Vegan Pumpkin Custard

Yesterday I was feeling rather festive, which quickly resulted in my having a massive craving for pumpkin pie. If you saw my first food post, you can see that I do have an incredible gluten free, sugar free, soy free, dairy free, etc., etc. pumpkin pie that I will for sure eventually share BUT I was sort of wanting more immediate gratification!

So, I crossed my fingers and whipped up (literally) a fantastic raw, vegan, treat that more than sufficed for a quick pumpkin pie-like treat! Since almonds are used to make a delicious milk alternative, it makes a lot of sense that this would create a sweet, milky/ creamy flavor. Added bonus: it took 2 minutes to make! This treat does taste better after being chilled in the fridge.

What you will need:

- One 15 oz. can of pumpkin. (I use organic Farmer's Market brand because the can has a BPA free liner. Available at Whole Foods.)
-1/3 cup almonds, chopped.
-2 1/2-3 tablespoons brown Lakanto (or coconut sugar/ sweetener, if you don't have a candida issue).
-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie seasoning blend. (I love, love this pre-mixed spice of cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, star anise, fennel, and black pepper. You can find this with the spices at almost any grocery. It also tastes wonderful in quinoa, paired with a natural sweetener.)
-1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, preferably alcohol free.
-1 tablespoon water

What to do!

-Add almonds and water to a food processor (I used my Vitamix for this).
-After the almonds are in a powder form, add pumpkin, sweetener, vanilla, and seasoning.
-Blend until smooth.
-Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or almonds for garnish.

ENJOY!  I really enjoyed it with a hot cup of chai tea. Although, I love tea with almost everything.

My next attempt will be to add a little bit of crunch by making a simple crumble crust with butter, quinoa flour, and Lakanto. Baking it, letting it cool, and sprinkling on top for some added texture! Give it a try!

Good news: this is one of those sweet treats you can enjoy for breakfast and not feel the least bit guilty! This dish is packed with potassium, vitamins A and C, protein, and if you were as happy as I was after eating, it also has a mood boosting effect! *I actually just read that pumpkin boosts serotonin, which is said to give you a more positive outlook.

Chia Cinnamon Sandies

Yesterday, like many days, I was wanting something sweet to eat. Recently, I've read about dessert recipes that were made with beans. I was thinking the same thing you're probably thinking right now! Beans? Yes, beans! I am open to giving anything a shot because I have been pleasantly surprised time and time again so, after reading through various recipes, I decided to give it a shot, Body Ecology style! I had to try a few different varieties to see if my omits and replacements would work. The second batch was the winner and it was really very simple! This protein-packed treat is a great item to make as a grab and go breakfast, dessert, or snack!

Quick note: if you're unfamiliar with Lakanto- an all natural sweetener that I use in mostly all of my sweet recipes, definitely give it a shot! It is great for people who suffer from candida, diabetes, or weight problems because it has zero calories and zero glycemic index. It is comparable to stevia but is much easier to bake with because it converts equally with sugar when you're substituting ingredients. It comes in a brown and white form. The brown actually tastes similar to brown sugar, so I prefer it over the white for a lot of my baked goods.

What you will need:
(For optimized health, I suggest you try to make sure you use as much organic ingredients as possible!)

-1 1/2 cups chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
-3 heaping tablespoons of chopped almonds, or 3 tablespoons of sugar free almond butter, or nut butter.
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract, preferably alcohol free if you're suffering from candida.
-1/8 teaspoon baking soda
-1/8 teaspoon sea salt
-2/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons Lakanto (or 3/4 cup of coconut sugar if you don't have a candida issues).
-1 tablespoon coconut oil
-1 tablespoon ground chia seeds, or if you prefer more texture, whole chia seeds.
-3 tablespoons non-denatured, GMO free, sugar- free protein powder, such as RenewPro or Whey Factors. (Non-denatured pretty much means there was no chemical process involved in making it.)
-3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until mixture is smooth. Place batter into an 8" x 8" pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 30-32 minutes. For a thicker blondie, use a smaller pan and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes. Store in the fridge.

Voila! You can also add additional chopped nuts for extra, extra protein and texture.  My serving suggestion: enjoy this sweet treat with a warm cup of chai tea!

Kitchen Sink Scrambles

I am one of the few (or many) who love having leftovers! To save time, I typically try to make extra so the meal can be enjoyed the next day OR so that I can use the ingredients for another dish.

Two evenings ago, I made my delicious taco meat and made sure to make a little extra. Since then, I have been able to enjoy it with multiple meals, including my breakfast this morning! I also had a partial red bell pepper, chopped garlic, jalapenos, and vegan parmesan cheese left over from other previous meals.

The nice thing about eggs is that you can add them to almost anything, and you've got a fantastic scramble for breakfast! For probably 10 years, I have had the tendency of taking pictures of my food. Sometimes, I like to scroll for ideas and recently noticed how many simple scrambles I had shot. It left me wondering if I could even utilize them for this blog because they were just so simple! But, I do think it's useful to point out, they were all beautiful dishes that I thoroughly enjoyed and they were made by just grabbing what I had in the fridge and adding eggs!

* Please note: this meal was made with what I had from left over dishes, which you can easily recreate even if you don't have these items already prepared in your fridge. Any vegetable or ingredient can be replaced, added, or eliminated! But as is, this particular dish was delicious.

 

This morning, my scramble consisted of:

-1 handful of chopped fresh kale.
-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped.
-1/4 clove garlic, minced.
-1/4 onion, chopped.
-A little bit of fresh jalapeno, chopped.
-1 small spoonful of ghee
-Cooked ground grass-fed beef, that had been seasoned with my fajita seasoning, (ingredients available in Mexican spaghetti post). How much is your preference! I used approx. 1/4 cup.
-2 eggs

Instructions:
*If you don't have cooked ground beef or an alternative in your fridge, be sure to brown the meat in the pan first, before you add the vegetables.
-Add ghee to pan and let melt on medium heat.
-Add garlic and onion to pan, cook on medium-high heat for a minute or so.
-Add all vegetables and meat and cook for 4 minutes.
-Then, add eggs and scramble!
-I topped it with vegan parmesan cheese (recipe listed in my previous zucchini pasta post) but you can obviously simply season it with sea salt and pepper.

Here are other examples of dishes I made and the fabulous meal I got to enjoy the day after. Don't worry, I will be giving the recipes for the dishes shown below. (If there is a particular one your are interested in, please let me know and I will give it priority!)

 

Steamed shrimp and veggies with potatoes and avocado. The next morning for my scramble, I used the potatoes, avocado, and leftover veggies from the night before and added eggs and fresh spinach for a completely different and equally satisfying meal!

     

Sauteed zucchini and onion with smoked salmon on fresh spinach with cauliflower dill soup. The next morning, I added eggs to the sauteed veggies and smoked salmon for a delicious morning meal!

 

One evening I made fish and this steamed asparagus and onion were my side. So, the next morning I added the leftover veggies to eggs and ground beef and placed it on a bed of fresh spinach!