Choc PB smoothie

•  1 frozen banana, peeled
• 1/4 avocado (or try some spinach)
• 1/2 c milk of choice (almond milk works well)
• 2 T nut butter
• 1 T cocoa powder (or try Cacao powder)
• 1 T hemp seeds
• 1 T frozen berries (I used serviceberries)
• 1 t chia seeds
• 1 pinch sea salt
• Top with granola, yogurt, berries, or dark choc, if desired

Blend until smooth. Blend in a date if it needs more sweetening. 

Whole Grain Waffles (GF)

 This is a very thin/soupy batter so it needs to rest 10-30 minutes to allow grains to absorb moisture (recipe said 30 minutes, but I didn't notice much difference, if anything they seemed tougher after 30 minutes, not in a good way, although it does acknowledge you may have to add more milk after it has absorbed moisture). 

• 12 oz (2 2/3 C) ATK whole grain gf flour blend
• 1.75 oz (1/4 C) sugar (I tried monk fruit sweetener and think it probably needs the real sugar)
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 C (try starting with 1 1/2 cup and add more as needed) 1 or 2% milk (don't use any other amount of fat, it needs just the right amount of fat for crispness. Can use unsweetened almond milk)
• 3 eggs
• 2 T butter, melted and cooled
• 2 T vegetable oil (according to ATK, the water in butter affects crispness, so this balance of half butter and half oil helps with crispness while still giving some butter flavor)
• 1 t vanilla
• pecans or other toppings (I like adding pecans to the batter and Emily and Becky like choc chips, but I don't know how these might affect crispness). 

1. Combine first 4 (dry) ingredients. Combine remaining (wet) ingredients in separate bowl. Combine together until well incorporated with no lumps. Rest at room temp for 10-30 minutes. 

2. Heat waffle iron and cook. Make sure it spreads out thinly enough to get crispy. If it piles up too thickly on the iron, it will not be crispy. Add more milk as needed to keep it at the right consistency. 

3. Can put in 200-degree oven to keep warm while others are cooking or serve immediately. 

Chickpea cookie dough balls

•  15 oz chickpeas
• 1/2 c oats (or 1/3 c oat flour)
• 1/4 c peanut butter
• 3 T maple syrup, more if desired (could try dates)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/3 c choc chips

1. Process all but choc chips in food processor. Taste, adding in more sweetener if desired. Add choc chips and pulse or stir until incorporated as much as desired. Roll into balls and harden/store in fridge. 

Pumpkin hummus

•  15 oz can chickpeas
• 2/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cumin
• lemon juice to taste (about 1/2 a lemon)
• garlic powder
• 1 T oil
• pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds etc, optional toppings

Combine in food processor and add toppings. 

Superfood plants only smoothie

•  1/2-1 C almond milk
• 1-2 T hemp seeds
• 1/2 c spinach leaves
• small handful broccoli sprouts
• 1 kiwi, skin removed
• 5 medium strawberries
• 2 T peanut butter
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1-2 T maple syrup, optional

1. Combine in blender or food processor and serve alone or with berries, fruit, seeds, nut butter, granola, etc. 

Can be stored in a mason jar type container if not ready to eat right away but store toppings separately. 

Choc pb smoothie

•  1-2 frozen bananas
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 1/4 c peanut butter
• 1-2 T hemp seeds
• 3/4 C milk (it says 3 C almondmilk in the original recipe)
• 1 T maple syrup or 1 date
• 1 t chia seeds, optional
• handful of ice cubes

1. Combine in blender or food processor and serve plain or with granola. 

Pumpkin pie smoothie

•  1 frozen banana (original said 2, but even 1 already had plenty of banana flavor)
• 1/2-1 c milk (I used lactose free milk. Coconut and/or almost milk would also be good)
• 1/2 c pumpkin puree (any squash could work, like acorn)
• 1-2 T maple syrup
• 1 T hemp seeds (very strong flavor)
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg 
• pinch cloves
• 1/2 c ice

1. Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until creamy and smooth. Eat it plain or top with granola and pecans. 

2. Can experiment with all kinds of other mix-ins. Apparent spinach is an interesting one and turns it green. 

Falafels (GF)

 I adapted from two recipes I found in trying to create the version I thought I'd like. The dough from this tasted amazing just plain raw. Wasn't quite as good after cooking. The fresh herbs I used were probably just better fresh but I also tried pan frying them and think cooking them in the oven is probably the way to go. 

• 15 oz can chickpeans (can also soak dried ones according to package directions)
• 1/4 c fresh parsley (I used two big stems worth)
• 1/4 c fresh mint (try using some dried?)
• 1/8 c cilantro (can try an ice cube of my frozen ones)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• chickpea flour? (one recipe called for adding chickpea flour as necessary to get the right consistency, but the other said baking soda so I tried about 1/4 t baking soda. Could try gf flour blend). 
• 1-2 T oil
• 1 T sesame seed (toasted in a pan for 3-5 minutes, until lightly golden)
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1/2 t (smoked) paprika
• 1/4 t onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• lemon juice to taste (about 1-2 t or 1/4 of lemon worth)

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Can add more or less oil or could add gf flour to adjust consistency. Shape into "quenelles" the size of a ping pong ball (about 2 T) or small meatball. 

2. Cook in oven at 350 for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through. 

3. Serve with hummus, tzaziki, or a simple tahini or yogurt sauce (yogurt, lemon, and mint). 

For tahini sauce, heat 5 T sesame seeds until slightly browned. Cool slightly and blend in food processor with some oil to get the consistency you want (1 T?), 1 t lemon juice, 1/4 t cumin, and 1 garlic clove. 

Quinoa and Cheese Dumplings

•  1 c quinoa, rinsed
• pinch salt
• 2 C water or broth
• 2 eggs
• 2 T cornmeal, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 c gf bread crumbs
• 3/4 c cheddar cheese
• handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 scallions, sliced
• black pepper, to taste

For pan frying

• 1 T butter
• 1 T sunflower or other oil

1. Place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan with salt and water/broth. Cover and cook until water is absorbed and is tender, about 15 minutes, depending on the variety (check package for best instructions). Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 

2. Combine remaining ingredients except butter/oil and then add slightly cooled quinoa. Shape into dumplings (original recipe said 5 giant dumplings, but I made about 10-12 meatball sized ones). Dust with a little cornmeal. 

3. Warm butter and oil in pan at medium and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally (8-10 minutes). 

4. The original recipe called for pear-elderberry sauce with 3 pears, 1 c elderberries, 1/4 c sugar and juice from 1/2 a lemon (simmered for 10 minutes in a covered saucepan, adding additional water if needed, until berries are bursting and pears are soft). The dumplings are kind of like meatballs, so a bbq or spaghetti type sauce can also be good. 

Pumpkin pie (gf)

 This is adapted from "How Can it Be Gluten Free" by America's Test Kitchen. It made about 2/3 C too much filling for a regular pie crust so it needs deep dish or save the extra filling for something. It tastes good raw or could probably even be cooked in muffin cups. 

• 1 single-crust pie
• 15 oz pumpkin puree
• 5 oz (about 3/4 C-try even less, maybe 4 oz?) dark brown sugar
• 2 t ground ginger
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t ground nutmeg
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• 2/3 c milk (1% was fine, original said whole milk. Could try having less milk as well)
• 4 eggs

1. Make pie crust or use pre-made crust. Bake it at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until light brown in color. Rotate halfway through. 

2. While crust bakes (crust and filling should both be still hot when combined in order to help minimize the chances of having a soggy crust), process pumpkin and dry ingredients in a bowl with a stand mixer. (didn't work well in my food processor or blender). 

3. Transfer pumpkin mixture to a saucepan and simmer over medium high for 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and milk, returning to a simmer briefly before removing from heat. 

4. Beat eggs in the bowl that had the pumpkin mixture and while the machine is running, add hot pumpkin mixture. Immediately pour warm filling into warm pie crust. If you can't fit in all the filling, you can let it cook 5 minutes and then add in more after it settles. Increase temp to 425 and cook for about 25 minutes. Rotate pan halfway through. Filling will be puffed and lightly cracked around the edges when finished and center will wiggle slightly when jiggled. Let cool for 2 hours and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  

Pumpkin risotto

•  4 C stock
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter, divided
• onion
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• pumpkin puree (I usually save it to add at the end so those who don't like pumpkin can get some first, so about half a pound of pumpkin is about right with half the recipe)
• 1 1/2 C arborio rice
• 2 sprigs fresh sage 
• 1/2 c Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3.5 oz prosciutto, chopped (optional, I didn't add this)
• fresh thyme for garnish

1. Warm stock to a simmer in its own pot. 

2. In another pot, place oil and 1 T butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. If you have raw pumpkin, you can finely dice it and add it here (needs to cook about 20 minutes) or add cooked, roasted pumpkin later. 

3. Add rice and cook for a minute, stirring constantly, until translucent. Add sage and some stock, stirring until absorbed. Reduce heat to medium low and gradually add stock until rice is tender.

4. Stir in 1 T butter, Parmesan, salt and pepper, thyme, pumpkin and/or prosciutto, as desired. Can also garnish or serve with creme fraiche, if desired. 

Roasted pumpkin

 Pumpkins: most recipes call for about 15 oz at most. One small pumpkin is often at least 3 lbs. 

1. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds (reserve for pepitas, I roasted about a cup of seeds with about a T of five spice powder, 1 t sugar, 1 t olive oil, 1/4 t salt). 

2. Cut in slices and place on a baking sheet. If the slices are just a few inches thick, this limits the baking time to about 25-30 minutes, otherwise might be up to 45 minutes with bigger segments. Roast at 350 until fork tender and light golden.

3. Peel off skin and through pumpkin pieces in a blender or just store for later. Many recipes call for you to process in a blender with the other ingredients so no need to blend it now and later both. Can also just mash it if it is truly cooked to fork tender. Can be stored in freezer. 

This is a good resource with visual:

Best Pumpkin Puree Recipe - How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree (thepioneerwoman.com)