Quick and Easy Pumpkin Soup!

This soup came together in a heartbeat when I didn’t have much time to make lunch.  All it took was some previously pureed roasted pumpkin, a can of organic bpa-free coconut milk, vegetable stock and a liberal hand with the spices. A quick and easy 4/5 Happy Monkeys, and a recipe that is completely of my own devising to boot!

Wow! Delicious Vegan Fettucini Alfredo.. and Super Healthy too!

I just made cupcakes and kale’s  high protein cauliflower alfredo sauce recipe that I found on Diet Dessert and Dog’s Wellness Weekend.  I love this new carnival that Ricki has implemented – with her healthy guidelines, it makes it easy to find recipes that fit into my “No Food Diet.”  Anyway, I am so glad I found this Fettucini Alfredo recipe because it is PHENOMENAL! I was shocked and amazed by how good this is, not to mention how easy to make it is. I have made many a “fake” alfredo and they are almost always awful, but not this one! It is fantastic! I can’t recommend it highly enough – it is delicious and extremely healthy.

“Meaty” Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna

Another phenomenal recipe from Ricki at Diet, Dessert and Dogs! My midwife wanted me to choose a special meal as my first “celebration meal” after giving birth. I chose this recipe and I’m so glad I did. Not only is it delicious, but it is complex and time-consuming, making it perfect for ultra-special occasions. This easily gets a 5 out of 5 happy monkeys. My everything-eating husband said it was just as good as traditional lasagna, and coming from him, that’s saying a lot.

Ani’s Raw Garden Scramble

I was listening to Ani Phyo on Raw Mom, Cooked Dad today (which has been awesome, by the way) and was inspired to pull out her Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen Cookbook and make her garden scramble.  It’s a recipe I’ve only made once before last year but I made the full recipe and was really sick of it by the time I finished multiple meals of it.  This time, I only made a half recipe, which still makes a lot.  I ate two bowls and still have just as much left over.  Maybe next time I’ll only make a quarter recipe.  It’s good but it has a strong tumeric, almost mustardy taste, so a little goes a long way. I give this 3/5 happy monkeys.

Raw Mushroom “Loaf” Stuffed Tomatoes

Mmmm…. this was absolutely delicious, as well as super easy.  I scooped out the inside of a plump, juicy heirloom tomato and stuffed it with the mushroom “loaf” recipe from Alissa Cohen.  Then I threw the scooped out tomato bits in the vita mix with some basil, salt, olive oil, cayenne and garlic to make a quick sauce.  I poured the sauce on top and voila – delish!

I give these a strong 4/5 happy monkeys because they’re super easy and yummy.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take a pic because I was hungry and tired, and, quite honestly, it didn’t look so beautiful with the sauce over it.  My heirloom tomato was pretty yellow so once mixed in the vita mix, the sauce was fairly gray looking. If you want to serve these to company, I recommend serving the sauce on the side for aesthetic purposes.

This particular version was blended into oblivion by my vita mix. I prefer it to be more chunky and less of a smooth pate or dip. I definitely don’t recommend the vita mix for this one, but I had broken my food processor so I didn’t have a lot of options. Unfortunately, with the vita mix, this is no longer a “quick and easy” recipe, but instead a descent into frustration. When I first bought the vita mix, I thought it was the be all and end all of kitchen implements and that it would make all other equipment obsolete, but that is in fact not the case. A food processor is still very, very necessary.

Note: This makes a lot more mushroom loaf than is needed just for one tomato.  You can stuff more tomatoes or keep the leftover “loaf” for use in wraps, salads, etc.  It is delicious on its own as well.

Ingredients:

Mushroom “Loaf”

3 cups mushrooms (portabello or crimini)
2 cups walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp marjoram (italian seasoning or oregano works great too)
1/4 tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tbsp sea salt

Tomato & Sauce

1 largish tomato
Basil, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, cayenne to taste

Directions:

Blend everything but the tomato in a food processor.

Scoop out the inside of a tomato and stuff it with the mushroom “loaf.” Throw the scooped out part in the vita mix with some basil, salt, olive oil, cayenne and garlic to make a quick sauce.

Serve the stuffed tomato with the sauce on the side. Enjoy!