Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats

This is a work in progress recipe, but for a first attempt I think they turned out alright. Getty seems to agree. :-) Though, he is biased as he will go out of his way to eat anything with pumpkin or peanut butter in them.

Most of the recipes I have found online for vegan dog treats have contained wheat flour, which we tend to avoid with our dog's diet. While we do not keep our dog on a vegan/vegetarian diet, I am primarily making these vegan because we just don't keep other ingredients in the house. The base is oat and garbanzo flour, but you could make these with other types of flour as well.

1 1/2 cups quick oats
1/4 cup chickpea flour (+ extra for rolling out)
4 tbsp flax seed (ground, if possible in a coffee grinder)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup parsley
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 tbsp peanut butter (I used organic and it was a little dry. You may need to add more flour depending on consistency)

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Run the quick oats and flax seeds (if not ground) through a food processor. The idea is to get ground flax seed and oat flour. It won't be perfect, unless you have an amazing food processor, which we don't. Add in the garbanzo flour and cinnamon (and ground flax seed if pre-processed), and run just to homogenize the dry ingredients. Add in the parsley, the food processor should effectively chop the parsley for you. At this point, I switched out the blades for a dough blade. Mix the olive oil, peanut butter and pumpkin puree, and add to the food processor. The dough should clump together into a ball as you run the food processor. You may need to add more flour or more olive oil depending on the consistency. Mine was sticky but held together on its own without spreading.

I added a bit of olive oil to my hands and the pressed out the dough on a piece of aluminum foil (1/4 inch thick) dusted with chickpea flour. Using a pizza cutter, I sliced the dough into ~squares. Then transferred each square to a baking sheet leaving a bit of room in between each treat (they won't spread when they cook). Bake 18-20 minutes. Makes a plate-full. :-) From other recipes, these should be good for ~3 weeks at room temp, or ~6 weeks refrigerated.

Vegan Fall Quiche

A Fall quiche derived largely from this recipe.

Pie crust (I used my Pumpkin-flavored pie crust)

Veggie part

1/6 recipe (not including crust)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head broccoli, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot ( I used purple variety), sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
Thyme, rosemary to taste
1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

Quiche part
1 package silken tofu
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 ounce vegan cheese (I used daiya mozzarella)
chives

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Make the pie crust, and set in the freezer while you prep veggies.

Veggies: Heat oil over medium. Saute garlic and onions until translucent. Add cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, spices. Saute 2-3 additional minutes. add rest of veggies and water. Cover and steam until broccoli turns bright green and the peppers and carrots soften (~7-10 minutes). Uncover and allow the water to boil off. Taste and adjust! Then set aside to cool a bit.

Quiche: Meanwhile, combine tofu, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, and nutritional yeast and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt/pepper if desired.



Prep the pie/tart dishes. Sprinkle vegan cheese onto the pie crust. Combine tofu and saute'd veggies and mix until even. Add appropriate amount of quiche mix to pie tin. I topped mine with chives for color.

Bake 45-55 minutes, or until lightly browned and set. I made 6 mini quiches with this recipe. However, should be enough to make a full sized pie.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin (flavored) Pie Crust

Not to be confused for a crust made for pumpkin pie (though it could be used for such), this is a pumpkin-flavored pie crust! 

Time- 10 minute prep, 20 minutes inactive
I am enjoying fall flavors this week and had leftover pumpkin puree from this weekend's pumpkin oatmeal pancake experiments. I decided to make a vegan quiche with a pumpkin crust for dinner tonight.

The recipe is very simple.

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
~1/4 cup earth balance
Dried/fresh herbs to taste

Keep pumpkin and margarine as cold as possible. In a food processor, blend flours, salt, herbs (if desired). Add in pumpkin puree. The flour shouldn't be clumping too much, but should turn a nice orange-ish hue.  Then add in margarine. This is where the dough should become doughy.  Let cool in freezer ~20-30 minutes, or fridge overnight.

Lightly oil pie pans/tart dishes. Using your fingers, or if you are more patient than me roll out the dough, press into the bottom of your pie dish.

If you want to pre-bake, 425 for 10-12 minutes. Or I just went ahead and filled the crust with quiche mix.

1/6 of the recipe

Easy Blueberry Spice Pancakes

1 cup Flour
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt

1 1/2 cup Soy Milk
1tbsp Vanilla Extract 

3-4 oz Blueberries


Mix Dry ingredients together. Whisk in soy milk and vanilla. Add blueberries and mix well. (You can also add after adding batter to pan, if you want more equal blueberries per pancake.) Cook over med/low heat adding vegan margarine as needed. Top with syrup, powdered sugar, etc.

Broccoli Spinach Lasagna

This is a good way to clean out the fridge. For us, we had spinach, broccoli, and icicle radishes. The two of us had left overs for lunch and quick dinners for 3 days. But, it was super delicious!! Pictures to come.

Vegan Lasagna
Serves 6-8 (or 2 for days :-P)

1/2 package lasagna noodles
1 package extra firm tofu (14-16 oz)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Spices to taste- about 1/2 tbsp of each: lemon garlic spice mix, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme.
Spinach- about a quart of fresh or frozen spinach
4 small icicle radishes
1 head broccoli
2 large cloves garlic
1 red onion
2 regular cans tomato sauce or one large jar pasta sauce
1 package soy mozzarella cheese


Step 1: Cook lasagna noodles as per package instructions. While cooking, drain/press tofu. If using, blanch fresh spinach in left over pasta water.
Step 2: Using a fork or hands crumble tofu to ricotta texture. Add nutritional yeast and spices, mix well.  Mix in spinach. Set aside.
Step 3: Dice radishes and broccoli into small edible pieces. Mix together and set aside.
Step 4: Chop onion and mince garlic, Saute briefly in olive oil until onion is translucent.

In a 9x13 baking pan, layer accordingly:

Thin layer of tomato sauce (Sauce)
Noodles
Sauce
Broccoli/radish mix
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Onion/garlic mix
Tofu ricotta
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Top with soy mozzarella cheese



David had already dug in before we could get a great shot of the lasagna, but here is what the final product should look like (minus a slice):



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Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, from scratch!!

This is inspired by this recipe from Vegan Cowboy Food. But the recipe is nearly the same. We didn't have some of the items, so it was improvised.

Makes 14-20+ rolls (depending on how patient you are with letting dough rise!)


2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp Melted earth balance
Cinnamon/Sugar mixture


Combine milk, oil, and sugars in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and immediately remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and place on ice, stirring. When it has cooled to luke warm, take off the ice and add yeast. Stir and let sit to activate the yeast--it will start to froth/get bubbly (10 minutes). Slowly add in the flour. Knead and then roll into a ball.  Grease a large bowl using the olive oil, place the dough in the center and roll briefly to coat the dough and then let sit covered to rise for 1-2 hours. 


Combine 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a measuring cup, stir to combine evenly. Punch down the risen dough and add the flour mixture, kneading to combine. 


Dust a counter top with flour and prep the earth balance and cinnamon/sugar mixture. It is easier if the cinnamon/sugar is in a spice jar with a sprinkle top. Taking 3 in balls of dough, roll out into 3/4 in thick strips. Use a spoon to brush melted margarine onto the strip and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Rolle from one end, and pinch end to secure. Extra dough can be stored in the fridge covered for 3 days, apparently. Place into a greased baking dish. Repeat, to fill dish. Then, sprinkle top again with cinnamon sugar and drizzle melted margarine onto the tops of rolls.

Let rise 20-30 minutes, then bake 18 minutes at 400°. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle with a vegan frosting (see original recipe for ideas). 

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bread Loaf

The flavor and consistency of this bread is awesome. It is a little bit sweet, but can be used as a good sandwich or breakfast bread.

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bread Loaf
Makes 1 Loaf

1 1/2 cups Water (warm in temp)
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/3 cup Honey (room temp)
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups Whole wheat, unbleached flour
3 cups Bread Flour
1/4 cup Oatmeal
1/4 cup Flaxseeds

Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl and briefly stir using a whisk. Let sit 10 minutes, or until it begins to froth. Pre-heat over to lowest setting (ours was set at 170°).

Add honey, olive oil, salt, and flour. After about 2 cups flour, you wont be able to whisk anymore, so use your hands to knead in remaining flour, flaxseeds, and oats. On a clean, oiled (olive oil) countertop, briefly knead dough and then set into large oiled mixing bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set in oven. Turn off the oven and leave door slightly ajar. The warm oven allows the bread to rise quicker, but if it is too hot the bread will cook to the sides of the bowl. Let rise about 1-2 hours, or more if desired.

Punch down the risen dough and shape to fit into a oiled loaf pan. Again turn the oven on, and let cool with the door slightly ajar once it reaches the lowest temp setting. Allow the dough to rise to just above the rim of the loaf pan.

 Bake at 375° for ~35-40 minutes. You will know bread is done when you can tap the top with the side of a knife and it sounds hollow.

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro

This was inspired by this recipe. But, some of the recipe was near impossible when we tried. So here is our version.

Serves 4-6--

1 Large Spaghetti Squash
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
Dried basil, parsley, oregano, ginger, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes or soy parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup bread crumbs.

1.) Cut the squash in half. Nearly impossible-- Grab an extra pair of hands, or apparently you can microwave it whole 2 minutes and it is easier to cut in half. Remove the seeds and strings. Scrap the insides with a fork briefly.
2.) In a small bowl mix tomatoes and spices together, and taste- should be similar to pasta sauce. Divide the tomato mixture between the two halves and sprinkle with bread crumbs and nutritional yeast.

3.) Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10. the sides of the squash should lose their rigidity, and be easy to bend.
Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Use a fork to scrap the edges, revealing the spaghetti like aspect of spaghetti squash. Mix together and sprinkle again with nutritional yeast if desired!

We made toast with the flaxseed bread, together they tasted awesome. Coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of squash, I enjoyed the meal. But, I would say smaller servings, as a side dish would be ideal.... The stringy-ness of the squash can get exhausting! :-)

Potato Leek Soup

Awesome soup recipe! David and I both had seconds. The corn adds a nice texture and the cilantro adds an interesting dimension to the flavor combination.


Potato Leek Soup
1 Leek (julienne, 2 inches)
1 Yellow onion (medium sized, diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil
Potatoes (We used 4 small red potatoes and 1 large russet potato--peeled and cut into small pieces)

4-6 cups vegetable broth (Ours was fennel based, as we had a ton of frozen fennel left over from a couple months ago. Less broth will make a thicker soup.)

1 cup soy milk

Fresh cilantro

Thyme, rosemary, parsley, and ginger to taste

Optional: Was added 1.5 cups corn to add some texture to the puree.

In a deep sauteing pan (with a lid), saute garlic, onions, and sea salt in olive oil until onions appear translucent (5 minutes). Add leeks and saute until softened.

Pour broth over the vegetables and add potatoes. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat and cover.

Let simmer covered until potatoes are softened. Strain soup into a large pot, collecting solids in a colindar.  Puree solids (we used a food processor, but I am sure there are many ways to puree the soup).  Add the puree back to the soup, and stir until well blended. Add the soy milk, and adjust spices to taste. Add corn, if desired. Serve with a cilantro garnish!

Strawberry Popping Corn

We recently received some strawberry popping corn and decided to give it a go!

1 Ear strawberry popping corn
Olive oil
Salt to taste.
Sauce pan with lid

Remove seeds from the ear of corn into a small bowl. The seeds have a slightly sharp ends, so be careful.

Add enough oil to just cover the bottom of the sauce pan. Set stove to medium heat. Add ONE kernel to pan. Cover and occasionally shake (just to move the seed around the pan a bit).

As soon as the seed pops, add the rest of the kernels (the pan should hold only enough to cover the bottom of the pan...don't add too many/use a bigger pan if you have lots of seeds).

Cover and gently agitate to avoid burning popcorn, keeping the pan on or close to the burner. Once the popping slows, pour into a large bowl and toss with salt to taste!

My boyfriend and I wanted to see the difference between regular popping corn so we popped a handful of normal popping corn, too! Strawberry popping corn is smaller, bright white, and has a darker outer covering comparatively. 

I also found this site, which tells you all about popcorn anatomy! Very helpful.  :-P

Barley Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers

I was invited to a friendly potluck in October, where there was to be a mix of meat and vegetarian eaters. My CSA gave us some cute baby bell peppers which I thought would  make an elegant and colorful dish for the party. I added a few things I wouldn't normally, to try and appeal to some of the other eaters, like soy cheese and faux meat.

1/2 Cup Pearl Barley
1.5 cups Vegetable stock
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1-2 carrots, or ~15 baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
15 baby sweet peppers or 1-2 regular sized bell peppers
Basil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro to taste
Optional: Faux meat like vegan sausage or chicken-less strips

Combine the pearl barley and vegetable broth in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let cook until tender (about 45 minutes).

While barley is cooking, wash the bell peppers. Cut around the top and remove the seeds. Since some of my peppers were so tiny I made a small incision down one side so that I could add more stuffing to each pepper.

Preheat oven to 325.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil) to a frying pan over medium heat. Chop onion, mince garlic, and if using, chop the chicken/sausage pieces. Add the garlic and onion to the frying pan and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally (5 minutes). Add the faux meat, and cook until browned or heated through (check the package instructions).

Chop carrots and combine with onions/garlic/meat mixture and now cooked barley into a large mixing bowl. I warmed frozen peas by adding water to the measuring cup containing the half cup peas and microwaved for about 45 seconds. Drain and add to the bowl. Add spices to taste, typically about 1/2 tsp of basil, thyme, and cumin. A couple shakes of oregano and cilantro. Depending on the vegetable broth used with the barley, the amount of salt and pepper will vary. Mix well.

Stuff the peppers with filling. And place in a baking pan.

Bake for ~30 minutes. The peppers should just start to wrinkle around the top. If you want, add a little bit of daiya vegan mozzarella cheese.