Not Just Another Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Don’t judge a book by its cover. 

Don’t judge a smoothie by its color. You see this lovely green smoothie?






It tastes like 
pumpkin pie.

Don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

Have it for breakfast. Nothing says breakfast like pumpkin pie!

Pumpkin Pie (Green) Smoothie
Yield: about 2 cups

1 cup almond milk
handful or two of greens
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 frozen banana
1 date
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1-1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spices (I used cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger) 



Add all the ingredients to the blender.



And blend.




Looks can be deceiving. Very deceiving. 




Use the leftover pumpkin to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is how I feel about life right now:


All I want to do is jump in a pile of leaves. Right now.

What is it about autumn that everyone loves? My walk home from school every night is a path of multi-colored and delightfully crunchy leaves. I just want to rake them all up and jump in!

Last week, my school was on fall break (another reason to love the season!), so my friend and I got together and watched Anne of Green Gables. Of course this has always been my favorite transition scene: 



Another reason to love fall? (As if I needed one!)

Pumpkin! 

My first pumpkin experiment of the season:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Inspired by 2 ingredient cookies)
Yield: 1 dozen

1 cup oats 
1 cup pumpkin 
1/4 cup date paste (see here)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips 
2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spices (or just cinnamon for a simpler taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix pumpkin, oats, and date paste.


Fresh date paste works best. If it’s been in the fridge it might be too hard to mix well.


Add chocolate chips.





Add spices. 





Grease cookie sheet and place cookies on it. 




Bake 20 minutes. 

Let cool. 





EAT!





Enjoy :)



Simply Staples: Sweet Potato Corn Pudding

Sweet potatoes...or yams...or sweet potatoes.

For the longest time, I had no idea what the difference was between yams and sweet potatoes. So, I took it to google and found this lovely article by the Huffington Post.

Now that you know, you can make this delicious staple recipe that I love. It takes a little more time in preparation, but it’s still quite easy. 

Sweet Potato Corn Pudding

2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup almond milk 
a few dashes of cinnamon


Steam and peel the sweet potatoes. Let them cool. 

Defrost the corn. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend.  







Hmmm...perfect for fall (just the BEST season of the year!). I'll be working on pumpkin recipes next....

Happy Fall!!!


Simple Staples: Vegetable Quinoa

I have a few simple recipes (I guess you could call them side dishes) that I use frequently. They don’t take much time or preparation, and I usually have the ingredients on hand. This vegetable quinoa is one of my favorites! It requires very little preparation.

Vegetable Quinoa 


1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh chopped vegetables (I used a bell pepper, green beans, peas, and carrots)
3 cups vegetable broth

Throw everything in a rice cooker till it finishes and you have lovely, fluffy quinoa.










Stuffed Bell Peppers


It’s hot!!! Don't get me wrong, I love summer. I just don't like melting the moment I step outside. I wanted something savory and easy for dinner without having to use the oven and decided on stuffed bell peppers. (Now that I think about it, I rarely use the oven. It might have something to do with living in a dorm without one for several months.)


Most people bake their bell peppers, but it’s so hot, I just filled raw bell peppers.

Stuffed Bell Peppers 

Ingredients:
bell peppers
1 cup quinoa or rice
1/3 cup lentils 
1 cup frozen or fresh chopped vegetables (I used peas, corn, and carrots)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2-1 teaspoon spice (I used cumin and coriander)
2 2/3 cups water or vegetable broth 



Add all ingredients (except the bell peppers) to a rice cooker and turn it on. 




Slice the bell peppers in half, cut out the stems, and wash the seeds from the inside.



Once the rice or quinoa and vegetables have finished cooking, let it cool for a few minutes. Then, start filling the peppers with it.








Pink, White, and Purple Ice Cream

Long time no….write….

I know it’s been a while, but I come bearing ice cream, so I think you’ll forgive me.



I actually intended to do this recipe on the Fourth of July, but it didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. See, it was supposed to red, white, and blue.



And it was. In my mind. But strawberries make for pink ice cream and blueberries make for purple ice cream. 





Oh well. They were quite a hit with my family on the Fourth (even the non-plant based eaters). 

Here is the vanilla recipe and the instructions. 

Strawberry Ice Cream: 
Yield: 4 servings

1 can refrigerated coconut milk 
1 cup frozen strawberries 
2 frozen bananas 
4 dates 
2 teaspoons vanilla 




Blueberry Ice Cream: 
Yield: 4 servings 

1 can refrigerated coconut milk 
1 cup frozen blueberries 
2 frozen bananas 
4 dates 
2 teaspoons vanilla 





A note about the coconut milk:
In the vanilla recipe, I used A Taste of Thai brand. It worked a few times, but I don't recommend it for this recipe. I have since used Thai Kitchen and a Sprouts store brand with success each time. Look for something to the nature of "separation occurs naturally." It should look like this after pouring out the liquid: