A Peach In The Forest

Sweet Potato Thyme Bisque with Black and Red Pepper Purée and Toasted Pecans

2 medium/large sweet potatoes
1/2 diced yellow onion
2 red peppers
2 tomatoes
2 cups coconut milk
1 sprig thyme
Black pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375
Dice sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces toss in olive oil, and place on half of a baking sheet in a single layer. Place in oven.
Halve red peppers and tomatoes, toss in olive oil and place cut side down on baking sheet and return to oven. Dice onion and place on baking sheet. Cook until potatoes are soft, Peppers are blistered and onions are golden. Blend sweet potatoes, onion, tomatoes and coconut milk in blender, then transfer to small sauce pan. Heat, stirring frequently. Blend red peppers with black pepper and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to small saucepan and heat, stirring frequently. Serve by spooning sweet potato mixture into bowl then top with pepper mixture.
*toasted pecans: just toss a handful on your roasting pan and toast about 10 minutes, turning once.
Enjoy!

Smashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower chopped into bite sized pieces
1 clove garlic, roasted
5 tablespoons earth balance buttery spread
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Place cauliflower in medium sauce pan with 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer until softened but not overdone. Drain Mash with remaining ingredients except bread crumbs. The mash will not be smooth like potatoes, but a chunky consistency similar to chopped nuts. Top with breadcrumbs and cracked black pepper, bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Grilled Veggie Chilequiles

1 small can El Pato salsa
1 small can tomato sauce
4 cups white corn tortilla chips
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup poblano pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/3 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/4 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced white mushrooms
1/2 cup soyrizo
2 tablespoons butter or oil
Cilantro for garnish

Cook onion in butter until soft and golden. Add other veggies, hardest first and sauté until softened, set aside.
Cook soyrizo in an even layer in a small frying pan. Flip with spatula after 3 minutes, so soyrizo is crispy on outside and moist inside.
Crush half of tortilla chips. Whole chips in large frying pan, add cans of salsa and sauce. Add 1/4 cup water, stir to combine, cover and simmer 2 minutes or until chips are softened. Plate chips first, then soyrizo, veggies, cilantro and cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Simple Eggplant “Parmesan”
Makes 6 servings

1 eggplant
1 can diced tomatoes with
basil and garlic
6 slices wheat bread
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tbls salt free garlic seasoning
2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp butter or earth balance
1/4 cup water
3 cups shredded mozzarella or
vegan dayia mozzarella

Slice eggplant 1/3 inch thick, place in deep frying pan with salt, butter and water. Steam covered 3 minutes, then uncover, stir, and cook another 2 minutes, until most of the water evaporates. Add can of tomatoes and seasoning, combine and sauté 3 minutes until just warmed. Spread mixture evenly on bread. Top mixture with bread crumbs and place on wire rack in oven or toaster oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted and slightly browning, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Pepper Pasta Bake 1 10oz pkg pasta of your choice ( I used whole wheat rotini) 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 small can tomato sauce 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced 1 cup cold water 1/3 cup unsweetened plain almond milk 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water Sea salt to taste Prepare pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking when noodles are almost done, just before the “al dente” stage. Toss with a bit of oil to prevent sticking, set aside. Cook onions in a bit of oil until soft and golden. Add red pepper and half of the yellow pepper and sauté until soft. Add tomato sauce and salt, stir to combine. Add water and almond milk. Blend pepper mixture in blender on low speed 1 minute to purée completely. Return to pan and cook over low heat until bubbling. Add cornstarch/water mixture and mix quickly. Add pasta and combine. Transfer to baking pan and top with remaining yellow peppers, roasted red peppers, and breadcrumbs or cheese (I used goat cheese crumbles) and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Sauce should be bubbling on the sides and peppers soft and warm. Enjoy!

Pecan Pie For crust: 1 cup flour 1/2 cup margarine, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water For Filling: 1 1/4 cups pecans, pieces or whole 1/2 cup margarine, melted 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water Prepare crust: Cream softened margarine and sugar. Add other ingredients and combine well. Roll dough with pin between two sheets plastic wrap, then transfer to pie pan and press down and crimp edges. Place in 350 oven for 5 minutes, remove and set aside. For filling: Melt sugar into margarine and combine well add all other ingredients except pecans, combine well. Fold in pecans and fill pie crust to top. Place in oven, bake for 30/40 minutes or until crust is light golden brown around edges. Serve warm.

Roasted Roots 1 large sweet potato 4 medium red potatoes 1 small yellow onion 1 garlic clove 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 sprig fresh rosemary 6 tablespoons softened margarine or light olive oil Chop sweet potato and red potato into 1cm square chunks Slice onion into 1/6 wedges Slice of garlic bases and peel. Toss veggies in margarine or oil until fully coated Coat baking pan with margarine or oil and lay veggies flat Crumble rosemary and sprinkle over veggies, place thyme sprigs on top as well Bake at 350 for 30 min, stir once, then bake an additional 20-30 until garlic is soft. Enjoy!

Bourbon Vanilla Orange Souffle

Two small-medium oranges
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Chop orange tops off 1/4 of the top. Use a knife to carefully cut around the orange and remove the juice and pulp. A little left over in the bottom is ok. Place removed orange juice and pulp into a sieve and press all juice out of pulp. Place into blender with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and well combined. Pour into orange shells, fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 25-30 DO NOT OVERBAKE! Souffle will “deflate” if cooked too long. It should puff up and be slightly firm to the touch in the middle. I recommend checking every minute after 25 minutes. If your souffle falls, you can still eat it it’s just not as impressive. However, if it does happen, sprinkle some brown sugar on top and broil for a few minutes or hit it with a blow torch and voila! Orange brûlée.
Message for questions! Enjoy!

theclearlydope:

Hello Good Morning Internet: Boobs and wings trump all spiritual beliefs. 

memewhore:

Amish people at Hooters.

This is just too funny not to reshare!

Lemon Grilled Veggies over Red Smashed Potatoes with Garlic Beet Sauce This can of beets has been staring at me for weeks. I had no idea what to do with it. I feel like this turned out pretty darn tasty, my husband ate it all up with a quickness! Going to use this type of sauce again, and I really like the complement of the lemon, but it just needs a little something else.

For this recipe, I grilled up a quarter of an onion, two tomatoes, three mushrooms and a green bell pepper in a little earth balance and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Spooned this over some red smashed potatoes (with a little earth balance and sea salt)

The beet sauce was super easy; I blended a can of sliced beets (with the juice), juice of half a lemon, a little garlic powder and sea salt in my trusty magic bullet and sauteed it over low heat until heated through. I think its the color of this sauce that I really love, but it had a nice velvety texture also. I can’t wait to use it again.