Year: 2013

Pecan Coconut Truffles

Melissa King 15 Comments

So yesterday I had this great idea.  I was going to make a sweet spread out of pepitas and pecans.  You know, with a little spice for the season?  Well my idea was a fail because my spread never got to the right consistency.  So instead of scrapping the whole thing, I turned them into delicious truffles!  If you like my Coconut Truffles, you will love these!

pecan pumpkin truffles watermark

I added the coconut to hide the not so appealing color of the truffles.  You could also coat them in chocolate if you like.  These are a cinch to make and taste so good!  They would be great for holiday parties along with my Pistachio Truffles.

Pecan Coconut Truffles

Pecan Coconut Truffles

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Prep Time 10 min Serves 10 balls     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In the food processor , combine the pepitas and pecans.  Grind them into a course consistency. 
  2. Then add in the spices, oil and maple syrup and continue to pulse until a loose dough starts to form. 
  3. Roll the dough into balls and place them in the fridge to firm up. 
  4. Once firm, roll the balls into a small amount of water and then roll them into the coconut. 
  5. Once all are done, place them back into the fridge for a few minutes.

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Recipe Notes

I got 10 balls out of my batch. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Melissa King 74 Comments

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal.  I love oats for breakfast.  They fill me up and give me lots of energy.

I often make my overnight oats in a jar.  This baked oatmeal is another way to eat your oats on the go.  If you like my pumpkin pie overnight oats, you will love this recipe!

 

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

 

This pumpkin baked oatmeal recipe can be made in just about 30 minutes.  Very easy and you may already have most of the ingredients!  It’s like a bowl of oats in muffin form.

Great for on the go.  You can make a big batch and freeze some for easy breakfast options on those busy days.

Want to make this recipe?  You can view the video below.  For more videos, please subscribe to my You Tube Channel.

 

Looking for more pumpkin recipes?

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 20 min

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet into another. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. 
  3. Spoon batter into lined muffin pans. 
  4. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

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Recipe Notes

I used a jumbo muffin pan and got five out of my batch. You could probably get 12 with standard muffin pan . These freeze well too. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Creamy Tomato and Carrot Soup (Vegan)

Melissa King 53 Comments

Creamy Tomato and Carrot Soup.  I love tomato soup. Back in the day, I used to really love Campbell’s tomato soup. You know the kind in the can that is loaded with sodium?

I used to bring one to work at least once a week. So I tried to create a homemade creamy tomato soup that is much tastier and with less sodium.

 

creamy tomato and carrot soup

 

Even though my creamy tomato and carrot soup tasted very much like tomato soup, the color of the carrot came out more than the tomato.

As I am writing this post, I am enjoying a bowl of this for lunch with a gluten free corn muffin as a side.  Yum!

 

Creamy Carrot and Tomato Soup

 

Want to make this recipe?  Watch the video below.  For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube Channel.

Looking for more soup recipes? I’ve got you covered.

Creamy Tomato and Carrot Soup

Creamy Tomato and Carrot Soup

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Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 5 hr, 30

Ingredients

  • 10 vine ripened tomatoes (or 6 cups tomatoes) peeled and rough chopped
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 medium carrot diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 4-6 basil leaves
  • 2 T arrowroot
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Throw the veggie broth, tomatoes, carrot, celery, garlic, onion and salt into the crock pot and cook on high for at least 5 hours.
  2. Once the soup is done, add the milk and basil the blend with an immersion blender .
  3. You can also transfer the mixture into a blender and blend that way.

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Recipe Notes

If the soup seems a little on the thin side, feel free to add some arrowroot to thicken it up. We added about 2 tablespoons. We got about 5 servings out of ours. You can serve immediately or refrigerate for later. The soup is also freezable. Enjoy!

 

Creamy Carrot and Tomato Soup

Vegetable Soup with Millet

Melissa King 13 Comments

Soup season is here and I am loving every minute of it.  We always seem to have some soup stored away in our freezer.  It’s a huge time saver when life gets a little too busy.  This is my latest creation.

Vegetable Soup Watermark

If you can’t find millet, wild rice or brown rice would make a nice replacement.  I added the millet because I wanted the soup to be a complete and filling meal.  This is very simple to make.

Vegetable Soup with Millet

Vegetable Soup with Millet

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Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 4 hr Serves 5 servings     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 4 celery stalks chopped
  • 4 carrots chopped
  • 1 onion diced
  • 8 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup red pepper chopped
  • 4 vine ripened tomatoes diced
  • 4 lg garlic cloves minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp thyme (I used dried)
  • 1 tsp parsley (I used dried
  • 1 cup millet

Instructions

  1. To make things super easy, I prepared all the veggies the night before.
  2. In the morning, toss everything but the millet in the pot.
  3. You can do this recipe on the stove or in the crock pot .
  4. Just cook on high for the first hour and turn down to low for an additional 3 hours.
  5. Throw the millet in about 20 minutes before you turn the soup off. This made a good 5 servings. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Coconut Fudge (Vegan and Paleo)

Melissa King 56 Comments

This Pumpkin Coconut Fudge is good.  So good that I had to keep it away from my family before they ate it all.  I still needed pictures!

It’s been raining for days here in Dallas, but today was clear enough for me to shoot them.  It’s very easy to make too.  If you love coconut and pumpkin, you will love this pumpkin coconut vegan fudge recipe!

 

Pumpkin Coconut Fudge

 

Vegan, gluten free and grain free.  I do have to mention that the consistency of these is a little softer than my other fudge recipes.  It still does give you that melt in your mouth feel, but it’s softer, almost giving it a light texture as well.

 

Pumpkin Coconut Fudge

 

Want to make this recipe? Watch the video below.  For more videos, please subscribe to my You Tube Channel.

 

Looking for more pumpkin recipes?

Pumpkin Coconut Fudge

Pumpkin Coconut Fudge

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Prep Time 15 min Serves 6 cups     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan , on med heat, mix all the ingredients together and stir until combined.
  2. Pour the mixture into lined muffin pans . I used standard size, but mini muffin pans would work great too.
  3. Put them in the fridge to set. I gave them a few hours to fully set. I got 6 out of my batch. Should last a couple weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Coconut Fudge

Watch Your Labels with Sushi

Melissa King 19 Comments

When I think of sushi, I think it should be a healthier option.  Wouldn’t you?  Sadly, that is not always the case.  This whole thing was sparked by a photo a reader sent me of her vegetarian sushi she bought at her local Sprouts.  This is what was in it.

sushi

The ginger contains Aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener that should be avoided.  Aspartame has been known to cause harmful side effects that include: headaches, dizziness, seizures, vertigo and heart palpitations.  The wasabi is even worse as it contains artificial dyes, FD&C, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.  Artificial dyes should also be avoided and Yellow 5 in particular, is a known carcinogen.

So I went to the store to do my own investigation.  The sushi I found at my local Sprouts had no ingredient list what so ever.  So I tried another local grocery chain here.  This is the sushi I found at my local Tom Thumb.  I had to take several photos since the label was wrapped around the box.

sushi 1

So here is the first part of the label.  As you can see, the Yellow 5 and Blue 1 were also used in this wasabi.

Sushi 3 rotate

In addition to the artificial dyes, I see sugar listed 3 times.  As sugar, fructose and there is sugar in the vinegar.  Sugar in sushi?   Let’s look at the final photo.

Sushi 2 rotate

I see even more sugar in the form of brown sugar!  Another surprising ingredient in the wasabi is corn flour.  Really?  Is that necessary?  This is just another example of why every label needs to be read.  If you are craving sushi, try to get it at a restaurant that you can trust.  Or you can try making it yourself.