Maple Pumpkin/Squash Muffins

I made these muffins today: Maple Sweetened Pumpkin Muffins with Oats by Cookie and Kate. They were excellent! I used flax eggs (1 Tb. ground flax and 3 Tb. water - stir and let sit for 5 min), and I used butternut squash for the pumpkin, and I ran out of whole wheat flour half way through, so I subbed quinoa flour for the rest! And....I used apple sauce instead of coconut oil.... when I have more time, I will write it out as my own recipe. But this one's a great base for now!

Picture from HERE

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon. Seriously, you want this cookbook. You really do! It is my favorite I think. Especially because of the pictures, and also because she does it the way I like, with real, fresh ingredients, not much processed vegan food products (if any), and she doesn't compromise taste for health. (It needs to taste good enough for my husband and son to enjoy it! That's important!

Let me tell you, this one hit it out of the park. Oil-free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins It makes me miss my big garden in Cleveland, and the crazy over producing zucchini plants that made so much zucchini I had to give it away (that was before I knew about Oh She Glows.... :)

Roasted Winter Salad Bowl - Oh She Glows

We made Roasted Winter Salad Bowl from OhSheGlows.com, and it was amazing!!! You'll really want to try it!! It's so good!

John scarfed it down! 

I made some revisions: I doubled the potatoes (I had a lot I needed to use, and my boys love them!), I didn't give John any pepita seeds because they are too tough for him, I didn't have kale, so I used spinach, and I double that too.

I am so not into cold salads right now, and this hit the spot for all of us! Seth said this should be on the menu for the Northstar Cafe in Columbus, and I agree!

Why Juice?

Sometimes people ask me, "Why do you juice?" What's the point? Aren't you just losing all the fiber? Wouldn't it be better to put in a smoothie?"

Here are some of my answers: On most days, my husband, 2 year old son and I drink a juice that consists of Kale, Chard, Bok Choy, Celery, Carrots, Lemon, Ginger, Cilantro, Apple and Pear. (That is just one example of a juice we drank this week). 

It is so delicious that my son immediately chugs 10-12 ounces of it. There is no way I could get him to eat a whole leaf of raw kale a day. His little mouth couldn't chew it, and if you put all this in a smoothie it would be so thick and filling that you wouldn't be able to drink it all down with out a fight and possibly some major bloating....

People ask me why not just put it in a salad or a smoothie; the answer is that I just wouldn't. I wouldn't consume that many vegetables or even that much fruit in one day, let alone a sitting. 

The benefits are that I am arming myself and my family with all of the nutrients from these veggies and fruits in a way that our bodies can absorb them right away, and they can heal us and keep us healthy and strong. Our diet is so full of fiber that we are doing just fine on that account. We do drink smoothies often (and they usually have veggies too), but we can't drink as much in a smoothie. And it's winter time, and I'm too cold to want many frozen drinks!! Brrrr. Juice is just what I need.

Learn more about juicing here: http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/

Stay tuned! I am working on a post all about Wheatgrass Juice! How to grow it, and juice it :)

Raw Pad Thai Salad from thecolorfulkitchen.com

I am so excited to try this Raw Pad Thai Salad from thecolorfulkitchen.com!

Raw Pad Thai Salad  - Update: We tried it, and it's awesome! Seriously amazing. I might eat it every week in the summer time, but even in the winter, it's great!

Seth got me a veggie spiralizer for Christmas, and this salad is going to bring it out quite often!

Honey Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins from ambitiouskitchen.com

Today I made these Honey Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins from ambitiouskitchen.com!

I substituted the egg with a flaxseed egg - 1TB ground flaxseed and 3 TB water - mix and let sit for a few minutes.

BLACK BEAN, AVOCADO & MANGO SALSA

Our friends, Sam and Emily Barker made this amazing meal for us. You have got to try it! It is going to become a staple dinner for us :) at least during mango season. 

BLACK BEAN, AVOCADO & MANGO SALSA from http://www.thedivineaddiction.com/

INGREDIENTS

For the Salsa:

2 (16 oz.) can black beans; rinsed and drained

2 avocados; diced

2 small (or 1 large) mango; diced

½ cup red onion; small dice

Juice of 2 fresh limes

Sea salt & pepper; to taste

¼ tsp ground cumin

Fresh cilantro; chopped finely; to taste

Cookie Dough Bites and BBQ Tempeh Sloppy Joes

Tonight I'm making:
 BBQ Tempeh Sloppy Joes  from www.TheGardenGrazer.com

Note: 12-28-13 - We made these, and we used those whole wheat sandwich thins that kind of seem to taste like cardboard....that might have influenced my opinion, and I may not have had the best bbq sauce, but I don't think I'll be making this one again...

And I hope I'll have time soon to also make her:

Cookie Dough Bites

Note: 12-28-13 - I haven't had time to make these yet, but my sister did and she said they reminded her of oatmeal cookie bites, so I'll have to try them, and maybe change their name.

Apple Cider

We're making The Pioneer Woman's Apple Cider - without the rum. Happy Holidays!

Savory Veggie Stuffing

Pic from http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/vegan-stuffing.php

Savory Veggie Stuffing

Modified from THIS recipe

 Ingredients:

• 10 cups 1/2 inch bread cubes from 1 lb firm whole wheat or other sandwich bread
• 2 Tbsp vegan margarine
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic 
• 10 oz. (about 3 1/2 cups) diced portabella mushrooms
• 1 large finely chopped onion
• 1 large finely chopped carrot
• 2 cups finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley or 3 Tb. dry parsley
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1 tsp thyme
• Optional: 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 - 3 cups vegetable stock 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large shallow casserole dish
2. Toast bread cubes in a large baking sheet in the oven until golden brown. Set aside in a large bowl
3. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F
4. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, and celery until soft
5. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the veggie mixture to the bowl of bread crumbs
6. Add parsley, rosemary, oregano, dill, thyme, optional salt, and pepper
7. Optional: Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into the mixture
8. Stir until until everything is well mixed
9. Add 2 cups vegetable stock, and stir until it is absorbed. Add more stock as needed so that the mixture is moist and clumping together, but not soggy
10. Bake at 350 degrees F in a covered shallow casserole or baking dish for 25 minutes
11. Optional: Uncover and bake another 15 minutes to form a crusty top

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

You've got to try this Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing from thegardengrazer.com! It is really fabulous. I like it warm and cold, so it is not only an excellent addition to dinner, but a great left over option for lunch!

www.thegardengrazer.com has a lot of amazing vegetarian recipes, and I'm excited to try more out from her site!

Quinoa

From: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-63344

I'm excited to try a lot of these 10 delicious quinoa recipes! Quinoa is like a million time better for you than rice. In my book, it's a super food. Try it out!

Skinnytaste Crockpot Applesauce

I'm making this crockpot applesauce (from Skinnytaste.com) tomorrow. I'm going to make a triple batch. Yum! My house is going to smell great!
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/crock-pot-applesauce.html

Ingredients:

• 8 medium apples (Use a combination of Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, etc.)
• 1 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 inch cinnamon stick
• 5 tsp light brown sugar (unpacked) - or agave

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar. Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.

Makes 3 cups.

Fresh Tomato Soup from Your Garden

Since our tomato plants really started producing, we've been enjoying delicious fresh tomato soup. One of my past favorite lunches was a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup (from a can - concentrate). I can tell you right now that this recipe is 10 times better than what you can get out of a can! And I don't eat butter or cheese any more, but I do eat hummus, and it is delicious. Instead of making a grilled cheese sandwich, make a much healthier, grilled hummus panini (add any veggies you like, mushrooms, onions, spinach, bell peppers, artichokes, etc) and enjoy it with your amazing tomato soup!

How to Make Fresh Tomato Soup

Image from http://www.formerchef.com/2009/08/02/how-to-make-fresh-tomato-soup/

Tips:
- I think this recipe calls for too much salt, so use vegetable salt and/or decrease the amount "to taste"
- I also add 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to add some B Vitamins (especially for those who are vegan, this is important because it is one of the only sources of B12 not found in animal products), and it has a nice nutty, "cheesy" flavor
- Sometimes I add a red bell pepper
- Really, don't add the sugar until the very end, and add "to taste"
- If you don't have tomatoes in your garden, buy some from your local farmer's market. You can half the recipe if you don't want to buy that much.