Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 10 - Butternut Squash Hummus

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

So, one of the things I made with all that butternut squash and the chickpeas is Butternut Squash Hummus.  I kind of checked out other recipes on the internet but most of them added cinnamon, cumin, paprika, etc.  I wanted something a little savory but not too much spice.  It is amazing how the butternut squash makes the hummus very creamy.  It could also be that I made my own chickpeas in the crockpot and I saved the liquid too.  I absolutely love the flavor of this hummus.  I think it would be delicious on a veggie sandwich too.

Butternut Squash Hummus

2 cups chickpeas

1 cup cooked butternut squash

3 roasted garlic cloves

¼ sweet onion (roasted)

Juice of 1 lemon(a heavy Tablespoon)

2 Tablespoons chickpea cooking water (aquafaba)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Put all of the ingredients in a high-speed mixer (or food processor).  Start on low and use the tamper to get all ingredients thoroughly mixed and then increase the speed. 

Note:  I roasted the garlic and onion in my toaster oven for about a half hour at 350°.  I just put them in foil and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 9 - Easy Pumpkin Bread

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

I saw one of those videos on the internet about pumpkin recipes and they had a quick and easy pumpkin bread.  So, I made it this morning. 

Easy Pumpkin Bread

1 box spice cake mix

1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)

Mix spice cake mix and the pumpkin together.  Put batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake 350° for about 1 hour.  Cool completely.

The flavor profile is very good for this pumpkin bread.  It is a little bit dry though.  I think I will have to tinker with this recipe.  stay tuned.  Anyone have a good vegan pumpkin bread recipe?

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 8 - Chickpeas in a Crock-Pot

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

Guess where Dave and I went this morning? 

 Yup, the local Farmers’ Market.  This is what we walked in seeing.

 And this is what we bought! 

 Isn’t it beautiful? It's going to be a yummy week!

Yesterday, I also made chickpeas in my crock-pot.  It was so easy.  I put about 4 cups of hot water to cover the dried chickpeas in the crock-pot. 

 I let them soak for about 2 hours.  

Then I added about 4 more cups of hot water, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and cooked in the crock-pot on low for 10 hours. 

I strained the chickpeas and saved the cooking liquid too.  They are so soft and delicious!  I hear some homemade hummus calling my name!

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 7 - Cooking Butternut Squash Easy

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

I’ve been craving making some butternut squash but I was looking for an easier way to cook it.  Cutting a butternut squash is a bit hard because it is hard and it’s kind of dangerous.  So, I looked up easier ways to cook one.  I found a recipe to cook it in the crock-pot for 4 to 5 hours on high.  I tried that and I’m not sure if my squash was old or I cooked it too long (I cooked it about 5 hours) in the crock-pot but it tasted sour to me.  So, I threw that one out. 

Yesterday I went to the store and got another butternut squash to try again.  This time I cooked it for 3 ½ hours on high in the crock-pot.  

When I took it out of the crock-pot, it was very easy to cut (one of the reasons why I wanted to find a way to cook the butternut squash without cutting it when it was so hard) but it still was a little hard.  So, after I scooped out the seeds I baked it in the oven (350°) with a sprinkle of olive oil and salt and pepper for about 15 minutes.  It came out wonderful (see below but it was actually cooked flesh side down.)  I’ve also read more about cooking a butternut squash in a crock-pot and it’s says it’s about an hour a pound.  Next time I will be weighing my butternut squash. 

Now I have about 4 cups of cooked butternut squash to make some yummy recipes with this weekend!  I’m thinking about making a butternut squash queso for tacos/burritos or nachos, butternut squash bread or muffins, butternut squash or butternut squash dip or spread or of course my favorite butternut squash soup!  I’m sure I’ll be posting what I make early next week!  Enjoy your weekend!

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 6 - Vegan BLT on Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

It’s so hot out that I don’t really feel like cooking.  So, I decided to make a BLT sandwich with my coconut bacon on the yummy olive oil and rosemary bread I bought at Wegmans.  Wow, it was amazing.  Yes, even my husband liked it too!  You just need that smoky flavoring to go with all that yummy lettuce, tomato and mayo flavoring!  I want to try to make the vegan carrot “hotdogs” soon!

BLT with Olive Oil and Rosemary Bread

Olive oil and rosemary bread

Just Mayo

Coconut Bacon

Lettuce

Tomato slices

Salt & pepper to taste

Toast the bread.  Spread a thin layer of the Just Mayo on each slice of toast.  Layer the coconut bacon, lettuce and tomatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Oh my, that picture of the finished sandwich looks kind of funny with that angle.  There is a piece of toast underneath it all!  LOL  I was lucky to get the picture before DH and I devoured it!  

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 5 - Favorite Cookbook

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

Okay, I’ll play with the theme of the day today.  (I guess I should check out all of the theme days for this Vegan MoFo.)  I think my most used cookbook is my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I still refer to it to cook many things. 

I also have my mom’s version of the same cookbook.  Sometimes the recipes are the same and sometimes they are very different and some are just not in my version. 

I really enjoy looking for new recipes on the internet.  I tend to google search something I want to make and look at a bunch of different recipes and then make it the way I want it to taste.  I do enjoy browsing through the website Finding Vegan too.  I can get lost in all those posts and their respective websites/blogs. 

Vegan MoFo 2018 - Day 4 - Coconut Bacon

Hey Vegan MoFo Friends,

I finally made a recipe I’ve been wanting to make for a long time - coconut bacon.  It’s really not that hard and quite tasty.  My son loved snacking on it.    

Coconut Bacon
about 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Mix/whisk the soy sauce, maple syrup and liquid smoke in a large bowl.  Add the coconut flakes and mix until the coconut is well coated. 

On a parchment lined baking sheet spread out the coconut.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  After 10 minutes start stirring the mixture every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let the “bacon” full cool and crip up.  Store in an air tight container.