Pumpkin Soup and roasted seeds

Today was our last day at the Farmers market with the boys' pumpkins. We brought several home and the remaining were given to a farmer to feed his pigs. We used a Marina pumpkin for the soup and roasted pumpkin seeds.

Soup ingredients:

Roasting Pumpkin
Pumpkin, sliced and seeds removed
spray oil
salt
pepper
Spray the pumpkin slices with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 45 minutes. Scoop out the pumpkin meat and place in the blender.

1 onion, large diced
4 garlic, large diced
Broth saute the onion and galic until soft. Add to the blender.

Add the following to the blender
1 14.5 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (save the aquafaba for later use)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corinander
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat until warm. Top with a cream (animal or cashew based) to serve.


Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:

pumpkin seeds from the above pumpkin
garlic salt
worcestershire sauce
Preheat the oven at 350. Remove all the pumpkin from the seeds. Rinse the seeds and then boil in water for 5-7 minutes. Drain the seeds. Combine 2-3 TBS worcestershire sauce with 1-2 tsp of garlic salt in a bowl. Stir in the pumpkin seeds. We used the same pan that we roasted the pumpkin without washing it. roast for 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.

November 2018 Potluck

This month's theme is "Holiday Dishes".  Everything was OUTSTANDING!!!!
December 1st's gathering will meet in front of Juice Vibes (Cary) at 1 PM. If the group is small, we will eat there. If it is large, we will eat at Sassool's (Cary). We will have our annual White Elephant gift exchange at this gathering.

White Bean Pumpkin Hummus

Salad with a Basil Tahini Dressing

Basil Tahini Dressing

1/2 Cup Apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons tahini

2 Tablespoons tamari, low-sodium

1/2 teaspoons garlic

1/2 teaspoons basil

Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups of raw cranberries
1/4 cup of dates dates 
1/2 cup apple juice
Directions: Place everything in the food processor. After well chopped, add 1 orange and 1 apple to pulse until well mixed. We also added the juice of one orange. 

Italian Bean Salad

Page 102, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Cookbook for Reversing Diabetes

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Freshly ground black paper to taste

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed

1 cup chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper

½ cup chopped tomatoes

1 – 1 ½ roughly chopped artichoke hearts

¼ cup chopped or sliced dry-pack sun-dried tomatoes

¼ cup sliced green portion of green onion, chives, or onions

1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons raisins or ¼ cup sliced grapes (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, syrup, mustard, salt, oregano garlic powder, and black pepper.  Whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the beans, bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, basil, and raisins or grapes (if using).   Mix well to fully coat with the dressing. Serve, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Mushroom Gravy

Stuffed Blaze Pumpkin

Stuffing Ingredients:
Quiona cooked in instant pot (or on the stove top)
1 cup quiona
2 cup vegetable broth (for stove top - 3 cups broth)
Place in instant pot using manual setting for 12 minutes.

(for the stove top - boil, cover and reduce to medium heat for 40 minutes)
While the millet is cooking, broth sauté the onions, celery, herbs and garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup vegetable broth

4 TBS fresh sage, rolled and chopped
2 TBS fresh thyme

1 apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup apple sweetened cranberries, minced

mix everything in a large bowl to finish stuffing

Stuffing Pumpkin

remove top as for a Jack-a-lantern and removed seeds

stuff the quiona stuffing into the pumpkin

make 4 slits in the outside of the pumpkin to vent while cooking

place top on pumpkin

oil the outside of the pumpkin

place on a baking rack with tray underneath to catch the juices.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

October 2018 Potluck

This month's theme is "Something Simple" such as smoothies, wraps and salads. November's potluck theme is "Holiday Dishes"

Italian Wraps

For the Spread:

1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, no salt added, rinsed and drained

1/4 C pine nuts 

4 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes (soak in hot water for around 1 hour, save liquid)

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings or more to taste

For the Filling:

Nori sheets (or gluten free wraps)

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 can artichoke hearts drained, rinsed, liquid squeezed out, finely chopped

1/3 - 1/2 C finely finely chopped tomatoes

Combine spread ingredients in a high speed blender.  Add a little of the sun dried tomato water.  Adding more water as needed until smooth.  Spread on the nori sheets or wraps the spread.  Add the filling.

You can use any ingredients that you like such as finely chopped spinach, arugula, avacado.  The spread can be used as a dip.

Vegan Potato Salad

Spring rolls with rice paper and a peanut sauce

brown rice wrappers

chopped vegetables f choice

leafy greens of choice

Peanut Sauce
From: This Can’t Be Tofu by Deborah Madison
½ C peanut butter
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
3 TBLS soy sauce, tamari or liquid aminos
2 TBLS balsamic vinegar
1 TBLS brown sugar
Dash of cayenne
¼ tsp salt
½ C hot water
Combine all in a food processor, except the water, and puree until smooth. Gradually pour in the
water. Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.peanut sauce 

Purple power smoothie

Ingredients:

Lemon juice

unsweetened organic almond milk

pea protein

almond butter

flax seeds

hemp seeds

chia seeds

cinnamon

spirulina

spinach

arugula

strawberries

blueberries

blackberries

Leafy Green Salad

Ingredients:

arugula

broccoli rice

avocado

frozen blueberries

sorrel leaves

Dr Fuhrman's raspberry vinegar as the dressing

Wonderful Bug Spray

This recipe is from Wellness Momma

Homemade Bug Spray Ingredients

• 30 drops geranium essential oil
• 30 drops citronella essential oil
• 20 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil
• 20 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops rosemary essential oil
• 1 TBSP vodka or rubbing alcohol
• ½ cup natural witch hazel
• ½ cup water (or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vegetable glycerin (optional)

Homemade Bug Spray Instructions

1. Place essential oils in a glass spray bottle. Add vodka or alcohol and shake well to combine.
2. Pour in witch hazel and shake to combine.
3. Add ½ tsp vegetable glycerin if using. This is not necessary but helps everything stay combined.
4. Add water and shake again. Shake before each use as the oils and water will naturally separate some over time.

Homemade Hoisin Sauce from Dr. Mercola

How to Make Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce

Traditional hoisin sauce generally contains sugar, but this can have negative effects on your health when used in your cooking. If you want to savor the taste of this condiment without the dangers of sugar, try this homemade hoisin sauce recipe, which uses all-natural ingredients:7

Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• Juice of an orange (remove the pits)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 5 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Procedure

1. Add all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring ingredients to a boil, then turn the heat down to very low.
3. Whisk and simmer gently for five minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking to the pan.
4. Set aside in a ramekin. Leftovers can last up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container.

Vegan Potato Salad

Vegan Whole Food Plant Based Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs red potatoes, sliced and cooked manually in the instant pot for 3 minutes
1 red onion diced
4 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 TBS dried dill
Place in a large bowl. stir in cashew mayo

Cashew Mayo
1 cup cashews, soaked 2+ hours, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
3-4 garlic cloves
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBS honey mustard
1 TBS Dijon mustard
Place in a high speed blender and blend until smooth

Pears, pears, and more pears

We have an abundance of pears this year from our one tree. 
We have made pear sauce, pear bread, and pear and fig tart. Any other recipes would be appreciated.


For the pear sauce we used pears, orange juice and a vitamix. We heated the pears and orange juice for 30 minutes, blended it and then water canned the quart jars for 25 minutes.






For the pear bread, we combined several recipes to make something that works for us.

with palm sugar

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free flour blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup aquafaba
1 cup palm sugar or 3/4 cup date sugar or 1 cup can sugar 
½ cup apple or pear sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup enjoy life mini chips

with cane sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups brown rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. In another mixing bowl, whisk together aquafaba, sugar, apple or pear sauce and vanilla. 
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
6. Add the pears and walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling

For the Pear and Fig tart but we put the filling in the food processor to make it creamy. We used an additional 1/2 cup of quartered figs to top the tart.

Sour Cream replacement

This recipe is from Simple Veganista

BASIC CASHEW SOUR CREAM

This vegan cashew ‘sour cream’ can be used anywhere traditional sour cream is used. Place a dollop on chili, baked potatoes, ect. You can use it in baking when called for.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 – 3 hours
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or water
• juice of one small lemon or about 1 tablespoon
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• pinch of mineral salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak and drain your cashews. In food processor/high-speed blender, add all ingredients and blend until nice and creamy, stopping to scrap down the sides every now and then. Add a tad more water/milk as needed to create desired consistency. If using fresh herbs, add once the cashew blend is creamy pulsing until just incorporated, or blend in by hand. Best refrigerated for at least an hour before serving but will do fine if served right away. Sour cream will thicken upon being chilled.

Quality of Life

My husband has been trying to gain weight for the last year by eating as many calories as he can through the highest caloric dense foods (refined processed foods) which are not the most nutrient dense foods. As I tell people about my husband's choices, knowing I am a nutritarian, people are telling me, "well he wants quality of life".

Now my husband's cancer has metastasized to his liver, and I am questioning "what is quality of life?"

To me it means
being pain-free,
having many more great days than bad, both physically and mentality,
being able to take care of myself,
not having doctor appointments, surgeries, treatments, taking medicine...
not spending the day in bed or on the couch but being able to do the things I love with the people I love.

My questions are
- when did what one eats define "quality of life"?
- has the food industry "hijacked" our minds and taste-buds through processed high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar to the point that donuts or eggs and sausage define "quality of life" instead of "living life"?
- what does quality of life mean to others?

I would love feedback...

Apple Cider Vinegar Slaw

We had BBQ pulled Jackfruit, baked beans and slaw for dinner. We looked through several recipes, combining and altering to fit our needs and pantry.

Ingredients:
1 small red cabbage head, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrots

dressing:
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions: toss everything together and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes prior to serving.

Lasagna Rolls

We saw this post for vegetarian lasagna rolls from Vegetarian Times.com. We altered it to fit our needs.

Ingredients:
1 package Green Lentil Lasagna noodles cooked and cooled.
2 cups herb ricotta
aquafaba mozzarella
3 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 15 oz can, water drained artichokes
mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
Slice artichoke and mushrooms
in a large bowl combine ricotta, artichoke and musrooms

Layering:
Line the muffin cups with the lasagna noodle. Add a TBS of the ricotta mixture. sauce and then a broken noodle. Repeat until the muffin cups are full. Top with sauce and mozzarella. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.
This recipe made 3 onion soup bowls and 6 jumbo muffins

Mediterranean Wrap with an Orange Tahini Sauce

While we were in PA we went to Lake Wallenpauk for a boat ride. We stopped at the Boathouse Restaurant for lunch. We ordered the Mediterranean Wrap.
We have made it at home with our twist.

Ingredients:
Gluten Free wraps
artichokes in water
cucumbers
red peppers
sprouts
chickpeas
kalamata olives
lettuce

orange tahini sauce
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup orange juice
3 TBS orange balsamic
salt
pepper
1/3 cup water

July 2018 Potluck

This month's theme is living lasagna. As a group we make the lasagna. Each participant brings one of the "layers".
We also had Kim from Roanoke, VA as our guest speaker, "How a Whole Food Plant Based Diet Changed My Health". Kim and Mike thank you so much for joining us today and talking with our group!!!
Next month we will be going to Juice Vibes in Cary for lunch and listening to Liz discuss the importance of a whole food plant based diet and incorporating juicing into your life.

Appetizers:
Sundried Tomato Basil Pin Wheels

Stuffed Potatoes with Chili and "Cheeze" 

Loaded Vegan Potato Skins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake whole small potatoes until tender, approximately 30 minutes, depending on size of little potatoes.
2. Remove potatoes from oven and allow to cool. Slice potatoes in half, scoop out pulp leaving ¼-inch in shell. Place pulp in a medium bowl.
3. Add dairy-free milk, low-fat mayo, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika to potato in bowl and mash together using a potato masher or fork.
4. Fill potato skins with mashed potato mixture.
5. Drizzle with Creamy Vegan Cheese sauce, then top with more smoked paprika, chives, and cilantro.

1. Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce

• 1 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
• ¼ cup carrots, diced
• ¼ cup onions, diced
• ¾ cup broth from veggies
• ¼ cup almond milk
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Bragg liquid amino
• ½ cup raw cashews (raw), or ½ cup white beans
• 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ squeezed lemon
• 1 tsp onion salt
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin

2. Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce

1. In medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
2. When veggies are tender, drain and place them in blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
3. Now, it’s ready to use as a Loaded Potato Skins topping, nacho cheese dip, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. It makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Best Damn Instant Pot Vegan Chili

Ingredients

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• small seeded banana peppers diced     (to taste)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
• 8 oz Mushrooms
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp chipotle chili powder optional
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chili powder + extra to taste
• 1 15oz can pinto beans low sodium
• 2 15oz can kidney beans low sodium
• 1 15oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce low sodium
• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes (fire roasted)
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 2 Tbs Masa Tamale Flour (GF)
• Onion salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop all vegetables and add to IP
2. Lightly saute vegetables in a small amount of water, veg broth, or bean juice (aquafaba) until softened
3. If using - add seitan, cauliflower crumbles, or mushrooms for a meat substitute.  Note:  All of these are optional and you could just add another can of beans.  
4. Add water and all spices except Masa and stir well

5. Mix in beans and stir well
6. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to TOP of stew and DO NOT STIR
7. Add lid to IP and set to MANUAL mode for 10 minutes.  Allow to naturally vent when completed for 10 minutes before CAREFULLY releasing any additional pressure
8. Stir in tomato paste, any last minute garnishes, and Masa flour. 
9. Let rest for 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally.

Lasagna:

Mushrooms

3-4 cups mushrooms (sliced)
3 tbs. or more of raw soy sauce or 1 tbs. miso and 2 tbs. water
2 tbs. olive oil or water
marinade for 2 hours, then  drain

Onions and peppers
1/2 small onion sliced really thin
1 red bell pepper sliced really thin
1 yellow bell pepper sliced really thin
2 tbs. olive oil or water
2 tbs. lemon juice
marinade at least 16 hours

Zucchini noodles

Greens
food process
0.5 cup parsley
1-2 cups spinach
0.5 cup of basil

Sauce
2 cups sun dried tomatoes soaked for 6 hrs. 
7 roma tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. red or yellow onion
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil or water
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. dried basil
1-2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbs. agave nectar or 3 pitted dates
add all ingredients to a high speed blender

Ricotta cheese
3 cups of almond pulp
1 cup soaked cashews 
1 peeled large zucchini 
2.5 tbs nutritional yeast
3 cloves garlic
3 tbs pine nuts 
Himalayan salt 
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbs fresh basil
 water as needed

Blended in Vitamix

The order of layering is

zucchini

cheeze

mushrooms

zucchini

tomato sauce

onions and peppers

zucchini

cheeze

green (spinach/pesto/basil...)

mushrooms

onions and peppers

zucchini

tomato sauce

Salads:
Quinoa and Black Bean ( from Dr Barnard's Reversing Diabetes Cookbook, rainbow quinoa salad)

Green Salad with a cashew based dressing 
substituted aged balsamic instead of cider vinegar
substituted stone ground mustard instead of Dijon.

Didn't add the agave.

Used half the amount of salt.

Onion Bread
used 1/3 cup of water instead of oil

Desserts:
Fruit Salad

Strawberries and Chocolate Dipping sauce (recipe to come)

Beverage:
Lemon Balm Ice Tea Recipe

Watch a video of how to make the recipe on the blog.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh lemon balm, tightly packed
1/2 gallon hot water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup raw honey
4 lemon slices
1 cup raspberries (substituted blackberries and blueberries from our garden)
1 cup ice

Directions:
Place the lemon balm in a tea pot or small pot and top with hot water. Let steep for at least 1 hour. Remove the lemon balm leaves and stir in lemon juice and raw honey. Place a couple lemon slices, raspberries and ice in tea.


Serves 8