Tag Archives: sauce

Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes

Truth be told, I made these amazing potatoes for Super Bowl Sunday. Of course, now it’s a little late to post it, but is it ever too late to enjoy an awesome appetizer or side? I think not! I know that Cinco de Mayo is still a ways away, but these would be great for a themed party along those lines. There are a couple of components to the recipe, but it all comes together in a tasty way that won’t disappoint.

First, you have your potato. Who doesn’t like potatoes? Crazy people, that’s who. (JUST KIDDING, kind of) Baked, scooped, mashed and baked again; then drizzled with a savory queso sauce, topped with crunchy coconut bacon and some fresh pico de gallo. It’s like nachos in a potato, but slightly less crunchy and definitely easier to share. Maybe next time I’ll mash some black beans in with the potato for an extra nacho-y experience. Then, add a squeeze of lime and a few drops of hot sauce for some acidity, at least, that’s how I like it.

Of course, I had my nifty helper, Trevor there for some prep and to take care of the coconut bacon for me. I’m surprised that I was able to top any of the potatoes with it, seeing as how we couldn’t stop snacking on it! I used Fettle Vegan’s recipe as a base and added some smoked paprika, and extra liquid aminos, plus a pinch of cayenne pepper.

So, while I watched Beyonce do her incredible thang on stage for the half-time show, I munch on a couple of these potatoes and felt second-hand exhausted from watching her dance around like crazy for 15 straight minutes. I won’t lie, I was a little excited when that quick Destiny’s Child reunion happened; I loved them when I was younger! Maybe next time I’ll do jumping jacks while watching people dance on my TV, or maybe not. ;)

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Holidays, Savory Recipes

Quinoa Pasta with Creamy Garlic Sauce & Toasted Hazelnuts

Oh dear, is anyone else stressing out about the holidays like I am? Even though I have almost all of Christmas shopping done, I feel like there’s always more to do! Such as, coming up with what to eat for Christmas dinner; maybe I’ll say, “Screw it!” and make a pizza. ;) For some reason I’m not feeling totally inspired food-wise, and it could be that I just have a lot on my plate right now. (HA!) Or, maybe I’ll just make this quinoa pasta dish again.

Ingredients for Creamy Garlic Sauce

I experimented a bit with a base recipe for this a couple of weeks ago, mostly because I wasn’t entirely sure how good a tofu-based sauce would work. After feeding it to my non-vegan cousin, it was clear that this recipe was a hit. What’s great about this dish is that it can be eaten as an entrĂ©e or served as a side at a holiday dinner. Plus, there’s no added oil and it’s gluten-free! Sounds pretty solid to me.

Roasting Hazelnuts

If you would like to make this recipe even healthier, serve the creamy garlic sauce over baked spaghetti squash, which is a favorite of mine. Don’t like spinach? Use bite-size kale pieces instead. Also, one tip for reheating leftovers, add a little vegetable broth or non-dairy milk to get the sauce creamy again.

Making Creamy Garlic Sauce

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Holidays, Savory Recipes

Sweet Pumpkin Pizza

So, I hope that everyone had a cool and costumed Halloween! Can you believe that it’s November already? It’s going to be 2013 before we know it, which honestly kind of scares me. But, today is World Vegan Day! I think it is pretty awesome that we have the holiday, so have a happy one. :) Also, back to Halloween, last night I answered the door to trick-or-treaters as a witch! *cackle* While my nephew was a little soldier who was not amused by all of the pictures that we were taking together.

I remember telling you that I was going to share what I ended up carving into my pumpkin, but I’m really bummed about it. I carved a pretty scary face with sharp teeth into a rather large pumpkin and set it outside for the night; but when we brought the pumpkins back in, we thought that they’d be fine on the floor. Turns out, dogs like pumpkin. Who knew? So while I was watching an episode of Castle, Duchess (the basset hound) decided to chew off all of the teeth. Oy. I didn’t get a picture of it before hand, so I’m kind of sad. Oh well!

Also, because it is World Vegan Day, I feel that celebrating with something sweet is absolutely appropriate. This time, I’ve taken pizza and put a little twist on it, making it into some sort of elaborate pumpkin pie type of dessert; that isn’t actually elaborate at all. I hate to say it because it’s kind of embarrassing, but I may have eaten this entire thing throughout last night (as dinner) when handing out candy. O_O Oops. BUT, that should tell you how delicious it is.

This pizza has a thin layer of pumpkin on top of a slightly sweetened crust, with swirls of peanut butter sauce and chocolate, along with some crunchy chopped pecans. If that doesn’t sound fabulous, I’m not sure if you’re in the right place. :D

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Filed under Holidays, Sweet Recipes

Steamed Butternut Squash over Quinoa with Southwestern Tahini Sauce

That recipe title sure is a mouthful! And that’s not even getting to the kale part. ;) One thing that I love about steaming is that it’s so damn easy; I mean, it is pretty hard to mess it up. In this case you don’t actually need a fancy steamer, just a large pot and pan will get you on your way to enjoying a healthy and flavorful meal. Well, maybe a steamer basket for the pot, too.

Just take one look at this recipe and you can see that it’s chock full of Vitamin A from the carrots and butternut squash, plus fiber and potassium. Quinoa gives you some lean protein and fiber, as well as amino acids. This is a well-rounded meal! When everything is steaming, you can whip up the southwestern tahini sauce in mere minutes, making this dish very easy to put together. Top it off with green onions and roasted pepitas, and you’re set.

In other news, there’s supposed to be a thunderstorm tomorrow (yay!), so maybe it’ll water my seedlings that I waited very long to plant. I love it when Mother Nature does a couple of chores for me. ;)

Pretty Clouds and A late Pumpkin Seedling

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Filed under Healthy Recipes, Savory Recipes, Vegan MOFO!