Pumpkin Quinoa Risotto

We have made this for a potluck twice now and everyone has loved it! It makes a lot if your serving it as a side dish, but if you want more it can easily be doubled!  If there’s leftovers, there’s nothing wrong with that…you’ll have food ready for you the next day!

This recipe is from The Full Helping.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups chopped onion
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 2/3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1½ cups pumpkin or butternut squash puree
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Directions:

1. Heat the onion with a splash of vegetable broth in a large pot over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
2. Add the quinoa and stir it in with the onion for a few minute, to lightly toast the grain. Add 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, but with the lid of the pot slightly ajar.
3. When the quinoa has absorbed almost all of the liquid (15 to 18 minutes), stir in 1 cup of the pumpkin with an additional 1/3 cup of vegetable broth. Stir until the mixture has absorbed the liquid, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ½ cup of pumpkin and 1/3 cup of broth (if needed)*, along with the nutritional yeast and lemon. Keep cooking until the quinoa is no longer liquidy but has the creamy texture of a risotto, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the pomegranate seeds right before serving.

*The last time I made this risotto I doubled the recipe and did not need the last bit of broth as it was very liquidy.  Only add the broth if needed.

Note: Leftover risotto will thicken up in the fridge, but you can reheat it with a splash of almond milk or vegetable broth. This will keep for 3 days. If you plan on having leftovers, you may want to sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top of the risotto when you serve, rather than mixing them in, so that their color holds ups. Leftover risotto can be frozen as well.

Enjoy 🙂

Leek and Sweet Potato Bisque

Here’s another delicious soup recipe.  It’s easy to make, full of flavor, and a very light soup.  It would go great with a big salad!

This recipe was adapted from Fat Free Vegan:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2¼ lbs total)
• 3 large leeks, white and light green parts only
• 5-6 c unsweetened almond milk
• ¼ tsp nutmeg (more or less to taste)
• ¼ tsp ground ginger (more or less to taste)

Directions

1. Scrub sweet potatoes, then poke each a few times with a knife.
2. Bake sweet potatoes at 350°F for 1–1½ hours until centers are tender when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, cut each sweet potato in half and arrange in a single layer in a large microwave-safe casserole dish. Add a thin layer of water to the bottom, cover, and microwave for 16–18 minutes, until sweet potatoes are completely tender, turning them over halfway through cooking.
3. While sweet potatoes are cooking, cut the base and green top off each leek. Slice leeks lengthwise and rinse thoroughly between layers to remove any grit. Then slice leeks across the grain into half-inch semicircles.
4. In a large stockpot over medium heat, cook leeks, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. If you notice leeks beginning to stick, add a little water.
5. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking leeks, covered, for another 20 minutes. Stir every 2–3 minutes and add a little water (1–2 Tbsp) as needed to prevent sticking.
6. Remove pot from heat and scoop flesh from sweet potatoes (no skin) into the pot with the leeks.
7. Add 4 c almond milk, nutmeg, and ginger to pot.
8. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender.*
9. Add another 1–2 cups of almond milk until soup is just sippable.
10. Warm over low heat if needed, stirring continuously. Serve hot with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

*No immersion blender? Working in batches in a blender, puree leeks, sweet potatoes, and spices with just enough almond milk to facilitate mixing. And remember: Don’t fill your blender more than half full when working with hot foods, as steam buildup during blending can be dangerous. Return the puree to the pot and whisk in the rest of the almond milk.

Enjoy 🙂

Blueberry Muffins

These are our favorite blueberry muffins! Enjoy them for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert!

This recipe was adapted from Straight Up Food:

Ingredients:

• 12 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups or 8 ounces)
• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 1-½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
• ¾ cup millet
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, packed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw first)
• ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, cover the chopped dates with the non-dairy milk and set aside (so the dates may soften).
2. Grind oats and millet into a flour in a high-speed blender and place into a mixing bowl. Add the baking powder and cardamom to this and stir with a fork.
3. Place the dates and non-dairy milk into a blender and blend until smooth. Add this date mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients along with the applesauce and lemon zest, and mix with a spoon until all the dry ingredients have disappeared.
4. Gently fold in the blueberries and chopped walnuts. Spoon the batter into a silicone muffin pan, filling each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. The muffins will be done when the tops have begun to brown and cracks appear, and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 to 20 minutes before removing.

Feel free to add more blueberries and lemon zest to the batter, we always do!

Enjoy 🙂

Pizza Hummus

This is one of our favorite hummus recipes!

This recipe is from our friend at Eat Well, Stay Well:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups freshly cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
• 


1½-2 cups water, adjusted for desired thickness
• 2 cloves garlic
• Handful of sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
• 


About half a medium red onion
• 4 Tbs nutritional yeast
• 


½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbs dried basil

Directions:

1. Puree in food processor or high speed blender until creamy.
2. Serve over greens/salad, in a 
collard green leaf (raw or lightly steamed) as a roll up, or on sprouted grain bread/tortillas.

Note: If using a food processor, soak sun-dried tomatoes first.

Enjoy 🙂

Sweet Potato and Yellow Split Pea Soup

Here’s another one of our favorite Chef AJ’s soup recipe.  Great to make as the weather begin to get cooler.

Ingredients:

• One pound of yellow split peas (can also use green)
• One large chopped onion
• One pound carrots, sliced
• One celery heart, sliced (you can actually buy mirepoix, celery, carrots and onions already chopped at TJ’S)
• 2 Large Sweet potatoes , cubed
• 8 cups boiling water
• 6-8 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 teaspoons chopped parsley (dried, not fresh)
• 1-2 Tablespoons salt-free seasoning
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 capful (or more) Wright’s Liquid Smoke, optional (stirred in after cooking is completed)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in an electric pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
2. Wait 15 minutes then release pressure.
3. After releasing pressure, stir in liquid smoke. You can also stir in some greens after cooking like kale, spinach, or chard.

Alternatively, place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours

Enjoy 🙂

Chunky Monkey Cookies

We love this cookie recipe! The cookies are easy to make and tasty.  If you have ripe bananas, we highly recommend these cookies!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups rolled oats*
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Stir in all other ingredients.
4. Let sit for about 20 minutes to allow the oats to soften.
5. Shape batter into cookies of desired size and place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

*We like to put the oats in a vitamix and pulse a few times so the cookies don’t have huge oat pieces.

One thing we love about this recipe is you can adapt it to be different flavors each time.  Here are just some examples:

1. Use a different nut butter instead of peanut butter
2. Add raisins or other dried fruit
3. Omit the PB and cocoa and add pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice

If you like these Chunky Monkey Cookies, check out these simple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!