Thai Chili Peanut Sauce

- Posted in Dips, Spreads, Hummus & Sauces, Gluten-Free, Makes Great Leftovers, Quick Meals, Salads & Oil-Free Dressings, Soy-Free

I have the best husband! He is always willing to run to the store for me if I need anything, no matter how crazy the item is or how long the list. He went to Sprouts for me a few days ago AND took our toddler to give me a much-needed break. He brought home these Chili Peanuts and said he thought they looked good but they weren’t. He must have been hungry… Rule #1 of grocery shopping is not to go when you are hungry otherwise you end up with things like this.

I asked Melody of Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day what she would do with them (she is the recipe invention master!) and she suggested a peanut sauce. Great idea! I went through my fridge and cupboards and I found soba noodles, a leftover red pepper from making Red Lentil Thai Chili, cilantro, limes, fresh ginger, panang curry paste, half a can of coconut milk, leftover shredded carrots from making Carrot Breakfast Bread, snow peas and a fresh bag of organic spinach from my CSA delivery. Okay… time to invent something!

After adding, tasting and blending for what seemed like forever… my Chili Peanut Sauce came out pretty tasty! This sauce would go well with a bunch of things but I made it into a noodle dish with the red pepper, carrots, snap peas, spinach and soba noodles.

Continue reading →

Easy Pumpkin Pancakes

- Posted in Breakfast, Makes Great Leftovers, Our Toddlers LOVE This!

I made these pancakes this morning… WOW! They taste just like pumpkin pie! My hubby and toddler scarfed them down, between the three of us we finished the whole batch!

These are perfect if you have leftover pumpkin from another recipe, that’s how I came to make these. I had a little under a cup of pumpkin puree left from making White Bean Pumpkin Pie Dip a couple of days ago so I added a little applesauce to make up the difference.

This recipe is from Cooking with Two Vegan Boys. You can find her on Facebook here. Her food posts always look delicious on her page, I can’t wait to try more of her recipes! This one is a keeper, for sure… in fact I bought 3 more cans of pumpkin at Trader Joe’s today with these in mind!

Here is her recipe:

Pumpkin Pancakes

* 2 cups soymilk

* 1 cup pumpkin puree (not canned pumpkin pie mix) – I had a little less than 1 cup so I added a little applesauce

* 2 Tbsp margarine, melted (I used melted coconut oil here)

* 2 tsp molasses (I use black strap molasses)

* 2 Tbsp ground flax

* 3 Tbsp sugar (I used raw/turbinado sugar)

* 2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 1 tsp baking soda

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1 tsp allspice

* 1 tsp cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp ginger powder

* 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

– In a mixing bowl combine the dy ingredients, add the wet ingredients, gently stir to combine.

– Lightly grease a skillet or griddle, pour 1/3 cup of batter (or more for larger pancakes) onto the griddle.

– Cook until golden on both sides.  Serve with warm maple syrup.

(c) Two Vegan Boys 2011

YUMMY!!!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sassy Spicy Ketchup

- Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Our Toddlers LOVE This!
We love sweet potato fries! I have several different spice combinations I use but this is a new one from Vegan Good Eats. Turned out very good!
Sweet Potato Fries:
* I used 2 large sweet potatoes for my hubby, toddler and myself with zero leftovers
* 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon fresh or dried parsley (I used dried)
Sassy Spicy Ketchup:
* 1/2 cup of ketchup
* 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
* 1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce – I used my favorite Asian hot sauce (besides sriracha) Sambal 
* 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
* 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
Directions:
* Preheat oven to 450
* Wash, peel and slice sweet potatoes into fries
* Coat with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
* Put spice mixture together in separate bowl, pour mixture onto fries and coat evenly
* Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes, depending on how you like your fries – I like mine a little soggy so I did 20 minutes
* Combine Sassy Spicy Ketchup ingredients in a small bowl
* Serve 

White Bean Pumpkin Pie Dip

- Posted in Appetizers & Snacks, Makes Great Leftovers, Our Toddlers LOVE This!, Quick Meals, Sweet Stuff

I’ve made this a few times for snack or dessert and it’s always a hit! I love that it’s so easy, healthy and delicious! My toddler loves it with apple slices!

This is another delicious recipe from Healthy Happy Mama food blog, she also created the Orange Banana Walnut Breakfast Quinoa… double yum!

White Bean Pumpkin Pie Dip

1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, or 1 (15 ounce) can, rinsed and drained

1 cup pumpkin puree (plain, not the pumpkin pie mix)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a food processor, process the beans until they are almost smooth.  Add the other ingredients and continue to process until you have a smooth texture.  (If you don’t have a food processor, go ahead and use your blender to make this)  Enjoy!