Kitchen Happenings

I haven't been up to much recipe creating lately, but I have been up to a lot of eating. Here are a few things that have been made in my kitchen over the last month.

First apple pie of the season.

A lovely fall dinner to cheer a bad day.

Bananas and pumpkin pie spice on my oatmeal.

"Cheezy" Chard on toast from the cookbook Vegan Yum Yum.

I also have been obsessed with a chocolate chip cookie. So much so that I made them twice this week. They are quick and easy and made with items you most likely have in your cabinet and if not could be easily substituted. Maple syrup and molasses add such a richness to this cookie, so they are perfect for dunking in coffee or hot chocolate on a cool day. So when you are in need of an amazing vegan cookie, look no further. Added bonus, they are such a soft cookie and stay soft after cooling - yum!

Here is the link. Note: the only thing I changed about this recipe is to add about a tablespoon of rice milk to the batter after you have mixed it all up. I found that there wasn't enough liquid in the recipe for my batter to not be crumbly. Only add a splash though, it just needs a little bit. The recipe on the link does address this issue and she suggests more maple syrup, but rice milk works beautifully as well.

Healthy Smoothie

Before I was pregnant, I would have a daily green smoothie. I still keep up those, but now I most often have another smoothie at some point during the day. Sometimes it's a more decadent peanut butter banana, and other times it is a chia seed and berry smoothie. Most often I go for a chia seed one for it's added nutritional benefits. Chia seeds are a complete protein and contain essential omega 3's. Oh so good for baby.

To make this smoothie, soak 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds in a bit over 1/4 cup of water for 10 minutes. Stir them a couple times during the soaking process just to get all the seeds immersed and to avoid clumping. Like flax seeds, chia seeds get thick and gel like when soaked in a liquid.

After your soak time, combine a handful of strawberries and a handful of frozen mango. Really any fruit will do in this smoothie. Frozen berries are great for a quick and deliciously cold smoothie. Toss in the soaked seeds and water as well.

Add one cup of orange juice and blend until smooth.

So good!

Here is a belly picture to leave you with. This is at 30 weeks. I hit 31 weeks today. Only 9 weeks left. I can't believe it!

Cheezy Garlic Bread and some Link Love

Last week I had some dill from our CSA that was sitting around in my refrigerator for way to long. In an effort to not let it go bad, I sought after a yeasted dill bread recipe but came up with only those involving items that I did not have at my disposal. So I turned to a basic French bread recipe and Just mixed the fresh dill into the dough. Delicious. Note that you can make the recipe vegan by rubbing olive oil over the bread instead of egg whites before putting it in the oven. I sprinkled on a little salt before baking as well.

The first night we ate one loaf with roasted butternut squash and green beans. I started reminiscing about cheesy garlic bread which I have not touched in years. Not even a vegan version. So the next night came and on the table with our pasta was this amazing garlic bread.

Cheezy Garlic Bread

1 loaf of dill french bread or just french bread

Earth Balance Buttery Spread or margarine

Garlic powder

Daiya Mozzarella style vegan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice the bread in half through the middle.

Spread on the earth balance to your liking. Season with garlic powder to your liking.

Sprinkle on Daiya Cheese as desired. Bake in the oven until the bread is a bit

crispy and the cheese has become melty. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a meal of pasta and garlic bread that is a little less carb heavy, use zucchini noodles. Take a zucchini and make "pasta" strips using a vegetable peeler. You can peel off the skin or leave it on depending on what you like. Top with heated tomato sauce.

Now for some amazing food from other blogs.

Banana Brownies from The Mommy Bowl (these are nut, grain, and sugar free)

Coffee Spiked Chocolate Carmel Bars from Satisfy My Sweet Tooth (I must veganize this

recipe soon!)

Black and Blueberry Sandwich Cookies from BitterSweet

Five Minute No Bake Sunflower Oat Bars from Choosing Raw

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars from Happy Healthy Life

And some Non-desserts

Lentil, Kale, and Sweet Potato Empanadas from YumUniverse

Stuffed Mushroom Phyllo Roll from Oh She Glows (the kale salad looks awesome too)

Indian Inspired Aloo Gobi Wraps from Choosing Raw

Are there any recipes you have been drooling over lately? Please share!