Vegan Pumpkin Pie - Sugar Free!!

I found this pie recipe online and adapted it to accomodate my need to eliminate sugar from my life. Since I've just joined Weight Watchers (again) I calculated the points value and came up with 3-1/2 points per serving (based on each pie yielding 8 servings).

1 (16 oz) can plain pumpkin
1/4 cup blended tofu (measure after blending)
1 teaspoon stevia
1 Tablespoon molasses
2 Tb. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 tsp. cloves
1-1/2 cup evaporated soymilk (recipe follows)
2 9" pie crusts, regular dish (this is a big deal because I got deep dish and the filling got lost inside the pie crust)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Mix ingredients in order given, mix well
pour into shells and bake at 425 for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake for another 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted int he center of pie comes out clean (I don't know about this because my knife certainly DID NOT come out clean but when the pie cooled it was perfect)

EVAPORATED SOYMILK

4 cups soymilk (I used vanilla soy)

Heat soymilk in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil and allow to cook, stirring constantly, until reduced to 1-1/2 cups

Moo Shu Tofu

We had this for dinner tonight and it was pretty fabulous. Jacob had three helpings! Even Skip had seconds (yeah, he doesn't really dig eating vegan foods). I added some kale for extra color.

2 tsp. vegetable oil
12 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups packaged coleslaw mix
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups sweet red peppers, sliced
1 cup scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. minced ginger root
2 Tbsp soy sauce
10 medium flour tortillas, taco size
Hoisin sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add tofu and cook over high heat, 5 minutes, turning occasionally until golden. Remove to a plate.

Heat remaining teaspoon oil in skillet. Add coleslaw mix, mushrooms, and pepper and stir-fry over high heat, 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add scallions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute until fragrant.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in soy sauce.

To serve, heat tortillas (I wrapped them in foil and left them in a warm oven while I prepared the rest of the meal). Spread each tortilla with about 2 teaspoons of hoisin sauce and top each with about 1/2 cup of the tofu mixture. Roll up and fold in 1 end of tortilla to seal in mixture.

Note: This is a Weight Watcher recipe and is 6 points per serving (5 servings total).

Tofu Kale Stir-Fry

This is what I was making when my man came home tonight. He wasn't that interested but I served him up a plate nonetheless. He didn't say much but his plate was cleaned. I really liked it.

1-2 Tbs. oil
1 block extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, cubed
1 bunch kale, deveined and ripped into small pieces
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4+ ginger powder (I used fresh ginger, grated)
2 Tbs. low sodium tamari
2 pinches Stevia (or 2 tsp sugar if you're a rebel)

Heat the oil on high in a well seasoned wok or large non-stick pan. Add tofu carefully, avoiding hot angry oil splatters. Use a wooden spoon to move the tofu around, until it begins to color.

Add kale, chili flakes, and ginger. Cook well, stirring and scraping bits off the bottom, until tofu is golden and kale is getting brown carmelized spots on it. Add tamari and sweetener, stir well for a few moments, serve immediately with fresh ground pepper over the top.

Nut and Fruit Muselix

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. The twins really love it too. You will need a food processor (I use my mini one - it works just perfect) to make this easily. I serve it with rice milk on top. Since I kind of make it out of my head, the measurements are pretty approximate.

Blend together in the food processor:

Almonds (about 1/2 cup)

Sesame Seeds (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup dried fruit (apricots, raisins, mango etc.)

Pour into a mixing bowl. Then gently process the following:

Banana

Berries (I usually leave blueberries whole but process others super gently)

Apple or pear

Add to the nut mixture and mix well.

Makes about 4 servings.

Lentil Tacos/Taco Salad

Hopefully this recipe turns out millions times better than the last one I posted (yeah, I deleted it - it was pretty not okay). I'm a super duper taco fan and vegetarian tacos in various creative ways are always intriguing to me.

2 cups lentils, well rinsed
1 pkg. taco seasoning (make sure you get one with no MSG or hydrolyzed protein)
water

Make lentils according to package directions (simmer 45 minutes after bringing to a boil), but instead of just water, add taco seasoning

Make tacos using this yummy mixture in lieu of meat. Fill the tacos with the usual things: lettuce, tomatoes, vegan cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole etc.

You can also make a scrumptious taco salad by placing tomatoes, vegan cheese, lentil mixture, avacado, salsa and the like on a bed of romaine lettuce. Adding some crumbled chips would make a nice finishing touch.

Cheesy Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Brandilyn and I found this out there on the web when we were trying to find something to cook that sounded yummy and was dairy free for Dave and I.

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon seasalt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups water

1 teaspoon mustard

4 Tablespoons margarine

10 tortillas

2 small cans enchilada sauce

3 cans beans (white kidney, pinto, black), drained

2 medium onions, chopped

1 can olives, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup salsa (optional)

In medium-large saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic powder. Add water and mix thoroughly. Heat on medium heat until bubbling and thick. Remove from heat and add mustard and margarine. Set aside 1/2 cup of cheese sauce in separate container. Add onion, beans, olives, cilantro and salsa to sauce. Mix it up.

Pour a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place a tortilla in pan and cover in enchilada sauce. Spoon in filling. Roll and push to one end of pan. Continue until all tortillas filled. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top and then spread reserved cheese sauce on as last step. Bake at 350 degrees until brown, 30-45 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

Mmmm-mmmm. This was really good tonight for dinner. The twins just snarfed it right up and Jacob went back for seconds. Courtney was surprised that she could enjoy spinach this much, lol.

Serves 4

Approximately 9 oz. whole wheat fettucini
1 cup raw, unsalted pepitas (sunflower seeds)
2 Tbs. oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
9 oz spinach leaves
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff not the sugary stuff)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup dried cranberries

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to boil. While the water is heating, run the pepitas around in your food processor until pretty finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add spinach. Use tongs to coat the spinach in the hot oil. Add the red pepper flakes, the soy sauce, and maple syrup, and the thyme. Toss in the cranberries and mix everything up really well. Turn heat to low (or just turn it off and cover it until your pasta is cooked.)

Drain pasta and add it to your skillet. Add crushed pepitas and toss well until everything is coated. The noodles should look like they don't have a sauce on them, but they'll taste like they do.

Serve immediately.

Beet, Pear, and Feta Salad

OMSH!! (I'm Mormon so that would mean "Oh My Stinkin Heck!"). This salad was phenomenal!!! I was a little skeptical so I procrastinated for awhile. Skip, who absolutely HATES beets, actually enjoyed quite a generous bowl of it! Beware; you do have to soak the pumpkin seeds ahead of time. So, go ahead, be daring, try it!

4 beets (I peeled them)
3 ripe pears
one head of butter lettuce, washed and dried
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight and drained
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
7 oz. feta cheese
optional: mint leaves, chopped
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Cut beets and pears finely into matchsticks (I grated mine. It was easy and fabulous). Add pumpkin seeds. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over all and toss. Crumble feta on top (and optional mint leaves, chopped). Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve on leaves of butter lettuce. (Optionally, the salad can be served as a wrap inside the lettuce leaves.)