Vegan Lasagna

Tax Season is finally over!! Time to party! My mom flew in the night before the tax deadline, so RC and I were able to celebrate the next day with beers at the bar by 2 p.m. 😂
It's been nice to have RC home more so we can spend time together as a family. We missed  him.

Here are some more April highlights...

Warren loves his dinosaur collection he inherited by the very nice people who owned the house before us. He even makes the cutest dinosaur "rooooarrrrr"

He also has a blast at his Grandpa and Mummers house petting goats and their giant horses. He sure does love horses!

We went exploring Southern Idaho and went to the beautiful Shoshone Falls.

Easter hugs are the best hugs! Look at those handsome men of mine.

Warren's first Easter egg hunt. He loved it!

GG helped him find some of his eggs.

Walking with Uma to see his cousin Rhett run the mile at his track meet.

Fun in the sun with my wittle man. I love, love, love him so much!!!

And now for a recipe! I found the original here. I made this for Easter dinner and it was a huge hit! I would highly suggest the vegan Parmesan sprinkled on at the end. 👍


Lasagna

Tofu Ricotta
28 oz tofu
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Meat Crumble
2 c. walnuts
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. pepper
2 lb cremini mushrooms
1 onion, diced

Lasagna Base
1 jar tomato sauce
1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a food processor, combine tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, basil, garlic, slat, and pepper, blend until smooth. Then set aside and rinse out of food processor.

3. In the food processor, combine walnuts, garlic, liquid smoke, soy sauce, smoked paprika, oregano, rosemary, and pepper. Blend until well mixed, then set aside and rinse out food processor.

4. In the food processor, chop up mushrooms so that they are in small chunks.

5. In a large pan, cook mushrooms so that liquid is released and evaporated, about 6-8 minutes. Clear out a circle in the middle, add onion. Saute onion until translucent, add walnut mixture and mix well.

6. In a large sauce pan, cook lasagna noodles for half of time required.

7. In a 9x9 inch lasagna pan, add 2 cups of red sauce to cover the bottom, then layer 4 half-cooked lasagna noodles, then spread ricotta mixture over top, followed by "meat" mixture, and then more red sauce. Repeat until finished. Cover with aluminum foil.

8. Bake in oven for 25 minutes, remove aluminum foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

*If you want to add vegan Parmesan , do so now and bake for an additional 15 minutes not 5. 

9. Allow to cool about 10-15 minutes, then cut into ninths, serve.

10. Enjoy!

Tea Scones and Granola Bars

Hello, Spring! We have been in our house now for a few months and it feels amazing. There are still a million things to be done, but instead I will focus on the fact that we have walls and a fully functioning kitchen, in fact, I would say my DREAM kitchen!

Here are a few pictures to catch up on the wittle guy. <3

Warren is a little over a year and half now, crazy! He finally sleeps almost through the night. It hasn't been an easy road with sleep but it's getting better which has been so nice. There are the occasional times he wakes up at 3 am and wants to stay up but at least it's not every night now. But overall, he is so happy, rarely gets sick, and loves his family!

Wrestling season ended a few weeks ago, but we went to a lot of tournaments, which Warren loved! He still has a few years though before he can go out there and scrap. 

He is also completely obsessed with horses. Good thing his Uma and Papa have some minis to ride around on. I'm sure he will soon graduate to a big horse. Maybe we have a cowboy on our hands...

And now for a recipe! We were able to design our kitchen and it is so fun to cook in. I'm also loving that I can bake in my new double ovens! 

I started listening to some plant based podcasts and there is no denying the evidence. I  have been more strict with no oil and feel like I have more energy again. 

My favorite right now is Nutrition Rounds. She even interviewed Dr. Esselstyn!! 

The recipe for these amazing scones and granola bars comes from Forks Over Knives The Cookbook. They are so good, Warren and I can finish a batch, poor RC, haha. 

Tea Scones

Yields 1 dozen scones

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 cups oat flour (I just blended oats in my NutriBullet)

2 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 or less dry sweetener (I used pure cane sugar)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup almond butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I put a Silpat baking mat under my baking sheet. Parchment paper works as well. 

2. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle for a few minutes and then add the vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, add oat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

4. In a small bowl, mix together applesauce and almond butter with a fork. Use the fork to cut the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture, until crumbly. Add the milk mixture and stir until just moistened. Do not overmix.

5. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup (or ice-cream scoop) to scoop the scones out onto the baking sheet. Mist it with a little water first so that the batter comes out easier. Bake for 20-24 minutes. In my oven, 20 min is perfect. 

6. Allow the scones to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transfering them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

There are some add ins that you can do, but I haven't ventured out yet from the original yummy scones. 

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Yields 8 bars

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with a 10 inch square of parchment paper.

2. In a small saucepan, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking with a fork, just until it's warm enough for the ingredients to incorporate and become smooth. 

3. Remove from the heat. Let the mixture cool a bit so that it's still warm but not hot. Mix in the vanilla, then add oats, salt, and cinnamon and mix very well.

4. Now wet your hands and press the oats into the pan. Firmly press the oat mixture into the pan, pressing on the top and packing the bars as tightly as you can. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the sides of the bars are lightly browned. 

5. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting up by the corners of the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (with the parchment underneath)

6. Use an 8 inch knife to slice the bars into eight rectangles. It's best to press down firmly in one motion to slice, rather than using a sawing motion, which make make the bars crumble a bit. Slice once down the middle, and then 4 times across the other way. 

7. Store the bars in a tightly sealed container at room temperature, however mine never make it through the day. 

Enjoy!

Bomb Burritos

Summer time is simply the best! We have been enjoying spending time with the wittle guy. I'm staying home for the time being so I can be a full time mom and help RC with his new business because...we are moving!

I will always have a very special place in my heart for Boise, but the best thing for our family is to raise our kid(s) in a smaller environment. Lots of craziness going on with trying to list our Boise house and closing on our new home! We are so excited and are trying really hard to embrace all the changes and unknowns right now. Warren is doing the best with it so far, haha.

Here are a few highlights of our summer with an almost 11 month old.

And now for a recipe! This recipe was loosely adapted from this recipe.


Serves: 12 burritos

Base of Burrito
- 12 tortilla shells (10 inch), I used Ezekiel Sprouted Grain tortillas
- 2 onions, diced
-5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
-1/2 tbsp mustard powder
-1 tbsp cumin powder
-1 tbsp chili powder
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-3 tbsp soy sauce
-1 can fire roasted green chilies (4 oz can)
-4 cups walnut ground meat recipe here. (or less, I used just 2 cups)
-1 1/2 -2 cups vegetable broth
-4 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato
-3-6 tbsp nutritional yeast (depending on how much kale you use, 3 tbsp per bunch)
-4 heaping cups kale, chopped, about 2 bunches
-5-6 drops hot sauce

Stuffing
-3 avocados, sliced
-sliced black olives
-6 stalks green onion, chopped
-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
-3/4 to 1 cup sunflower seeds
-salsa

Rice
2 c. brown rice
1 small 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground oregano
4 1/4 cups water
1/4 c. chopped onion

I put it in my rice cooker, and it was perfect!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray casserole dish with olive oil.
2. In a large deep pan, saute onions and garlic with some oil or vegetable broth until soft. Stir in the spices (mustard powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper), soy sauce, and fire roasted peppers.
3. With the back of a wooden spoon, mash walnut meat into the onion mixture. Add 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth and mashed sweet potato to the pan. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add additional vegetable broth if the mixture becomes too thick.
4. While the sweet potato mixture is cooking, in a medium pan, saute kale with the nutritional yeast and hot sauce until the kale is lightly cooked.

Assemble the Burritos

1. Place a large tortilla on a plate. I heated it in the microwave for about 20 seconds so it was easier to roll. Add 1/2 cup of the sweet potato mixture, 1/4 cup of kale, a couple slices of avocado, cilantro, green onion, a handful of sunflower seeds, and 1-2 tbsp of the miso dressing. Tightly roll the tortilla into a burrito. Place "seam-down" on the pan. Continue until you use all the tortillas and sweet potato mixture.
2. Bake for 30 minutes until light golden brown on top. Later I will figure out a good "cheese" recipe to drizzle on top. But for now, plain works for me!
3. Leave to cool, wrap and place in a freezer safe container to freeze or eat all 12 burritos at once. Who am I to judge?

Creamy Cashew Chowder

Well I guess I have some catching up to do with my pregnancy journey. It was quite the experience but SO worth it. 

Here are a few highlights from the 3rd Trimester:

-still was obsessed with bread, more specifically bagels

-my right leg went from going numb to excruciating pain after walking for more than 5 minutes

-I got dizzy a lot in the morning, but once summer break hit I was able to sleep more which helped

-He got the hiccups multiple times a day in my belly, which was a weird feeling
-He kicked me all the time and I loved seeing my belly move constantly.  

And now we have Wittle Warren!! He was born August 9th, 2017, weighing 8lbs 9oz. and three, YES THREE, weeks overdue. He was worth every day I waited over my due date though. 

This guy is the coolest kid on the planet. He is so happy, loves his family, and brings us so much joy. Warren, life didn't feel complete without you. 








This little guy gets cuter every day!

 

About a month before the wittle guy got here, RC and I got hitched!! I came home after my baby shower and he had handwritten me a note asking me to spend our lives together. Duhhhh I said yes!! I was so excited to marry him, we ran (well I more or less waddled) down to the courthouse and got married by a very sweet judge in front of our closest friends and family. It was perfection. It was also over 100 degrees on July 14th. Thank goodness the courthouse was well air conditioned!

Hopefully, I can keep up with some more recipes every so often. As it turns out, parenthood is pretty time consuming. 

This soup is my ultimate favorite! It tastes like real clam chowder. Enjoy!

I found the recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
• 3 celery stalks, sliced thin
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced very thin
• 8 ounces of white button mushroom, or baby bellas, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 potatoes of your choice
• 2 sheets of nori, finely chopped
• 5 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours (or boiled for 10-15 minutes)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Once heated, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt until carrots are tender. 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews. In a blender add the cashews and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, pulse until there are no more big chunks, slowly add in 1 1/2 cups more stock, stopping to blend after the addition of each 1/2 cup. Once you have added 2 cups of stock total, blend on high for 1-3 minutes until completely smooth and creamy (should not be gritty). Set aside.
4. Once the vegetables are tender, add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook until softened. About 4-5 minutes. You just want them to soften a bit, but still maintain their texture.
5. Add the remaining 3 cups of vegetable stock to the pot, along with the nori and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let summer for 20 minutes.
6. While soup is simmering, leave the skin on the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
7. Add potatoes to soup and cook about 13 minutes.
8. Stir in the cashew cream gently, heat uncovered for 5-8 minutes until thickened.
9. Stir in the tomato paste and lemon juice.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve immediately & enjoy!

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

The sun is finally shining and the snow (at least in the valley) is gone, so that means it's hiking time! The dogs have been going stir crazy this winter with it being so cold and wet. We owe them a lot of outside time.

I took them out yesterday and they loved it! Arbor had a near death experience when she jumped into a deep body of water without realizing it. It was hard to help her while laughing hysterically, poor girl. She didn't get much sympathy from me. Goose's favorite thing to do is jump into every mud puddle she can find, which makes her look more like Arbor with her black fur, haha.

I'd say they had a pretty fun time together.

I made this recipe this weekend and it's not only super easy to make, it's also delicious! I found the original recipe here.

Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup quinoa
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15 oz.) northern beans
1 bunch chopped kale, ribs removed
1 tsp. lemon juice
Vegan Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Warm a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent.

2. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.

3. Pour in the quinoa, broth, and water. Add 1 tsp. salt, 2 bay leaves, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

4. Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and add the beans and the chopped kale. Continue simmering for 5 minutes more, until the kale has softened to your liking.

5. Remove the pot from heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in 1 tsp. lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt and pepper until you are happy with the finished product.

6. Serve with vegan Parmesan cheese (my recipe found here.) and enjoy!

Creamy Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Oh boy, oh boy! I was pretty quiet about this for a while, but my growing belly makes it hard to hide the fact that I'm pregnant! We found out on Valentine's Day we are having a boy and I cannot explain into words how excited I am. He is perfect in every way. I saw him on the screen and all I could think was I MADE THIS! I've never felt stronger or more like a goddess in my life. 💪

First trimester was ROUGH. I wasn't sick so much, but holy tired! Here are some 1st trimester memories:
-I found out I was pregnant while visiting my sister and mom to see some Alabama football. I gave up caffeine that day and it took two days to recover from my caffeine withdrawals.  I think I made it through the first quarter of the football game before I had to go home to sleep.
-I have never slept more in my life. I felt like Sleeping Beauty. I would wake up, go to school, leave right after, and sleep until dinner, eat, then go right back to bed.
-The only thing that sounded good was pizza. I ate so much pizza that the employees started remembering me!
-Soooo many food aversions! I can't stand sweet potatoes at the moment, and if I even eat a raw veggie I feel like celebrating. I had to go to the grocery store each night because I never knew what I wanted to eat until I was in that moment.
- I couldn't dye my hair and could hardly wait until I got to schedule that appointment...3 months later!
-My immune system was awful. I got the flu twice, on top of a cold. I've never had to take so many sick days!
-All I wanted to eat was bread, bread, and more bread.

2nd trimester is much better. I'm feeling more like myself, which is so nice. Here are some highlights so far:
-I started drinking a little caffeine again, which makes me feel more human. I allow myself either one cup of black tea, or a cup of coffee. Every one in a while I'll get a Dutch Bro's mocha....They are just so damn good!
-I finally stopped taking a nap every.single.day. I'm down to about half the week now, haha.
- Helloooo morning sickness! I brush my teeth, I puke. I eat pumpkin muffins, I puke. I breathe, I puke. I've just accepted that this is my life in the 2nd trimester.
-I finally had to start wearing maternity shirts. I'm still good with my leggings but the shirts are what gets me.
-I was able to ski through all of it, which was a blast! Baby and I make a great team. :)
-I started feeling little kicks and it just makes my heart melt. It also makes me giggle when I don't expect it.
-I'm trying not to sound like an alcoholic but, I do miss drinking... so much. I just want a glass of wine, or a Bloody Mary, or...something, anything! I didn't realize how much I would miss it.
-I still only want to eat bread...

Here are a few more highlights in picture form:

Our first appointment to find out if we really were going to be parents! He looks great, but I was terrified on the inside.

Our gender reveal party. I was surprised we were having a boy but RC, his family, and my dad all knew he was going to be a boy. 🙌

I'm sure I'll have more to add about the end of the 2nd trimester and 3rd trimester, but how about a recipe?! I found the original recipe here.

Creamy Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus (12 ounces), trimmed and washed
2 tbsp. vegetable broth
Sea salt and black pepper
2 lemons
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)
10 ounces bow tie pasta (I used 16 oz because that was what they had at the store)
2.5 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
3-4 Tbsp all purpose flour
You can add nutritional yeast, but I did not.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add asparagus to baking sheet . Top with several thin slices of lemon and bake for 20-25 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from oven and roughly chop into thirds.
2. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt generously.
3. While the water is heating, bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp vegetable broth and garlic. Whisk and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is just starting to brown.
4. Add 3 Tbsp flour and whisk. Cook for 30 seconds, then whisk in almond milk 1/2 at a time. Add a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and whisk. Slightly lower heat and continue cooking to thicken, stirring occasionally.
5. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to the directions. Then drain and set aside.
6. Add sauce to a blender to make the sauce creamier. Add another pinch of salt and peper. If it looks too runny, add another Tbsp of flour. Blend until creamy and smooth.
7. Once your sauce has reached desired thickness, add the juice of half a lemon and stir. *Add the lemon to a separate container before adding to pasta unless you want seeds in your pasta as well, yuck!
8. Add 3/4 of the chopped asparagus and the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.
9. Top with remaining asparagus. Serve with a lemon wedge and vegan Parmesan cheese (recipe below)
10. Enjoy!

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 cup cashews
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh.

And now here is a picture of an adorable man eating pasta. 💗

Waco Wednesday

Snow day!!! Even though it throws a wrench into many things in the classroom, I am trying to embrace the fact that we are in the middle of the most snow Idaho has seen in quite some time. I don't even think we got this many snow days as a kid in Michigan. 6 days and counting...

This winter has been a ton of fun, especially hanging out and laughing non-stop with this guy!

I haven't been doing as much skiing as I would like this winter (well any at this point), but there is always next winter. ☺ Mainly I've been enjoying laying by a hot fire, eating, and watching these two clowns play non-stop.

Unfortunately, I had to stop volunteering at Simply Cats for a little while for medical reasons, but I look forward to hanging out with some cool cats very soon!

Finally, I got to spend Friday the 13th with these awesome ladies touring the State Penitentiary. SUPER cold but also very fun...and somewhat creepy.

And now for a recipe! My brain has only been functioning at about 60% capacity these days, which makes things very interesting, haha. Of the things I struggle with, days are one of them. I told RC that I was so excited for Taco Tuesday, but it was actually a Wednesday...so Waco Wednesday it is!

These tacos are so so good. I love Spanish rice and the "meat" is also really flavorful. I found the recipe for rice here. I found the "meat" recipe here.

Spanish Rice

This is going to take the most time to make out of everything so I would start making the rice first. Also, I doubled the original recipe because I have a slight rice obsession.

2 c. brown rice
1 small 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground oregano
4 1/4 cups water
1/4 c. chopped onion

I put it in my rice cooker, and it was perfect!

Taco "Meat"

Ingredients:

2 cups raw walnuts
2 tbsps. soy sauce
2 tsps. garlic powder
2 tsps. cumin
2 tsps. paprika

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor.
2. Pulse until course and crumbly.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

Peach or mango salsa (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
As many avocados as you want
lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

I like to go rogue with this recipe, so I don't really have a set amount. Use whatever amounts you want. It's almost impossible to mess this up.

Lastly, I heated up some frozen veggies with a little cumin spice to go along with the tacos.

Put all these ingredients in a tortilla and you have...Waco Wednesday!