Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

It’s official. I have eaten so many pumpkin pie pancakes that I am sick of them. I wasn’t sure it was possible but there comes a time, after about the 136th pancake, that the thought of eating pillowy fall-themed morsels becomes merely tolerable instead of the exciting prospect it usually is. The only reason I was able to eat 136 of these babies in the first place is because this recipe is that good. Try it and I’m sure you will agree! In fact,  I’m sure I will be hankering for some more of these bad boys in a couple days, after I no longer have the aroma of pumpkin spice emanating from my pores.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

yields one serving of 2-3 pancakes

• 1/2 cup flour (I have used both regular All-Purpose flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free AP flour and either works fine)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup almond or soy milk
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients together. In a seperate bowl  stir the pumpkin, milk and maple syrup together until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together until fully combined. Use 1/4 cup measure to put batter onto a skillet coated with canola oil. Cook one pancake at a time on medium-low heat until batter begins to bubble at the edges and then flip with a spatula. Cook the other side of the pancake until it is no longer raw in the middle (1-2 minutes) and repeat until all the batter is used up. Serve with maple syrup, almond butter or whatever you choose! 

spicy sox

Hey guys, I got a job!

Sox in the City is a pop-up shop in a restaurant that shut down on St. Marks in the East Village. While the landlords are waiting to sign a lease with a new restaurant they are selling handmade slipper-socks, wool hats and mitten0gloves, all crafted by a tribe in Afghanistan. The socks are actually the most comfortable thing in the world, I don’t want to leave my house because that means I have to take them off!

Ever pair of socks is different and they are all so beautifully made. They are actually knitted out of old sweaters imported from the U.S.! My job is pretty sweet but the doors are always open so it’s freezing cold.

Like my hat? Another perk of the job. Since I’m always so cold, and there is a Thai restaurant right across the street, all I want when I leave work is hot, spicy, greasy Thai food. Unfortunately, take-out is not friendly for my wallet or my waistline so I set out to create my own Thai-inspired meal. This recipe is by no means authentic Thai food and I hesitate to even call it that, but it contains the aspects of Thai that I crave: spicy, creamy, peanut-y and noodle-y.

Lazy “Thai” Noodles

serves 2

• 2 servings of rice noodles (I used pho noodles)
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1/4 cup hot water (it’s easy to take this from the boiling pasta water)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 package tempeh cut into triangles
• 2 carrots, peeled into thin strips
• scallions, crushed peanuts and more sriracha for garnish

Put a pot of water on to boil. Mix the sriracha, pb, tamari and ketchup in a bowl. Once the water is hot, add 1/4 cup to the sauce mixture along with the coconut milk, stir until combined and set aside. Get the noodles going in the boiling water. Put a little olive oil in frying pan and once it’s hot, add the tempeh triangles. Once they are browned, flip them over and add the carrot. When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the frying pan (turn off the heat) along with the sauce and scallions. Toss everything together with tongs until the noodles are sufficiently coated and serve it. I dare you not to enjoy this healthier-alternative to Thai takeout!

 

Raising the Bar Granola

I was walking home today and I wanted to buy granola at the farmer’s market since I had some yogurt in my fridge and nothing to go with it. Unfortunately my plan was ruined because I had no cash and was too lazy to go to the ATM. I couldn’t let my yogurt go uneaten so this granola recipe was born.

Raisin Almond Granola

• 1.5 cups rolled oats
• ¼ cup raw honey (I think any honey would do in this recipe)
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp natural creamy peanut butter
• ½  cup almonds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325F. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and combine the dry ingredients in another. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and mix with your hands until every oat is coated with the honey mixture. Spread out on a sheet pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure to periodically stir the granola around so the outer edges don’t burn. Once you take it out the over, don’t be worried if it’s not completely dry, it will crisp up as it cools.

This was honestly one of the easiest recipes I ever made; it came together in no time! I’m definitely going to make all my granola from scratch from now on. This granola recipe is also very versatile; you can use any combination of dried fruit and nuts that you want. It’s perfect for on top of Greek yogurt or as a snack all on it’s own. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Henry was not impressed my granola did not contain salmon...

Pesto Naan-za

After being vegan for about a year I have slowly been introducing animal products back into my diet over the last month. I still eat a 90% vegan diet but an egg here or there or some good quality dairy does make an occasional appearance. Last weekend I made the first non-Daiya cheese pizza I have in a very long time and it was delicious! Don’t get me wrong, I love the addictive, oily texture of processed tapioca, it’s a vegan pizza lover’s dream, but it was nice to have real cheese for a change. Wait, there’s more! What could possible make pesto pizza better, you make ask? Spinach, mushrooms, Field Roast veggie sausage and naan crust…

When I was at Whole Foods getting the ingredients to make these babies, I couldn’t find prepared pizza dough anywhere! However, I did find some whole wheat naan bread that I figured would make a suitable substitute. I am proud to say that my budding chef’s intuition was correct!

Pesto Pizza with Naan Crust

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 naans (I used Whole Foods 365 Whole Wheat Naan)
• 2 Field Roast Italian Sausages
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup organic part-skim mozzarella cheese
• About ½ cup pesto (see my recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400° and spray a baking sheet with oil.

Spread pesto on top of naans, then layer spinach, mushroom and sausage before sprinkling about ¼ cup cheese on each pizza. Put in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and slightly crispy (about 15 minutes).

 

Basil Walnut Pesto

• Approx. 4 cups fresh basil (I used a whole box from Whole Foods)
• ½ cup walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• A splash of water
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (This gives it a “cheesy” flavor)
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Blend together walnuts and basil in a food processer then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until relatively smooth. You can add more water/oil if your pesto is looking too dry. So easy right?

PESTO + PIZZA = PARTY