Every year about this time I have a small panic attack. When I realize that another summer has passed and that fall is just about to kick off, I start obsessing about all of the "summery" things that I still haven't done. Instead of driving myself nuts as usual, I decided to fully embrace the change of the seasons this year. We had a couple of cooler days this week so yesterday was a great day for pumpkin muffins!
These muffins are not super sweet but they are really healthy- they contain lots of iron and protein too! I wasn't sure if they'd pass the "kid test", but...
Success!
Big bites:
Even though he can talk, he is also using his baby sign for "more" just to make sure that I understand that he needs another muffin ASAP!
Thumbs up:
Number 1!
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, or 1 egg
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (*see note)
3 tablespoons oil (whatever kind you prefer to use)
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup protein powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together the pumpkin, non-dairy milk, chia or flaxseeds (or egg), brown sugar, oil, and molasses and set aside.
- Combine the flours, baking powder, protein powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine (don't over-mix).
- Pour batter into a lightly oiled or paper-lined muffin pan. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
Last night I had a serious craving for comfort food. It has been really hot this week where I live (I think it was close to 100 degrees yesterday and even hotter the day before) so soups and casseroles are not sounding good just yet. It had to be a different kind of comfort food!
I had some packaged whole wheat gnocchi and some fresh basil, so I decided to throw together a cashew-based pesto cream sauce. I also sauteed some shiitake mushrooms to top it off and the result was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! So, so good!
I typically avoid packaged foods, but I do have a few things in my pantry for occasionally throwing together dinner when I want something different. I found egg-free whole wheat gnocchi at Trader Joe's.
I had some packaged whole wheat gnocchi and some fresh basil, so I decided to throw together a cashew-based pesto cream sauce. I also sauteed some shiitake mushrooms to top it off and the result was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! So, so good!
I typically avoid packaged foods, but I do have a few things in my pantry for occasionally throwing together dinner when I want something different. I found egg-free whole wheat gnocchi at Trader Joe's.
Gnocchi is an excellent "vehicle" for the pesto cream sauce. The textures are perfect together. The shiitake mushrooms add an extra dimension of flavor, texture, and richness- I love them! I also sauteed some kale to go on the side and the meal couldn't have been better!
Gnocchi: Cook according to package directions. This typically means boiling for about 2-3 minutes.
Mushrooms: Slice and saute in Earth Balance margarine (or olive oil) until browned and the smaller ones are beginning to get a little crunchy.
Kale: Saute 2 minced garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil until beginning to brown. Add kale (washed and chopped) and saute until it is bright green and the thicker stems are somewhat tender. I season mine with red pepper flakes, a squeeze of lemon juice, and gomasio (lightly toasted sesame seeds processed in the blender with sea salt until it is a course powder like ground parmesan cheese).
Pesto cream sauce
Serves about 3 to 4 people
1 cup water or unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/3 cup raw cashews
~1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp gomasio (or 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp tahini)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic
Dash of fresh cracked pepper
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and add more sea salt, if necessary. To serve, place the hot gnocchi on a plate and top with the cream sauce then add the mushrooms over the top.
Earlier this week I had a few veggies left over from our camping trip but not much else in the fridge. I decided to throw together some quick homemade veggie burgers for dinner (I used mostly carrots, peppers, and broccoli and loosely followed this recipe). The leftover burgers make for great lunches! Instead of a bun, I smash avocado on top of the patties and make oven fries or chips to go along with them- double YUM!
For oven chips: Leave the peels on the potatoes for extra iron and fiber (try to find organic potatoes- they are one of the "dirty dozen"!) and thinly slice. Toss them with olive oil and salt, spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (or lightly oiled) and bake at 400 degrees until browned.
