October 30, 2013

wiaw : my block

ever since i started writing this little blog, i’ve accumulated a lot of things. posts. pictures. friends. words. really nice comments. and of course, a lot of recipes. some of them my own, while many of them the genius of others.

honestly though, some of these recipes, i’ve only made once or twice. but others are staples in my weekly cooking rotation. and as october winds down, i’ve been making an effort to cook more and revisit some of the old recipes i’ve forgotten about.

reflection is a lovely thing, especially when food is involved and it's what i ate wednesday.

i think Jenn eats peas and colors with crayons. i like spinach and my favorite color is yellow.
every week, without fail, Jenn throws a big party on her blog. if you like eating, you should check it out.

without further adieu, here is a short list of what i've been eating lately. i think it encompasses a lot of love and good eating from me to you.

cheers, my friends.


one. red lentil and spinach curry (vegan tikka masala) from the taste space. sooooo good! warming, creamy, and perfectly spicy. i eat this over rice and it is awesome!


two. white bean and kale soup from vegetarian times. i wasn't a fan of this the first time i made it but my eight year old son loooooves it. i really like how the flavors meld together when you let it sit overnight - and it freezes well too.


three. no bake elvis bars from oh she glows. apparently, Elvis liked banana and peanut butter sandwiches (with bacon too). instead of peanut butter, these use banana and almond butter with a delicious almond-based crust. sorry, no bacon. there's chocolate instead.


four.  homemade pizza with jalapeno "nut meat", tomato sauce, basil macadamia cheeze, and marinated veggies. this isn't an "under five minutes recipe" (like most raw vegan treats) because of the dehydrated crust. one word. awesome.


five. super easy falafel with lemon garlic aioli : it's a little weird and totally amazing, trust me.


six. green monster smoothie. bananas + homemade almond milk + spinach+ dates + vanilla + cinnamon + nutmeg equals pure bliss. i do a lot of smoothies over here and this is one of my favorites!


seven. 5 ingredient chocolate mousse. i can't seem to keep this stuff in the fridge. "my little taste tester" loves to get his hands on it and gobble it all up like a turkey. or a moose.

thanks so much for coming over to my block - where everything is everything.



                                         fa sheezy

October 2, 2013

wiaw: thirteen - pumpkin spice muffins

i have an awesome recipe for pumpkin spice muffins to share with you for what i ate wednesday today at peas and crayons !
my continuing gratitude to Jenn, the girl genius who started this revolution. ♥
muffins are such a classic little treat. great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, with a cup of tea or even dessert. these gluten-free pumpkin spice muffins, made with oat flour and almond flour, are light, fluffy and satisfying.

this is the first muffin recipe i've posted. "my little taste tester" (who happens to be my beautiful, loving son) and i had a conversation last night about my recipes during which he gave me his blessing to post this one for pumpkin spice muffins. he gave his approval by gobbling down a full batch one or two muffins after dinner.  gobble gobble.

a stamp of approval from "my little taste tester" means that these pumpkin spice muffins are ready for “prime time"!

enjoy.


pumpkin spice muffins (gluten-free, vegan, paleo, sugar-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free)
adapted from a muffin recipe by Kelly at nosh and nourish.

2 cups flour (i used one cup almond flour + 1 cup oat flour) *or sub with your favorite flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
dash of allspice
1 cup cooked pumpkin purée
1 large banana, mashed (or 1 cup full fat coconut milk from a can)
1/2 tsp vanilla
up to 80 drops of stevia. or other sweetener *or 1/2 cup maple syrup, honey, coconut nectar or agave

optional add ins:
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup chocolate chips (i used enjoy life minis)

optional topping:
1-2 TBSP pumpkin seeds

directions
1. in a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice).
2. in another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, coconut milk, vanilla, and sweetener).
3. stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. optionalfold in pecans and chocolate chips, if using.
5. line your muffin tin with muffin cups or coat it with coconut oil (like me).
6. spoon the batter evenly into muffin cups.
7. optional: add some pumpkin seeds to each one (for a little extra crunch).
8. bake at 350ºF 25-30 minutes.
9. cool and enjoy!

makes 10-12 muffins depending on how full you fill each muffin cup.
i filled mine 2/3 full and ended up with 11 muffins.

*Kelly's original recipe called for brown rice flour, coconut sugar, flax eggs, and a banana. i substituted the brown rice flour with oat flour and almond flour; the coconut sugar for stevia; i omitted the eggs altogether and used coconut milk instead of mashed banana. kelly topped her muffins with streusel while i topped mine with pumpkin seeds.


what's your favorite fall food? 
aside from food, what's your favorite thing about the fall season?