Grandma's Spaghetti and Cheese Pudding

 

Hey foodies! I present you today my grandma's pasta pudding recipe which I'm sure you'll love. This is a vegetarian recipe which is not that diet-friendly but still it's a comfort food which you can indulge yourself once in a while.  

I don't normally eat cheese. I mean it rarely happens...only when I don't have anything else to eat (mostly on family dinners). My grandma recently gave up trying to feed me meat but there's a really long way to go until she'll understand that I don't eat dairy products also (well, at least avoid them as much as I can).  

This is a really delicious recipe; you'll have a hard time trying to resist eating all the pudding!

Enjoy!

P.S. The weather is finally better here. Sun is shining and at least you won't freeze to death when you stay more then 20 minutes outside! Ha ha! Here's a pic with one of the cute seagulls that I feed at my window. See..he's happy too :))

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Chocolate Chip Coconut Muffins

No fun, just work! This is exactly what describes this week for me. I have 3 exams to come, lots of projects to finish, no time for cooking, no time for eating, not even time to breathe! Ok..I'm exaggerating but honestly I have to set the alarm clock just to remind me that I have to eat or drink some water. My hand is glued to the mouse and I'm wired! I sometimes ask myself why I chose this...

On top of all, just to complete the scenery...a "very nice and polite" guy sneezed on me 2 days ago and now I started coughing. Yep..fortunately I'm on Vitamin C, Echinacea, and zinc supplements since the flu season began so the symptoms are mild...the headache is what pisses me off!

Now let's stop with the self pity and talk about these gorgeous muffins above! Oh yum! Since this stressful period began I started to have these huge sweet cravings; it's like my brain needs fuel or something. No raw, healthy desserts or delicious fruits can satisfy my cravings..oh no..I crave for baked warm goodies! So today, right before an awful exam, I decided to indulge myself with the cute ones in the photo above.

Bake + chocolate = Love, right?! You'll definitely love this recipe. I added some coconut flakes to make them taste even better! These are super chocolate chip muffins...I named them Coco-choco Muffins! Ha! I think all that sweetness went straight to my brain :))

I wish I had some healthy flour or make a vegan recipe but you can substitute some of the ingredients and make it healthier. Do you know any egg-free muffin recipes? What types of healthy flours can I use? Looking forward to your comments :)


P.S. Check out this  guessing game on Knapkins! It's fun!

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Upside-Down Vegetarian Apple and Cinnamon Pie

Say hello to Mishkin my cat!  Even he loves this pie and trust me he is very picky when it comes to food. He just couldn't leave it out of sight that tempting it was for him. Isn't he cute? He's not always like this you know, peaceful and quiet...oh no.. he's a trouble-maker but I love him anyway.

I don't usually eat baked goodies because I'm not a huge fan of flour-based desserts but this pie is definitely a must-try! It is just perfect for this season and you'll love how all flavors blend together. Also, you can substitute apples with any other fruit you like; I also tried it with sour cherries and peaches and it's just as great. I will not make a habit from eating baked desserts (I still prefer them raw) but from time to time a lovely, warm dessert like this one is just perfect especially now when it's so cold outside.

So for all you animal lovers out there, here's a lovely apple and cinnamon pie to warm your souls and put a sweet smile on your faces!

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Vegetarian Mushroom Shepherd's Pie - with vegan version

This dish is an absolutely must-try for all of you vegans/vegetarians who sometimes miss the taste of meat. This recipe was made by my mom, who is eating less and less meat and she's trying to "vegetarianize" all recipes that she cooks. I'm am so happy that I succeeded in changing  my parents' eating habits even just a little.

Yes, this recipe takes a little longer to prepare but it is definitely worth it! Try it and let me know if you liked it as much as I did.

BIG DILEMMA! What is the most suitable name for this recipe? Some people told me that this is pastistio, others told me it is more like a vegetarian shepherd's pie and now I'm a bit confused because the Romanian moussaka recipe contains meat and no eggplants like the Greek one does and that is the reason why I called it a "moussaka". Any ideas? :)

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Baked Carrot Frittata

First of all, this recipe isn’t vegan. As you know I am not totally vegan and honestly I don’t think I’ll ever be. I love eggs and in my opinion there is absolutely nothing unhealthy about eggs as long as they’re from hens that were not given any growth hormones or that were not fed with chemicals. Fortunately, I have a family friend that has a countryside house and all my eggs come from her.

Now, there is a different story with store-bought eggs. I never buy eggs from the store because I know where they come from and there is nothing healthy about stuffed-with-hormones hens. All chemicals and hormones that were given to hens will be transferred to the egg and finally to you. I only recommend eating eggs that were bought from a safe source. Maybe you’re lucky and you’ll find a trustworthy farmer at your local farmers market.

This is a breakfast recipe for 3-4 people or 2 really hungry ones. (By the way, it is very difficult for me to decide how many servings a recipe has because I eat normal to small servings but my boyfriend eats up to three or even four times more than me. Yeah, he has a big appetite and a fast metabolism. Wish I was like that too.)

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Cauliflower and Tofu Casserole

I really enjoy making casseroles because I like eating foods that are creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I made this dish a couple of days ago and it was a success! Even my “always-eating-meat-and-dairy” parents enjoyed it and trust me this means that it was good!

My granny used to make cauliflower casseroles but instead of tofu she used cheese. Heavenly combination! I really miss that recipe so I decided to “veganize” it. Hope you'll like it as much as I did!

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Multigrain Bread

I’m not a huge fan of baked goodies and I also don’t eat bread very often, but unfortunately my boyfriend needs bread at almost every meal the same way he needs air to breathe. I decided then to make a compromise, so once a week I make him a healthy and tasty bread which is surprisingly filling and instead of eating 5 servings of “filled with chemicals” bread a week, he only eats a healthy one. This is a simple recipe that does not require a lot of kneading.

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