Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad

I absolutely love peanut butter and anything made with it! ;-) So, needless to say, I found this recipe delicious. I did however make a few changes to the original recipe. They are as follows:

1.) I did not use any chicken. It would probably be a nice addition.

2.) I did NOT use any bell peppers. As a general rule, I avoid bell peppers. Have not acquired a taste    
     for them yet and don't anticipate acquiring one anytime soon! (I'm just one of those people.)

3.) I did, however, lightly steam some julienne carrots & cut into bite size snow peas so I was not
     completely veggie-less!

4.) In the sauce, I removed most if not all the jalapeño seeds & white member which contains all the
     heat of the pepper. I was left with just a nice mellow jalapeño flavor. I did this because I wanted
     my girls to eat the dinner! If it were just Daniel & I that would be another story since we love
     spicy. You can always sprinkle a few red pepper flakes to spice it back up as each individual might
     like it.

All that said, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Vegan Raw Salted Caramels

Some might say it is a stretch to call these caramels, but whatever they are called, they are mighty tasty and on the whole not bad for you! I'm a huge dessert person and almost always have a treat on hand so I'm always looking for recipes that are on the healthy side. These were very easy to make and last wonderfully in the freezer.

Homemade Chewy Vegan Salted Caramels

Prep time: 10 Minutes
Yield: 20-30 Salted Caramels

Ingredients:

• 10 Soft (Fresh and Pitted) Medjool Dates
• 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Natural Pure Almond Butter
• 10 Drops Liquid Stevia (I used only 5)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into your food processor and blend until smooth stopping to scrape down the sides (keep blending and scraping until the mixture is smooth and dough-like).
2. Line a bowl with saran wrap and scrape caramel dough into it.
3. Place in the freezer or refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
4. On your counter line your work area with parchment paper or saran wrap.
5. Remove caramel dough from the refrigerator and using the saran wrap that already encasing the dough place on the counter and begin to smooth mixture into a rectangle as thick as you would like your caramels.
6. Remove from saran wrap, place on your work space (lined with parchment) and using a sharp knife cut into 1 inch caramel bites.
7. You can place the cut caramels into a parchment lined container or individually wrap them in wax paper to store.
8. Sprinkle caramels with salt if you desire.
9. Keep caramels in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to enjoy as there are no preservatives in this recipe.
10. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Donuts!

There were amazingly delicious!!!

You can get the recipe here*.

*This is one of my favorite sites for recipes!

Butternut Squash and Farro Stew

This is one of the best soup recipes I've made! The whole fam enjoyed it. Two side notes: I used the lemon zest. I didn't end up serving it with the yogurt or cilantro. Seemed to be just dandy but these 2 items might just make it that much better! ENJOY!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp sumac or lemon zest
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 3/4 lbs peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked farro
Plain Greek yogurt
Cilantro

1. In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often until soft, about 5 min. Stir in sumac or lemon zest, coriander, pepper, salt, vegetable broth, and squash. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 15 min.

2. Carefully remove 1 cup of the stew from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Puree in blender until smooth; return to pan. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to partially puree the stew.) Add chickpeas and farro. Serve with yogurt, chopped cilantro, and extra sumac or lemon zest. 

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

I had some leftover pumpkin puree and decided to try out this recipe. It was worth it. They are good!

Ingredients
1 2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (Trader Joe's has a really good one)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. organic canned pumpkin puree
3/4 c. brown sugar or evaporated cane juice (I used coconut palm sugar)
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. coconut oil (in a liquid state)
1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed, or flax meal, + 3 Tbsp. water)

For an extra tasty treat add a few butterscotch chips to these! yum!

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a mini muffin pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with liners.
3. Whisk together ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes    
    until a gel like consistency forms.
4. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, 
    pumpkin pie spice and salt). Combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, oil, 
    apple sauce and flax egg) in a medium-sized mixing bowl and blend well. Add the liquid mixture to 
    the dry and stir well.
5. Place batter into the mini muffin pan by the spoonful and place on the center rack of oven. 
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a mini comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

Recipe from: http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/11/mini-vegan-pumpkin-muffins/

The Ultimate Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

These are very delicious. Daniel likes his with dark chocolate chips (who doesn't??). This recipe was recommended to me by Letha. Thanks, Letha! 

The Ultimate Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Ingredients:

• 1 & 3/4 cups walnuts, toasted
• 2 cups regular oats, divided
• 3/4 cup white Kamut flour (other flours probably work!)
• 1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 3.5 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup raisins

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F and grease a baking sheet. Place 1.75 cups of walnuts on the baking sheet. Toast walnuts in oven for about 10-12 minutes, until golden in colour. Watch carefully so as not to burn. When walnuts are toasted remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Dump walnuts into food processor and process until just finely ground, no more. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, 1 cup oats, cinnamon, and Sucanat (or brown sugar). Now add the dry ingredients to the food processor and process for about 20-30 seconds until mixed. In a small bowl add the coconut oil and microwave for 20 seconds to soften (if necessary). In the same bowl, stir in the maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla, and pour into food processor. Process until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Remove bowl from processor and dump contents into a large bowl. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of oats by stirring or with hands. Fold in the 2/3 cup of raisins. Take about 2 tbsp of dough, make a ball, and then flatten with fingers. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F and no longer. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before placing onto a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Makes about 16 large cookies.

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/09/11/the-ultimate-vegan-oatmeal-raisin-cookie/#ixzz2guT5auSt

All-Purpose Pancakes

I had a pancake recipe that looked but I made revisions to it to use what ingredients I had. They were delicious Isabella ate 2 of them! Baking and cooking have reminded me a lot of making music these. When you know the rules, there are a lot of variations and ways to "brake" them that improve on the original!

1 cup flour (whatever kind you have on hand, I used 3/4 ww pastry & 1/4 all-purpose white)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 milk or water (I used almond milk)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup blueberries

In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix; the batter should have some lumps. Gently fold in blueberries.

Heat a lightly grease a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour desired amount of batter into skillet and flip when bubbles begin to appear in the center of the pancake.