September Favorites

1. Vegan Spicy Pumpkin Chai Latte 

It always bummed bums me out when Fall rolls around and the pumpkin chai comes out at coffee shops. There is something about processed, bottle chai concentrate that doesn't agree with me. But luckily there is away around this! I made this incredibly spicy, frothy pumpkin chai latte. I never thought to use my immersion blender to make foam, but it works great! I will certainly be making this again! //Fo Reals Life

2. Vegetable Loaded Chili

I'm finally done with my summer squash surplus! I'm surprised to say it's quite a relief and that I'm ready to move on to winter squashes. This chili was super easy, delicious, packed with vegetables, and incredibly spicy! I added a few dashes of liquid smoke to take the edge off. This chili is a great way to clean out your fridge and freezer by using all your vegetables. It's also freezer friendly! //Oh My Veggies! 

 3. Cajun Oven Fries

I finally shared my "secret" recipe for Cajun oven fries! It's one of the things I've missed since going GF and I am a potato fiend, obviously. These fries are so easy and delicious. We made them twice this month to pair with these amazingly vegan quick burgers. I suggest you do the same! //here!

 4. Vegan Cinnamon-Apple French Toast

There's something so comforting about warm, spiced fruit. This vegan French toast was surprisingly filling and easy to make. I used pears for the warm fruit compote and GF bread. I also ran out of bread, so I used waffles for the rest of the French toast batter. Yay for improvising! //Vegetarian Times

5. Kale Powered Pasta

Recently, Mike and I have been trying out a vegan/soy-free/GF meal plan from the Happy Herbivore. They include easy, cheap, and delicious recipes for every meal. We haven't been following it to a T just yet, but so far, it has been a huge time saver for us. This pasta was one of the recipes that made a TON and was super nutritious! We just cooked an entire bag of GF pasta, then added in a chopped bell pepper and a bunch of kale in the last few minutes of cooking. After we drained the pasta, we returned it to the pot and added a jar of Trader Joe's no-salt-added marinara, spices, herbs, etc. 

6. Slow-Cooker Elvis Oatmeal

I received a 2 qt (smaller) slow-cooker for my birthday last year and have been meaning to use it more. I have used it a few times for smaller dishes, but oatmeal works great in it. I finally bought some GF steel cut oats and decided to try it out. You put your oatmeal in the slow-cooker to cook before bed, and when you wake up: Voila! Instant breakfast. I enjoyed the texture and this oatmeal was enough for three servings. So I ate it for breakfast a few days that week, which was a huge time saver! It reheated wonderfully! The blog I got this recipe from has written both of the slow-cooker books I own (one is only for 2qts!) and she has many oatmeal recipes besides this one! //Healthy Slow Cooking

7. Pad Thai

Why has it taken me so long to make pad Thai? I keep asking myself this. Pad Thai is one of my favorite dishes of all time, when it's me-friendly of course. I finally decided to try Happy Herbivore's recipe and it's quick, easy, scrumptious, and easily adaptable. I can't really tell you how simple this is. It's cheaper than getting take out! I added Twin Oak's premarinated Thai tofu, shredded carrots, and shredded red cabbage. I highly suggest serving it with cilantro, lime wedges, and lots of sriracha. //Happy Herbivore

8. Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

So I obviously went a little pumpkin crazy one weekend when I made these and the pumpkin spice chai above. I don't go nuts for pumpkin as much as I do winter squash. But, I couldn't resist making us a special autumn breakfast. These pancakes were simple to pull together, but they make a TON of pancakes. I was eating these for breakfast for days (which isn't the worst problem to have...). These are perfect with maple syrup, warm fruit, and a hot cup of tea. //Allyson Kramer

9. Buffalo Chickpea Loaded Potato

I have made this dish before, but I just can't get over how easy it is. Actually, I don't think I can get over how much I love buffalo sauce. Buffalo smothered chickpeas cooked with caramelized onions, stuffed in a fluffy baked potato and served with a side of steamed kale. What more do you want for dinner?! This recipe comes together quickly and is a hearty autumn meal. //Naturally Ella

10. Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh

I've become a little obsessed with finding different ways to cook tempeh. Recently, I have really enjoyed cooking it with Asian recipes. I've had my eye on this recipe for a long time, but kept pushing it aside because of the mirin. I finally gave in and bought some (it's not that bad!) to keep around for Asian dishes. If you have a well stocked "international" pantry, this recipe is super easy to make. Sweet orange juice pairs with soy sauce, mirin, garlic and more to make a delicious twist on Asian tempeh. I highly recommend serving it with rice, lime wedges, and a steamed vegetable. //101 Cookbooks

(814) the october country

It has gotten quite cold around here lately. I know that the temperatures will fluctuate, as usual, but for now I can enjoy the slightly cold weather and try to brace myself for the cold! 

using some more green smoothie cups with extra honey, flax, and peanut butter for a healthy breakfast after a night of pizza and beer.

I used the rest of the pumpkin hummus I made last week to make a healthy lunch: sandwich with hummus, tomato, and mesculun greens. I really wish I would've put avocado on here! 

my tidy little autumn kitchen. note the pumpkin dish towel!

Things I do while baking: 1.//Line up all of my tools and ingredients. 2.//Make fresh dish water to clean as I go. This is a great time saver and you can actually relax while your baked goods are in the oven. 3.//Baking and cooking for me is impossible with out good music. This particular morning, I put my apron on right out of bed, so I needed Fleet Foxes to coax me out of my sleepiness.

I love banana bread. This is a known fact. Apparently, almost none of my co-workers care for it (which is fine because I have eaten almost 3/4 of it by myself). I love all different types of banana bread: walnut, lemon olive oil from Heidi, chocolate chip banana bread...but Deb's crackly banana bread with millet takes the cake, or bread in this case. It uses coconut oil, maple syrup, and raw millet for the perfect crunch. This is my favorite so far. I subbed: 1/2 C sorghum flour, 1/2 C tapioca starch, 1/2 C millet flour (trust me), and 1.5 tsp xanthan gum.

Pho dinner with my favorite people.

Leftovers for a cold rainy lunch = win

If you have 10 or so minutes, then I suggest you make this polenta dish. It took no time to put together and I added extra vegan butter and red pepper flakes. I actually ate the leftovers for breakfast and it was lovely! A really nice, warm meal. 

I have been eyeing this steamer for a while now. I decided to use some of my almond milk before it goes out today. The only things I changed was adding cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice!) to the hot milk, and a touch of brown sugar. I also let a pumpkin chai tea bag steep in there for about 7-8 minutes. It was so perfect! Next time I will try to make foam at home. We'll see...

I have neglected and hated tofu for so long now, until I realized it's just one of those things you have to know how to cook properly. Tofu is cheap, cheaper than meat is (at least to me) and has so much protein. I have been trying to eat tofu, tempeh and even mushrooms (which I used to hate) every week now. I made tofu breakfast wraps and am amazed. It uses nutritonal yeast, I used 1/4 C GF all-purpose flour to sub for regular flour, onion and garlic powder, GF soy sauce for Braggs, and tumeric. It was so easy to put together and delicious with salsa on top. I am considering making a huge batch of these and freezing them for later.