Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal with Dates

I recently posted my recipe for healthy chocolate oatmeal and have been eating it every morning for the past week. We ran out of bananas last night, though, so it forced me to try out a new recipe. Although I live in Florida the weather is starting to cool down and I'm beginning to get glimpses of fall! I figured it would be a good time to try out some fall flavors, a.k.a. pumpkin! Again I checked out The Oatmeal Artist blog and found her pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe. I made a few tweaks to it and was very pleased with the result!

Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal with Dates

(Makes 1 serving)

 Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

· 1 cup water (or milk of choice)

· 1 inch piece cinnamon stick (optional)

· 2-3 dates, pitted and chopped*

· 1 tablespoon flaxseed (optional)

· 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

· 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

· Splash of vanilla extract

· Pinch of sea salt

· Optional toppings: chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans or a sprinkle of cinnamon

 *If you don’t have dates on hand, you can easily add 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite sweetener (i.e. maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.)

  Directions:

1. Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a medium sized sauce pan.

2. Stir in the oatmeal, chopped dates, cinnamon stick and flaxseed and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let cook for 3 minutes or so, whisking occasionally.

3. Once the oats have thickened, add in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix well and let cook a minute more, occasionally whisking the oats so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

4. Top with optional toppings and enjoy some fall in a bowl!

Nutrition with flaxseed: Cals: 261; Fat: 6.5g; Carbs: 47g; Fiber: 10g; Sugars: 14.8g; Protein: 7.8g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

I used to eat eggs all the time. Never for breakfast though. Brett and I would always eat them for an easy lunch or for dinner when I didn't want to cook. He's quite the egg man and can cook a superb over-medium egg, perfect for an egg sandwich on toast with some black pepper and dijon mustard. But...now that I'm vegan I obviously haven't had eggs in a few months. I haven't really miss them, but once I had this tofu scramble I was reminded of how much I missed a good ol' egg sandwich and was so excited that I can now eat something that looks practically the same and tastes great too. Seriously, these pictures will play tricks on your mind. Try this out! It's awesome.

(Scroll to the bottom for the complete recipe!)

Start by pressing your tofu. Open the package, drain the water and place the block of tofu on a paper towel lined plate. Place another paper towel on top and then place something heavy like a pot or book on top of the towel. Allow the heavy object to press out the moisture from your tofu block so that it becomes more dense. It's best if you can allow the water to drain for about a half hour. If you can plan ahead, then the rest of this recipe can be completed really quickly.

In a saute pan, saute the onion and garlic until the onion is soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the soy sauce and seasonings to the onion and stir to combine. Let the onion and spices cook 1-2 more minutes.

Then take your pressed tofu block and, using your hands, crumble it into the pan and stir it so that the onions and spices coat the tofu.

Let the tofu cook a few minutes and then add the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the nutritional yeast to combine with the tofu.

Eat by itself or make a yummy "egg" sandwich!

Tofu Breakfast Scramble

(Makes 4 serving)

 Ingredients:

· 12-16 oz. extra firm tofu

· 1/2 medium onion, chopped

· 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

· 1 tablespoon minced garlic (1-2 cloves)

· 1/2 teaspoon thyme

· 1/2 teaspoon tumeric

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

· Salt and pepper to taste

  Directions:

1. Start by pressing your tofu. Open the package, drain the water and place the block of tofu on a paper towel lined plate. Place another paper towel on top and then place something heavy like a pot or book on top of the towel. Allow the heavy object to press out the moisture from your tofu block so that it becomes more dense. It's best if you can allow the water to drain for about a half hour. If you can plan ahead, then the rest of this recipe can be completed really quickly.

2. In a sauté pan, sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is soft, but not brown: about 5 minutes.

3. Add the soy sauce and spices to the onion and stir to combine. Let the onion and spices cook 1-2 more minutes

4. Using your hands, crumble the pressed tofu block into the pan and stir it so that the onions and spices coat the tofu.

5. Let the tofu cook a few minutes and then add the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the nutritional yeast to combine with the tofu.

6. Eat by itself or make a yummy “egg” sandwich!

Notes: Adapted from here.

Nutrition: Cals: 110; Fat: 4.3g; Carbs: 4g; Fiber: 2.25g; Sugars: 0.3g; Protein: 10.7g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Homemade Lara Bars: Cashew Cookie (Three Ingredients)

I recently found out about Lara bars when I was looking for vegan granola bars at the grocery store. I saw "vegan" on the packaging and when I looked at the ingredient label I couldn't believe most of the different flavors used only two or three ingredients. I doubted how good they could be, but ended up loving them. Unfortunately they are pretty pricey, but no worries, you can easily make them by yourself at home. To make at home it cost me $2.54 for four bars. When I buy them at the store it averages out to about $4.80 for four bars. So you save over $2 to make them at home. Not bad!

And here's how you do it:

Cashew Cookie Lara Bars

(Makes 4 bars)

 Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup whole, unsalted cashews

· 3/4 cup pitted dates

· Pinch of sea salt

  Directions:

1. Start by roughly chopping the dates. Place them in a food processor and process until they turn into a sticky ball of dough. Remove from the processor and set aside.

2. Next place the cashews and a pinch of sea salt in the processor and process until they are a course meal. Don’t over process or they will start to make nut butter!

3. In a bowl, combine the date dough and cashew crumbs. Using your hands mash the nuts and dates together until they are fully incorporated and all the cashew crumbs are stuck to the dates and a dough has formed.

4. Place the date/cashew dough on some wax paper and form it into a 4 x 6 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into fourths and wrap individually. Store in the fridge or eat right away!

I was so pleased with the result! I felt like I was having a cookie.

Nutrition: Cals: 163; Fat: 6.5g; Carbs: 26.5g; Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 16.25g; Protein: 3.25g

Eat Consciously,

     Faith