Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me start by saying, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin desserts. Never understood it, until these cookies were introduced to my life. Now I am a believer. Well, I guess I still dislike other pumpkin desserts, but this one is a clear winner in my book. They are soft, pillowy cookies with hints of cinnamon, pumpkin and chocolate flavors. The first time Dan ate them it was like a scene in the movie 'What About Bob' where Bob is REALLY pleased with the wife's dinner she prepared and expresses such pleasure by lots of "mmm", "MMMMM", "MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM". You know what I am talking about. If not-watch that movie. Stat!
So, here you go! Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

1c. Canned Pumpkin
1/4c. Applesauce
1/2c. Oil
1tsp. Vanilla
1c. Sugar
2c. All Purpose Flour
1tsp. Cinnamon
2tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1tsp. Baking Soda dissolved in 1tsp. non-dairy Milk or Water
1/2 bag Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine pumpkin, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and sugar in your mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together on low until blended.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Dissolve baking soda with milk or water.
Add the flour mixture and dissolved baking soda to the pumpkin mixture and blend well. Add chocolate chips.
Spoon the cookie batter onto a cookie sheet (I line mine with parchment paper) and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Devour cookies. The end.

Summer Salsa

Summer Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Corn, drained and rinsed (or frozen or cut off the cob if you prefer - these are my personal
   preference since canned corn has a weird taste to me, but Dan disagrees) :)
2-3 Medium Tomatoes, diced
2-3 Avocados, diced
1 Small Red Onion, minced (or diced if you prefer larger pieces)
1 Good Seasons Italian Dressing Packet, (prepare with 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/4 c. H20 & 1/4 c. olive oil)
1 Bag Fritos Scoops or Tortilla Chips

Directions:
Prepare ingredients as directed. Place all items in a bowl and pour dressing over the top. Stir gently until well mixed. Serve immediately with your chips of choice!

Dinner Time!

Dinner Time!

Azifa - Ethiopian Green Lentils 

Ingredients:
1c. Green Lentils, rinsed and sorted
1 Lemon, juiced
2 T. Red Wine Vinegar
1 T. Olive Oil
3 Serrano Peppers (or, pepper of choice if this is too spicy), minced
1 Shallot, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare lentils according to package directions. While lentils are cooking, put all other prepared ingredients in a bowl.
Drain lentils and let them cool for a few minutes then place them in the bowl with all other ingredients and mix well. Put this in the refrigerator until well cooled throughout; at least for 1 hour before serving.

Bulgur-

Ingredients:
2c. Fine Bulgur
3/4 c. EVOO
1 lg red onion, diced
2-8oz cans of tomato sauce (or to modify this you could do 1-8oz can of tomato sauce, and 8 oz of vegetable broth, if you would like it less tomato-y) :)
2 Lemons, juiced
1c. H20
1t. Salt
1/2t. Ground Pepper
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
Parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Directions:
Prepare all items as listed above. Place olive oil in frying pan with oil and turn to med-low heat. Place red onion and minced garlic in pan and saute on low for about 20 minutes. Add dry seasonings & all liquids; bring to a simmer. Add bulgur & stir well. Cover with lid and place on very low heat for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool, fluff with a fork and add the parsley. Serve cold.

Grilled Corn-

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob
Seasoning salt
Chili Powder
Lime

Directions:
Keep the husks on the corn and soak them in H20 for at least 30 minutes.
Start the grill.
Once the grill is heated and ready, put the corn on the grill (still with the husks on) for about 30 minutes, rotating them by a quarter about every 7 minutes. Remove them from the grill. Remove the husks, spray with a little olive oil (we have an oil mister), or use butter if you would prefer. Then sprinkle with the chili powder, seasoning salt and 2 wedges of lime on each ear of corn. Enjoy!

Triple Berry Vinaigrette

Triple Berry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
3/4 c. Olive Oil
1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 c. H20
1t. Salt
2T. Honey
1t. Dried Basil
3/4-1 c. Fresh or Frozen mixed berries (I used a frozen blend of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in Blender or food processor. I used a Vitamix Blender for this and it worked beautifully! Blend on high speed for about 20-30 seconds until everything is fully emulsified.
Serve over greens of choice.


I made a mixed greens salad with wonton crunchies and hemp seeds. It was divine. It would also be tasty to add some cucumbers (if we had them...). :)

Recipe adapted from Vitamix's Cookbook under the recipe Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Flat Bread Two Ways

Here is what we do when we make flat breads-We go and buy naan bread, and then prepare the flat breads one of 2 ways; either it is a bruschetta flat bread with a pesto sauce, or a mushroom flat bread with mushrooms sauteed with garlic, shallots and white truffle oil and a balsamic "sauce". The bruschetta flat bread we would top with some chopped spinach and maybe some basil for greens on top, and the mushroom one we would top with chopped spinach and arugula. Both are supremely tasty!! These recipes are mostly eyeballed for ingredients, so just have some fun with them, and see what you like, and how much of that ingredient you like to use. :) I have listed links to certain recipes for Bruschetta or Pesto, but if you have a recipe you already like for these things, then just use that!


Bruschetta Flat Bread:

Ingredients-
Naan bread, or other flat bread/pizza crust of choice
Recipe for Pesto -
          http://frenchiegourmet.blogspot.com/2013/05/vegan-pesto.html
Recipe for Bruschetta-
          http://www.marthastewart.com/904223/heirloom-tomato-bruschetta
Salt to taste

Directions-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place naan bread on baking sheet and place in oven to crisp it up before adding other ingredients.
Prepare both bruschetta and pesto. Remove naan bread from oven once it is slightly crispy. Spread pesto on the bread, and top with a generous amount of bruschetta. Place in oven for a few minutes until heated through. Top with chopped greens and serve.

Mushroom Flat Bread:


Ingredients-
Naan bread, or other flat bread/pizza crust of choice
Garlic 2-3 cloves
1 Shallot
Mushrooms, sliced (we use crimini, and/or baby bellas)
Balsamic Glaze or regular old Balsamic Vinegar :)
White Truffle Oil
Salt to taste

Directions-
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place naan bread on baking sheet and place in oven to crisp it up before adding other ingredients.
While naan bread is getting slightly crispy in the oven, sauté the mushrooms, garlic, shallot and truffle oil (as much as you like for flavor) until everything is well sautéed. Salt to taste.
Remove naan bread from oven once it is slightly crispy. Spread balsamic on the naan bread generously, and top with the mushroom mixture. Place in oven for a few minutes until heated through. Top with chopped greens and perhaps drizzle with a little balsamic glaze and serve.

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Ingredients:

1c. Quinoa

1T. Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, minced

1 Clove Garlic, minced

2 cans spicy black beans (I like Whole Foods 365 Organic Spicy Black Beans personally)

1-2 Jalepenos, minced

1/4c. Cilantro, chopped; plus more for garnish

1/4t. Chili Powder 

Pinch Cayenne Pepper  

1/4c. Fresh Lime Juice

Tapatio, to taste (or other hot sauce of choice)

Mixed Greens, shredded (I used a mix of kale, spinach, and other super greens, in order to make it healthier than just chopped iceberg lettuce, but to each his own). 

Salt, to taste

Garnishment Options:

Tapatio hot sauce

Red, yellow and orange peppers, chopped

Tomatoes, diced

Fresh limes

Guacamole

Salsa

Sliced Avocado

Corn

Directions:

Cook Quinoa according to directions on package. Generally it is 1to 2 ratio, so 1c. quinoa to 2c. water or broth.

While Quinoa is cooking, heat 1T. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook until the onions turn translucent and start to brown. Add garlic and jalepeno and saute for 1-2 minutes longer. Add black beans to the pot, with about 1/4-1/2c. canned liquid, as well as a 1/4c. H20, 2T. cilantro, chili and cayenne seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then turn it down to a medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in about 2T. fresh lime juice. Season with salt and Tapatio to taste. I like mine spicy if you can't tell...

When the quinoa is finished cooking, fluff it with a fork and add 2T. chopped cilantro and 2T. fresh lime juice. Season with salt to taste.

Prepare your burrito bowls as you so desire. Start with a little quinoa, top with your mixed greens, and a good helping of beans. Then add whatever garnishments your little heart desires! 

Enjoy!!

Original recipe can be found at: http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/

Cauliflower Carrot Mash

Cauliflower Carrot Mash 
makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 Head Cauliflower, cut into florets
4 Medium Carrots, chopped
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1T. Fresh Rosemary, minced
1T. Fresh Thyme, minced
2T. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash and chop all ingredients as directed above. Place the cauliflower and carrots in a steamer basket on the stove top. Steam until soft (about 10-12 minutes). Heat 1T. olive oil in skillet and sauté onions, herbs and garlic until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
Place cauliflower, carrots, onion sauté and 1T. olive oil in food processor. Blend until smooth.
Garnish with additional herbs, and serve immediately.

**Side note- I feel like this would be an AMAZING stuffing for raviolis... I have not tried it yet, but can imagine it would blow my mind! The only suggestion I would make if you are willing to give this a go would be to roast the cauliflower vs steaming it, since I feel like it is too moist when prepared as listed above for a ravioli stuffing. Serve with either a red sauce or an olive oil and garlic sauce with a balsamic drizzle. Mmmmm...

Original Recipe found at:
http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/11/cauliflower-carrot-herb-mash

Balsamic Glazed Mushrooms Stuffed with Pesto Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes

Balsamic Glazed Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients-

1 Head Cauliflower
6 or so Yukon Gold Potatoes (if desired, or you can just do cauliflower for a little healthier option.)
Vegan Pesto to taste -
see http://frenchiegourmet.blogspot.com/2013/05/vegan-pesto.html for the recipe
Medium to Large Mushrooms (use choice of Bella, Baby Bella, Crimini etc)  
2T. Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Panko Breadcrumbs 
Salt and Pepper to taste

FYI-when I made this, it made quite a lot of "stuffing" for the mushrooms. If I had to guess, it made about 3-4 cups of the delicious filling. I did not list a quantity for the mushrooms, since the amount you need will depend on the type you use and how many you really want to make. I also made it with both potatoes and cauliflower, but may try it next time without the potatoes just to see if it is just as tasty without them. Forgive my picture above! I promise they taste better than they look!! :)

Directions-
-Prepare the Pesto as directed (see http://frenchiegourmet.blogspot.com/2013/05/vegan-pesto.html
 for the recipe).
-Wash all veggies.
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Line baking sheet with parchment paper for roasting cauliflower.
-Chop cauliflower, and place on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over cauliflower and season as
 desired with salt and pepper. Once prepped, place in oven and roast it for about 20 minutes.
-Set water to boil on stove top for potatoes. Chop potatoes and and place in boiling water until
 soft (about 10-15 minutes).
-While the cauliflower and potatoes are cooking, prepare the mushrooms by removing the stems.
-Remove potatoes from water and cauliflower from oven. Place in a food processor. Blend the
 cauliflower and potatoes until you have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add the pesto and
 salt and pepper to taste. Blend well.
-Heat oven to 250 degrees.
-Use the same baking sheet and parchment paper from before and line it with the mushrooms.
 Glaze the mushrooms with the balsamic vinegar. Season with some salt. Add the stuffing to the
 mushrooms and top with breadcrumbs.
-Place stuffed mushrooms in the oven and cook until heated throughout. We used baby bella
 mushrooms, and I cooked them for about 20-25 minutes.
-Remove from oven, and perhaps top them off with a little balsamic glaze, if desired.

Vegan Pesto

Quick and Easy Vegan Pesto 
makes about 1 cup

Ingredients-
2 c. Fresh Herbs/Greens - I like to either do all basil or do basil and spinach
1/2 c. Walnuts or Pine Nuts
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4 c. Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Nutritional Yeast to taste (optional for a cheesy flavor)

Directions-
Add herbs/greens, nuts and garlic to food processor. Process until it is well mixed. Add olive oil in a steady drizzle as you run your food processor until it becomes a smooth paste. Season with salt to taste.
Refrigerate for at least an hour before use for the flavors to develop.


See http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2008/02/winter-pesto.html for the original recipe posting, as well as other herb options.

Sweet Potato, Tomato and Quinoa Soup

Get ready for a delicious, hearty and tasty soup my friends! I have adapted a recipe that was originally posted by http://thatwasvegan.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/sweet-potato-tomato-and-quinoa-soup/.
A few small changes were made, but I feel at least the 1st 2 changes listed below made a world of difference.
1. I used 2 cups of fresh tomatoes vs a 16oz can of tomatoes. I think the flavor is worth the extra work!
2. I cooked the quinoa in Not-Chick'n broth for extra flavor.

 (I think vegetable broth would be delicious as well)
3. I also made less quinoa then originally called for in the recipe linked above.
Anyways, this soup is one of the best soups I have ever had, and I didn't know something could be this delicious and creamy without added cream. I must say, it was a very pleasant surprise! This soup is pretty good for you too, and you wouldn't know it if you try it because it tastes sinful. It is tasty with or without the quinoa as well.
Enjoy!!

Sweet Potato, Tomato and Quinoa Soup

Ingredients:

For Soup-
1Lg Vidalia Onion (or sweet onion), chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Lg Sweet Potatoes, chopped (Use hannah yams if you can find them!)
2c. Chopped Tomatoes
4c. Veggie Stock
1T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

For Quinoa-
2c. Quinoa
4c. Broth

Directions:
Cook the Quinoa according to directions. Set aside. Sauté onions with EVOO for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee for 1-2 minutes longer. Put sautéed garlic and onions in a large soup pan or stock pan with tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and veggie stock. Simmer ingredients together until sweet potatoes are tender.

When the potatoes are tender, transfer this to a blender or food processor. Process/Blend until smooth.
Serve the soup with a generous amount of quinoa on top, and enjoy!
I did not have the quinoa ready to top off my soup in the picture, but I think you get the picture anyways! ;)

Finadene Sauce

Thanks to a friend of ours - Jason, we have a new addiction. It's a common item often served with red rice in Guam and it's called Finadene Sauce.
Unfortunately he tantalizes us with this every time we get together, and I can never get enough and always crave more. He plans on opening a restaurant soon, which we will frequent often, because his food and sauce are AMAZING, but until that time I needed to find a way to satiate my craving. Well last weekend, all I wanted was this damn sauce couldn't get it off my mind, so I set out to find a recipe.
This is my modified version.
We like it SPICY! So, feel free to adjust to your liking.
:)

Finadene Sauce  

Ingredients:
2 Serrano Peppers, minced
2-3 Serrano Peppers, sliced finely
1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped (we do small, but feel free to try larger pieces instead, if that is what you would prefer)
1/4c. White Vinegar or Lemon Juice (we have tried both, but the vinegar taste more like the real deal)
1/4c. Soy Sauce
1/4c. Liquid Aminos (if you don't have this, just use soy sauce instead).

Directions:
Cut up peppers, set aside. Pour vinegar in to a bowl. Slowly add soy sauce and liquid aminos, until you have the right balance. Sometimes we have added slightly more soy or liquid aminos than listed above to get the desired flavor. Add the onion and peppers. Chill until ready to serve, or eat immediately.
This is delicious over rice, you may like it over chicken or other meat. I like to make rice, top it with the sauce and have some veggies thrown into the mix. I will generally use red, yellow and orange bell peppers, corn, peas, and tomatoes. Yum!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!
As soon as Jason opens this restaurant of his, I will make sure to post about that as well, since it is sure to be a FABULOUS establishment. Until then-this will have to do. :)

Vegan Pizza

Oh pizza, how I missed you. How many times you lead me astray from my diet cause I just couldn't live without you-until now!
Let me be upfront -if you are looking for a gooey cheese pizza, look somewhere else-you will not find that here! I haven't tried any of the vegan cheese yet, and I am not sure I will. It looks so gross on a pizza-or on anything for that matter, that I am not sure I will ever come around to it. MAYBE, if someone is really convincing and asks me to give it a whirl. But I am a girl from Wisconsin, and I know what cheese is supposed to taste like, and that stuff just does not appeal to me even slightly.
BUT, if you like the flavor of cheese on a pizza and everything else about a pizza-then I have a delicious recipe for you!

Ingredients:
Pizza dough or pre made crust (we used Whole Foods pre made dough)
Pizza sauce
Your favorite toppings (we used spinach and mushrooms)

Cheese aka Tofu Ricotta:
http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/stuffed-shells/
BTW-those stuffed shells are AMAZING!!! You should totally try them-and feel free to feed them to your friends who are non believers in anything vegan-they won't know the difference-I SWEAR!

Directions:
Prepare the Tofu Ricotta from the above link as directed. Set aside.
Prepare the dough, if you are starting from scratch. Place rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and cook (at suggested temperature) for only 3-5 minutes. You are just looking for the crust to be slightly cooked. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for a minute or two. **If you are starting with a pre made crust-dont worry about this step.
Next spread the Tofu Ricotta on the crust. You will not need entire batch that you made from the recipe above, but feel free to apply liberally. We put it on the crust because we tried it crumbled on top once, and it just dried out a little too much for our liking-although the flavor was still good.
Top that with your pizza sauce and the load on the toppings! I think good suggestions would be: mushrooms & onions (both good fresh or sautéed), garlic, spinach, tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts etc. What we have learned is to make sure to apply more than you will think is necessary cause they will shrink up on the oven.
Toss the prepared pizza in the oven for maybe 5-10 minutes (checking it often enough just to prevent an over cooked crust).
Take it out of the oven, slice, serve and enjoy!
Satisfies my craving~hope it does yours the same.
:)

Artichoke Crostini

A few weeks ago Dan and I decided to go to a vegan cooking class at Whole Foods, and boy am I glad we did!

One of the items Chef Hillori Hansen made for us was phenominal and made Dan a believer in just how tasty artichokes can be. Finally!! We have made this several times since then, and will for many years to come. It was also our first experience since the diet switch to making some sort of sauce out of cashews-which made me a believer. ;)

So, here it is. Get ready for your minds to be blown!

Artichoke Crostini-

Ingredients:

1T. EVOO

1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped

1/2c. Raw Cashews

1t. Miso

1T. Lemon Juice

1T. H20

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2T. Nutritional Yeast

1can Artichoke Hearts in H20, drained and chopped

1 French or Sourdough Baguette

Green Onions or Chives, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Soak Cashews overnight in H20 (enough to cover them completely).

In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in EVOO until translucent and tender (about 5-10 min).

Drain and rinse the cashews and place them in the food processor with the onions, miso, lemon juice, garlic and H20. Blend until smooth. If needed for consistency, feel free to add a little extra H20, but do so cautiously a little at a time.

Once the sauce is smooth, add the artichokes, nutritional yeast and the S&P to taste. Blend just enough so that the ingredients are well mixed, but you do still want pieces of artichokes present in the dip.

Slice the baguette on an angle, set the pieces onto a baking sheet and spray or brush each piece of bread with a little EVOO.

Place the baguette in the oven on the top rack under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes until lightly toasted (about 2 minutes on each side).

Remove the toasted baguette, and top each slice with about 2T. of the artichoke dip. Garnish with green onions or chives and serve.

*This will keep a few days in the fridge-provided you can resist the urge to eat the entire thing in once sitting that is...

Enjoy!