I'm pretty sure everyone knows how to make vanilla sugar. I'm not so sure that people take the time to make it, though. In an effort to give those people a push, here are some super simple directions.

All you need is:

• 4 cups Vegan White Sugar (or Agave or Stevia)
• 2 Vanilla Pods/Beans*

The rule is 1 Vanilla Bean to 2 cups Sugar.

*I use Mexican vanilla beans because they're very fragrant and intensely flavorful. Of course, Madagascar and Tahitian are fine, too.

DIRECTIONS

1. Put 4 cups of white sugar in clean jar.
2. Take vanilla beans and lay them out flat.

3. Use a sharp knife to slice vertically down each vanilla bean.
4. Use a more blunt knife (like a butter knife) to scrape out all of the tiny pulp & seeds from within the bean.
5. Drop pulp & seeds on a plate. Scoop and drop pulp & seeds on top of sugar.

6. With a thick knife/fork, swirl around the pulp & seeds. (You want the tiny flecks of black to be evenly distributed throughout the sugar. You can close the jar and shake it up like I did)

7. Next, bury the vanilla beans/pods in sugar completely. (I cut mine in half, made a "star" of beans and placed them on top of the sugar. Then, I used the end of a wooden spoon to push the "star" of beans deep down into the center of my jar, covering the beans completely)

8. Let the vanilla bean sugar sit in jar for 1-2 weeks.

Use this in your favorite sweets such as French toast, rice pudding, or mixed in your coffee/tea.

Short on time? Skip steps 2-6. Those steps are extra work but they impart more flavor and quicker results. Also, the little flecks of black seeds look awesome.

For used and scraped beans:

1. Rinse them and pat dry.
2. Once they are completely dry, bury the beans in sugar.

Go nuts with this! I like to make citrus sugar with different zests and peels.

Don't forget! You can make vanilla AGAVE and vanilla STEVIA this way too!

My mom makes this all the time. It's perfect. There's nothing else that tastes like it. It's magic! You'd never think that the same old spices and ingredients could make such a unique dish. We've made this twice in the past two days. It's so cheap, quick and low in fat. It's just the perfect thing to fill you way up but not make you feel gross. It's so good on it's own and everyone loves it. I sent Chris out to get me some of the ingredients, and he only had to go to the corner store for everything. Now, that is very cool!

The problem is that, like lots of Mexican cuisine, the versions vary hugely. Some people make it with cheese and that blows my mind. To me, this is perfect in it's own naturally vegan way.

Here's why you're going to make this in the next couple of days:

- It requires 8 ingredients: *Including* 3 spices (salt, cumin and garlic powder), water, and olive oil.
- In Texas, the other 3 ingredients are available at the corner store. Call your corner store and ask!
- It takes about 15 minutes to make.
- It will blow your socks off.
- I've already made it twice in 2 days so we know it's a winner.

This is another one of those that will never have leftovers.

Note: This recipe is like magic. It will by far exceed in taste whatever you're expecting. Because of this, DO NOT (I'm begging here) stray from the recipe at all. Don't add crumbles, tvp, more spices -- nothing else. I'm speaking from experience here. One minor change and the recipe can become something else entirely. Even the lime in the photo is just for garnish. It might still be delicious, but trust me, not as delicious as the recipe below.

Wait until your second time making this to change it up. That way, you can compare.

We ate ours with pinto beans, our queso and tortillas (all on the side).

This makes 2 large or 4 small servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1 Box of Fideo Vermicelli noodles in the yellow box (the noodles are supposed to be broken up)
• 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce (which is 1/2 of a can)
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute onion (Heat your pan on MED, add your oil, then finally add your onions)
2. Once onion is pearly and translucent, ADD in the noodles.
   NOTE: Don't expect your noodles to soften completely yet. Saute them until they are a bit softer. They change colors quickly, and what you're doing now is sauteing UNTIL you reach the color you like. I saute mine for about 2-3 mins.
3. Add in tomato sauce and water. Stir continuously.
4. Raise the heat to HIGH
5. Add in salt, cumin and garlic. Stir, stir.
6. Once it starts to bubble and boil, lower the heat to warm (to simmer)
7. Carefully taste the broth (yummy, huh?)
8. Let it simmer about 7-8 minutes. Stir often.
   NOTE: Watch it closely because you do NOT want to cook off all of your broth, before your noodles are done. You DO want the noodles to completely soften. Taste the noodles often to see if they're soft enough.
9. It's ready when the noodles are completely soft.

Congratulations Comment # 3 (Celene) who said:

"woohoo! I wish you lots of success with your kickass business ventures."

Thank you to everyone who commented!

Chris and I have been busy keeping Austin fed (one danish, cupcake and cookie at a time). Our bakery blew up so fast. And, we've got the battle scars to prove it. From the oven burns, sprained sore wrists from making danish pastry dough, cuts and smashed fingers... we leave our commercial kitchen looking more and more like injured soldiers. If you're in Austin, stop by BouldinCreek and check out our stuff.

First things first--
A giveaway! Leave a comment on this post and next week I will pick a winner by drawing a number and choosing that comment!

The winner gets goodies from our vegan bakery! This includes cookies, cake, pastries and more.

About the Queso recipe--
We *temporarily* removed our queso recipe. There's a good reason, though. After a month, we will put it right back where it belongs. We regularly sell our queso (by the gallons) to BouldinCreek. Also, we are in the process of getting it into a grocery store near YOU. For business reasons, our recipe had to be taken offline while we complete that process. Good news is, it's not too far off...and the recipe will be back soon! Believe it or not, the queso you'll be able to buy (from us) online and at your local grocer is an even more delicious/amazing version of our original queso!!

We have a few major announcements this month and the beginning of next month. You know how much we love surprising announcements! Very much! So there's that. Also, I'll have more time to blog. Recipes are coming!

Good luck on the giveaway!
Start commenting!
Don't forget to include your email address.

Adios.

I've got to apologize. I'm so sorry that most of you have never had this drink. Well, it's your lucky day. In South Texas, Mexican restaurants serve this drink up regularly. Wonder why? It has a one-of-a-kind flavor, it's simple to make and nothing is more refreshing than this.

An horchata (or-CHA -tah) is a drink traditionally made of rice, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Complete with the spicy comfort similar to chai, but creamy/sweet flavor found in rice pudding...all in a drink. There are very few recipes online, and everyone makes it differently although the taste is always the same.

I was pleased when suddenly I remembered this drink and Chris quickly chimed in. We looked for recipes online. Most recipes soak rice overnight, drain, and blend with other ingredients before straining over ice. I have a phobia about using raw rice in anything. Oh, and I also hate for waiting for anything. I'm impatient, what can I say?

We wrote our own recipe using cooked rice. Now, there's no wait! We're pleased that using cooked rice doesn't compromise the flavor. In fact, it might just be creamier. Pour over ice (my favorite) or serve it hot. In California, some bars will make a drink consisting of 2 parts horchata and 1 part coconut rum... now that's what I call a fiesta. This makes 2 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup White Rice, cooked
• 4 cups Soymilk, rice milk or water
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook rice.
2. Add cooked rice and soymilk to blender.
3. Blend for 1 minute.
4. Add sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon.
5. Blend for 1 more minute.
6. Strain mixture through cheesecloth or strainer.
7. Serve over ice or enjoy warm!

TIP: Instead of tossing your strained rice, make Rice Pudding! Simply add cinnamon, sugar and whatever else sounds good. I recommend chocolate or bananas. Yum!