Mmmm... Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup

Happy Thursday! Does anyone have any exciting plans for the upcoming Halloween weekend?

Aside from working, I plan on making plenty of yummy treats, watching Halloween movies by the fire with my significant other, Jon, and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters!

Speaking of making yummy treats, I cannot believe how much pumpkin has been getting devoured lately!

Pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin butter, pumpkin spice coffee, & now pumpkin soup with pumpkin seeds!

Oh, and stay tuned for pumpkin pie ice box cake! (It's vegan & raw, by the way!) It's a good thing that pumpkin is healthy!

The pumpkin soup was inspired by this recipe.

 
















Ingredients

• 1 small "sugar" pumpkin, seeded & diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1.5 cups water
  cumin to taste
• sage to garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Roast pumpkin and garlic in oven at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes.
2. Once roasted, puree pumpkin, garlic, vegetable stock, & water together. (I used a blender)
3. Bring to a slight boil on the stovetop.
4. Add cumin to taste. Serve with  garlic roasted pumpkin seeds! (see * below) Garnish with sage if desired.

Simple, Easy, Quick! (I did steps 1-2 in the morning, and then had nearly-ready soup in the evening!)

* To make garlic roasted pumpkin seeds: wash leftover seeds from the pumpkin, toss with garlic power, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees while the pumpkin & garlic are cooking... but only for 12 -15 minutes!

Pumpkin Spice Specialty Coffee!

This morning I read a blog entry by Stefanie "The New Healthy." She was talking about Coffee Mate's "Pumpkin Spice" creamer (how it is delicious, yet packed with "less than desirable" ingredients)... and it got me reminiscing back to my college days, when I would get so excited to find this seasonal item in stores! (and used wayyyyyyy too much of it!)

Thankfully, I have weaned myself off of it since then, in favor of a homemade (and much healthier!) version.

Organic coffee + soy creamer + pumpkin pie spice = bliss!!)

Autumn Pear & Pomengranate Salad with Candied Pecans

Yesterday I decided to make a salad out of whatever was around the kitchen...

Local pomegranates and pears from Abundant Harvest Organics:

 Pecans (from Costco... we buy nuts in large quantities!)

The end result? An Autumn Pear & Pomengranate Salad with Candied Pecans! Simple, yet delicious... made from seasonal ingredients. :)

Daily morning oatmeal... You've come a long way!

I cannot believe that until just a few months ago, I didn't even know what vegan overnight oats were!

Before I had any desire to spend time in the kitchen (or really cared about my health), my daily breakfasts consisted of (microwaved) oatmeal with cow milk (non-organic), raisins (with preservatives), and brown sugar. Yes, you heard right. That is what I ate. Every day.

Oh, how I wish I could go back in time and have a talk with my 14-21 year-old self!

Maybe if I only knew what food blogs were back then... (or had taken a food science class!) Things might have been different.

Anyways... at least things have changed. :)

The latest was "Pumpkin Ginger Cookie Vegan Overnight Oats:"

Evening Ingredients:
-1/3 c. oats
-1/2 c. almond milk
-2 T. pumpkin
-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 tsp. ginger (powdered)
-1 tsp. blackstrap molasses

Directions: Mix ingredients together and place in the fridge overnight.

Morning Ingredients:
-1 banana, frozen
-1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 T. pumpkin

Directions: Take oat mixture out of the fridge and stir. Place frozen banana, pumpkin, & vanilla in a food processor and process until banana has a creamy consistency. Layer the oat and banana mixtures and top with crumbled ginger cookies!

Pumpkin Brownie Vegan Overnight Oats!

Good morning! I am delighted to report that the weather is still cool! (It's supposed to warm up again this weekend, so the current lower temperatures are going to be enjoyed while they are here!)

This morning I woke up to Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats waiting happily in the fridge. The Banana Soft Serve layer was replaced today by pumpkin banana soft serve!

Toppings were leftovers- Chocolate Zucchini Bread, cut into "Brownie" chunks!

So healthy... but tastes just like desert!! And what a way to get in zucchini for breakfast! :)

Pumpkin Banana Soft Serve
Ingredients:

• 1 banana (frozen)
• 1 T. pumpkin

Directions:
Place banana and pumpkin in food processor until smooth & creamy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

So I am extremely content at the moment. I have a cat on my lap and just enjoyed chocolate zucchini bread!

After trying to find the "perfect" recipe for vegan chocolate zucchini bread, I just decided to go for it, using the Chocolate Brownie Cupcake recipe as a guideline.

However, a few exciting changes were made! My favorite change is that agave nectar replaced the sugar!

 

Chocolatey, chewy, moist, & dense...

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-1 1/4 c. spelt flour

-1/4 c. cocoa powder

-1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

-3/4 tsp. baking soda

-dash of sea salt

-1/3 c. agave

-2 T. maple syrup

-2 c. zucchini, grated

-1/8 c. water

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 c. vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine the spelt flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt in a bowl and mix well.

2. Combine the agave, maple syrup, applesauce, zucchini, water, and vanilla and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Combine the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix only until just combined (mixture will look thick and brownie like).

4. Place in 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake approximately 22 minutes at 350 F.



















By the way... what exactly is spelt?! Well, according to WH Foods:

"Spelt is an ancient grain that traces its heritage back long before many wheat hybrids. Many of its benefits come from this fact: it offers a broader spectrum of nutrients compared to many of its more inbred cousins in the Triticum (wheat) family. Spelt features a host of different nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganse, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper. It can be used in many of the same ways as wheat including bread and pasta making. Spelt does not seem to cause sensitivities in many people who are intolerant of wheat."