn’t want you to miss out on this fat stack of pancake bliss.

There is a touch of peanut butter in the batter, but then I went and added a generous helping on top, too.
I mean, do I really have to explian myself here?
Is more peanut butter ever really a bad thing?
No. Let me answer that. No, it’s not.

PB & J Oatcakes
vegan | makes 10 medium pancakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup non-dairy milk [like almond or soy]
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar

Topping
2 Tablespoons each natural peanut butter and jelly

Method | Preheat griddle to medium-high heat [about 350 degrees]. Prepare oatmeal by combinging oats and boiling water in a bowl. Cover and let set for 5 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add remaining wet ingredients to oatmeal, including PB, and mix. Add wet to dry and stir until just combined. Scoop onto lightly greased griddle in 1/4 cup measurements. These take a bit longer to cook than traditional pancakes since the oatmeal gives them a lot of moisture – about 2-3 minutes each side. Top with melted PB and J. Dig in!

Holy cow! I mean, could anything really be less than marvelous with pb and j melted on top?
I think not.

Although they didn’t come out as puffy as I’d originally imagined, they were incredibly delicious.
The oatmeal gave them a moist and hearty texture. They aren’t overly sweet. And the PB&J is just phenomenal on top. Makes me forget maple syrup ever existed.

I simply couldn’t dig into these without slicing some banana on top first.
It just wouldn’t have been right. And I was totally right.

Banana takes these from an A to an A+.
Or an A+++, depending on how generous of a teacher you are.
And I for one am a very generous teacher.

That’s a good pancake. A very, very good pancake.

And now onto spelling. Class?

D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s. Delicious.
A +++++++++++++ for all!

Enjoy! : )

Dana.

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Hi everyone! My name is Aubrey from I Talk to Food. I’m 22, a lover of running and a cook! I graduated with my associates degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America in September 2011. I’m currently finishing up my last year to complete my bachelor’s degree.

My blog is all about culinary school, healthy living, recipes, dining out in New York City and random ideas I get. For instance, today I am experimenting and eating a completely Raw Diet for one week. I’ll be posting my experience, recipes I come up with and everything in between.

I love Dana’s blog. Her photography is beautiful, her life is lovely and the recipes she conjures up seem very tasty. I was thrilled when she asked me to do a guest post swap.

We both wrote questions for each other to answer, along with our favorite recipes.

Here we go!

1) What’s your favorite vegetable to cook with?
I LOVE cooking brussels sprouts. Sliced in a salad, shaved and sauteed, deep fried whole and of course roasted. In the summer I love using zucchini and squash. My favorite is making squash noodles and tossing them in a pesto.

Shaved Brussels, Broccoli + Almond Salad

2) What was one of the best meals you’ve ever had?
This quite possibly could be one of the hardest questions to answer. I have been lucky enough to eat some incredible food all over the world. I really believe that food tastes better when you’re with the right people in the right place. The first meal that comes to mind is a dinner I had with my parent’s in Italy. We had been walking all over Venice. We were all sort of tired, really hungry and pretty grumpy. It was only 5pm, so finding a place for dinner was out of the question. We ended up finding this empty outdoor restaurant that was shaded by wildly growing vines over a trellis.

When my dad is hungry he will do anything for food. So even though the restaurant was empty, he walked through the courtyard and through a door to the kitchen. Five minutes passed and the owner of the restaurant smiled as he set up a table for us outside. He brought us fresh bread, peach Bellini’s, creamy polenta, fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, basil and drenched in olive oil and thick aged balsamic. It was pure heaven. We took 2.5 hours to eat, got a little tipsy and enjoyed every bite of the Italian food.
I’d give anything to eat that meal again…..and again.

3) What was your latest recipe fail?
My friend Ilana and I really wanted to make healthy banana chocolate chip cookies. We used a whole wheat flour, less sugar, ripe bananas….you get the point. It just wasn’t delicious as we had hoped.

4) When did you get into healthy living/eating?
I remember distinctly being in 6th grade and suddenly becoming obsessed with healthy food. I started bringing my own lunches. My friends all looked at me like I was a weirdo. I remember packing little baggies of almonds, carrot sticks and Yoplait yogurt. I also did ballet, tap and jazz in 5th grade, so my healthy living in being active started then too. I loved the feeling of eating healthy and working out and I have been addicted to it ever since.

5) Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up in a very small town in Northern Nevada near Lake Tahoe. I despised it as a little kid until I realized that I was so lucky to be living in the middle of open fields with cows and beautiful views of the mountains. Now, I live in Hyde Park, New York attending my last year of culinary school. I will be graduating February 2013 with my bachelor’s degree, WHOOP! I am not sure where I’ll live in my future, but I am thinking Northern Nevada.

6) What are you most passionate about in life?
I am very passionate about family. My parents and sisters mean the world to me. I love the idea of having traditions and staying close to one another. It’s hard to be living in different parts of the country, but I am very passionate about maintaining a close relationship.

I’m OBVIOUSLY passionate about food. I love cooking for people. It’s my way of expressing my love. Which also goes hand in hand with healthy living and keeping a balance between fried calamari and apples.

And then there’s running and excercise. I adore it. I look forward to working out. I am that annoying girl that LOVES to workout. I started running three years ago and couldn’t imagine my life without running.

7) How did you ‘become’ a foodie?
I suppose I truly became a foodie in high school when I started reading cookbooks, watching the cooking shows and making dinner for my parents. When I got to culinary school and was surrounded by chicken liver pate, bone marrow and having access to New York City my foodie-ness went to the extreme. Every chance I get, I go into the city to try a new food or new restaurant.

8 ) What’s your biggest food downfall/temptation?
Hands down my biggest downfall is TRAIL MIX. The classic bag of salted cashews, almonds, peanuts, raisins and m&ms. Honey, if you put a Costco-sized bag in front of me….my knees get weak and my inhibitions disappear.

We both wanted to share with you all our current favorite personal recipe as well as our most popular.

My Current Favorite Recipe:
Eggs in Avocado

My Most Popular Recipe:
Chickpea, Kale + Avocado Salad

This was a fun guest post swap. Thanks Dana for the great idea

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Thank YOU Aubrey. You’re the best. And the cutest. And you’re in culinary school so you’re kind of a rockstar.

I hope you all enjoyed the guest post.
I’ll be back soon with a tantilizing, healthy recipe.
Promise.

xo. dana.