We were at it again today....it helps that we had a cold snap come through overnight so neither of us wanted to be outside in that frigid air...so whipping up some warm recipes was perfect! But I thought you had to see this first....When I asked Atticus what he wanted for breakfast this morning he told me he was going to give me some clues and I had to guess.... "It's orange and you peel it." I said, "sorry buddy, we don't have any oranges...." His response, "I don't want an orange, I want a carrot, and make it a big one!" Seriously...I love this kid!
First in the test kitchen today is Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna. I invited my friend and fellow PC team member Candy over - she's heard me talk about this recipe and also eats plant-based so I thought it would be fun to make together. Rumor has it this recipe makes a ton so we split the ingredients, brought extra casserole dishes to the table and got started cooking! One of the biggest, yet most unexpected rewards of my Pampered Chef business are the friendships I've made...I'm very thankful for Candy - she cracks me up and I can't imagine my team without her!
This is a vegan (meat-free and dairy-free) version and it's absolutely delicious. Not typically what comes to mind when you think "lasagna", but I promise it's awesome. It was created by Rip Esselyton, a firefighter in Texas...so it's firefighter approved :) The combination of flavors is so unexpected, but so satisfying. You can check out the recipe here.
I put the larger container in the freezer for another time and we made the smaller one for dinner since it was just me and little man at home tonight. We both devoured it!
Next in the test kitchen.... Sweet Potato & Chinese Five Spice Muffins. This recipe is another attempt to find breakfast options for Atticus as well as a healthy snack and/or lunch box option. He is his mother's son - we like our raw carrots but we're certainly not going to turn down a tastey little treat wrapped in an adorable cupcake liner. So whether they are cupcakes or muffins, my fingers are crossed these are a hit.
I've never cooked with Chinese five-spice powder (have you?)...honestly, I'd hadn't heard of it until I came across a recipe calling for it. Once I learned what spices make up this savory yet sweet blend I knew it would be heavenly. Cinnamon + Star Anise + Fennel + Ginger + Cloves + White Pepper + Licorice Root = YUM I know that's actually 7 ingredients, but that's what's in it.... werid, I know. Turns out this recips isn't nearly as sweet as I thought it might be. I sort of made my own recipe by combining two different recipes that grabbed my attention...so maybe that was my mistake or maybe they just aren't supossed to be sweet. I solved that issue real fast after scarfing down my first muffin...I drizzled them with agave nectar...now they're perfect! Ha!
Here is what I made...a mash-up recipe of a few good ingredients.
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tesapoon salt
1 Tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 eggs (I used ground flax seed as a substitute)
1 cup mashed sweet potato puree (cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour - perfect sweet potato)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup coconut oil (you could use canola too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the first seven ingredients until well blended.
Add the remaining ingredients to a mixing blowl and whisk until smooth.
Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined, but don't overmix.
You can make in mini muffin pan or regular muffin pan.... use cupcake liners. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. *Also great in the freezer - just store in air-tight container.
It's been a fun day - there are still a few things on our list...we'll see what tomorrows weather brings. Perhaps we'll take a day off from the kitchen and go dig for worms! Or....if the free entertainment provided by our local water company is still going on tomorrow Atticus may just stand in front of the window and watch all the bulldozers making a mess on our street (this litterally held his attention for hours...we went and got an up close look at the hole they were digging!)
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