'Tis the season for pumpkin.

Soooooo much pumpkin.

My husband likes to remind me every fall that he's not on the "pumpkin spice fan train," but I always respond with:

What is wrong with you?

If you're like him, and you're not a HUGE fan of pumpkin but you like curry so you thought you'd check this out-- you've mad a wise decision.

Every year I stick this on our little food planner on the refrigerator at some point, every year my husband groans, and then when he comes home for dinner, he's awe-stricken.

This soup is amazing whether you're a pumpkin fan or not.

Pumpkin Curry Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

- 1-2 T Olive Oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (I usually use white)
- 3 C Vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1-2 cans of black beans, drained
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 C heavy cream (I have used anything from coconut milk to half & half to the actual cream and all taste good to me!)
- 1 Tbsp curry
- 1.5 tsp cumin (I usually reduce this to 1 tsp of the kiddos are partaking!)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne (I usually only add this if I know the kiddos won't be eating it, but 9/10 they do.)
salt to taste
chives for garnish, if desired


Directions:

- Using a large pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil until nearly clear and oil is not visible.
- Add your broth/stock, tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add your cream/milk and spices.
- Bring to a slow boil again before reducing heat to low. Option to serve immediately or sit, with random stirrings, as long as needed.
- Garnish with green onions (so yummy, just not pictured) and enjoy!

It's been strangely "cold" in Arizona this winter season and I think I'm one of the few not complaining. At first I was a little concerned being home for the holidays, since home would usually mean shorts and maybe a sweatshirt. However, this year we got to flip the heat on and actually pull our jeans and light coats out of storage.

Since it's been abnormal weather, I've also pulled out some old recipes. This favorite is a Christmas Eve tradition, coming from my side of the family. It's perfect for sweater weather, and to me it tastes like the holidays. So if you're a little hung over from the bliss now that you've gone back to work, this is a home-cooked cure for those blues!


Ingredients:

- 1 medium white onion

- 4 stalks of celery

- 1 green pepper

- 3 TBLSP olive oil

- 1/3 C flour

- 8 C of chicken or vegetable stock/broth

- 1 bag of Uncle Ben's (or any other brand) Wild Rice Soup (the bag is easy because you can stick it in the microwave to cook it right before you need it. If you get the box or what have you, make sure to have sufficient time to cook it!)

- 1 TBLSP parsley

- 1 tsp black pepper


Directions:

- Chop up the green pepper, onion, and celery. You can either puree these in a food processor with the olive oil to make the soup thicker, or you can chop up the veggies extraordinarily finely. I have always (except once) opted to puree them, but it does work either way.

- Sautee your veggies, whichever way you prepared them, in a deep pot. Cook them for about two to three minutes, then add the flour. Mix this thoroughly until there are no separate clumps.

- Add the water or chicken broth. Cook on Medium to Medium-High heat and mix constantly until it thickens. You have to keep at it, which can be time consuming, but it will be like lumpy porridge if you don't.

- Once the mix has come to a slow boil, add the cooked rice. Mix this until the rice is distributed nicely, then add the pepper and parsley.

- Turn the soup on low, cover it, and let it simmer for around twenty minutes. Make sure to check on it and stir it as many times as possible.


This goes wonderfully with baguettes or crackers of your choosing! Also, for an extra treat: add some bacon bits. I promise you'll thank me later.

I was in the market for a new brownie recipe to try (my friend and I were sharing a craving) and was sent this via Pinterest to try. I didn't do the original (9 x 13 of brownies is way too much to have around the house), so I had to make some changes.

These. Are. Amazing.

I'm allowed to say that, right?

Also, they're not awful for you. The way I made them, there's no oil, low sugar, and plenty of chocolate.


Vegan [Banana PB] Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1 (overly ripe) mashed banana
- 1/3 C peanut butter
- 1/2 C milk (almond or soy to make it vegan)
- 2/3 C unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 tsp vanilla

- 2/3 C all purpose, unbleached flour
- 2/3 C brown sugar
- 1/2 C [special dark] cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt

- 1/2 C chocolate chips


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 8 x 8 baking dish.

- Whisk together your banana, peanut butter, milk, applesauce, and vanilla until well combined. Gradually add your dry ingredients (minus the chocolate chips-- save those for last!)

The dough will be thick-ish.

- Fold in your chocolate chips last.
- Using a spatula, pour/scoop the batter into your prepared dish. Smooth the batter as evenly as possible.
- Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. *Note: Be careful not to over bake, because then they wou't be "fudgy".)*

I had been seeing all these Quinoa recipes floating around Pinterest and friend's profiles on Facebook and, honestly, they were scaring me. Because I had no flipping idea what Quinoa actually was, or even how to say it.

But the more I saw, the more I was influenced to try it. So, I found this recipe and decided to adjust it and give it a try.

I am now a fan. And, in case you didn't know (because I didn't) Quinoa is pronounced keen-wah.


Ingredients:

- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 habenero pepper, chopped
- 1 C uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
- 1 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1/2 C corn
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- 1 lime (depending on how many people you are serving-- 1/4 lime per serving)
- olive oil

Directions:

- Add a small bit of oil to a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add garlic and habenero pepper and cook just until fragrant (about a minute).
- Follow the directions on how much water to add to cook with your quinoa; add the water, quinoa, bouillon, beans, tomatoes, corn, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from heat; stir in cilantro if desired. Spoon into bowls and add lime juice from 1 wedge per serving.

Enjoy!

Here in AZ it's already hitting the upper 80s. Last month we even hit 90, though it's gone done and up again since then. When it's so hot, I don't necessarily feel like baking. I feel more like having fruit and, well, ice cream.

But Michael loves to cook, and he misses it. Juicing and making smoothies doesn't always cut it, and the other day he specifically asked for muffins. I've had this big bag of coconut flakes for a while because I only needed a little bit for a previous recipe and haven't needed it since. Then I thought, what would be better than coconut muffins?


These are super easy to make, and even easier to alter to make them vegan! I was worried Michael wouldn't like them if he saw the coconut sprinkled on top, but I went for it anyway. And wouldn't you know it, he ate two of them (over the course of a day, any way).


Ingredients:

- 1/4 C coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 C milk
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 C whole wheat flour
- 1 C sweetened coconut, plus extra for sprinkling

Vegan option:

- Use 1/2 C of Coconut Milk
- Nix the egg and add an extra 1/4 C of coconut oil.

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare your muffin tin with liners/cooking spray.
- Whisk together your coconut oil, egg, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl.
- Add your sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour to your wet mix. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in your coconut. If you want to, you can also add chocolate/ white chocolate chips!
- Scoop your mix into your muffin tin, filling each hole about 2/3rds full. If desired, sprinkle extra coconut on top of your muffins.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Remove to cooling rack and let sit for a few minutes before enjoying. These are so easy and wonderful to make when you have company or just want a treat!


My favorite things about these muffins is the flavor was just perfect, and they're so moist! My oven has the tendency to overcook things, and even though a couple of them got a little browner than I'd like on the outside, it didn't keep them from being perfect in the middle.

Recipe adapted from Easy Indian Recipes.

Not too long after we moved in to our new place I was dealing with some serious tooth pain. Turns out, I had to have ALL my wisdom teeth out.

I was not excited.

In order to come to that conclusion, I had to get in to see the oral surgeon. With Clark gone, living in a new place, I thought I was up a creek without a paddle. But, if you recall, I was paired with Jacquie for my first Cara Box experience, and she didn't hesitate to help. I was so grateful that her and her hubby were willing to watch Michael for a couple hours so I could figure out just what to do about my teeth.

And, of course, that meant I had to make them something sweet.


Ingredients:

- 1/3 C peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp canola/vegetable oil
- 1 C of sugar
- 1/3 C of nondairy milk (I used Silk Vanilla Soy)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 C flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 C of rolled oats
- 1/2 C or so of vegan chocolate chips


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Mix the peanut butter, oil, sugar, nondairy milk and vanilla together.
- Add your flour, salt, and baking soda to your peanut butter mix.
- Carefully fold in your oats and chocolate chips.
- Place spoonfuls of cookie dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet and press each cookie down with a fork like you would peanut butter cookies (criss-cross).
- Bake for 6-10 minutes. Let stand two minutes or so before moving to a cooling rack.
*Note: This may be my new oven, but my cookies got a little crispy on the bottom. I would suggest setting your timer for about 6 minutes first just to be cautious!*

Molded from Paint and Tofu.

Do your remember my Cara Box reveal? Jacquie (from Jacquie Here) gifted me a fabulous Vegan cookbook due to all my vegan goodies she found on my site. I finally put it to some use! There are definitely a few fall-themed recipes I want to use from it, and this was my first try!

While these cookies are delicious, they weren't exactly what I was expecting. The recipe says they are thin pumpkin cookies. Do they look thin to you? Me, either! Still... if they come with Michael's approval, I am likely to make them again (and try to mess with it some more to make them thinner!).


Ingredients:

- 1/3 C canned pumpkin
- 1/3 C canola oil
- 1/3 C sugar
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp molasses
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1.5 C flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
*optional*: 1/3 to 1/2 C chocolate chips


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350. Prepare cookie sheet.
- Mix together your pumpkin, oil, sugars, vanilla, molasses, and powdered sugar.
- Add your flour, baking soda, salt, and spices to the pumpkin mix. If the mix is really sticky, add some more flour.
- Fold in your *optional* chocolate chips.

- Using a cookie scooper or 1 to 2 tablespoons per cookie, put them on your baking sheet.
*Note: Now, my cookies may not have been "flat and chewy" because the recipe says to flatten them, and I just used a cookie scooper. However, they were incredibly fluffy... so I'm not sure how, exactly, they would have been even if I had tried to flatten them. If you try this, please let me know how it goes!*


- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes


Transfer to a cooling rack and let them sit for two to five minutes, or so, until you gobble them up.

Have you ever wanted cookies for breakfast? In my case it's not very uncommon. While I absolutely love traditional breakfast foods (seriously... they're my favorite), every now and then I have the desire to mix it up. However, who can really justify eating desserts for breakfast? Unless it's the day after your birthday and you have leftover cake (yeah... that's acceptable), it doesn't happen often in our house.

I take that back. Whenever I make cookies or cupcakes or some kind of baked treat, Clark will eat one the next morning and just stick "breakfast" in front of it. "Oh, this? It's a breakfast cookie."

Lightbulb.

So when all these recipes were floating around Pinterest for breakfast cookies, I wasn't sure what to think. Until I made some. And then what did I think?

Genius.

And, of course, Michael agreed with me.

Ingredients:

- 2 very ripe, smashed bananas
- 1/2 C peanut butter, creamy or chunky (I used all natural creamy)
- 1/3 C protein powder or wheat germ (I used wheat germ because I didn't have any protein powder lying around)
- 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 C oats (you can use quick oats or old fashioned; I used old fashioned for a more oatmeal-like-texture)
- 1/4 to 1/3 C carob or chocolate chips *optional*
For those of you that have a sweet-tooth, you may want to add a tablespoon or so of honey as well!

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mix your bananas and peanut butter together nicely before adding your protein powder/wheat germ, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Stir in your oats.
- Stir in your *optional* chips.
(Yep. It's that easy.)
- Let your dough rest for a couple minutes. Prepare your cookie sheet, tidy up, whatever works-- for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drop your cookies and criss-cross them like you would with peanut butter cookies.

*Note: I didn't do this until they had been in the oven for a while, but I think it works better if you do it when they are still actual dough!*

- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let sit on the pan for 2 to 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.


Yummy breakfast cookies with a fabulous kick of protein to start your day!


This recipe was molded from Watching What I Eat.

HAPPY JULY!
I know. The title is a mouthful. But you won't mind once you make these! Are you sensing a trend? The last muffin recipe I posted was Banana Coconut. What can I say. Now that I have coconut and coconut oil in the house... the options are endless!

Ingredients:

- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 c applesauce
- 1/4 c honey
- 1 C milk [vegan options include coconut, almond, soy, etc!]
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp baking soda
- 1 C oats
- 1 C diced/cut up strawberries
- 1/2 C coconut flakes


Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 375 and prepare your muffin pan with liners/cooking spray.
- Whisk together the first four ingredients (coconut oil, applesauce, honey, and milk). Fold in your flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in your oats. Then add the strawberries and coconut. Do not over-mix.
- Use 1/4 C or so of batter for each muffin.
- Cook for 18 to 24 minutes. Check with a toothpick. When it comes out clean (no batter-- strawberry juice an exception), they're done!

Super easy and delicious. Michael was excited to have another muffin recipe to try.


Want more vegan muffin recipes? Check these out!

Banana Coconut Muffins

Mystery Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Veggie Muffins

Butternut Squash is one of my fall favorites. But let’s face it, who wants to always wait around for the season to enjoy it? Not this girl! I was so excited when I found it still available at my local grocery store.

When it comes to serving meatless meals, my ideas are usually vetoed by the hubs. It comes as such a relief when I can throw something together that we will all enjoy and it doesn’t have to contain meat. This stir fry is so filling! If it had much else in it I think we would have busted.

However, if you are a “my meal must have meat” type of person, adding just about anything to this works! See the asterisk for the details.


Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 C butternut squash, cut into cubes
- 1 to 2 tbsp(s) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine

Directions:

- Heat your sesame oil, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 minced garlic clove in a wok or large skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté until garlic is golden brown.

*If you wanted to add meat, here’s your chance! Toss it in there before you add your butternut squash and cook until golden/brown all around. It doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through just yet since you have a few more steps to go!*

- Add your butternut squash and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender.

- Add your green pepper, red pepper, onion, and the rest of your garlic and ginger. Sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes.

- Mix in your sauces (soy, teriyaki, and Chinese cooking rice wine). If you do not have rice wine, you can substitute cooking sherry or just use extra soy sauce. Let stand for at least another 5 to 10 minutes, mixing occasionally.

- Serve warm on its own or over rice.

Don't forget to VOTE FOR MICHAEL in the Parents Magazine Cover Photo Contest!

I just had to bake something. I couldn't stay away that long. So it had to be relatively healthy.

I adapted this recipe from The Shrinking Kitchen. Which, if you've never visited their site, you need to. It's pretty much amazing.

Ingredients:

- 4 VERY ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 C wheat germ
- 1/2 C all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350. Prepare your muffin pan with liners/spray.
- Mix together your bananas, applesauce, honey, and coconut oil.
- Stir in your dry ingredients If you want to pre-mix your wheat germ, flours, and baking soda you can. I always tend to skip that step.
- Fold in your coconut flakes.
Note: Adding chocolate chips could make these extra sweet and yummy!

- Bake in the oven for 12 to 16 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked all the way through.

Enjoy! Michael certainly did.

Want more vegan recipes? Check these out!

Vegan Brownies

Vegan Veggie Muffins

Vegan PB Oatmeal "Chocolate Chip" Cookies

Vegan Banana "Chocolate Chip" Muffins

The recipe is a day late, but it's worth the wait!

I have such a hard time making brownies. Homemade ones never turn out "fudgey" enough for me, if you know what I mean. They're always too thick and too cake-like.

How is it that these vegan brownies turned out so perfect? Not sure. But they are. And super easy. Oh! Did I mention they're VEGAN?!

Ingredients:

- 2 C unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 C sugar
- 3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 C water
- 1 C canola/vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp coffee

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually stir in water. Next add the vegetable oil, vanilla, and coffee.
- Using a spatula, evenly spread in a 9 x 13 baking pan (sprayed with cooking oil before).
*Note: It may take some time to do this. You really have to work the batter to spread it evenly. Take the time to do it! They definitely turn out best when you do.*

- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for a good ten minutes (or they'll be beyond crumbly) before serving.

My suggestion? Serve with some yummy Soy Dream Vanilla Fudge Swirl to make it even better! Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Elephant Journal.

This is the FIRST Wife of the Month for 2013. Somehow it slipped away from me for the past four months. How did I manage that? I loved doing this series last year. I loved getting to know other wives and mamas in the blogging world.

It seemed only fitting that I re-feature someone you met in 2012! (This also fits in for "Throw Back Thursday"!) Do you guys remember Sarah? She's pretty awesome. Her blog was just featured in Skirt! Charleston. For her post about that amazing bit, click here.

Lately I've been struggling with diet fads and all the craziness surrounding "clean eating". So I thought I'd ask some other bloggers to share their thoughts on the matters.

Who better than to share some thoughts on clean eating from someone who is all about it?

As you guys may know, I am not vegetarian/vegan. There are, however, definite health benefits if you decide to make the choice to go either which way.

I'll stop babbling now. Here's Sarah!

Photograph by Alice Keeney Photography.

Hey y’all! Sarah from What I Vegan here.

I’m excited Emily has asked me to guest post about clean eating today!
I think most everybody agrees that we want to give ourselves and our families healthy food that will nourish and sustain us.

But grocery stores out there are practically minefields of chemicals, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), MSG, bacteria, and hormones. These have known and (even scarier) unknown effects on our health.

Seriously, how’s a gal supposed to navigate that minefield and find a way to avoid giving herself and her kids all those terrifying ingredients?

By eating a clean diet full of plant-based, whole foods.

Hang on a sec; did your eyes just glaze over as you pictured bland, brown “health food”?

Snap back with me here, sister.

I’m not talking beans for dinner every night (though I DO love me some beans ‘n’ greens; check out a delectable recipe here). I’m talking about a whole WORLD full of amazing food possibilities opening up to you that are not only healthy, but downright delicious.

Eyebrows still raised? I would have been skeptical too. Before I went vegan, I was (self-proclaimed) Miss Cheese living off of pasta, pizza, and you guessed it, cheese. I wasn’t exactly a health nut.

And I’m still not one. But I do recognize that certain foods and their dangerous ingredients are best avoided, and it’s really not that hard to do.

Don’t believe me? Check out a few healthy, veggie-centered dishes I made at home (and trust me, I’m no chef):

Quinoa noodles with avocado pesto pasta and squash.

This is what I call “Everything in the Fridge Salad” – just throw together a salad, with whatever toppings you have on hand. Get creative!

Vegan crab cakes with tangy rémoulade and sautéed spinach from Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Kitchen.

Twelve-grain bread with hummus, organic tomatoes, avocado, arugula, and salt and pepper. Easy, healthy, and delish!

Red and black chili with cashew sour cream.

Check out more pictures of what I eat on my blog’s Facebook page! You’ll be amazed at what all you can do with plant-based foods!

Now that you see how yummy it can be, I’m going to give you some easy tips on how to add more of these healthful plant-based foods to your family’s table.

•Eat more veggies! Pick a few to take the spotlight on your dinner plate. Be adventurous; buy a veggie you don’t recognize, and then look online for a recipe. A great site is VegWeb.com.

•Buy organic produce as much as possible. It’s a little pricier but your body will thank you for saying no to those pesticides! Can’t buy all organic? That’s ok; just avoid these dirty dozen.

•Check those ingredients. The less processed, the better. Try to buy items that have fewer than 5 or so ingredients and make sure you can pronounce them! Your body doesn’t want that azodicarbonamide (whatever that is)!

•Skip the meat, dairy, and eggs. They’re full of hormones, antibiotic resistant bacteria, cholesterol, and other nasty stuff. Switching to organic won’t help either. Not to mention, animals are treated in unspeakable ways to make these products. Best to skip out as often as possible (or altogether!). Start a Meatless Monday tradition and work on it from there!

•Look for the Non-GMO Project symbol. This guarantees that the food doesn’t contain harmful GMOs, which have never been suitably tested for long-term health impacts. To learn more about them, click here.


Want to learn more?

Watch the movie Forks Over Knives (it’s on Netflix!). It’s entertaining, informative, and could save your life!

Check out the book Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr, who I consider to be the queen of clean eating. Her follow up book, Crazy Sexy Kitchen, has amazing, clean recipes!

Can we eat 100% clean 100% of the time? Or course not. That’s not realistic. But we can try to eat healthfully the majority of the time for the sake of our bodies and our kids.

Try the tips above to take the first step!

To Healthy and Tasty Food!
Sarah