Pumpkin muffins or bread

I am still working my way through the large supply of organic pumpkin cans I stocked up on a couple months ago.   We've been enjoying a lot of pumpkin muffins and sometimes pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin Spice Bread
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/pumpkin-spice-bread.html
This pumpkin spice bread is very delicious and can be made with fat for those that don't love fat free baking... or without fat it's still very delicious.  This recipe is higher in sugar than others I use, so I only make it occasionally.   I use white whole wheat flour in this recipe and it turns out perfectly.
Click here for the nutrition facts for this recipe made into 18 fat free muffins.

Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes/view.html?recipe_id=547
The yield for me on this recipe was much higher than listed.  I got 18 muffins and one mini loaf of bread out of this... and they were gobbled up quickly.   I ran low on raisins so I substituted dried cranberries instead.

Tip: When a recipe calls for you to only use part of a canned good, such as this recipe where you have part of a can of pumpkin left over, simply put the remainder in a Ziploc freezer bag, mark the bag with the contents and freeze it for later use.   One week I made these muffins and then froze the remaining pumpkin. The following week I took that out of the freezer and used it to thicken a stew I was making!
 

Is it soup or stew?

This recipe is called soup, but my boys argued it should be called stew because it's so thick.    Either way, the entire family enjoyed this one and it's pretty easy to make from the pantry.    I would suggest going really easy on the Chipotle chili powder and skipping the hot sauce when making it for the 1st time for the family... or until you figure out how much heat they can handle.

Smoky Refried Bean Soup
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/03/smoky-refried-bean-soup.html
I make a few substitutions - I use a drained can of corn instead of the frozen corn and whatever pepper I have on hand (yesterday it was red pepper).
We enjoy ours with tortilla chips crumbled on top.

Healthy & Tasty Shamrock Shake

It's March so that means my favorite (since childhood) item is back on the McDonalds menu - the Shamrock Shake.  Unfortunately, with ingredients like corn syrup and artificial flavors & colors... it's really not a healthy choice at all.    I've been experimenting at home with some healthy mint shake recipes and have found that they're super easy to make and quite tasty too.     The secret ingredient it make the shake beautifully green & healthy is.... spinach!     My son remarked tonight how amazed he is that I can put ingredients he doesn't like into the blender and turn it into something he really likes!

The recipe I'm recommending to you I adapted from a recipe from One Green Planet.   If you are not vegan and consume dairy - you could get a very yummy shake by substituting regular milk & vanilla greek yogurt in this recipe.

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake
Ingredients

• 1½ cups nondairy milk of choice (for nut-free, use hemp or coconut milk)
• 6oz cup of So Delicious Chocolate Greek Style Cultured Coconut Milk
• 1 medium, very ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
• 2 big handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 to 2 pitted dates (or 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice)
• 1 heaping tablespoon cacao nibs

Instructions

1. Combine the milk, greek yogurt, banana, spinach, dates, peppermint extract, cacao nibs in a high-­speed blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately.

Pre-blending

Minutes later - ready to drink!

What's your smoothie recipe?

I often get asked for my smoothie recipe.  The problem is... there is no recipe!  I just use whatever I have on hand in my fridge/freezer!

This is what my blender looked like before I turned it on this morning

I start with enough liquid to cover the blades - usually Silk Fruit + Protein or fruit juice... but you can use water too.   Then I like to cover the liquid with a thin layer of chia seeds (you can get a big bag of these at Costco now).   Next I add a green - either kale or spinach.  Then the fun part - add a few extra fruits and veggies.  Today I added half a carrot, an entire orange (I used the knife to peel off the outer skin), some frozen cherries, and half a frozen banana.  I almost always add at least half a frozen banana for delicious natural sweetness.    I always recommend using a deep colored berry/cherry (raspberries are my favorite) especially if the green is a bit tough/bitter like kale.     I either stock up on organic frozen berries when they're on BOGO sale at the grocery store or buy the big 3lb bag of organic mixed berries at BJs for $9.99.

My smallest customer enjoying his smoothie and an apple for breakfast

I should note that usually my smoothies are not pretty.   When you blend bright greens with deep colored berries, the result is usually brown.   But don't let your eyes fool you - the result is delicious and so healthy too!

My latest breakfast obsession

I've recently gotten into making overnight oats in the slow cooker.   I put all the ingredients in before I go to bed at night and by the time my earliest riser wakes up in the morning, hot breakfast is ready and I can still snooze away in bed while they help themselves to a delicious, hot & healthy breakfast.  

I've tried a few recipes so far, but this, by far, is my favorite one I've found.
Slow Cooker Cherry Almond Oatmeal
http://www.theyummylife.com/Slow_Cooker_Cherry_Almond_Oatmeal

I omit the butter/fat in this recipe and use applesauce (instead of shredded apple) for simplicity    It's basically impossible to limit myself to one serving with this one... it's soooo tasty!  Reminds me of a cherry pastry.    I even cut back on the brown sugar to 1 Tbsp and it still tasted great.  The dried cherries already provide a lot of sweetness.   I think next time I'll try omitting the sugar and see how it turns out.

Easy Homemade Black Bean Burgers

We've always enjoyed black bean burgers - but the frozen ones I buy at the store have some additives that aren't too healthy and others that add fat.   I found an easy recipe that everyone enjoys for homemade black bean burgers.  I like to enjoy mine with a thin layer of guacamole on top, some fresh spinach leaves, and a thin pickle slice inside of a sandwich thin.  I serve them with Kevin's favorite potatoes.

Black Bean Burgers
http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/quick-black-bean-burger/
As you can see, I bake them on a Silpat mat.  It makes flipping them and removing them when finished stress free.   I didn't have any instant oatmeal at home, so I just whisked some regular oats in the Vitamix to make it more similar to instant oatmeal.

Burgers - pre-baking (they look very similar baked as well)

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

This is a guest post I wrote for another blog: My Life in Red

Our family began 2012 with the decision to eat a low-fat vegetarian diet at home.   This would mean an entirely different way of cooking and eating for all of us.     I had heard about CSA before from friends but hadn't paid too much attention to details because I didn't think it would be something our family would be interested in.   However, now that our family was eating such a greater volume of fresh produce, this now sounded like something to investigate.

What is CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or "share-holders" of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing.

How do I find CSA in my area?
First of all - ask around!   Find out if any of your friends or neighbors are participating or have participated in  CSA.   This website also has a great search feature: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
You may have several options available to you.  I recommend asking to see photos of what past weekly shares look like.  How many different kinds of vegetables and fruits (or other items) will be in each weekly share?    Do I get any choice - or it it all farmers choice?   Are there different share sizes available?  (Some farms only offer one share size while others will offer 3 or 4 sizes)   If only one size is available, you may want to find a friend to split a share with.

Example of a 1/2 weekly winter CSA share

Example of a full weekly summer CSA share

How I made my CSA decision

I decided CSA would be a good idea for my family for several reasons.   First of all, I knew it would challenge me to incorporate more vegetables and a greater variety of vegetables into our diet.   I also thought it would be a wonderful way to support my local economy by directly supporting the farmers in my area.   The environmentalist in me also loved that purchasing produce this way has such a positive affect on the environment as eating locally reduces the emissions given off by all the trucks, planes, & ships that transport produce all over the world to our grocery stores.    It's eating the old fashioned way - by eating what's ripe and available locally at the time.   Finally, I knew we'd be getting fresh picked, nutrient rich produce by participating in CSA.

We live in an area that has a number of farms with CSA programs nearby.   After some investigation, I chose the farm closest to my home and one that had a delivery spot just a few minutes drive from my home (closer than any grocery store!)   I also liked that the farm I chose was certified organic.     Their program is "value added" which meant each member usually receives 6 different vegetables, 2 different fruits, a dozen eggs, and a loaf of fresh bread.   At pickup, each members chooses, quantity stated by the farmer, their produce items and has the option to trade one item in for something else that they'd rather have.   (Some farms don't have any flexibility, ie. you just get what you're given and that's it., while others are very flexible and let you choose every item you'd like from a list of many).

The good and the bad

There definitely is a learning curve to participating in CSA.   You need to be committed to eating most of your meals at home and trying new recipes to incorporate new vegetables - some of which you likely have never purchased before.    I struggled with this at first and there definitely were vegetables that ended up getting composted in my yard rather than eaten (it still happens occasionally )    One thing I learned is to freeze what you don't think you'll eat that week.    For many months after our CSA share ended, I still enjoyed grabbing frozen (and chopped!) veggies out of my fridge and adding them to meals.    Another tip would be to get a Vita-Mix.   I use ours everyday to quickly whip up smoothies using the vegetables from our share into a tasty drink the entire family enjoys (and I feel so good about serving them!)    None of my guys will eat kale... but they'll happily gulp it down every morning in a tasty smoothie!