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Two Quick Recipes

September 8, 2016

Two Quick Recipes
aka Autumn Denial

This summer has been a big one and I apologize to my blog for my neglect. The season brought on a lot of adventures and a lot of change. I have a hard time saying goodbye to summer. So please put away your scarves and your pumpkin spiced everything.
It’s still summer.

Tempeh Lettuce Watermelon

I have two simple recipes for you today. The first one is hard to call a recipe because it’s just putting together a sandwich. We call it a BL Dubs – (Tempeh) Bacon, Lettuce, and Watermelon. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. When my husband and I have this for dinner we have a rule not to look at each other. Between every bite we mumble, “This is so good.” It’s quite messy, but so worth it.

Tempeh Lettuce Watermelon 2

The second recipe, Blueberry Peach Crisp, made several appearances throughout the summer because it was SO extremely easy to put together for a quick and satisfying dessert. It keeps well in the refrigerator and can be made ahead of time. For an extra touch I added whipped cream by skimming off the top of chilled coconut milk (from a can) and mixed it in the blender with a few tablespoons of maple syrup and a little vanilla. Of course ice cream is another option, but I’ve also had this for breakfast on occasion with yogurt.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

This crisp is extremely easy to adapt. You may want it sweeter, less oats, a different flour, or more butter. I encourage you to play around with it. I’m excited to try this with different seasonal fruits.

Blueberry Peach Crisp 2

I hope you enjoy the end of the summer produce with these two recipes.

BL Dubs
(for one sandwich)

Ingredients:
3 pieces of tempeh bacon – Lightlife Fakin’ Bacon is my favorite
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 pieces of bread, toasted
Vegenaise
1 piece of lettuce
1 slice of watermelon, about ¼” slice with rind cut off

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your tempeh bacon on the sheet in rows. Baste the pieces on both sides with olive oil using a pastry bush. Bake for 8 minutes, turn, bake for another 8 minutes, or until crispy. Cut pieces of bacon so that they are able to fit on the sandwich.
  2. Spread as much Vegenaise as your heart desires onto the toast. (Vegenaise is so much better than the mayonnaise from a jar.)
  3. Assemble the rest of the ingredients on the bread.

Blueberry Peach Crisp
(serves 6)

Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen blueberries
4 large peaches, medium dice
2 cups of rolled oats
¾ cup of rice flour
¼ cup of Earth Balance (or butter), melted
½ cup of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of vanilla
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. In an 8”x8” pan combine the blueberries and diced peaches.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl combine the remaining ingredients until they are well blended. Layer on top of the fruit.
  4. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the top has browned and the center is warm.

Tip: An easy way to tell if it’s warm is to stick a fork in the middle for 5 second and when you take it out place the prongs on your hand. If it’s warm, the entire crisp is warm.

Question: What food was the highlight of your summer? Mine was a chocolate croissant from a bakery in Paris. Heart eyes emoji.

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Breakfast Dessert Gluten Free Recipes Vegetarian

Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding

March 27, 2016

Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding
AKA – Bre’s Chia Pudding

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If you’re reading this blog you probably know that I’m obsessed with my niece. We don’t look very much alike, but you know we’re related based on two characteristics:

  • We think we’re hilarious – she cracks herself up and I crack myself up.
  • Our sleep habits – we hate going to bed and we hate waking up.

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I procrastinate quite a bit before I go to bed. It’s typically a ritual that goes something like…

  • Complain about going to bed
  • Get a snack
  • Declare I hate going to bed
  • Look in the fridge
  • Think of an idea for a recipe!
  • Get into bed
  • Oops, I need a glass of water!
  • Get back to bed and toss and turn for a good 45 minutes
  • Sleep
  • Wake up and scowl at my mom when she says, “Good morning, MariSunshine!”

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Last week, as I was going through my bedtime rituals, I came up with this recipe thanks to the help of Oh She Glows and my Flavor Bible. I’ve had some lavender in my cabinet for a few months and have been wondering how to use it. At Christmastime I made some lavender almonds, but was stumped after that. My Flavor Bible suggested combining it with blueberry and almond and that’s how this pudding was created.

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My niece loves to help in the kitchen and this was a perfect recipe for her to help measure, stir, shake, and get her hands dirty with the left over almond pulp.

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A few notes about this recipe:

  • You’ll make the almond milk first. If you don’t have a nutmilk bag, you can use cheesecloth. You also can skip the second straining, but it makes the milk significantly smoother. I love these dishtowels for this step. They’re super handy for a lot of kitchen tasks, especially drying produce.
  • Making your own almond milk is pricey. If you’d like to cut costs you could use prepared almond milk and blend it with the lavender.
  • A cautionary word on chia seeds – While they’re very healthy (high in protein, fiber, and omega-3s), some can’t digest them.
  • If you can’t digest chia seeds, replace the chia with raw oats for “overnight oats” (the ratio of milk to oats is usually 1:1).

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Lavender Blueberry Chia Pudding
Makes 2, 1 cup servings

Ingredients:
½ cup of almonds, soaked overnight
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of lavender, culinary grade
2 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked about an hour
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
pinch of salt
¼ cup of chia
½ cup of blueberries – I used frozen since they’re not in season
Maple syrup to taste – I use about a tablespoon per serving

Directions:

  1. Rinse soaked almonds to remove any residue.
  2. Make almond milk: In a high-speed blender (hello Vitamix cult members!), combine soaked almonds, water, lavender, dates, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean. Blend on high for at least one minute.
  3. Place a nut milk bag over a bowl and pour almond milk mix through the bag. Squeeze the bag to remove any left over liquid.
  4. Optional step: Filter the milk again through a fine cloth to make an especially smooth milk.
  5. Place chia in a bowl or jar and slowly stir in the prepared milk with a fork.
  6. Chill until desired consistency (at least an hour), stirring occasionally. I like to put mine in a jar and shake it every time I go in the refrigerator… about every 15 minutes.
  7. Add blueberries and maple syrup

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