It’s that time of year again! Time for the Virtual Vegan Potluck! Last year, I participated by submitting some lovely Plum-Strawberry Popsicles. This year, I’m back with guilt free, gluten free, and of course, vegan, Lemon-Coconut Meltaways. So sit back, enjoy this recipe, then scroll through the entire potluck for some delicious vegan appetizers, beverages, breads, salads, sides, main dishes, and desserts! There are 169 of us this year, so get ready to see some delicious food!

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GUILT FREE COCONUT-LEMON MELTAWAYS
Adapted from Addicted to Veggies
Yields 2 dozen Bite-sized snacks

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/3 cups coconut flour
Very generous pinch of salt
6 Tablespoons Grade A Pure Maple Syrup
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to the lowest heat possible-for me, it was 175F.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of standing mixer, combine almond flour, coconut, coconut flour, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer or a hand mixer, stream liquid ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Slowly stream in melted coconut oil until dough begins to form. If you don’t have a powerful mixer, you may need to knead the dough at this point.

Roll pieces of dough into bite sized balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 1 hour. Your finished cookies will be dry on the outside and gooey on the inside.

THE REVIEW

These little babies are just what I need for my sweet tooth. I love lemon and I love coconut, so why not combine them in a way that is guilt-free? Since they’re naturally sweetened, I don’t feel weighed down with sugar after I eat one, and they’re small enough that I can pop one in my mouth to satisfy my nagging sweet tooth.

I also can’t complain because they were super easy and quick to prepare! I got some work done while waiting on them to dehydrate- as in I worked on a puzzle. Ah, the life of a college student during the summer.

I hope you all enjoy the Potluck!

Favorite Infographic: The Rise of the Food Truck
I love food and I love road trips, so obviously I love food trucks!

Favorite Adventure: Photamerica
I had a chance to hang out with Josh of Photamerica a few weeks back! He interviewed me, took some pictures, and I got to make him dinner!

Favorite Sweet Tooth: Samoa Bars
Do I need to say anything else?

Favorite WTF: Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken LollipopsAnd 29 other ways to honor Peanut Butter and Jelly.

Favorite Hair: Red OmbreOne day, when my hair is long!

Favorite Poster: Nature’s CureThere’s an entire series of these. I think they’re stunning!

Favorite Treat: Noosa YoghurtI’ve been eating this stuff like it’s my job…is that a job? Can someone hire me to eat this?

Favorite Funny: Slothstranaut
And most other sloth pictures

Favorite Workout: Run-Burpee-Run
I did this the other day and it felt awesome! I almost quite a few times, because it was pretty hard work. But I did it! Woohoo!

Favorite Flick: Butter
I watched this last night and thought it was hysterical!

Favorite Tunes: Commitment Bells
These guys are dropping an album today and I’m seeing them tomorrow! And happy birthday to their front man, Charlie!

And that’s all I’ve got for today.

Have a great weekend! Happy spring!

After what seemed to be too short of a weekend, Cory and I decided to wrap up our vacation the right way: with more food…breakfast food to be exact. After debating about where to eat for the entire hour it took us to get packed up and ready to go, we rightfully decided on Aretha Frankenstein’s.

ARETHA FRANKENSTEIN’S

I’d done a little research before picking this place out. Even then, though, my expectations were way off. I mean honestly, there are a few breakfast spots that stick out in my mind. Blue Plate in Memphis is one that jumps out at me, primarily because of their HUGE portions. As far as different breakfast goes though, I can’t think of any particular breakfast joint that really blows my mind with unique food.

Well, until now.

THE ATMOSPHERE

Aretha Frankenstein’s is located on the north side of Chattanooga, nestled in a quaint little neighborhood with old and funky houses. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this spot is open literally all day. We’re talking 7 a.m.-midnight.

Aretha Frankenstein’s is housed in a small, blue house full of life and color. A huge bar is the focal point of the dining area, with small tables surrounding. A large wrap-around patio is home to a dining bar, and another patio is home to a few tables (primarily used for waiting customers). The line for Aretha’s was pretty long when we were there. Due to their tiny kitchen, the wait for a table is pretty long, and once you get your food, it’s around a 30 minute wait. But please don’t let that detour you! Waiting for good, fresh food is a great thing that we don’t normally take time to do.

THE FOOD

Aretha’s is known for their pancakes. Yeah, I know. Everyone says that. BUT THEY MEAN IT! Cory had one pancake with a side of bacon and potatoes. Talk about a giant pancake! These hotcakes are thick, moist, and not as sweet as your average pancake. They’re a bit more dense than most pancakes, and to me, resembled a sweet cornbread more than a regular buttermilk pancake. Cory couldn’t clean his plate, so I offered to help.

I got an omelette. Again, not just any old omelette. This omelette was called The Jabber. The Jabber is an omelette filled with refried beans (and normally beef, but I obviously opted out of that) and topped with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Think huevos rancheros minus the tortilla, plus the beans. This omelette is filling and unlike any omelette I’ve ever thought of making, or trying for that matter. The beans plus the creamy cheese and sour cream make this omlette hearty, but the fresh lettuce, salsa, and eggs make it pleasing and almost refreshing.

Finally, the potatoes. Oh, these potatoes. Aretha’s potatoes are cooked with jalapenos and onions, which was a perfect side to my Mexican-style omelette. They’re spicy, but nothing overbearing. The potatoes are cooked to perfection, not too tender, not too soft, just right.

Make sure to take a few hours of your visit to check out Aretha’s, whether it be morning, noon, or night. This place has a menu for every meal of the day, and they even serve some local beer. If you want to try the pancakes in the comfort of your own kitchen, do it!

Outtakes

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to blog about every place we enjoyed, here are a few places I advice any traveler (or local) to check out!

SturmHaus Beer Market
Sluggo’s (I wish I would have taken pictures at this place, it was the perfect vegan spot!)
The Terminal
The Honest Pint
Hair of the Dog
Baked in ChattanoogaThe Ice Cream Show

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