Archives for June 28, 2011

Cinnamon Vanilla Almond Butter

I made this one day on a whim and it turned out pretty great. The only problem is that I didn’t really remember how I made it. I just threw stuff randomly into the food processor and it turned out tasty. I had to go back and think about it, but I think I finally got it! Plus I knew if I didn’t figure it out I’d have hell to pay from Laura Winking smile!

I hope you make this- it’s so good!

Cinnamon Vanilla Almond Butter

Ingredients:
2 cups raw almonds
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (my secret weapon is that I use Mexican vanilla!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
drizzle of canola oil (optional, depending on what kind of consistency you like with your AB- I like mine a little runny so I add a little)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.

Pour almonds onto a baking sheet.

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Pour maple syrup onto almonds.

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Get your paws in there and mix it all up!

Place in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

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Let them cool completely, then pour them in the food processor (I help mine along by putting them in a bowl in the freezer- it cools them off faster!)

Follow my almond butter tutorial for butterizing the almonds in the food processor.

Toward the end of the processing add the cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and canola oil(if using).

When you’re done pour it into a jar and take pictures of it!

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And don’t forget to let me know how much you love it!

Open-mouthed smile

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Meatless Monday: Veggie Pot Pie

Happy Monday!  Since it’s Monday, that means it’s a Meatless Monday post!  I’ve been concocting this since last weeks post and really really looking forward to it. 

In my version of veggie pot pie, I use puff pastry for the crust instead of a regular pie crust.  It adds a nice light flakiness to it that you can’t quite get with a pie crust.  Of course if you can’t find puff pastry you can just use pie crust.  Oh and also- the smaller you dice your veggies, the quicker they cook!  Smile

Veggie Pot Pie
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 cup potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1/4 cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

In a medium sized pot spritzed with cooking spray or a little EVOO, sauté potatoes, carrots, and onions together over medium heat until the onions are tender.

Add the mushrooms and garlic to the mixture and sauté for another minute or so.

Push the veggies to the sides of the pot and put the earth balance right in the middle of the pot.

Let the earth balance melt, then sprinkle in the flour.  Stir together and let the roux cook for a minute.

Stir the veggies in with the roux.

Slowly pour the vegetable broth in.

Bring mixture up to a boil, stirring occasionally, then turn down to medium and let it simmer until it’s really thick.

Add the thyme and the salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir in the frozen peas.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.

Place the sheet of puff pastry on top(you might need to roll it out a little first with a rolling pin if it doesn’t quite fit in the casserole dish).

Bake for 30 minutes, until the puff pastry is nice and puffy and golden brown.

 

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This will make 6 servings.  Serve it up with your veggie of choice- we did a nice salad alongside ours.  This is sooooo good and very comforting!  And it comes in pretty good in the calorie dept as well!

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Hope you love this as much as we did!

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