Smoky Butternut Squash Sauce with Pasta and Kale. {OhSheGlows}

Another yummy one from OhSheGlows. Yummy AND creamy!! They all loved it, except Ava.... but what else is new. Picky little girl.

Red Lentil & Squash Curry Stew. {Oh She Glows}

I made this on Halloween... and told the kids it was my witch's stew... and cackled the whole time. Good times. It was the perfect healthy fix before their sugar fix. It's an OhSheGlows and it is GOOOOD!

1 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon good quality curry powder (or more to taste)

1 carton broth (4 cups) I used low-sodium

1 cup red lentils

3 cups cooked butternut squash

1 cup greens of choice

Fresh grated ginger, to taste (optional)

Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp salt)

1. In a large pot, add EVOO and chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes over low-medium heat.

2. Stir in curry powder and cook another couple minutes. Add broth and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in cooked butternut squash and greens of choice. Cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and add some freshly grated ginger to taste.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls. {OhSheGlows}

General Conference time... so I continue on my search for the cinnamon roll recipe. I grew up with awesome ones, made by my Mom. BUT, I was always a fan of the big fat, oooey gooey ones. I tried some last April, and they were good. But not "the" ones. This year I went pumpkin. I was going to go all out and do nonvegan and crack white sugar. But remembered the suger coma I put my family and I in last year... and the insuing sugar headache that went along with it, and decided against it.  

I found this recipe from one of my favorite sites, OhSheGlows, and knew it'd be goood. I loved the idea that she put the pumpkin flavor in the filling and not in the dough. Well played Angela. Well played.

So.Stinkin.Good.

Here's her recipe, and my notes... I wanted to knock out the white sugar (remembering the headache) so I used coconut sugar. And I did whole wheat pastry flour instead of white. That's what I think is funny about some vegan recipes.... you take out the animal product - but then use white sugar and white flour - and it makes it just as dumb. And like all good cinnamon roll recipes... here's the long sucka...

Yeast Mixture
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 cup very warm water (but not too hot to touch)

Dough

1 cup almond milk
2/3 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance)
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg replacer egg ---OPTIONS
       #1 - 1 tsp Ener-g egg replacer + 2 tbsp warm water), optional
       #2 - 2 T. flaxseed meal + 3 T. water + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder... stir together and let gel}
yeast mixture, from above
6 cups all purpose flour + more for kneading (4 cups whole wheat pastry flour & 3 cups all purpose flour)

Pecan Cinnamon Streusel Filling

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened but not melted
1 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Pan Sauce

1/2 cup vegan butter, melted (i used 3 T.... the butter was starting to add up)
1/3 cup coconut sugar

1. Mix together yeast ingredients and set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy and bubbly.

2. Meanwhile, combine the wet dough ingredients (almond milk, sugar, vegan butter, salt and optional egg replacer) in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium until all ingredients are combined, mixing well as you go. Turn off the heat on the saucepan and allow this mixture to cool so it is not too hot to touch.

3. Grab 4 cups of the flour and place in a very large bowl. When the saucepan mixture has cooled off; add in the proofed yeast and mix. Add this mixture to the flour and stir with a large wooden spoon. The mixture will be very wet. Stir for about 15-20 seconds or so.

4. Add in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Mix with a spoon for about 10 seconds and then place spoon aside and use your hands to roughly knead the dough for another 10 seconds or so. Now place the dough (and flour) onto a floured counter.

5. Knead the dough, starting off quite slow as the mixture will look very dry and rough. This is normal so do not worry! Knead the dough for 8 minutes until it is no longer sticky to the touch. Only add more flour if the dough starts to stick to the counter as you are kneading.

6. After 8 minutes of kneading, shape into a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven with the light on and let it rise for 90 minutes.

7a. Meanwhile, prepare the pumpkin pie filling.

7b. Prepare the Pecan cinnamon streusel filling. In a bowl, mix 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans, 1 cup sugar, and 3 tbsp cinnamon together and set aside.

8. After 90 minutes of rising, poke the dough to make sure that it is ready. If you poke the dough and it does NOT spring back up, it is ready to roll! Now grab a rolling pin or simply use your hands to spread out the dough into a large 15 inch by 20 inch rectangle (approximate measure only). Go very slow so you do not rip the dough.

9. Once you have your rectangle shaped, spread on the vegan butter (1/2 cup slightly softened) with a pastry brush. Take the pumpkin pie filling and spread it onto the vegan butter. It will be difficult to spread and slippery, but have no fear it will all work out! Once the pumpkin pie filling is spread out as well as you can, covering the rectangle, now sprinkle on the entire amount of the pecan cinnamon streusel sugar topping.

10. Grab the end of the dough (short side of rectangle), and roll all of the dough, being careful to try and keep the sides as straight as you can. Don’t worry if it is a bit off though (and it will be!), all will work out. Let it rest on the seam once it’s rolled up completely.

11. Once the dough is rolled up, grab some floss about 1 foot long (mint flavored OK!) and cut the rolls taking the piece of floss and placing it underneath the dough and then bringing it up and crossing it to cut the roll (see my pictures). Let go of floss and gently pull away and repeat about 15 times.

12. Pan Sauce: Mix butter and sugar mixture together and pour into large casserole dish or deep dish cake pans. Grab your cut rolls and place into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, place into the oven with the light on, and allow it to rise for 45 more minutes.

Note: You can make these the day beforehand if you want to make them for breakfast. Simply cover the casserole dish and let them rise in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until the casserole dish is no longer cold. After that, you simply bake and serve!  This saves a lot of time in the morning.

13. Meanwhile, prepare the vegan cream cheese frosting. See recipe below.

14. After the second rise, remove the buns from the oven and preheat to 350F.

15. After preheating the oven, remove plastic wrap and place casserole dish into the oven. Bake rolls for 25-27 minutes at 350F until golden in color. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

16. Frost your buns any way you like! You may have to thin out the frosting a bit with more almond milk depending on how you want to use the frosting. If you want to pipe it on, it is the perfect consistency as is, but if you want to drizzle, more almond milk (start with 1 tsp at a time) may be needed.

Ideas for frosting:

1) Pipe on the frosting with a pastry bag and round tip, 2) Use a plastic baggie with one corner cut off, 3) Spread on frosting with a palette knife, or 4) Drizzle thinned out frosting with a spoon.

 17. Serve immediately and enjoy! Makes about 16-17 large rolls. Please note that your rolls will vary in size and shape and this is normal- it all depends on what type of pan you use and where they were baking in the pan. A little character never hurt a cinnamon roll!

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 cup pumpkin, canned
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons almond milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

In a small bowl, mix together the arrowroot powder and almond milk until no clumps remain. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the pumpkin and the arrowroot + milk mixture. Now add in the vanilla, sugar, and stir well. Finally stir in the spices. Heat over low and stir frequently until mixture thickens. Be careful not to burn as it burns easily. It takes about 5-8 minutes to thicken up. You want to use this mixture within about 5-10 minutes of preparing it so it spreads on a bit easier.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup vegan buttery spread (Earth Balance)
2/3 cup vegan cream cheese (Tofutti)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar (blended coconut sugar in the blender to make it powder)
[cut this in half, and glad I did... 1/2 was plenty!]

In a large bowl, mix together the butter and cream cheese with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Add in the vanilla to help along the process. Now slowly add in the icing sugar, stirring frequently until mixed. You want to keep mixing it until no clumps remain. This process takes at least 5 minutes or longer, so be patient. You could also use a mixer too of course!

Note: You may add milk if you want the frosting a bit thinner for drizzling, but I suggest waiting until it is fully mixed. The recipe above makes a frosting perfect for piping, but you may want it thinned out.

They just kept getting better and better with each passing day... warmed up in the microwave.

Broccoli and Cheeze Soup.

Well played OhSheGlows. Well played.

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped celery

4-4.5 cups chopped broccoli florets (2 heads, stems removed)

1.5 cups peeled & chopped potatoes (about 3)

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)

Low-fat vegan cheeze sauce, divided (see below for recipe)

1/2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

herbamare & onion powder, to taste

Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley, plus more to garnish

Daiya cheese, to garnish

Smoked Paprika, to garnish (optional)

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil, onion, and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5-6 mins.

2. Add in the celery, broccoli, and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Now, add the broth, nutritional yeast, and cayenne pepper and simmer for another 15 mins or so until the potatoes are just fork tender.

3. Meanwhile, prepare your cheeze sauce (see below) while the soup simmers.

4. Carefully transfer the soup (in two batches) into a blender. Blend until almost smooth (I left it a bit chunky, but you can blend as much as you wish) and place back into the pot. Stir in the cheeze sauce, reserving 1/3 cup for later.

5. Stir in optional lemon juice, salt, pepper, and optional herbamare all to taste. Finally, stir in the minced parsley and spoon into bowls.

6. Top the soup with croutons, Daiya cheese, remaining cheeze sauce, and smoked paprika.

Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce (double batch)

Adapted from here. I basically just doubled my old recipe and added a couple extra spices.
Ingredients:

• 1.5 cup unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy buttery spread
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. In a skillet or pot, melt the Earth Balance over medium heat.

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup milk until all clumps are gone.

3. Whisk in the remaining milk (1.25 cups) as well as the milk and flour mixture into the pot. Now whisk in the nutritional yeast. Reduce heat to low-medium.

4. Add Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste and whisk frequently over low heat until the sauce thickens up, for 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat once thick.

Itty Bitty Garlic Pumpkin Knots.

Soooo yummy from Oh She Glows.

Blender Mac & Cheese.

Yet again, another ole college try to find a healthy version of Ava's favorite junked out mac & cheese. She wasn't a fan... (and now I officially give up trying to find one - I think that's just gonna be her 'thing')... but everyone else liked it. I love that you dirty only 2 things and it comes together super fast. Thanks again "GlowGirl".

1 pound vegan pasta (or regular if you prefer!)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup plain non-dairy milk
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon garlic puree
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (curry powder)
1 tablespoons tahini
black pepper to taste

Cook your preferred pasta according to the directions on the bag or box.

While that is cooking, throw ALL ingredients (including 1 + 1/4 cup water) into the food processor or blender and blend for 30-60 seconds.

Once pasta is cooked and drained, add sauce into sauce pan with pasta and simmer over low-medium heat stirring frequently. The thickening process takes 5-10 minutes. Don’t despair if you think the pasta is too watery- it REALLY thickens up nicely thanks to the cornstarch!

You can get creative with this and mix in some vegetables or spinach too.

OhSheGlows

Holiday Soup.

This stuff was goood...

especially with a little faux parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup red quinoa, uncooked

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 vegetable bouillon cube (not low sodium)  I used it, and yum!
6 cups water, boiled
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1.5-2 cups cooked black beans (about one 15oz can)
1 teaspoon good-quality curry powder
Pinch or two of cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach leaves, well rinsed and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of saffron threads (optional, but tasted amazing)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped sweet onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the chopped carrots, chopped zucchini, and minced garlic, and continue to sauté for about 5-7 minutes.

Place your bouillon cube into a medium sized bowl. Boil 6 cups of water and pour over the bouillon cube. Stir well to dissolve. Add bouillon mixture, tomatoes, red quinoa, black beans, and spices + seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the roughly chopped spinach, stir well, and cover. Simmer on low for about 15-35 minutes. The longer you cook it the more the flavours will develop. Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary. I also have a feeling this soup will be even better the next day! Garnish with nuts of choice if preferred.

ohsheglows.com
Inspired by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Makes about 8-10 cups

Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese.

So I've been struggling with my almost 6-year-old with all things healthy eating. She use to be an amazing eater and eat any and everything healthy. Would ask me for healthy food and beg for shrek shakes. Long gone are those days, and I blame it all on kindergarten. It's like after seeing how the "other side" eats... and setting her eyes on that cafeteria line - it's all she wants. It's a constant battle.

One day, post kindergarten corruption, she told me she wanted to go have a playdate at her friend Emily's house because her Mom makes them yummy macaroni & cheese... I almost cried. Ouch. So, I was on a quest to find my baby girl some healthy mac & cheese. Found this recipe, on an awesome new site my friend Natalie told me about. I spent a good 3 hours drooling over all her recipes.

The bummer is, we all loved it, except her. I'm beginning to think that we're dealing with some sort of power struggle combined with the food issue. Lovely.

1/2 medium potato, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
1/2 large carrot, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
1 ½ cups raw cashews
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon mustard
~300-340 grams dry/uncooked whole wheat macaroni or other pasta
1 slice bread
1 tablespoon Earth Balance or butter
Fresh or dried parsley, to garnish (optional)
Paprika, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grab a small casserole dish and set aside. In a medium sized pot, add the chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion and fill with water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low-medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, process 1 slice of bread until crumbs form in a food processor. Add in 1 tablespoon of Earth Balance and process until incorporated. Place in a small bowl and set aside.

Now assemble your cheese sauce ingredients (cashews, almond milk, garlic, lemon, salt, yeast, pepper, mustard) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth.

Once the veggies are cooked, drain and add to cheese sauce mixture in food processor. Process until smooth.

Add your pasta to a medium sized pot and fill with water until the pasta is covered by about 1 inch or so. Bring to a boil and reduce to low, cooking for about 7 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, mix together your cheese sauce and drained + rinsed pasta. Scoop into your casserole dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Now garnish with paprika and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350*F. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley if you’d like.

Note: This is a heavy and drier mac ‘n cheese. If you want it less dry, you might want to add some Earth Balance/butter or additional milk.

from ohsheglows

my friend Natalie told me about her sight, and our friend Mimi told her