March 2020 – The Savvy Pantry

Vegan Layered Pantry Brownies

Published on March 31, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys,

It’s a crazy time out there right now! I want to start off by saying that I hope you and your family are safe at home and practicing social distancing. Naturally my husband and I are home bodies so staying at home for the 3^rd week has been quite pleasant – we are fortunate enough to still have our jobs and are able to work from home.

Practicing social distancing (or more, physical distancing) means that I’ve had to reduce the number of trips I make to the grocery store. That compounded by the fact that I have more free time at home now (since I’ve cut my commute down to 0% and can no longer go to the gym), I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands to explore my pantry and become inspired again.

This is how I came up with these vegan layered pantry brownies a.k.a quarantine brownies. I started off by reviewing what ingredients I had in my pantry that I hadn’t touched in a while (and when I say a while, I mean probably 6 months to a year) and then googling what I could make with it.

These vegan layered pantry brownies were born out of boredom and a necessity to use up old ingredients in my pantry. I also admittedly have been snacking a lot more so I wanted to make these brownies slightly healthier by omitting the traditional sugar filled condensed milk and filling it with a chickpea batter instead. I also didn’t have enough graham crackers so half of the crust is made from ground up ice cream cones, though you can skip that part!

I hope you guys like this recipe and feel inspired to explore your pantry during this time.

Now set forth and be savvy!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup vegan butter, melted

Ingredients

1 ½ cup chickpeas (about 1 can)
½ cup tahini
¼ cup quinoa flour (or whatever flour you have on hand like oats or almond)
½ cup aquafaba (reserve chickpea water)
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened coconut shreds, reserving about 2 tbsps
1 cup butter scotch chips, reserving about 2 tbsps
1 cup dark chocolate chips, reserving about 2 tbsps
½ cup chopped nuts of your choice (pecans, peanuts, walnuts, almonds etc)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl.
Press into the bottom of a 9 x 9 baking dish.
Mix all of the chickpea batter ingredients in a blender until smooth, scraping down the sides.
Using a spoon, mix all of the mix in ingredients into the blended chickpea mixture
Pour the mixture onto the crust
Mix the reserved mix ins together and sprinkle on top of the chickpea mixture
Bake for 30 minutes
Let cool for minimum 20 minutes before digging in

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

Published on March 28, 2020March 28, 2020 by thesavvypantry1 Comment

Green Goddess Green Cheese

Hi Savvys!

I am so excited to be posting my first ever sponsored post! This Green Goddess Grilled Cheese recipe is sponsored by Emborg Canada (@emborgcanada) and features their new line of vegan cheeses. I received 2 styles of sliced cheese: cheddar and mozzarella. As soon as I first opened my package and saw the mozzarella slices, there were so many ideas for recipes running through my head that I knew I had to make a post about it.

The Savvy Pantry Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

The cheese: the slices are sturdy, holds up well when grilled in a sandwich and is gooey when you bite into it. The main ingredient is coconut oil but it does not taste like coconut at all. It has the familiar saltiness from dairy mozzarella and is just as versatile. I used 4 slices for this recipe and was pleasantly surprised that you could also re-seal it, meaning I could use the remaining slices for another day.

Since we are getting ready to leave on vacation for our holiday break, this recipe was inspired by the ingredients that I had to use up before we left. Full of fresh herbs on top of sourdough bread (from my freezer) and sautéed king oyster mushrooms, this grilled cheese is hearty and so satisfying. Feel free to change up the bread, the type of mushroom and the ratio of herbs. It will taste just as good!

The Savvy Pantry Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

Enjoy, set forth, and be savvy!

Recipe makes 6-8 sandwiches

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

Green Goddess Sauce

1 handful each parsley, cilantro and basil
1 bunch of green onion, roughly sliced
2 garlic cloves
Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup avocado oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Sauteed King Oyster Mushroom

2 tsp oil
1 package king oyster mushroom, sliced thinly (170 grams)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Sandwich

1 package Emborg Mozzarella style cheese
8 slices of your favourite bread
¼ cup vegan butter (I used vegan Becel)

Directions:

For the Sauce:

Throw all of the sauce ingredients into a blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth. Scrape down and process again to make sure all of the ingredients are well blended.

For the mushrooms:

Add oil on medium high to a grill/frying pan. Once the oil is hot enough (test by adding 1 slice of mushroom and if it sizzles, it’s ready), add all of the sliced mushrooms. Try to place them in a thin layer and try not to overlap (it’s ok if you do!). Let it cook for 2 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, sautee the mushrooms so they lie on their other side, and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another minute (make sure all of the balsamic vinegar has cooked off). Turn off heat and set aside for sandwich assembly.

Assembly:

Lay out all of the bread on a cutting board (you may have to do 4 slices at a time, 2 sandwiches at a time).

Spread about 1 tbsp green goddess sauce onto 4 slices of the bread. Arrange the mushrooms evenly on the remaining 4 slices of bread. Add a slice of Emborg Mozzarella style cheese onto each of the mushroom slices. Place the green sauce sliced bread on top of the cheese sliced bread, with the sauce on top of the cheese.

Using the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in (mainly because I’m lazy and try not to dirty too many pans), place on top of your stove on medium low. Butter 1 side of each sandwich with about ½ tbsp. of vegan butter (or as much as you want). Carefully take a sandwich and place the buttered side onto the hot pan. Butter the other side of the sandwich with another ½ tbsp. of vegan butter. After about 2 minutes (be careful not to burn!), flip and cook for another minute or so (until you are satisfied with the brownness).

Set the sandwiches back onto your cutting board and let rest for a minute before slicing into it. Enjoy! If you have leftover green goddess sauce, use as dipping sauce or use in another recipe (be Savvy)!

The Savvy Pantry Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

Neutrogena Bright Boost Review

Published on March 22, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys,

I received the full Neutrogena Bright Boost skincare line from Chickadvisor for review. This line includes products for a full skin care routine including a scrub, serum, moisturizer and SPF moisturizer. See my youtube video for the full review and routing! Continue reading below for the review of each product.

Now set forth and be savvy!

I really like this scrub. It has a mild smell and is also very mild on my skin. It isn’t abrasive at all which is great because I find scrubs usually make my face turn red after using them because of the harshness of the scrubs. I also like that it went on in a light layer and washed off very easily. They do recommend only using this 2-3 times a week, so you will have to find another daily cleanser to complete this routine.

TheSavvyPantry-NeutrogenaBrightBoost (6)

TheSavvyPantry-NeutrogenaBrightBoost (7)

I love serums because they are often times very light and make my skin feel fresh and plump. I did notice that this serum is quite thick, but liquid enough that my skin was able to absorb it very quickly. I also liked that it didn’t leave my hand feeling sticky which is great because my face didn’t feel sticky either. I would definitely recommend this as a daily serum.

I love how thick and creamy this moisturizing gel cream is. The container itself made it seem very luxurious even though Neutrogena is an everyday commercial brand. Upon opening the container, there is a protective plastic lid inside with a handle for easy application and to prevent the cream from going all over the container’s lid. I also really liked that this had a light smell and made my skin feel very hydrated. I am actually using this as a night cream because I use the SPF moisturizer as a day cream.

I absolutely love that this moisturizer is SPF 30. It is so important to have SPF in your daily moisturizer to protect our skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Most moisturizers I’ve seen contain max SPF 15 so I was thrilled to see that this came in SPF 30. Even though the SPF is stronger, surprisingly it didn’t smell too strongly of SPF. It also didn’t leave my hands or face feel too greasy and the scent is almost non existent. I would recommend this as a daily moisturizer.

Amoda Superfood Latte Review

Published on March 15, 2020March 11, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys!

I was so excited to have received some of Amoda’s new Superfood Lattes! These lattes come in single serve pouches that are ready for any hot liquid of your choice. These lattes do not contain any fillers, any artificial flavours, no added sugars and are all naturally vegan.

I love that these lattes are made with high quality ingredients and include adaptogens to give you wellness and balance in every cup. Check out their website to discover the curated ingredients that are paired with each flavour to help compliment any lifestyle.

They also offer a subscription box for those tea lovers, or to gift to a tea lover in your life! Don’t forget to check it out on their website as well.

See below for my full review on each flavour.

Now set forth and be savvy!

I had the Brainiac Chai first thing in the morning to help me get started and motivated for my day of cleaning up. As the tea box recommended, I mixed it with some hot water. The first thing I noticed was that there was a very nice aroma as I mixed it with my hot water. There were really nice notes of chai and coconut. The appearance of the actual powder was not what I was used to since it was more brown in color, kind of like hot chocolate, but it was also clear and transparent enough that I could see the bottom of my mug. The flavour was very mild and a touch bland – in the future I will try it with coffee since it recommends that as well. I suspect this would be really tasty in a plant-based milk as well. Since I don’t usually have caffeine in my diet, I really liked how the caffeine gave me energy without overwhelming my senses, which is typically what happens when I have lots of caffeine.

The next tea that I had was the Matcha Glow. This is probably my favourite of the three and will definitely incorporate this into my weekly routine. I had warmed up some plant-based milk over the stove top and added the Matcha powder. I whisked it well until it was well combined. I found that the powder dissolved really nicely and quickly into the warm milk. I also really liked the color and specs of Matcha in the drink. The flavour was rich, almost like a dessert and would go well with a baked good on the side. The tea does mention that there is a coconut base however I did not taste it – I think I would try it with a coconut milk to see how the flavours are enhanced and go together.

I tried the Golden Hour tea after lunch. I had also mixed it in some warmed-up plant-based milk and really liked the golden color to my drink as well as how well it mixed into the liquid. The turmeric and coconut flavours really balanced each other out. I did not notice any after taste, however I think the flavours would be more pronounced if I added some maple syrup to it as well. This does taste like something I would make at home using ingredients in my pantry, which is great because the flavours and ingredients are very clean.

Schmidt’s Lavender and Sage Natural Deodorant Review

Published on March 1, 2020March 1, 2020 by thesavvypantryLeave a comment

Hi Savvys,

I recently received Schmidt’s new Lavender + Sage Natural deodorant for review from Chickadvisor and wanted to share my thoughts!

If you’re new to the world of natural deodorants, they often come in different formats and states. Some come as crystals, roll on liquids or even solid forms. They are also free of aluminum-based ingredients which have been shown to cause cancer, while still maintaining its effectiveness at keeping you feeling and smelling fresh. Schmidt’s natural deodorants are also made with essential oils and plant extracts, making it the ultimate natural deodorant.

Upon opening the deodorant, I immediately felt a sense of calmness and relaxation from the lavender and sage essential oils found in the product itself. I love the smell of lavender and found that the sage helped balance it out really nicely. This deodorant comes in a solid stick format and the directions do say that you need to warm it up a bit to soften the oils. After warming it by letting it touch my skin for a few moments, I did find that it did glide on chalky and left a residue behind. However, after running it over a few times with the applicator, the residue absorbed right into my skin.

I also wanted to find a deodorant that would leave me smelling fresh after a full working day as well as my work out, since I work out at least 3 times a week after work. I usually do find that natural deodorants fall short of keeping me protected after the 8-hour mark, however this one did leave me feeling fresh even after my workout into my shower.

Finally, I love that these products are cruelty free, Leaping Bunny Certified and Certified Vegan. It makes me happy to see high quality products available and accessible for those who are concerned with living a sustainable lifestyle.

Hope you guys enjoyed this review!

Now set forth and be savvy!