Breakfast Of Course

Holy cow Batman! I haven't posted in ages. I have been slacking. To be honest, I just haven't been in the cooking mood. The things I have cooked recently are regulars in our household and are already on the blog. This morning, though, I was feeling adventurous. I've been craving pumpkin lately, I have no idea why, and so I made baked pumpkin oatmeal. Top it with some warm syrup and it's heavenly!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
What You Need:

• 2 1/2 cups dry oats
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cup (vanilla soy) milk
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 tsp cinnamon (plus some to sprinkle on the top) 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients, the canned pumpkin, and the oats in a bowl, then cover the bottom of your casserole dish with the oat mixture. 
3. Mix the milk, syrup, and vanilla in another bowl. Pour this mixture over the oats. Top it with the raisins and if you're a cinnamon fanatic like me, sprinkle more cinnamon on the top. 
4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with warm syrup. 

I'm sure you're wondering what is in my mug. Okay okay, I'll tell you. It's my vanilla mocha latte :) It is 1/4th chocolate almond milk, 1/4th vanilla soy milk, and half coffee which equals pure joy in a cup. 

Spinach Baked Ziti

I'm pleased to announce that I have gone local and haven't been to Starbucks in days! Days yall! That's a long time for me during exams week. Instead, I have been going to a new coffee shop downtown called the Scullery. It's quieter than Starbucks, therefore, more conducive to studying and writing papers. And, of course, it's a local business.

And all of that has nothing to do with the recipe I'm sharing today. Today I'm sharing spinach baked ziti. I use to make it all the time and it was always a huge hit and impressed my (college) friends. I made it so often that I grew tired of it and just now made it for Chris for the first time, and we've been together for nearly three years. Chris devoured it so I'm assuming it was a huge hit for him as well.

Spinach Baked Ziti
What You Need:

• 1 lb/1 package ziti
• 8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 8 oz chopped mushrooms
• 8 oz shredded (vegan) mozzarella 
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 1 lb tofu, mashed

The Process: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook ziti according to packaging. 
2. In a large bowl mix the spinach, mushrooms, 1/2 of mozzarella, 1/2 sauce and the tofu. Once pasta is cooked, add it to the mixture. 
3. Put the mixture into your casserole dish. Cover with the remaining pasta sauce and top it with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 

We had ours with a whole wheat Italian bread loaf and a spinach salad. 

Yummy Breakfast

Hello again, I feel like I haven't posted in ages. I've been working more and cooking less so I felt like I had nothing to contribute. But today, I have a delicious oatmeal breakfast to share with yall! I found the original recipe here at Kate's Recipe Box and just knew I had to create a vegan version.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
What You Need:

• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup (almond) milk
• 1/4 cup cinnamon applesauce
• 2 tbsp melted (vegan) margarine
• 1 large apple or two small apples, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup raisins

The Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray your casserole dish with cooking oil. 
2. In a medium bowl mix the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl mix the syrup, milk, applesauce, and margarine.
3. Put the apple pieces on the bottom of the dish along with half of the raisins. Cover with the oat mixture the distribute the milk mixture over the oats. Top it off with the remaining raisins. Bake for 35 minutes. 

I especially loved how the house smelled while it was baking. 

My First Feature!

This past week I had my first feature! I am thrilled! Savannah's Savory Bites featured my Mexican Casserole. If you're interested in seeing the Feature Friday I was featured in just click here.

Tonight, Christopher made dinner because I was nervous about it. We had an adaption of Spicy Beans on Baked Sweet Potato from Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day. I am sad to say I have never cooked a sweet potato before. After watching Chris do it, I now know it is way easy and I can't believe I was afraid to cook this.

Spicy Beans on Baked Sweet Potato
What You Need:

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 13 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 large zucchini, cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, cubed
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 2 cans red kidney beans
• (vegan) Sour cream and (vegan) shredded cheddar cheese for toppings

The Process: 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the sweet potatoes, add slits with a knife and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 1-1.5 hours, or until soft. 
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and spices, and cook for another minute.
3. Add the tomato, stock, vegetables and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat slightly, and cook for another 10-15 minutes. 
4. To serve, cut the cooked sweet potatoes in half lengthways. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the top. Finish it off with the sour cream and cheddar cheese. 

 

Spring is Near!

The forecast for later this week is all upper 70's and sunny! I am so excited to start really working on my garden. I've been on the prowl for some pallets. I've been feeling extra college broke lately so I'm not quite ready to go buy some, but I just may end up doing that if I don't find any in the next couple of weeks.

I got home from my internship a little early tonight so I was excited to be able to make a slightly more complicated dinner. By complicated, I mean I roasted my own red peppers. It is another slow cooker recipe, which I love. It is loosely based off of a recipe from Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way.

Roasted Pepper Pasta Bake
What You Need:

• 1 lb whole wheat elbow shells
• 1 large onion, diced
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup (soy) mozzarella 
• 1 red bell pepper
• Savory (a seasoning that came with the spice rack) and black pepper to taste

The Process:

1. Cook pasta until it's chewy but not ready. Set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, put 1 tbsp olive oil in a heated pan. Cook onion and fennel seeds until onions are soft.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and crushed garlic. Bring to a boil. 
4. Pour the tomato mix in a slow cooker. Add the pasta and mix. Top with the mozzarella. Cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. 
5. 30 minutes before the pasta bake is ready, slice the red pepper. Place on aluminum foil with some olive oil. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
6. Top the pasta bake with the roasted pepper and seasoning. Enjoy :)