Black Bean Soup

I made this recipe on Friday. It is a crock pot recipe so I assembled it the night before and had it cook all day. So, let me go ahead and say, that there have been many times that I follow the recipe and my beans don't cook. You just have to be careful. I usually go all out. I soaked my beans the night before and I let them cook from 7am to 5:30 pm. They were NOT overcooked if you know what I am saying. I have made it before and for a crock pot recipe, it isn't bad. I served it with Cowgirl Cornbread from Peas and Thank You. That was ok. I'd stick with the one from Post Punk Kitchen.

Instead of the cumin crema, I used some smashed avacado. I tried making the crema with vegan sour cream and let me just say, don't. ;)

Apple sauce

We went apple picking a few weeks ago and although I had the best intentions to make multiple things with my apples, after they had been sitting on the counter for WEEKS, I had to get them gone. I made one batch of apple sauce and it was so good, I made another. I actually made homemade apples sauce last year and was not impressed. This one was much better. You start with a bunch of apples, peeled, sliced, cored, and chopped. Luckily, I borrowed a gizmo from my neighbor. I actually haven't given it back yet and I really need to. I also owe her money.



You then put the apples in a pot with some lemon juice, apple juice, and a cinnamon stick and cook for 20-30 minutes. I may have also added some salt. Once the apples are soft, I added some honey then blended with my immersion blender. If you don't have one, GET ONE! Here is before:



And after:



Yeah, about 3-5 pounds of apples makes enough apple sauce for, well, me, Mark, James and Andy. And then it is gone. But still good. Here is my original source.

Two for October

I have actually been cooking. Some. It has been a tough fall. Mondays and Wednesdays I teach until late and don't cook. Tuesdays and Thursdays is soccer and I don't really cook. Mark has been out of town and well, notice a tread? I have made a few vegan dishes recently and wanted to share. One, biscuits by peas and thank you.



I can't imagine why on earth I decided to make these biscuits one morning. I do love biscuits, but I am the only one. I made them for me. We also had them with dinner I am pretty sure.

Another one, and this is a favorite, butternut squash soup. I could make this every week. So yummy, easy, healthy and filling. I serve it with homemade bread from my bread machine and call it a dinner.



And lastly, well, I think I am going to do a separate post for that one...apple sauce!

Vegan Hot Chocolate

Oh, who doesn't like the fall. Pretty leaves, football, cooler temperatures and anticipation of three great holidays over the next three months. I love it. My kitchen works the hardest it does all year over the next three months.

And who doesn't like hot chocolate to warm up. kids love it. And so do I. But I like the real kind with milk and chocolate- no cocoa powder and no mixes! yech!

Here's a vegan version:


Makes 1 serving

1 C Soy milk (or your fave non-dairy milk-I like vanilla soy)
2 1/2 T vegan chocolate chips

Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Its done when its nice and steamy and all the chocolate is melted.

I've got a couple variations I'm working on and will post later.

A Nacho Mmm Sauce

Here is another Mmm sauce. Let me just say that last week, I made 3 different Mmmm sauce and had a bit of each one in a single day. Mmmm. I did make the nacho one and had hopes of making some mmmmm nachos. It was ok. I dribbled some on some chips and put them in the oven. The chips got soggy, but it was still good.



I did like it better as a queso:



The chips in the picture are sweet potato tortilla from Trader Joe's.

Tofu Dippers and Noodle Salad

So, I was intrigued by this post for Tofu Dippers on Peas and Thank You. I do have to pack Andy's lunch and he doesn't eat sandwiches. Yet. He is just going through a real picky phase. He really does like meat and he really does like sauce so I was hoping he would be willing to try these dippers. I was following the links to the sauces and wanted to try the peanut Mmmm sauce. Well, that link actually also contained a noodle stir fry. Don't mind if I do.



As for the tofu dippers. They were a no go for Andy. James liked them, but he likes everything. He did NOT like the peanut sauce. I liked the noodle salad, the peanut sauce, but to me, the tofu dippers just tasted like...burned tofu. If you added enough sauce it wasn't too bad!