BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER

With the Superbowl only about a week away I'm sure that you're all wondering what vegan appetizer to serve at your big game day party.

Well you're in luck. Below is a delicious recipe for my Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings.

As a non-meat eater it's sometimes hard to find the perfect vessel for your favorite condiments. Without chicken in my life I've found baked cauliflower to be a great replacement for everyone's favorite football snack.

Ingredients:

Photo Courtesy of PETA

1 head of chopped cauliflower                                        
1 cup of water
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste
3/4 cup of your favorite buffalo sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, line a baking sheet with tinfoil/parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2.  Mix water and flour together and season mixture with salt/pepper/garlic powder. Mixture should be thick enough to coat the cauliflower.
3. Dip individual cauliflower florets into the flour mixture. Dip the florets heavy side down not stem side down and allow excess flour to drip off of the florets.
4. Place florets on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cauliflower coating should be browning and slightly crispy.
5. After the 20-25 minutes remove the cauliflower from the pan since there will probably be debris leftover. Move the florets to a bowl and coat with buffalo sauce.
6. Place buffalo covered cauliflower back on clean baking sheet and bake for 10 additional minutes.
7. Serve hot with blue cheese/ranch dressing

HOMEMADE WINE CHARMS

I'm not sure what happens at your house over the holidays but at mine no one can ever remember which glass of wine is theirs. There are constantly floaters being left around the room that waste wine and dishes.

This year my family came up with the great idea to use gift tags as wine charms. This is a cheap way to help your guests remember which glass is theirs. It's a great idea for the holidays, winter parties and birthday get-togethers.

You can find great gift tags at places like Target, Michael's Craft Store and Papyrus or check Pinterest on how to make your own. 

Gift tags from Target

Homemade gift tag from Pinterest

BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH DIJON MUSTARD

It's funny that you can hate a food so much as a child but can learn to love it as an adult. Throughout the Winter months I can't eat enough brussel sprouts. I usually roast them with garlic and oil but recently I tried something a little different. By simply mixing semi-tender sprouts with a little butter and mustard you can add a luxurious twist to a Winter staple.

 Photo courtesy of worldcommunitycookbook.com

Ingredients:

1 pound brussel sprouts

2 tbl unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut brussel sprouts in half and discard wilted outer leaves.

2. Place sprouts in a covered pan with about 1/4 cup of water.

3. Steam on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes.

4. Drain excess water from pan.

5. Add butter, mustard and seasonings. 

6. Saute until all ingredients have blended and sprouts are golden in color.

VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD

Vegan pumpkin bread with nuts is perfect for a Fall or Winter breakfast. If you prefer dessert, add dark chocolate chips to this recipe and indulge after dinner.

Since baking relies on exact measurements I found a recipe for a vegan pumpkin bread online and just made it my own. This recipe is inspired from the blog "Little House On The Vegan Prairie."

Ingredients:
makes one 9 inch loaf

1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
3 flax eggs (I use Bob's Red Mill products...if not vegan you can use regular eggs)

 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup soy, almond or skim milk (I used soy)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (for the top)

Directions:
Usually while baking I just throw everything together and it always tastes great. For this recipe I actually put on my baking hat and mixed the wet and dry ingredients separately. Do what you like. The only directions really worth knowing are:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch bread pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients, then mix together. Spoon mixture into pan.
3. Add chopped nuts to the top of the loaf.
4. Bake for about 60 minutes or until toothpick (fork) in the center comes out clean.

 (Also let me preface...any picture I take on my blog will not be great. This is because I have no light in my little closet apartment and I own about 4 dishes....thanks).

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

I try really hard to eat local and seasonal foods. Seasonal food usually tastes better than out of season produce and you're also helping the environment by not eating foods that have traveled halfway across the country or world. 

For me, the hardest time to eat seasonally is during the Winter months. I mean how many root vegetables can you eat? Tonight, I tried to be a little creative and experimented with Acorn Squash. Acorn Squash is high in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. It also makes a hearty and healthy winter meal.

Below are the ingredients for my wild rice and sage stuffed acorn squash.

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 cup of wild rice

1 butternut squash
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
8-10 sprigs of fresh sage
salt/pepper
olive oil

Directions

Start by slicing the acorn squash in half. To make this easier slice a small piece off the bottom of the squash so it sits evenly. Scoop out the seeds of the squash and place the two halves on a baking sheet. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the squash halves with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil. Bake for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes based on the size of the squash.

For the rice mixture begin by boiling 1 cup of wild rice with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick together. While the rice is boiling lightly toast a 1/4 cup of pine nuts in a dry pan. Pine nuts burn very easily so watch them closely and flip often. It will only take 1 or 2 minutes to toast.

Set the nuts aside and add two teaspoons of olive oil to the pan. Heat the oil then add the fresh sage. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the sage is crisp. Save the leftover oil.

When the rice is tender (30/35 minutes) mix the leftover sage oil with the rice, toasted pine nuts and fried sage. I chopped my fried sage into little pieces but you could leave them whole if you prefer.

Stuff the acorn squash with the sage rice mixture.

POST-THANKSGIVING DETOX SMOOTHIE

The morning after Thanksgiving most of us are still feeling the repercussions of overindulging on our favorite holiday foods. To help get rid of the turkey day bloat try Dianna's detox smoothie. My Stepmom Dianna made these for the whole family this morning. It looks scary but actually taste delicious.

Ingredients (all the measurements are estimates, I don't think smoothie making is an exact science)

1cup Aloe Vera juice (aids in digestion)

1/2 cup pure blueberry juice 

Mix of greens (2 handfuls of spinach and 2 handfuls of kale)

Handful of fresh or frozen blueberries

Handful of wheat grass

1 banana 

To make, blend and enjoy.

MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS

My favorite products will be a recurring post whenever I find a few household/food items to recommend. Below are a few products that I recently discovered. Let me know what you think.

Pereg Quinoa

Quinoa is an extremely healthy seed that's high in protein, iron and B12. In spite of Quinoa's nutritional benefits it can sometimes taste bland. Pereg Quinoa is pre-seasoned, all natural and delicious. It contains only spices and dried vegetables and comes in a variety of flavors.

The Bee's Knees

This product is made by Peanut Butter and Co. It's a mix a creamy peanut butter and sweet honey. It's not as healthy as most natural peanut butters that simply contain peanuts and salt but, it is still much better for you than brands like Jiffy, Peter Pan and Skippy. If you want a healthy peanut butter but need a little sweetness this is the brand for you. I love eating it on green apples or mixed in with my oatmeal. 

                                  Yogi Lemon Ginger Tea

Yogi is probably my favorite brand of teas. There are tons of flavors, they taste great and each tea bag has a inspirational message on its string. I like to relax with a cup of lemon ginger tea before bed or drink it when I have an upset stomach.