Tag: vegan

Grain Free Pumpkin Tart

Melissa King 46 Comments

I love pumpkin pie.  One of my very first recipes on this blog was for a pumpkin pie that called for tofu.  This year, I wanted to create a soy free pumpkin pie.  This was my first experiment and it went well.  This isn’t exactly a pie, but it’s delish and grain free.  I still have plans for a gluten free and vegan pumpkin pie in the future too, but this pumpkin pie tart is a contender for anyone looking for a pumpkin pie dish who is also in the mood for the creaminess and richness of a tart.

Pumpkin Tart FG sharp watermark

My daughter Meadow, who claims to dislike all things pumpkin, ate this.  In fact, both my girls enjoyed it.  If you are not a fan of coconut milk, please understand that you cannot taste the coconut in this recipe.  The pumpkin and warm spices totally cover it up!  Kind of like in my Pumpkin Ice Cream.

Grain Free Pumpkin Tart

Grain Free Pumpkin Tart

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Prep Time 30 min Cook Time 30 min

Ingredients

    For the crust

    For the filling

    Instructions

      For the crust

      1. In a food processor , combine all the crust ingredients except the dates and pulse into a course ground consistency.
      2. Then add in the dates and pulse until a dough starts to form. You may need to add a tiny bit of water, but I did not.
      3. Once the dough is formed, press it into a greased tart pan . Stick in the fridge to firm up.

      For the filling

      1. The night before you make this, place your can of coconut milk in the fridge.
      2. In the food processor , combine all the ingredients for the filling except the coconut cream. Mix well.
      3. Open your chilled can of coconut milk and scoop out the white solid part.
      4. Discard the water leftover, or save it for smoothies.
      5. Spoon out 1/2 cup and put in the mixer bowl.
      6. Whip the cream in a mixer to get some air in it.
      7. Once it looks more like whipped cream, slowly add in the pumpkin mixture by folding it in.
      8. Do not mix the two together. Just keep folding the pumpkin mixture in until all are combined.
      9. Spread the mixture into your tart shell and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

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      Recipe Notes

      You can save the leftover coconut cream from the can, for topping the tart if you wish. This should last at least 5 days in the fridge. Enjoy!

      Maca Energy Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free and Paleo)

      Melissa King 136 Comments

      Maca Energy Bars.  When you start reading all about eating healthy, there are certain foods that come up.  Kale, chia seeds, goji berries and maca are just some of them.  I was curious about maca root powder, so I had to get a bag to try out.

      It is pretty pricey, but it lasts a long time.  Kind of like the chia seeds. Maca root is a tuber, kind of like a potato.  It is very well known as a natural energy booster.  It can also help with hormonal issues such as menopause and fertility.

      Maca is rich in B vitamins as well.  So I decided to make an energy bar with it.  This energy bar is not only vegan, but grain free and gluten free too.

       

      Maca Energy Bars

      Maca Energy Bars

      Maca Energy Bars

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      Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 10 min

      Ingredients

      Instructions

      1. In a food processor , grind the almonds into a course consistency. 
      2. Add them to a bowl with the sunflower seeds, maca powder, flax meal, pepitas, chia seeds and salt. 
      3. In a saucepan, combine the maple syrup, almond butter and coconut oil. 
      4. Mix until all are well combined. 
      5. Add it to the bowl with the dried ingredients. 
      6. Tear a sheet of parchment slightly bigger than an 8X8 pan .
      7. Line an 8X8 pan with the paper. 
      8. Spread in the mixture and pack down tight . 
      9. Place in the fridge to set.  About 1 hour.

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      Recipe Notes

      I got 8 bars out of my batch. Store them in the fridge or even freeze them for longer storage. Enjoy!

      Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

      Melissa King 134 Comments

      Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats.  My mind is buzzing with all kinds of new pumpkin recipes!  Naturally, I had to do one with overnight oats.

      My favorite breakfast lately is overnight oats. So easy.  Even my daughter can make these.  You can make up 5 at a time for healthy breakfasts all week long.  No cooking even required!

       

      Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

      In fact, my daughter and I filmed a video on how to make these.   Here it is.  For more videos, you can check out my You Tube Channel.

      It’s a great recipe to try with your little ones.  If you like a smooth oatmeal, use rolled oats.  If you like a crunch to your oatmeal, use steel cut oats.

      Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

      Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

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      Prep Time 5 min

      Ingredients

      Instructions

      1. Pour all the ingredients into a jar and mix very well.  I make 5 at a time and they last all week!  Great for those busy mornings.  I think these would also be awesome with some chopped pecans too.  Enjoy!

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      Apple Spiced Refrigerator Jam

      Melissa King 47 Comments

      You need to try this Apple Spiced Refrigerator Jam.  Everyone likes a little jam once and awhile.  Most store bought jams contain too much processed sugar.

      Did you know you can easily make your own jam recipe without processed sugar, pectin or canning?  I already have Blueberry Chia Jam on the blog.

      Since it’s almost fall, I thought I would make one that incorporated those flavors.  This apple spiced jam recipe came out great.

       

      Apple Spiced Refrigerator Jam Watermark

      This is it and it couldn’t be any easier!  I used chia seeds to help gel up the spread.  This will literally take minutes to make.  Spread it on toast, swirl it in yogurt, or even use it as a pancake topping!  It would be great in overnight oats as well.  Yum!

      Apple Spiced Refrigerator Jam

      Apple Spiced Refrigerator Jam

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      Prep Time 10 min Serves 8 oz.     adjust servings

      Ingredients

      • 2 apples peeled and cored (I saved the peels because my daughter likes to snack on them. Any apples will do. I used gala.)
      • 1 tsp cinnamon
      • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
      • 1/4 tsp ginger
      • 1/4 tsp cloves
      • 2 T maple syrup (This is optional. Taste the mixture and if it's not sweet enough, add the syrup.)
      • 2-3 T chia seeds

      Instructions

      1. In the food processor , blend up the apples.
      2. Then add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
      3. Put the jam in a covered container and set it in the fridge to set up. Takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

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      Recipe Notes

      This made 8 oz of jam. I store mine in mason jars , but you can use any container. It should last a few weeks in the fridge and you can also freeze it for longer storage. Enjoy!

      Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream

      Melissa King 95 Comments

      Oh yes.  Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream.  You knew the pumpkin recipes would be coming!    Since it’s still kind of warm here in Texas, I thought I would start off with a cool pumpkin treat: pumpkin spiced ice cream. This pumpkin spiced ice cream is quite good, easy to make, and easy to store.

      pumpkin ice cream watermark

      Much to my surprise, my kids loved this.  They couldn’t stop eating it!  Even my daughter Meadow, who claims to hate pumpkin, ate this up.  If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can make this recipe into popsicles using these molds.  For those of you wondering if this tastes like coconut, I can tell you that it doesn’t!  Since there are so many spices in here, that drowns out most of the coconut flavor you would normally get.

      Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream

      Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream

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      Prep Time 20 min Serves 4 servings     adjust servings

      Ingredients

      Instructions

      1. Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1-2 minutes.
      2. Pour contents into an ice cream machine and turn on.
      3. Should take about 15-20 minutes.
      4. Remove and serve.

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      Recipe Notes

      The ice cream will have a soft serve consistency. If you like a harder ice cream, put it in the freezer for an hour to firm up. If you don’t have an ice cream machine , you can make popsicles using these molds . The recipe makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

      Pumpkin ice cream

      Farro with Spinach and Mushrooms

      Melissa King 36 Comments

      My husband loves to cook and often comes up with the savory dishes for the blog.  One of the more popular dishes that he has created is the Peanut Noodle Stir Fry.  I love to bake and stick mostly to doing that.  This is a dish he came up with.  I am going to be on a panel for a Google + hangout soon.  In preparation, Bob’s Red Mill sent me a box of their Grains of Discovery line.  Farro was one of the grains in the kit.  I have always wanted to try it and I am so glad I did.  It has a nutty taste and texture that goes very well with the mushrooms.

      Farro with Mushrooms Watermark 2

      If you are gluten free, wild rice or quinoa would work as well.  We ate ours warm, but I think it would be a great cold dish as well.

      Farro with Spinach and Mushrooms

      Farro with Spinach and Mushrooms

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      Ingredients

      • 3 cups vegetable broth
      • 1 1/2 cups farro
      • 1 8oz package of mushrooms sliced thin
      • 1/2 yellow onion (or 1 cup chopped)
      • 1 garlic clove minced
      • 2 T white wine vinegar
      • 1-2 handfuls of spinach
      • 2 T oil (I used walnut oil)

      Instructions

      1. In a saucepan , add the farro and vegetable broth and cook on medium heat until all the broth is absorbed.  In another saucepan , saute oil, garlic, onion and white wine vinegar medium high heat and cook for about 6-8 minutes. 
      2. Add mushrooms and stir for another 5 minutes or so. 
      3. Once the farro is done, add it to the sauce pan with the mushroom onion mix. 
      4. Add salt and pepper to taste and lastly add in the spinach and cook until slightly wilted. 
      5. Remove from heat and serve immediately or refrigerate for later.  Enjoy!

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