Thanksgiving Dessert: Pumpkin Pie

And for the finale, vegan pumpkin pie!! The essential dessert for a perfect Thanksgiving feast! Now, last year I tried two pumpkin pies, one was raw and vegan and one was just vegan. Neither were a huge success. So this year I was hesitant and even looked up other recipes for pumpkin muffins but in the end I knew the meal wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin pie. And this was was really really good!

Recipe
1 vegan pie crust, pre-made
1 15oz can pureed pumpkin
1 12oz silken firm tofu
3 T agave
1 T chopped ginger
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a Cuisinart and blend until pureed.
Fold into the pie crust and bake on 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Then allow to sit out and cool and then refrigerate so the pie will thicken. It will need to be refrigerated or it will not thicken.

As much as the pumpkin pie was necessary so was the turkey. And yes, we had a large turkey at our Thanksgiving dinner, for those who would like to eat it. There is Ryan taking it of the oven, the 17 lb Turkey was probably the favorite and after a leftover turkey soup there is barely any left!
Happy Thanksgiving!
<3 Dani

Thanksgiving Side Dish: Sweet Potatoes

The other traditional side dish for Thanksgiving is sweet potatoes, my absolute favorite! What I really love most about sweet potatoes are that they are so great all by themselves. This dish was so simple and my mom and Nan really loved it because of the apples.

Recipe
3-4 sweet potatoes
1 small apple
handful of raisins
Cut the sweet potatoes in 1" slices and chop the apple into small bits. Now you may be tempted to peel the skin but this is the best part for you and you'll learn to love it! Place in a 2 quart baking dish.

Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Add in a handful or raisins at the last minute, I threw them in after but left the dish sitting for 10 minutes so they could warm.

Wallah, delicious sweet potatoes, ready to be served!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Thanksgiving Side Dish: Green Beans with Balsamic Roasted Shallots

Green beans are always a traditional side dish, with slivered almonds or garlic and thyme. But this year I wanted to make something a little different. I found this recipe for balsamic roasted shallots with green beans and I was very excited to try it out for Thanksgiving. Also, a success according to my family.

Recipe
green beans
shallots
balsamic vinegar
grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
Peel the shallots, but leave the root in tact so they don't fall apart everywhere. Depending on what size shallots you get you may need to slice them in half. Mine were really large and I thought they would have been too overwhelming in a dish with green beans so I cut all of them in half. Layer on baking sheet.
Roast on 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile steam the green beans until they are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes also. Once ready. simply mix together and serve warm.

The shallots in this dish are so sweet and delicious I could have eaten them alone! This dish doesn't have to be reserved for a Thanksgiving side dish either you could make this anytime!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Thanksgiving Main Dish: Autumn Millet Bake

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4

This year I find myself in awe of His goodness. I have so much to be thankful for it's ridiculous, and with His help I am living out of a whole new place of appreciation :) When we allow ourselves to see all things from His perspective we find peace, joy and abundant life.

Thanksgiving has always been such a great holiday but now being away at college there is something extra special about coming home for Thanksgiving. Besides being incredibly thankful for all that God has given us, especially His son, the holiday itself is truly unique. Cooking and cooking and cooking, then eating and eating and eating. Clearly, one of my favorite holidays! Exploring healthy vegan, yet tasty recipes for this holiday the last two years has been really fun and this year my main dish was quite a success, I believe it will be added to our family traditions!

I actually saw this recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian almost a year ago and have been waiting to make it because it is absolutely PERFECT for thanksgiving! The fresh cranberries are a tart surprise with the buttery sweetness of the squash and the sage is a great addition.

Recipe
1 C millet
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into little cubes
1 C fresh cranberries
8-10 sage leaves, minced
2 T agave syrup
1 1/2 C organic vegetable broth
handful pumpkin seeds

Layer the millet evenly on the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish. Then layer the butternut squash and the cranberries.
Next, evenly sprinkle the sage, shake on some salt and freshly ground pepper, then drizzle the agave syrup. Evenly pour the vegetable broth over the dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. After a half hour check the dish to see if the millet is rising and to see how the squash is doing. You may need to add more vegetable broth if it's dried up. Top with pumpkin seeds and broil for 5-10 minutes so it gets crispy on the top! Serve piping hot-it's delicious!

There will be many more posts to come from our thanksgiving dinner! I am BACK in action now everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving,
<3>

Ratatouille

Becky made this fabulous Ratatouille the other night and I was in heaven it was so delicious! I love when she cooks, really she makes wonderful dinners and is so considerate of my dietary needs :)
Recipe
1 medium onion
3 red bell peppers
1 medium eggplant
2 medium zucchinis
2 tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried parsley
1 t sea salt
Cut all veggies into small chunks, add garlic and spices. Mix well and bake at 375 degrees in the oven for about 30 minutes. You may need to add a little water or veggie broth. Be sure to cover while baking.

Serve over quinoa with lentils and be ready for an excellent meal!

Enjoy,
<3 Dani

Roasted Tomato and Onion Pizza

Hello my faithful followers, I am back in action with some delicious recipes waiting to be shared. This one is from weeks ago when Bianca and I had our old roommate Natalie over for dinner. We've been wanting to cook together for a long time too because Natalie has been eating much healthier since the summer and it's always fun to try new things with friends. Bianca and I saw this amazing pizza recipe on Tastespotting this week so we figured it would be perfect for a girls night, and it was! We all loved it! Bianca said it's our best pizza yet!

Recipe
Roasted Veggies
red onion
yellow onion
tomato
basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
garlic
Pesto
basil
garlic
lemon
olive oil
Start with a bunch of basil, a garlic clove, half a lemon squezzed and a drizzle olive oil. Blend ingredients together adding more olive oil if it's too dry. Taste to see if you need more lemon or garlic. Add as needed.

Cheese
nutritional yeast
sesame seeds
In a coffee grinder, using equal parts.

Now, we had a pizza crust that was already made and you just bake it in the oven. You can do the same or use a dough, either will work out just fine. The veggies will need to be roasted before anyways.

To prepare the roasted veggies, chop tomatoes and onion into small chunks. For two smaller sized pizzas we used 3-4 tomatoes, half a red onion and half a yellow onion. Add 2 minced garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, roast in the oven for about 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Meanwhile prepare the crusts for the veggies by spreading with pesto. Once the veggies are roasted add them to the pizzas and top by sprinkling (don't be shy) with the vegan cheese. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes or according to the cooking directions of the crust you chose.
Wallah, healthy vegan guilt free pizza! Please indulge in this amazing recipe, get some girls together and have a night in!

Have fun,
<3 Dani

Hearty Quinoa Breakfast

Hello! Sorry that it has been a while since Dani and I have posted something to all of you! It is kind of funny that I am the first one to post after such a long hiatus because, as you all know, I am not as diligent with the posts as Dani. :-D

Quinoa is such a versatile grain. You can have it for breakfast as a sort of porridge or oatmeal alternative, lunch in a cold tabouli-like dish, or dinner paired with vegetable stir fry. The possibilities are truly endless. Quinoa is an amazing grain, especially because it is packed with complete proteins.

I also put chia seeds in this breakfast. Dani and I recently discovered chia seeds. They are really fun because when you put them with water, they absorb the water and turn into a gel. Here is a link to some of our past chia posts and here is another website you can check out for the health benefits of chia seeds. And yes, these chia seeds, are the same kind that are in Chia Pets!!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dry quinoa
2 1/4 cups filtered water
pinch of slivered almonds
2 Tbs chia seeds
pinch of dried, shredded coconut
4 Tbs soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, etc.
berries (optional)

Directions:
1. Place dry quinoa and water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 30 min or until all of the water has been absorbed.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
3. Enjoy!

This is a very hearty, healthy breakfast that will give you all kinds of energy for you day. It's also nice and cozy for these amazing winter months we are heading into. I absolutely love cold weather and rainy days. Dani thinks that I am crazy, but it gives me such a "cuddle up by the fire and read a book" feeling. I love it.

In His name,
Bianca

Update

Ah, followers and readers I am so sorry that it has been nearly centuries since our last post! Life has been crazy around here with Bianca and I both finishing up school in December, yes, we graduate in a month!! It's creeping up so fast. And I took a week to devote myself to prayer so the blog had to wait. All in all, I sadly don't have time to give you something fun just yet, but I wanted everyone to know that soon there will be time again for many many posts! They're all just sitting here waiting, so please remain faithful to check in!

Sorry again!
<3 Dani

Eggplant Pasta Sauce

Pasta is always an easy go to comfort food. And vegan and gluten-free dieters can indulge as well! There are tons of gluten-free pastas on the market now. Rice pasta, being the most popular and least expensive, tastes just like regular pasta. I really think that most people would never be able to taste the difference if they didn't previously know. There are pastas made with other whole grains as well like quinoa, Ancient Harvest makes an excellent quinoa and corn spaghetti. I've even seen a pasta made with amaranth. Be sure to visit a health foods store to find these pastas, although rice pasta is becoming more standard in grocery stores.
The most important part of the pasta though is the sauce and what you put in it! Bianca loves making pasta, with all kinds of pestos, marinaras, and olive oils. Recently we've been experimenting with other types of sauces. She decided to bake an eggplant and puree it with some spices to make a sauce similar to Baba Ganoush, the typical eggplant dip. Everyone at church loved it too!Recipe

1 eggplant
3-4 T olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
All-seasoning
four sun dried tomatoes
1/2 lemon, squeezed

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut eggplant into 1'' cubes, toss with oil, crushed garlic and a couple teaspoons seasoning. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and process in a Cuisinart until well blended. Add lemon and sun-dried tomatoes and blend again. Serve over your choice of pasta!

Very simple but very delicious! It freezes well too if you have leftovers or want to make a large batch and have some for busy nights. Try this out! Look out for another post soon on Cauliflower Pasta Sauce.

Enjoy,
<3 Dani