Pumpkin Cheesecake + Pumpkin Muffins

It's pumpkin time, and I couldn't be happier.

So obviously I am going to go crazy with pumpkin recipes over the next few weeks, brace yourselves.

My uncle Kevin was down recently from NYC, and that was awesome. Basically tasted my recipes and gave me graphic design advice/pointers. Love you uncle Kenny!

So the first recipe I tackled was a pumpkin cheezecake. I wanted to try some different experiments and see what I wanted to make on Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Cheezecake with Ginger Snap Crust Topped with Candied Pecans

Crust:  
1 1/4 cups of finely ground GF gingersnaps {got mine at HEB}
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon plain almond milk.

Preheat oven to 350
Crush or grind up gingersnaps and mix in sugar, coconut oil, and almond milk.

Spread across a 9" dish and smash it down.

Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes, then set aside.

Filling:
1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews soaked in water for about 30min-1hr (or macadamia nuts)
1/4 cup mashed banana (about half of 1 medium-sized banana)
1 12 to 14 oz package silken tofu, drained
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
3 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon sea salt 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Blend everything together and pour onto the crust.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then add topping and bake for another 20 minutes.

Topping:
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Pinch of salt

Chop pecans, then mix with coconut sugar, coconut oil and salt 

After the baking the filling for 20 minutes, spread across the top and put back in the oven for another 2o minutes.

After you take it out of the oven, you have the option to eat it warm, or perhaps put it in the refrigerator and eat it cold. I actually had a few people say that I should have served it cold since cheesecake is normally a cold dessert. So I'm going to try that next time!

 .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  

Because I was on a pumpkin frenzy, I didn't just stop there.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour {definitely the best brand}
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice {if you don't have this, just omit}
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2  teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup coconut sugar {or brown sugar}
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin puree {not pumpkin pie filling. Just plain pumpkin}
1/3 cup coconut oil {melted}
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk {other milks may be substituted including coconut, soy, hemp}
2 tablespoons applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips {I buy this brand. If it's not in the baking aisle, it's in the gluten-free section.} 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Mix the dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the mixture into muffin liners {or if you don't have any, lightly oil the actual muffin tin}

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Then go crazy and eat them all by yourself. (;

{Sorry I don't have a picture...they got inhaled by my family all too quickly. but if you click on the link in the title, you can see the pictures in the original blog.}

Let me know if you try either of these recipes.

Also for a thanksgiving blog, would y'all be interested in me tackling more unique festive recipes, or should i vegan-ify some traditional thanksgiving treats?

Sweet Potato Casserole for the Lazy

As soon as that teasing little cold front came in last weekend, I've totally been in the fall mood. I'm ready for my house to smell like pumpkin spice and cinnamon apples.
I randomly began craving sweet potato casserole, but of course I wasn't exactly willing to put in the effort. So I basically came up with the laziest possibly way to get it, and it turned out to be pretty delish.

Sweet Potato Casserole for the Extra Lazy:

(Serves 1)

1 Sweet Potato
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Raisins 

{Yep, that's it}

Method:

Chop the sweet potato into chunks.
Pulse a few times in a food processor until it's pretty shredded.
Place it in a pot and cook on med-high for about 5-10 minutes just to soften it a bit.
Put it back into the food processor (or blender) with cinnamon and nutmeg, and blend until smooth. Stir in the raisins by hand.


That's a college student Thanksgiving right there people.
It's actually really yummy, try it out!
Also, you can blend yams without even cooking them, if yams are your thing. It's pretty amazing. I mean, who wants to wait for a sweet potato to bake in the oven for 45 minutes? Not me. 

 

Raw Pasta + No-Meat Balls

Make this. Just make it, and don't even think twice about it. 

Making noodles out of vegetables has been my latest obsession. There are just so many benefits to it. Low carb being the most obvious. But I just think it's so cool how your noodle is also your vegetable! Ahhhh!

So, I usually make a ballin' peanut sauce pad thai (why the heck have I not done a post on that yet?) but I found this other peanut sauce recipe that tastes just as good but is actually healthier (less sweeter, less sodium etc).

This recipe is going to be a new regular for me. It's just so good, and the best part is...you don't have to cook anything. 

I got the peanut sauce recipe from This Rawsome Vegan Life's version of veggie pasta. Basically my favorite blog ever. (Her pictures are 81238128 time better too)

And the no-meat balls are from One Green Planet
You can click the link for the recipe. I followed it exactly.

Raw Vegan Pasta

1-2 carrots per person
1 zucchini per person (unless it's small...then 2)
handful of cherub tomatoes
cilantro
1 tbsp hemp seeds

Peanut Sauce (probably like...2 servings?):

1 tbsp raw peanut butter
1 tbsp miso paste
1 clove garlic
2 pitted dates
lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
pinch of chili powder
*I added >> dash of soy sauce & sirachra  

Method:

Blend all the peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor, and add water until it is nice and creamy.

Take a simple peeler and peel the zucchini and carrots into a bowl. If you have a Mandolin, I'm super jealous.

Dump the peanut sauce into the bowl and mix it all around with your hands, getting an even coat all over the noodles.

In my picture I forgot to add the tomatoes.

Toss in some no-meat balls and decorate with cilantro and sprinkle on some hemp seeds.

 

Black Bean & Chickpea Brownies

It's about time I did a post on the most popular recipe I have–black bean brownies.

I have made these brownies countless times, and they have yet to disappoint. This is the number one requested recipe thus far, so here it goes.

While I would love to claim this recipe as my own, I admit that I was not the brains behind this creation. This recipe is from www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com, and she has tons of incredible dessert recipes.

 

For Black Bean Brownies (I usually double this):

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder–dutch or regular
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave (Honey will work)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (or just more liquid sweetener)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil*
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (Not optional. Omit at your own risk.)
• optional: more chips, for presentation

* You can sub applesauce for oil-free brownies, but they won't be quiet as moist.

Method to this madness:

Preheat oven to 350.

Rinse the black beans in a strainer thoroughly to remove the black gooey juice.

Dump everything into a blender except the chocolate chips.

Stir in chocolate chips manually.

Pour mixture into an oiled dish (I rubbed coconut oil all over it)

Bake in the oven for about 20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let it sit on the counter until it is almost room temperature–it's better this way.

Next, I wanted to make something that didn't have a lot of chocolate. So here is the recipe for chickpea blondies:

(This makes a ton)

2 15oz cans of chickpeas

1 cup quick oats

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sald

1 and 1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar

optional: 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350

Rinse and strain the chickpeas

Add everything into blender except chocolate chips (you know the drill)

Pour into an oiled dish

Bake for about 25min or until a toothpick comes out clean

You could easily take these brownies to the next level by adding icing:

cashews + maple syrup + lemon juice in a blender 

or

banana + coconut flakes + cocoa powder in a blender

or

covering it in peanut butter.

Here I made a brownie sandwich:

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Now go get to baking!

Tofu Scramble

Personally, I can eat a bowl of oatmeal every morning and not get tired of it. But for those of you who are more into scrambled eggs or breakfast tacos, this is a vegan alternative for you. First off, let me say that I think people are too harsh on soy products. I am completely aware that soy is one of the highest genetically modified products, which I think scares a lot of people away. Also, there's some weird myth that soy makes you more feminine (I think you know what I'm talking about). So many people try to be like, "I can't believe you eat soy, it's so bad for you." 


1. Soy is in almost EVERYTHING. If it's processed, there is soy in it. There is soy in Oreos. There is soy in pre-made cake / brownie / cookie mixes. There is soy in almost all of the bread you buy. There is soy in cereal. There is soy in taco seasoning. There is soy in CHOCOLATE. If it's processed, there is a 98% chance that there is a derivative of soy in it. 

So it kind of annoys me when people say they don't eat soy and that I shouldn't be eating it, but in reality they probably are eating it everyday without realizing it. Next time you go to the store, read the ingredients on the back. Look for names like "soy lecithin," "soy protein isolate," "diglyceride," "monoglyceride," "textures vegetable protein (TVP)," and others. 

2. I personally believe that if you buy 100% organic, non-GMO certified (by the Non-GMO Project) that it is perfectly O.K. to eat soy. I look for this stamp of approval:

I think the main take away here is to research information for yourself. Don't believe that something is good / bad for you just because that's what someone told you. And that goes for what I say too. Don't just take my word for it. Look it up for yourself using credible sources. 

Ok, so now that I got that off my chest, let's get goin' with the recipe.

What you need:

1 package of organic, extra firm tofu
half red onion
bell pepper
zucchini
kale
tomatoes
mushrooms
(any veggie you want really)
cumin
turmeric
garlic


Method:

Slice up the onion and bell pepper and get it on your skillet (med-high)
While you're waiting for it to soften, open the package of tofu and drain out the water.
I then place the block of tofu on a paper towel to absorb some of the excess water.
Slice up the veggies you want and get them on the skillet
Using your hands, just crumble the tofu into the skillet and stir into the veggies.
Add you spices. I do a lot of cumin and just a little turmeric.

Once the vegetables are soft, you're ready to go. 
Add some salsa and wrap it in a tortilla for a breakfast taco.

If you would like to check out which products have received the stamp of approval from the non-GMO project, go to www.nongmoproject.org

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Benefits of Juicing

Juicing isn't really a new concept for most people, but I just want to talk about why it is so important and beneficial. First of all, I think we can agree that Americans in general do not consume nearly as many fruits and vegetables daily as they should. It's actually been estimated that the average American only consumes 5% of their caloric intake from fresh fruits and vegetables. That is scary. 

The great thing about juicing fruits and vegetables is that you are able to get the micronutrients digested into your body at a more rapid rate than to just eating the foods themselves. Another benefit is the large amount of vegetables you can consume in one juice. It would be pretty difficult to sit there and eat a giant bushel of kale, 3 carrots, 2 apples, a whole cucumber, and a ginger root. But if you juiced it, ba bam! So easy. It's just a great way to jam-pack nutrients into your body. 

The following paragraph is from www.rebootwithjoe.com

How does it work? Juicing removes the insoluble fiber from vegetables and fruits. While fiber is an established, important part of an overall healthy diet, removing the insoluble fiber allows for increased absorption of specific health promoting phytonutrients including enzymes, while the soluble fiber persists into the juice.  By removing the fibers and consuming fruits and vegetables in liquid form, we are providing a nutrient delivery system to our bodies that allows individuals who would otherwise have difficulty consuming whole vegetables, the opportunity to reap the numerous benefits vegetables have to offer.

Of course fiber is still important, so you couldn't juice for the rest of your life. But it is a great way to boost your immune system and clear your body of toxins. 

Juicing can (among other things): 

• Improve sleep
• Clear skin
• Help with weight loss
• Eliminate migraines
• Help get you off your medication

If you've never seen the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I highly recommend you to check it out. I copied the synopsis from the website:

100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well— with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health.

With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long- term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle....

(click here to read the rest and watch the trailer) 

I started juicing a lot lately (especially after watching the documentary) and it has been really fun for me. I like to experiment with different fruit/vegetables combinations and even with spices like curry and ginger.

You'd be surprised at how full you feel after a juice. I didn't need to eat anything with it. It can even just be a meal replacement if you're in a rush or you just don't feel like cooking!

For the orange glass, I just did mostly carrots with a few slices of apple, and then I actually dumped some curry powder in there. (Um, yum!)

The green juice is made of kale, cucumber, apple, lemon, and ginger. I know juicing kale sounds gross, but as long as you pair it with something sweet (like I did with an apple) then I promise you will hardly taste it. But I highly recommend using dinosaur kale instead of the regular kale. Seems to work a lot better.

Please, please try it! And let me know how it goes. I would love y'all to give me your own juicing recipes to try for myself. My next juice is going to involve beets!

If you want to buy a juicer, I've provided some links below of juicers in various prices.

Walmart
Walmart
Amazon
Target
Overstock

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Raw Burrito Wraps

I'm fairly new to the concept of a raw vegan diet, but lately I have been experimenting with it. If you aren't familiar with a raw foods diet, basically it means that you don't cook anything. It's all raw forms of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Sounds crazy, huh? Or perhaps it sounds incredibly boring. Trust me, I thought the same thing. But I have been looking into it quite a bit, and I have been completely amazed. I just imagined salad after salad after salad, or just chewing on a carrot every meal. But I was sooo wrong. A raw food diet could almost be considered an art. Some of the recipes and blogs and restaurants I have discovered have just completely blown my mind, and made me feel like I knew nothing about food and what you can do with it.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm headed towards 100% raw vegan, but I have been incorporating it into my life. At this point in time I eat raw vegetables and fruits in between meals for a snack, but also I have been consuming raw meals just a few times a week. Juicing is also a great way to get nutrients from the raw. 

So, I present to you the raw burrito wrap. I wish I could say that this was my own brain child, but I must give credit where credit is due. I discovered this recipe from thisrawsomeveganlife.com. If you would like to be adventurous, check out her blog. It is seriously amazing...I read it quite often. Click here for the recipe!

Raw Burrito Wraps

Have you ever tried eating raw? Or would you try it?

Leave a comment below!

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What Vegans Eat for Breakfast: Oatmeal Bowl

A pretty common question I get is, "What does a vegan eat for breakfast?!" Although there are many breakfast options, I'm a sucker for a good oatmeal recipe. I eat oatmeal every morning, and I never get tired of it. Mainly because there are so many different ways to change it up to keep it from getting boring. So, here is my typical everyday oatmeal bowl recipe. I will post more recipes involving oatmeal soon!

What you need:

1/2 to 1 cup Old Fashion Rolled Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 ripe banana
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 (or more) sliced strawberries
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans here. Sometimes I used walnuts or almonds)
2 tbsp hemp hearts
2 tbsp chia seeds
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (optional)
cinnamon

Method:

Put the oats in a small pot and add water. (I find that if I am cooking on a gas stove I need more water, but on an electric stove I need less.)
Once the oatmeal has absorbed all the water, pour into a bowl.
Smash your banana until it makes a smooth paste-like substance. Stir into the oatmeal.
Add everything else!
The almond milk is optional. After adding all the flax/chia/hemp seeds, it can become extremely dry. The almond milk works great to make it creamy again.

I love adding smashed banana to my oatmeal because it makes it perfectly sweet without having to add any sweeteners or sugar.

Some days I'll be craving some chocolate, so I will put some raw cacao powder in my oatmeal with a whole smashed banana. You can even throw in some peanut butter and you would have a little Reese's peanut butter cup theme going.

Independence Week Round-up: Brownie Kabobs & Cheezecake

The Fourth of July holiday time was too busy for me to blog, so I will sum it up in one post. The holiday was expanded into an entire week for my family which was a lot of fun. 

My family and I drove down to my grandma's house for our family get-together on the 3rd, and I brought a couple dishes along with me. (Usually to make sure that I get to eat desert also :D)

Black Bean Brownie Kabobs

For the brownies (adopted from chocolatecoveredkatie.com):

2 15oz cans of black beans (no ingredients added)
4 tbsp. cocoa powder (no sugar added)
1 cup of dry oats (quick oats work the best, but old fashion is fine as well)
2/3 cup of agave nectar or maple syrup
4 tbsp of coconut sugar (or just add more agave/syrup)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup + 1/3 cup of dairy free chocolate chips (not optional!)

Icing:
Vegan cream cheese
lemon juice
maple syrup
powdered sugar

For the kabobs:
Kabob sticks
Strawberries
Blueberries

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Blend all the ingredients except the chocolate chips into a blender or food processor. Then stir in the chocolate chips in with a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for about 25 min. When the timer goes off I usually just poke the center with a fork, and if it comes out clean then it's done. Otherwise keep it in for about 2-3 minutes longer.

 Once the brownies are done, let them cool off and sit for awhile.

Next, make the icing by adding all the ingredients into a food processor. Pour into a bowl and put it in the fridge until it thickens.

Once the icing has thickened, I spread it on each brownie piece. Then I just began loading each kabob! 

They were a big hit with the kids! (And adults too)

 

 

That night I had also made another desert, which was a raw vegan "cheesecake."

Star-Spangled Cheezecake (adopted from keyingredient.com)

What you need:

2 cups macadamia nuts

1 1/2 cups cashews

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup shredded coconut

6 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1/3 cup agave nectar or maple syrup

1 tbsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp water

berries for decoration

Method:

Soak the macadamia nuts and cashews in water overnight or at least 5 hours. (Pain in the butt, I know.)

Blend the macadamia nuts and dates in a food processor until it becomes crumb-like.

Sprinkle the shredded coconut flakes onto about an 8-inch dish.

Dump the macadamia mixture onto the dish and smash down with your fingers until it's evenly dispersed.

 Next, drain the cashews and put in the food processor/blender along with the coconut oil, agave/syrup, lime juice, and vanilla extract until it becomes creamy. Add the water to help.

Pour the mixture over the crust, spreading evenly.

Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Once frozen, add the berries and you're good to go!

*Serve immediately. It melts quickly!

I also made this same dish for Mother's Day, and it was a big hit! However, I think I will keep experimenting with difference raw cheesecake recipes until I find the perfect one.

 

Other meals from the week:

Eating Out: Spiral Diner & Bakery

This past week my brother and I stayed with my aunt in Austin for a week to help around the house, and spend some time with my cousins. On Saturday we then had to go up to the Fort Worth area to attend a wedding reception for our friend Amy. With both the reception and the hotel's food choices being a bit limiting for my vegan diet, I was desperate for some good vegan food. I knew there just HAD to be some place in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area that we could scope out before we drive back to Houston. And man, did I find a good one. It was called Spiral Diner & Bakery. This restaurant is 100% vegan–not a single animal product available. So it just makes it that much easier, and exciting, to order because I know that I can eat anything!

My brother refused to get out of the way of this picture.

The inside was legit, but we decided to eat outside since the weather was so nice!

Nacho Supremo, aka DA BOMB

Cowboy Burger

Gluten-free burger with a nut-based patty

Protein Platter

Jamaican BBQ Sandwich (mine)

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup

Raw Chocolate Carrot Cake

 

 We also had several milkshakes as well, but we scarfed them down too quickly for me to snap a picture. They were delicious!

I really enjoyed eating here. I have never had such a difficult time ordering...there were just so many choices! They had tons of wraps/burritos, burgers, salads, sandwiches, and even pasta! I can't wait to go back and try something else.