Category Archives: Vegan

Rhubarb Compote

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Rhubarb Compote

I can’t help myself this time of year.  As soon as rhubarb appears in the grocery store, I buy it in bulk.  I feel like I need to get my fix while it’s available, since the season always seems to end too soon.  After a recent splurge on tons of fresh rhubarb, I needed creative ideas of what to make with it.  Hello compote!  This could honestly be my new favorite food.  I can’t stop eating it!  It’s delicious on waffles and pancakes for breakfast, as a filling in crepes or blintzes, or over vanilla ice cream for dessert.  For a simple and healthy snack, try some drizzled over fresh cut strawberries.  I even stirred some adobo sauce into some reserved compote and ate it with grilled pork.  Any way you eat it, I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

Rhubarb Compote
Yield: 2 cups
Time: 15 minutes total

4 cups diced rhubarb (roughly 1¼ lbs)
½ cup sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

  1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add the rhubarb and toss to coat.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (I know, it seems weird that the mixture has no liquid in the beginning, but after a few minutes the rhubarb will start to break down and provide all the moisture you need!)
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the rhubarb time to break down a bit.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Serve warm or chilled.  I love this compote over waffles or pancakes, over vanilla ice cream with fresh cut strawberries, or straight off the spoon!

PDF to Print Recipe for Rhubarb Compote

Espresso Martini

14 Sunday Feb 2016

Posted by in Beverages, Boozy, Cocktails, Holiday, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Espresso Martini

Last year Valentine’s Day landed on the Saturday of President’s Day Weekend.  Since my husband was traveling for his annual hunting trip with his dad and brother, I decided to celebrate the holiday with one of my best girlfriends, Danielle.  We cooked dinner together, watched cheesy romantic movies, and created this delicious Espresso Martini recipe.  All in all, a great Valentine’s Day spent with a great friend!

This Valentine’s Day, I wish all of you experience lots of love and happiness, and many espresso martinis!  Cheers!

Espresso Martini
Yield:  one drink
Time:  5 minutes

1½ oz. Kahlua
3 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. freshly brewed espresso
½ to 1 oz. simple syrup (depending on your taste)
Ice
Optional:  three espresso beans

  1.  Combine the Kahlua, vanilla vodka, espresso and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.  Pack with ice.  Shake vigorously for 2 minutes.  Strain into a martini glass.  If desired, garnish with three espresso beans.

To make the simple syrup: combine equal parts water and sugar (ex: 1 cup of each) in a saucepan.  Simmer on medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Note:  An average shot glass holds 1½ ounces.

PDF to Print Recipe for Espresso Martini

Espresso Martini

Danielle and I enjoying our Espresso Martinis last Valentine’s Day!

 

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

30 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in Breakfast, Fruit, Healthy, Holiday, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

It’s rare that I create a recipe and post it within a few hours  That sort of VIP treatment is reserved exclusively for recipes that I absolutely love and want to share with you immediately.  That’s exactly what we have in this Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal!  Inspired by my favorite candle of the moment, Yankee’s Apple Pumpkin, this recipe would make the perfect breakfast tomorrow for all those amped up kiddos out there getting super excited to go trick or treating!  It’s a breakfast you can feel good about feeding your kids on a day otherwise overloaded with sugar.  Not only does it just taste like autumn, this oatmeal is also healthy and will fill them up so they don’t overindulge on Kit Kats, Skittles, M&Ms, candy corn and all their other favorite Halloween treats!  …Heck, who are we kidding?  They’re going to stuff themselves silly on candy anyhow!  But that’s what being a kid is all about.

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal
Yield:  4 servings
Time:  15 minutes

1 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
1¼ cups water
1½ cups oats (I always use Old Fashioned instead of Quick Oats)
1 apple, cored and diced
¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Optional:
maple syrup
milk

  1. Combine the apple cider and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir in the oats and turn the heat down to medium-low.
  2. Stir in the diced apple, pumpkin puree, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

I like to drizzle my oatmeal with maple syrup and skim milk before serving.  You could also try apple cider instead of milk (which would keep it vegan).  Enjoy!

PDF to Print Recipe for Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

 

Roasted Summer Fruit A La Mode

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Ice Cream Over Roasted Summer Fruit

I created this recipe by accident.  I bought tons of fresh blackberries to make blackberry mint mimosas on Mother’s Day, and I ended up with lots left over.  I knew I had a narrow window of time to use them all before they spoiled, so my first thought was to make a blackberry and rhubarb crisp–one of my all time favorites!  In the spirit of cutting out some calories as bathing suit season approaches, I decided to forego the oatmeal crisp topping (which is typically loaded with butter) and instead just toss the fruit with some brown sugar and roast it.  I had a few ripe peaches sitting on my counter, so I diced those up and threw them in too.  Although I had good intentions of keeping the dessert light and low cal, once the fruit was hot and bubbly, I couldn’t resist topping it with a scoop of low-fat vanilla bean ice cream!  The flavors tasted divine together, and they just screamed summer! Next time I make this, I’m going to stir 2 tbsp. of honey whiskey (such as Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey) into the fruit before roasting it.  It can’t hurt, right??

Roasted Summer Fruit À La Mode
Yield: 2 servings
Time:  25 minutes total

1 cup blackberries
3 peaches, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup rhubarb, diced into bite-sized pieces
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
(2 tbsp. honey whiskey*–optional)

2 to 4 scoops of your favorite ice cream**
1.  Toss together all of the fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, and whiskey (if using).  Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish.

2.  Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes.

3.  Spoon half of the mixture into a serving bowl.  Top with one or two scoops of your favorite ice cream.

* Try using Wild Turkey American Honey or Jack Daniels Honey.

** I highly recommend Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!  A fruit flavored sorbet would also be delicious.

 

PDF to Print Recipe for Roasted Summer Fruit A La Mode

PS…Did you know that “à la mode” is a French saying meaning “in style”?  Thank goodness for the French making it fashionable to top dessert with ice cream!

Homemade Applesauce

28 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Homemade Applesauce

I absolutely LOVE homemade applesauce!  It’s so easy to make that I wonder why I don’t do it more often.  I inevitably make it every year to use up the rest of my apple picking bounty, and this year is no different.  Some people get really opinionated as to what type of apples are best to use in applesauce.  I say whatever you have on hand will work perfectly!  For this batch I used a combination of Ginger Gold, McIntosh, Gala, Honeycrisp, and two other varieties that we picked at a local orchard but I forget what they’re called.

Eat it plain for breakfast or a healthy snack, or use it as a topping for Pumpkin Pancakes or waffles!

Homemade Applesauce
Yield:  about 6 cups
Time:  35 minutes total

14 apples
1 cup apple juice (or apple cider)
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
t tbsp. lemon juice

1.  Wash, peel, and core the apples.  Cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a large pot.

2.  Whisk together the apple juice (or cider) with the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice.  Pour over the apples.  Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender.

3.  Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the apples.  If you prefer your applesauce to be smooth, purée using an immersion blender or a regular blender with a kitchen towel over the vent to allow steam to escape.  Part of what I love so much about homemade applesauce is the rustic chunkiness of it, so I leave some larger pieces of apple in mine.

4.  Allow to cool before storing in glass jars or bowls.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note:  It’s irresistible served over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of caramel syrup.  YUM!

PDF to Print Recipe for Homemade Applesauce

Homemade Applesauce over waffles