Pear & Pecan Salad with Mustard Dressing

Ingredients
1 bag baby spinach
3 pears, cored and chopped
5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
Coconut oil for caramelizing pecans

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
2 gloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a pan over medium heat, heat coconut oil and stir in brown sugar with the pecans. Stir until sugar starts to change in consistency. It will start to melt and cover the pecans. Remove from heat and place on a plate, spread out so they don't all stick together when they cool.
For the dressing, put the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper in the blender and blend on low until smooth.
In a large bowl, layer spinach, pears, avocado, cheese, green onions, and pecans.
Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts with Honey

Ingredients
Fresh brussels sprouts
Honey
Earth Balance Butter
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
Coconut oil for saute

Method
Heat oil in a pan. Slice brussels sprouts in half. Add them to heated pan and toss them around for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down a bit and cover. Careful not to burn! Check them around 5 minutes to see if they are gold and the leaves fall off fairly easily. At this point, add the butter (amount depends on how many sprouts you have...but you can't have too much butter) and let it melt. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and drizzle honey over the whole thing. Toss, remove from heat, and serve.

Simple Black Bean Soup

Forethought Note: Soak the dry black beans overnight in a bowl with water to cover. Plan on making this either the night before (to cook overnight) or the morning of. It's wonderful to have dinner done hours before it's needed.


Ingredients
1 pound dry black beans
8 cups vegetable broth
1 sweet onion
Peppers of your choice (2 big green bell peppers OR 2 big anaheim chiles OR 2 7oz cans diced green chilies...whatever you have on hand)
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon cumin (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves

Method
Chop the onions and peppers/chiles.
Rinse the soaked beans.
Put EVERYTHING in the crock pot and cook on high for 8 hours.

Top with sour cream and serve with sourdough roles.
Cheap and tasty. Plus, it makes the whole house smell amazing all day.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Ingredients
Pasta of your choice (I like angel hair)
Fresh basil leaves
Walnuts (or pine nuts...however, walnuts average to be $15/lb cheaper than pine nuts)
Sun dried tomatos
Garlic
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Cook pasta according to package.
Add basil leaves, walnuts, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic to your food processor with an "S" blade. Blend until chopped well, then pour in olive oil, pulsing the blade, until the mixture becomes smooth. Toss with pasta.

Note: I don't put the measurements on some recipes because it really does not matter. A little of this, a little of that. You really can't go wrong.

Coconut Hot Cereal with Dates

Ingredients
1/2 cup your favorite rice cereal
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 handful chopped medjool or honey dates (or any fruit, really)
Cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves

Method
Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a small pot.
Add rice cereal and dates (or other fruit).
Cook for about 5 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
Spoon into bowl, cover with desired amount of remaining coconut milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.

A yummy, hot breakfast treat!

The Enchiladas

Ingredients
1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black olives, drained & chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup corn
3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (less or more depending on wanted spicy level)
1 can enchilada sauce (I use red)
1/2 favorite salsa
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
10 corn tortillas
Salt to taste
Coconut oil for saute

"Cheese" Sauce

1/2 whole wheat flour

1/2 nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups water

1/4 cup Earth Balance

1 teaspoon mustard

Method
To make the "cheese," combine flour, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic in saucepan. Whisk in water. Heat on medium until thick and bubbling. Remove from heat and add Earth Balance and mustard. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce. Dip your finger in and try it. Stinkin' good.
Heat coconut oil in a large pot. Add onions and jalapeno peppers. Cook until soft. Then add beans, corn, olives, salsa, and cilantro. Stir together and add all except 1/2 cup of the "cheese" sauce. Stir together, cooking for about 5 minutes. Salt to taste.
Coat the bottom of a 9"x13" pan with enchilada sauce. Cover the bottom of the pan with tortillas, then spoon bean filling to cover. Place more tortillas on top, cover in enchilada sauce, and more filling. On and so forth. Like a lasanga. On the very top, pour enchilada sauce and 1/2 reserved cheese sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes...until it begins to brown.
Serve with freshly sliced avocado. Makes great leftovers.

Wild Rice in Acorn Squash & Crispy Tempeh

Acorn Squash & Wild Rice
Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 cup wild rice
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoon thyme
Red chile pepper flakes (add as much as you want, depending on spicy tolerance)
Cinnamon to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Earth Balance butter
Coconut oil for saute

Method
Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and place in a pan face-down in 1/2" of water.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add wild rice. Cook at a low boil, covered loosely, for about the same time as the squash.
In a pan, heat coconut oil. Add onions and saute. When the onions start to become soft, add garlic and mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to get soft, add walnuts and cook until they're toasty.
When the rice is finished, at it to the onions, mushrooms, and walnuts.
Add apple cider vinegar, thyme, red chile flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a couple more minutes, mixing all ingredients together.
When squash is cooked, smooth it over with a little Earth Balance and sprinkle a hint of cinnamon.
Spoon wild rice into the squash center.

The spicy rice and the sweet squash go wonderfully together.

Crispy Tempeh
Ingredients
Tempeh (whatever kind you like)
Whole wheat flour
"True Zaatar" (a seasoning mixture from a local farm. It is zaatar, sumac, and sesame seeds) or herbs of your choice
Coconut oil
Earth Balance
Bragg's liquid aminos
Salt & Pepper

Method
Slice tempeh into strips.
On a plate, mix a bit of flour, True Zataar or other herbs, salt and pepper.
Flip the tempeh around in the flour mixture, coating it.
In a pan, heat up coconut oil and Earth Balance. When hot, add tempeh and cook until golden. When finished, sprinkle with some Bragg's liquid aminos.

Serve beside the squash and wild rice.

This meal is filling and very Fall!