Vegan Chocolate/Carob Pudding

I've never been much of a pudding fan but my girls love it.  Maybe it's a kiddo thing?  I've loved that I've found a whole foods based pudding without the normal additives.  It tastes pretty good, for pudding.  My girls on the other hand go crazy for it.  We've had other little friends over and fed it to them, and they love it too.  So it's tested and tried by several little people who all give it two thumbs up.

The thing I love about this recipe is the avocados.  I love finding ways to get healthy fats into my girls.  They loved avocados plain as little tykes but I may have overdosed them on avocado because they are both in a phase where they just don't want avocados on anything.  I can hardly believe it.  I love avocados.  I could eat them all day long.  They aren't local or seasonal but I enjoy avocados most of the year.  So why not put them in pudding?  Chocolate and avocados seem like a weird pair but really they do go together.  The avocado creates a creamy texture.  For my oldest daughters 1st birthday I made chocolate cupcakes with an avocado chocolate frosting.  All vegan. They were quite tasty.  I say that so you don't rule it out before you try it or at least letting the little ones try it.  This can be made to even be baby friendly.

I have seen several recipes over the last couple years on raw puddings that involve cacao powder and avocados so tonight I played around and created our own version.  There are lots of ways to modify and play with this recipe.  Get creative. Taste as you go.  Or better yet, let the little ones taste as you go!


Chocolate/Carob Pudding


3 avocados 
10 dates
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I've used almond and coconut milk)
1 tsp vanilla

1 TBS coconut oil (melted)

Juice of 1 orange

1 TBS shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Banana (optional)
4-6 tbs carob powder or raw cacao or cocoa powder

Orange zest (to taste)
Dash of pink Himalayan salt

Blend all ingredients together.

****could omit the cocoa/carob powder if feeding to a baby 
****Soaking the dates in water for an hour or so helps to soften them for blending.  If you don't plan ahead for that, which I usually forget, add dates to some hot water and let them set while you prep the rest of the ingredients.  This is usually enough to soften them for blending.
**** the banana gives it a bit of a banana taste so that's a positive if your kiddos like banana if not  omit or reduce by half
****I topped the girls with some unsweetened carob chips and they loved it
****Strawberries would be a delicious topping as well.
**** I limit my girls intake of chocolate.  The  Theobromine in dark chocolate is a stimulant and it certainly gives my girls extra energy they aren't in need of.  While I'm not a big fan of the 'malty' taste of carob my girls love it.  That's a win, win situation. They get a tasty treat and they will still go to sleep at bed time. 
****maple syrup or raw honey could be added to give the pudding a little more sweetness

Experiment.  Get creative.  Enjoy watching the kiddos get really messy chocolatey faces.  Have your camera ready! The pics are priceless!

Cranberry-Orange Muffins (Vegan & GF)

My girls love muffins.  They don't care what kind. They just love muffins. I don't think they've ever said no to one. It's become kind of funny.  I think it stems from the fact that we just don't have a lot of baked goods or sweet treats around the house.  I've never been a huge fan of baking.  It's not necessarily my culinary gift.  My love in the kitchen is cooking.  I get real excited about using whole foods to create healthy, simple dishes.  So I think part of the love my girls have for muffins is that "mom's finally made a baked good!"  Happy day for them!

We have  a group of dear friends we meet with weekly in what we call a house church.  We get together. We share life.  We share a meal. Our kids play, fight, cry, giggle, and love on each other.  All the while we share our hearts with each other and try to be people that love on and encourage and support one another.  It's a beautiful thing.  In our little house church pod there are several who have gone gluten free over the years so it's been a natural progression for me to learn to make things in a way that is available for all to eat. Even though I'm not a huge fan of baking I've ventured off into a bit of gluten free baking.  It's a fun new challenge, and I am always up for a new adventure. 

On top of playing around with my gluten free baking, I've been experimenting and totally in love with fresh cranberries.  Oh my word.  I just can't get enough of this tasty little fruit.  I love tossing dried cranberries into salads but have yet to find any dried cranberries without sugar.  Not that it's the end of the world to have some sugar but I like to minimize our families consumption of sugar, especially in the winter with all the colds and flu.  This year I've become a big fan of fresh cranberries.  I bought a bunch this fall at the farmers market, rinsed them, and tossed them into bags and froze them.  Perfect.  I've done cookies, smoothies, teas, muffins, breads, and juices.  Did you know cranberries are believed to help protect against urinary tract infections? According to the Ayurvedic tradition, cranberries are the lymph-movers of the winter season.  They lymphatic system drains the cells and transports the immune system.   It's not a surprise then that cranberries have a global effect on the body's well-being, meaning better lymph drainage equals better overall health.  A couple other benefits John Douillard states that cranberries offer is that they aid in strengthening the gums, protect against the common cold, boost heart health, and protect the prostate.  I say these little berries pack a punch!

Cranberry-Orange Muffins


1 cup (1/3 each of sweet sorghum, buckwheat, & tapicoa flours)(regular flour is always an option)
3/4 cup oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 TBS ground flaxseeds
1 TBS ground chia seeds
3 TBS raw honey, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk


juice of 1 orange
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries

Mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt together in one bowl.

Mix flax seeds, chia seeds, oil, applesauce, milk, sweetener, orange zest, and the juice of 1 orange together in separate bowl.

Combine the wet and dry mixtures.  Fold in nuts and cranberries.

Pour into muffin tins.  (FYI---reusable muffin cups make an awesome little Christmas gift!)

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. 

Enjoy some vegan, granulated sugar-free, gluten-free muffins!  :)

Have a beautiful Christmas!

Grace & Peace to you!!

The Ultimate VEGAN Spinach Artichoke Dip

I just had to share this recipe with you.  I cannot take any credit for any part of creating it.  It was passed along to me recently and I quickly fell in love with it.  I made no alterations or changes.  It is seriously perfect.  Especially for those of us that just can't do dairy but yet all those gooey, creamy dips at parties seem to be calling our name. This, my friends, is a non-dairy bliss-filled dip.  It doesn't last long in our house.  My girls love it. I love it. My husband would probably eat the whole thing by himself.

We usually slice up some carrot and kohlrabi sticks to eat with this.  It's also fabulous with crackers or chips.  Really it's just pure amazing.  It's been so long since I've been able to enjoy a creamy, warm spinach artichoke dip.  I haven't touched the stuff in ages because dairy and me just don't mix well.  I always walk away from an encounter with dairy feeling ill, and usually end up having cold symptoms the following day...the biggest of which is my ears feel plugged and congested.  It's the weirdest thing.  I wondered for years why this happened to me and wouldn't you know as soon as I removed dairy it was gone.  Stomach issues gone.  All the sinus issues gone.  Interesting stuff.  So for me this is a pure treat and one we've made often since being gifted this recipe.  I believe the original recipe was from VegNews.  I hope you find it as purely amazing as I have.



Spinach Artichoke Dip

3/4 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 can artichokes, chopped
5 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 cup hot water
2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS Nutritional Yeast (different than yeast you use for baking)
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 TBS Dill (optional)

1) On medium-high heat, saute onions, red pepper, and garlic.  When onions have become transparent, add in the artichokes and saute for a few more minutes. Add spinach and stir until well mixed and spinach begins to wilt slightly.
2)In a blender, combine cashews, water, nutritional yeast, and salt until smooth. Add lemon juice and blend well.
3) In a bowl, combine the two mixtures. Stir well.  Transfer to and oven-proof baking pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  It should be a bit bubbly and lightly browned around the edges.  Another option is to place it under the broiler for a few minutes to get a nice, lightly browned crust on top.

Finally, enjoy your pure bliss!!!!

Brussels Sprouts

I personally never thought I liked brussels sprouts, along with a lot of other veggies that I've now grown to love.  I think it's just one of those veggies kids love to hate and I was very much in agreement with all those other kiddos.  So I never bought them or ate them.  Well wasn't I a little surprised when I started buying them in the last couple years and fell in love with them.  They are so good.  Why did I hold out for so many years? Well at this point my daughters haven't joined the crowd of brussels sprout haters.  In fact, my oldest daughter has been requesting brussels sprouts quite a bit this fall.   She loves finding them at the farmers market.  The way they grow is just fascinating.  If you've never seen them you should google a picture of them on their stalk.  It's really a pretty fun thing to pick up at the market and let the kiddos help pull them off the stalks.  It's mid-December and I'm still buying them at our local market.

Brussels sprouts actually improve in flavor as the weather cools.  They become sweeter and more tender after they've gone through a few frosts. 

Brussels sprouts also contain a good amount of vegetable protein.  Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Maganese, and Folate are included in the list of things brussels sprouts are high in.  They also come packed with lots of fiber and are thought to be a digestive stimulant.

Really they are just a tasty veggie that our family is coming to love.  I wanted to share with you our favorite way to make them, which we adapted from the book, " From Asparagus to Zucchini."

Brussels Sprouts Braised with Apple Cider

• Brussels Sprouts ( I usually do one stalk at a time) (original recipe calls for 12 large)
• Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider
•  cooking oil or water

Trim Brussels Sprouts and remove outer layer or two of leaves.  Cut in half. Sprinkle salt evenly and lightly over bottom of pan.  (I do these in my cast iron pan so not sure the difference in a regular pan).  Lay Brussels Sprouts cut side down in pan.  Cook until deep brown or almost black in some places, about 5 minutes.  I usually end up stirring them up a bit and letting them cook another couple minutes.  Add apple cider, cover pan, and turn off heat.  Let them continue cooking off the heat another 5 minutes.

Popcorn

I don't know about you but this weather calls me to slow down and snuggle up.  As much as I love the warmth and sunshine, I see the beautiful qualities this time of year brings to our family.  We are inside more.  We are actually home more.  We get a little bit more sleep.  We read more. We do more crafts.  I find it's just a whole different season in so many ways.  Our lifestyle shifts a bit, and I must be honest, I'm loving it (now this might be a different story come February but for not it's all love).

My husband and I started a little tradition of sorts awhile back.  Monday night is T.V. night around here. Obviously it didn't start during football season and some weeks it just needs to change because of some "big" game, but regardless it's pretty consistent.  After the kiddos go to bed we relax and put school work aside or any other seemingly pressing task and just relax together.  It's a date night of sorts to kick off our week.  It's silly but we love it and we look forward to it each week.  We've found it's so fun to just sit and laugh together.  As life gets demanding and things get busy it's easy to lose sight of that time to just sit and be silly and laugh. 

The only thing that usually accompanies us on our date is a rather large bowl of popcorn.  Now I must tell you I'm from Indiana, so I think it's just natural that I have a love of this food.  It's like it's in my blood.  One of those childhood foods that I have no desire to part with.  So I don't.  I enjoy every last bite of it!

Over the years we've played around with our popcorn recipe to make it a little healthier and to avoid the overdose of salt and butter.  It took some time for me to get used to this but I must admit I love it now and couldn't go back to that old microwave stuff I held dear as a child.  Now that doesn't mean when I walk into a movie theater that I don't just start salivating at the smell of that movie theater popcorn because I absolutely do.  And you know what I even still eat it from time to time.  Again, when those times happen I enjoy every single last bite.  No guilt allowed.

I wanted to share with you our favorite popcorn concoction just in case you find yourself cuddled up on the couch with a good movie and hoping for a bowl of 'healthier' popcorn to find it's way to you.


We use an air popper for our popcorn. There are surprisingly several different varieties of popcorn to choose from.  If your ever in Indiana (particularly Northern Indiana) you'll discover this for yourself if you do any small town shopping. I do buy organic popcorn.  Corn is a highly genetically modified crop and very subsidised.  Corn is also on the top of common allergens so if you notice side effects from corn or corn products it's best to find another movie time snack option.  A few nutrition nuggets to think about.  Just want to be real about it!  If a little popcorn from time to time is no problem for you, well then by all means please continue to read on. 

We top our popcorn with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I picked up this cool little Misto thing awhile back ago and it works like a charm.  I spray on a bit of olive oil.  I like to add some Mrs. Braggs Amino Acids.  I even found this in a small spray bottle years ago and just refill the bottle so I can simply spray it on the popcorn.  This keeps the popcorn from getting saturated and to wet.  I usually like to add a splash of Balsamic Vinegar as well.   I shake it up real well to get the popcorn coated. 

Then onto the spices.  It may sound weird but you seriously just need to try it.  I add dill.  That's the key ingredient.  I really don't cook much with dill but somehow it found it's way into my beloved popcorn bowl.  Finally I'll add a dash of sea salt. Viola'.  A tasty bowl of goodness with some flare.

A few other adaptions we enjoy:

~omit the balsamic vinegar and add raw apple cider vinegar
~a light dash of cayenne pepper is so good.  Start super light.  Remember you can always add more.
~a bit of your favorite vegan cheese slightly melted and then tossed around
~ground kelp or wakame (seaweed).  Sea vegetables are loaded with amazing minerals and give it a    naturally salty taste.
~I like to toss in some apple or pear slices to have the sweet and salty combo.

Like all recipes, experiment.  Find what suits you and your tastes.  Get creative.  Enjoy!

I hope that weather or not you like popcorn you find yourself slowing down and snuggled up more during this season of rest. 

Black Bean Quinoa Soup

 

Lately we've had a lot of cool, damp weather, and I've been craving stews and soups.  I could live on soups and stews this time of year.  I just can't seem to get enough.  Something that is fairly easy to make and so very warming.  This Black Bean Soup is a popular one at our house.  Sometimes people ask how can you possibly get enough protein being vegetarian?  Well soups like this are a powerhouse of protein!


Have you tried quinoa? It's an amazing little whole grain.  Well actually it's officially a seed not even a grain.  Dr. Weil says quinoa is high in magnesium  which helps relax blood vessels, resulting in fewer headaches for migraine sufferers and decreased risk of hypertension and stroke. It is also a good source of manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous, vitamin B2 and other essential minerals, and has the highest protein content of any grain. It is especially high in lysine, an amino acid that is typically low in other grains. Quinoa's protein is complete, containing all nine essential amino acids - a rarity in the plant kingdom. Quinoa is gluten-free and easy to digest: a must-add to your culinary repertoire.

Quinoa also makes great baby cereal. For small babies grind the quinoa in blender before cooking and then cook with appropriate amounts of water.  Typically it's 1/4 cup of dry grain to 1 cup of water for making a baby cereal.  For a little bit bigger baby, cook quinoa according to directions and then serve like you would oatmeal, with some extra add-ins.  I used to add avocados, pureed greens, homemade applesauce, or anything thing else creative that I had available.

This soup can be a great soup for a baby that has already been introduced to the foods in the recipe.  It's mostly pureed so easy to eat and not a lot of chewing. Great way to introduce some spice and multiple flavors to those kiddos.  It's great for adults alike.  I love this soup.


Black Bean Quinoa Soup


2 TBS Olive Oil 
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2-4  garlic cloves
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups cooked black beans (or 2  15-ounce cans)
3 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup finely chopped kale (or other leafy green of choice)
1-1 1/2  cups cooked quinoa (the more you add the thicker it becomes)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and bell peppers.  Cook until onions are lightly golden.  Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the broth and 3 cups of beans and bring to a boil.  Add kale.  Reduce the heat and simmer until flavors blend, approximately 10 minutes.
 
Puree mixture in blender and return to pot.  Add the remaining 1 cup of beans and quinoa.  Simmer for several minutes to heat through.

Top with fresh cilantro and avocado.  I've also added some fun new vegan cheese that I've been making that I will post on the Pint Sized Foodies Facebook Page real soon.

Might also be paired nicely with some vegan cornbread muffins. These are a hit every time I make them.  I usually adapt the flour to a gluten-free mix of flours, the milk to almond milk, and the sugar to sucanat.  But really you can play and adapt as needed.  They really are amazing!

I hope you enjoy some warm, tasty goodness.