Cinnamon Vanilla Peanut Butter

Sometimes, the best things in life are cheap and easy. This typically doesn't apply to food..unless it's peanut butter. :-) We go through the stuff like crazy over here. My kids down it by the spoonfuls, we top crackers, cookies, muffins, apples, toast, celery, granola bars, brownies, pretty much everything with it. You know what's awesome? It takes a few minutes to make and costs pennies. Literally! Of course, you can make just basic peanut butter...but the fun comes when you add stuff to it. I posted a while back with a few recipes, but our recent favorite is cinnamon and vanilla. Seriously, this stuff on apples is incredible! Especially when using homemade vanilla (which is finally done...yay!!) 

Cinnamon Vanilla Peanut Butter

4 cups peanuts (salted or non, roasted or raw, it's personal preference)

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

Prepare yourself. This is a complicated recipe.

Dump peanuts in a food processor. Process on high until creamy. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Process again for about 30 seconds. Store in refrigerator. 

:-)

Difficult, huh? 

Sweet Potato Burgers (plus vegan ranch!)

I needed to re-stock my freezer with quick lunch foods so I decided to try a new "burger" recipe. It actually amazes me just what can be baked into a patty. Once you get used to the texture of a meat-free burger, it really is good. It's not even remotely the same, but we are big fans over here. Super convenient to reheat in a skillet, oven, or toaster oven, and delicious with all the traditional hamburger toppings! This is without a doubt one of the easiest patty recipes and made a decent amount. (9 patties)

I am also VERY happy that the traditional ranch dressing I make tastes almost identical when substituting the dairy ingredients with vegan sour cream, veganaise, and rice milk (I omit the apple cider vinegar and up the seasonings a bit). Yay for US! Salads actually taste almost "normal" now! 

Sweet Potato Burgers

1 1/4 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans) soaked overnight and rinsed/drained

1 sweet potato, peeled and shredded

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp oil

scant 1/2 tsp baking powder

Using a food processor, blend all ingredients until fine, scraping sides of bowl often. Form into patties. Place on oiled baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake on 375 for 20 minutes. Remove foil, spritz with oil, and bake another 15. Flip burgers, spritz with oil again, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until birgers have a nice, crisp top and bottom. Serve with desired toppings! Wrap in foil after completely cooled and freeze. Reheat in skillet spritzed with oil OR in the oven. 

Black Bean Soup

Phew, it feels so good to be back to healthy eating after all the holiday celebrations! Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my fair share of sugar and stuff, but I also like getting back into the swing of normal living...

I have been wanting to make this soup for awhile now and just gave it a go yesterday. It tasted like super authentic Mexican, not a fast food style, and I think it would be superb with shredded cheese and sour cream on top! The original recipe said to blend half of it and return to pot...I skipped this step and it was just as fabulous.

You know what else would make this recipe incredible? 4 oz of cream cheese stirred into the pot before serving. Try it. I bet you'll agree. ;-)

For the beans, I used my recipe. I make a big batch of it, drain all the broth out, and freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet where I then transfer to freezer bags so I always have seasoned black beans on hand. If you don't feel like doing all of this, just buy 2 cans of seasoned black beans. 

Black Bean Soup

3 cups prepared Authentic Black Beans

1 cup (or can) pinto beans (or any kind of bean, really..I just like to mix it up)

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped

2-3 tsp minced garlic

3 tsp chili powder (more to taste)

1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp basil and oregano
2 tsp brown sugar

2 bay leaves
salt+ cayenne pepper to taste

oil of choice

1 batch of short grain brown rice, prepared

Guacamole (best ever recipe!)

(optional) Sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, tortilla chips

Put a dash of oil in a pot and saute onion until tender. Add garlic and cook about a minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on medium for about 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Trust me, you don't want to blend these guys into your soup! If you want, blend half of the soup recipe to thicken it up a bit. Return to pot, stir, and serve with some rice, guac, cilantro, sour cream, etc. 

We all agreed that it tasted even better the next day! 

Vegan Pancakes

My new favorite breakfast. Healthy pancakes. I've made a million recipes before but taking out egg makes things a bit different. The texture isn't as fabulous. This recipe is good, though! The outside crisps up (which is how we like it) and the inside is airy, not doughy. I've been popping these from the freezer into the oven these past few mornings and they're great! 

Vegan Pancakes

2 cups oat flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

4 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups almond milk

4 Tbsp applesauce or pumpkin

1 Tbsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in the other. Combine the two just until mixed and let the batter rest for 15mins. Heat skillet. Fry like regular pancakes! I made a strawberry rhubarb compote and topped with that and blueberries. 

Black Bean+Brown Rice

This is one of my fav recipes from my cousin Glenda. She calls them "Truly Authentic Burritos".  They take a tiny bit more prep work but are so worth it! Besides, the beans freeze so well that making a big batch ensures quick freezer dinners. You can actually assemble them (minus sour cream) and freeze the burritos for later use. I used some vegan sour cream for the first time and it passed the taste test! Not the exact same, but close enough. :-) 

Black Bean+ Brown Rice Burritos

4 cups black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed

4 bay leaves

1 onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup corn, cooked and seasoned

Tortillas

Sour cream, guacamole, salsa, limes

salt and pepper to taste

Dump beans in crock pot and cover with water. Add onion, bay, and garlic. Cook on low for 6 hours or until beans are done (high for 3-4 hours). Add more water throughout if beans are exposed. Remove bay leaves. Once done, I use a slotted spoon to remove the beans and drizzle with a little of the "broth". Salt and pepper to desired taste. Warm tortillas in a skillet until soft. Stack in paper towels to keep them warm. Assemble as desired. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top. So delish! 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I've never made butternut squash soup before so I was excited to try this recipe. Total new fav soup for me! Perfectly creamy without even using cream. Roasting the vegetables in a pan made the flavor so amazing. Bold but not overpowering. This made quite a big batch, but I have heard it freezes well and I love it so much I don't mind leftovers. :-) 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
1 sweet onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled or minced
2 cups vegetable(or chicken) broth (plus more for final step)
salt and pepper to taste

Slice squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place face down in a large pan. Peel and thickly slice onions. Add to pan. Same with garlic. Add vegetable broth. Bake on 375 for 45 mins to 1 hour or until the squash is soft. Cool slightly and scoop out flesh of squash. Discard the skin. Blend squash with roasted onions, garlic, and broth in small batches. Transfer to large pot. Add 2-4 more cups of vegetable broth depending on the consistency you want your soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently and serve warm.

Ready to pop in the oven! 

All roasted and ready to blend. At this point, the house smelled positively divine!

Total perfection paired with some greens and a wheat roll! 

Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash is a fall favorite that is excellent in pasta, dips, soups, and surprisingly, makes an awesome butternut apple butter to spread on toast! It can also be used in place of oil in muffins or cakes. Ever had pumpkin squash muffins with a maple glaze? So yum!

 I got a bulk order in from Azure this past month and have been putting off preserving them for a long time. I don't know why, though, because roasting and freezing them is super simple! Here's a quick photo tutorial on preserving butternut squash. 

First, halve the squash and scoop out the seeds.

Place face down in a pan filled with 1/4 inch water and bake on 375 for about a half hour, 45mins until squash is tender

Let cool and scoop out flesh into bags or containers. I did one squash per bag. I also didn't puree the squash as my kids mashed it in the bags after they were filled. 

My little helper, scooping out squash! I love her little vintage play dress. 

That's all! Now I have enough squash to get me through until next year! 

Pinterest Pasta

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest everywhere and I've been wanting to try it out! It's been tagged as the quickest pasta ever and I agree. Start to finish, it's about ten minutes depending on how long your pasta boils for. There aren't really quotients; it's more a recipe that you adjust to suit your taste. Also, this isn't the exact recipe as online but I like to add to recipes what I feel is missing, like basil! 

Please be a dear and don't starve yourself from the glorious opportunity to add shaved Parmesan cheese to the top of this!! If I had some in home, I so would have ;-). 

Pinterest Pasta

1 box pasta of your choosing

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 gloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp parsley

2 tsp basil

1/2 or whole lemon, juiced

salt+pepper to taste

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Boil pasta. Drain. Toss with ingredients. Add more oil if it's too dry. Season to taste. Total...yum! 

Whole Grain Braid (vegan)

I couldn't wait to try out my new "egg replacement powder" and this vegan recipe was a perfect thing to experiment on. A hearty, whole grain braided bread that is an awesome mix of light and hearty. Whole wheat flour takes longer to raise, so if going with white flour, don't go by my timing. Also, I have no idea yet how to replace real eggs with the replacement powder so I can't put those quotients out there. All I know is I had one happy husband, coming home to a home filled with the scent of freshly baked bread! This paired so well with Quinoa Chili....

Whole Grain Braid

2 tsp yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 tsp egg replacement powder with 1 cup water

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast in water with sugar. Let sit 15 mins until bubbly. Mix egg replacement with the 1 cup water and whisk thoroughly. Dump bubbly yeast, salt, oil, and egg water in a bowl. Add flour and knead for ten mins or until smooth. Put dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1hr45mins. Punch down and divide into three ropes. Proceed to braid dough ropes making sure to pinch ends. Let raise again until doubled, about 45 mins to 1 hour. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with basil. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes. 

Quinoa Chili

This is some protein packed chili, folks! A winter staple, totally vegan when sprinkled with daiya or vegan sour cream, and can be easily made for all ya'll meat eaters! Just add a pound of seasoned browned beef to the mix. So yum. I love the texture quinoa adds and hey, I'm down with my kids getting as much protein as possible. This stuff freezes and reheats well. I tried today ;-).

Also, I gave quotients for canned beans, but I actually use frozen beans. Beans are among the easiest things to preserve and I will post a tutorial soon! 

Quinoa Chili

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 sweet onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, cubed super tiny

3/4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

4 bay leaves

pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tablespoon chili powder (or more to taste!)

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can white or pinto beans, rinsed
1 sweet potato, cubed super tiny

4 cups vegetable stock

Heat the oil on medium in a large pot. Add the onion and put the lid on the pot. Let the onions sweat/ get translucent. Add the garlic and carrots and a dash of salt. Put the lid back on and let sweat another couple minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, covered, stirring on occasion. Remove bay leaves and season to taste. I added a bit more salt and chili powder. Yum!!

Pecan Crusted Fruit Pie

A simple, tasty vegan and gluten free "pie", I will be using this crust to make so many more variations! The crust alone is worth making for all your non bake style pies. My only recommendation is to fill the crust not too long before eating. I filled mine the night before and the crust was getting soft. It would have been better had I assembled it the morning of serving it. I loved the tart cranberry filling paired with the sweet fruit and the nutty crust. It tasted more like an upside down cobbler type dessert than a pie but it was still quite good! 

Pecan Crusted Fruit Pie

Crust:

1 cup dates

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup cashews

1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

1/2 cup strawberries (I used frozen)

1/2 cup cranberries

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup water

Topping:

Banana, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, kiwi, etc

Begin by placing crust ingredients in food processor until it resembles a sticky consistency. Press tightly into a pie plate. Simmer filling ingredients in a saucepan until the cranberries pop and the liquid is reduced, making a thick compote type texture. To assemble, pour filling over crust and top with assorted fruits. Serve chilled. 

Creamy Avocado Pasta

I am a big pasta fan. I really, realllly love creamy pasta! I thought it was impossible to make going vegan but avocado makes such a fabulous pasta sauce. Who knew?!

With avocado being such a healthy fat for you, there's no guilt and I love that it's easy to make GF for my fellow non gluten foodies out there. 

This pasta was a bit on the spicy side, so decrease pepper flakes if you aren't big on eating spicy.

This isn't the prettiest looking dish but it was SO east, especially being the "sauce" can be pureed and frozen for a quick dinner grab. I have five recipes now in my freezer. It IS possible to make healthy dinners super quick if you don't mind a little extra prep one day! I'm quite happy we had leftovers. This is SO my lunch today! 

Avocado Basil Linguine

2 avocado

2 roma tomato

1/2 lime, juiced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup fresh basil, packed

2 cups fresh spinach

1 tsp salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 box linguine pasta 

Make pasta according to directions on box. Mix all other ingredients in a food processor or blender until as smooth as possible. Drain pasta. Toss with sauce. Serve immediately. Seriously. It's that simple! 

Vegan Brownies

Ok. This is the ONLY recipe I even care about anymore. Do you even know how excited I am about "healthy" gooey, chocolatey, fudge like brownies that have low sugar, no dairy or eggs?? Eek! Hold me back; I might eat the entire pan!!!! Yeah, I'm cliche chocolate loving girl. But, Craig reallllly likes chocolate, too! You can't really even taste the pumpkin, so I wouldn't classify these as pumpkin brownies. Literally all you can taste is chocolate which is perfectly fine with me!! Maybe eating this way won't be so bad ;-) 

Vegan Brownies

1 1/4 cups 100% whole wheat flour (I used soft white wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup rapadura or brown sugar 

1 tsp vanilla

Just under 2 cups pumpkin puree

1 organic dark chocolate bar, chopped (the good quality kind won't have dairy fillers)

Mix all dry ingredients. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Stir just until combined. Stir in chocolate. Line a 9x9 pan with foil. Lightly oil the foil. Spread batter in pan and bake on 350 for 25 mins. Transfer to cooling rack. Eat immediately with peanut butter if you're like me ;-)

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

It wouldn't be quite Thanksgiving season without pumpkin spice muffins, now would it?? Unfortunately my regular recipe  calls for eggs which is a true vegan no. Thankfully? This new recipe has no dairy or eggs and also baked up as cute muffin tops! I just scooped the leftover dough with my cookie scoop and baked on parchment paper at the same temp and time. 

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each, nutmeg and cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 small banana, mashed well

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup rapadura or brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup almond milk

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

Mix dry ingredients minus the sugar in one bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients plus brown brown sugar in another bowl. Gently combine the two bowls together. Lightly oil your mini muffin pan and fill with batter tp the tops. Bake on 350 for 10 minutes or until toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool. Store in airtight container. Makes 24 mini muffins + 5 "muffin tops"... 

Oat Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I was having a really huge craving for my ultimate favorite unhealthy food, Pretzel Cookies . Since it is quite obvious that recipe won't find it's way into my oven again any time soon, I had to make a way to have around the same flavor without the butter, sugar, and refined flour. 

Enter: Oat Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites. 

They worked! Eek! I was literally eating this stuff out of the bowl. I wasn't the only one, either! Craig didn't even want to wait until I had them all rolled and chilled. Ah well! This recipe will become a new staple. It has to, with my sweet tooth!

I added 2 scoops of organic brown rice protein powder to the mix. It's totally optional, but I like that it gives an extra kick of protein to our diets. 

Oat Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

  

2 cups oats 

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pretzels

1/4 cup chopped  

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. Warm butter, oil, sweetener, in a saucepan until combined. Add vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. Mix well. Refrigerate for 30-45 mins. Form into tightly packed balls. Store in refrigerator. 

I made a double batch and got around 50 balls. Now, these little dudes look nothing like the fab cookies I posted, but don't be too hard on them...they really are delicious!!