Soaked Oats Recipe, Squash Recipe, Flashback Friday Pics

How are you doing today?  TGIF is all I can say!  What a week I've had alone with my kiddo but hubs is back now, and I am spelled off from 24/7 solo childcare. To all you single parents out there...you have the hardest job in the world.

I'm glad that yesterday's Vegan Chocolate Macaroons were looking so yummy to you.  Thanks for all the great comments and props!  Muah!!!!  And thanks to the new readers and commenters for checking out my blog!  Lord knows I don't make any money blogging so just having people say they found me, are following me, and are digging my blog helps keep me going!

And yes, they are as good as they look.

But here's what I made that's super easy...

Overnight Tropical Soaked Oats
I made these with So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer which is intended for coffee or even vegan baking, but dang it sure made the oats really creamy.
1/3 c dry oats
2/3 c Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer (or Lowfat Vanilla Almond Milk from TJ's is my usual liquid)
1/4 c coconut flakes
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)
1 piece of dried mango, tore up into pieces
Vanilla flavored Liquid Stevia
1 heaping Tsp Cinnamon

Stir it all up & refrigerate for 8-12 hours

Voila.   Creamy, sweet, hearty, and with a taste of the tropics in your bowl from the mango and coconut.

Dinner was aparagus, tomatoes, greens, carrots, red & yellow peppers, cukes, dressed with OJ, agave, and cracky blacky

Oh and I also got my hands on some Nuttzo after seeing the lovely Jenny rave about it.  Dang, this stuff is really delish!

Here's the nutritional stats

And you can see the Omega 3 happy flax seeds even through the container.  Two thumbs up for Nuttzo!!!  It's sort of sweet like sunflower seed butter, but thicker more like peanut butter, but with the crunch factor of the flax seeds that I really enjoyed!  A winner no doubt!  Slather this stuff on anything from the top of your oats to Mary's Cracks to the Matter of Flax Raw Vegan Crackers I mentioned the other day to a nice dipper for some fresh fruit.  Yum.

I also wanted to mention a great baked squash recipe that I've been making for years.  This recipe works for buttercup squash (buttercup is otherwise known as kaboucha as I learned on HEABs blog).  

I have always called kabouca buttercup squash and this recipe works great with buttercups!  Or you could use it for butternut or acorn squash too:

(pics from http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm)

Averie's Sweet Mustard Oven-Roasted Squash

1/4 to 1/2 c Dijon or Honey Mustard
1/4 c Maple Syrup (or agave)

1/4 c EVOO
Optional: 1/4 c brown sugar 
Seasonings such as 1 Tsp of each (some or none, whatever you like): cinnamon, ginger, cumin,
Salt & Pepper to Taste


Squash halves should be face up.  Take the mixture you just made and smear paint it on your squash and let it accumulate in the hole of your de-seeded and cleaned squash. 



Bake at 300 to 350F til done, probably about an hour.  Because of the sugar in the recipe, I would cover with foil for at least the first half of your cooking time so nothing chars.


Super easy and your house will smell delish!



VeganMofo in the house today.
 

And now for Flashback Friday Pictures!  Janetha and Deb are pros at this, and I figured I'd get in on the action today!

Here's me 3 days before I delivered my daughter.  I didn't gain much weight being pregnant because I had horrible morning sickness.  

I was on a Caribbean vacation 3 weeks prior to this pic where I was even smaller.  A woman told me I had a beer belly.  I was like lady, I am 8 months pregnant.  She's like nice try, nice beer belly.  Very pregnant and very hormonal, I almost beat her up. 

And this is me holding my new bundle, Skylar Lotus, an hour after I had her.  All natural childbirth.  Read: 100% drug free.  And I'm still smiling.  Tired, but smiling.  In fact, I checked out hours later. Why I didn't just stick to my instincts and have my daughter at home, I don't know but hindsight in all things, especially motherhood, is 20/20.

And this was her first trip out of the country when she was a little peanut.  She loves the beach!  Wonder who she gets that from?

 Now she's almost 3 going on 13!

Yoga is Urdhva Dhanurasana (Full Backbend)

Tip of the Day: Amanda's Gluten Free Cookie Giveaway!


What's your favorite thing to do on a Friday night when you know you have the weekend ahead of you?  I like to try to get an early start to the power walk I do nightly with my family and then try to have a mellow, yummy, dinner at home.  I like keeping things very low key these days.  Do you go out?  Stay in?  Catch up on work, kitchen prep work, your workout, none of the above?  Do tell!  

Stay tuned for my kale chip recipe!