Vegan Spinach, Tomato, and ‘Cheese’ Gnocchi

I’m here to share with y’all the easiest, fastest, yummiest recipe I’ve tried in YEARS. Believe me when I say that mealtimes can be frustrating at our hive. Fortunately my little bees aren’t super picky eaters, but they definitely have their opinions, and the bay-bee has been throwing fits at the supper table for awhile now. (He’s just at that glorious age where he realizes he could be playing instead of eating at that time) There have been plenty of nights when I’ve served sandwiches for supper, ordered pizza, or hit up a drive thru. There is NO SHAME in that, y’all. We’ve got to be gracious with ourselves.

So when I do come across something that is a hit...I always share it here for y’all...ans for my own filing away for later purposes. ;) I made a pretty big batch because I’m all about having leftovers. This recipe will feed our hive of five (2 adults and 3 kids ages 9,6,2.5) three times. Keep that in mind if you follow the recipe below. Of course...who doesn’t love having extra to put in the freezer for later on? Did I mention it was super duper easy, extremely fast, healthy and vegan, and DELIGHTFULLY DELICIOUS?!

Ingredients:
4 16oz packages of store bought Gnocchi (I like using Gia Russa because they have a vegan option. Actually I like making my own gnocchi, but that’s a different post for a different day)
5oz Spinach
4 cans diced tomatoes, drained (or dice 6-8 fresh...that’s best, I just had canned on hand)

For the Sauce:
4 cups Almond milk (or whichever milk you prefer)
2 cups raw cashews (I use unsalted halves)
3/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (This is the ‘cheese’ part)
8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
1. Bring 6 quarts water to boil, then add gnocchi. You’ll know the gnocchi is finished when they float to the top! Takes about 3 minutes.

2. Place your spinach in the bottom of your colander, and drain your gnocchi through it! This will wilt your spinach for you in one, easy, foolproof step. You’re welcome. ;)

3. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (We have a Vitamix. If you don’t have a high powered blender you’ll need to soak your cashews overnight or bring them to a boil for a few minutes first to soften them.)

4. Place gnocchi and spinach back in your pot. Add your diced tomatoes and sauce.

5. Return pot to the stove to warm together for a few minutes and for sauce to thicken just a bit.

6. Dip out in a bowl, grab a spoon, and be prepared to be amazed.

This maybe took me 20 minutes to throw together, and most of that was just waiting on the water to come to a boil for the gnocchi to cook in! I’m so excited about this recipe and hope you love it too! All my bees gave it a 10/10. The hub-bee even had a second helping and asked for it to be a monthly meal.

I’m planning on experimenting with this recipe again to make another yummy pasta dish, and y’all will be the first to hear all about it. Let me know if you try this out!

<3

Basic Black Bean Burger

If you're in need of a really solid, basic, black bean burger...then I'm your peach.

This burger recipe is easy, quick, fool proof, and can be easily customized to your taste preference. Believe me when I say that it is a staple in our hive.

We have had it paired with simple ketchup, mustard, mayo toppings.
We have had it paired with sauteed peppers and onions.
We have had it "California style" with avocado slices.
We have had it...do you get my point?

Have it however you like it! Just make sure you have it!

Today I'm showing you how to have it with a super fresh pineapple salsa. Nom. Nom. Nom.

This makes a big batch of Burgers for me. I like to be able to eat it fresh twice, and also have some to freeze for a later time. (When there's a lot of buzzing going around our hive and I don't feel like cooking.) You can certainly half the recipe if you'd like. 

Basic Black Bean Burger  

Ingredients: 


I failed to take a picture of my ingredients this time. My apologies, y'all.


For the Burgers...
Olive Oil for cooking

2 Onions (diced finely) 

2 15oz cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed)

2 Carrots (shredded)

1 cup Cornmeal 

1 cup Bread Crumbs

1 tablespoon Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

1/2 Cilantro (chopped)

1/2-1 cup Water (varies depending on how your mixture binds)


For the Pineapple Salsa...
1 1/2 cups Pineapple (diced)

1/4 cup Red Onion (diced finely)

1 tablespoon Cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon Agave

Directions:

1. Add Black Beans, Carrots, Cornmeal, Bread Crumbs, Chili Powder, Salt, Cilantro to a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, saute your diced Onions in Olive Oil until soft and slightly caramelized. Transfer cooked Onions to large bowl with other ingredients. Reserve skillet for later.

3. Use a large spoon or your hands to mash it all together. Add water as necessary to help it bind together. (I typically start with a spoon, then use my hands. I used about 3/4 cup water for my burgers this time.) Your mixture should not be so dry that it is crumbling, but not so wet that it is sticky.

4. Use your hands to form into burger patties. (This time I made 16 patties)

5. In the reserved skillet, heat your Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Pan fry patties 3-5 minutes on each side until lightly browned.

6. To make the Pineapple Salsa...combine all ingredients in a bowl...you're done!

7. Place Black Bean Burgers on a bun, top with Pineapple Salsa, and take a big bite!

How did y'all like this recipe? What is your favorite way to top your Black Bean Burger? Let me know!

<3


 

Thai Peanut Butter Noodles

Hey y'all!

Ever get the craving for some really yummy Thai food? I know I do. Since we have relocated we have yet to find a great Thai restaurant in our new hometown. That could potentially be due to the fact that we don't eat out a lot, but I digress.

First off, don't be scared by the name of this meal. I was slightly intimidated by the idea of it myself initially, but I gave it a go anyway. I know that the first time I made it and my kids asked the all important question, "What are we having for supper?" and I answered by telling them that we were having Peanut Butter Noodles...I was met with faces and sounds of disgust. I can assure you that this meal is far from disgusting, and in fact, my kids eat it happily. (As do I and my hubby. Yum.)

Secondly, you CAN cook Thai food. It is really very easy, and this meal especially is quick and painless. ;) Don't doubt yourself here. Expand your palate...you may find that this meal becomes a regular in your household. 

Without further ado, here is my go to recipe when I'm craving Thai food.

Thai Peanut Butter Noodles

Ingredients:

1 pound Rice Noodles

1 cup Coconut Milk

1/2 cup Water

1/4 Maple Syrup

1/4 Soy Sauce

1/2 Peanut Butter (we prefer creamy, but you can use chunky too)

1 teaspoon Chili-Garlic Sauce

3 cloves Garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons Lime Juice

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

3 Scallions (thinly sliced)

2 Carrots (peeled and shredded)

1/2 cup Peanuts

2 tablespoons Cilantro (chopped for garnish)



Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add Rice Noodles and cook about 5-8 minutes.

2. Drain noodles, rinse with cold water, return to pot.

3. Make sauce by combining Coconut Milk, Water, Maple Syrup, Soy Sauce, Peanut Butter, Chili-Garlic Sauce, and Garlic in medium saucepan. Let cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens just a bit.

4. Remove sauce from heat and add in Lime Juice and Sesame Oil.

5. Pour sauce into cooked noodles and toss to combine. Add in Scallions and Carrots.

6. Garnish with Peanuts and Cilantro and enjoy!

Talk about easy and quick! I would love to hear if you've tried this recipe and how you liked it. Let me know!

<3

Sauteed Garlic Chickpeas, Onions, and Spinach with Quinoa

During the summertime I love finding new recipes to try out for my Hive. Here's one that I've been wanting to share with y'all. It's super easy, requires few ingredients, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is healthy, and...oh yeah...yummy too! I should also note that this is a vegan recipe, but I encourage you to give it a try even if you don't typically eat that way...you made find that you love it anyway!

This feeds our family twice in a week when we eat it alongside a salad, but you could easily double the recipe to feed more people or have bigger portions, if needed.

Ingredients: 

5-8oz Spinach (depends on how much you prefer)

1 Onion diced

1 15oz can Chickpeas

1 tablespoon Minced Garlic (about 2 cloves minced)

1 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil for sauteing (is that even a word?!)

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

You'll want to make the components of this dish simultaneously, but since I'm not your Momma, I'm not going to tell you what order to do it all in...so here's the directions for how to cook both parts. ;)

Directions for Chickpeas and Spinach:

1. Heat oil in large skillet.

2. Drain and rinse your chickpeas.

3. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant...about 1-2 minutes.

4. Add diced onion and cook until soft.

5. Add spinach, chickpeas, and cumin to the skillet. Your skillet will look very full, but don't worry! The spinach reduces itself as it cooks.

6. Stir, stir, stir until spinach fully wilts and chickpeas are cooked through.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste, and that part is done!

Directions for Quinoa:

1. Combine 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil.

2. Turn to low, cover, and let simmer about 15 min, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Uncover for about 5 min and fluff before serving.

I like serving this dish all combined...I just go ahead and mix it all up so it's evenly distributed. Supper is served!

Y'all let me know if you tried the recipe and how you enjoyed it!
<3

Meal Planning

Hey y'all! Let's chat a bit about meal planning. Do you guys out there meal plan? I know for me, and my love of planning all the things, meal planning is something that is super fun for me! Ok so there's definitely sometimes when I get irritated about it because of this...

...just being honest (which is how I am all. the. time.) it can be exhausting to have to figure out all the meals all the time, but then I remember it's my job*...so it's really not something I should get irritated over. I usually meal plan for the week. I know some people that meal plan for the month and that's awesome! Maybe one day I can be like you. Unfortunately, I'm a little more like Scarlett, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow." :)

We have several "go-to" recipes and meals that we like so those stay on a pretty consistent rotation. We also have "Breakfast for Supper" every Wednesday. I've not really set up a specific theme for the rest of the days of the week, but perhaps I will. I think it could be fun. Let me just brainstorm all that out right here...

Mondays

Veggie Plate- I think I'll make this our weekly supper of veggies. Many of you out there could call it "Meatless Monday," but since we are vegan...we are meatless everyday. :) This is one of our kids' favorite meals! Usually I will make four veggies and we all load up our plates and devour it. Typical combinations are: blackeyed peas, green peas, corn, carrots OR summer squash, broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes, lima beans OR green beans, mashed potatoes, okra, baked beans. Of course there are loads more vegetables you could add! We also love to do "Beans and Greens," which is just a red beans and rice dish with turnip greens mixed in. I'll include this meal on this day too. Think "Down Home Cookin' " for this night.

Tuesdays

Mexican Night- I'd really love to call this "Taco Tuesday," but then I don't want to be limited to just tacos...so yeah, Mexican Night it is. Jason's favorite type of food to eat is Mexican so I'm going to try and be better about incorporating it weekly. The possibilities are pretty endless with this: tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, Mexican lasagna. Our versions of these are all without meat and cheese, but they are full of flavor with using beans, rice, and vegetables. For example, I've used quinoa and added taco seasoning to make "meat" filling along with beans and salsa for tacos, and burritos are yummy with some sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms. 

Wednesdays

Breakfast for Supper- This usually consists of eggs, grits, biscuits or toast, and bacon sometimes. We allow for turkey bacon every now and then. ;) Sometimes I'll switch it up and make pancakes or waffles with eggs and bacon instead of grits, biscuits or toast. I also serve coffee, chocolate almond milk, and orange juice to drink. Yum! I'm glad I'm writing this blog on a Wednesday. ;)

Thursdays

Italian Night- My favorite type of food to eat is Italian, so I claim Thursdays for me! There's like a bazillion (spell check passed 'bazillion') meals for this that we love. Spaghetti is an obvious choice, I have a recipe for a delicious penne alla vodka, and also a yummy stuffed shell dish too! Think of all the possibilities though, pizzas, lasagnas, and pastas...oh my!

Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays

Leftovers for Supper- We don't let food go to waste around the Hive, so I'm calling Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays "Leftovers for Supper." I know some people don't enjoy eating the same thing over again so maybe you could make one of these a night when your family eats out at a restaurant or orders something to eat in. Maybe you could do something like "Soup on Saturday/Sunday," I may do that myself occasionally.  Especially if I don't have enough leftovers to serve for three more nights. Most weeks, though, the way I'll work it is by having Mondays meal as leftovers for Fridays, Tuesdays meal will become leftovers for Saturdays, and Thursdays meal will be leftovers for Sundays. My point is, it's the weekend and I'm taking the nights off from cooking! 

So if I follow that meal plan then I'm only cooking 4 nights a week! If I'm really good I'll double a recipe every now and then so that I can freeze half for later. That way if I have a busy night or unexpected company, I'll have a meal already made!

 I usually try to go do my grocery shopping after the kids are in bed. I still have not figured out where I would put the groceries if I had all three kids shopping with me. I commend all you momma's out there that grocery shop with more than two kids. Maybe when the baby is a bit older I'll think about it, but for now it's after bedtime that works best for me. I had been going grocery shopping on Thursdays, but I think I may switch it to going on Sundays. That way I'll have all my ingredients freshest for when I'm cooking throughout the week. I used to do all of my cooking on the weekends since I worked nights during the week, but now that I'm a full-time stay at home momma, I want the weekends to relax with my family. I'm looking forward to implementing this meal plan.

What ways work best for your meal planning? Do you have any ideas or suggestions you could add to my list? Let me know!

<3

*Side note from earlier: I am in no way saying that it is always the woman's/wife's/mom's job to do the meal planning and grocery shopping and cooking. It is super nice when the guy/husband/dad does this part too. And even more fun when it is done together! For our family, though, we have agreed that I'm primarily the one in charge of this since I'm a stay at home Queen Bee. :)

Supper anyone?

Remember when I said that I was going to start a series about recipes? Welp...here's another!

How do you feel about Italian food? Like it, love it, hate it? It is my most favorite type of food to eat. Nothing is yummier to me than Italian food...well ok...desserts, but I digress. So it's Italian food for supper tonight and I know what you're expecting, a big pile heavy of pasta right? Nope, not tonight! Let me introduce you to the yummiest Italian soup ever. This recipe is for one of our most favorite soups (yes, it's vegan). We eat it year round. It is seriously delicious, light, filling, and super easy to make. You serve it over garlic bread and will prolly want to eat more than one serving. We call it "Italian Soup over Garlic Bread." Real original, huh?

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

4 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided in half

6 cups vegetable broth, divided

2 onions, diced

6 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

4-6 cups of greens (Your choice on quantity, some people like more some like less. Also I've used lots of variations of greens...boston lettuce, spinach, escarole, leafy green lettuce. This time I'm using kale. Find the green you like best and then use it here.)

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced (Trust me on the no seed part...it makes it gloopy if you leave them in, think stewed okra. We actually like stewed okra, but prefer not to have that texture in this soup.)

Garlic bread (We make our own garlic bread by using a fresh french loaf from the store, slicing it in half longways, brushing olive oil across, sprinkling minced garlic on top, and baking it in the oven at 350 degrees until it is the desired brown-ness...maybe 5-10 minutes? You can certainly use pre-made garlic bread if you'd like.)

Directions:

Make your bean puree by combining 2 cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and 2 cups vegetable broth in a food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.

1. Prep your items!

2. In a large pot saute your onions until soft.

3. Add in garlic, red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and let cook a few minutes more.

4. Stir in your greens. Keep stirring until they have wilted.

5. Add in your remaining broth, diced tomatoes, remaining cannellini beans, and stir.

6. Add in your bean puree and season with more salt to taste.

7. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.

8. Break your garlic bread up into pieces and put in the bottom of your bowl, ladle your soup over your garlic bread, serve, and enjoy!

Let me know if you try this recipe and how you like it!

<3

Supper, Supper, Suppertime...

Did you just sing that title to the tune of "Summertime" by Will Smith??? Because I know I did, and that's one of the reasons we're friends. :)

It's fixin' to be suppertime around the B Hive, and I know that for me it is much easier to cook supper ahead of the time that I actually plan on eating. Why in the world would I want to wait until 5:00 to start to think about what to eat at 6:00/6:30? (I've totally done that...like last night) For my sanity and the safety and well being of my children though, it's really best if I do my cooking during naptime. That way when it's 5:00...also known as "the-hour-that-children-go-completely-crazy-and-make-their-mother-want-to-hide-in-the-closet-with-chocolate-or-wine-or-both,"...I can be free to enjoy my monsters children until their father gets home from work. :)

So I'm starting a new series (that I have yet to come up with a witty name for) that will include all kinds of yummy recipes! Some of you may be hesitant to try these or even read them because you know that we are vegan over here at the B Hive. Ok...mostly vegan. We love scrambled eggs and occasionally some fish. ;) For the majority of the time though, we do follow a vegan diet. (Except when I was pregnant...I ate all the food then) I would encourage you to give some recipes a try though! You might surprise yourself and end up (gasp!) liking them!

Today I'm cooking Curried Lentil, Butternut Squash, and Apple Stew. This is a yummy fall-ish stew that we love! It is super easy to throw in a big pot and just have waiting for you when it's time to eat. If you are looking for a recipe that tastes like Fall Time in your mouth...then look no further! Actually do look further...the recipe and pictures are below. ;)

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion, diced

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced (I had baby carrots on hand)

3 cloves Garlic, minced (had the already minced kind on hand)

1 teaspoon grated fresh Ginger

1 tablespoon Curry Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 cup dried Lentils

4 cups Vegetable Broth, divided

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

3 cups Butternut Squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Apples, unpeeled and diced

6 ounces Baby Spinach

Directions:

1. Prep your items. I love prepping because it makes the cooking process much easier.

 I forgot to add the apples to the squash for this picture...below you will see where I added them in.

See...I told ya...

2. In a large pot saute onions and carrots until soft.

3. Add in garlic, ginger, curry, and salt and let cook a few minutes more. It should already smell like Fall Time :)

4. Stir in lentils, 2 cups of the broth, and tomato paste.

5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are beginning to tender.

6. Add squash, apples, and remaining 2 cups of the broth, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until everything is tender.

7. Uncover and stir in spinach until wilted.

8. Add salt to taste and serve.

Now pour yourself some sweet tea, scoot your chair up to the table, and enjoy! Let me know if you gave this recipe a try and how you liked it!

<3