Pumpkin Balls

I had some more leftover pumpkin to use up so I decided to try some "no bake" pumpkin balls. I tried two versions - both have similar ingredients and take about the same amount of time to prepare. Here they are in order of which I preferred!

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Recipe from Gimme Some Oven. I liked these, definitely no lack of sweetness due to both the dates and honey. I also like the combination of spices. I would definitely make these again.

I used medjool dates.  I toasted the coconut (unsweetened) and pumpkin seeds for 10 minutes at 350F.

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Recipe from The Lean Green Bean. This version was also good, not as sweet. These balls were not as textured looking due to the grinding up of the ingredients and as a result held together slightly better.

Raspberry Chia Seed Jam Oat Crumble Squares

As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it!  It's from Oh She Glows.  I made this over 2 days which I would definitely recommend to do since the chia jam needs to cool.

I enjoyed these squares, however, the next time I make them I might be tempted to use a 9x13" pan instead as I almost found them too "oaty" in the 8x8" pan.  Maybe it's just me…

A few notes:

• Since I happened to have frozen rhubarb in the freezer, I used 1 cup rhubarb and 2 cups raspberries for the jam
• For the chia jam, I excluded the maple syrup.   I'm glad I did this as I think the maple syrup and honey in the crust made this square sweet enough
• For the crumble, I substituted honey for brown rice syrup
• If I did try using a 9x13" pan, I'd increase the chia jam to between 1 3/4 to 2 cups depending on how "jammy" you wanted.  I'd still make the crumble mixture as per the directions but I'd put way less crumble on the top and use it for the crust instead

Raspberry-rhubarb chia see jam

Base layer

Middle layer

Top layer

Just out of the oven

Ready to eat!

Chai-Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes

I saw this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen - thought these pancakes looked delicious!

Well, my pancakes did not turn out as fluffy looking as the author, but they tasted quite nice!  Perhaps it could have been due to the fact I substituted in rolled oats processed into a coarse "flour" rather than whole wheat flour that the recipe called for!  Maybe I should try making the recipe according to the original ingredients first before attempting substitutions, especially since I really know nothing about the properties of flour.

Back to the pancakes, I had to make sure that they were quite thin for them to cook all the way.  I also had to cook them on each side for about 4 minutes. Also, due to my brilliant rolled oats substitution, the batter kept getting thicker as it sat so I kept on having to add milk to thin it!

Yes, I will make these pancakes again, but try them with plain old whole wheat flour!

Topped with maple syrup!

Green Monster Smoothie

I eat the same breakfast almost every day (2 pieces toast with peanut butter). In an effort to be more adventurous when it comes to the first meal of the day, I'm consciously making an effort to try some new things in the next month or two.  First up is this spinach-banana smoothie from Oh She Glows.

This smoothie was pretty good.  I usually have all the ingredients on hand (almond milk, banana, spinach, chia, almond or peanut butter) so this is a smoothie I could make regularly. 

A few notes:

• I used almond butter (instead of peanut butter)
• I skipped on adding protein powder

Pumpkin Cheesecake

For Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to find a pumpkin cheesecake recipe to try. I've made cheesecake many times before but I've always tended to gravitate towards a lime or chocolate version.

This recipe is from allrecipes.ca. Not too many ingredients and only 2 packages of cream cheese (my requirements!). This cheesecake was pretty good. The pumpkin flavour was subtle.  Perhaps I could have increased the cinnamon and nutmeg as suggested by some reviewers of this recipe. I enjoyed the gingersnap crust too but next time I'll omit the chopped pecans, I don't think they added anything.

Overall, a nice cheesecake!

Pumpkin Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

I was in the mood to make something with pumpkin - I tried this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen. This bread was yummy! Definitely on the "make again" list.  In fact, I will probably use the rest of the pumpkin from the can to make another loaf!

A few notes

• I used slightly less honey and chocolate chips (probably 1/4 cup honey and a heaping 1/4 cup chocolate chips)
• My batter seemed quite dense when mixed so I had a feeling it wouldn't take 50 minutes to bake in the oven.  I checked the bread at 40 minutes and it was ready.

Zucchini Noodles with Basil Vinaigrette

This recipe is from Ruffles & Truffles. Only a few ingredients, and minimal prep work to assemble this dish. I especially enjoyed the vinaigrette, more than I thought I would!

A few notes:

• After I prepared the zucchini noodles, I let them sit in a bowl while the sweet potatoes were baking. Before tossing in the vinaigrette I drained off the accumulated water.
• I used this julienne peeler

Basil Vinaigrette

California Quinoa Salad

This recipe from Damn Delicious is a "copycat recipe" inspired by a salad at Whole Foods. I've never tried this salad before but the combination of ingredients (mango, red pepper, coconut, raisins, red onion, lime, cilantro) looked interesting to me so thought I should give it a try.

This salad was light and fresh tasting, and had a unique flavour.  I will definitely be making it again!

A few notes:

• I didn't add mangos. Sold out at 2 grocery stores. Who knows, maybe it would have made the salad even better! If anything, it may have made the salad too sweet for me - I felt the raisins and coconut had enough of a subtle sweetness.
• The orange in the picture is an orange bell pepper as I only had half a red bell pepper
• I toasted the sliced almonds
• Not stated in the recipe but I seasoned (to taste) with salt and pepper

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I bought a bunch of colourful bell peppers and needed to find a recipe for them - I found this great recipe from Damn Delicious.  This dish was beautiful and delicious - there is something about preparing and eating lovely looking food… So, I'm posting some extra pictures!

I think this would be a great side dish if you're having company over and wanted to impress them.

A few notes:

• I excluded the green chilies and pepper jack cheese
• I didn't exactly measure any of the ingredients that went into the quinoa mixture, I think that is what is great about this recipe as you can tweak it to how you like it!
• 1 cup dry quinoa yields approximately 3 cups cooked
• I happened to have celery in my fridge so I diced a stalk and threw it in

 

Just out of the oven!

Banana Oat Cookies

Thanks to Colleen for directing me to this recipe. These cookies were tasty and moist, quick to prepare and I was happy to use up some frozen bananas in my freezer! I also liked that sweetness could be adjusted extremely easily.

A few notes

• Colleen suggested not to skimp out on the chocolate as that is really the only sweetener in these cookies (aside from the bananas and unsweetened coconut). I used about 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (rather than 1/2 chocolate bar as per the original recipe) and thought this amount was adequate.
• I used 4 (instead of 3) bananas.  I think this made my batter wetter so I ended up baking the cookies for closer to 18 minutes
• I used a blend of large flake and quick oats
• It was unclear in the recipe how many cookies this recipe yielded. I made about 24 cookies that were about 2 inches in diameter.  These cookies don't flatten when baking so shape them on the baking sheet exactly how you want them
• I couldn't really taste the unsweetened shredded coconut so I might increase the amount when I make these again

One-Pot Curried Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas

This recipe from Oh My Veggies caught my attention.  This curry was perfect for a chilly day like it was today - warm and very filling!

A few notes:

• I didn't use frozen butternut squash.  I peeled, chopped into bite sized chunks, then baked the squash in the oven on a lightly 'olive-oiled' baking sheet for about 25 minutes at 400F
• I also didn't use frozen peppers.  I chopped about 3/4 of each a yellow and red bell pepper
• I think cilantro would also have tasted nicely as a garnish instead of parsley

Smashed Chickpea Guacamole Egg Salad

This recipe is from Kitchen Treaty. I really enjoyed this sandwich!  I chose to eat these open-face style on toasted brown bread, and added some spinach, tomato and cucumber.

A few notes:

• I mashed 2 avocados instead of 1 (make sure they are quite ripe - much easier to mash)
• I used 7 eggs and removed 3 or 4 yolks
• I increased the chickpeas to 1.5 cups (as I was mashing the chickpeas, the skins were coming off so I took about a minute to remove some of the bigger skin chunks, I'm not sure if this was necessary though…)
• I added half a jalepeno pepper, diced
• I used lime instead of lemon
• I excluded the mayonnaise
• The bread I used is Silver Hills "The Big 16".  One of my fav breads, I store it in the freezer as it can really dry out quickly before I get a chance to finish the loaf.

Alternatively, without the cucumber and tomato

Zucchini Nachos

After making sweet potato nachos a few weeks ago, I thought there must be a recipe for zucchini nachos somewhere that I could try.  I found this recipe from two peas & their pod.

I enjoyed this dish and served it as a side to grilled chicken.  It was quick to prepare as well.

A few notes:

• I baked the zucchini rounds rather than grilling (400F for 25 minutes, then broiled for an additional 5 minutes)
• Instead of the cheddar cheese, I used a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• My zucchini rounds didn't get super crispy, but that was ok with me.  I ate these nachos with a knife and fork.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Cucumbers, Lemon, Dill, & Feta

This recipe is from Two Peas & Their Pod.  I liked this salad - light, fresh, and quick to prepare.  Using dill was a nice change too with it's very distinct flavour!  This salad held up well the next day - when I was eating it I thought it would be a good one to bring to a potluck.

Green Taco Wraps with Lentil-Walnut Taco Meat

I saw this recipe from Oh She Glows - glad I tried it.  I liked everything about this dish!  The lentil-walnut mixture had a nice texture and was flavourful, there was no shortage of vegetable toppings, and the cashew sour cream was a pleasant surprise!

Be prepared to get messy!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

This recipe is from Skinnytaste.  It was easy to prepare with only a few ingredients.  I liked this soup and would definitely make it again. Next time I will probably add an extra zucchini, I don't think you can add too many for this soup.

Honeyberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam

I recently received 4 quarts of honeyberries.  That is A LOT of berries!  But wait a second, what is a honeyberry?  I'd never heard of them before, but they look like blueberries with an elongated shape.  They taste sort of like blueberries, but not quite like blueberries. Whatever the flavour, they are tasty.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of these berries!  To start I thought, why not try making jam?  The recipe I used is from Oh She Glows.

I liked this jam!  And I was pleased to find out that making this sort of jam was very easy to make.

A few notes

• I excluded the maple syrup
• I cooked the jam for closer to 25 minutes

Thai Sweet Potato Nachos

This recipe is from Oh My Veggies and was a great combination of flavours.  I ended up eating the "nachos" with a knife and fork as they probably didn't turn out as crispy as intended.  But, I still enjoyed this dish nonetheless!

A few notes:

• While I don't mind ginger in small amounts, I probably put a bit too much in the peanut sauce.  Next time, I would probably reduce the amount.  I finely minced the ginger rather than grating it so maybe I was getting strong bursts of it!
• I excluded the sugar in the peanut sauce
• I didn't have an "oil mister" and just tossed the potatoes in a touch of olive oil
• Instead of sriracha or red pepper flakes, I used chili paste I happened to have in the fridge
• I found this recipe in the "30 minutes or less" section and am happy to report this dish was quick to prepare!

Raspberry Vanilla Chia Pudding

Ingredients

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract*

2 or 3 Medjool dates, pitted and diced

1/2 to 3/4 cup raspberries**, coarsely chopped

cinnamon, optional

*I wouldn't recommend substituting with artificial vanilla extract, for me (and maybe it was the brand I was using), the artificial extract was not a good flavour in this pudding...

**Fresh or frozen raspberries work.  If you use frozen raspberries, just crumble them with your fingers when you add to the chia mixture. Big crumbles, small crumbles or even leave some of the raspberries whole, it is up to you!

Directions

Combine chia, milk and vanilla. Add dates a bit at a time. Add raspberries. Gently stir.

Place in fridge overnight.  Before serving, stir again to make sure dates and raspberries are distributed throughout the pudding. (Optional: add a sprinkle of cinnamon to taste, stir again).

Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Southwestern Veggie Wraps

Today I tried this recipe from Oh My Veggies.  I really enjoyed this wrap.  And, contrary to a lot of things I seem to post on this blog, this didn't take too long to make!  I'll definitely be making these wraps again.

A few notes:

• I made my own guacamole. Diced avocado, splash of lemon juice, minced garlic clove, diced tomato, and garlic salt.  I'm currently growing basil so I threw in a bit as well!
• I didn't have smoked paprika so I used regular paprika instead for the bean mixture
• I used pesto wraps 

Yams Stuffed with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe from In Sonnet's Kitchen caught my eye. This dish was delicious!  I've tried this recipe twice now.  The first time I used the "gravy" just for the yams, but the second time I used the "gravy" for both the yams and a roasted turkey (This "gravy" was a great substitute for traditional gravy!)

A few notes:

• I excluded the red pepper flakes
• Instead of the 1.5 cups vegetable stock in the cauliflower-cashew mixture, I used 1 cup water instead.  I stopped adding water after 1 cup as the mixture seemed to be getting quite runny.
• I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical after I blended the cauliflower-cashew mixture - I wasn't sure about adding it to the lovely smelling (and tasting!) mushroom mixture that I had sautéing on the stove.  But, it worked out well.
• For the "protein" part of the recipe, I used lentils (red split lentils the first time, green lentils the second time)
• In the recipe, I didn't notice mention of the green garnish in the pictures - looked like parsley to me so that is what I added for garnish

Chocolate Chia Pudding

There are a lot of different ways to make chia pudding. In this post I present 2 similar chocolate versions.  In this pudding, the chia seeds expand to create a lovely bubbly texture.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• Variation #1: 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
• Variation #2: 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder AND 2 heaping tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (use 1/2 tsp for a stronger cinnamon flavour)
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 large medjool dates, pitted and finely diced (use 3 or 4 dates if you want a sweeter pudding)

Directions:

1) In a small bowl*, combine chia seeds, cocoa (and coconut if Variation #2), and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.

2) Add almond milk**. Stir until well incorporated.

3) Add diced medjool dates, a few at a time, stirring as you go. Stir until ingredients are well mixed. (If your container has a lid, you can shake it to combine!)

5) Place in fridge overnight.

6) Before serving, stir well.  (The first time I made this, I didn't realize that the diced dates mostly sank to the bottom!)

*I used a "cup-like" tupperware container with a lid that holds about 500mL liquid
**Feel free to substitute some of the almond milk with coconut milk (especially if you want a stronger coconut flavour in Variation #2)

chia seeds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, coconut

diced medjool dates

almond milk and dates added to dry ingredients

stir well and put in fridge!

ready to serve, garnished with raspberries!