Pumpkin Muffins

One bad thing about the Day School is that you have to bring snack. It ends up being once a month, unless you have two kids, so multiply 1 x 2 = 2 carrying the fact that Andy is actually in 2 classes = 3 times a month. It turned out Andy had to bring snack and I was not prepared. Keep in mind that Andy doesn't really eat anything except crackers. He is also fond of all the "P" foods: pancakes, pizza, and puffins. And it turns out, against all odds, he will eat pumpkin muffins. The good thing about baking from scratch is that you usually have everything you need to make something. I would also argue that with vegan baking you are even more likely to have all the ingredients on hand. Out of eggs and milk? No biggie. I found this recipe in my copy of Vegan with a Vengance.

They turned out great. I am a little concerned with the amount of sugar and oil in them, but that might be because I doubled the recipe. It just seemed like a lot. But, they were delicious!

Pasta and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I have a Costco membership. I like it because it saves me money. NOT because I buy things in bulk, but because I buy things in bulk, I make less runs to WalMart and Target. So, I spend less money. One of my finds there (in addition to dates, nuts, oatmeal, maple syrup, and craisens) is a HUGE jar of roasted red peppers for like $4. Super deal, or so I thought. Turns out it is hard to use up an entire jar before they go bar. Also turns out that since this jar is SO HUGE, it is impossible to open. It usually takes both Mark and I working as a team with alternating hot and cold running water, towels, and rubber mitts to get one open. I have one jar left. :( I will not be getting any more. At any rate, I decided to use some leftover peppers to make a sauce. I was originally thinking of making a sauce like my favorite sun dried tomato one, but couldn't really find a recipe. Instead I found a much healthier version without the added creaminess. I tried to find the source, but I made this awhile ago and couldn't located. It was basically to saute one chopped roasted red pepper, shredded carrot, and finely chopped onion in a pan then blend with a bit of water and put on pasta. it was ok. It was about the time I was serving it that I realized I could use my sun dried tomato sauce and just used the peppers. DUH! Next time!

Lentil "meatballs"

This is another one from Peas And Thank You. Truthfully, this is not the kind of recipe I usually go for. It requires you to cook the lentils before you can even make the meatballs. Two steps. Not interested. However, I bought an extra bag of lentils for some reason and Shannon gave them a positive review. Finally tried them right before Christmas. YUM! Very comforting just like regular meatballs. Mark knew they were not real and somehow, so did the kids, but I liked them. For the batch I made before Christmas, I froze half and we had them again this week. Can't wait to make them again!