Vegan Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

3 cups organic rolled oats

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup brown sugar, divided

1/3 cup vegan “egg”

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp pure vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease the bottom of a 9 X 6 casserole dish (the size doesn’t really matter)
• Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT for 1/4 cup of the brown sugar
• Pour into casserole dish and top with remaning brown sugar
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

        

                   

Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Au Gratin

I have a long list of things I love about Jim.  But the fact that he’s such an amazing cook makes the Top 5 for sure.  Even though cooking is one of my favorite things to do, after a stressful day at work, followed by errands or yoga and not getting home til 9, I am BEYOND happy when he offers to make a meal.  And even though all of his recipes have been delicious, this one may be his best yet!

2 sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds (a little less than 1/2 an inch thick)

1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced into rounds (1/2 inch thick)

2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp dry mustard

Coconut oil for coating

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Whisk cornstarch into coconut milk and let dissolve
• In a small saucepan, bring coconut milk and garlic to a boil then let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Layer sweet potato slices on the bottom of a greased (use the coconut oil) 13X9 inch baking pan or casserole dish
• Cover with a layer of cheese, and sprinkle salt, dry mustard and pepper over the cheese, distributing evenly
• Then layer the butternut squash over it and top with remaining cup of cheese
• Pour coconut milk evenly over the casserole
• Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes
• Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the top begins to brown

          

Southwestern Sweet Potato Soup

The chilly weather has got me craving soups every night!  This one is especially perfect because it’s got a sweet, yet subtle spicy flavor.

4 cups cubed sweet potatoes

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans

1 cup frozen organic corn

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped red pepper

2/3 cup chopped green pepper

3/4 cup green onions

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 tbsp

1 cayenne pepper, minced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 black pepper

• In a saucepan over medium heat cook yellow onion, green pepper, red pepper and cayenne in 1/4 cup oil for 5 minutes
• In small saucepan, cook 3/4 cup black beans and corn over medium heat in 1 tbsp olive oil for 7 minutes
• When onions and pepper have cooked for 5 minutes, add vegetable broth, sweet potatoes and remaining 3/4 cup black beans and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook on low/medium heat for 30 minutes
• Remove soup from heat, then pour into blender and pulse until creamy
• Pour back into large saucepan over medium heat, add coconut milk, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes
• Stir in green onions and cilantro and serve

Broccoli & Tomato Polenta Pizza

FOR THE POLENTA

2 1/2 cups waters

1 cup organic cornmeal

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

FOR THE TOPPINGS

1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli florets

1 1/4 cups fresh tomato and herb sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach

10 grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 lb fresh mozzarella (about 1 1/2 cups when torn into pieces)

Olive oil for coating

• Brush bottom of a baking sheet with olive oil
• Bring water, coconut milk, salt and pepper to a boil
• Quickly reduce heat to medium, then whisk in cornmeal and stir continuously for 12-15 minutes, until thick and creamy
• When cooked, spread onto greased baking sheet until about 1/2 inch thick (mine covered about 3/4 of the sheet)
• Cool in fridge for 1 hour
• After an hour preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Bake polenta for 20 minutes
• Remove from oven, spread the sauce over polenta, then add spinach, broccoli and tomatoes and then top with mozzarella

          

• Bake for 8 minutes, then place under broiler for 2 minutes

Rosemary Filone Bread

I usually swear against white flour, but being stuck at home, made me a little crazy and I was breaking my food rules left and right.  These types of recipes will not happen often because I know they’re not super healthy and I am well-aware of the fact that they are SUPER addictive.  I wish our apartment always smelled as good as it did while this bread was baking- absolutely indescribable.  Made me feel like I was back in Italy, cooking in an outdoor Tuscan brick oven, it’s THAT good!

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup water

4 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 package yeast

1 tsp sea salt

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit for 15 minutes
• Meanwhile, mix together flour and salt
• After 15 minutes add yeast/water, 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp rosemary to flour and mix well until sticky (it will be VERY sticky)
• Cover in saran wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Stretch dough into a an oval loaf onto a baking sheet
• Stir together 3 tbsp oil and 3 tbsp rosemary and brush over loaf
• Bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes

Vegan Banana Pumpkin Bread

 2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp orange zest

2 tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

         

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Mix flours, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl
• In another bowl combin bananas, pumpkin, honey, coconut milk, vanilla, oil and 1 tsp or organce zest
• When both are mixed, combine together and stir well unti thick and creamy
• In a  greased baking pan or dish (I used a 9 X 6) pour batter in and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes
• Remove from oven after 25 minutes, add 1 tsp orange zest and pumpkin seeds on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes

Sweet Potato Rolls

After suffering from a severe case of poison ivy, taking a few days off of work and having nowhere to go, naturally, the only thing I did was slave away in the kitchen and attempt to use up every food item we had in the apartment.  I had potatoes of every kind sitting around, and recently Arikka made a batch of sweet potato rolls and brought them into work and I was immediately hooked.  These were fairly easy to make and I couldn’t keep my hands off of them.  It’s one of those baked goods that you just have to sneak a bite of every time you walk by them.  My batch made about a dozen and they were devoured pretty quickly!

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour

2 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes ( just boil sweet potatoes then mash by hand or pulse in a food processor)

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegan “egg”

1/4 cup warm water

1 yeast active dry yeast

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water
• In a saucepan, bring coconut milk to medium/high heat ( don’t boil) and after 5 minutes add honey, sugar, salt and cinnamon.  Stir for 2 more minutes
• Remove from heat, add milk mix to sweet potatoes and stir until well blended
• Add “egg” and yeast mix and stir again
• Stir in white flour and mix until well blended
• Stir in whole wheat flour and mix until well blended
• Knead until thick, sticky dough is formed
• Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, until dough rises
• After 30 minutes, tear golf ball sized pieces of dough off and form into rolls. Place them on a greased 13 X 9 inch baking pan (it’s fine if they’re touching) and bake for 20 minutes

                  

 

       

 

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

And the fall recipes are in full swing…

1 butternut squash, halved and seeded

1 apple, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped carrot

2 celery ribs, chopped

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

Dash black pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Place squash halves, face up and roast for 20 minutes
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook butter oven medium heat until melted
• Add carrots, onions and celery and cook for an additional 5 minutes
• When squash is done, peel and chop then add to vegetables in saucepan along with apples, water and vegetable broth
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to low/medium heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes
• After 30 minutes, add soup to blender and pulse until thick and creamy
• Return to saucepan, add coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes on medium heat

Broccoli & Carrot Cheddar Soup

I used to be obsessed with the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera- until I found out a teen tiny cup of it was filed with 1500 mg of sodium! Gross.  So a year ago, I started making my own but used chicken broth and it was delicious.  This was my first time making it with veggie broth but it was just as yummy!

4 cups chopped broccoli

1 cup shredded carrot

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups coconut milk

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

4 tbsp butter

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add onions when melted
• Cook for 5 minutes occasionally stir, then add in flour and cook for 3 more minutes
• Whisk in coconut milk, then add vegetable broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil
• Once boiling, reduce to low/medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes
• After 20 minutes,  add broccoli and carrots to mix and simmer for another 20 minutes
• Then, bring heat to medium, add cheese and cook for additional 5 minutes until fully blended

The Honey Debate & Jim’s Bees

For any of you who may be strict vegans, you probably look at some of my recipes that fall under the vegan category, yet they still list honey as an ingredient.  I completely understand why some people choose to cut bee products out of their life.  Vegan means NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS and bees (insect or not) are indeed an animal.  Some say bees feel pain when smoked (which prevents beekeepers from getting stung or making it easier to transport hives), some say taking honey from bees is unnatural and it starves them over the winter when they’re depleted of food.  Some even go as far as to say it’s animal cruelty or enslavement to keep bees in a beehive that wasn’t constructed in nature.

Jim and I?  We think about totally different aspects of bees and honey, since Jim maintains a thriving beehive of around 30,000 bees (it’s really hard to keep an accurate headcount with so many buzzing around).  He’s been passionate about sustaining a colony since he read about how most food supplies are dependent on bees and found a woman who runs a bee warehouse in Woburn, MA that set him up with a starter hive.  They’ve only been smoked one time (I really don’t think they minded it), we provided them a huge (organic) garden to enjoy and considering we’re around thm pretty frequently and have only been stung once, I truly feel like they’re at home here.  It may all sound like some optimistic, unrealistic vision of what they go through, but in our eyes, they’re necessary for food and life in general, and the more bees there are, the better off we all are.  They’re not being maliciously killed or butchered, and they still get to have some of the honey too.

So to us, it’s OK.  Many vegans I know feel the same way– some don’t and that’s fine too.  One thing I’ve learned about vegetarianism/veganism, is that everyone has their own beliefs, they’re own rules, and everyone’s personal food preferences are up to them and no one else.

But for those are you who are interested, here’s a look into Jim’s beehive!  It’s really amazing and they’re such smart creatures! 🙂

          

          

       

(honey straight out of the hive)

    

(bottles of honey after straining- about a gallon)