Sugar-Free Pumpkin Caramel

Oh, you mean to tell me that it isn't fall anymore?  Well, while this post is a bit late, and pumpkin is not all over the stores in February, I didn't want to wait another year to share this recipe. My kids don't wait until Halloween to play dress-up, so why wait until autumn-time to enjoy the magic of pumpkin caramel? This makes a great filling for ridiculously simple oatmeal bars, or you can use it as a fruit dip, or just eat it out of the pan like Abiline did.  It is thick, creamy, and sweet, with no butter or sugar. And easy to make, too!



1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup, packed, pitted dates
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the dates are very soft.
2. Add the vanilla extract and transfer the mixture to your food processor or blender. Puree until totally smooth. Enjoy!



Now that I've got you in the mood, I'll take this opportunity to reminisce about our autumn adventures. It doesn't seem that long ago, considering that we just finally threw out our pumpkins last week.   Happy Halloween in February, everyone!

  This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Wellness Weekend.

Still Alive and Cooking...A Little

So, my "farewell to food" has lasted much longer than anticipated.  Suffice it to say, I have never really gotten over my nausea with this pregnancy.  I do not know how my poor family has survived the many regrettable meals that I have thrown together over the last few months. I do not need to go into detail about the green sludge from Saturday night: I'm not sure who cried more about having to eat it--me or the kids. The good news is that, hopefully, in the next two to three weeks, my baby "bun" will be out of my oven, and food will become good again!

While overall I have been completely uninspired in the kitchen, there have been some rare occasions when I created something worth making again. These gluten-free, sneaky ingredient chocolate chip cookies were a big hit with the Sawyer and Abiline crowd, who, as you can see below, are as cute and nutty as ever.  I even liked these little treats.  It's a funny thing--while most food has been unpalatable, chocolate has kept its appeal for me. Good ol' chocolate: a pal through thick and thin!

 

Beanie Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about a dozen cookies)

1 1/4 cup buckwheat groats, ground
1 tsp. baking powder
rounded 1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates (about 6)
1 cup white beans (rinsed and drained, if canned)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3-1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Grind your buckwheat groats in your food processor. Measure to make sure you have enough to equal the 1 1/4 cup, then add the baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar, and buzz to mix them all together.
3. Add the dates, beans, vanilla, and coconut oil to the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well incorporated and evenly moistened. Mix in the chocolate chips with a spoon.
4. Form into a dozen balls, place them on the prepared pan, and flatten them slightly with your palms. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden on the bottom.

Did I say the kids are nutty? I take it back; Abiline is very serious about her chap-stick. (This one from Grandma was a bit too much like lipstick...)

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Wellness Weekend.

A Farewell to Food

I think I need to do a quick post here to explain the absence of any new recipes to anyone who reads my blog.  A few weeks ago in church I started to feel that particular nausea that can only mean one thing: Yep, baby number three is on the way.  I have been so sick that my bile rises if I even go near the fridge, so Anthony has taken over almost all kitchen duties.  With my first two pregnancies, my nausea lasted well into the second trimester, so there will be no new recipes anytime soon. Sorry, folks! I'll be in touch when I am closer to having another adorable mouth to feed...

Cheesy Sweet Potato Cauliflower Sauce

This past week has been a time of many quick and easy meals, as we just moved to the Portland area for my husband's new job, and most of my time has been spent looking for a home for us while we stay in temporary housing. I miss my stocked kitchen! But it is amazing what you can do with just a few ingredients. I needed something fast for dinner yesterday before we went to another house viewing, so I roasted some sweet potatoes and cauliflower during nap time and quickly whipped up this sauce. My kids were begging for pasta, so that is what we put it on, but I think it would also be good mixed with quinoa or rice.

It is always a bonus when I can sneak vegetables in like this, but I am proud to say that in our home that is becoming less necessary. Sawyer is eating more and more vegetables without me sneaking them in. The other week at the grocery store he picked up a cucumber and put it in the cart, declaring "Here, Mommy, we need this: I am trying new foods." And try it he did--and liked it! There is always hope, fellow moms of picky eaters, that they will come around.

1 large sweet potato, diced
1/2 large head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/3 cup Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese (or you could sub my homemade vegan cream cheese)
1/4-1/2 cup plain, non-dairy milk (enough to thin to your desired consistency)
additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and add diced sweet potatoes and cauliflower to a large glass baking pan.  Add oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, and stir to coat the veggies evenly.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender (cauliflower will be a bit browned), stirring half-way through.
2. Let the vegetables cool, and then add them to your food processor or blender along with the beans, additional olive oil, nutritional yeast, "cheese," and 1/4 cup non-dairy milk.  Add additional milk as necessary while blending the sauce in order to get a smooth consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. (I probably added another 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.) Serve over your favorite grain or pasta.

This recipe is linked to My Meatless Mondays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Freaky Friday, Fit and Fabulous Friday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, and Wellness Weekend.

Here are a few of our adventures over the past two weeks. We made a trip to the Getty Museum before we left California, where the kids seemed to enjoy the tram much more than the Klimt drawings.
 

Sawyer and Abiline dealt with the move quite well. They were just excited that they could have all kinds of rambunctious fun in our empty house as we packed things up.

On our way to Oregon, we stayed overnight in Redding, CA and got to ride on one of these fancy bikes. Redding is not known for its thrills to most people, but now--thanks to this magical half hour ride in which Anthony pretended to crash us into every wall on the hotel property--it's one of our kids' favorite vacation spots.

Flourless Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Cookies

So many flourless baking creations use almond flour, so I set out to try to use a seed as the base instead. These cookies are so simple and delicious and make a nutritious, but still indulgent, snack. I have baked these a few times recently on days when nap time is almost over and I need a snack pronto before I have hangry kids roaring out of bed.  Chocolate cookies just have such a nice way of getting eaten without complaint.

 

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (I have also used sunflower seeds with yummy results.)
1/4 cup coconut milk (I've used both light and regular.)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spread the seeds out in an even layer on the prepared pan. Roast for 8 minutes, then stir them around and bake for 7-9 minutes more. Watch them closely so that they brown without burning.
2. While the seeds roast, in small saucepan heat the coconut milk, coconut sugar, salt, and chocolate chips until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
3. Let the coconut-chocolate mixture and the seeds cool for a few minutes just to avoid danger of totally burning yourself. Then add all of the ingredients to your food processor and blend until you have a thick, uniform paste. There will be a few little bits of seeds--no problem.
4. Form the dough into about 10 cookie dough balls. Dampen the tines of a fork and make a cross-hatch pattern on each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.



This recipe is linked to Allergy-Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday,  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursday, Happy Lil' Loves Are Baking, Fit and Fabulous Friday and Wellness Weekend.   
 

Hummus Shepherd's Pie with No-Roll GF Crust

Last week my husband officially accepted a new job opportunity in Oregon, so we will be enjoying sunny California for one more week before we are off on our new adventure.  I am in the process of trying to use up as much of the food in the freezer and fridge as possible, which makes for some creative cooking. What to do when you have a huge bag of frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer and only a week to eat them? My husband suggested pot pie, but the bag of potatoes on the counter told me shepherd's pie, and the hummus in the fridge that I whipped up at the behest of a 10pm craving just had to be included as well. I actually think this would have been even better with broccoli in the filling, but if you, like me, have to use up those frozen mixed vegetables, here is a nice, simple dish that will do the trick. 

I have to put in a good word for the crust as well.  I first used this crust a number of weeks ago when I was experimenting with the gluten-free flours in my freezer and have used it a bunch of times already for various savory pies and tarts I have made.  This is a flaky, tender crust, which has my husband asking, "Are you sure this is good for me?"  I just love an easy, no-roll crust. Add a bit more coconut sugar, decrease the salt a bit, and sub coconut oil for the olive oil, and this crust is great for use in dessert recipes as well.



For the no-roll, flaky gluten-free crust:
3/4 cup millet flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. xantham gum (optional. I have made it without the xantham gum, and it is just a bit crumblier.)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. coconut sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 Tbsp. cold water
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

For the filling:
1 cup prepared hummus (There is no exact recipe for hummus around here. When I make hummus, I just add lemon juice, tahini, and x-virgin olive oil a tablespoon at a time to 1.5 cups of chickpeas  until it suits my taste and then add about 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper and enough water to thin it out.)
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted, or steamed broccoli florets (or a combination of both!)

For the cauliflower mashed potato crust:
4 small-medium golden potatoes, diced
1/2 small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 cup of white beans
1 Tbsp x-virgin olive oil
1-3 Tbsp. plain non-dairy milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. goddess dressing (If you have a severe soy allergy, then just sub a Tbsp. more olive oil.)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Oil a 9 inch pie plate and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and steam your potatoes and cauliflower until very tender (20-30 mins., in my experience). 
2. Meanwhile, make the crust.  In a large bowl, mix together the flours, starch, salt, xantham gum, baking powder, and coconut sugar.  Using a fork, gradually mix in the olive oil to form petite pea-sized crumbles. In a small cup, combine 2 Tbsp. of cold water with the vinegar, and mix it slowly into the crumbles. If the dough is still dry in spots and does not hold together when you try to form it into a ball, add more cold water 1/2 Tbsp. at a time until the dough is evenly moistened and sticks together without being too wet and sticky.
3. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of your pie plate. If you added a bit too much water, and the dough is pretty sticky, just keep wetting your hands to prevent too much sticking and persevere--a bit of dough on your hands won't hurt anything.
4. Clean out your mixing bowl and use it to combine the vegetables with the hummus. Scrape the mixture evenly into the crust.
5. Once your potatoes and cauliflower are fully cooked, either mash them with a potato masher or whip them with your mixer along with the beans, olive oil, dressing, and non-dairy milk. Start with one tablespoon milk and add more as necessary to get a smooth consistency. I don't peel my potatoes, but you may if you prefer a completely smooth texture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then scoop the potatoes onto the pie and spread them out evenly over the filling.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for  30-35 minutes, until golden on top. Whip up a side salad and enjoy!

This recipe is linked to My Meatless Mondays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday,  Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursday, Fit and Fabulous Friday, and Wellness Weekend.   
 
 I don't think that wearing Daddy's enormous shoes will ever lose its thrill.

 

Brownie Batter Breakfast Pudding

I have not posted any new recipes for a while because we have been out of town visiting my parents in Washington.  (It is not as easy to experiment in someone else's kitchen, especially when their pantry looks quite a bit different from yours.)  My parents are unapologetically dairy, meat, and refined flour eaters, but they are accepting of our diet. My mom was great about going to Trader Joe's and stocking up on whatever staples she could find for us. As we were winding up our visit, I wanted to eat up all the food she had purchased especially for us, as I knew my parents wouldn't eat it themselves.  There was about half of a can of leftover black beans in the fridge that I needed to make use of on our last day, and thus this breakfast pudding was born. If you love brownie batter but never dare to eat more than a spoonful or two because you don't want to make yourself sick, then this healthified version is a dream come true.  I made this pudding again today for my breakfast and topped it with some Grape-Nuts I had coated in tahini and brown rice syrup; it is also great with some extra sunflower seed butter swirled in.  For my kids' lunch today, I mixed the pudding with some yogurt and extra banana.  There were no complaints.
 

2/3 cup cooked black beans (rinsed and drained, if from a can)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
2 Tbsp. raisins
1/2 small, ripe banana
1 scoop stevia powder (1/32 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla or coconut extract
1/2 scoop vegan protein powder (optional)

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. Top with granola and/or bananas, or swirl in some yogurt or sunflower seed butter. I love that it is filling, delicious, and has no refined sugars.

This post is linked to Breakfast Ideas Monday, Allergy-Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Your Green Resource, Wellness Weekend and Fit and Fabulous Fridays.   

 We forgot our camera on our trip, but, right before we left, Anthony took a picture of our Joy School graduate. Meanwhile, Abiline is studying bubble-blowing.