Pumpkin Oatmeal October 5, 2011

 

I woke up today with a start. Something was not right. It sounded like water was gushing outside, flooding the streets. It sounded like everything was about to be swept away. I snuck out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping baby lying next to me to peek outside. Surely, it could not be raining. It has been so warm and sunny, it is not fall yet! Sure enough, as soon as I peaked out the window I could see the slick and glossy color of wet pavement. It was raining! And not just a drizzle, really raining!

 

All day today has been rainy, gloomy, cloudy, and cold. I have not felt such a dramatic turn of seasons in a very long time. Yesterday it was Summer, today Fall. I am not happy about the turn of seasons, I will miss my sunny warm weather. This bowl of oatmeal, however, perked up my attitude and reminded me about all the great things that come with fall: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, apples, pumpkins, vegan hot chocolate, fires by the fireplace, I could go on and on. Instead, I will leave you with happy thoughts of the season to come and a recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal.

 

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Vegan, Dairy Free, Soy Free, can be made Gluten Free

 

Makes 4-5 Servings

 

1 cup Irish Steel Cut Oats (or use gluten free oats or another hot cereal of choice)

4 Cups water

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 can pumpkin puree

Stevia or other sweetener to taste (I used 4 teaspoons stevia)

2 teaspoons cinammon

 

For each serving you will need:

1 banana

1 tablespoon peanut butter

 

1. Make the chia oatmeal by boiling steel cut oats with water. As soon as it starts to boil turn off the heat and slowly pour the chia seeds into the pot while stirring vigorously (otherwise the chia seeds will clump).

2. Let the oatmeal sit over night. In the morning stir in the pumpkin, sweetener, and cinnamon. Serve oatmeal in bowls and store the rest in the fridge for another day.

3. To each bowl add 1 chopped banana and heat in the microwave until warm (1-2 minutes).

4. Add peanut butter to each bowl right before serving. (The peanut butter is optional but highly recommended! (Everything tastes a little better with peanut butter!)

My Morning Routine December 14, 2010

Everyone has some type of morning routine, a sequence of events that they repeat most mornings as soon as they wake up. For some people, it is a steaming hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning, others cannot start their day without a shower. For me, it is a smoothie. I start almost every morning with some type of smoothie. The exact ingredients that go into the smoothie vary day to day, but the routine remains the same.

 

Although the exact ingredients that go into my smoothies every morning vary, there are a few staples that I seem to throw in every day. The two most important are some sort of dark leafy green and protein powder. For the dark leafy green, there are several types I like to use. My favorite is dinosaur kale, but I also use spinach, or I buy the package of greens for cooking from Trader Joe’s which includes mustard greens, collard greens, spinach, and some other greens thrown in there. Also, when I am at the farmer’s market sometimes I will ask for the discarded tops from the root vegetables that people buy. they give me carrot, beet, kohlrabi, all kinds of different types of greens. By varying the greens I use in my smoothie I am making sure I get a ton of different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!

 

 

For protein I have several different types I like to use. In smoothies where I use tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple, or citrus fruits, I like to use just plain Nutiva hemp powder mixed with Nutiva hemp seeds. For smoothies with banana, or berries, or anything that goes well with chocolate I use Sunwarrior Protein or Life’s Basics Plant Protein. The Sunwarrior protein is great because it is made from completely raw sprouted brown rice protein, it also has a great texture and taste. Even simply mixed with water, it tastes great! The Life’s Basics plant protein, although not raw, is still my favorite because it is affordable compared to most soy free vegan proteins, it tastes great, it is made of rice, pea, and hemp protein, and includes chia seeds for healthy fats!

 

And of course I cannot forget the most important tool I use for my smoothie making: My blender! I use a Vitamix blender and it is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. It is powerful, durable, and easy to clean. I use if for everything and would highly recommend any household to have one of these in their kitchen!

 

Before saying goodbye, I am going to leave you with a few of my favorite smoothies right now. Happy smoothie making and Happy Holidays!!

For Printable Recipes Click Here.

Cranberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Serves 2

 

2 Scoops Life’s Basic or Sunwarrior Chocolate Protein Powder

2 cups non-dairy milk ( I like using raw almond milk, but you can use soy, rice, or coconut milk, or even soynog would taste great in this!)

1 bunch Kale or other type of leafy green

1 banana

1 cup frozen unsweetened cranberries

1/2 cup frozen pomegranates

 

Directions:

Place protein powder, non-dairy milk, and leafy greens in blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

 

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Serves 2

 

2 scoops Life’s Basic or Sunwarrior Protein Powder

2 cups non-dairy milk ( I like using raw almond milk, but you can use soy, rice, or coconut milk, or even soynog would taste great in this!)

1 bunch Kale or other type of leafy green

1 can pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 packets stevia

1 banana (optional)

 

Directions:

Place protein powder, non-dairy milk, and leafy greens in blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

Pumpkin Risotto and Stuffed Squash Blossoms October 22, 2010

 

I made this dish a few weeks back and have been meaning to write a post about it for so long because it was so so good! I have been seeing these squash blossoms at the farmer’s market for some time and kept thinking I should buy some, but for some reason just kept walking past, probably because I did not have the faintest idea what exactly I would make with them. And then one Saturday, on a whim, I decided to buy some and boy am I glad I did. This is one of the best dishes I have made in a long time and the best part about it is that for how elegant it is in presentation, it is surprisingly simple to make!

 

I decided to stuff the squash blossoms with cheese, cashew cheese to be exact, and slowly roast them instead of pan fry or deep fry them. They turned out succulent and moist, and the cheese slightly hardened into this beautiful, almost spongy texture.

 

 

The first thing you want to do is stuff the squash blossoms. I bought the blossoms that still had baby squash attached to them, but you can use the squash blossoms by themselves as well. For the cashew cheese I used the recipe for pimento cashew cheese from Sarma’s book Living Raw Food. It is really good and worked perfectly stuffed and baked in these squash blossom. Stuffing the squash blossoms can be tricky and pretty messy, the key is to make sure you carefully open all of the leaves without tearing or breaking them and placing a spoonful of cheese in the center. With a quick spray of vegetable oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, these babies are ready to get roasted in the oven. I roasted them at a low temperature for a long time and covered them with foil so the blossoms would not dry out or get burnt. They turned out beautifully soft and moist. I was really pleased!

 

While your squash babies are roasting in the oven, you want to make the risotto. There are basically four steps to making risotto:

 

1. Sauté your onions and garlic in some oil or butter. I prefer oil and like to sauté over medium heat to allow the onions to soften without burning. I also like to add the garlic near the end because it is so easy to burn garlic and it will continue to cook as you cook the risotto.

2. Add the rice (or in this case, wheat berries) and sauté for a minute or two. Make sure you get the rice or whatever grain you are using fully coated in oil and allow it to brown in the pan a bit, it gives it a nice flavor.

3. Add the wine/broth in 1/2 cup increments. Allow it to fully absorb before adding more.

4. When the rice is done, add the remaining ingredients, in this case pumpkin and cashew cheese.

 

And wha-la! you have risotto! Simple huh?!

 

Below is the recipe for your enjoyment! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

 

Pimenton Cashew Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Pumpkin Risotto

Printable Recipe

 

Pimenton Cashew Cheese

From Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis

2 cups cashews, soaked 2 hours or more

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons raw sesame tahini

2 tablespoons filtered water

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh chives, minced

 

Blend all ingredients except the chives in a high-speed blender until smooth. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed until the cheese is think and smooth but not runny. Season with additional salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl and fold in minced chives.

 

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

 

10 squash blossoms (with or without baby squash attached)

Pimenton Cashew Cheese

Vegetable Oil

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degF and coat a baking dish with oil. Carefully open the squash blossoms and stuff with a spoonful of cashew cheese. Place stuffed squash blossoms on the baking dish and spray with vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until squash is tender.

 

Pumpkin Wheat Berry Risotto

 

2 cups wheatberries, soaked in water overnight

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 shallots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 quart vegetable broth

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 can organic pumpkin puree

1/4 cup pimenton cashew cheese

 

 

Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Drain the water from the wheat berries and add them to the pan along with 1/2 cup veggie broth. Bring heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly until all the water is absorbed. Add veggie broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the liquid to absorb fully each time, until all the liquid has been used and the wheat berries are soft and chewy with a creamy-like texture. Add the salt and pepper, taste, and
add more salt and pepper if needed. Fold in the pumpkin puree and cashew cheese. Serve the risotto with squash blossoms on top and garnished with chives.