{Simple} Cranberry Sauce

This blog is no longer actively updated, please visit my new site at MintGrapefruit.com to keep up with new recipes and all the other whats-goings-ons

Cranberry sauce is a staple at our thanksgiving table, and I’m not going to lie…I really prefer the can. I know, I know, but it just works on so many levels, as wrong as it is and I think about it every time I turn the can over and just hear it fall out on to the plate.  This year I decided to play around a bit and come up with a new cranberry sauce that could be used at the table…in addition to the can of course.

This only uses a few fresh ingredients, and is really quick to prepare. You could adjust the sweetness to your liking, you could even add nuts if you like a little crunch.

1 bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup tangerine juice (about 6 tangerines*)
1 apple
4 tbsp. honey
¼ cup raw sugar (more or less depending on your tastes)
*1 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a pot, along with ¾ cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until you have the texture you would like. Stirring occasionally. If you would prefer a thicker consistency, add the xanthan gum. Mix well. Sauce will thicken slightly as it cools; can be eaten warm or chilled.

*You could use store bought juice or any type of orange. I just happened to have a lot of tangerines on hand.

Some people just make you smile. {An interview with Nicole Montanarelli, Life Thrive Yoga}

Sorry! 

This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site at MintGrapefruit.com for more!

Amazi and Comforting Fall Food {Guest Post}

Sorry! 

This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site at MintGrapefruit.com for more!

Trying to Heal plus Mushroom Stroganoff {Vegan & Gluten free}

Sorry! 

This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site at MintGrapefruit.com for more!

Sweet Potato Soup: Perfect for a rainy day

It's fall! Yay! The air is crisp and cool and it's the start of super comforting foods! Plus, I don't know about where you are, but here it is raining...and raining and frankly a perfect soup day.

I had lots of help with this soup, I had the pleasure to watch our friends four kids. I don't know about you but when I have a house of kids I put them to work! Okay, not really, they were excited to help. The older two even helped me paint the deck earlier this summer.

Anyway, I had five kids and was planning on making a soup so when I asked if anyone would be interested in helping all of them said yes. I separated the tasks, most of which involved chopping and put them to work. (And don't worry, I watched them all carefully.)

Coming up with soups can be fun, I had a ginormous sweet potato so it was an easy decision to make that the primary ingredient. Everything else just can through tasting.

Sweet Potato Soup

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 medium russet potatoes, cubed

3 medium carrots (about 1-1/2 cups), chopped

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large garlic clove (or 3 normal size), peeled and minced

2 tbsp. fresh thyme

2 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. cumin powder

1 jalapeño, minced

8 cups water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: sour cream and sriracha 

Melt butter in a large stock pot, add chopped carrots, onion and celery, sprinkle a little salt over the veggies and sauté for about five minutes, cover until veggies are soft. Add garlic, thyme and jalapeño. Stir.

Add water and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and add the remaining spices. Continue to simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Using a blender or using an emulsion blender, blend half the soup. (Blending adds a creamy texture to the soup.) Stir soup and adjust seasoning to your taste. Pour into a bowl and garnish with sour cream and sriracha.

Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I did, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Stuffed Poblanos

If you know me, you know I have a special place in my heart for all things Mexican; and these last few days I have had my fair share of nachos, enchiladas, tacos and now...Stuffed Poblanos.  I was alone last week while my son and husband were off visiting my father-in-law, and I ate (or drank) Mexican everyday. Mostly in the form of nachos. If you are one to mix flavors, I am a big fan of Trader Joes Paneer Tikka Masala, and I must say...put it on top of tortilla chips and then cover in cheese, oh its heaven. {Everything is better with cheese...lots of cheese!}

I try to use fresh from the garden or from the farmers market during the summer, as much as possible. We have had a lot of tomatoes but they never got very big, and we have had jalapenos out the wazoo. I have made salsa and will probably be making more...but I wanted to make something different, vegetarian (I was going to go vegan, but that damn need for cheese gets in the way every time) and with Mexican flavors. Realizing that going vegetarian probably meant that I would be the only one eating it, also meant I can make it how I would like to make it.  So...other than the items from our garden I stopped at the farmers market on my way home from work and while ogling over all the peppers, the decision was made...I must stuff them. 

Now...I am not against the use of meat in this dish, so you could easily add ground beef or turkey, shredded chicken or what ever you fancy. I was just in the mood for meatless...which tends to be more often than not. 

3-5 Poblano peppers

Filling:
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup quinoa
1 can black beans
1 ear of corn
5-6 small tomatoes, quartered
2 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Topping
Roasted tomato sauce, recipe below
Shredded cheese
Chopped cilantro

Cook the rice and quinoa as directed, set aside.  Meanwhile, place the corn, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and garlic on a baking dish, roast the veggies just until soft. Place under the broiler on low heat, tossing at least once. Remove and cool slightly, so you are able to handle them, chop everything up and remove the kernels from the ear of corn. Add to a large bowl, add the rice, beans and spices; mix well.  Mix in the cheese.

Carefully remove the top of the poblano peppers, I cut around the stem and then twisted and it pulled most of the seeds out, you may need to do a little seed clean up. Spoon the filling into the peppers, make sure to push it down as far as possible. Lay the peppers in a shallow baking dish. Cover is sauce and cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Roasted Tomato Sauce
2 jalapenos
1 small onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
3-4 cups tomatoes, I used a combination of small ones from my garden and cherry tomatoes from a market
1-2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder

Add all the vegetables to a pan and roast under the broiler until soft and slightly charred. Once they are done, add to the food processor with the spices and blend until smooth. Store in a tight lidded container in the refrigerator.

So yummy! Enjoy it!

Thai {inspired} Coconut Soup

A few months back we had a girls night that started with dinner at Veit Thai, then of course followed by drinks. Ever since, I keep thinking of Thai and the spicy, sweet combinations.  Then at one of our local time bank* meetings, my friend fed me shared with me more of those wonderful spiciness. So here I am trying to come up with a dish that can satisfy the craving.

And if you are reading this Grace, we need to go back! 

So here is my take on a Thai inspired Coconut Soup, with sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

1 sweet potato
1 small eggplant
8-10 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 qt Vegetable Broth
1 can Coconut Milk
2 jalapenos, minced
1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced thin
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 green onion, sliced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup cilantro, chopped
Sriracha to taste

Chop the sweet potato, eggplant and slice mushrooms, add to stock pot. Cook just to soften in about 1 tbsp each coconut oil and olive oil. Once soft, add the broth and milk. Bring to a simmer.

Add all remaining ingredients, up to the cilantro. Let simmer. Add the cilantro and add sriracha to taste. 

Eat it alone, or serve over rice or rice noodles.

*I am part of our local time bank, York County Time Bank. We currently have close to 70 active members and growing. We are a new bank, but if you are local and interested you should check it out! Or if you are interested in finding out more information or to see if there is a time bank in your community you can check it out here at hOurworld or at TimeBanks USA.

{Recipe shared on Easy Green Mama, Gluten Free Linky for August 27, 2013}

Zucchini Lasagna

Sorry!
This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site MintGrapefruit.com for more!

GFAF Expo and an Early Summer Treat

Come September 7th I will be one of the lucky bloggers to be attending the Gluten Free and Allergen Free Expo (GFAF) in Secaucus New Jersey! This is an exciting opportunity for me to meet other bloggers and to check out and share all kinds of products. I am looking to expanding my knowledge, growing as a blogger and sharing it with you! 

The expo will consist of over 150 vendors sharing their gluten and allergen free products, as well as numerous bloggers and writers sharing their experience. My plan will be to live tweet and blog my experiences throughout the day. I will be using the hash tag #gfafexpo as will other bloggers and visitors so if you aren't able to attend you can follow along on all the social networking sites. Check out their website, here.  

But until then...you can follow me and and my foodie adventures!

And so, it is farmers market season again, and I don't know about you but I love walking around the farmers markets! The one in walking distance from my office just started last Thursday and will be every Thursday through the summer. I walked up on Thursday to get a juice from one of my favorite juice bars, Zia's Cafe, and ended up walking around and buying some zucchini.  

I had all this zucchini and needed to use it up, since I am the only one that really eats it in my house, I invited a friend over to help me eat it up. I made a Zucchini and Mushroom Bake, very close to a crustless quiche.

Zucchini & Mushroom Bake

Ingredients:
4 small zucchini
1/2 medium onion
1 to 1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1/2 tsp herbamare
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup each shredded cheddar cheese, Gouda, and ricotta salada (feta or goat cheese would work also)
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini, onions and mushrooms. Saute the onions and mushrooms just until soft (you can add the zucchini if you would like, I did not.) 

Grease a 9" pie pan, layer the zucchini, and top with the onion and mushrooms. Sprinkle the herbamare over the vegetables. Add the cheddar and Gouda. 


Beat together the eggs and milk, add a little salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle the ricotta salada over the eggs and bake for about 20 minutes or until firm.

Enjoy! And keep an eye out for me in September at the Meadowlands!!

Will you be at the GFAF Expo? Let me know, I'd love to meet you!

And what are some of your favorite Farmers Market finds during the summer?

Recipe shared on Easy Green Mama, Gluten Free Linky for August 20, 2013

Fruit & Nut Bars

Sorry!

This post has been moved HERE, please visit my new site MintGrapefruit.com for more!

{GF} Fruit and Nut Muffins

Today is Easter so you would think I would post something Eastery...well, as much as I would have loved to write about homemade peeps, cream eggs, peanut butter eggs, etc.  (Which it is my intention to make every year.) I just never get around to doing it.  This year I felt like Easter snuck up on me...so even though I am making dinner today I decided that I was going to raid my pantry and fridge.  I like having things I can grab in the morning for a quick breakfast. I decided on muffins, I had a mango that needed to be used and various other fruits and veggies.  There are two major changes I would do with this recipe that I wasn't really paying attention to while I was adding all the ingredients.  The first one is the sugar, I would substitute some of the white sugar with some honey or just cut it back all together, depending on the fruit you use you may not need so much. And two, the oil...oh my, as soon as I poured it in the batter I thought "What the hell am I doing!?!" a cup of oil is A LOT, and I have apple sauce and bananas...shame on me!  So at the end of the directions I will let you know the substitution quantities.  

Asking the family what to call these muffins, since Trash Muffin didn't sound so great, I got GFG Muffins. So, here is the recipe..

GFG Fruit & Nut Muffins
(Gluten Free Goodness)

1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum*
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup carrots, grated
1/2 apple, peeled and shredded (I would have used a whole, but the one I used happened to be half eaten)
1 mango, diced
1/2 cup blueberries
3/4 cups craisins
1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil**
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
ground flax seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, prepare a muffin pan with either liners or cooking spray.

Mix together the sugar, flour, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Combine all the fruit, veggies and nuts in a bowl. (You could use any combination of what you have on hand, but try to keep the moisture levels similar)

Add the fruit and nut mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the eggs, oil**, and vanilla. Mix well.

Pour batter into the prepared muffin pan filling about 3/4 of the way full.  Sprinkle muffins with about 1/4 tsp of flax seed.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Notes:
*Only add If your flour mixture does not already includes xanthan gum or guar gum.
**Oil substitutions that would be great in these muffins:
   Use 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
   Use 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about one banana)
   Use 3/4 cup of any other fruit puree or butters
   Use 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple

**Featured on Gluten Free Tuesday Linky 8/13/2013 with Easy Green Mama**

   

Cranberry Mango Millet Salad {via Healthful Pursuit}

It's spring, well at least it's technically spring...we are currently in a winter weather advisory, so yay! {enter sarcasm} I am ready for warmer weather! I'm ready to be outside, take a hike, go camping, and just BBQ'ing with friends. I'm ready for the brown to change to green and the flowers, I'm ready to start my garden and eat fresh foods...yeah, I definitely ready for the warmer days.

Yesterday I attended my first Goddess Gathering, I met new women, ate good food and came home with a few "new" clothes. A couple baby girls were blessed and it was just a very positive and fun day in the Hollow. It was a potluck so I wanted to make something that I new I could eat as well as something good. I figured there would be a few vegetarians and others with food restrictions...plus when ever I go to anything like this I make some thing new that other people may like and I may like but knowing that my household probably won't eat it. (That way I know it won't be wasted.)  I wish I took some pictures...not only was it a potluck we also did a clothing swap...there were SO many clothes!

I have had millet in my pantry for a while and have been trying to find different ways of using it. I came across a salad recipe from Leanne Vogel, from Healthful Pursuit, it is a Cranberry Mango Millet Salad. It was really good...the salad was a combination of millet and quinoa mixed with mango, dried cranberries, almonds, onions and spinach all tossed in a lemon poppy seed honey Dijon dressing. Delish!

To see the recipe click here.

Pies for Pi Day!

This is an old post that I am bringing back just for National Pi Day, yes we all know it's not Pie day but still why not celebrate with a pie you can eat?  So, since I am wishing for warm weather here are some of my past summer pies... Note: the original recipes were before I went GF so therefore are NOT Gluten-free.  To make them gluten-free, you have a few options; substitute regular flour with a gluten-free version (a nut flour would be really tasty , you could buy a pre-made crust, or use could use a nut or GF cracker crust.

Blueberry Pie

1 basic pie crust, homemade or store bought

I added a dash of almond extract to my homemade pie dough, this is optional.

Filling:

5 cups fresh blueberries

3/4 cup sugar, more or less depending on the sweetness of the berries

3 tbsp cornstarch

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl toss all the filling ingredients. Set aside. Roll out the dough for a 9" pie crust. Lay in pan and crimp edges. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for about 50 minutes.

Strawberry & Hazelnut Cream Galette

1 basic pie crust

Filling:

2 cups fresh strawberries

2/3 cups blueberries (optional)

2/3 cups sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup hazelnut cream cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out dough to about a 12" diameter circle. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Working from the center, spread the cream cheese out leaving about two inches around the edge. Pour the berry mixture onto the center, keeping about two inches around the edge.

Carefully fold over the edge of the pie crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes.

Citrus Pie

For the crust:
2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter

For the filling:
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
Juice of half lemon
Juice of 1/4 grapefruit
(there should be a total of about 1/2 cup of juices combined)
About 2 tablespoons lime and lemon zest
1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yokes
Candied lemon for garnish

Mix together the graham cracker and melted butter and press into a 9" pie dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Beat egg yokes. Add the milk and citrus juice and zest blend until smooth. Pour into cooled pie crust and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

Candied lemon: add 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar into a small sauce pan. Add sliced lemon. Let simmer for about 4-5 hours.

Enjoy!

Vegan Dark Chocolate {Gluten Free}

Craving chocolate? I was. With only three ingredients needed, I made some Vegan Dark Chocolate (and sprinkled some crushed almonds on top).

Phone Picture...not really a good one

To make this chocolate, you need coconut oil, agave syrup and cocoa powder.  That's it!

On low heat, melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil.  Once it is melted, remove from heat and add 3 tbsp agave syrup and 2/3 cup of dark cocoa powder.  Stir to combine. 

Once again, bad phone picture

Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, pour the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with nuts, dried fruit or anything else you may like.  Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator so the chocolate can set, it will only take about 10-15 minutes.

Break or cut into pieces. It turned out sort of bark like, with a softer consistency   You could probably pour into silicone molds if you wanted to.  I also think this would make a great chocolate base for peanut butter cups or peppermint patties. So stay tuned for some peanut butter cups...I am going to see if I can borrow a silicone mini muffin pan...yum!

Potato Gnocchi {First Attempt}

Our front yard

We had a snow day, I stayed home with my son and we built a fort, had a snowball fight with some friends and just had a relaxing day.

Snowball!

However, I had the bug to bake.  I was thinking along the line of cookies or muffins or just something that could curb my sweet tooth. So, I starting looking around the kitchen to see what we had on hand, what I could work with.

Then I noticed a bag of potatoes in desperate need of being used, so the first thing that came to mind was gnocchi. I have been wanting to try a gluten-free version, so what the heck right?  Well, this was my first attempt.  The flavor was good, but I would like to make them slightly firmer. So I will eventually be making another batch, and playing around with it a bit.  But in the mean time, here is my rendition of Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi.

Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi

2 pounds russet potatoes (you want a starchy potato)
1 1/2 cups rice flour blend (I used Trader Joes All-purpose GF Blend)
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 eggs
1/2-1 cup potato starch
salt and pepper

Roast potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until fork tender.  Peel and rice the cooked potato.  

In a large bowl add the flour and gum to the potatoes knead gently until it starts to come together, season with salt and pepper.  Whisk together the eggs and add to the potato mixture. Continue to mix until it forms a dough, it will be slightly sticky. 

In a large work surface, sprinkle the starch and dump the potato mixture on the surface.  Sprinkle with some additional starch.  Knead the dough slightly and quarter it.  Using one quarter, roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick.  Slice into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces, you can roll on a fork to make ridges.  Place on a floured sheet pan until ready to use.  Use immediately or freeze.

To cook: Place the fresh (or frozen) gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water, they are ready once they start to float. 

I served mine with sauteed onions and brown butter with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese...they were really yummy.

Keep your eyes open for my next attempt at this...

If you have any tricks for a firmer GF gnocchi I would love to hear them!  Thanks and Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

We are currently out of chocolate syrup in our house, we always have chocolate syrup (it seems to be the only way I can get my son to drink milk).  Since, like I am sure many people are, I am trying not to spend money on things I don't have to and store bought chocolate syrup has fallen into that category.  Then I remembered that I saw something on Pinterest {Love Pinterest} about making your own, so I decided I would give it a try. There aren't many ingredients and I have them all so here it goes...

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, mix together sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Add water and whisk gently until well mixed. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool.  Store in the refrigerator, fills a pint sized jar. Use just like you would normally use chocolate syrup; on ice cream, in milk, on a spoon...

I happened to still have the empty bottle of Hershey's Special Dark Syrup in our recycling so I pulled it out just to check the ingredients. Here is what is in the pre-made stuff, in the order written; High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Cocoa processed with alkali, Sugar, 2% or less of; Salt, Mono- and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Vanillin, Artificial Flavor.  Yep, I must say I like making my own with just a few ingredients.  I think I may play around with the sugar, and maybe substitue some with honey and see how that goes.

A satisfied taster!

I wish I had some ice cream to drizzle it on...

Side note...

I also mixed up some Taco Seasoning today, also super simple. For about 3/4 cups of seasoning, I combined 3 tbsp chili powder, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1-1/2 tsp paprika, 3-1/2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp salt, 3 tsp black pepper. I have it sealed in a jar waiting to be used.  I will let you know how it is after our next taco night.

Veggie Burgers with Avocado Creme {Vegan}

The Dairy-free Challenge has been accomplished, it is done, over…and I must say I am glad.  I really don’t eat much dairy but I went full throttle and made sure anything I was eating completely void of it. I don’t drink milk, so no problem there…I LOVE cheese, problem.  I have tried vegan cheeses and I am sorry they are just not the same.  But while doing this challenge the thing that has surprised me the most is that my body reacted the opposite of what I thought or expected it to react.  I have had more bloating and have been pretty constipated (sorry for that picture) and I really thought that I would have A LOT less bloating.  I think it is really weird.  I don’t think I have changed my diet in any other way, other than cutting the dairy out. Below is my conversation with Leanne, she recommended adding probiotics, and I have actually considered that before so I may actually give them a try. 

http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/

What I do know is that going completely dairy-free is not for me, I once thought it was. This is not to say that I won’t still make vegan meals or try different dairy-free versions of recipes, I enjoy eating vegetarian and vegan and that isn't going to stop.  That may be the inner vegetarian in me trying to get out, I still toy with the idea of going back to that lifestyle, but I have yet to give in to it.  For right now, being gluten-free is enough. 

For the end of my dairy-free week I decided to give this dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan dish a try… 

All the veggies and fillers

Veggie Burgers

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 large onion, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped
5-6 cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 flax eggs (1/4 cup warm water plus 2 tbsp. flax meal)
1 chia egg (3 tbsp warm water plus 1 tbsp chia seeds)

1/2 cup GF Oats, processed into a flour

1 tsp. Chipotle Seasoning

Salt and pepper

In the food processor, combine the onion, garlic, carrot, peppers, mushrooms and half the can of beans.  Pulse until, vegetables are fine.  

Add the flax and chia eggs, quinoa and seasoning, pulse until everything is combined. 

Transfer to a large bowl.  Add the rest of the beans to the quinoa mixture, stir to combine. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning to taste, add oat flour stir to combine (add more if it seems too wet).  

Form the mixture into patties.  Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat, cook patties for about 3-5 minutes on each side until the outside is browned and the patty is heated through.

Serve on a hamburger roll, alone or like me on a lettuce leaf with the Avocado Creme or any and all your favorite burger toppings. (I added some ketchup and fried onions...Yum!)  The outside gets a nice crunch and the inside has a really nice texture.

Avocado Creme

1 ripe avocado*

1 tsp. chipotle seasoning

juice of a 1/2 lime

Salt and pepper

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

*My avocado wasn't really ready, so since I wanted to use it right away (my mistake for not buying it a few days early) I used the microwave to quickly "ripen" it.  The results, not bad.  But I would let it naturally ripen if you have the time, use the microwave only in a pinch.  

{Obviously, if you weren't dairy-free you could add cheese to the mixture and/or topping.  You could also use a real egg instead of a flax egg, and bread crumbs instead of the processed oats.}

Enjoy!