Vegan Pumpkin Pie Energy Bars

These are really good.  Miss A likes them, though Big E didn't want to try them.  All the rest of us like them.  I found the weight and the cup measurements didn't match for mine and so I used the weight ones.  The cup of dates wasn't 220g, even mashed into the cup.  It was a bit more than 1 cup.  The cashews were about 3/4 cup at 100g.  I found the recipe here.

• 1 cup pitted dates (220g)

• ½ cup raw cashews (100g)

• 2 Tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds + 1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (garnish)

• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes

• ¼ cup rolled oats OR ¼ cup vanilla protein powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

• ¼ cup pure pumpkin puree 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. This may take some time, but just be patient with it - you can always leave the mixture a little chunky if you like as well!

In an 8x8 baking pan, place parchment paper on the bottom.

Add in the energy bar batter from the food processor - it will be quite sticky, so it's advised to work with wet hands to prevent it sticking to your hands!

Press down the mixture into a pan and use the back of a wet spoon to smooth the top.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds.

Freeze for 2-3 hours or until solid, and cut into 8 bars.

Store in the freezer (if left at room temperature these bars will soften and become mushy, so it's best to enjoy right out of the freezer where they keep a good consistency!) (Rachel's note:  They are much softer out of the freezer, but not so soft that you can't eat them, just have hand wipes available, or eat them between some sweetish type of cracker, not ritz or saltine.) 

Enjoy!

NOTES

If you prefer the bar to be more dense at last longer at room temperature, double the oats or protein powder to make the batter less moist! This will change the nutritional facts however. 

No-bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Since fall doesn't really happen here, I've been looking for recipes to make that taste like fall.  My kids like these and they are so easy to make.  I found the recipe here. 

• 3/4 cup quick oats (60g)
• 1/2 cup oat flour (or make your own by blending oats in a food processor until they become powder. Measure after blending.) (75g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup xylitol or sugar (or coconut sugar or sucanat) (55g)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional: a pinch pumpkin pie spice as well)
• optional: handful mini chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin (or sweet potato puree) (80g)
• 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons milk of choice, as needed
• 1 tablespoon oil (omit if you desire, but I can’t vouch for the results)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients and stir very well. In a separate bowl, combine all liquid (including pumpkin). Then stir to combine, and form into balls or cookies. Or put in the fridge to firm up a little before forming cookies.

Home Made Spaghetti Sauce

This makes a lot.  There was enough to feed 5 adults and some kids with lots left over.  I got the recipe here.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped and divided

1 red pepper, coarsely chopped

2 pounds hamburger (at least 90% lean) or lean ground turkey

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 12 oz. can tomato paste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes

2 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 carton fresh mushrooms (optional)

1 1/2 cups beef stock or beef broth

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add beef and cook until no red is showing. Drain beef slightly. Blend up the remaining onions and red pepper in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Add mixture to the garlic, onions and beef and stir to combine, cooking for another minute. Add tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add tomatoes, beef broth and sugar (and mushrooms, if using). Stir until combined and add the bay leaves.

2. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in the balsamic vinegar.

NOTE: The sauce will seem watery at first but will reduce to perfection after simmering for an hour. I’ve let it simmer on the stove for up to three hours before with no problems.

Pumpkin Granola

5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt

3 tbs ground flax (optional)

1- 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds (I put both in)
1/2 cup honey
½ cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325° F.

In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, salt, flax, and nuts. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto a large baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries (I usually just add some when I eat a bowl rather than when I make it). Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Grilled Vegetable Burritos

I got this from diabeticlivingonline.com.  It is a bit time consuming, but oh so good. Probably less time consuming if you don't have to also make the tortillas...

1 red sweet pepper, quartered and seeded

1/2 of a small eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 portobello mushroom, stem removed (about 5 ounces)

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 7 - 8 - inch whole grain tortillas

1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped fresh tomato (optional)

1/4 cup Cilantro Pesto (recipe follows)

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons light dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly coat sweet pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and mushroom with cooking spray. For a charcoal grill, place vegetables on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium-hot coals. Grill for 3 minutes; turn vegetables. Grill 3 to 5 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp- tender. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place vegetables on grill rack over heat; cover and grill as above.) Remove vegetables from grill; cool slightly.

2. Coarsely chop vegetables. In a medium bowl toss together chopped vegetables, garlic, and pepper. Divide vegetables among tortillas, placing vegetables just below center and to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle vegetables with cheese. Fold bottom edge of each tortilla up and over filling. Fold opposite sides in over filling. Roll up from the bottom.

3. Return filled tortillas to grill rack. Grill for 1 minute; turn and grill 1 to 2 minutes more or until tortillas are lightly browned. Serve with tomato (if using), Cilantro Pesto and if desired, avocado and sour cream.

Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 clove minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine firmly packed cilantro leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan cheese, and minced garlic. Cover and blend or process with several on-off turns until a paste forms, stopping the machine several times and scraping down the sides. With the machine running, gradually add olive oil and water; blend or process until smooth. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Servings Per Recipe: 4

PER SERVING: 293 cal., 14 g total fat (5 g sat. fat),  25 g carb. (14 g fiber, 5 g sugars), 18 g pro.

Vegetable Lasanga

I got this recipe from  diabeticlivingonline.com

6 dried whole wheat lasagna noodles (these are impossible to find here so I just use regular no boil                                         kind)

2 1/2 cups zucchini and/or yellow summer squash halved lengthwise and sliced (2 medium)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup light ricotta cheese

1/4 cup snipped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley

3 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups purchased pasta sauce

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. (I have the no boil kind and have not cooked them and it has worked just fine.)

2. Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet cook and stir squash, mushrooms*, and onion in hot oil over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until tender; remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and pepper. *TIP: Baby portabella mushrooms taste great in this recipe.

3. To assemble, place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish, trimming to fit as necessary. Spoon half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with half of the vegetable mixture, half of the sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, vegetable mixture, and sauce.

4. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with tomato and the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Servings Per Recipe: 6

PER SERVING: 256 cal., 8 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 30 g carb. (6 g fiber, 5 g sugars), 16 g pro.

Ratatouille

Since being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, I've been looking for good, meatless meals that we can eat.  I've found a few that I thought you'd also enjoy.  There's a lot of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms used.  Steve and I ate this and had some cashews on the side for added protein.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

salt to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 zucchini, sliced

1 large onion, sliced into rings

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, sliced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat bottom and sides of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

 Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned. Mix in parsley and eggplant. Cook and stir until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Spread eggplant mixture evenly across bottom of prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Spread zucchini in an even layer over top. Lightly salt and sprinkle with a little more cheese. Continue layering in this fashion, with onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and tomatoes, covering each layer with a sprinkling of salt and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

21 g carbs per serving, 15 g protein