Pasadena Salad

I love, love, LOVE this salad. I first had it at my brother's house just before we switched over to our current eating arrangements - and had to figure out to healthy it up even more. And it was success!

1 head Romaine lettuce, cut
1 cup celery pre-washed, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1 sliced & cubed avocado
1 granny smith apple, cut up with skin on
1 - 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges, drained
¼ cup dried cranberries (or currants)
½ cup sliced almonds

Dressing:
¼ cup fat-free oil substitute (or extra virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley
1-1/4 tablespoon agave nectar (2 tablespoons sugar)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ tsp. pepper

Make dressing in blender and set aside. Combine all other ingredients, add almonds and dressing... toss & serve!

NonVegan/NonNatural Sweeteners Version

Add 3 shredded chicken breasts cooked

½ c. crumbled bleu cheese

Caramelize almonds by placing them and 3 tbsp. sugar onto skillet and heat until sugar melts. Don’t burn! Cool before adding to salad ingredients.

Recipe Origin: Mary Ann Cropper
Prep Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Balls of Joy!

Raw balls are quite the popular thing in the vegan/healthy food world. I've seen quite a few variations. They're so tastey. All natural. And have no oils. We first got hooked from the cinnamony ones from Beanland. Then I came up with this concoction in my head - all because of my love of Almond Joys. I took the ingredients down to Houston when we visited my brothers family - and tried it out with my 2nd favorite su chef, my niece Eden.

They came out tastier then they were in my head. And they even passed the toughest critic - my chocolate loving SIL, Jami. We were sneaking them out of the freezer the whole weekend, and I felt bad that I didn't leave them with as many as I thought I would.

Jami and I had fun coming up with a name for them. Frankly, we thought every name just involving the word balls was awesome. Go figure. We could also call these Coco's Balls... because she loves them! 

Makes 30 balls

1 cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

¼ cup sunflower seeds

1 ½ tablespoons coco powder

6 med jool dates {I get them at Sprouts or Costco}

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Put the nuts and seeds in the food processor until crumbled. Add the coco powder and dates til dates are all broken up. Add the coconut. Should look like course meal. Use a cookie scoop to measure out and form into balls. I wet my hands to help compress the balls and not get too sticky. Put in a ziplock or freezer container and place in the freezer. Let them harden, if you can wait that long... and eat them right out of the freezer. YUM! And guilt-free!!

Vegan Mint Black Bean & Avocado Brownies

{can you tell which ones Corynn got ahold of?}

So, I found this recipe while heathly recipe searching and it totally intrigued me. They are so healthy, such awesome ingredients... and I thought if these are good... if these are good... I'll be able to say, "Ava, finish your brownie!" And "yes, you can have another!" So when I ran it by Carrie while on a run she said something of the sort like - "Jen, as your friend, I am telling you do-not-try-that-recipe! Save your time and ingredients!" Well, it didn't stiffle my desire to at least try it. I figured if I tried it and it was a total bomb, then I would never tell her - and lesson learned to listen to her more often.

So I tried them, it worked, and they are AWESOME!! I mean, really... really awesome. And I don't think it's even that "they're so good for you, and it makes them taste better" thing. I mean, they're really truly awesome! They even made their way into my kids Easter "Ottoman's" this year.

I made a minor adjustment because we don't drink coffee and I was inspired by my mint chocolate cake. Such an awesome way to use a ripe avocado that you've got lying around.

I'm telling you... don't sit and think any longer about the wacked-out ingredients and just go try it... and then come back and thank me when you do! Thank you Cara!!

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup egg substitute (you can use 3 eggs)
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm)
6 tablespoons cocoa powder (30gm)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm)
1/2 teapsoon mint extract 2 teaspoons instant espresso

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean.

These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying! In fact, don't eat them unless you let them sit overnight! You will not be conviced of their goodness if you do so!

Servings Per Recipe: 12 - Calories: 98.0 - Total Fat: 1.2 g - Cholesterol: 0.0 mg - Sodium: 134.6 mg - Total Carbs: 19.5 g - Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g - Protein: 4.2 g

from Carascravings.blogspot.com

Fruit with Whipped Cashew Cream

whipped cashew cream

This stuff is awesome! I'll be using it instead of whipped cream on all of my desserts. I just need to figure out the consistancey. With the coconut oil, when you put it in the frigde it hardens up. Not hard, hard. But not light and fluffy like whipped cream. I think if I take it out and let it sit for a bit before serving make work. Either way, the taste is still super yummy! And can you say super healthy?

Homemade Vegetable Broth

This is so easy to make it's ridiculous! I've been much more conscious of what's on a products ingredient list, and most broths (especially the pastes/cubes) have ingredients I don't understand at all and loads of salt.

It comes from the Veganomicon cookbook, which has some pretty good stuff in it... and I've decided it's almost worth buying it and not just using the ones I scanned in before I had to return it to the library.

V n/tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, skin included, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 parsnips, peeled and roughly choppednbv

I usually double or triple this recipe, put some in the fridge since I use it regularly... And the rest I put in ziplock bags/baby food containers in 1/2, 1, 2 and 3 cups increments, then freeze. Then pull it out the morning I need it, put it in the fridge to thaw and it's good to go.

What's awesome is that there's a teaspoon of salt in like 9 cups of broth. Awesome. I've changed the recipe up some each time I've made it. It's a great way to get rid of ripe veggies. I've put in celery, mushrooms, and herbs.

Morgan's Veggie Burgers

You know when you find a new recipe, and you think it's going to be the cure-all and the end-all and fabulous?! because it looks good and it's healthy, I mean real healthy?!?! And you get super excited?!? Especially in this meat downsizing house that I'm in. And then you make it and it totally doesn't live up to it's expectations? Yeah... that's how I felt about this one. They were good. But it just wasn't beef. Shayne said it perfectly when he explained that he supports this half-vegetarian thing... but don't try to make stuff that's suppose to be meat - nonmeat. Totally got it. And totally agree. Especially not our burgers!!

Morgan's Veggie Patties

{sandwich thins, avocado, sprouts & pepper jack}

steak fries

salad

{romaine, red cabbage, sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, sunflower seeds}

Vegan Zuppa Toscana

I love, love... love this soup from the Olive Garden. And fell back in love with it when Shayne took me out on my post half marathon date. Although I just about barfed once I realized all the cream that I had had in the meal. So, I decided to vegan up this recipe and see how it went. It was awesome! Shayne couldn't taste the difference. And the kids loved it!!

1 lb. vegan sausage + 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed {omit 1 lb ground Italian sausage}

1½ teaspoon crushed red peppers (i reduced so it wasn't too much for the kids)
1 large diced white onion
1 teaspoon of smoked sweet paprika {omit 4 tablespoons bacon pieces}
2 teaspoons garlic puree (2 cloves, minced)
10 cups of vegetable broth {omit 10 cups water and 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup cashew cream {omit 1 cup heavy cream}
1 lb. sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
1/2 of a bunch of kale (stems removed and chopped}

1. Saute sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat (there won't be any with the vegan), refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2. In the same pan, saute onions and garlic for approximately 15 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add in the smoked sweet paprika.

3. In a stock pot put in the vegetable stock, then add the onions/garlic mixture and cook until boiling.

4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

5. Add cashew cream, sausage and kale and cook until heated through.

Taco Pasta Toss

This was super yummy and the kids loved it!! I added black beans for good protein and cut down to 1/2 lb. of beef.

salt and pepper
1 pound penne rigate or whole grain penne rigate pasta
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 pound grond beef sirloin (i halved the meat)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno chile - halved, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 - 14.5 oz. can of black beans
1/4 cup tomato paste
one 12-ounce bottle beer or 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups shredded cheddar, monterey jack or any Mexican semisoft cheese
2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 head iceberg lettuce or 1/2 small heart romaine lettuce, chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add three-quarters of the onion, the jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the drained and rinsed black beans. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the beer/stock.

3. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. Top with remaining onion, the tomatoes and lettuce - just like tacos!

Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

March 2010

Graham Crackers.

pic from veganyumyum.com

We love the cinnamon graham goldfish... here's a vegan take on them that we found yummy! I'm going to try to have these on hand for Coco to have at church. Thank you veganyumyum... they're yum. {be sure to watch her videos... way cute.}

2 1/2 cups graham flour* or stoneground flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup earth balance margarine
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar (or a little more sugar mixed with water)
3/4 cup water

Mix the all the dry ingredients together. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar. Add vanilla and agave and beat with a whisk until smooth. Add a little of the flour and a little of the water to the earth balance/sugar mixture and combine. Continue adding in flour and water, a little at a time, until all flour and water is added. Work the dough with your hands until everything is evenly combined.

Divide dough in half and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325º F. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that measures approximately 11″x15″. Trim edges. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into squares or rectangles (I cut mine into 1′x1′ squares). Prick the squares with a fork.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 325º F or until the crackers are turning golden brown around the edges. You can sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top of the crackers during the last 10 minutes of baking if you like.

Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

*Make your own graham flour: 

1 cup~= 2/3 cup white flour + 1/3 cup wheat bran + 1.5 teaspoons wheat germ

Mint Chocolate Cake {almost Vegan}

{i so wish I could take better pictures... this does not do this justice!!}

Have you ever had a friend rave to you about something so yummy, you started dreaming about it?!? Well, enough was enough when Carrie kept forgetting to send me the recipe after she salivated all over me after telling me she made it again. My Dad was coming over for dinner, and he loves chocolate cake... so I thought it would be the perfect time to make it.

After I'd been hearing about it for so long, I was a little worried that it wouldn't deliver... but no worries, this baby sure did deliver. Yum. And it delivered even in almost-vegan form! Everything but the eggs.

2 cups sugar (1 cup agave nectar)
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup coco powder, packed
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (almond milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (safflower oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients. Beat wet ingredients in a separate bowl for 2 minutes. Add to dry mixture. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be really thin and runny. Grease 2 - 9 inch round cake pans. Pour batter in... bake 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool in pan, then take out and frost. Super, super YUMMY!!!

Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened (vegan)
2/3 cocoa powder, packed
2 1/2 - 3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk (almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon mint (i used peppermint b/c that's what I had, and it was yummy... although I hear just plain 'mint' is yummy too)

Cream butter and sugar, add in the rest.

Cashew Cream

I was totally excited when I checked out the conscious cook by tal ronnen from the library... After seeing him on Oprah, I knew I wanted to give his stuff a whirl. And then when I saw his vegan solution to cream... I couldn't wait to try it. I've made his mashed potatoes and they were scrumpy. I've had success with substituting it in soups when called for cream. It's great in cream based pastas. The whipped cashew cream for desserts is heavenly! Use anywhere you use whipping cream for desserts.

regular and thick cashew cream

2 cups cashews, raw (not pieces, which are often dry) rinsed very well under cold water

Put the cahsews in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. (I've found this isn't necessary, you just blend a little longer)

Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minuts until very smooth. (If you're not using a professional high-speed blender, which creates an ultra-smooth cream, strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)

To make thick cashew cream, simply reduce the amount of water in the blender, so that the water just covers the cashews.

makes about 2 1/4 cups thick cream or 3 1/2 cups regular cream

prep tims: 10 minutes, plus soaking overnight

whipped cashew cream

1 cup thick cashew cream (above)

1/4 cup light agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup refined coconut oil, warmed until liquid

Place the cashew cream in a blender and add the agave nectar, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water. Blend until thoroughly combined.

With the blender running, slowly drizzle the coconut oil in through the hole in the blender lid. Blend until emulsified.

Pour into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours. Stir before serving.

makes about 2 cups

prep time: 5 mintues, plus 2 hours chilling

The Conscious Cook

Tal Ronnen

Spiced Lentil Tacos.

from Lugubrious Delights

These are a family favorite... and we eat them like every other week. The leftovers are awesome too. A great meal to feed to your meat eating buddies... they usually like it and don't ask lame questions like, "Where's the meat?" or "Is this it?".

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 pkg taco seasoning or make your own
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce finely chopped (can be omitted if you don't want it too spicy)
tortillas, warmed

The fixings...
corn
shredded lettuce or cabbage
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado or guacamole
salsa
cilantro
vegan ranch

Warm about 1 tablspoon of water in a large skillet or sauce pan (or enough water to form a thin layer on the bottom). Let that warm up then add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are frgrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth and chipotle chilies; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tneder, 25 to 30 minutes.

OR, better yet... throw it all into your crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Serve with lettuce (or cabbage), tomatoes, avocado, corn, cilantro, lime wedges, olives, rice, black beans, salsa, vegan ranch --whatever fixings you like on your tacos. Or make into a taco salad and crunch up some tortilla chips.

a great side: Tex-Mex Fried Rice

love this stuff! i added some black beans to it this time. love the hominy

Rollover Jerk Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Pineapple

3 red onions, roughly chopped and divided

4 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions
Juice of 2 limes
2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded
2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon (about a palmful) sweet paprika
1 tablespoon (about a palmful) cumin
2 teaspoons (about 2/3 palmful) allspice
1 teaspoon (about 1/3 palmful) cinnamon
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 to 1/2 cup EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus some for drizzling
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 yellow bell pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 green bell pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place one red onion, the garlic, scallions, lime juice, jalapeño peppers, red wine vinegar, orange juice, paprika, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and thyme in a food processor and pulse to combine. While running, stream in the EVOO to form a thick paste.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the paste on the chicken and place in the oven to cook. About 25 minutes. 

Place the pineapple, bell peppers and 2 red onions on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle them with some EVOO. Place tray in the oven with chicken. 

I serve over brown rice. The 'paste' make more then I need for my family, so I freeze the leftover to use again. This last time I made it I put the chicken in the crockpot, with the peppers and onions on top, then poured the paste over the top. Cooked 3+ hours on high during church. Then I added the pineapple to the crockpot, shredded the chicken and served it all over brown rice. It was super easy and pretty good crock-potted. Although I prefer the roasted ones.

adapted from Rachael Ray

Carrie's Whole Wheat Pancakes

My friend Carrie gave this recipe to me with some whole wheat flour she ground herself. She said the freshly ground flour made the cakes.... they sure did! Inspired me to bust into my food storage, go grind some wheat at her house and make them again and again. I am almost ashamed to say that for my family, we doubled this and only had 6 left over.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs yolks, reserve egg whites

Combine all ingredients except egg whites. Whip 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into pancakes mixture. And cook away.

Syrup: I nuked some frozen strawberries and blueberries in the microwave, smooshed with a fork and then mixed in some cinnamon.

To eat: I put my pancakes down, sprinkled some nut dust on and then poured on the syrup. Soooooooooo heavenly!! I owe you big-time Carrie for this one!!

Roasted Garlic Pasta alla Norma

I've tried eggplant twice, and it's bombed real bad each time. So, it's now my yearly try eggplant time of year so... I did. And let me just say - roasting eggplant and adding roasted garlic to it is the only way to eat eggplant. This was YUMMY!!!

from Rachael Ray

i didn't use the wedge ricotta salata, just used a little parmesan

Chicken Fajita Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 packages chicken tenders, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
1 tablespoon coriander, a palm full
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, 5 to 6 sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 large bell pepper, quartered and thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1 bag white corn tortilla chips
1 cup shredded pepper Jack or sharp white Cheddar
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 lime, juiced
4 scallions, chopped
Handful fresh cilantro leaves or fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add chicken, begin to brown 4 minutes, add coriander, thyme, salt and pepper, to taste, onions, bell pepper and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and stock, heat through.

While the soup is working, lightly crush some tortilla chips and divide among 4 bowls. You need a couple of handfuls per bowl. Top the chips with a little cheese. Toss the avocado with lime juice. Top the chips with ladles of soup. Garnish soup with avocado, scallions and cilantro or parsley.

Rachael Ray

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Condiments

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Condiments

i've strayed from RR and did an Ina Garten! SO proud of myself!!

(corynn & i loved!, shayne 'ok', ava & nolan - no thanks!)

Cornbread from Bon appetit

not anything special, so I'm not even going to bother wit the link!

Barbecue Burger Deluxe

Barbecue Burger Deluxe
topped with sprouts, avocado and pepper jack cheese

roasted corn

steak fries

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin (organic ground beef from Costco)
2 garlic cloves
1 small red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar {i used half}
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over high heat.

Place the beef in a bowl with the garlic and the finely chopped onions. In a small bowl, mix the liquid smoke, worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, and grill seasoning. Pour the mixture over the meat and add a drizzle of EVOO. Combine the ingredients and form 4 1-inch thick patties.

Cook for 5 minutes on each side. Place meat on toasted roll bottoms and top with your favorite burger toppings. We topped with sprouts, avocado and pepper jack cheese.

adapted from Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats

Our Favorite Cupcakes.

These are "My Favorite Cupcakes" from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet. Which have now turned into Our Favorite Cupcakes. They're the ones I made for Corynn's first birthday that are super yummy. I was totally worried trying them out for her big day for the very first time. But thought, what the heck... if they're a bomb Braum's is just down the road and it'd be a fun story to tell.

Bomb? Not at all. They are SO good! The kids devoured them, Shayne was pleasantly surprised and I was beaming with pride thinking we can so do this healthy eating thing.

Since her birthday, I've made them a bunch and I usually double the cupcakes because this recipe for frosting will frost 24 cupcakes - in my not-huge-frosting-lovers house. I usually make the 24 and freeze half. They're really good out of the freezer. I just let them sit on the counter for a bit to thaw. So awesome! I've even found Shayne sneaking out to the freezer to snag one a time or two.

From her book... I love cupcakes... is there anyone out there who doesn't? These are light, springy, and delicious with a decadent fudgy frosting. These are best eated right after they're made.

Cupcakes
2/3 cup hemp or soy milk (I've used almond or rice milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup safflower oil (or coconut oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (i usually use all ww pastry)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of fine sea salt

Fudge Frosting
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup soy milk powder (*if you don't have this, the frosting will be just fine, maybe-just a little runnier)

Preheat the oven to 325*F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (Alicia uses unbleached, recycled cupcake liners by a company called If You Car, available at Whole Foods.)

Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for at least 5 minutes or until it bubbles a little. If it doesn't bubble, keep stirring the mixture until it does. Add the agave nectar, oil and vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean and the tops are slightly springy when pressed. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then cool completely on a baking rack before frosting.

To make the Fudge Frosting, use a mixer to cream the butter together with the agave nectar in a mixing bowl until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and about half the cocoa powder, mix on low speed to combine, then add the remaining cocoa powder. Add in the soy milk powder, and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy. If it is runny, refrigerate the frosting until it sets up a little.

The Kind Diet
Alicia Silverstone

Autumn Harvest Chili

I love, love this vegetarian meal. Ava & Corynn too. Nolan & Shayne will eat it, but don't roll their eyes up in the back of their head like Ava and I. It's super healthy. Serving it in half of the butternut squash is totally cute presentation too. Although this was a HUGE butternut squash...

2 cups vegetable stock

1 large or 2 small dried ancho cili peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive OIl
Salt and black pepper
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 small zucchini, diced 1/2 inch
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano, 1/3 palmful
1 scant tablespoon smoked sweet paprika, a light palmful
2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder, a couple of rounded palmfuls
1 10-ounce box frozen corn or 2 ears of corn, kernels scraped
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Negra Modela or other beer of choice {i omit, add more veggie broth}
1 healthy tablespoon honey
2 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese {i omit for a vegan meal - and never used that much!}
Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Place butternut squash cut side up on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and some salt and pepper. Roast squash in oven until tender, about 45 minutes. When they've finished roasting, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler.

While the squash is in the oven, place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Add the mushrooms and brown 5 minutes alone, then add onion, garlic, peppers and zucchini to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender, about 8-10 minutes more. Puree softened ancho chili peppers in food processor or blender with vegetable stock. {I add all the other veggies into the food processor... my kids are way more likely to eat things if they don't know what's in them}

Add the spices, corn, black beans and tomato paste to the pan and cook until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Add the beer to the pan, stir then add ancho stock {and veggies} then simmer over low heat until ready to serve.

Scoop the finished chili over the butternut squash halves and sprinkle with the cheese. Place the squash under the broiler to melt the cheese then serve.

a Rachael Ray