Recipe | Vegan Apple Pumpkin Muffins

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Makes 12 muffins

2 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup raw cane sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2-3 tbsp plain, unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*optionl* 2-3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

Preheat your oven to 325° F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (brown rice flour, sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, almond milk, canola oil) in a separate mixing bowl.

Once both are separately combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients gradually until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The batter will be relatively thick.

You can either lie your muffin tin with muffin cups, or you can just spray the tin with some canola oil cooking spray to ensure that the muffins don't stick when you try to take them out. Scoop the better into each muffin mold about 3/4 of the way up.

*If you want, you can top each muffin with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds before you bake them off. The pumpkin seeds will roast in the oven a little bit and provide a nice contrast in flavor with the slight sweetness of the muffins*

Pop those bad boys in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine were perfect at 15 minutes. Just keep checking on them after the 15 minute mark by sticking a toothpick or a knife or fork through the center of a muffin to see if the inside isn't a gooey mess.

Enjoy! :)

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Update | Sick Sunday

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I've been feeling a cold coming on for a few days now (thanks, Chris) but today it hit me hardest when I got home from work. Luckily I had no other plans for the day and just got to relax.

I threw on some comfy clothes and set myself up on my couch with a quick and easy dinner, some HGTV, and just let myself rest for the night.

Just some warmed up tomato and roasted red pepper soup and some toast with avocado topped with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a little onion powder.

Oh yeah, and Benji kept me company all night.

How could I be mad about being sick if this little guy was snuggled up next to me?!

I hope your Sunday was slightly less sick, but just as snuggly :)

<3 Sam

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Fashion Tip | Simple Outfit Ideas for Fall

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Pumpkin EVERYTHING, brisk weather, apple picking, apple cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving... what's not to love about Autumn? It's definitely my favorite season. I especially get excited about the fashion trends that come with fall - sweaters, boots, layering, scarves. The weather is just brisk enough to bring out your favorite faux leather jacket and and pair it with your favorite pair of knee high boots. AND you don't have to hide your awesome fashion sense under a big bulky winter coat. Perfect!

Here are a few outfit ideas I put together that I thought could cater to a bunch of different scenarios you might find yourself in this fall. Whether you're out pumpkin picking with your best friends, or going out on a date with your favorite guy, these outfits will keep you cozy while still looking fabulous.

Outfit #1: Cute & Casual
perfect for a girls' day out

Plaid is a very fall/winter trend. Pair your favorite plaid shirt or flannel (it might even be the one you stole from your boyfriend or your best guy friend) with some skinny jeans/jeggings, a pair of knee high boots, and a light scarf. If it's a warmer fall day, throw a tank top under the plaid and leave it unbuttoned for a looser and cooler look.

Outfit #2: Cozy Layers
for those chillier autumn days and nights

This look can be easily dressed up or down. The colored jeans and flats give the outfit a classier look with the denim shirt thrown over a chunky sweater. Pair the tops with some leggings or denim/black jeans for a more casual, but equally as cozy, look. A fluffy infinity scarf completes the look with some extra warmth.

Outfit #3: Date Night
...or going to the bar with your girlfriends

Circle skirts are my favorite skirt for any season. In the fall, they can be paired with leg warmers and high boots, or some tights and flats. Either way you keep your legs warm, you'll look cute sporting a circle skirt. Throw on your favorite crop top to accentuate the high waisted skirt. If it's a chilly night, add your favorite denim shirt or sweater to stay warm but still look good.

Outfit #4: Plain and Simple

My favorite look for fall is just a big ole sweater over some black skinny jeans or leggings. Pair this outfit with some cute ankle booties and you've instantly dressed it up. I also like pairing this outfit with some knee high boots.

Put your own spin on these outfits and have fun with the flexibility that fall fashion gives you!

<3 Sam

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Recipe | Chunky Vegetable Soup with Cannellini Beans

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This recipe yields roughly 7 pints (I stored all my leftovers in handy pint-sized Mason jars- I suggest you do the same to portion everything out and have easy, quick dinners for the week!)

1 quart of Vegetable Stock (you might want to get a low sodium one so you can control the saltiness level of your soup)
a couple tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
4 cups water
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 zucchini, cut into fourths, length-wise, and then chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (use whatever colors you have - I had a green and a red so that's what I used)
2 cups frozen broccoli
1 15oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
1 cup pasta (I used broken up pieces of linguine)
1 tbsp hot sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (not photographed - this was a last minute addition)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large stock pot over medium heat and add some olive oil. Sautee the carrots for about 7 minutes. Then add the chopped bell peppers, zucchini, and garlic and sautee for another 5-7 minutes, or until they start getting tender. Add some salt and pepper and the cumin, turmeric, and hot sauce. Stir to incorporate the spices and then add your stock and water. Add your broccoli, beans, and soy sauce to the pot. Cover with a lid and bring the soup up to a boil. Once at a boil, drop your pasta in and cook until the pasta is al dente (or of desired consistency). Adjust seasonings to taste and enjoy! The soup gets better the longer it sits - so left overs are GREAT :)

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Recipe | Garam Masala-Spiced Roasted Potatoes

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4-5 white potatoes, diced
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Toss the diced potatoes with the seasonings and oil. Spread out on a tin foil-lined and oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, checking and stirring around about halfway through the cooking process.

I served my potatoes with some quinoa and steamed broccoli, corn, and peas. You can incorporate them into a soup or stew or serve along side your favorite veggie burger.

Enjoy!

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Recipe | Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Burgers

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1 small eggplant
1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
a couple tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chili lime spiced cashews
1/2 cup quick-cooking or instant oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

To start off these burgers, you're gonna want to roast your eggplant. I used a small one, but whatever size looks good at the grocery store will work fine. A larger eggplant will yield you an extra burger or two and you might need to add a little more of the spices.

Anyway, preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Slice your eggplant in about 1/2 inch slices and line them on the baking sheet. Drizzle the slices with olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper on them. Roast them for about 5-7 minutes on one side, flip them, and then roast the other side for about 3-5 minutes.

While your eggplant is roasting, you can start processing your other ingredients. I have a really small food processor, so I needed to process everything in steps - that's how I'll write out this recipe. If you have a large food processor, go ahead and just dump all the ingredients into it and pulse away.

Anyone with a small food processor, here's what you can do:

Start off with the cashews - you want to get them to a crumbly consistency, but not like bread crumbs. Pulse them for 10-15 seconds to achieve this texture and then add them to a big bowl.

Next, you might have to do your can of beans in two steps. Just pulse it until the beans are mashed up a little bit. I like a chunkier burger, so I didn't process my beans for a long time. It's up to your personal preference though. Add your mashed up chickpeas to the bowl with the ground up cashews.

Take your roughly chopped scallions, oats, chia seeds, cumin, coriander, turmeric, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds, or until everything looks evenly combined. Add this mixture to the bowl. 

You can add the sriracha, or whatever hot sauce you chose, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and vegetable stock right to the bowl and bypass the food processor. Stir up all the ingredients to combine and evenly distribute all the spices.

At this point, your eggplant should be finished roasting  Remove the eggplant from the oven and turn the temperature down to 400°.

Go ahead and roughly chop up the eggplant - CAREFULLY since you just took it out of the oven and it will be hot! (feel free to let it cool off for a little while) - and then add it to the food processor. Pulse for 15-20 seconds, or until it's at your desired consistency. Add the eggplant to the bowl with all the other ingredients and give it one last stir and a taste to check for seasoning.

Grab a handful of the mix and start forming your patties. I was able to get 7 burgers when I made this. I just put the patties on the same baking sheet and foil I used to roast my eggplant - I just added a little more non-stick spray. Line your patties up and bake them for 7 minutes one one side, flip them, and bake for another 5-7 minutes on the other side. 

While your patties are cooking, you can get your burger toppings ready. I just served mine on some toasted organic whole grain bread with mixed baby greens and tomato slices topped with honey mustard.

Enjoy!

- Sam :)

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Update | the past two weeks...

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... have been really great for me :) I neglected any blogging because I hadn't come up with any new recipes or anything worth blogging about, and I didn't really have the time/energy to write up a blog post worth reading.

I was back and forth between Long Island and South Jersey with my boyfriend Chris for the two weeks. What was meant to just be a couple days spent up in New York for his birthday turned into an awesome two weeks with some working in between.

I ended up being able to spend the 4th of July with Chris which was really nice since I got to meet the majority of his family. His family is not only huge but hilarious, and there wasn't a dull moment at the 4th of July BBQ at his uncle's house.

Chris also took me out to Port Jeff, one of the nice, quaint towns on the water, during that stay. We got to walk around, have a fantastic vegetarian meal at Tiger Lily Cafe, buy some loose leaf tea and incense, and just soak up the salty, summer air and have a good time. We also realized how few pictures we have together where we're not making disgusting faces, so I got this one really quickly when we were stopped at a red light on the way to Port Jeff:

Half of our faces are covered with our sunglasses... but hey, it's a start! The whole not-distorting-our-faces-for-pictures thing is foreign to us.

Of course, I couldn't wait to give Chris his presents, so I ended up giving most of them BEFORE his actual birthday. I managed to keep the one present I was most excited for (two tickets to an Atmosphere concert) a surprise until the day of his birthday and I think he was decently excited :) The night prior to his birthday was fantasic - spent with his parents and a big chunk of his cousins, aunts, and uncles out at The Patio listening to some live music and getting dragged onto the dance floor. The night finished off with a ride on a firetruck. Not too shabby, right? The day of his actual birthday was a lazy day for us until some family came over for dinner, cake, and gift-opening. 

The two weeks ended with me catching whatever head cold type thing his grandmother was recovering from. I still need a box of tissues near by at all times, my voice is reminiscent of a pre-pubescent boy, and I'm still pretty achey, but I feel WORLDS better than how I felt just yesterday and the day before. All the tissues were worth it, though.

In between all the day dates, movie nights, exploring, and just enjoying each other's company, I had a couple days scheduled to work - a fare trade off, if you ask me, since I got to spend some of my off days with Chris and his amazing family. I feel quite lucky to now know such a loving, spontaneous, accepting, and flat-out awesome group of people. I now know where Chris gets his genuinely good-hearted personality from. I'm not one for being all sappy and whatnot, but I'm really happy with this guy. I'm also really happy his family likes me and that my family is equally as fond of him. We're a really good match for each other. Chris makes me forget about why I'm sad and I can honestly say I'm extremely happy with where I'm at in life right now, despite some recent crappy realizations, and Chris helped me get to this point. He's just great, okay?

I'll  be back to my normal blogging routine as SOON as I go grocery shopping and start coming up with new recipes!

-Sam :)

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