As I sat down to dinner with my parents the other day, I looked down at my plate of rice and beans, tostones and a pork chop and thought, "hmm, this would make a delicious vegan meal... without the pork chop, of course".  

Now traditionally, Puerto Rican beans are decidedly not vegan, as they are made with lard. However, just substitute the lard for some veggie oil and you're good to go. Not to mention it's way healthier for ya. I deviated from the norm even further by adding extra veggies, like carrots, spinach, or even peas, if you feel like it. Like all my recipes, feel free to make it your own. Let me know what you did different! 

About the rice. Any rice you prefer will do. My favorite is Jasmine rice. Again, not the traditional Puerto Rican choice, but its aromatic long grains just make me so happy... Either way, rice is very easy to make, just follow the directions on the package. And the beans:

So I'd heard about "mug" cakes before, but whenever I'd tried one of the recipes, the result was a rubbery, tasteless mess. That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands. With a few adjustments, and the addition of a super easy chocolate sauce, this treat went from a regular old "mug" cake, to a crazy delicious and decadent dessert. All in about two minutes!

The best part about this, is that you can easily make it gluten-free by using a good GF bake mix (I tried it with Wegman's All Purpose and it was AWESOME). No need to change any measurements. Also, feel free to drop a dollop of peanut butter, or even one of those mini candy bars in the middle for an extra surprise. Go crazy! Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Molten Chocolate Cake in 2 Minutes:

1 microwave-safe coffee mug

1/4  cup sugar

1/4  cup flour (whether GF or regular)

2  tbsp cocoa powder