Quick & Easy Pesto | YOUTUBE VIDEO|

Today we are going to take a trip to Italy...Just joking. I wish I could hop on a plane a fly to Italy for some yummy Italian food. Until that day comes I will Just have to make my own Italian food at home. In this video I put my own little twist on this pesto and it came out so good.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves (I used Thai Basil)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup any nuts you like (I used pecans) you can use pinenuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup Shredded Vegan cheese- I used Daiya Mozzarella

I ate this with some homemade garlic knots. I hope to show you how we make our own garlic knots in an upcoming video.Enjoy!

 Please check me out on Facebook and Instagram

Facebook Page-
https://www.facebook.com/HalfPintKitchen1/

Instagram-
Veganhalfpintkitchen

Vegan Asian Snacks- Youtube Video

Hello World, the day has finally come. This is the first YouTube video I have done in YEARSSS. I will start uploading cooking videos as well as reviews weekly. I hope you enjoy my video. FYI there is a special visitor in my video smile emoticon P.S My mom says sorry about the shaky camera


YouTube Video 

Please Visit me on my Facebook page and LIKE, to stay updated on new post.

Half Pint Kitchen Facebook smile emoticonVegan Kid Trys Vegan Snacks

Ben & Jerry's Vegan Ice-Cream

Today was a good day. Being dairy-free means Im always on the hunt for good quality cruelty free ice-cream. While shopping at our local Wal-Mart market my mom came across the new Dairy-free ice cream by B&J.

The only thing I dont like, is that this is not a Vegan company. We usually like to support companies that only make Vegan Products. However, We decided to be fair and give them a chance. Hopefully one day they will see that being dairy free is best and switch from Cows milk to almond milk.

There were big chucks of cookies and ribbons of peanut butter,

Yumm.

Homemade Sweet Potato Chips

Hey everybody out there that likes Potato chips. I have a new quick and easy chip recipe for you. This recipe has less salt and fat then any bagged chips out there. Usually after gymnastics I like to snack. My class is a hour long so I work up an appetite. Sometimes Im not in the mood for fruit. So if you want a healthier version of your favorite crunchy snack, check out the pictures below.

This recipe doesn't have many steps. So it is supper easy for kids of all ages.

First, have an adult help you peel a sweet potato. Once all of the skin is off, use the same potato peeler to make thin slices. In a large pan heat about a cup or two of oil. When the sweet potato slices are a light golden brown, remove them and put them on a paper towel. The paper towel will soak up the extra oil left on the chips. I dont eat my chips with salt, but feel free to sprinkle a little on the top. Once the chips are cool to the touch, crunch away and enjoy.

Please follow the link to my Facebook page and click Like. Thank You :-D Facebook

Vegan Butter Toffee

A friend of mine eats only Gluten free desserts. She asked me if I could make a Vegan, Gluten free cookie. So I decided to make an Almond Toffee Cookie. Instead of buying ready made toffee from the supermarket, I asked my mom to show me how to make it from scratch. I thought it was going to be hard, but it was actually really easy.

Ingredients: Dairy free butter, Sugar, Vanilla extract, salt, and water.


1- Add 1/2 Cup Butter
             1/2 Cup Sugar
             1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
              Pinch of Salt
              2 Tbsp. water
Into a saucepan, and bring to a boil on Med/High. It should take about 3-5 minutes.
Insert a candy thermometer to see when mixture reaches 300 degrees F. If you do not have a thermometer, my mom said that when the mixture is at 300 degrees, it will start to turn golden brown. So as soon as you notice it starting to golden brown, it is ready to be poured onto wax paper.

2- Once mixture is at 300 F pour onto wax paper and let cool. when mixture is hard, break into tiny pieces.


This toffee is sooo yummy. My cousin and I snacked on a few pieces and used the rest for the Gluten free almond toffee cookies that I will be posting soon. Enjoy!!


Please follow me on Facebook for updates and more. Click Here :-)

Thai Soup Goodness

    A few months ago my mom and I woke up early one Sunday morning to travel to a beautiful Buddhist temple in Tampa, FL. The Wat Mongkolrata Temple is located on Palm River Rd in Tampa. Every Sunday they have a Thai Market from 9:00am to 1:00pm. The ladies of the temple get together and cook authentic Thai dishes, which they sell to the public. The food there was so delicious and so flavorful. Wat Mongkolrata Thai Temple

Thai food is often made with many fresh flavorful herbs and spices. This is one of my favorite cuisines. Today for lunch, my mom and I decided to make a delicious Thai Soup.

Ingredients: Carrot, Thai Basil,Mushrooms (any variety), Coconut Milk,Massaman Curry paste, Ginger, Tarro Root(optional, you can use a potato instead), Lemongrass, Bok Choy, and any asian style noodles you like

Dice all of your Veggies

1-Add noodles to boiling water, and boil until al dente, 

2-Add 1 inch diced ginger, white parts of two scallions, hand full of mushrooms, and whole can of Massaman curry paste to 2 TBSP of oil and saute for 2 mins.

3-Add one can of coconut milk and another 2 Cups of water.

4-Bring to boil

1-Add diced Taro root and Carrots to boiling soup

Once Taro root and Carrots are tender, and bok chow and simmer for 2 mins.

Once noodles are cooked add some to bowl, Then ladle in soup and veggies.

Garnish with green parts of scallions and Thai basil, and Enjoy!! :-D

Please follow me on Facebook for updates and more Click here

Farmers Market Goodies

Today my mom was driving and we noticed a little farmers market on the side of the road. We decided to stop and see what kind of treats were inside.

My mom described it as having an old school look to it.

Since it was above 80 degrees today in Florida, I decided to get a cool drink.

Some of the drinks had funny names. I love trying new flavors of soda.

We love buying fresh produce. So while at the farmers market I decided to gather some fresh veggies to take home and cook with. There was such a large selection of  peppers and fruits. We bought some okra that we plan on adding to a stew and a poblano pepper that we will add to some homemade guacamole.

The peppers had such a nice smell

There were also some healthy snacks available, so we decided to get some for the long ride back home.

Its a good thing to always read the ingredients. These chips were all natural. Sweet potatoes and sea salt. They were so good :-D

This Market is definitely on our favorite list. Its so important to support local farmers. If you have a farmers market in your neighborhood, you should buy produce from them. It will be fresher and healthier for you. Shop local and Enjoy!!

Follow me on facebook for updates on new blog post and pictures.Click Here

If you are in the Lutz, Florida area check out  Friendly Family Farm. This is the link to their Facebook Page. Click Here