Category: Recipes

Maple-Sesame Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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It’s the tail end of maple sugaring season, something Travis and I got to check out in person last year, helping to collect sap from a spile! So we decided to feature maple syrup in tonight’s dinner, to celebrate the tail-end of winter.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon tahini
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes, and cook in boiling water until very tender – about 15 minutes.
  2. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth – Travis loved this step!Maple Sweet Potatoes (1)
  3. Stir in the maple syrup, almond milk, and tahini, then sprinkle with the salt.Maple Sweet Potatoes (2)

Berries-on-the-Bottom Chia Pudding

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Whip up these breakfast puddings the night before, and all you have to do on a sleepy morning is open the fridge and grab one out.

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups raspberries
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup, divided
  • 3 and 1/2 cups vanilla coconut milk
  • 1 cup chia seeds
  1. In a bowl, mash together the raspberries with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Divide evenly among 6 (8-ounce) ramekins or jars.
  2. In a second bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup, coconut milk, and chia seeds, whisking for about 1 minute, or until slightly thickened. Divide evenly among the ramekins.
  3. Cover and refrigerate overnight. We left ours ungarnished, bur you could add more fresh raspberries or toasted coconut on top for a pretty presentation, if desired!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Strata

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Sweet Potato Strata (2)

If you do the prep work for this strata the night before, all you need is 1 hour to bake it in the morning. Perfect for weekends, in sum – or heck, any weekday before school if you have early birds like I do!

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 4 Lightlife bacon pieces, chopped
  • 1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 2 cups cubed whole-grain bread
  • 4 Ener-G eggs
  • 1 cup oat milk
  1. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add the Lightlife bacon; cook for about 4 minutes, until crisp and browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
  2. Recoat the skillet with cooking spray and add the sweet potato and onion; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the apple, maple syrup, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for a final 2 minutes, then remove from heat and return the bacon to the pan.
  3. Arrange 1 and 1/2 cups bread cubes in the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Top with the sweet potato mixture.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together the Ener-G eggs, oat milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over the sweet potato mixture. Top with a final 1/2 cup bread cubes.
  5. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.
  6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes, uncovered. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

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And although we do like this for breakfast, it’s also great as a side at dinner! Try serving with Gardein chick’n and peas.

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Apricot-Gingerbread Oatmeal

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We woke up to snow this morning! Which meant it was the perfect morning for a loaded bowl of oatmeal to warm us up.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups oat milk
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine the milk, oats, apricots, walnuts, cinnamon, and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the molasses and vanilla.

Serve warm and be cozy!

Energy-Boosting Smoothies

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This past week, I noticed my energy levels flagging a little; it’s right around this point that breastfeeding takes a lot out of you! Baby isn’t quite ready for solids yet at three months old, but needs upwards of 600 calories a day of milk alone. With my son, I hadn’t realized how many calories go into producing milk each day, and soon found myself underweight. Smoothies were my life saver.

So feeling like my supply has been a little low for Veronika, today’s activity was to make some energy-boosting smoothies to keep us both healthy and strong!

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I played around with a few variations, and here are three that I loved. For all of the following recipes, simply combine the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. You can add ice if you like, but I prefer my smoothies without it.

Smoothie 1:

  • 5 ounces vanilla non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 cup fresh mango
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup carrot juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

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Smoothie 2:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
  • 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

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Smoothie 3:

  • 1/2 cup rice milk
  • 6 ounces apple juice
  • 1/2 cup avocado
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach or watercress
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Energy Smoothie

This last was my favorite, rich and creamy from the avocado, and an instant energy boost. Feel free to play around with the above suggestions. Use oat milk if you like it better, or pumpkin seeds in place of the sunflower etc. If you have a recipe you like best, please share in the comments!

 

Fideos with Chorizo, Spinach, and Chickpeas

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Fideos (1)

The spice in this Spanish take on noodles will challenge little taste buds just enough. But use a milder sausage if your kids don’t like spicy!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 6 ounces angel hair pasta
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 vegan spicy sausage links, chopped (such as Field Roast Mexican Chipotle)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup frozen spinach or broccoli rabe
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Break the pasta into 2-inch pieces, and add to the pan; cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. (Note: work in 2 batches, if needed, so that the noodles cook evenly). Remove the noodles from the pan and set aside.
  2. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the pan. Add the onion and sausage; cook for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
  3. Add the chickpeas; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in the spinach and tomatoes. Return the pasta to the pan, along with the water. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Stir, then cover and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Season with the salt, black pepper, and oregano.

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Heart-y Sandwiches

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Start your Valentine’s Day on this sweet note with hearts for breakfast! Or, serve these adorable sandwiches for a Valentine’s Day tea time.

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To start, use a cookie cutter to cut heart shapes from slices of white bread.

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In a bowl, Travis mixed a few drops of red food coloring into Daiya cream cheese; stir until you have a pretty pink.

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We spread half of our hearts with the pink cream cheese (which Travis thought was frosting, so much the better!), and the other half with strawberry jam.

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Serve to someone you love! A great little recipe suggestion from Ranger Rick Jr.

Sprinkle-of-Love Cake

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Moment of truth: This cake didn’t turn out quite as intended, no thanks to a chocolate cake layer that didn’t set right in the pan! So what was originally intended as a two-layer cake with cut-out hearts turned into a single-layer cake with sprinkled hearts on top…But we loved it anyway! Any way you slice it, this is a sweet cake to bake for your Valentine’s this week.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (9-inch round) chocolate cake, cooled
  • 3/4 cup Earth Balance butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ounce freeze-dried raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • Sprinkles
  1. Bake the cake ahead of time, whether it’s your favorite recipe from scratch or one made from a vegan mix (such as Cherrybrook Kitchen). Set aside.
  2. Place the butter in a stand mixer and beat until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat at low speed until combined. Beat in the vanilla.
  3. Pulse the raspberries in a food processor until finely ground. Fold into the powdered sugar mixture, along with the milk.
  4. Place the cake layer on a plate, and frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Reserve the remaining frosting for another use.
  5. Place a heart-shaped cookie cutter on top of the cake, and gently tap in a layer of sprinkles. Pink or red ones would be ideal, but the organic sprinkles we had on hand were multicolored, which worked in a pinch. Repeat with as many hearts on top as you’d like to make.

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Serve with a spoonful of love!

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Easy Goulash

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I’ve been looking for a way to beef up Travis’s pasta dinners, and it turns out that adding vegan, well, beef, did the trick! This is a simplified take on the Hungarian dish of goulash. Parents magazine tells us the stew dates back to the ninth century, and we were more than happy to eat this updated version.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (14-ounce) package ground meatless beef (such Lightlife Smart Ground)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 8 ounces ditalini pasta
  • 1/2 cup shredded Daiya cheddar
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Break the beef into crumbles and add to the pan; cook for an additional 5 minutes, until browned.
  2. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, oregano, and paprika. Bring to a boil.
  3. Stir in the ditalini; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
  4. Ladle onto plates or bowls, and top the servings evenly with the cheese.

 

Butternut Squash and Pesto Calzones

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These calzones feature a hearty filling of meatless Italian sausage, roasted squash, and creamy pesto. In other words, an entree that’s sure to warm up cold family members after a winter’s day! If your household is split between vegans and non-vegans, the latter can add a little crumbled goat cheese to the filling before folding the calzones in half. Just make sure you mark whose is whose!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups cubed butternut squash
  • 2 vegan Italian sausage links
  • 1 pound whole wheat pizza dough
  • 4 tablespoons vegan pesto
  1. Combine the olive oil salt, and squash in a baking dish, tossing to coat. Roast at 425 degrees F for about 40 minutes, until tender, stirring halfway through.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the sausage and cook in a skillet over medium heat until browned; set aside.
  3. Divide the pizza dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle and spread with 1 tablespoon pesto. Sprinkle with one-quarter of the sausage and about 1/2 cup roasted squash. Fold the bottom edge of the dough up to the top, pressing to seal. Place on a baking sheet and make a few slits in the top of the dough, then repeat with the remaining 3 portions.
  4. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

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