Indian-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

November 1, 2017November 1, 2017Leave a comment

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (5)

As promised from our pumpkin carving post, we didn’t toss the seeds this year, but saved them instead for roasting! There are so many ways to spice your pumpkin seeds, but this year we gave them an Indian flair (thanks to a recipe from Little Passports) to honor both the American holiday and Travis’s Indian heritage.

Ingredients:

Seeds from 1 pumpkin
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Rinse your pumpkin seeds very well, then transfer to paper towels and pat dry.
In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the pumpkin seeds and stir to coat.
Arrange the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (4)

Note: Travis really enjoyed spooning out the sugar, so we ended up with closer to 2 teaspoons sugar in our recipe.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (2)

Good thing everyone around here has a sweet tooth!

Mexican Horchata

October 30, 20171 Comment

Horchata (4) Happy Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos! The holiday, a traditional Mexican festival honoring ancestors and children’s spirts, starts tomorrow and runs through November 2. You can celebrate the holiday and teach your child a bit about international cuisine with this hands-on recipe. This suggestion from High Five magazine was a fun way to introduce my son (normally an almond milk drinker) to rice milk.

Have your child help scoop 3/4 cup uncooked white rice into 4 cups water; let soak overnight.

Horchata (1)

The next day, transfer the rice mixture to a blender, along with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup + 2 tablespoons rice milk, and 1/2 cup sugar.

Horchata (2)

Adults, run the blender and process until very smooth. Travis preferred to step away for this step, as it was loud!

Horchata (3)

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Stir well before serving.

Here is my very happy horchata taste-tester! After a few sips, he decided he is sick of milk, so “from now on let’s have horchata.”

Horchata (5).JPG

Spiked Hummus

October 28, 2017Leave a comment

Spiked Hummus (2)

Take your hummus to the next level with a little jolt – of barbecue sauce that is! This recipe doubles easily, so just double each ingredient below if you’re feeding a crowd.

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) rinsed and rained can chickpeas
1 minced garlic clove
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon into serving bowls

We like this one with warm pita wedges and lightly steamed carrot sticks.

Spiked Hummus (1)

Overnight Pumpkin Oats

October 28, 2017Leave a comment

Overnight Pumpkin Oats.JPG

Steel-cut oats are a wonderfully hearty way to start the day, but since they require 20 to 25 minutes to simmer on the stove, they aren’t always practical. You can get a head start with this recipe – the oats soak overnight, which cuts the cooking time nearly in half come morning.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup rice milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin pie puree
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, bring the mixture to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the oats are tender, stirring occasionally.

Patience is a Virtue

October 27, 2017October 27, 20172 Comments

Pumpkin Cookies (6)

Ah, the age-old question, how to teach patience to a preschooler when there is so much to do and see and explore. Because let’s be honest – waiting is hard! But to drive home the idea that patience and waiting are worth the wait, cookies are the perfect teaching tool. Yes, cookies! They only take about 20 minutes, which means you’ll have to wait, but not too long. Did Travis make it through our experiment? Read on and find out…

We picked a pumpkin cookie recipe because, well, it’s autumn. This recipe had the added bonus of only using three ingredients!

In a bowl, we mixed:

1 (13-ounce) package spice cake mix*

1 can pumpkin puree

1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Travis was a big helper with the stirring…

Pumpkin Cookies (2)

…But immediately asked if he could taste both the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cookies (1)

Oh, and the chocolate chips. Hmm, was this good waiting? I decided that a little nibble wouldn’t hurt.

Pumpkin Cookies (3)

We popped the cookies in the oven and baked at 350 degrees F for 18 minutes.

Pumpkin Cookies (5)

The cookies are good warm, but even better the next morning for an a.m. snack after they had completely set and cooled. So see, patience is a virtue!

Pumpkin Cookies (4)

*Be sure to check ingredient lists in any pre-made cake mix for items that are not vegan. The spice cake mix from Namaste Foods was perfect, but comes in a 26-ounce bag. Measure out about 2 and 1/2 cups mix to equal 13 ounces.

No-Bake Spider Cookies

October 25, 2017Leave a comment

Spider Cookie (1)

We’re one week from Halloween, and the bushes all around town are draped in fake cobwebs or plastered with giant black spiders. We added to the arachnid fun with this easy dessert idea from Highlights magazine. For vegan chocolate cookies, try the wheat-free Newman O’s oreo cookies; scrape out the crème filling and replace with the cream cheese or peanut butter. If you can’t find Newman O’s, any vegan chocolate cookie will do!

Ingredients:

8 round chocolate cookies
1 tablespoon non-dairy cream cheese or peanut butter
16 pretzel sticks
8 raisins

Divide the cream cheese or peanut butter evenly among 4 of the cookies. Set aside.
Snap the pretzel sticks in half so you have 32 pieces. Arrange 8 pieces on each of 4 cookies, to be the spider legs, using the cream cheese as “glue” to hold them in place. Top with the remaining 4 cookies.
Add an extra dot of cream cheese on the top cookies, and press on the raisins as eyes.

If only all spiders were this adorable!

Spider Cookie (2)

Black Bean and Rice Cakes

October 23, 2017October 23, 2017Leave a comment

Black Bean Rice Cakes.JPG

These are easy little patties that can work as a snack, or turn into a meal when served on a bun like a burger. I still sometimes need to trick my son into eating beans… but tasty patties like these make it easy!

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can black beans
1/2 cup cooked white rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Place the beans in a bowl and mash until mostly smooth. Add the rice, chives, cumin, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs, stirring until combined.
Shape the mixture into 8 or 9 small patties.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties, working in batches, and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden.

Banana-Seed Pudding

October 19, 2017October 19, 2017Leave a comment

Banana-Seed Pudding.JPG

I’m always on the lookout for desserts that pack a nutritional punch, alongside a chocolate-y smile. This one wins on both counts!

Ingredients:

2 cups vanilla almond milk
¼ cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Dash of salt
1/2 cup chia seeds
Banana slices

1. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, agave, cocoa powder, and salt.

2. Stir in the chia seeds, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to overnight, stirring occasionally (this helps to smooth out lumps).

3. To serve, place about ½ cup pudding in bowls, and top each serving with thinly sliced bananas.

Salami Roll-Ups

October 15, 2017Leave a comment

Deli Roll Ups (1)

Skip the bread and simply roll up Yves Veggie salami slices, and you have the perfect nosh for your kiddos. Double up portions to make these lunch!

Hummus Roll-Ups:

3 slices Yves Veggie salami
1 tablespoon hummus
1 tablespoon shredded carrots

Spread the hummus evenly over the salami slices.
Top evenly with the carrots, then roll up to serve.

Pizza Roll-Ups:

4 slices Yves Veggie salami
1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon sliced black olives
1 tablespoon shredded non-dairy mozzarella

In a bowl, mash together the cream cheese and tomatoes until combined. Spread evenly over the salami slices.
Sprinkle evenly with the black olives and mozzarella, then roll up to serve.

Deli Rolls Ups (2)