fall – ORGANIZED CHAOS

Butternut Squash Chili

September 16, 2016September 16, 2016Leave a comment

2 cans fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
1 can black beans + 1 can red kidney beans
1 Butternut squash, cubed
2 Green bell peppers, sliced
1 sweet Onion, diced
2 tsp ground Coriander
3 Tbs minced Garlic
2 tsp Oregano
2 Tbs Chili powder
1 Tbs ground Cinnamon
2 Tbs Olive oil
1 Tbs ground Cumin
1 salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
optional to add vegetable broth or water- I added about 12 oz with a vegan bullion cube

-In soup pot heat olive oil stove top on medium heat. Add in garlic and onions. Stir in all spices.
-Sauté about 5 minutes and add in sliced green peppers.
-Once veggie start to soften, pour in fire-roasted tomatoes with juices, and broth (optional). Mix all ingredients well.
-Bring chili to a simmer covered for 10 minutes, letting all flavors soak in.
-Add beans and squash. Bring chili back to a simmer and simmer covered another 20 minutes or just until squash is tender, but not mushy
-Add salt and pepper to taste
-Serve warm

Fall Granola

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016Leave a comment

2 ½ cup pecans and walnuts, chopped
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut flakes
¾ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ sesame seeds
¼ cup ground flax seed
1 tbs cinnamon, or as much as your heart desires
½ tsp pumpkin spice
about ¼- ½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ coconut sugar
¼ cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
If you buy whole pecans and walnuts, chop using blender or food processor. Chop roughly into about halves or quarters. In large bowl mix all nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes. Stir together and add in spices with a pinch of salt.

In separate smaller bowl, melt coconut oil. Stir in sugar and maple syrup until well combine.
Pour wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until all pieces are coated evenly.
Line large pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture onto pan and spread out evenly.
Bake about 20 minutes, checking halfway through and stirring, to ensure even baking.
Remove from oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes, on baking pan.
Crumble and place in air-sealed jars.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Collard Greens and Kale

October 19, 2015Leave a comment

1 bunch of Kale, chopped
1 bunch of collard greens
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 lemon, for juice
1 acorn squash
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
dash of salt and pepper
Pomegranate seeds
Preheat oven to 400′
Slice squash in half, spray with coconut spray
Mix maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg together and brush on to squash.
Bake 30 minutes
On stove-top, start your greens. Sautee garlic in coconut oil, once browns a little (about a minute) add 1 cup of water and blanche your greens-about 3 minutes, until softened.
Turn off stove, drain any remaining water and then mix in the lemon juice.
Once your squash is done, turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
Slice and Peel your squash.
In cast iron skillet, layer your greens, then sliced squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and more cinnamon to your taste. Add in your pomegranate seeds and bake about 10 more minutes.

….and because everyone like OutTakes…Here’s a behind the scenes for you

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

October 19, 2015October 19, 2015Leave a comment

I’m usually starving when I finish running. It could quite possibly be because I leave the house rarely eating breakfast before I go, I know it’s a bad habit. It could also be that I spend 60+ minutes in my own head, all those random thoughts bouncing around as I zone out along the strand. Well today was no different: The idea of a “healthy” snack in combination of my favorite season [FALL] led to this:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, rinses and towel dried
1 ½ Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp agave
(1 tsp brown sugar, optional)

Preheat oven to 375.
Line baking pan with tin foil.
In a medium bowl toss the chickpeas with olive oil
Sprinkle and stir all the seasoning, to ensure evenly coated.
Spread evenly on baking pan.
Cook about 45 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Fig Pizza

October 15, 2015October 15, 20151 Comment

Vegan dough (use this recipe or you cut this step by getting the pre-made vegan whole wheat dough at Trader Joes)
1 cup butternut squash cut into small pieces (1/4 inch thin)
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 cup arugula
10 figs, sliced thinly
1 Tbs olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Once dough has risen, shape into circle on pan or stone
Brush olive oil and garlic evenly around dough
Layer onion and squash over entire pizza
Add figs and top with half of the arugula
Bake 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of dough
(Arugula will shrink when baked, so I like to top with more fresh greens and a dash of more olive oil)

Pumpkin Spice Bars

October 1, 2015Leave a comment

Oh, you know what time it is: OCTOBER, officially the kickoff of everything Pumpkin.

Here I try my hand out something relatively healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or a quick snack, yet sweet enough to keep the crowd happy. It’s vegan and gluten free!

Pumpkin spice bars

¾ cup pumpkin puree
5 Tsp almond or peanut butter
1 ½ ripe bananas, mushed with fork
1 ½ Tbs coconut flour
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all-spice
dash of salt
½ cup crushed walnuts- optional

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Spray a 10×8 baking pan with coconut oil
-Mix all ingredient in medium bowl, adding walnuts last.
-Bake 35 minutes.
-Slice and share!

Quinoa, Kale, and Roasted Veggies

October 1, 2015Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of cooking in a Cast Iron Skillet. It brings great memories of cooking at my grandma’s house growing up and I swear it makes the food taste better! The more seasoned, more flavor, and crispier your entrée. Today I went to the market with the intention of grabbing the largest selection of fall veggies I could get my hands on. It was fun, and the following recipe is what I threw together using the produce I came up with.

Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables with Tahini sauce:
1 sweet potato
1 purple potato
1 zucchini
3 carrots (I did a variety: carrot, parsnip, purple carrot)
1 onion
1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed
½ cup of frozen peas
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp oregano
½ Tbsp thyme
½ Tbsp. cumin
Dash salt & black pepper, to taste

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa + 2 cups H20

Dressing:
3 Tbsp tahini
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice from one lemon
1 garlic clove
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
4-5 Tbs water

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Chop the carrots, zucchini, and potatoes into bite-size pieces
-Cut the onion into slivers
-Mix all veggies in cast iron skillet with olive oil and spices
-Bake 30-35 minutes until mostly cooked through
-On stove-top cook quinoa as normal (Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup quinoa, bring to a simmer for 16 minutes)
-On stove-top blanche kale, to soften
-Thaw peas
-Once veggies are mostly done roasting, stir in kale, 1 cup of quinoa, and peas and continue to cook about 5-10 more minutes.

In a separate jar, stir together ingredients for tahini sauce. Add more of less water to sauce, depending on your consistency preference.

When the entire thing is finished cooking, pour sauce on top, while warm. Enjoy

Pumpkin Cornbread

September 27, 20151 Comment

If there’s one thing you learn about me in the upcoming months, it’s that I absolutely love fall and I will try to put pumpkin in everything. Wait…and you’ll see.

Pumpkin Cornbread
1 ¼ cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup coconut or vegetable oil
½ cup agave or maple syrup
1 ¼ cup almond or coconut milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly coat 9 inch cast-iron skillet with coconut oil (I typically dab a paper towel in the oil and rub the skillet)
Prepare batter in large bowl. Mix all dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder and spices). Then gradually add in the wet, while stirring well.
Pour batter into cast iron skillet. Bake 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. (To test middle, stick toothpick in center and if it comes out clean it’s ready!)

Spinach-Basil Pesto

September 15, 2015Leave a comment

-1 large handful of spinach
-Pick as much Basil as you can pull off your basil plant (I can usually fill my blender)
-2/3 cup of olive oil
-¼ cup almonds
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove
(add water as need to thin out sauce)

Throw all ingredients in blender.
Blend until smooth.
Use on pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza

For Spaghetti Squash
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Tbs olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400′
Cut squash horizontally in half.
Drizzle olive oil on each half. Place on baking sheet.
Bake 40 minutes.
Once cook, let cool slightly. Then using a fork scrape the squash to pull the “noodles” out.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Chili

December 10, 2014September 27, 2015Leave a comment

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 medium sweet onions, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced into cubes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
16 oz vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2 can kidney bean, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp nutmeg
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
dash of salt

Melt coconut oil in your soup pot over medium heat.
Sautee the onion and bell peppers, add in garlic.
Once the onion has soften, add in veggie broth and all spices.
Bring to a boil, add in squash, beans, tomatoes,
Simmer for 20 minutes, until all vegetables have cooked through.

For extra spice, sprinkle more chili powder on top. Serve pumpkin cornbread.