Soup Time!

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I miss the comfort of chicken noodle soup, so I searched the web for a recipe to satisfy my cravings...a vegetarian, gluten free recipe!  I found a few different ones, but as usual, I couldn't find that was just what I wanted, so I made up my own! Yesterday I found lots of fresh veggies at the farmers market and today is the perfect rainy day for some homemade soup!

Happy Halloween!

The Hearty Insides

3 Carrots, peeled and chopped

6-8 Celery stalks, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, pressed

Hot peppers, season to your liking

1 8oz package of Ancient Grain Fusilli pasta(or your favorite GF pasta) 

5 cups of Swanson Vegetable Broth

2 cups of water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Heat 2T of olive oil in a stock pot, add veggies and saute 7 minutes.  Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes. Add any fresh spices you may like. Add broth and water, bring to a boil. Cook covered 6-8 minutes.  Add lemon juice and keep at on low heat. Can serve immediately, but I prefer to let it sit at least an hour.

Halloween Party Time!

My husband's work Halloween Party was this week at Wiard's Orchard and the weather threatened snow, so we had to rethink our costume ideas! Thanks to Spencer's Gifts we found these great Adventure Time pajamas! I did make myself a voice translation box and Ben made himself Jake's sword! While we didn't win best costume, I am pretty sure we were the warmest. We both had full outfits on underneath the fleece!

Shepherd's Pie Time!

We started doing a bi-weekly dinner with our friends. It has been a great way to test out my vegan, gluten free cooking and baking skills. I couldn't find a shepherd's pie recipe that got me excited, so I made up my own!

Try it, tweak it, let me know what you think!

Preheat oven to 350 

Bottom Layer:

2 cups of cooked Lentils

1 1/2 t Chipotle Chili Powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix together in a bowl, then press into the bottom of pie plate. I did bake it in the oven about 10 minutes before I added the filling.

Top Layer:

4 Large Gold Potatoes

1/4 c Nutritional Yeast

3 or 4 T of Earth balance butter

1/4 c unsweetened almond milk 
2 cloves Garlic, pressed

Salt & Pepper to taste 
Chives, chopped

Peel, cut & quarter potatoes. Boil with salt. Once soft, drain water and mash. 

The Guts:
1 T Olive Oil

Head of Celery(chopped)

2 or 3 Carrots(peeled and sliced)
Yellow Onion(chopped)

4-6 Mushrooms(sliced)

1/4 c Fresh Green Beans(chopped)
4 cloves of Garlic, pressed
1 can Diced Tomatoes with Italian herbs(drained)
1 c Vegetable Broth
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
2 t Sage

Heat oil and garlic in Wok. Saute the celery, carrots and onion until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms and green beans. Add tomatoes, veg broth, vinegar and sage. I brought to a boil and let the sauce reduce. I used a slotted spoon to get the veggies out and place them in the pie. Top with remaining sauce. 

Gently spread potatoes on top and sprinkle with chives.

Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes.

Cookie Time!

Tonight I made vegan, gluten free, banana, chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies! They are quick and easy to make, but best of all they are a healthy treat!

Try them yourself!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/gluten-free-vegan-banana-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Brownie Time!

Today I made Mexican Brownies. Normally I prefer to bake from scratch, but I am still recovering from my vacation! I used a box of dark chocolate Ducan Hines brownie mix, added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of chipotle chili powder and replaced the 1/3 cup of water with 1/3 cup of El Mole Ocho stout from New Holland's High Gravity Series(use a little, drink a lot). 

The beer is from Whole Foods, but I have visited the New Holland Brewery! Check it out here:

http://newhollandbrew.com/ 

Time to Go!

Last afternoon in Orlando. I had a fantastic trip! I ate a lot, drank even more, met some cool people and had a blast adventuring with my friends. 

Halloween Horror Night Time!

Last night my friend and I put on our Finn & Jake hats(that I made for the occasion) and went out to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights! We braved 8 haunted houses, the Bill & Ted Show and avoided getting bit by all the Walkers(aka zombies). 

For more info on Halloween Horror Nights click here:
http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando/ 

Food & Wine Time!

   

Currently visiting Orlando! Yesterday my friend and I ate and drank our way around the world at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. Being vegetarian, I was impressed with how many food options I had. They also recently opened a cart called "Terra" which featured vegan food and alcohol. 

For more on Epcot's Food & Wine Festival click here:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013-epcot-food-and-wine-festival/ 

Pumpkin Time!

My husband and I carved a pumpkin together for the first time! We got a book of Hello Kitty templates at Target. As a bonus, it came with Hello Kitty tools!

Craft Time!

I love Hello Kitty and Halloween, so when I found this pattern I knew I need to do something with it! I used the Simplicity Pattern 5151. The straps were a bit short so I added about 6 extra inches to the arms.