Pumpkin Chickpea Chili

I've been so excited to upload this recipe- It's one of my favorite recipes I've reinvented. I was inspired by the recipe book by Allyson Kramer Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats- it is probably one of the most inspirational stories of becoming a gluten free and vegan cook, as well as has some of the greatest recipes yet! 

I'm a little under the weather today because my dog, Hershey Bear, is not doing well at all :[. I thought this little kick could be a bit of comfort. 

Pumpkin Chickpea Chili

adapted from "Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats"

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon EVOO

1 cup fresh corn

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can pumpkin puree

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can PINTO (original says black, but I love pinto!) beans, drained and rinsed

1-3 teaspoons chili powder, to taste

2 teaspoons cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup vegetable broth

zest and juice of 1 lime

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup minced cilantro to garnish

a dollop of "daizy" (vegan sour cream..just a little play on words)

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, green pepper and salt in the olive oil for 10-15 minutes over medium heat.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients, and increase the heat to high. BTB (Bring to boil)

3. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until heated through. Garnish with vegan sour cream and cilantro and serve. 

Gluten Free Fridays!

I found this awesome blog site, called Vegetarian Mamma. She is doing more gluten free recipes and showcasing some awesome gluten free (as well as many vegan) blogs. It's awesome- and I get the opportunity to read so many more blogs!

Homemade Guacamole

It's crazy- in less than a week I will be back at Penn State for my final semester. I cannot believe the fact that I will be a graduate from college in a few months! Not only that, but this summer went by too fast. 

I picked some of the CUTEST onions from my little garden I have. They are so precious! And they are so packed with flavor that I know now why they are called sweet onions! With my onions, I decided to make a simple, yet decadent homemade guacamole. It was so simple, so easy, and my mom is so in love with it that she has already asked me to make it 4 times more! 

Homemade Guacamole
- 4 guacamoles, pitted and cubed
- 2 heirloom tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 whole red onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon himalayan sea salt
- Juice of 2 limes

add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher. serve!

ALSO! My friend rescued a cat yesterday! My friend found this kitten, named monsieur smelly, and brought it into his home. He brought him in, fed him for the night, and then the next morning I went over and searched around for a place for this cat, asked everywhere, and finally I found someone kind enough to take in monsieur smelly. I'm so grateful for this person to give this itty bitty kitty a home!

Wisdom Teeth Remedies

#noshame

I got my wisdom teeth out, and goodness graciousness has eating been TORTURE! Obviously this post is going to be extraordinarily short since I have basically no exciting recipes except..

Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Soup, immersion blended to a pukey mess

Tofu Scramble with oh hay! Semi-Homemade Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise. I was inspired by our prized, chipotle lime chicken wrap at work that is ... quite a killer. As good as it sounds, we cringe when we hear we have to make one. But everyone raves about this mayo. Unfortunately for me, the mayo doesn't sit well in my stomach (what else is new!?), so I decided that I MUST figure out how to make my own! I put the mayo on top of some tofu scramble with minced spinach, tomatoes and onions I picked from my garden (aren't they CUTE!?) Even though my doctor told me to avoid spiciness, he obviously doesn't know me, since I can't go a day without putting sriracha on something. So I made mine less spicier than normal, but it is still.truly.amazing

Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise

vegan~glutenfree

1 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

1-7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon of adobo sauce (from can)

1 teaspoon sriracha

2/3 juiced lime

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth.

Summer Summary

I have been slacking on this blog a lot, and I apologize :[. But in return, I just want to give a little summary of one of the most memorable summers I've had so far. From the stresses of the evil cash registers at work to the craziest of nights (is this real life?), this summer surprised me like no other.

"Aimee, we're a toxic combo"
"I'm on a box, shawwty"
"The hash slinging, trash bringing, train station FLASHER"
"Kish the Fish!"
- All by Amanda

"Amanda do you need me to show you where the cotton swabs are?" - "SHE KNOWS WHERE THEY ARE JOEY"
"Alvin's harvesting moe's in her cheeks"
- Keira

"This soda is flatter than a preteen girl"
*Opens freezer to check on haagen and daz* "mama loves you honey"
"You loyal subjects, this is your queen"
"So if I strap on some spandex I can go to the club?"
"So, a jamaican me happy is NOT a fruit?"
Pinot grigio
- Pita

"WERE GONNA GO TO JAIL"
"The ravioli is sitting across from me"
"Wait why are you eating dinner? DOES THIS MEAN YOU'RE NOT DRINKING?"
- Joey

and then of course..
4 some....
HOLD ME YOU PROMISED
pasta night to go

Words can't even describe half of these memories. Some were so funny, I swear I could laugh for hours just thinking about them.

As there were many ups, there were times when it was at rock bottom. The Sandusky scandal shown through, and it devastated the football of Penn State. I hate Sandusky for all this, obviously. I'm sure the guy has no supporters, especially since our entire reputation of being a football team has shattered. As a Penn State student, my pride still lives on because I still am in love with the school I've spent my college years at. 

Next up- a chapter of my life is finished. I can finally move on and start my new chapter in life. So many memories at my first apartment, but god I am so happy to have something with bittersweet memories cut away. 

The Lake Naomi- so beautiful.

I'm more ready than ever to just enjoy the life that I have <3

Garlicheezy Zucchini Fries

Oh my goodness it's been a roller coaster the past few weeks. Logged in hours upon hours of work and on top of that I had so many papers due for my english class. But guess what? Now I'm done with English! I can finally start channeling my shiitake writing skills into this lovely blog :]

Just because I haven't written a lot lately doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Oh, trust me I've been cooking. I have so many recipes that will be coming up, including:
-Cornbread
-Foccacia Bread 
-Raw Cookie Bites
-MORE SMOOTHIES
- Thai takeout at home
- PUMPKIN CHILI
- Homemade Guacamole
- IGGY!
- Cold cucumber salad

Lately me and the brother 'scroey' have been hanging out on a daily basis, which is nice to get him away from all the little girls that want him. However, I don't know if it is a good idea to have two Luzzis in one room, things get a little reckless. However, if there is one little peeve I have with my brother, it is that he is the hardest person to cook for- he is extraordinarily picky! But one day, I got some zucchini out of our garden and made these zucchini fries, and he LOVED them! Go me! So here's a recipe that might satisfy a picky eaters appetite

Garlicheezy Zucchini Fries

raw~glutenfree~vegan

-2 zucchini, sliced

- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

-1/2 teaspoon salt

- pinch of pepper

1. slice your zucchini into the shape of fries, just like the picture above

2. add in all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together

3. Let sit for 10 minutes

4. Place your zucchini fries onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 105 for 12-16 hours (depending on the crisp that you prefer).