Recipe of the week

Recipe | Benevolent Bacon Mac & Cheese with Kale

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mac After posting this dinner last night on my Instagram I had a few requests for the recipe so here it is.

We spent most of yesterday out of the house at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival about an hour south of Portland. It was luckily a beautiful day and we soaked up the sun and festival with friends.

March 2015 - Tulip Fest - My little tulips

After parting ways we headed to the outlets since they were on the way home and mama needed some new clothes. After two many hours of shopping we finally headed home. While in the car we got to talking about dinner and discussed grabbing dinner out but Edith insisted that we eat dinner at home and that we have mac and cheese. We agreed but first stopped to pick up a few provisions which included the ingredients to make said mac and cheese.
mac2

My original thought was to do a customize your own mac and cheese and then Neil said “you know what would be really good [in the mac and cheese] some of that Sweet Earth bacon” so his brilliant idea won. I added kale because kale + bacon is great and because greens. Everyone enjoyed it and it was deemed a must make again meal.

Benevolent Bacon Mac and Cheese with | Vegan
Serves 6
This vegan mac and cheese recipe features Sweet Earth Natural Foods Benevolent Bacon.
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Ingredients
  1. 3/4lb of Small Pasta, cook according to package
  2. 2 Tablespoons Earth Balance
  3. 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
  4. 1 2/3 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, room temperature or lightly warmed
  5. 1 Cup Shredded Dayia Cheddar Cheese
  6. 4 Garlic Cloves, divided
  7. 1 Vegan Chik'n Boullion Cube
  8. 1 Package Sweet Earth Natural Foods Benevolent Bacon, thinly sliced
  9. 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, divided
  10. 1 Bunch Lacinato Kale
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. While pasta is cooking saute the kale and 2 cloves of garlic in 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until softened. Remove from the pan and set aside; add the remaining olive oil and sautee the bacon until lightly browned. Set aside.
  3. In a small sauce pan heat melt the Earth Balance over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook on low for 90 seconds whisking the entire time. Whisk in the the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
  4. Slowly whisk the almond milk into the Earth Balance and flour mixture and then whisk in the vegan chik'n boullion cube. Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce coats the back a spoon.
  5. Add the Dayia to the sauce and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Once the pasta is cooked and drained return the pasta back to it's pot and add all the ingredients. Stir to combine.
  7. Enjoy!
Naturally Lindsay https://www.naturallylindsay.com/
What did you do this weekend? We spent a lot of time out of the house at parks, festivals and doing a little shopping.

What is your favorite mac and cheese recipe? Do you like to add anything special to yours?

Recipe | (Kid-Approved) Nut-Free Pesto Pasta

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Raise your hand if you are a pasta-o-holic like me. I would say in an average week we have pasta at least twice and that’s only because I purposely don’t buy enough to have it everyday of the week – or we would. Edith requests pasta most days of the week and today I said YES and pasta is what we had. 

Nut Free Pesto

Most of the time I make some sort of vegan mac and cheese or a pesto pasta for lunches. Since Alder is now eating err…playing with solids I wanted to make something that he could taste too so I decided to go with a nut-free pesto. It was also the perfect way to get Edith to eat some greens because lately she has been a little more picky with her food. 

Anyways I made this pasta dish and it turned out fantastic. Even Edith who told me while I was making it that she wasn’t going to eat it declared that it was her “favorite best pasta”. So basically this pasta dish is a winner. Enjoy!

(Kid Approved) Nut-Free Pesto Pasta
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. 2 servings pasta of your choice
  2. 1 cup broccoli (fresh or defrosted frozen)
  3. 1 cup peas (fresh or defrosted frozen)
  4. 2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
  5. 2-3 garlic cloves
  6. 1/4 cup olive oil
  7. 1 teaspoon white miso
  8. 1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
  9. salt and pepper to taste
  10. 1 Italian Field Roast Sausage (optional), diced and lightly bowned
  11. Reserve a bit of cooking water
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package.
  2. To a food processor all the ingredients except sausage and cooking water; process until smooth. (If making for baby as well see note below).
  3. Toss pasta with pesto and sausage adding as bit of cooking water as necessary to reach desired sauce consistency.
Notes
  1. For Alder I added just the olive oil, peas, broccoli and nutritional yeast to the food processor and blended until smooth; I removed a few tablespoons to toss with a bit of pasta and then added remaining ingredients.
Naturally Lindsay https://www.naturallylindsay.com/
Nut Free Pesto Fork

What is your go-to pasta dish or lunch dish?

Recipe | Celebratory Black Bean Soup (Panera Copycat)

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On March 9, 2015 our dear friends K. and J. welcomed their second baby girl into the world. To say we are over moon thrilled for them and big sister K. is an understatement. I am missing those squishy newborn days so I can’t wait to head on over today to finally meet baby L. (as I type this I’m wondering if they planned on sequential first initials…hmm? Anyways of course I am bringing over a new baby dish for them and yesterday afternoon I said wait a minute I should share this recipe with you all! 

Running With Tongs - Panera Dupe - Celebrate

So K., J. & little K. are lovers of Panera, specifically the black bean soup so I thought why not attempt a copycat of one of their favorite soups? I have to say it turned out delicious and I am planning to make it again soon for ourselves.

Running With Tongs - Black Bean Soup - Panera Dupe

Celebratory Black Bean Soup (Panera Copycat)
Serves 6
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Ingredients
  1. 2 Teaspoons Grapeseed Oil (or oil of your choice)
  2. 3-15oz Tins of Reduced Sodium Black Beans, drained
  3. 1 Medium Red Onion, diced
  4. 2 Large Carrots, diced
  5. 2 Celery Stalks, diced
  6. 1 Bell Pepper (Red, Yellow or Orange), diced
  7. 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  8. 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
  9. 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
  10. 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  11. 2 Heaping Tablespoons Tomato Paste
  12. 1 Vegan Chikn Boullion Cube
  13. 2-3 Cups Water, depending on how thick/thin you'd like your soup
  14. 1 Teaspoon Umiboshi Plum Vinegar
Instructions
  1. Heat oil a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion, carrots, celery and bell pepper, sauté for 7-10 minutes until soft.
  3. Stir in the garlic and spices.
  4. Stir in the black beans (drained not rinsed), tomato paste, boullion and water.
  5. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to medium-low to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
  6. (Optional) remove 1/2-3/4 cup of soup and puree until smooth; return to pot and stir.
  7. Stir in the vinegar and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
  1. You don't have to use umi vinegar but I recommend it. I use it in basically every soup and sauce that I make because it just makes such a difference. Don't believe me? Try your soup or sauce before adding and then stir it in and taste again- taste the difference?
Naturally Lindsay https://www.naturallylindsay.com/
I am pairing this soup with Beanitos aka my favorite corn-free tortilla chips, a Porter (beer) because L’s middle name is Porter, a session IPA (low alcohol for mum if she so desires), a dry soda and a batch of fresh lactation cookies and some for the freezer because who doesn’t prefer warm cookies straight from the oven and honestly it’s super easy to do. Hoping they enjoy this basket of goodies!

Running With Tongs - BabyMeal- Panera Dupe

Interested in more vegan recipe copycats? Let me know in the comments below!

What’s your favorite soup? I love a really good “cream” of tomato with crusty bread (obvs).

RECIPE | Honey Roasted Carrots and Sweet & Smoky Tempeh

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Every Saturday morning we wake up, have breakfast as a family and then we get ready and head out for the morning. We usually stop first to have coffee and then it’s on to the farmers market. It’s a weekly tradition that we have grown to love and if for some reason we miss one of our market mornings it just seems to throw the entire week off.

This past weekend we skipped the coffee out but we did head to the market after enjoying breakfast at home. We actually ended up arriving far too early because we forgot that they changed the start time to 9am instead of the usual 8:30am. We ended up standing in line at our favorite stand with our arms filled with babies and beautiful produce as we waited for the market bell to ring, indicating the start of the market.

Honey Roasted Carrots
This week I picked up a variety of greens, herbs, onions, garlic and root vegetables. My favorite purchase were the multi colored carrots that not only tasted amazing but were incredibly beautiful. I chose a few each of the deep purple, the purple with an orange center, yellow and one that was almost a pink color. We chopped up a selection of them to serve with dips at our beer tasting party but I still had a few carrots left so I decided to roast them up for lunch yesterday.

Since root vegetables pair well with chiles I decided to go for a honey roasted carrot with a little bit of chile. I also did a quick pan seared sweet and smoky tempeh to go along with my delicious carrots.

Honey Roasted Carrots with Chile
Serves 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into "fries"
  2. 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  3. 1 tablespoon raw honey
  4. 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  5. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  7. Garnish: crushed toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  2. Whisk together the oil, honey, chili powder, pepper and salt.
  3. Toss the carrots with the oil mixture and pour out onto a sheet pan; make sure carrots are in a single layer.
  4. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until tender.
  5. Remove from oven and garnish with crushed toasted pumpkin seeds (optional).
Naturally Lindsay https://www.naturallylindsay.com/
Honey Roasted Carrots & Tempeh

Sweet & Smoky Tempeh
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 tablespoon olive
  2. 1-8oz package of tempeh, cut in half and then into triangles
  3. 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  4. 2 tablespoons tamari
  5. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  6. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  7. 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
  1. In a medium sautee pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Whisk together all other ingredients except tempeh.
  3. Add the tempeh to the hot oil and sautee until lightly browned on one side (approx 2-3 minutes).
  4. Flip the tempeh and then pour the maple-balsamic mixture over the tempeh; turn heat down to medium.
  5. Sautee until liquid has evaporated. Make sure to keep an eye on this so as not to burn the tempeh.
Naturally Lindsay https://www.naturallylindsay.com/
Honey Roasted Carrots & Tempeh square

What is your Saturday morning routine like? 

#FOODIE | 12 Yummy Apple Recipes

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by foodie.com. All opinions are my own.

It’s Autumn a time for pumpkin patches, chai lattes and most of all apple picking! Use up your apple stash with these 12 tasty recipes. We haven’t made it out to the apple orchard this year but we have been stocking up on apples and can’t wait to make this Apple Walnut Cake and One Bowl Carrot Apple Muffins. I am thinking I might also try this Apple Tahini Toast because it is a combination I wouldn’t haven’t made on my own but it sounds so interesting; if you try this recipe before I do let me know what you think! 

Check out 12 Yummy Apple Recipes

by Lindsay at Foodie.com

What are you favorite apple recipes?

6 Recipes for Cool Weather

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6 recipes for cool weather

I am working on a number of new recipes right now (yay!) but until then I wanted to re-share a few of my favorite Fall recipes.

Chickpea Tomato Minestrone: This actually isn’t one of my recipes but rather a recipe that I had pinned and tried. It is super hearty and warming.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie: First off Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to my friends (and husband). This recipe while perfect for the upcoming American Thanksgiving holiday it is really great anytime. Seriously rich and delicious.

Creamy Curry Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (vegan): I crave this all year long and make it (or variations) at least once or twice per month. I haven’t made it myself this month but I think it’s long over due and with squash in season it’s the perfect time.

Cinnamon Chocolate Pecan Tart: This is super indulgent and perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday.

French Lentil Dahl: I am a huge lover of lentils and this rich and hearty soup is perfect for the cooling weather. I like to pair it with a nice green salad with French Vinaigrette and a slice or two of baguette.

Chickpea Potato Tagine: This warm and heart tagine is sweet, a little spicy and earthy. So delicious.

What are you favorite cool weather recipes? Have you tried any of the recipes above? Any cool weather recipe requests?

{Recipe} Avocado Curry Noodles

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Can I tell you how pumped I am for the all the farmers markets to start back up here in Portland? Seriously my favorite places to go grocery shopping. Right now there are only a few open but that’s okay because one of them is the PSU Farmers Market which has a great selection of produce and other items. This past Saturday we made our weekly trip to the market and despite the torrential down pour that occurred while we were shopping we had a great time and picked up lots of fresh produce.

This week I picked up mustard greens, spinach, baby leeks, carrots, parsnips, onions, shallots, baby kale and baby bok choy. I have been trying to incorporate the greens into our meals this week and last night it was baby bok choys’ turn. I found a jar of green curry in the pantry and since I have coconut milk I figured curry was the only way to go.

Avocado Curry

Avocado Curry Noodles

Serves 4
This recipe was inspired by a recent trip to the food carts where I saw avocado curry on the menu at one of the Thai stands. To be honest I don’t really know what traditional avocado curry is like but this is my version.

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ knob of garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4 cups baby bok choy, sliced
1 can lite coconut milk
2 tablespoons green curry paste
1 tablespoon tamari
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
1 avocado, diced – you want a semi-firm avocado so it holds up
4 servings of linguine, soba or buckwheat noodles
cilantro and avocado for garnish

Directions:

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
  2. Just when the coconut oil has melted add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the onion and bell pepper and toss to coat with the coconut oil; cook for 5 minutes stirring often.
  4. Stir in the bok choy and then add the coconut milk, curry paste, tamari and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Stir in the avocado.
  6. Divide the noodles into four bowls and ladle the curry over the noodles. Top with cilantro and avocado.

Avocado Curry Noodles