roasted acorn squash seeds

yesterday i shared my recipe for vegan creamy acorn squash soup.  when cooking with acorn squash, there's no need to throw away the seeds.  you can roast them just like pumpkin seeds!

acorn squash seeds look just like small pumpkin seeds, and when roasted they are just as good if not better.  we roasted our acorn squash seeds with a little bit of olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  they make a great fall snack!

roasted acorn squash seeds
prep time: 5 minutes
baking time: 10 minutes

ingredients:
seeds from one large acorn squash
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  remove the seeds from an acorn squash.  rinse then pat dry with a paper towel.  place the seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  lightly drizzle olive oil over the top and season with salt and pepper.  toss with your hands and evenly spread the seeds out on the baking sheet.  bake for 10 minutes, until dried out and golden brown.  allow to cool before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie

vegan creamy roasted acorn squash soup

it was a bit chilly this weekend.  to combat the damp cold weather, i made a big pot of soup.

soup is such a great comfort food when the weather is cold outside.  it's like a liquid blanket that warms you from the inside out.

we bought a lovely looking acorn squash at a farm stand recently, so i was excited to put it to good use in a pot of soup!

i roasted the acorn squash with pumpkin pie spices and then pureed it with sauteed onions, garlic, vegetable broth, and coconut milk.

the acorn squash is sweet and delicious, and the pumpkin pie spices give it great fall flavor.  the coconut milk makes this soup so wonderfully creamy, you would never know there isn't any dairy in there.

this soup is so very easy to make.  you just need a little bit of patience while the acorn squash is roasting in the oven.  (which, by the way, will make your whole house smell absolutely amazing!)

this soup is packed with great flavor and it is super nutritious too!  it's healthy comfort food at it's finest.

vegan creamy roasted acorn squash soup
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 45 minutes
cooking time: 20 minutes
yields: 6 servings
adapted from oh my veggies

ingredients:
1 large acorn squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  chop the tip and the tail off the acorn squash, then cut it in half length-wise.  scoop out the seeds (you can discard them or you can save them and roast them like pumpkin seeds).  drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the squash and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and salt.  place both squash halves (cut side up) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  roast the squash for 45-50 minutes, or until the flesh is very soft.  once baked, use a spoon to remove the squash flesh from the skin.  discard the skin.

heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  saute the chopped onion until translucent.  add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.  add in the coconut milk and the vegetable broth.  add the mixture to a blender along with the roasted squash.  blend until completely smooth.  return pureed soup to the soup pot and warm over low heat.  season with salt and pepper to taste.  serve warm.

enjoy!

love, laurie

fun links

wow, this week sure flew by.  i can't believe it's friday already.  thank you to everyone who sent us comments this week about the new blog layout and design.  we absolutely love it and we're glad you do too!

here are a few fun links that i found around the internet recently:

1. i am totally impressed by these beatles pancakes

2. how cute are these mini pumpkin pie slice cookies?!

3. caramel dipped pears are such an elegant twist on traditional caramel dipped apples

4. 41 ways to reuse your broken things

5. what it’s like to fly the $23,000 singapore airlines suites class . . . whoa!

6. a clever way to pack a hat in your suitcase

7. confetti biscotti

8. i really want to try making homemade sprinkles

9. and since halloween is right around the corner, 17 no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

orange chocolate chip pancakes

is there a support group for pancake addicts?  if so, sign us up.  we are totally pancake fanatics.

weekend mornings are for pancakes.  especially saturday mornings when the sun is shining through the windows so beautifully, and you are still in your pajamas, and everything is quiet, and it seems like the world is standing still.  those are the types of mornings that call for pancakes.

i have been in love with adrianna adarme's pancakes cookbook ever since i got it for my birthday last january.  when i saw a recipe in there for orange chocolate chip pancakes i just knew i had to try it.  ryan and i both love chocolate chip pancakes (really, who doesn't?) so we were intrigued to try them with orange zest.  the addition of the orange zest really brightens them up and gives them a great flavor.  such a tasty spin on traditional chocolate chip pancakes!

orange chocolate chip pancakes
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from pancakes

ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large orange, zested
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and orange zest in a large bowl.  add the milk and eggs and whisk until just combined.  stir in the melted butter.  heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle for medium pancakes.  drop a few chocolate chips in each pancake.  cook for 3 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  once cooked, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancake batter.  serve warm with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

a trip to ritter's cider mill

on saturday our parents came up to visit.  while they were here, we took a little trip to ritter's cider mill.  we discovered this local family-run cider mill two years ago, and it is becoming a fall tradition of ours to go each year.  they sell many different varieties of apples and they make their own apple cider.  i am convinced that they make the best apple cider that i have ever tasted.

while we were there, we walked through their corn maze, saw their farm animals, and tasted warm apple cider doughnuts.  we came home with a bag full of apples and a container of fresh apple cider.  it was such a nice little fall outing.

^i absolutely love sunflowers!  they are such pretty flowers.^

^the goats were so funny, this one was trying to kiss ryan through the window!^

 ^these two llamas were a riot.  they were so friendly and had such personalities!^

 ^you can never have too many apples this time of the year!^

love, laurie

. . . 

previous trips to ritter's cider mill: 2012 and 2013

chocolate peanut butter chia seed smoothie

i found a leftover banana sitting on our kitchen counter that was getting pretty ripe.  so, i decided to put it to good use in a smoothie.  into the blender it went with cocoa powder, peanut butter, soy milk, and chia seeds.  in my opinion, you just can't go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and banana.  yum!

laurie, you put chia seeds in there?  yes!  now, i will be the first to admit that i was skeptical when i initially heard of chia seeds a few years ago.  it took me awhile to warm up to them, but now i'm a huge fan.  i didn't know what i was missing all this time, and who knew there were so many uses for those little seeds?!  we are totally on the chia seed bandwagon at our house now.

this smoothie is delicious.  it is like drinking liquid dessert.  you would swear it was a milkshake, but there isn't any ice cream in there.  in fact, there isn't any dairy at all.  soy milk all the way.

the chocolate and peanut butter give this smoothie an awesome flavor, and the banana acts as a great base.  the chia seeds make it super thick.  when chia seeds mix with liquid they expand and become gelatinous.  (it's like nature's version of gelatin.)  it's super weird, but it's super cool too.

you certainly could make this smoothie without the chia seeds, but you'd be missing out for sure.  chia seeds are rich in antioxidants, protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acid.  cheers to good health!

chocolate peanut butter chia seed smoothie
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large serving

ingredients:
1 banana
2 teaspoons dark chia seeds
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 cup vanilla soy milk

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

a blogiversary and a blog redesign

today this little blog of mine turns 3 years old and to celebrate we have a whole new layout and design!

this has been a long time coming.  for months, ryan and i have been talking about how we would like the new layout of the blog to look.  we would work on it, little by little from time to time, and then abandon the project for weeks when we got frustrated.  finally, we decided to just go for it.  we debated when we should actually switch over to the new design, and we felt that this would be the best time to do it.

we loved the old blog layout, but it was getting stale and we were both pretty tired of it.  the pictures were outdated, and it needed to be freshened up.  our goal for the new design was to keep it simple and clean.  we really wanted to let the blog posts and pictures pop on the page.  in order to do that, here is what we changed . . .

- there is a new header logo, as well as a new navigation bar at the top of the page.  this will allow readers to easily navigate between pages and to stay connected via social media.

- the body of the blog moved from a three-column layout to a two-column layout.  this layout is cleaner and there is more width for blog posts.  that means bigger pictures!

- the right sidebar gives you the option to easily search the blog, to view blog posts by category, and to browse the archives.

we are still working out the final kinks from moving to this new layout/design, so there are bound to be a few glitches over the next few days.  if you see anything that is not working, feel free to email us.  thank you so much for your support!  we are excited to begin our fourth year of blogging with a fresh new design!

. . .

happy birthday, little blog!

love, laurie

out with the old and in with the new

i'm not someone who easily adjusts to changes.  sudden changes shock my system.  i need to ease into them.  i'm a "get your feet wet before diving right in" kinda girl, so it takes me a long time to warm up to making drastic changes.

this year, i have been making a lot of changes to my life.  since i have some momentum going, it's time to make some changes to this here blog of mine too.

i started my blog back in 2011, and i have made very few changes to the layout of it since then.  sure, there have been minor tweaks along the way, but the overall layout has remained pretty much the same since day one.  i got comfortable with the layout over the past 3 years, and i have been reluctant to make any adjustments to it, but for a while now it has been feeling stale and outdated to me.  so, it's time for a change!

i want to refresh the look of my blog.  it needs a face lift and it needs to be updated.  (for goodness sake, the picture of me in the header is from 2008.  that picture is 6 years old, and i don't even look like that anymore!)

so, over the course of the next few days, i will be transitioning my blog to a new layout.  i'm excited for the redesign.  it has been a long time coming.  as is the case with any change, there may be a few hiccups along the way and a few kinks to work out.  after all, i have 3 years of blog posts, thousands of pictures, and a bunch of pages to transition over to the new layout.  i thank you for your patience in advance as i make this transition.  i'm excited to revel the new layout and design on monday!  i will let you know when everything is up and running 100%.

as always, thank you for your support! 

love, laurie

snapshots of life lately, according to my iphone pictures

. . . and ryan's iphone too.

{some iphone pictures via the instagram app}

apple crisp granola

one of my favorite fall desserts is homemade apple crisp served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  it is a classic fall treat, but it is not the healthiest thing to eat.  in an effort to make a slightly healthier version that still incorporated all of the same great flavors, i made a batch of apple crisp granola recently.

this granola is so good!  it is loaded with apples and oats.  pecans give it a bit of a crunch and flaxseed meal makes it a bit healthy.  it is sweetened with pure maple syrup, although it is not sweet at all.  ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices give it that unmistakable fall flavor.  it really does taste just like apple crisp!

we served our apple crisp granola with vanilla yogurt.  it was just like eating apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, except healthier.

this granola comes together so easily.  there are just a few simple ingredients which you simply toss together on a baking sheet.  you don't even need to dirty a bowl!  how easy is that?

apple crisp granola is the perfect fall treat when you are craving a serving of apple crisp but want to watch your waist line.

apple crisp granola
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 50 minutes
yields: approximately 5 cups of granola
adapted from a cup of jo

ingredients:
3 large honeycrisp apples, chopped
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  place the chopped apples, oats, chopped pecans, flaxseed meal, and spices on the baking sheet and toss together.  cut the butter into small pieces and distribute it evenly over the mixture.  use your hands to incorporate the butter into the mixture.  pour the maple syrup and vanilla evenly over the mixture.  toss gently with your hands to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.  bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and toss with a spatula.  place back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.  once baked, remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool completely on the baking sheet before serving or storing.

enjoy!

love, laurie