Vegan Buttercream Frosting--good for piping

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (earth balence)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted if clumpy)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup soy milk

beat the shortening and margarine until well combined and fluffy
add the sugar and beat for about 3 more mins
add the vanilla and soy milk and beat for 5-7 mins until fluffy.

Recipe taken entirely from chow.com

Lentil & Rice Pilaf

Super simple, super cheap, super healthy, and super delicious! --what more could you want? 

1 cup hulled small French green or brown lentils, sorted of debris and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions $
1 teaspoon minced garlic $
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. In a 3-quart pan over high heat, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender to bite, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, add oil, onions, and garlic to a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat; stir often until onions are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Add rice, salt, cumin, and pepper; stir until rice looks opaque, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in lentils and 2 more cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender to bite and liquid is absorbed, 13 to 15 minutes.

Great served with tzatzik (Greek yogurt sauce) & roasted butternut squash.

Recipe taken entirely from myrecipies.com. 

Wild Rice Soup

This soup is unbelievably delicious, Jackson had 3 bowls!


1/2 cup butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks (or 1 large), finely chopped
2 cups diced potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (this is just a thickener, I bet a gf substitute would definitely work!)
4 cups of broth--I used vegetable, but the original recipe calls for chicken or turkey broth
2 cups COOKED wild rice
2 cups half-and-half cream
1.5 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook 1/2 cup wild rice--takes about an hour mostly unattended

In dutch oven heat butter over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion; cook until tender. Stir in flour unteil blended; cook until bubbly. Gradually wisk in broth. Bring to a boil, stiring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes until thickened. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat; smmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Makes about 12; 1 cup servings. We had plenty for dinner and lunch the next day for the 3 of us.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home magazine Dec 2012 edition. 

Steakhouse Mushrooms

These are seriously delicious! Justin and I ate the whole pound of mushrooms in about 5 minutes.  I would eat these every week, they are so good.

2-4 tablespoons butter
1 lb fresh mushrooms
1.5 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, cook until tender. Stir in seasonings and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Recpe adapted sligtly from Taste of Home magazine Dec 2012 edition. 

Tortellini & Spinach Soup

We just had this soup on Saturday night and not only was it delicious, but it literally took 15 minutes to prepare. We served it with crusty bread, yum!!


3.5 cups of vegetable broth (or 2 14 oz cans)
1 9 oz pkg  refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 can white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3-4 cups fresh spinach
3 tbsp minced fresh basil (or about 1 tsp dried-I just eye balled it)
shredded parmesan or Asiago cheese for garnish

In large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add tortellini & reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and return to a simmer. Cook 4-5 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

Stir in spinach and basil, cook until spinach wilts and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.   

Recipe taken entirely from Taste of Home magazine December 2012 edition.

Breakfast Rice Pudding

2 cups cooked brown rice 1-1/2 cups vanilla rice milk 3 tablespoons raisins 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon In a medium-size saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a slow simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, or until thick. Recipe taken entirely from ChooseVeg.com.

Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup  milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa, (hs note: rinse quinoa)
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted*
4 teaspoons agave nectar or maple syrup

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave nectar over each serving.

Serves 4.

*While the quinoa cooks, roast the pecans in a 350F degree toaster oven for 5 to 6 minutes or in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Recipe taken entirely from 101 Cookbooks.