Pumpkin and White Bean Hummus

I came across a recipe for pumpkin hummus in a magazine and lost the recipe. Determined to try it out, I improvised and made my own.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of organic pumpkin
1 15 oz can of white beans, drained
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil + a little extra to drizzle on top
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp dried parsley + about 1 tsp for garnish
1 tbsp pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pepitas, dried parsley and olive oil drizzle in a vitamix or food processor. Process or blend until smooth. Add in 1 tbsp dried parsley until mixed in. Put mixture in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with remaining parsley and pepitas (optional: toast pepitas in a dry skillet first). Serve with veggies or flat bread.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Wilted Spinach

I whipped this up for lunch today and it was so yummy that I had to share. Measurements of the spices are approximate because I didn't know when I was cooking that I would be sharing the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 zucchini squash sliced and cut in half

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 roma tomatoes, julienne sliced

6 greens onion sliced

2 handfuls of spinach

splash of balsamic vinegar (to taste)

garlic salt, to taste

basil, 1-2 tsp

coriander, 1/8 tsp

olive oil in a spritzer if available. If not, enough to lightly coat the pan.

Directions:

Spritz skillet with olive oil. Add zucchini and onions and cook over medium heat until slightly tender, not soft. Add corn and cook until corn is warm. Add tomatoes and quinoa. Add spices and balsamic vinegar. Add spinach and cook until it just begins to wilt. Transfer to a plate and serve. Serves 2. This dish is excellent as is, but it might be yummy topped with tempeh strips. Happy Monday! Enjoy!

Vegan Mac and Cheese

I am a sucker for mac and cheese and its existence is perhaps one of the reasons I previously had trouble becoming vegan. So cheese lovers, here you go. Enjoy it to the fullest.


Ingredients:

8 oz whole grain elbow macaroni or any other pasta you desire....gluten free, shells, your choice

3 tbsp earth balance

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 cups rice or soy milk

3 cups daiya cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp non-gmo cornstarch

sea salt to taste

Directions:

Cook the macaroni as directed. Place earth balance in a sauce pan and melt. Once melted, add nutritional yeast and pepper. Add rice or soy milk, daiya and cornstarch. Cook on low to med/low till cheese is melted. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni and there you go. SO good.....even for non-vegans. Teenager, child and carnivore approved.

Options:

If you want to spruce it up, there are several options.

• Add meatless crumbles and/or...



• a veggie like peas, chopped asparagus or broccoli



• make it tex-mex style with meatless crumbles, corn and salsa



• Make the sauce only and pour over a baked potato, nachos...use your imagination



• Leave the recipe as is but top with bread crumbs and vegan Parmesan (I use galaxy brand) Then throw it in the oven at 350 till the top is crispy.

Garden Vegetable Soup

We've had some cold mornings the past few days. Yesterday, when I woke up it was 26 degrees and today not much warmer at 33 degrees. It seems to take me forever to warm up once I get that cold. I went to yoga where I was actually able to be a student and not a teacher and warmed up nicely but once I walked back into the elements, I felt frozen to the bone. I picked up my Kindergartner and wanted something really grounding and highly nutritious for lunch and I couldn't think of a better meal to fit my needs today but a large pot of homemade soup. So I decided to invent a really hearty, palate pleasing soup. I was so pleased when not only my husband really liked it but the teenager did too. She dished herself up a bowl before leaving for track practice and said she wasn't that hungry but it tasted really good so she kept eating it. Makes my heart smile. :)

Ingredients:
6 cups filtered water
3 Organic Gourmet vegetable bouillon cubes
1 can undrained diced tomatoes with basil (try to find the Eden Organics brand
3 small zucchini
3 carrot
2 red potatoes
3 stalks celery
1/2 of a large onion
1 cup to 1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms
6 oz broccoli (I used half of the bag that is pictured)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 strip of kombu seaweed
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
garlic salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop all the vegetables as desired except seaweed. Place water in soup pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add bouillon cubes and stir with a wire whisk until dissolved. Add the can of tomatoes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered 30-45 minutes until veggies reach desired texture.

Now warm up and enjoy!

Blackened Chipotle Tempeh Fillets

My husband is amazing with tempeh! This is so good!

Ingredients:

• 1 package tempeh




• 3 tbsp vegenaise




• 2 tbsp agave plus 1 tsp




• 2 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tbsp




• 2 pinches of crumbled nori




• 1/2 tsp garlic salt




• 1/4 crispy dried onions, crushed or crumbled




• 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper

Directions:

Grate tempeh into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp oil, vegenaise, 2 tbsp agave, nori, garlic salt. Mix. With a heavy object or "meat" tenderizer smash mixture 1/2 cup at a time on a cutting board till it meets the consistency of shredded tuna. Form into two fillets. On a plate pour remaining olive oil, remaining agave and chipotle pepper. On a separate plate, spread out crushed crispy dried onion. Dip one side of fillet in oil mixture and dip the top side in the dried onion. Place fillets in a skillet sprayed with oil and cook on low for 10 minutes on each side. Tempeh will begin to blacken from the cayenne; this is not burnt. After you cook slow, cook for 4 minutes per side on high heat.

Serve on a bed of warmed apple sauce with a side of grilled or steamed asparagus. Enjoy!

Change is the only constant in this journey of life.....

The latter half of this year has been an amazing ride. The first part of 2011 was somewhat lukewarm and uneventful. I felt myself settling into a routine that did not challenge me in any manner. However, as the end of summer approached, changes happened and my zest for life was once again awakened. Philip McCluskey on facebook posted this quote a few weeks ago, "Detours, challenges, and crisis, are simply covers for miracles that had no other way of reaching you." That is simply beautiful. My detours and challenges occurred on many levels and one or tow I will share and some were very personal that I will keep to myself.

One of these challenges not only involved me but my husband as well. And I would love to share. My husband paid a visit to the dermatologist to have a spot on his back checked out and found out it was basal cell carcinoma. Of course, it was removed. The results of this information have been life changing as my husband decided to adhere to a first vegetarian diet and later to a vegan diet. He wanted to try out the veg thing for a month or so which is quite a decision for him since he loved his meat. He LOVED ribs, prime rib and large steaks. He had cut way back on consumption of meat for the past few years but I NEVER thought I would see the day that he would give it up completely. During those first thirty days, I bought the book Skinny Bastard for him. We also watched the documentaries Forks Over Knives as well as The Gerson Miracle. Both of these films are usually available on Netflix live streaming video. After watching these videos not only was he committed to being vegetarian, it was on to veganism. Amazing changes have occurred not only for him but for me and my entire family as well. I have been vegetarian since 2009. I tried as best as I could being vegan but I would cave at times. This was mostly in part because I was the only one in my family trying to follow this diet. So, if they were eating an organic cheese pizza, I would sneak a few bites after I finished my pizza with Daiya Cheese. If something had a little milk or egg in the ingredients, I would say, oh no big deal. and eat it anyway. I suffered from allergies that I contributed to dairy but I didn't think that a tiny bit of organic dairy would make a difference. Little that I knew it did. My husband had the same problem. He contributed this to seasonal allergies but the strange thing was is that he would really flare up in November/December. Not a lot of pollen in the air during that time of year. He would take an Advil Sinus or something of that sort almost daily just to cope with sinusitis. He went vegan and my world was turned upside down in such an amazing way. No allergy flare ups for either one of us. I became more committed to what I knew was the right thing for my body. Not only was it Jason and I following this diet but we passed it on to our girls as well. My oldest still eats meat and dairy usually at school or when she is out and about but a large percentage of her diet is vegan. She is in pre-season track and is showing an amazing amount of strength in her workouts. Jason has lost 15 lbs since the change and is stronger than ever. He looks amazing....hair, skin....the whole package He has the six pack he's been searching for since he was 16. :)

Jason discovered cheddar Daiya Cheese and then something wonderful happened. He became the most amazing vegan cook. He imitated unhealthy horrifically bad food and made it healthy and vegan. For the remainder of this month, I will be giving to you (what a better season to give the gift of health) the recipes of some of our amazing vegan food. We work together at times in the kitchen coming up with the most bomb food you've ever tasted. I cannot commit to a daily recipe but I will commit to a few each week.

There you have it. One of the changes in my life, that makes my heart beat stronger and has allowed me to see life in a whole new dimension.

Stay tuned for some awesomeness that will make your taste buds soar to new heights. 'Tis the season.