yumyum mulberries

we had tons of these fall in our yard a few weeks ago. the mulberry tree growing in the yard behind us hangs over into our yard too. SCORE!!! i was really excited to pick a bowl full for them, so much so, that i got the ladder out to pick some from the higher branches. AND, i'm afraid of heights. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! boden loved them but L not so much. he happily ate her portion and then some. i love picking fresh fruit with the kids. we have a lemon tree, a loquat tree, a satsuma orange tree, and now these delicious mulberries growing in our yard. well, technically the mulberries are in our neighbors yard but we get to reap the benefits :) and soon when we get chickens they will be so happy to eat them too as their coup will be right under those branches. i would love to get a peach, pear and a fig tree going and maybe strawberries and blueberries to. yumyum!!!!  

peanut butter pie

CRUST

1 sleeve graham crackers

4.5 Tbsp melted coconut oil

PIE

12oz firm silken tofu, drained

1/2 cup creamy salted peanut butter

1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup

1 14oz can of full fat coconut milk....chilled overnight----You want the cream and liquid to remain

separate, don't shake the can

3-5T powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING

1 cup semisweet dark chocolate

1/3 cup non-dairy milk

Instructions

preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly oil a glass pie pan.

add graham crackers to a food processor and process almost fine. a little texture is ok, just remove any large pieces. add melted coconut oil and pulse to combine. add to greased pie pan and press to form crust. bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.

add tofu, peanut butter, maple syrup or agave to a blender, blend until smooth.

next, scoop out the cream of the coconut milk with powdered sugar and vanilla then whip into whipped cream in a large, chilled mixing bowl. whip for a couple minutes until it gets thicker.

fold the peanut butter/tofu mixture into the whipped cream.

pour filling over crust and put in freezer to chill. let it remain in freezer for one hour and prepare your ganache.

add chocolate chips to a bowl and heat your non-dairy milk to a low simmer. pour warmed milk over chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes to melt. stir. spoon ganache onto pie and spread quickly.

top with crushed, salted, roasted peanuts and put in freezer. 20-30 minutes before serving, remove from freezer and serve. 

this is the most delicious pie ever. at least in the top 5 I've ever had. it is seriously so good :)) try it you won't be disappointed. here is the original recipe from minimalist baker. it's the best food blog around. 

no bake power seed cookies

1/2 cup of coconut sugar

2T hemp milk

3T coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup of salted peanut butter or almond butter or really any nut butter

1 1/2 T coconut flour...although I omitted this because I didn't have it

1/4 cup of sesame seeds

3T raw sunflower seeds or slivered almonds

2T hemp hearts

1 cup of rolled oats

pinch of sea salt

handful of dark chocolate chips

Heat first 3 ingredients til sugar melts. let cool a bit, add remaining ingredients, spoon onto was papered cookie sheet. put in fridge for 30 minutes. remove and store in container in fridge. makes on cookie sheet full of cookies. original recipe from minimalist baker.

easy pumpkin cupcakes...

Lucy and I made cupcakes a couple weeks ago. They were so delicious I ate 5 at one time after she went to bed.

NO JOKE!!! ;0)

EASY PUMPKIN CUPCAKES

1 can of pumpkin

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 cup sugar. I used coconut palm sugar

1/4 cup soy milk or hemp milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

FOR GLAZE:

1/2 cup of powered sugar

1 T of melted coconut oil

preheat oven to 350F.  line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

in medium bowl stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla.  add dry ingredients thru the salt.  stir with fork only....not a beater, it will come out gummy.

fill liners 2/3 full.  bake for 22-24 minutes.  transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before icing. add sprinkles if you like. 

 

red curry noodle soup

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (i added 5 drops of ginger doterra essential oil since i didn't have fresh)

3 tablespoons thai red curry paste...the kind i used was pretty spicy so tread lightly :)

1 package of firm tofu, pressed and cut into large rectangles

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 can of coconut milk

1 pack of whole wheat capallini pasta noodles

1 lime, juiced

cilantro to garnish

prep the tofu by pressing a large portion of the water out of it, cut in large rectangles then set aside. in a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, ginger, and thai red curry paste. fry for 5 minutes, until fragrant. add the tofu pieces to brown them and cook for another 15-20 minutes or so to brown a couple sides, if the bits are starting to burn then add a bit more sesame oil. once the tofu is browned on a couple sides then add the veggie broth and water. bring to a boil and add the noodles and continue til noodles are cooked, add the coconut milk, lime juice, and garnishes and serve. because i like to cook with my doterra essential oils i added several drops each of ginger, lemongrass, and cilantro, salt and a little stevia to the soup to finish it off. we really loved this!!!

image and recipe adapted from here.

i will add my own photo tomorrow i just forgot to snap a pic tonite :/

carrot crunch salad

a favorite go to recipe for the spring:

shredded carrots

handful of dried cranberries

handful of cashews

a dollop of veganaise

a splash or two of apple cider vinegar

a packet of stevia

salt and pepper

a shake of cayenne

add all ingredients in a bowl, toss to coat and eat :0)

sunbutter cups

sunbutter cups

1 jar of natural sunbutter (sunflower seed butter)

1/4 cup of coconut oil

3 packets of stevia

1/4 cup of hulled hemp hearts

1/4 cup of chocolate chips

12 cupcake liners/cupcake pan

mix together first 3 ingredients and divide mixture, pouring it into the 12 cupcake liners 1/2 full. drop a few chocolate chips into each cup then heavily sprinkle with hemp hearts. put cupcake pan in freezer. just store in freezer til you wanna eat one. these have been my go to quick treat during these crazy jammed packed holiday prep days. i seriously can not get enough of 'em. my friend hollie brought them to a potluck one day. enjoy!!!

almond butter energy bites

i've made these a few times and they are ridiculously good. they only last a couple days in our house :)

2 cups of almond butter or peanut butter or your other favorite nut butter

1 cup of dried cranberries

1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup of honey

2T of chia seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of sesame seeds (this is for rolling the balls in at the end)

3 drops of doterra sweet orange essential oil (don't use just any essential oil. most essential oils are not for internal use except for doterra) this is my opinion after reading in depth about this company and other competitor oil companies. use your own disgression.

sometimes i add a little bit of stevia to the mix if i don't want to use as much honey. if you want them sweeter you can try a bit of both.

*could also add cacao nibs...yumm. refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes (you may not need to do this. it will depend on how oily/sticky the dough is).  roll dough into one inch size balls and then roll in sesame seeds

will make about 18-20 balls.

quick meal...noodles

whole wheat noodles: cook as usual, drain and put in large bowl, add a big splash of olive oil, about 3/4 - 1 cup of nutritional yeast, several splashes of braggs apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. stir!!!! the amounts of the ingredients can be adjusted to taste but this is how i like it...pretty tangy and zesty!! yumm!!!!

quinoa dish...

1 cup of dry quinoa

a splash of sesame oil

1 head of broccolli

2 cups of frozen corn

a bundle of swiss chard

juice of one lemon

1 T paprika

salt and pepper

1 cup of raw cashews

in pot add quinoa and 2 cups of water til boiling, then turn down to low and cover. let cook 20 minutes. stir a few times. once quinoa has finished cooking, remove from heat, stir and let set with lid on until everything else is done. the heat inside the pot will help the quinoa steam dry a bit so it's more crumbly vs. wet and all stuck together. chop broccoli small and greens. add sesame oil to the pan and cook broccoli on stove for 10 minutes or until broccoli is browned a bit, then add corn and repeat til browned, (this is just to get some brown/slight char bits on some of the veggies) then add greens til they wilt. add paprika, salt, pepper & lemon juice. roast cashews in dry skillet til the cashews are slightly browned and fragrant. add quinoa, veggies and cashews in a large bowl and stir. add a dash of cayenne and stir in....yumm!!!

kale salad

kale salad!!! yumm. i made this and a few others for thanksgiving. easy-peasy!!

kale, olive oil (or your oil of choice), fresh lemon & fresh orange juice, diced apple, walnuts, dried cranberries, salt, a smidge of cayenne. toss & enjoy!!!

happy belated thanksgiving to you all. hope it was a good belly filling one!!!