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Tentacled Monster Pot Pie (or My Belated Halloween Post)

November 2, 2012 · by · 2 Comments

I couldn’t let Halloween night slip away without a big glass of Phantom wine and a silly dinner. The idea to make these pot pies came from a Babble.com article by Brooke McLay and you can find her article here. Thanks for the super awesome idea Brooke!!

Weirdly enough I had found some vegan friendly crescent rolls in a can a few weeks ago so I had stashed one in my fridge. When I’m without bread in a can I’d just make a biscuit dough, but you could use pizza dough or bread dough too. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Halloween · Tagged: , , ,

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 24, 2012 · by · 17 Comments


These homemade treats are full of pumpkin and whole grains. That makes them perfect for Halloween and Food Day. (I can’t pass up a chance to add a little Halloween twist this time of the year!) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert, Halloween, Key Ingredient · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Happy VeganMoFo 2012!

October 1, 2012 · by · 7 Comments

Today is the first day of Vegan MoFo, also known as vegan month of food, and I’m so excited. Make sure to sign up for one or more of the rss feeds on their site to keep up with the best vegan month of the year!

I always think I’ll have a theme for this big, vegan event, but it’s hard for me to just pick one thing. I’m going to try the theme of fall with emphasis on pumpkin where ever possible. But I reserve the right to change my mind – a lot…

The pie pumpkin before cooking but after being thoroughly washed.

Last week the pie pumpkins were peeking out at me begging to join in on some cooking fun. I’ve talked about making pumpkin puree before, but today I’m providing some step-by-step instructions and pictures. Let’s hear it for trying to overachieve for Mofo!

It’s really easy to make, but you’ve heard that before. Plus if you’re like me, you want to see some proof ; ) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Fall, Gluten-free, Halloween, No Added Oil, Overnight (8+ hours), Staples, Vegan, VeganMo 2012 · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Vegan Halloween! (And Slow Cooker Black-eyed Peas)

October 31, 2011 · by · 2 Comments

Saturday we had our annual Gothic dinner party and I have to say it was our best one yet! Everyone brought super yummy treats that they made themselves, and of course Cheryl transformed the house into an amazingly spooky haunted house.

I took today off work, but I’m trying to decide if I should be trying to put the house in order or get a head start on some recipe development and writing. Maybe I’ll take the dog for a walk and try to decide.

My vegan gluten-free main course was grit cake ghosts over slimy eyes, or black-eyed peas.

Slow Cooker Black-eyed Peas
soy-free, gluten-free
serves 8 to 10

This uses a 4 quart slow cooker. If yours is larger you  may need to add extra water.

  • 1 pound dry black-eyed peas
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 cups of water, or enough to cover the beans and about 1 inch above
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, to taste
  • a few drops liquid smoke
  • hot pepper powder (chipotle etc.), to taste
  • smoked salt and pepper, taste
  • jalapeño salt, optional – to taste
  • Tabasco, on the side for serving
In the morning: Add everything except salt and pepper to your slow cooker. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours.
Before serving: Taste and adjust seasonings if needed and add salt and pepper.
If you can find some jalapeño salt it really adds a special touch to this dish. I dusted it on top of my grit ghosts.

Filed Under: Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Fall, Halloween, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan Sin-cinnati Chili for Your Halloween Dinner

October 25, 2011 · by · 7 Comments

Since I taunted you with Halloween yesterday I thought I’d give you something to make for your Halloween dinner party.

Cincinnati chili is similar to a regular meaty chili except it has unusual spices that you see more in pumpkin pie than an all-American stew. Traditionally it’s a meat chili that has kidney beans as an optional topping as well as shredded cheese and onions. Then oddly enough it’s served over pasta.

This one uses vegan ground and the lentils for the meaty texture. The unusual spices blend in more than you expect, but there are Cincinnati chili lovers and haters. Because of the extra spices the ingredient list may look intimidating, but most things on the list are a quick measure and you’re done!

This looks especially spooky over spinach pasta, but it would work well over black forbidden rice too. You can cut out ghost shapes out a slice of vegan cheese. Black sesame seeds or nigella seeds make great eyes!

Atmosphere is important in a Halloween gathering, but it doesn’t matter if you cut bats out of paper or buy the coolest decorations ever. No matter how much you do, you’ll be glad you put in the time!

Vegan Sin-cinnati Chili
Makes 2 to 3 cups (3 large servings or 4 small ones)

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts – you can double the recipe and use a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker

  • 3/4 cup dry black beluga lentils (you can sub other lentils, the chili just won’t be as dark)
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup Ground Beefless (use Trader Joe’s, frozen crumbles, or cook 1/2 cup Gimme Lean)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper, like chipotle
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa
  • pinch allspice
  • pinch ground hot pepper of choice, optional and to taste
  • dash of freshly ground nutmeg
  • salt, to taste
  • shredded vegan cheese, for topping
  • chopped onions, for topping
  • cooked spinach pasta, for topping

In the morning: Add everything except nutmeg, salt and toppings to the slow cooker . Cook 7 – 9 hours on low.

Add nutmeg, taste, and add salt or adjust other seasonings as needed.

Serve over cooked pasta and top with your choice of onions and/or cheese.

Filed Under: Chili, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Fall, Main Course, Overnight (8+ hours), Pasta, Slow cooker, Stews, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vegan ‘Meaty’ Chili You Make From Scratch, but Is as Easy as Opening a Can!

October 24, 2011 · by · 8 Comments

It’s getting close to my favorite holiday, Halloween. This weekend we started decorating the house for our annual Gothic dinner party. We have over 8 big plastic bins chock full of goodies, so it takes days to get everything in place. So far we are about 1/2 way there.

Of course, once the house is decorated then I’ll do the tablescape. (I’ve always wanted to use that word in a sentence!) There are 2 boxes full just for the table. I’ll post pictures next week of the table and our decorations.

I haven’t decided what I’m making for the main course yet, so if anyone has some spooky vegan gluten-free ideas let me know. (Yes, Cara, that is directed at you – possibly as a challenge!)

So, why all this talk of Halloween on a chili post? Well, it is near Halloween… But the real reason is we ate the chili – all of it before I remembered to take a picture of it. I promise to not do it again, but this recipe was too good to not post it because it’s picture-less.

This is a great recipe to get in your slow cooker tonight for tomorrow’s dinner. You could use tvp, crumbled tofu, even tempeh instead of the beefless if you’d like to. It’s yours to play with as you want!

Vegan Ground Beefless and Bean Chili
Makes 2 to 3 cups

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker 1 1/2 to 2 quarts – you can double the recipe and use a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker

  • 1 cup dry black beans
  • 3 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • A few dashes liquid smoke
  • 1/2 cup Ground Beefless (use Trader Joe’s, frozen crumbles, or cook 1/2 cup Gimme Lean)
  • 1/2 cup diced tomato (Use the ones with chipotle if you can find it)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • pinch ground hot pepper of choice, optional and to taste
  • salt, to taste (Smoked salt would work great too.)
  • vegan sour cream, for serving, optional
  • baked sweet potato, for serving

The night before: In your slow cooker add the dried beans, water, garlic, and liquid smoke. Cook on low overnight. (If your 1 1/2 quart slow cooker does not have a low/high setting then it should run on low.)

In the morning: Add everything else to the slow cooker (except for salt). Cook 8 – 9 hours on low.

Before serving: Taste, add salt if needed,  and adjust seasonings and add hot sauce, salt, or other add-ins now.

Serve over a baked sweet potato and top with optional sour cream if you’re in the mood for it. You can cook them an additional slow cooker while you are gone all day. This also works great over rice, quinoa, or with Daiya mixed in for a dip-for-dinner meal with some baked blue corn tortilla chips. The dip idea would work great at your Halloween party.

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Chili, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Main Course, Mexican, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Stews, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Monster Ate My Purple Sweet Potato Casserole Oatmeal!

October 7, 2011 · by · 9 Comments

Aaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!

I love Halloween and am always on the look out for something slightly spooky and cool. I’ve been all about Fork and Beans blog posts this week. She’s got some amazing edible Halloween ideas. Fork and Beans, this monster is for you!

I love purple sweet potatoes because, well, they’re purple. They taste the same as orange ones but love the extra attention, making them the narcissists of the vegetable kingdom…

While you probably want to make a monster face this month, later in the winter just sprinkle some brown sugar, chopped pecans, and vegan marshmallows over the top. Even the pickiest kid can’t turn down sweet potato casserole for breakfast!

Slow Cooker Purple Sweet Potato Casserole Oatmeal
soy-free, gluten-free
2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 cup chopped peeled purple sweet potato (or use a regular sweet potato)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch ground allspice
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch nutmeg
  • sweetener to taste (brown sugar is great, but agave, stevia, etc. will still work fine)

toppings:

  • 2 tablespoon chopped pecans (or whole ones to make monster face)
  • 2 tablespoons vegan mini-marshmallows (2 smashed with cardamom or black sesame seeds for pupils if making monster)
  • 2 tablespoon agave nectar
  • optional slivered almonds (for scary monster mouth)

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except sweetener and toppings to the slow cooker.  Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. If there are still chunks of potato smash them with a fork.  Add some water if it’s still a little thick. Taste and sweeten. Top with toppings and make a monster face if you’re in the mood (or just in a mood).


Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Gingerbread

October 28, 2010 · by · 4 Comments

Pumpkin Gingerbread

soy-free

This gingerbread gets a nutritious boost with the fall flavor of pumpkin. You can use canned organic pumpkin, or you can make your own. The slow cooker is perfect for gingerbread since things stay moister. You can use regular flour or even a gluten-free baking mix if you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour on hand.

dry:
2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

wet:
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 cup (250ml) pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1/2 cup (125ml) molasses
1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1/4 cup (62ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the flax seed and warm water together in another bowl. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients to the flax mixture. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir with wooden spoon until it is just combined. Add to an oiled loaf pan that fits in your slow cooker, or directly to your pre-oiled crock. Cook on high, with the lid vented by placing a wooden spoon across the crock, under the lid.

Cook until a knife comes out almost clean (About 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours cooked in crock, 3 to 3 1/2 hours cooked in loaf pan). Remember if you cook it as a loaf, it will continue to cook a little more after you remove it from the slow cooker.

Yields: About 8 servings
Total Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours cooked in crock, 3 to 3 1/2 hours cooked in loaf pan

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking Time 2 hours, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,