Vegan Chickpea curry

It has been a busy December this year! I went into it with all the intentions of continuing to post every week. Then some of my recipes flopped, I didn't have the time nor the inclination to make them over to figure out what went wrong, though I do have some suspicions. We celebrated Orion's second birthday early in the month with extended family we see about once a year. We were lucky enough to be graced by the presence of the "Yuletide Flu" which ate up a little over a week of our month. Then preparations for Yule took over, 4 days later it was Christmas. Now it is Boxing day and we can settle back into our normal routine. We have had an overdose on all things white and refined this season, too much white flour, white sugar, white rice and too many treats for all of us (Too many "Fruit" snacks for Orion and too much dairy containing chocolate for me)  The inspiratation for this meal comes from my book club book, "The secret daughter" While it makes me cry regularly as I'm reading it, it also leaves me with a longing for curry, specifically vegetarian curry. So I got up last night at midnight to dig dried chickpeas out of the cold room to soak for today. I have taken my recipe for butter chicken and changed it bit to make a chickpea curry. If you are used to traditional Indian food this is by no means the recipe for you. If you just want something tasty that has curry flavour, yet is mild enough for kids you have found the right recipe. Enjoy!

2.5 cups dried chickpeas (Soaked over night)
1 onion diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp coconut oil
4 tsp ground cardamom
6 tsp mild curry powder
6 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground ginger
2.5 cup coconut milk (I use coconut dream, if you use a canned milk leave out the cornstarch)
2 Tbsp corn starch (Feel free to substitute for any other type of thickening starch)
1 small can tomato paste


3 cups chopped fresh Baby spinach
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup plain Coconut milk yogurt plus 1 tbsp lemon juice (So nice makes a great one) (Reserve for just before serving)


Turn crockpot on high, put Chickpeas in, cover with coconut oil.
In a measuring cup whisk together, coconut milk, tomato paste, lemon juice and corn starch and spices. Pour over everything. Cook on high for 2-3 hours then turn down to low for another 4 or so, Stir occasionally.


15 minutes before serving stir in yogurt, lemon juice and spinach. Serve over rice with fresh Naan (I used this recipe and it was great!  I made it with 100% whole wheat pastry flour) on the side

Sloppy Joes with a twist

I haven't been feeling like cooking this week for some reason, we have Orions birthday party on the weekend and many things to do to get ready for it. I made up this easy recipe to just toss in the crockpot. The twist is that these contain carrots, but you barely know they are there.

Sloppy Joes (Marikas style)
1lb beef (Thawed, never use frozen beef in the crockpot)
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (About 3 medium)
1 tbsp 3 onion dip mix (Epicure)
1 Diced onion
1 400 ml can of tomato sauce
1 tbsp sucanet (or brown sugar)
1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
1 1/2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar

Put everything except the liquid smoke in the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 8 hours.
10 minutes before serving stir in the liquid smoke.
Serve over buns with a salad on the side.

Dairy free Butter Chicken

Sometimes I just get a craving for something that will not be satisfied until I make it. This time around it was butter chicken, Clay hates curry so I have to pick and choose which ones I make. He actually ate this one without complaining. Orion gobbled his up. I searched and searched for a dairy free butter chicken recipe. The ones I found just seemed to leave ingredients out instead of substituting them, so I found a normal recipe that got rave reviews and substituted items to make it allergen friendly.

Here is the original recipe at "Crockpot 365"


Here is my allergen friendly version:


2 chicken breasts with backs attached, deboned and diced (You could use other chicken this is just what I had in the freezer)
1 onion diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 tsp garam masala (I only trust Mcormick brand)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 3/4 cup coconut milk (I use coconut dream, if you use a canned milk leave out the cornstarch)
1 Tbsp corn starch (Feel free to substitute for any other type of thickening starch)
1 small can tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
1 cup plain Coconut milk yogurt plus 1 tbsp lemon juice (So nice makes a great one) (Reserve for just before serving)


Turn crockpot on high, melt coconut oil in bottom.
Place garlic and onion in bottom of Crockpot.
Debone and dice chicken. Place in Crockpot.
Mix spices together and sprinkle over chicken stirring to coat evenly.
In a measuring cup whisk together, coconut milk, tomato paste, lemon juice and corn starch. Pour over everything. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Stir occasionally.
15 minutes before serving stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Serve over rice

Roasted garlic and red pepper hummus

It is Grey cup Sunday here in Canada. While I'm not much of a football fan I do love using it as a excuse to spend time with family and eat appetizers for dinner. Every year my mom asks me to make hummus, for some reason hers never turns out like mine. With her kids grown and flown the coop my moms food processor gets little use these days except for making hummus. Since she prefers my hummus she has passed on the food processor and the hummus making duty to me. I find that the key to a good hummus is using good beans. I have never had good hummus from no name brand beans. I will ONLY buy Scarpone canned beans. I have tried cooking the garbanzo beans myself and they just leave something lacking. Since Orion has a sesame allergy I substitute sunflower butter instead, you could leave it out but I find it lacks something in flavour without it. This year I am switching it up a little and making red pepper hummus.

Roasted Garlic and red pepper Hummus
1 medium pepper cut in half
1 head garlic peeled
Scant 2/3 cup lemon juice
2 little cans  (Just under 600ml total)Scarpone Garbanzo beans drained with 4 tbsp of liquid reserved
1/4 cup Sunflower butter (If you run the measuring cup under hot water before measuring the sunflower butter it will slide out easily)
1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
Paprika to garnish if you would like

Preheat oven to 400F
Take pepper halves and spray with Olive oil, Wrap head of garlic in foil. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Let cool.
Put beans, liquid, peppers and garlic in food processor and process until chopped,  Dump in Sunflower butter, lemon juice, blend again. while food processor is going drizzle in olive oil. Taste, then add salt and pepper (Some beans are saltier then others) (I find that  by not rinsing the beans you don't need much other flavourings.
Let sit at least an hour before serving

Vegan chocolate shortbread bars

I was reading the Presidents choice insiders report today, it always makes me crave all sorts of things. Since I already had supper in the crockpot, I decided to indulge my sweet tooth and bake. I have a sink load of dishes waiting to go in the dishwasher so I didn't really want to make a huge mess. I settled for something simple, quick and chocolately. This is in no way shape or form anything that resembles healthy. It is full of white flour, refined sugar and chocolate. Sometimes you have to live a little though, ;) Everything in moderation right?. I couldn't find any recipes that were vegan, so I just winged it and substituted it a bit.

Here is the original recipe "non vegan recipe" from About.com

Here is my version:

Vegan Chocolate chip shortbread bars

2-1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white sugar,
1 cup Earth Balance shortening, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup Dairy free chocolate chips,  (I used 1/2 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips, 1/2 chopped Lindt Dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Place flour and sugar in large bowl. Mix with wire whisk. 

Add cut shortening. toss lightly with your hands or a fork to coat the cubes.

 Use a pastry cutter, to blend shortening into flour/sugar mixture until crumbly. 

Hand stir in the mini chocolate chips. 

Dump mixed ingredients into 9x13 pan. Press firmly with fingers and level-out.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

 Remove from oven.  Cool for 5 minutes then cut shortbread into squares, DO NOT REMOVE FROM PAN

Cool completely before serving.

Hot out of the oven!

Sour leaf lazy cabbage rolls

I grew up eating sour leaf cabbage rolls. I love them so much. Hand rolling cabbage rolls takes so much time. Last time I made cabbage rolls I froze the leftover filling and little bits of sour cabbage that were not suitable for rolling, I baked it like a casserole and it was so good! This time I am fine tuning the recipe to make it into lazy cabbage rolls. This recipe is sans tomatoes since that is the way my family eats sour cabbage rolls. You could use sauerkraut instead of the sour head if you like, just make sure that you use non pasteurized sauerkraut. You can fine it in the produce section or a good European deli/grocer , then stuff in jars is nothing compared to the real stuff. I really like Kissel Cabbage.  This is dairy free yet still has the richness of flavour that you expect from sour leaf cabbage rolls. This recipe makes enough for two casseroles.

Yield: 12 servings
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water

3 cups brown Calrose rice

Sourhead Cabbage

1 Sourhead cabbage diced into 1 inch pieces or 2 bags of sauerkraut (My favourite is made by Kissel Cabbage)
3 medium onions. diced
1 package of bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp pepper
1 cup Dairy free margarine (I like earth balance or vegan becel)
1/4 Coconut oil (Make sure it is descented, I like Omega  Organic coconut oil for this)
1/4 cup bacon fat (I always save my fat in the freezer, so I have or for recipes like this or frying perogies. If you don't have any just add another 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead)
1/4 cup water

Bring chicken stock and water to boil in a large pot on stove, add rice lower heat to just barely simmering. Cook for 55 minutes until all  the water is absorbed.

Bacon frying

Fry bacon until crispy, remove bacon (Leave the grease in the pan)

Add onions to pan, fry until just starting to turn translucent,
Turn heat down, add margarine, coconut oil, additional bacon fat and pepper to pan, cover, simmer for 15 min.
Place diced cabbage. bacon and cooked rice in a large bowl mix well,
Put rice mixture in two greased casserole dishes
Ladle onion mixture over top, add 1/8 of a cup of water to each casserole dish
Cook covered at 350F 45 minutues OR freeze.

To make from frozen, Thaw the casserole, then cook at 350 until the internal temp is 165.

Casseroles ready for the oven/ freezer

Cooked and ready to eat :)

Meal planning

Meal planning is pretty easy and quick once you get the hang of it, it takes the stress out of figuring out what you want for dinner every night. I meal plan for a week at a time, but you could do it for 2 weeks if you prefer. I like to go every week to get my fresh produce from Kingsland farmer's market. We have been going to the market almost weekly since it has opened. It is really nice to see the same vendors every week and to get a sense of where your food is coming from (The majority of them offer to let you visit the farms) Even they stands that buy the food directly from the farmers and sell it can tell you where it is coming from. I can trust them and they often give me awesome deals. It is really interesting to see how the market has changed since it has been opened, some vendors have left, others have opened. Stalls have moved around and grown or shrunk. The one thing that has stayed the same is the feeling of the market, it is cozy and always smells great, the produce is fresh and often organic or pesticide free. If you are local to Calgary I encourage you to go to Kingslands market.

Now back to the topic at hand, meal planning. Like I said I meal plan one week at a time. We almost never eat what I plan for that night, I never seem to want what I have planned. We will eat the planned meals on different days. I have a guideline for what to make on certain days, this is for ease of planning. It has been tailored to our eating habits and life situation. I encourage you to make a guideline like ours for your family, it makes life so much easier. Here is ours:

Monday is a crockpot meal (I do laundry and clean the house on Mondays, so I need something that I don't have to spend much time on)
Tuesday is a vegan meal (We do vegan because we don't eat eggs or dairy anyways)
Wednesday is beef 
Thursday is leftovers (My husband has a class, so we have to eat early)
Friday is Pork or chicken
Saturday is what I call a flex day, really it just means we have whatever I feel like making, if anything. In times of plenty it can mean eating out. In nice weather my husband barbecues.
Sunday we rotate between family dinners at my parents or here, so it will vary.

Something I also do is keep a list of meals we enjoy and take a look through those, the list is always changing. As I add more to the blog I will use this as a list to choose from. Orion and Clay really don't mind eating the same things often. I myself can not stand it, I need variety! So I take the list and apply what I want to the days, then write a grocery list of things I need to buy, often I will have multiple lists. One for Costco, one for the market, and one for other stores. I keep a very stocked pantry and cold room, I buy the majority of staples in large quantities at a time and store them. We buy meat every few months from a butcher in large enough quantities to get a good deal.
That is pretty much it, If I don't feel like making what I have planned, I don't but I do make sure to use the ingredients I have on hand.
I will start posting my meal plans for the week to give an idea of the things we eat. Eventually I will start calculating out how much each meal costs.

Happy meal planning!

Mini Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips

Like I said last week I love pumpkin bread. Actually I love almost every baked good there is. I've been thinking about making some pumpkin bread since last week. Time just hadn't allowed me to do so, finally I got a chance today and seized it! I'm fairly confident when it comes to making cooking recipes up from scratch, baking is another story. I usually will alter a recipe but I have had my fair share of hockey puck blobs so I don't venture off to creating my own baking recipes. I googled for a vegan pumpkin bread recipe and found one that looked great at the "Happy Herbivore."  I have a thing about chocolate chips and baking, I like to add them to just about everything I make (Enjoy life makes awesome dairy free chocolate chips and chunks)  Since I was adding chocolate chips I needed to adjust the sugar down. I also like have extra of baking to freeze. I recently bought some mini loaf pans from Epicure and love them! 4 of them equal one large loaf, they  make loaves  the perfect size to freeze and look so cute! When using them I have to adjust the baking time since they are smaller.
What is your favourite baked good?

So without further ado here is the altered recipe:




 Mini Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips (Original unaltered recipe here)

• ¼ cup plant-based milk (I used coconut)
• ¼ tsp lemon juice
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Epicure Pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Grease or spray a standard bread pan. 

Whisk non-dairy milk and lemon juice together until bubbly and set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, cream pumpkin, sugar, syrup and extract together.

In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin pie spice, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips and baking powder together. 

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. 

Pour into bread pans (I used silicone mini loaf pans), using a spatula to evenly distribute and smooth out the top. Grab a large piece of aluminum foil and make a tent over the pan. 

Bake for 1 hour for one large loaf or 30 minutes for 4 mini loaves, To test doneness insert a toothpick in the center, when the it comes out clean it is done. 

Once the bread has cooled but is still slightly warm, gently remove it from the pan and on to a serving plate.

Four mini loaves cooling

Easy crockpot tortilla soup

I love Tortilla soup, it is filling and so delicious. It  really hits the spots after a long day canning. It is also really easy to toss in the crockpot. Clay and Orion loved it as well, they enjoy just about any soup I make.

3 cups cooked black beans (I used my recipe for Pinto beans and just used black beans instead, just remember to watch them to see if they need more water)
1 cup of corn
1 litre Chicken or vegetable broth
1 minced jalapeno
1 onion, diced
1 diced bell pepper
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
4 tbsp lime juice

Chili powder to taste, I used chipotle chili powder, I didn't measure. The amount will really depend on your families taste buds, I just taste the broth and added enough to make it just spicy enough.

Toppings:
Corn tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips
Chopped cilantro
Avocados, sliced

Put everything in the crockpot except for the toppings, cook on high for 5 hours or on low for around 8. I usually wait until about an hour before serving to put the bell pepper in, I don't like them mushy. Serve with fried tortilla strips on top and cilantro and sliced avocados.

Mmm, Beef dip, a lovely comforting meal on a dreary day. I really enjoyed this, Orion picked out all the meat, ate it. He wouldn't touch the bun, he isn't a fan of white flour. He also dipped his cucumbers in the "jus"

Beef dip 
1 lb beef I just used stewing beef cubes, but you can use whatever cut you would like
2 cups beef broth
3 tsp 3 onion dip mix (Epicure)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
1 tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce (You could use regular but we have a fish allergy)
French rolls (I used this recipe, usually I make whole wheat rolls but I have been having trouble with making hockey pucks so I switched to all white for a batch)


Put all in crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours,
About 1 hour before serving remove meat with a slotted spoon and shred, Place back in juice in the crockpot on low.
Scoop meat out with slotted spoon and place in rolls (You can toast them and sprinkle with garlic powder before if you would like), if you want you can put a piece if cheese on it. (We don't because I don't like any of the cheese subs) Serve a bowl of the sauce on the side for dipping.

Sauteed spinach with mushrooms and bacon

I served this dish for a dinner with my parents, it is an easy side that has a great flavour. Do not overcook the spinach, when it is all just wilted it is done, it will still continue wilting after you take it out of the pan.

Sauteed spinach with mushrooms and bacon
Serves 5

6 cups loosely packed washed organic baby spinach
1/2 cup bacon bits
4 cups mushrooms sliced (I used cremini because I really enjoy the flavour)
5 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp of coconut oil  plus 1 tbsp

Mix, garlic, coconut oil mushrooms in a large pan, Over medium heat cook until mushrooms are browned.
Stir in spinach and additional coconut oil stirring often, until spinach is just wilted.

Bruschetta and Bruschetta chicken

We love bruschetta in this house, Orion will eat with a spoon on its own, we can easily go through an entire 500ml of home canned bruschetta in a sitting. We have started a new family tradition with my parents that we alternate hosting Sunday dinner. This week is our week to host. My dad has celiac disease so in addition to our normal dietary restrictions we have to do gluten free. Last dinner over here I served an appetizer of our bruschetta and it disappeared very quickly. I decided to take the bruschetta idea and run with it. The recipe that follows in my interpretation of a bruschetta chicken. I wanted to make bruschetta fresh since it would take 2-3 jars worth to have enough and I really wanted to save my jars for eating at a later date. I used my favourite home canning recipe and altered it. I have always had the recipes from Bernardin turn out, they are always delicious. These alterations make it NOT safe for canning, only for eating fresh.
Original recipe SAFE for canning is here  Dinner was a huge hit! Everyone loved it, this will go into my make again list, in theory you could use any type of chicken pieces you wanted with this.

Sorry for the not so great picture, I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table.

Marikas Fresh Bruschetta (Original unaltered recipe found here) Yield 3.5 cups 4.5 cups  chopped roma tomatoes about 10 medium  3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup  white wine vinegar 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup  water 1 tbsp granulated sugar 3 1/2 tbsp  fresh basil 1 tbsp dried oregano 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1) Wash and chop tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1cm) pieces put in pot  2)Combine garlic, white wine, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, basil and oregano tomatoes in a deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil; reduce heat. Stirring occasionally, boil gently, covered, 5 minutes.  3)Remove from heat. Stir in Olive oil 4) Chill for  at least 2 hours. Bruschetta chicken 3 1/2 cups prepared bruschetta (If your bruschetta does not contain olive oil you will need to add 2tbsp) 6 Bone in chicken breasts Optional: Parmesan cheese, or fake parmesan cheese Salt, Pepper Remove the skin from your chicken breasts, wash well Drain  1 1/2 cups liquid from bruschetta, reserve Put remain bruschetta back to chill Place chicken in large plastic bag or marinating tub, pour in bruschetta liquid, Place chicken bag in fridge for at least 1 hour no longer than four. Preheat oven to 375F Place chicken bone side up and liquid in oiled glass pan cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, Take bruschetta out of fridge, bring to room temp, Flip chicken so breast side is up  Pour bruschetta over chicken and bake for 15 more minutes or until internal temp of chicken is 165 If you are using real cheese in last five minutes  sprinkle cheese over everything. Serve on a bed of sauteed spinach with rice.

Crock pot pumpkin pie oat pudding

Yesterday was Samhain. We celebrate it together as a family with a special meal and family time, I had all sorts of plans to make pumpkin tarts with the pumpkin puree from the other day. I ran out of time so I thought for a minute and came up with this recipe, it is like a rice pudding but made with steel cut oats. It isn't very sweet, so if you like your desserts really sweet add some more maple syrup :) I didn't take any pictures of the steps this time as I was all about spending as much time with our family as possible.

Enjoy!

What is your favourite special dessert?

Crock pot pumpkin pie oat pudding


1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup cut steel cut oats
1 apple diced
1/4 cup organic unsweetened raisins
4 cups non dairy milk  (I used half Quiona and half coconut)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Epicure makes a really great one)
2 tbsp maple syrup

Whisk pumpkin, spice and maple syrup into milk,
Put milk mixture into Crockpot
Place in Crockpot, Heat on high for 2 hours (If on high make sure you stir often) or low for 4-6

Alternate: For gluten free just make sure your oats and spice is gluten free :)

How to roast a Pumpkin

Pumpkin roasting is more time consuming than difficult, it is worth it in the end. Don't use the large pumpkins sold for carving, I have been told they are stringy and bitter (I personally have never tried to roast them so I have no idea what they would taste like, Have you? If so I would love to hear about it!)


How to roast a pumpkin


Pie pumpkin medium size (I used a sugar pie pumpkin)


Preheat oven to 400f

Nice medium size pie pumpkin

Wash pumpkin, dry pumpkin,
Break off stem or slice top off pumpkin.

Pumpkin sliced in half

With a serrated knife cut pumpkin in half.
Scoop out all the seeds and pulp, I first tried using a grapefruit spoon but found that the ice cream scoop worked MUCH better

Put pumpkin skin side down in a pan and roast for one hour until a knife slides in smoothly and it smells done.

Roasted Pumpkin

How to roast a pumpkin


Pie pumpkin medium size (I used a sugar pie pumpkin)



1) Preheat oven to 400F
2) Wash pumpkin, dry pumpkin,
3) Break off stem
4) With a serrated knife cut pumpkin in half
5) Scoop out all the seeds and pulp, I first tried using a grapefruit spoon but found that the ice cream scoop worked MUCH better
6) Put pumpkin skin side down in a pan and roast for one hour until a knife slides in smoothly and it smells done.
7) Let pumpkin cool 10 minutes
8) Now you are ready to use it in a recipe or Puree it.

You can puree a pumpkin by dicing it into 2 inch square pieces and processing in a Victorio food strainer. If you don't have a food strainer you can peel the pumpkin and process it in a blender or food processor.

Pumpkin Bacon Soup

I love pumpkin, I love pumpkin granola, pumpkin spice lattes (I have been making them all season long at home with real pumpkin) I love pumpkin baked goods and especially love pumpkin seeds. Surprisingly enough I have never made a pumpkin soup. I decided to branch out and create a recipe that my family would enjoy. Orion loved his pumpkin soup, I don't think he has ever met a soup he hasn't enjoyed. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did  :)

How do you like your pumpkin?






Pumpkin Bacon Soup


1 apple (I used ambrosia) (Halved and cored)

Yes, I realize that I am missing ingredients in the
picture, I made this recipe up as I went.

1 small pie pumpkin (Mine are called sugar pie) or 3 cups of puree
1 head garlic minced
1 medium onion minced
1 cup organic baby carrots


7 slices low sodium bacon, diced
4 cups chicken broth ( I use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Chicken broth)

3 tsp Epicure Gingerbread spice
1 tsp Himalayan fine ground salt
1\2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground thyme

1 1/2 cups Quiona Milk (Or your favourite non dairy milk)



Roast pumpkin according to pumpkin roasting directions. Meanwhile in a glass pan, place carrots and apples roast  at 400f  for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Roasted pumpkin, apple and carrots

Remove apple, pumpkin and carrots from oven. Let cool 10 min,



Process  apples and carrots through Victorio food strainer.

Pumpkin ready for the strainer

Dice pumpkin into 2 inch squares,
 Process through Victorio food strainer, (No need to peel if using the food strainer) (If you do not have a food strainer, peel pumpkin then process in a food processor)

Pumpkin processed through the Victorio

Mmm, crispy bacon!

In your soup pot fry bacon until crispy on medium heat, remove bacon, drain most of the fat leave about 2 tbsp, fry onions and garlic until translucent.

First cup of broth added

Pour 1 cup chicken broth in  pot  over medium low heat scraping the bottom of the pot to get all the bits off.











Put apple carrot mixture with bacon in pot, stir well, add spices.
Add rest of chicken broth, pumpkin and maple syrup, Stir well.
 Simmer for 20 min stirring occasionally.

Mix in Quiona Milk and bring to simmer again for 5 min. . Serve with freshly ground pepper and salt.

Yum!

Pumpkin Bacon Soup


1 apple (I used ambrosia) (Halved and cored)
1 small pie pumpkin (Mine are called sugar pie) or 3 cups of puree
1 head garlic minced
1 medium onion minced
1 cup organic baby carrots


7 slices low sodium bacon, diced
4 cups chicken broth ( I use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Chicken broth)

3 tsp Epicure Gingerbread spice
1 tsp Himalayan fine ground salt
1\2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground thyme

1 1/2 cups Quiona Milk (Or your favourite non dairy milk)





1) Roast pumpkin according to pumpkin roasting directions. Meanwhile in a glass pan, place carrots and apples roast  at 400f  for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2) Remove apple, pumpkin and carrots from oven. Let cool 10 min,

Process  apples and carrots through Victorio food strainer.

 3) Dice pumpkin into 2 inch squares, Process through victorio food strainer, (No need to peel if using the food strainer) (If you do not have a food strainer, peel pumpkin then process in a food processor)

4) In your soup pot, fry bacon until crispy on medium heat, remove bacon, drain most of the fat leaving about 2 tbsp, fry onions and garlic until translucent.

 5) Pour 1 cup chicken broth in  pot  over medium low heat scraping the bottom of the pot to get all the bits off.

6) Put apple carrot mixture with bacon in pot, stir well, add spices.

7) Add rest of chicken broth, pumpkin and maple syrup, Stir well.

8) Simmer for 20 min stirring occasionally.

9) Mix in Quiona Milk and bring to simmer again for 5 min.

10) Serve with freshly ground pepper and salt.

To make Gluten free do not use Quiona milk as it contains oats, use your favourite GF milk.

The bacon in this soup does not stay crispy, if you would like in step 4 when you remove your bacon do not add it back in in step 6. Save your bacon until just before you serve and use it as a garnish.

Cooking Pinto Beans in a rice cooker

I will be making Mexican turkey lasagna for dinner tonight. One of the key elements of it is beans. When I have time I like to skip the tinned beans and make them from dried beans.  Some benefits of making your own are; the salt content can be lowered, I know exactly what is in them, they are much cheaper, last but not least they just taste better :) I just love the look of dried pinto beans, they are such a pretty bean.

Beans are such a versatile food, what is your favourite way to use beans?



Before you start anything else, wash your beans, dig through them and pick out any items that do not belong.
Next you need to soak your beans

You can either soak them overnight or do the quick soak method. To soak overnight you take your beans, put them in a bowl cover them with 3 parts water 1 part beans, cover and leave them for 12 hours.


I have a habit of never remembering to soak my beans overnight so I do the quick soak method.Take your beans put them in a pot, pour in the water for soaking. Bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes. Turn off burner, let beans soak for one hour.
Beans should be nicely plumped by now, strain and RINSE well. (I find that if I forget to rinse, the beans are more gas causing)

Beans after the quick soak method, look how nice and plump they are!

Rinsed beans ready for the Rice Cooker!

 Place in rice cooker with water for cooking, garlic and onion powder, Stir.

Beans ready to be cooked

Turn rice cooker to "Cook" (this is important, I have forgotten to flip the switch from warm to cook, you end up with well soaked crunchy beans when you are ready to eat ;) )

Keep an eye on it stirring occasionally add more water if needed.

Cook until beans are soft, the time really depends on how fresh your dried beans are. My beans are fairly fresh and usually take about 45min- 1 1/2 hours.
They are done when they are soft all the way through, with no crunch. I always eat one to check. Add Salt, Pepper and Chipotle chili powder to taste.

Cooked Pinto Beans Ready to eat or use in your recipes.

Rice Cooker Pinto Beans
Yield: 2 cups cooked pinto beans
3/4 cup pinto beans
3 cup water for soaking
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
3 cups water for cooking
Salt and pepper to taste
Chipotle Chili powder to taste

Wash and sort your beans.

1) Take your beans put them in a pot, pour in the water for soaking. Bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes. Turn off burner, let beans soak for one hour.


2) Beans should be nicely plumped by now, strain and RINSE well. (I find that if I forget to rinse, the beans are more gas causing)

3) Place in rice cooker with water for cooking, garlic and onion powder, Stir.

4) Turn rice cooker to "Cook" (this is important, I have forgotten to flip the switch from warm to cook)

5) Keep an on it stirring occasionally add more water if needed.

6) Cook until beans are soft, the time really depends on how fresh your dried beans are. My beans are fairly fresh and usually take about 45min- 1 1/2 hours.
They are done when they are soft all the way through, with no crunch. I always eat one to check. Add Salt, Pepper and Chipotle chili powder to taste.

Alternate: You can add the salt in step 3, I don't because I have  a tendency to over salt this way. I have found that adding salt when they are cooking does not make them tough.

First post on a new blog!

Welcome to my new blog!

After much discussion with my husband I have decided to  create a blog to document my cooking adventures. We have some pretty severe allergies in our house which makes cooking a challenge sometimes. I have been forced to get creative and adapt recipes to suit our needs. My bookmarks list is getting a little too long and my pinterest board is a jumble of mislabelled delicious pictures. I know much of my inspiration comes from reading various blogs, therefore I decided to put myself out there with my own blog. Some topics I hope to cover here are; Cooking with allergies (O has serious allergies to dairy, eggs, sesame, fish and nuts.) (I am allergic to most nuts and fish, with a mild dairy allergy) Exciting new product option I find that work well with our multiple allergies, How to eat within your means (But still allergy safe), Preserving food. I aspire to have a searchable library of safe recipes. Thank you for taking to time to read my blog and I hope you and yours will benefit in some manner from it!

-Marika