It’s October… and in the interest of celebrating everything Halloween, here is a list of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
I have made this mac and cheese with pumpkin too, especially when making in large quantities for the Yoga Center.
Hope you like these pumpkin delicious ideas to celebrate Halloween, or even as turkey-free Thanksgiving ideas.
What are YOUR favorite vegetarian pumpkin recipes or ideas??? Please share…
Oatmeal for me was an acquired taste. I was always a Cream of Wheat lover when I was a kid. I LOVED when my grandma made cream of wheat or farina for us for breakfast. We used to pour cold milk around the rim of the bowl to cool the cream enough to be eaten.
I did not like the texture of oatmeal too much… until I had to work for Quaker Oats. Oats, as I learned thru lots of consumer research, is a very polarizing food. Some people love it, some people hate it. Some people, just like me, grow to love it. I worked on the brand just when the news broke out that the soluble fiber in oatmeal helps lower bad cholesterol. It was one of my favorite accounts to work on and I got to travel to Jamaica and Guatemala because of it.
I remember talking to consumers that some people did not like preparing oatmeal in hot cereal form or “creams” as we call it locally in Puerto Rico because they believe they need to stand in front of the stove stirring the oatmeal all the time to avoid it getting lumpy. Well… allow me to get into a little secret. That’s not necessary AT ALL.
Making hot oatmeal cereal is super simple and all you need is time and something else to do… as the saying goes, “a watched pot never boils.”… The same applies to oatmeal. The least you tend to it, the better it is.
This is more a method than a recipe… you can certainly add or subtract or change any ingredient as you see fit. But this is my basic formula for making oatmeal as breakfast in the morning… although I highly encourage you to have some oatmeal for lunch or even dinner too. Just like some people eat cold cereal as a light and east to put together dinner alternative, hot oatmeal can be a great “hot something” for the soul now that the weather up north is getting nippier. I sold this idea to Quaker once… I hope you buy it from me too.
ALMOND MILK OATMEAL
1 ½ cups almond milk 4 tbs of steel cut quick cooking oats 2 tbs brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla powder A pinch of salt powdered cinnamon (optional)
NOTE… I cook this in an electric stove, which I believe retains the heat longer than gas stoves.
I like oatmeal on the loose side… but if you want thicker oatmeal just add a few tablespoons more of oats. Adjust the amount of oats and seasonings to your liking.
I did this almond milk version for the first time to watch Princess Kate and Prince William Wedding with my mom… the home-made almond milk gives it a nice creamier, more luxurious touch, but store-bought almond milk will do too.
Ahhh, and almond milk, just like soy or regular milk, WILL BOIL OVER if left completely unattended. I have cleaned my stove way too many times to vouch for that…
This is part of a series on how our food can help certain organs that resemble their same shape. I already share with you how carrots benefit the eyes, how tomatoes and grapes benefit the heart. Now it’s walnuts turn…
Why are walnuts so good for the brain?? The main reason is because walnuts are rich in omega-e fatty acids. These types of fats are important for many functions of the body, but particularly critical for proper brain and nervous system performance. Research has lead to believe that omega -3 fatty acids help to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in elderly.
When a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids exists, a bunch of complications start to arise: ADHD, hyperactivity, depression, learning disabilities, memory loss, sleep disorders, poor problem-solving skills…
So start eating more and more walnuts so we can all be productive and memory-sharp adults when we grow older… And look at its shape… it looks just like a little brain. Doesn’t it???
Here are some walnut recipes you can try soon:
This is one of my favorite recipes nowadays… I can safely say this is what I am cooking to impress new boyfriends (yes, there is more than one…) these days. Boyfriends and girlfriends too… OK, friends overall!!!
The first time I made this recipe, or idea/concept really, was at my friend’s Melissa. I was bored, wanted to cook but not just for me, posted on FaceBook and Melissa offered her kitchen for me to cook away. FaceBook is a wonderful, wonderful thing. It connects you with friends online and offline too…
I say this is a concept or idea more than a recipe because I have done this about 5-6 times already and every time I make it differently. And every time the end result is still delicious… I am sharing with you the BEST combination of them all. But you can certainly mix and match, omit or add any ingredient you deem appropriate.
ROASTED STUFFED TOMATOES OVER BROWN RICE PASTA
4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, preferably organic and washed well with a vegetable cleanser 3 button mushrooms, chopped ¼ onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped ¼ cup breadcrumbs 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded ¼ cup goat cheese or goat cheese crumbles 2 tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped A few sprinklings of Italian Seasonings Salt and Freshly Cracked Ground Pepper to taste Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 2 tbs white balsamic vinegar 1 tbs water or vegetable broth Brown Rice pasta – fettuccini or penne… your choice
The way to go about this is that the stuffed tomato becomes, when you cut it while eating, the tomato sauce you eat the pasta with. The cheeses and mushrooms and breadcrumbs in the stuffing create this savory mixture with the tomatoes that is just spectacular.
Melissa has already requested I make this in her home again for company… Walter and David were positively impressed when they tasted it. My mom also… I am telling you, this recipe is a true hit. And a tad bit more figure-friendly than my usual impress-new boyfriend-recipe Baked Pasta with 4 Cheeses.
I have made this recipe with Roma tomatoes, large tomatoes and even those small vine-ripened tomatoes you find at Costco. I just use 3 tomatoes per person when using either Roma or the smaller ones.
Hope you like it too… How would you make this recipe your own???
This is part of a series on how our food can help certain organs that resemble their same shape. I already share with you how carrots benefit the eyes and how tomatoes benefit the heart. But tomatoes are not the only heart-healthy fruit…
Grapes, when hanging in their clusters, also resemble the shape of the heart and provide additional benefits. According to the research I did, the benefits of the grape are found mostly in the skin and the seeds of the grapes. Components in grapes help with the suppression of blood clots, inhibition of LDL cholesterol and anti-atherosclerotic properties. Grapes also promote the relaxation of blood vessel walls and reduce blood pressure levels. The oil inside the seeds of the grapes, grapeseed oil, is said to strengthen capillary walls.
Grapes can be eaten fresh, dried in raisin form or in a juice. You can also enjoy them in a jam, jelly or even as non-alcoholic wine.
When eating them fresh or to prepare them for cooking, it’s important to wash grapes well using a fruit/vegetable cleanser or using a natural soak – like water mixed with a little salt and vinegar – to get rid of any wax and pesticide residues on the skins.
Here are a few grape recipes you can try soon:
KarmaFree Cooking 