A Very Special Day

Today, my friends, is a very special day on The Dreaming Foodie.

Yes, that’s right, it is Amanda’s birthday!

I’ve told you about Amanda before. She is my best friend. And let me tell you — I’m so very lucky that the person who is my best friend is one of the kindest and greatest human beings I know.

I couldn’t have picked a better person to be my best friend since the day I was born.

A beautiful person like Amanda deserves nothing less than a beautiful birthday.

Amanda, I made these Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes just for you. I thought that you would love the pumpkin + chocolate combo :). And, they are from one of our favorite blogs, How Sweet It Is!

Even though you aren’t technically eating one, know that they were done just for you! And, I think you’d be happy to know that I enjoyed enough for the both of us :).

So, Dreaming Foodie readers, even if you don’t personally know Amanda, trust me when I say that there is no one more deserving of a happy birthday than her, and join me in wishing Amanda the happiest of days today and forever!

Amanda, happy birthday! You are the most kind, caring, fun, generous, loving friend! Enjoy every moment of this special day!

4-Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie

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Well, it has happened.

Pumpkin has made its way to The Dreaming Foodie for the season.

While I’m not usually one to stick to certain flavors, like pumpkin, at specific times of the year, I have been thinking of it more than usual lately.

Maybe it is just the cooler temperatures. I can feel fall in the air. Maybe I’m more of a seasonal eater than I know. Maybe I subconsciously do crave pumpkin more in the fall.

Either way, I have had a pumpkin smoothie on my mind for awhile now. I do love pureed pumpkin. As soon as I have a chance, I plan on picking up a bunch of fresh pie pumpkins, roasting them, and keeping the puree on hand. For now though, I have this canned puree, and love it.

Not only is pureed pure pumpkin delicious, it carries health benefits. Just Google it. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants — lots of good stuff for us.

I don’t think a lot of people associate pumpkin with being a health food, just because it is associated with pumpkin pie. The pumpkin part = good for you, the pie part = not so much.

That’s why when I was making this smoothie, I wanted to keep it as healthful as possible. Pumpkin sure does taste good with lots of sugar added, we all know that from pie, but I want to save that indulgence for Thanksgiving. For an everyday treat, I want to keep it better for me.

I used bananas and yogurt to sweeten this smoothie. I needed no other sweetener, but if you desire a sweeter pumpkin taste, feel free to add a sweetener of your choice.

The only other ingredient in this smoothie is almond milk. Yep, that’s it. Four ingredients:

-Pureed pumpkin
-Banana
-Yogurt
-Almond milk

Oh, and cinnamon and nutmeg! That is what I used to spice my smoothie up a bit, but if you have pumpkin pie spice, that would be good too! And the amount is completely up to you. Spice it to your liking!

Like many recipes I have been posting, this recipe is 1) super simple to make and 2) easily customizable.

This recipe is made easily vegan by using almond or coconut yogurt. I use this coconut yogurt and absolutely love it. The smoothie can be made sweeter, or spicier, to your liking. You can use any milk you want to – choose your favorite. And, the recipe I provide makes enough for one smoothie. It is so easily doubled, tripled, etc.

Oh, and, if you are like me, you will love this smoothie topped with some extra cinnamon and a handful of granola! Yes, eat the granola off the top with a spoon and then sip the rest of the smoothie. Heavenly!

If you’re looking for a pumpkin treat that is healthy and easy to prepare, you’ve got it! 4-ingredient pumpkin smoothies!

4-Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie

2013-09-24 18:26:21

Serves 1

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Ingredients

1 banana, frozen
1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup yogurt (I used coconut yogurt!)
1/2 cup almond milk (or your favorite milk)
Cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high, until completely smooth and creamy. Add cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice) to your liking.
Enjoy!

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Go-To Granola

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Hi guys! How are you? It’s been awhile since we’ve last talked.

Did you have a good weekend? I had such a good weekend.

My mom and dad came to Philly for a visit! We spent Friday evening eating, drinking and enjoying a perfect summer evening.

On Thursday evening, Greg and I picked up our brand new charcoal grill! Can you believe it? It was a generous and perfect gift from Greg’s mom and stepdad. I can barely get over the fact that we now have a grill and we definitely took great advantage of it Friday evening. Burgers for my mom and dad, and sweet potato burgers for Greg and I. We also got a veggie rack and grilled whole cremini mushrooms and onions. We added pasta salad, hummus and guacamole and called it a meal.

Saturday, the four of us went to nearby Peddler’s Village. It was so much fun! Definitely recommended for locals/visitors!

I unfortunately took zero photos over the weekend, although I would have had some very good ones to share with you. The comment/joke of the weekend was everyone saying to me “This would have been a good photo, Jess.” 🙂 Oops!

Anyway, let’s now talk about granola.

You need to look no further. This is your new go-to granola recipe.

Whether you’re looking for a healthy snack, a hearty breakfast or a homemade gift, this recipe has got you covered.

I’ve always loved granola but I don’t eat it that often. That’s mostly because I can’t find a granola that I’m really in love with.

Usually store-bought granola tastes too sweet. Or is too crumbly. Or just tastes plain stale.

But, this recipe changes it all.

I’ve been wanting to make my own for awhile now. I wanted something that is healthy. That has a simple list of ingredients, things I know. I didn’t want it to be oily. Or crumbly. I wanted there to be large chunks of granola. I didn’t want it to be overly sweet or sugary. I wanted to control what went in.

So, I did it. I’m in love with this you guys. I knew what I wanted going in, but I didn’t know I’d come out being addicted. Does what I described above sound good to you? Prepare to be addicted.

Let’s talk about the goodness of this granola.

1) It has a short list of ingredients:

Oats
Pecans
Sunflower seeds
Unsweetened coconut
Cinnamon
Salt
Coconut oil
Egg white
Pure maple syrup

2) You won’t be left still feeling hungry after eating it. Yep, it fills you up!

3) You won’t feel a sugar rush or like you just ate dessert after eating this granola. It is just slightly sweetened with pure maple syrup and perfectly cinnamon-y. The cinnamon just warms me up.

4) This granola is crunchy and sticks together in large clumps.

5) It takes one bowl to prepare. Yep, one bowl, one spoon and one pan. Maybe some measuring cups. It’s simple and easy, you guys.

6) It is customizable. Make it your own. Use this as a base and be creative. Add what you like and leave out what you don’t!

I’m telling you. Once you start on this granola, you won’t be able to stop. But really, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. 🙂

Go-To Granola

2013-09-16 18:12:40

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Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans, lightly chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Scant 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg white

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300*.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.
Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup.
Crack the egg white into a bowl and whisk very well, until it becomes a bit foamy.
Add the egg white to the rest of the ingredients.
Stir everything together very well, so that the dry ingredients are completely wet and everything is well mixed.
Place the granola on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the granola is slightly browned and hardened.
Let the granola cool for about 10-20 minutes, or until it is hard and can be broken into pieces.
Enjoy!

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Curry Stuffed Peppers with Chickpeas + Carrots

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I know, I know.

Another curry recipe.

I told you I’m obsessed. 🙂

I really, truly can’t get enough curry lately.

This recipe is it. I am down right obsessed. This recipe has turned me into a stuffed pepper person.

I never have been. Stuffed peppers have never been something I have desired. They always just seemed sort of bland, sort of boring. Is anyone with me on that?

But these. These peppers are full of flavor. They are bursting with it. They could not be stuffed enough. There could not be enough rice in the world to satisfy my craving for these. I want to eat them forever and ever.

If you like curry + rice, you have got to try these. They are super easy too!

Just make some rice. Make a simple curry sauce with coconut milk, curry paste, some lime juice and fish sauce. Oh, and don’t leave out the lime juice and fish sauce! They are essential to the taste, I promise!

Add some beans + veggies. I did chickpeas + carrots. You can do what you’d like, really. Add the beans + veggies that you like.

Mix the sauce with the rice and stuff that into some peppers. Yep, that’s it. Just add some baking time, during which you should pour yourself a glass of wine, and then you get to enjoy these plump, delicious beauties!

Yes, you will want to lick your plate. I did.

This may be my only recipe this week, you guys, but it’s one I stand behind with my entire heart. It’s extra special.

Hope you enjoy!

Curry Stuffed Peppers with Chickpeas + Carrots

2013-09-09 14:36:22

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Ingredients

4-6 bell peppers
1 cup rice
2 cups water
Olive oil
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 small shallots, sliced
2 - 15 ounce cans coconut milk
5 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Juice from 1/2 lime
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 - 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400*.
Get the rice started. I used 1 cup dry jasmine rice and 2 cups of water and cooked it for about 30 minutes. Follow your rice package cooking instructions.
While the rice is cooking, start the curry sauce.
Add a small drizzle of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and sliced shallots, and cook for several minutes, until softened and slightly brown.
Add the coconut milk to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, add the red curry paste and whisk until fully incorporated.
Add the fish sauce, lime juice and salt to taste and stir well.
Before adding the veggies, reserve about 1 cup of the sauce in a separate bowl for topping the peppers.
Add the chopped carrots and chickpeas to the sauce and stir well.
Let the sauce cook over low heat for several minutes, to slightly soften the carrots.
While you are cooking the sauce, cut off the top of each bell pepper. Scoop out the inside flesh and seeds and rinse them well. Set aside.
Add the cooked rice to the curry sauce and mix well.
Spoon the curry/rice mixture into the hollowed out peppers.
Spoon some of the reserved curry sauce on the bottom of a baking pan.
Place the peppers on top of the sauce and spoon some more sauce on top of the peppers.
Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until peppers are soft.
Enjoy!

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Hi!

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Hey everyone! How are you on this Saturday? It’s been so long since I’ve talked to you on a Saturday. It’s also been so long since I’ve posted a Week in Photos post. I keep intending to, and then when I look at the photos I’ve taken throughout the week, there are none. I think that now that I am busier, there isn’t as much time to think about picking up my camera before doing or eating something. I am on a more strict schedule and things like taking pictures of the food I eat or taking a million photos of Ivy are falling to the wayside. 🙂

Anyway, I thought I would post a little update today with things I’ve been up to/things I’ve been loving, for anyone who’s interested. Enjoy your Saturday!

What I’ve been doing:

-I had my last market in Mt. Airy on Thursday. Here are some photos. I’ll miss it!

-We planted a garden! It was so much fun. I totally get why people love gardening. It is great exercise and relaxing. It just gives you an overall great feeling. I love our little fall garden, and it makes me think of having an even bigger one someday! We planted: beets, radishes, turnips, arugula, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. So, one problem. Rabbits ate our greens! Yep, all of the lettuce, spinach and kale. We are working on fixing it. I’ll keep you posted!

-We are still working on the moving process. We still have things to do like decide where we want photos hung, organizing closets/boxes and finding a couple of things we still need to buy. It’s keeping us busy but like I’ve said before, Greg and I really love it here! I really want to post some photos soon :).

Food things I’m loving lately (no pictures!):

Zsa’s buttered brown sugar peach ice cream. I picked up a sample size cup of it at Weaver’s Way and oh my goodness, best ice cream ever. I have tried several flavors of Zsa’s and this was by far my favorite. I was just thinking that besides the one week I spent at the beach earlier in the summer (where I ate ice cream every single day), I haven’t had enough ice cream this summer. That needs to change with what is left of warm days.

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning. I bought this several months ago, not really having a plan for it, but I went through it so fast! I have been cutting tortillas in triangles, spraying them with a bit of canola oil spray, giving them a good sprinkle of TJ’s Everyday Seasoning and then baking them in a 400* oven for 5-10 minutes or until crispy. I’ve been doing that instead of buying tortilla chips and they are just so good with that seasoning! (Can’t find a link for it, but look for it at TJ’s next time you’re there!)

Star Hill Brewery beer. Greg picked me up from work last weekend with a surprise in the back seat. And it was beer! There is no better surprise than that, right? It was from Star Hill Brewery in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was special for several reasons. 1) We have never tried it before and it’s always exciting to try a new beer, especially when it’s a surprise. 2) I have talked about visiting Charlottesville for so long now. We haven’t made it yet, but I hope to soon, and drinking beer from there was a good alternative to actually going there. 🙂 Now, when we do go to Charlottesville, I want to visit the brewery :). We had a variety pack – a wheat beer, a pilsner, an IPA and a pale ale. They were all great!

Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA. Greg’s lab-mate and friend, Kate, got married last weekend and is now away enjoying a two week honeymoon! So, what that means for us is Kate and her husbands’ CSA share for two weeks! Yes, Kate so kindly asked Greg if we would like their share for the two weeks they are away. It was so exciting going to pick it up, having no idea what would be waiting for us in the boxes. It was seriously like Christmas morning! So fun, and we got so much amazing produce!

This hummus. Greg and I made it last weekend, then sat on the living room floor, ate it, drank beer and starting watching Breaking Bad on Netflix. The hummus was good, and so was the evening.

This pasta salad. I made it one evening earlier in the week and we enjoyed it for several dinners and lunches throughout. Made delicious with fresh Three Springs yellow peaches and heirloom tomatoes!

And, not really food, but had to do with the blog, this new fabric. I got it for free! at a yard sale and was hoping to use it in some photos. I definitely don’t think it would go with everything, or even most things, but I used in this post, here. What do you think? Do you like it or is it too much? Let me know!

And, I do have two week in photo style photos to share with you.

{Because I just couldn’t help it. They are just so pretty!}

{I had to. He is loving the new place. He has many favorite napping spots but we’ll often just find him sprawled out resting in the middle of a room. :)}

Happy weekend! 🙂

The Dreaming Foodie

Sharing dreams. On food and life.

A Very Special Day

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4-Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie

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Go-To Granola

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Curry Stuffed Peppers with Chickpeas + Carrots

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