Not every delicious meal is super photogenic. While the filling and sauce in this recipe is a pleasing orangey yellow color, this meal doesn't photograph great. But trust us. The first time I made this meal I thought it was a long shot that anyone would happily eat it, but I thought I'd try it anyway. Before I knew it, everyone was helping themselves to seconds, and it has been a family favorite ever since. You can be pretty flexible about the filling ingredients (the protein, the type of apple, the type of rice, the type of nut butter) and the recipe still comes out well, and if you don't care for peppers, you can scoop out tomatoes or eggplants to stuff instead. 

Coconut oil to coat glass 9x13 inch baking dish
4 large bell peppers - green, yellow, orange, or red
1 pound ground beef, ground turkey, or 2 cups cooked chick peas
1 medium Granny Smith (or other crisp, tart apple) apple, cored and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup fresh curly parsley
1 ½ cups cooked wild rice
1 can coconut milk
2 large tomatoes, diced
¼ cup peanut, almond, cashew or sunflower seed butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Oil 9x13 glass baking dish.
• If using ground beef or ground turkey, break into small pieces and brown in a pan with 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil until fully cooked.
• Cut bell peppers in half, remove seeds, and rinse.
• In a food processor, combine apples, garlic, shallots, and parsley. Blend until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the wild rice and meat or chick peas and stir to combine.
• In the food processor, combine coconut milk, diced tomatoes, nut butter, maple syrup, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper and basil. Blend until smooth.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine olive oil, filling mixture and half of the coconut sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Place the pepper halves in the glass baking dish and put the filling into them. Drizzle with the remaining coconut sauce.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes or until peppers are tender. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Adapted from 500 Vegan Recipes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman

​

Nothing says October like pumpkins! If you've carved your jack o'lanterns and have more pumpkin seeds than you know what to do with, this recipe is for you. This pumpkin pie granola is tasty and easy to make, and the house smells great while it's baking. The recipe below is delicious and nutritious, and one of the great things about granola is that you can add in whatever you what - nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. We eat it with homemade cashew milk (recipe included), but of course you can eat it with whatever you like with your granola.

Dry ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (either canned or fresh)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Additions
1/2 to 1 cup raisins, currants, dried apples, etc.

• Preheat oven to 300º F. 
• Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Combine all wet ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and mix well.
• Spread granola out on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times as it's baking. Then, remove granola from oven and cool - it crisps up as it cools.
• Once granola is cool, mix in any dried fruit that you want to add. Store in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 5 to 6 cups
From Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre
 

Cashew Milk
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
pinch sea salt

• Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until very smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness if necessary. (If you don't have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews for 3 hours. Drain them and follow the recipe using a regular blender.)
• Store in a covered glass jar or pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Makes 2 1/2 cups
From Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre 

Fall brings chilly weather and, for many of us, a busy schedule. This recipe is perfect for both. With only a few minutes of work in the morning, all the ingredients for this hearty, satisfying stew can be put in a crock pot and left to cook for the day. When everyone returns from work and school, they will be greeted by the rich, delicious smell of a hot dinner. Enjoy!  

1 medium onion, diced
4 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 pound organic, grass-fed beef stew meat
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or sweet rice flour
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Place the onion, carrots, mushrooms, and stew meat into a 3-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl whisk together the water, wine, tomato sauce, and arrowroot. Pour into the slow cooker. Add salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients together. There won't be enough liquid to cover the ingredients. This is how it should be, so don't be tempted to add more liquid.
• Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. If you like, crack the lid for the last 45 minutes to cook off some liquid to create a thicker stew.

Makes 4 servings
From Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre 

If you've eaten any Vietnamese food, this is probably it. Pho is a delicious, fragrant noodle soup filled with fresh vegetables and garnished however you like, which makes it a great meal if everyone in your family has differing palates. It's traditionally made with meat and is often eaten for breakfast, but we skip the meat and have it at dinner instead. If you'd rather, substitute chicken or beef for the tofu. After cubing the tofu we sometimes fry it in a skillet with 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil. After cutting it, be sure to pat it dry with a dishtowel or paper towels. Put it in the skillet on medium heat and turn it once one side has browned. Keep turning it until they are fried to your liking. Alternatively, you can toss the plain, uncooked tofu into the broth which will save you some time. We use pad thai brown rice noodles for this recipe, which are wide and flat, similar to linguine.
 
Broth:
1 small onion, unpeeled and quartered
2 shallots, unpeeled, halved
8 cloves garlic, halved
1-2 inch piece ginger root, coarsely sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
10 cloves
10 cups water or clear vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos
 
Other ingredients:
1 pound pad thai brown rice noodles
4 cups baby spinach, green cabbage, bok choy or other dark greens, chopped
2 14 oz. containers extra-firm tofu, cubed, and fried in coconut oil if desired
6 scallions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts
1 ½ cups mung bean sprouts
1 jalepeno pepper, sliced
1 cup chopped and toasted cashews or peanuts
1 lime, cut into wedges
cilantro, to taste
basil or mint, to taste
sriracha sauce or crushed red pepper
hoisin or plum sauce

• To make the broth, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, fennel, and cloves. Dry roast, stirring occasionally until the veggies begin to char. Add the stock or water and soy sauce and bring to a boil on high heat. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Strain into a clean pot and discard the solids (or just be careful not to serve the solids). Taste and add salt if needed (if you use broth, you probably won't need any).
• While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Follow directions for cooking on noodle bag or box or until they are the firmness you like. Drain when done into a colander and then rinse with cold water.
• Put cashews or peanuts in a small skillet and dry roast them, stirring or tossing frequently, until they begin to brown and become fragrant. When they are to your liking, put them in a small bowl.
• When you are ready to assemble the soup, add tofu to the broth to heat through. Divide rice noodles between serving bowls.  Put greens, bean sprouts, and tofu in each bowl.  Serve other ingredients on a separate platter so everyone can garnish their pho as they wish.

 
Serves 6
Adapted from the Vegetarian Pho recipe at http://www.food.com/recipe/vegetarian-pho-238765.

Maybe you're not so sure about Indian food. Maybe its usually too spicy for you. Or maybe you've heard that its complicated to make. Both can be true, but never fear. This dish is a tasty, mild, and easy-to-make introduction for kids and adults alike. The only ingredients that may be hard to find at a conventional grocery store are dried fenugreek leaves and garam masala. Garam masala is a spice mix made with common spices. If you can't find it in the store, look for a garam masala recipe online and make it yourself! (This way you can make it as mild as you want, too). You can omit the dried fenugreek leaves, but they really give this dish the aroma and flavor I associate with Indian dishes, and they give you an excuse to explore an Indian grocery store. In Colorado Springs, go to India Bazaar on Austin Bluffs Parkway or Little Nepal on South 8th St. or on Flintridge. And if you do like spicy, pick up some chutney or hot sauce while you're there. Served with brown rice, preferably basmati, this is a nutritionally complete meal.
 
1 onion, diced very fine or grated into a paste
½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root
½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1½ teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup organic whole milk or coconut milk
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
 
Tomato Paste:
½ cup whole milk yogurt or coconut cream (the solids on the top of a can of coconut milk)
2 teaspoons cornmeal or other thickener
2 tomatoes, chopped
 
Vegetables:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
1 cup green beans, cut into 1” pieces
½ cup peas
1-2 cups cooked chickpeas

• Wash and cut all the vegetables. Set aside.
• In a large deep saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat, and add the onion. Saute until golden. Add ginger and garlic. Cook for a minute. Add the vegetables to the onion mixture. Mix well for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Combine yogurt or coconut cream, cornmeal, and tomatoes. Blend until smooth.
• Add the tomato paste, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder and cilantro. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes until most of the moisture has cooked off.
• Add 1 cup water, 1 cup milk, and dried fenugreek leaves. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat, uncovered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and a thick gravy remains. Serve hot over brown basmati rice.

Serves 6
Adapted from Vegetarian Mughlai by Nita Mehta

Intrigued? Our kids love that the color and texture of this soup allow them to pretend that they are blood-sucking vampires. It makes dinner fun and exciting - and a little gross. And we all love this soup, which is a tasty and healthy combination of beets, red lentils, rosemary, and miso paste. 

3 medium carrots, peeled or scrubbed and chopped
2 beets, peeled or scrubbed and chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup dried red lentils
2 bay leaves
6 cups water or stock
3 tablespoons light miso paste

• Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add carrots and beets, and sauté a few minutes more.
• Finely chop the rosemary and oregano leaves, if using fresh herbs. If using dried, grind them in a coffee grinder. Rinse and drain lentils.
• Add herbs, lentils, bay leaves and water or stock to onion mix, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove bay leaves, and puree soup in a blender or food processor or with an immersion blender.
• Dissolve miso in ½ cup water and add to soup. Gently reheat before serving.

 
Makes 6-8 servings.

From Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

I just found out a year or two ago that today is actually a day people celebrate, and I'm all for a pie-based holiday! Pi is, of course, the Greek number you probably remember from high school math - as in, the area of a circle equals π times the circle's radius squared. π = 3.1415926 and on into infinity in a non-repeating sequence of numbers. Pi Day falls on the fourteenth day of the third month - 3/14. And this year is special because if you round up the next digits, you'll get 3/14/16! Any excuse to enjoy a pie! Here is a rich and healthy option.   


Raw Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse Pie with Pecan Crust

Crust:
2 cups pecans, divided 
4-6 soft dates, pitted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of pink himalayan sea salt (or substitute other sea salt)

Filling:
2-3 medium-sized ripe avocados
1/2 cup raw cacoa powder
2-3 tablespoon raw honey 
1 teaspoon almond extract 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk 
​

• For crust, soak 1 cup pecans in 2 cups water for 2-4 hours.  Drain and rinse. In a food processor, chop 1 cup dry pecans into a fine meal.  Set aside.  Chop soaked pecans into a fine meal.
• Cut or break the dates into pieces.  If the dates are very dry or firm, soak them in 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes to soften.  Add the date pieces, maple syrup, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and sea salt to the ground soaked pecans and chop until well mixed.
• Add the ground dry pecans and chop until well mixed.  The dough should be crumbly but sticky enough to hold shape when pressed.  Press the dough evenly into a pie plate. It is easiest to press the dough first to the sides of the plate and then press into the bottom for an even depth.
• For the filling, blend together avocados, cocoa, honey, lemon juice, almond, and coconut milk extract in food processor.  Pour into prepared crust and chill for several hours before serving. 

Crust from
http://vegweb.com/recipes/amazing-chocolate-avocado-pie
Filling adapted from 
http://www.vegetarianyums.com/healthy-dessert-recipe.html

For our last dinner recommendation of the week, may we suggest a mouth-watering chicken stew that can be thrown into your crock pot  by lunch time and that will be ready for dinner.  Enjoy!

1 cup diced shallots
3 stalks celery, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1½ pounds boneless organic chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup water
¼ to ½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
black pepper, to taste

• Add all ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
• If you don’t have a slow cooker, place all ingredients into a covered casserole dish and bake in the oven for about 2½ hours at 300ºF.

Makes 4-6 servings.

From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

This satisfying, unusual soup is chock full of fresh vegetables. We try to buy organic veggies whenever possible and organic savoy cabbage is not always easy to find, so we often substitute green cabbage. Red quinoa is a bit firmer and nuttier-tasting than the white quinoa that is more widely available and it makes this soup special, though you can certainly use white quinoa if you can't find red.  

1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium onion, cut into crescent moons
4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 to 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 inch strips
2 small red bell peppers, chopped
8 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
6 to 7 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
2 cups thinly sliced savoy cabbage
large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
3 to 4 cups cooked red quinoa
1 to 3 teaspoons sea salt
 

• Heat an 8 quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the onions. Saute for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and ginger. Saute a minute more. Then add carrots and red bell pepper. Saute for another 3-5 minutes.
• Add water or stock, peanut butter, and red chili flakes. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in savoy cabbage, cilantro, and cooked quinoa. Add salt to taste. If you are using a salted stock you may not need much salt at all.
• Simmer for a few more minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve each bowl with an extra sprinkling of crushed red chili flakes if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre

The salmon in this dish is optional. If you're not a fish lover, leave it out and enjoy this very tasty potato leek soup. If you do like salmon however, its flavor goes very nicely with this soup and makes it more nutritious as well. If you can, get wild-caught Alaskan salmon.

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, sliced into rounds
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 to 3 teaspoons sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds potatoes, chopped
6 cups water
 
Garnish:
Cooked or smoked salmon
Chopped fresh parsley

• Heat a 6 to 8 quart pot over medium heat. Add the oil, then the leeks. Saute for 4-5 minutes to soften, being careful not to brown. Add the celery, carrots, salt, pepper, and herbs. Saute 5-10 minutes more to soften the vegetables and deepen the flavors. Add potatoes and water, cover pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if wanted.
• Garnish each bowl with baked salmon and chopped parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.
 
From Nourishing Meals by Alyssa Segersten and Tom Malterre