Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal

Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal - serves two!

1/3 c. old fashioned oats

1/3 c. oat bran

1 T chia seeds (optional)

1 T flax meal (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 banana, divided

2/3 c. almond milk

2/3 c. water

1/4 c. canned pumpkin

toppings - nut butter, choc chips, jelly, berries, etc

Add oats, oat bran, chia seeds, flax meal, and cinnamon to a sauce pan.

Add in the wet ingredients - almond milk, water, and 1/2 a mashed banana.

Cook on medium heat until the oats are cooked and all liquid is absorbed - about 6 minutes.

Add 1/4 c. canned pumpkin to warm oats and stir until it melts into the mixture - about 2 minutes.

Divide among two bowls, top with remaining banana slices and then add your favorite toppings!

In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers

So this was my first time making my own veggie burgers, and it was actually pretty easy!! I love veggie burgers on a bun, crumbled on top of my salad, cut into pieces and put on top of crackers, dipped in hummus, and the list goes on. They are so versatile and I eat them all the time. This recipe was super easy to make and according to OSG, they are only 122 calories each! Yummm

In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers, makes 8 small patties

• 1 cup cooked chick peas (of beans of your choice)
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled and chopped up into large pieces
• 1/2 Red pepper, chopped into large pieces
• 1/4 cup spinach, washed
• 1/2 t dried dill
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 1/4 t fine grain sea salt
• tiny dash of cayenne
• 1 clove minced garlic, optional
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (so amazing in this burger!)
• 1 T pumpkin seeds (pepita)
• 1 T chia seeds
• 3/4 cup spelt flour (or flour of your choice)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with tin foil (or spray with oil).

Place all ingredients except the seeds and flour into a food processor. Process until mixture is blended well, stopping to scrape sides if necessary.

Remove mixture and place into a large bowl. Add seeds and stir well. Now add the spelt flour (or flour of your choice) in 1/4 cup increments, stirring well until blended.

Shape patties and bake for 15 mins at 375F, flip and bake for another 10 minutes.

Cornbread Muffins

Cornbread is my favorite thing to eat with chili, especially this vegan chili recipe that I posted a while ago. I love making muffins because then it is instant portion control! This recipe is so simple and easy to make, yet it is delicious! I used polenta instead of cornmeal because that's all I had - this is why my muffins look a little darker in color than usual.

Cornbread Muffins

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp almond milk

2 Tbsp safflower oil (or any neutral vegetable oil)

3/4 c. cornmeal

1/4 c. flour (I used spelt, but you can use any kind that you like)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients together and mix well.

Pour batter into the lined muffin tins so that they are about 3/4 of the way full of batter. This should make about 8 muffins.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from "The Kind Diet"

Baked Banana Oatmeal Bread

So I saw this recipe on Carrots 'n' Cake and immediately knew that it was going to be a hit. It had a lot of my favorite ingredients but I modified a few things to really make it my own. If you don't like or want bananas, then you could try mixing chopped up apples, frozen blueberries, or any fruit you like into the batter! Keep in mind that this is a slightly sweet bread, so if you want it to be a sweeter treat then add the optional sugar cinnamon topping (or double the amount of maple syrup) before baking! This was delish with some starbucks this afternoon for brunchy!

Baked Banana Oatmeal Bread

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp chia seeds or flax meal
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 banana, sliced thinly (for topping)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon (optional topping)

Preheat oven to 350*F.Combine all ingredients (except for the banana) in a mixing bowl.
Coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour oatmeal batter into pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
Slice banana and place on top of oatmeal batter. Add optional brown sugar and cinnamon topping if using.
Bake for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting.

Sweet Potato Falafel Balls

So when I saw this recipe on Oh She Glows, I knew that it would be a winner. I absolutely love Mediterranean food and falafel is one of my favorite dishes. I am also completely obsessed with sweet potatoes. These little falafel balls dipped into hummus is just pure heaven. And they are so simple to make!!

Sweet Potato Falafel Balls

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 t ground cumin
• 2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 t ground coriander
• 1 heaping cup spinach, chopped
• 1.5 T lemon juice or Juice or half a lemon’s juice
• Just less than 1 cup of chickpea flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. Pre grease a baking sheet with oil or spray.

Cut a few slits into the sweet potatoes and then microwave on high for 9-11 minutes until tender. Let cool for several minutes and carefully peel away the skin (or peel potatoes before heating).

While the potatoes are microwaving, in a medium sized bowl mix together the cumin, chopped garlic, coriander, and chickpea flour. Stir well. Add chopped spinach and lemon juice and mix well with a fork.

Chop up sweet potatoes into small chunks and then mash with a fork. Add potatoes to the other ingredients. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wet hands and form falafel balls. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden.

Yields 18-20 Falafel Balls

Chocolate Peppermint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

So when I wake up in the morning I have absolutely no appetite but I'm really thirsty. I work out in the morning so I know that I need to have a little something to get my metabolism going. Enter: Protein Smoothie! I try to keep it light around 100-150 calories so that I can eat breakfast when I come home. So I will compare the dairy and non-dairy versions of the shake so you can choose which one you want to make. I'm warning you that the dairy one is almost double in calories!!

There are a few essentials that I use (that you can get at health food stores or a whole foods) but can easily be swapped out for regular versions that you find at a grocery store.

• Cacao nibs can be replaced with regular chocolate chips
• Stevia can be replaced with 1 tsp regular sugar or some other calorie free sweetener of choice
• Amazing Grass Chocolate Green Superfood can be replaced by any chocolate protein powder that you have, or even 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• Xanthan gum is something that I don't know how I lived without. Add a tiny amount to thicken up any smoothie or liquid without having to add cream. It's kind of like super concentrated cornstarch, but makes pudding like consistency when added.

Chocolate Peppermint Chocolate Chip Smoothie (dairy version)

1 c. fat free skim milk

6 ice cubes

1 scoop (8 grams) Amazing Grass Chocolate Green Superfood

1 tsp chocolate chips

1 tsp sugar (or non-calorie sweetener of choice)

2-3 drops of peppermint extract

1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

Blend milk and ice together for 30 seconds. Next add the remaining ingredients and blend for another 30-60 seconds until smooth.

If you use sugar, this smoothie comes out to 165 calories. If you use a non-calorie sweetener it comes out to 145 calories.

Chocolate Peppermint Chocolate Chip Smoothie (non-dairy version)

1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

6 ice cubes

1 scoop (8 grams) Amazing Grass Chocolate Green Superfood

1 tsp cacao nibs

6 drops of alcohol-free liquid stevia

2-3 drops of peppermint extract

1/8 tsp xanthan gum (optional)

Blend milk and ice together for 30 seconds. Next add the remaining ingredients and blend for another 30-60 seconds until smooth.

This smoothie comes out to be 90 calories!! The huge difference in calories really is the milk. Skim milk comes in at 90 calories while unsweetened almond milk comes in at only 40!!

Other variations can be to add frozen fruit, such as cherries, and eliminate the peppermint extract. Think about it - Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chip Smoothie. Mmmmm. The possibilities are really endless with what you can add - just make sure that it's small amounts!!

A few fun facts about some of the ingredients that I used in my smoothie:

Benefits of Raw Cacao Nibs

• Organic Raw Cacao Nibs are a nutritious raw superfood.
• The nibs are peeled, crushed cacao beans.
• They have more antioxidant flavonoids than any food, including blueberries, red wine and green tea.
• They are an incredibly rich source of magnesium and other essential minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, copper, sulfur and potassium.
• The antioxidants in cacao may have these benefits:
• Decrease blood pressure
• Improve circulation
• Promote cardiovascular functions and help fight heart disease
• Improve function of endothelial cells that line the circulatory system
• Provide protection from free radicals, which may trigger cancer, heart disease and stroke
• Improve digestion

Benefits of Amazing Grass Green Chocolate SuperFood

A full spectrum of alkalizing green superfoods, antioxidant rich fruits, and support herbs unite with organic Acai, Maca and Cacao to provide a powerful dose of whole food nutrition with a delicious dark chocolate taste. Complete with pre & probiotics and digestive enzymes to ensure rapid nutrient absorption and healthy digestion.

Benefits of Peppermint Extract

• Modern research has shown repeatedly that peppermint oil relieves the many symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome like indigestion, dyspepsia, and colonic muscle spasms. The menthol contained in it helps relax the smooth muscles that surround the intestines.
• However, peppermint's healing properties extend far beyond the digestive tract. In animal studies, phytonutrient, found in peppermint, has been shown to slow and even halt the growth of pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors. In animal studies, peppermint has been shown to prevent colon, skin, and lung cancers.
• Peppermint is known to ease the symptoms of asthma. The herb encourages cells to produce substances called prostacyclins which keep airways open for easy breathing. Peppermint extracts have also been shown to help relieve the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis (colds related to allergy).

Benefits of Almond Milk

• Lactose Free: Lactose is the sugar found in cow's milk. Many people are lactose intolerant, and consumption of milk causes abdominal discomfort, bloating and diarrhea. As almond milk is extracted from almonds, a nut, hence it's plant derived and lactose free, and can be easily substituted everywhere where one might use cow's milk which makes this one of the most important almond milk benefits. Read more on lactose intolerance symptoms.
• Homemade and Pure: As one can easily extract the milk at home without much effort, and also store it without using preservatives and additives, it would be right to say that consuming almond milk means to consume health, 100 percent! It has already been proved that to increase milk production, cow's are being injected with antibiotics and growth hormones, leading to allergic reactions and toxic side effects, some as bad as certain types of cancers.
• Nutrition Packed: Almonds are protein rich, and full of vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium, fiber, iron, phosphorus and calcium. Full of heart healthy flavonoids, almond milk helps lower LDL cholesterol and protect the heart. High levels of vitamin E, ensure powerful antioxidants in the body. Antioxidants inhibit the growth of free radicals that are known to cause cancer. Almond milk contains many vital nutrients, hence unlike other milks, they don't need to be fortified with vitamins and minerals. Low in calories and no cholesterol and saturated fats makes this nut milk beverage very healthy and good for those trying to lose weight. Power packed with nutrients, almond milk health benefits will keep you stay fit and fine.

Benefits of Stevia

Make sure you get an alcohol free stevia extract because the ones with sugar alcohol (erythritol) are highly processed and do not have these benefits!

• Hypoglycemia:

  Scientific research has indicated that stevia regulates blood sugar levels, bringing them into normal balance.
• Weight Management:

  Stevia has no carbohydrates (carbs) and contains no calories, making it an ideal sweetener for weight loss or weight management. Stevia also helps users consume less calories by reducing overall hunger and cravings for sweet and fatty foods.
• Cardiovascular:

  Studies have shown that stevia acts as a cardiovascular tonic, helping to lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
• Bacteria:

  Stevia inhibits the reproduction and growth of many pathogenic (harmful) bacteria and infectious organisms such as those that are responsible for the common cold, influenza (flu) and periodontal (tooth & gum) diseases.
• Skin Care:

  When appplied as a facial mask, Stevia Concentrated Liquid smooths out wrinkles, heals acne, treats seborrhea, deermatitis, and eczema. It also acts to help protect your skin from environmental damage and visible signs of premature aging.
• Digestion:

  When consumed in tea, stevia has shown to be effective as a digestive stimulant improving digestive and gastrointestinal function while soothing stomach upset.
• Addiction:

  Including stevia regularly in your diet helps reduce your body’s desire for tobacco and alcohol. When you use stevia, your body interprets the sweetness as that of forbidden goodies like high sugar foods. When you try to give up addictions such as tobacco and alcohol, often the body will begin to crave other items such as sweets. By using stevia to fulfill your sweet cravings, your body is more readily able to give up alcohol and tobacco.

Fun facts from: http://www.goodcausewellness.com, http://www.buzzle.com, http://www.replacesugar.com, http://www.amazinggrass.com

Wild Mushroom Socca Stacks

Socca, a flat bread made with chickpea flour, is layered with mushrooms and tomatoes to create a perfect entree for two. I made this as a first course for Valentine's Day with the hubby. It was so filling that I could only eat half of it!!

Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes and Sauce

12 plum tomatoes

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

• Heat oven to 300. Place tomato halves, cut side up, on baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil over tomatoes (optional). Bake for 2 hours.
• Puree 12 tomato halves in food processor until smooth to make sauce. Save remaining tomato halves for Socca Stacks.

Wild Mushroom Socca Stacks

1/2 c chickpea flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium sweet onions, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

1/2 lb wild mushroom mix

1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 recipe slow-roasted plum tomatoes and sauce

• Preheat oven to 450. Coat loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk together chickpea flour, salt, and pepper in medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of lukewarm water, then 1 Tbsp oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with non-stick cooking spray. Add onion and thyme; cover, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, and saute 8 minutes. Stiry in wine, and cook 4 minutes more, or until most of liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper (optional). Cover, and keep warm over low heat.
• Pour chickpea mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake 7 minutes. The socca should feel firm and the edges set. Cut into 4 rectangles.
• Drizzle plates with half of Slow-Roasted Plum Tomatoes and Sauce. Lay first layer of socca on plates. Spoon half of mushroom mixture over socca, and top with generous helping of Slow-Roasted Plum Tomato halves. Add second socca layer, followed by remaining mushroom mixture. Drizzle with remaining sauce, and garnish with remaining tomatoes.

From: Vegetarian Times, October 2009

Apple Pie Coffee Cake

So I found this recipe on VeganYumYum and decided to make 1/4 of the recipe since it was just for me and the hubby on Valentine's Day. I made it for brunch with a side of lattes, of course! I also used fresh granny smith apples for the filling rather than apple pie filling from the jar - but if you wanted to use that instead that's perfectly fine!

Apple Pie Coffee Cake

Topping

1 tsp Sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Dough

Dry ingredients:

2/3 c all purpose flour

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients:

2.5 Tbsp earth balance buttery spread, melted

2.5 Tbsp soy milk mixed with 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp luke warm water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Combine all the dry ingredients of the cake and mix well. Add all of the liquid ingredients and fold the batter until just combined. The batter should be thick and nearly dough-like, as this will prevent the filling from sinking to the bottom of the pan.

Filling

3 granny smith apples

1/4 c sugar

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Peel and slice apples thinly and then combine with the mixture and toss to coat.

Spread 1/2 of the batter in the bottom of a baking dish that is 6 inches in diameter.

Add apple slices evenly over the top.

Spoon the rest of the batter over the top in clumps, leaving some of the apple filling showing through.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar topping.

Bake for 80 to 90 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Be sure not to under bake. You may wish to cover the coffee cake with aluminum foil for the last 20-30 minutes to prevent over-browning.

Remove coffee cake from oven and let cool before serving. Enjoy!!!!!!

Marinated Salad with Roasted Almonds and Greek Side Salad

So marinating and baking tofu in the oven is a great addition to a salad. I love to make the whole block so that I have leftovers the next day for a yummy tofu-veggie wrap with hummus! Almonds are my favorite to put on salads so I just kicked these ones up a notch!! And the greek salad I came up with on a whim to use up some veggies in the fridge. You can't go wrong with this combination!!!

Smokehouse Almonds

(adapted from: Vegetarian Times)

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dark brown sugar (or agave nectar)

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder

1 cup raw almonds

Preheat oven to 300. Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss almonds to coat with spice mixture.

Transfer almonds to a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

When finished cooking, let cool and either leave almonds whole or coarsely chop.

Tofu shown here on a salad with grilled eggplant and peas in the background.

Marinated Tofu (adapted from Gliding Calm)

2 Tbsp each - Rice Wine Vinegar (plain, unseasoned), Soy Sauce, and Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp each - ginger powder, agave nectar

a few dashes to taste - garlic powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes

Press all water out of the tofu by placing the block on a plate. Put another plate on top and then something heavy to press out the water. Leave the tofu to sit and drain for about half an hour.

Once tofu has been pressed, slice into 16 slices however you like.

Combine all ingredients for marinade in a tupperware container and then place tofu slices inside. Cover the container and shake around. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 425 and place slices of tofu on a greased baking sheet. Cook tofu slices for 10 minutes, take out of the oven and flip the pieces over and cook for another 10-15 minutes until browned and a little crispy.

Greek Side Salad

1 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered

1 cup tomatoes, sliced

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 can butter beans

1 small eggplant, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Tbsp lemon juice

While tofu is baking in the oven at 425, place peas and eggplant onto greased cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until slightly browned. Stir veggies around every now and then to prevent sticking.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl once eggplant and peas are done cooking.

To make salad:

Chop up half an apple of choice to add to lettuce, add dried fruit of choice (cranberries or cherries are yummy), add about 1/4 cup almonds, and 4 slices of marinated tofu. Use dressing of choice (I used my mock Chipotle-Honey Creamy Dressing from the other night). Serve greek salad on the side and enjoy!

Pancakes

Being snowed in is the perfect excuse for making some delicious pancakes and lattes! I borrowed the photos and recipe from veganyumyum because the lighting from the dark snowy sky was terrible for taking pictures of what I made. Mike got chocolate chips in his batch, and I added 1 tsp of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries that I nuked in the microwave to make a blueberry pie-like filling to smother all over mine. Tell me that her photos don't make you drool all over your keyboard?

Yields 25 silver dollar pancakes (mine were slightly larger and made 16). Half the recipe yields 435 calories which is awesomeeee

Easy Weekend Pancakes

1 1/2 Cup Soymilk
1 Tbs Agave Nectar (or Sugar)
2 Tbs Oil
1 Cup Spelt (or all-purpose*) Flour
1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1-2 Tbs water, to thin batter if needed

*If using only all-purpose flour for this recipe, you may need to add more liquid. Regular flour absorbs more moisture than spelt.

Add soymilk to your blender. Add remaining ingredients except the water and blend for a few seconds until combined. Scrape down any dry flour stuck to the side of the jar and blend again. Place the top on the blender and refrigerate overnight. You can also use the batter immediately.

In the morning, wake up to blizzard place the blender back on the base and add 1-2 Tbs of water, blend to mix. This re-thins the batter that had thickened overnight.

Preheat oven to 200º F, or the lowest setting, and put an oven-safe plate on the middle rack. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Pour the batter directly into the center of the UNgreased heated pan. I like silver dollar sized pancakes, 2 1/2 to 3″ in diameter, but you can make any size you want. This batter should create fairly thin pancakes.

After a few minutes of cooking, you’ll see the bubbles form and set on the uncooked side of the pancake. The batter will start to set, and it will change color from white to dull yellow. This is when you should flip. If your pancake isn’t brown by this time, turn your heat up. If it is overly brown, your heat is too high.While cooking the pancakes, place the finished ones directly into the oven on the plate. Stack the pancakes as you go. This will keep the whole stack warm while you’re cooking them.

While the pancakes are cooking, feel free to add blueberries, chocolate chips, or anything else you can imagine. Serve with vegan margarine (Earth Balance) and maple syrup.