What Beans Should I Use For Refried Beans?

You can technically re-fry any bean but pinto beans are the most common. Black beans are my second favorite choice.

Pinto beans are great for refried beans because once they are cooked they are very soft and tender. We want soft beans so that we can mash them or blend them to the desired consistency. We also want the right flavor. Beans in general are very bland until you add spices and seasonings. Pinto beans take on our Mexican spices and seasonings so perfectly.

Other beans such as navy beans are extra creamy and pair best with Italian seasonings. Kidney beans have thick skin and hold their form really well, they are best for soups and don’t mash as well as pinto beans. Black beans also get very soft and blend or mash up very nicely as well. Black beans are also great in Mexican dishes.

How To Cook Dried Beans

Before you cook your dried beans you need to soak them. Soaking the beans reduces gas making them easier to digest. Soaking them will also make them more tender and and softer when they are fully cooked. To add more flavor you can soak your beans in salt water. Here are a few different ways you can soak the beans.

How to Soak Dried Beans

• Quick Soak (1 hour). In a large pot add your beans and water at a 1(beans):3(water) ratio. Turn the heat on and boil for 1-2 minutes. If there is foam on the the top of the water drain that water and boil again for 1-2 minutes with fresh water. Let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hours. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. The quick soak will not help all remove the gas from the bean and they may take longer to cook (close to 2 hours).
• Hot Soak (4 hours). It is just like a quick soak except you let it soak for 4-6 hours. This is typically how I soak my beans. 9AM rinse, boil for 1-2 minutes and start the soak, 3PM start to cook and they are ready by 4:30-5:00 to add to my dinner recipe.
• Overnight Soak (8-12 hours). In a large pot or bowl add your beans and water at a 1:3 ratio and let soak in the refrigerator over night. More water is better. The beans will expand 2-3 times their size as they soak. Add a table spoon of salt for flavor. In the morning, rinse the beans and with fresh water bring to a boil. If any foam appears on the water drain and rinse the beans and start cooking again with fresh water. Overnight beans usually take less then an hour to cook thoroughly.

How To Cook Soaked Beans

Now that the beans are soaked we will rinse them one more time and cook them in fresh water and seasoning. For refired beans we will use some Mexican flavor seasonings and spices.

Seasoning

To season Mexican flavored refried beans we use

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Paprika
• Salt
• Theme *optional
• and 1 Jalapeno

Add these seasonings, spices and one whole jalapeno to your fresh cooking water and beans and cook for 1-2 hours. Once done your beans will be soft and full of flavor.

*Theme is optional. It is not a common Mexican flavored herb but complements them well. Theme is also really healthy for you. I’m always looking for opportunities to add immunity busting herbs and ingredients to my recipes and theme is a good one.

How to Re-fry Beans

Now that our beans are soaked and cooked we can finally make them “Re-fried”.

Drain most of the water out of the beans leaving just a quarter-half an inch of water. You can always add more if needed. You could also add lime or lemon juice or some oil for flavor. I typically don’t add these ingredients but some recipes do. Next mash your beans with bean or potato masher or a immersion blender. Heat up if needed, serve and enjoy!

If you want more spice and heat with your beans, mash the jalapenos (or half of it) in with your beans!

How To Get The Right Texture In Refried Beans

There are two main keys that will determine the texture of the refried beans.

• The amount of water/moisture
• The if you mash or blend

If you like a smooth, almost soup like texture for your refried beans you will need a little more water and use a blender. You can use a regular blender or an immersion blender.

For a thicker, chunkier texture use less water and mash with a masher or a fork. With the masher you will have a lot more control with how smooth or chunky your beans end up. I personally don’t like them too soupy so I ways use a potato masher and add water as I go for just the right texture.

Refried Beans

Prep Time: 6 hours

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 dried pinto beans
• 5 cups water
• 1 whole jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon salt (for soaking) + 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon theme * optional

Instructions

1. Soak beans. In a pot add 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans with 5 cups water and a teaspoon of salt. Soak overnight. (read above for faster soaking options)
2. Cook beans. Rinse the water and add 5+ cups of fresh water. Add seasonings, spices, and the whole jalapeno. Cook for 1-2 hours.
3. Re-fry the beans. Drain the beans and place them back in the pot with just a little bit of water. You can also add a little oil or lemon or lime juice if you want. Mash the beans with a bean masher, potato masher or use an immersion blender. Reheat is needed and enjoy!

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How To Puree a Pumpkin

Step One: Pick Your Pumpkin

Pick out a nice baking pumpkin, one that is one that seems heavy for its size. At the store they may be marked as sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins. I do not recommend using a carving pumpkin. Read above to learn more about the differences.

Step Two: Cut and Gut Your Pumpkin

Cut the top off you pumpkin then proceed to cutting the pumpkin in half using a large chefs knife. Watch out for fingers! Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.

This pumpkin had a bruise and was a little moldy on the bottom. I simple cut the bottom off and threw it in the compost. The top was full of good pumpkin I made sure to double check and make sure there was not more mold and there wasn’t all was good.

Step Three: Cut and Boil Pumpkin

Cut you pumpkin into medium sized pieces and place in a pot. Fill your pot with water and boil for 1 hour.

Step Four: Blend the Pumpkin

Once cooled, peel the pumpkin and place in your vitamix, blender or food processor. Blend on high until very smooth.

Step Five: Store Your Fresh Pumpkin Puree

When its all blended smooth and the perfect pumpkin puree, pour it into mason jars, zip-lock bags or any airtight container you plan to store it in. You can leave it in the fridge for 7-10 days or in the freezer for up to a year. I like to freeze mine and use it through out the fall season in all my pies, breads and soups.

Is it better to Boil, Bake or Steam your Pumpkin?

When you boil your pumpkin, the pumpkin absorbs a little bit of water. When you bake it some of the water evaporates. You’ll notice the difference when you go to blend it. If you bake it you will most likely have to add water in the blender to get the pumpkin smooth. When you boil your pumpkin you will not need to add any water.

When I bake my pumpkin I also add a little bit of water to may baking sheet with my pumpkin and so that my pumpkin doesn’t dry out. It works great and I never have to add water when blending.

When steaming my pumpkin I still didn’t need to add water but the pumpkin puree was defiantly thicker then when I boiled it.

I don’t think if makes a big difference on whether you boil, bake or steam. The process is very similar and so are the results.

FAQs

What is the difference between a carving pumpkin and a baking pumpkin?

A baking pumpkin (or pie pumpkin) will be a little smaller and heavy for its size. The heavier the pumpkin typically the better for baking. Baking pumpkins have thicker walls and are sweeter then the carving pumpkins.

A carving pumpkin is typically large and light. The inside walls are thinner and stringy. Carving pumpkins are not as sweet and once cooked can have a little bit of a bitter taste to them. The taste is not always noticeable in your recipes but the baking pumpkins make your desserts and soups and breads so much better.

Can I make pumpkin puree from a carving pumpkin?

If you have already carved the pumpkin and you had it as decoration for Halloween then NO. Once its been cut open the pumpkin it will start to slowly rot. So do not use your carved pumpkins to for eating. You can however bake our boil the scraps and pieces you cut out of your pumpkin and make them into pumpkin puree rather then throwing them in the trash.

If you are just asking if the carving type of pumpkin is good for eating and making puree, the answer is… they are not the best. Carving pumpkins are edible and taste fine. They are not as sweet as baking pumpkins and they are stringy. They also often have thinner walls not giving you as much meat to work with.

Can I make pumpkin puree from pumpkin guts?

Pumpkin guts are the stringy insides that we pull out of our carving pumpkins. They are not ideal for making pumpkin puree but you absolutely can. I would add them to a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes then drain the water and put them in the blender. You will then have a little pumpkin puree to eat.

What is the best pumpkin to use for puree?

The best pumpkins are the baking pumpkins. There are lots of different verities of baking pumpkins and they are all a little different but will still work great for cooking and baking with. There are some verities that are considered carving pumpkins because of there thin walls and light weight.

Pumpkin Puree (Boiling)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Pumpkin

Instructions

1. Cut your pumpkin in half and clean out the seeds.
2. Cut pumpkin into medium-large pieces.
3. Place your pumpkin pieces in a large pot and fill it with water.
4. Boil the pumpkins for 1 hour, then turn off the heat.
5. Peal the pumpkin pieces and place the pumpkin in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth.
6. Store in a mason jar, air tight container or zip-lock bag for 7-10 days in the refrigerator or the freezer for up to a year.

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Baking A Whole Pumpkin

In the fall we love collecting pumpkin for decorating, baking and carving. This year we where able to pick up 15 pumpkins from a local pumpkin field and my son has decorated every room in the house, including the bathroom with pumpkins! Slowing, I am baking 1 at a time in order to make delicious pumpkin pie, pumpkin breads, muffins, soups, scones… and so much more! With all these delicious recipes I’m also baking the seeds for a fun wholesome snack for the kids.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Spiced Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Fresh pumpkin seeds right out of the pumpkin! Pumpkin seeds are a great source of nutrition. They are rich in manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and iron. These seeds also contain lots of fiber, protein and healthy fats.

Olive Oil

You can really use any oil of your liking. Avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, they all work. Although I will say not all oils are created equal so be wise in your baking and healthy choices and use the oil you find to the best.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

Cinnamon & All Spice

To add a little spice and flavor to our seeds we can add a little cinnamon and all spice. Although lightly salted is my favorite way to make pumpkin seeds I also like experimenting with different flavors and spices. The cinnamon and all spice made a fun change change of flavor that ended up being a great addition to our granola and trail mix.

Honey

Honey is my sweetener of choice when it comes to pumpkin seeds. When using sugar, the sugar doesn’t seem to stick to the seeds unless you melt it on the stove top first. You could do that when using sugar but I prefer to use the already liquid sweetener. Maple syrup would also be a great substitute.

How To Make Pumpkin Seeds

Gather the Seeds

Cut your pumpkin open and scrape out tall the guts including the seeds.

Rinse the Seeds

Place your seeds inside a colander or strainer and rinse off all the little pumpkin strings, bits and pieces.

Dry the Seeds

Dry your seeds on a towel. You can dry them quickly by damping them down with the towel or you can let them sit there and air dry for over 24 hours. Often I clean the seeds and set them aside till the next day while bake and puree the rest of the pumpkin.

Mix All the Ingredients Together

When the seeds are dry, add them to a bowl and add the oil, honey, salt and spices together.

Bake

Pour you pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 275 degree for 30 minutes. Let the seeds cool and enjoy your fun fall snack!

Pumpkin Spiced Seeds

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• The seeds from 1 pumpkin
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon all spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Cut up your pumpkin and scrape all the seeds out, rinse them and dry them on a towel.
2. Mix all your ingredients, pumpkin seeds, honey, olive oil, cinnamon, all-spice and salt together in a bowl.
3. Pour you pumpkin seeds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Let cool and enjoy!

More Pumpkin Recipes!

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Ingredients for Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal

I like to use rolled oats for breakfast bake but any type of oatmeal will work. Steel cut, quick oats, rolled oats which ever type you like best. Depending on the type of oats you use will play a part in how long you baked the oats for.

Wheat Bran

Bran is a the outermost layer of wheat. This part of the wheat is typically left out of your flours. It has a nutty and slightly sweet flavor and is full of nutrients that your flour is now lacking. By adding it back in you are getting more nutrition such as magnesium, fiber, copper, iron, manganese and selenium.

Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds are extremely nutritious, in just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds are full of magnesium (23% DV), iron (12% DV), phosphorus (20% DV), zinc (12% DV), thiamine (15% DV), niacin (16% DV), calcium (14% DV), fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. They are also a great source for Essential Amino Acids. Chia seeds are beneficial to your heart, bones, and nervous system. They are also knows for the reducing appetite and food intake and can be effective for loosing and maintaining weight.

Baking Powder & Salt

Baking powder is a raising agent. Now you might think this is a strange ingredient to add to oatmeal and it might be but I have found it adds just enough of a fluff to our oatmeal making keep it from becoming dense and thick.

Apples

Apples are sweet and full of flavor, fiber, vitamin C and potassium. They are a great addition to our healthy, hearty breakfast.

Raisins

Raisins are probably the most classic and my favorite addition to my oatmeal. They are sweet and full of fiber, iron, calcium and antioxidants.

Honey/Sugar

Honey’s sweetness makes life so much better. Not only that but its full of antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Honey helps build up your immune system and aids in fighting off colds and other viruses. Antioxidants protect cell’s from damage and in doing so protect you from cancer and heart disease.

You can also sweeten your oatmeal with brown sugar or maple syrup or monk fruit sweetener. Most any sweet thing will substitute.

Milk & Water

You can add milk (cows or plant based) or water for this recipe. Sometimes I only use water other times I do 50/50 milk and water. The best is when its mostly milk with a little water. I have yet to try all milk but I’m sure that would be juts as good.

How To Make Cinnamon Apple Baked Oatmeal

Step 1: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a bowl or straight in your 9×9 inch pan mix together all the dry ingredients.

Step 2: Add Wet Ingredients

Mix together the milk and honey, if you honey is more solid or crystalized like mine is most of the time, heat it on the stove top or in the microwave just till it mixes with the milk better. Then add the milk, honey and water to the oatmeal mixture.

Step 3: Bake

Cover the oatmeal with some foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Once its done baking, let cool for a couple minutes before scooping into a bowl. Serve with a little more milk and enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Cup Oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 Apple
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a bowl or your 9x9 baking pan, mix together all the dry ingredients, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, wheat bran, chia seeds, chopped apple and raisins.
3. Mix together the milk, water and honey and pour into the dry mixture.
4. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
5. Let cool for a few minutes before eating, serve with a little more milk and enjoy!

Shop This Recipe

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Azure Market Organics Wheat Bran, Dark, Organic

Amazon Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran, 16 Oz

Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener Baker’s Bag, 16 oz., Keto Certified Monk Fruit Sweetener, Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs, Non-GMO Project Verified

The post How To Make Baked Oatmeal – Cinnamon Apple appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients for Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Flour

This recipe turns out best with 100% All-Purpose flour but I often use a 50/50 mixture of All-Purpose and Whole Wheat Flour. The bread still turns out wonderfully. When using just All-Purpose

Baking Soda, Baking Powered & Salt

Baking soda and powdered is a raising agents. The baking soda creates little air bubbles when activated by acidic ingredients like apple cider vinegar or buttermilk. To make this recipe vegan I use vinegar to activate. Baking powder is also activated partly by acidic ingredients but also heat. So to insure a even continually rise I use both. You can substitute them for each other if you need.

Don’t forget to enhance the flavor of everything you make some good ol’ salt.

Sugar

This bread is somewhat bland but with the right amount of sugar can easily turn into a dessert! You don’t need to much sugar to make it perfect for a dinner side or snack bread.

Chia Seeds

We will use chia seeds as an egg substitute. Chia seeds soaked in water create a gel like texture simmilar to an egg white. The chia seeds are also filled with good omega-3 fats that also help bring out bread together so it wont crumble and fall apart.

Water or Plant Based Milk

You can use water or a plant based milk for our liquid. Be sure to soak your chia seeds in some water to create our egg substitute.

Coconut Oil

Melted coconut oil will also add to our fat based ingredients to help keep our bread soft and held together. You can use olive oil or another favorite oil to bake with. My favorite is coconut.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is used to help activate the baking soda and baking powder and create a nice fluffy soft bread. Without the vinegar the baking soda will not be activated and your bread will be dense. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar you can substitute with lemon juice.

How To make Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Step 1: Prepare Pan and Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pan. One the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mix the bubbling and rise affect begins. We want to get the batter in the oven quickly so have your pan prepared by oiling it or parchment paper lining the pan.

Step 2: Chia Seeds Egg Substitute

Mix chia seeds in water and let soak for about 5 minutes till the water and chia seeds create a thick, gel like texture.

Step 3: Mix Dry Ingredients

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Step 4: Mix Wet Ingredients Together

Mix the apple cider vinegar, melted coconut oil and chia seeds and water/milk together.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry and Bake

Mix together wet and dry ingredients together. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Step 6: Cool and Enjoy!

Check if the bread is done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean the bread is done. Let cool before cutting into it. Serve with a little butter, some honey and enjoy!

Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 Cups water or milk

Instructions

1. Prepare baking pan by greasing or lining with parchment paper or and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together dry ingredients then in separate bowl mix together wet ingredients (and chia seeds)
3. Combine the two when oven is preheated and the pan is prepared. Once the baking soda is activated by the apple cider vinegar you want to get in the oven quickly to ensure and nice even, fluffy raise.
4. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Let cool before cutting in. Enjoy!

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Ingredients for Baked Beans

Navy Bean

1 1/2 cups dry 4 1/2 cups cooked 3 cans

I use navy beans, but other beans work as well. I’ve also used pinto beans in the past, I’ve seen other use red beans but I believe navy beans are the most common for baked beans. You can get canned beans or use dry beans. Dry beans are so cheap and I buy them in bulk. They last forever in my food grade 5 gallon buckets so I also have them on hand.

When cooking dry beans remember they 1 cup dry beans becomes 3 cups cooked. You should soak your beans before cooking them for 8 hour but I don’t always soak them that long and they cook just fine. The soaking is more for the nutrition benefits of the bean rather than the cooking process. Soaking the beans will make them easier to digest as well.

Onion and Garlic

Onion and garlic are pungent and full of flavor. Both have great nutritional value and have been known to super foods when it comes to cleansing the blood. They have even been known to help decrease cancer risk. Eating them often is just another way of adding great nutrition to your everyday diet.

Ketchup

Ketchup is so easy to just pull out of the fridge and add to your baked beans but you can also substitute ketchup by simple adding 1/4 cup tomato sauce (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste) and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. I never like opening a can of tomato sauce for just a quarter cup but sometime I have frozen tomato paste in the freezer that I’ll use.

Mustard

You can use any type of mustard for this recipe. I think this time I only had yellow mustard and it worked just fine. Dijon mustard would also be really good or you can use a mustard powder (Azure Standard or Amazon). If you do use the powder use about half of what the recipe calls for. 1 tablespoon mustard = 1/2 tablespoon mustard powder.

Molasses

For a bold depth of flavor I use blackstrap molasses. There are so many good benefits from blackstrap molasses I try to include a little in a lot of my recipes. You can use regular light molasses for this recipe but I recommend blackstrap molasses for its density in nutrients and its bold flavor.

Learn more about blackstrap molasses here or find it on amazon here.

Here are more recipes with blackstrap molasses

Brown Sugar

To sweeten our baked beans we need brown sugar. Light or dark, either one will work for this recipe. If you don’t have any brown sugar but you do have molasses you can make your own just by mixing regular while sugar and molasses together. I use a homemade dark brown sugar that make with blackstrap molasses.

Salt and Pepper

I like to add salt and pepper at the end as I taste test it. I don’t know how much I usually add so I encourage you to taste everything and adjust to your own liking.

Rosemary (optional)

I had never added rosemary to my baked bean until this time and I really liked it. The rosemary added another layer of sweet earthy flavor that elevated this recipe to a new level for me. I will be adding it regularly now.

How to Make Baked Beans

1. Soak and Cook Dry Beans

First step is to soak your dry beans for 8 hours or over night. Sometimes, if I’m low on time I will do a quick hot soak by heating the water before add in the beans and then soaking. The hot soaking method works but the longer the soak the better it is for the beans. When soaking the beans release oligosaccharides and antinutrients into the water making the beans easier to digest and easier for your body to take in the rich fibers, vitamins and minerals that beans contain.

When soaked cook your beans for 1-2 hours until soft.

2. Saute Onions and Garlic

When making baked beans first dice and saute the onion and garlic till fully cooked and soft. If you don’t saute them they will not cook as well or soften fully when mixed with the other ingredients.

3. Mix All Other Ingredients

Add the cooked beans, molasses, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer in your cast iron skillet for 30 minutes.

If you don’t have cast iron this can be done another type of pan but the cast iron holds on to higher heats longer and more evenly, giving it more of the baked texture. Also I usually just use the cast iron skillet on the stove top but you can put the skillet in the oven at 350 for a true baked beans.

Vegan Baked Beans

Yield: 4 Cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry navy beans (or 3, 15 oz cans cooked beans)
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup katchep
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/2 brown sugar
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Instructions

How to Cook Dry Beans

1. Soak 1 1/2 cups dried bean in 5 cups of water for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Rinse beans and put them in a pot covered with 1 inch of water and a little salt and bring to a boil.
3. Once at a boil cover and bring to low simmer for 1-2 hours until beans are soft.

Baked Beans

1. Dice the onion and 3 garlic cloves and saute in cast iron skillet
2. Add cooked beans, ketchup, mustard, molasses, brown sugar, and rosemary to skillet and stir till combined.
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer at low for 30 minutes covered.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

• 1 1/2 dried beans adds to about 4 cups cooked bean approximately 3, 15 oz cans

• For a little more heat to your recipe try adding 1/2 -1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or chili powder or cayenne.

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The Best Pizza Dough Recipe Here

Pizza Sauce Ingredients

Tomato Sauce

This is our base. Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce. You can roast or cook fresh tomatoes and blend to make your sauce or you can use an already canned tomato sauce. Today I used canned tomato sauce from Walmart.

Onion

Onions provide so much depth of flavor. They are sweet and savory at the same time and although very pungent when raw once cooked they provide a mild base line of flavor to our sauce.

Garlic

I use fresh garlic although garlic powder would work too. The garlic adds another depth of flavor with with bold, spicy aroma. When sauteed with the onion it too becomes less pungent and offers a sort of nutty flavor to our sauce.

Basil

Basil provides a sweet contrast to our acidic tomatoes and pungent onion and garlic. These 4 flavors go so well together the are the base for many different Italian recipes. You can use fresh or dried basil. If you use fresh make sure you mince it well and add double the amount. This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh basil.

Cayenne Pepper

I love adding a little spice to my tomato sauces. Pepperoni pizza with pepper flakes along with a little cayenne pepper in the sauce is just so good! Depending on how much spice you like you can experiment with the amount of pepper you use. I like just a little spice, and I have kids so I try to stick to the mild side and work my way up. You can also use chili powder or paprika as a substitute.

Molasses (Optional)

I love molasses. A little molasses adds so much flavor and nutrition to our sauce. I tend to make a lot of vegetarian pizzas for my family and this added flavor in the sauce makes it seem like I’m not miss our on anything by not having any meat.

Learn more about the Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses in this article and find enjoy more recipes with blackstrap molasses in them.

How to Make Pizza Sauce

1. Saute Onions and Garlic

Mince the onions and garlic nice and small and saute together. Add a little oil or even just water to the pan to help from sticky. Oil will add and enhance the flavors from the onions and garlic but water works just as well.

2. Add Tomato Sauce, Basil and Cayenne

Pour in the tomato sauce and turn heat to a medium. Add basil and cayenne and stir in. If you like the idea of adding molasses add at this time as well. Let simmer for 10-30 minutes on low. Taste and add salt, pepper or more basil if desired.

3. Store Your Sauce

Let the sauce cool down and then you can use right away or store for later. I usually make enough for about 4 pizza’s but typically only make 2 for our family’s dinner. I either store the sauce in a jar in the refrigerator for about 1 week or you can store in the freezer for up to a year.

The Best Pizza Dough Recipe Here

Pizza Sauce

Yield: 4 pizzas

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1, 29oz can of tomato sauce (or 2, 15oz cans)
• 1/2 Onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil or 2 tablespoon fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses (optional)

Instructions

1. In a sauce pan, saute onion with garlic with a little bit of oil.
2. Add tomatoes, basil, cayenne and molasses (optional)
3. Let simmer for 10-30 minutes. Enough time to blend the flavors together.
4. Let cool and use right away or store in refrigerator or freezer for another day.

Pizza Or Calzone?

This pizza sauce recipe is also perfect for calzones! Although if you are looking for something a little different with your calzones check out these two recipes.

Spinach & Artichoke Calzone Mushroom & Onion Calzone

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Ingredients for Vegan Pasta Sauce

Tomato Sauce

The base for our sauce is tomatoes. Tomato sauce is a classic, traditional base for pasta sauces. In the late summer I like to can the majority of my tomato sauces and dice tomatoes needs. I am out of my own cans so today I used canned tomato sauce from Walmart. Any tomato sauce will work. Sometimes if I want tomato chunks in my sauce I will add a small can of petite diced tomatoes.

Veggies

Mushrooms, onions, zucchini, spinach and bell peppers all might it in to this recipe. If you don’t like a specific vegetable don’t add it. If you like another vegetable, add it! There’s not always a right or wrong when adding veggies to recipes. With pasta sauce be creative. Artichokes, kale, Pepperoncini would all be great additions…

Herbs & Garlic

Italian herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary can all add deep flavor to our sauce. This is an area that I again encourage creativity. Find the flavor you like best from these Italian herbs and make it the star of your sauce. The other herbs can support you choose lead flavor. Lately I have really enjoyed sage, and I have a lot of it in my garden. So sage and rosemary became my boldest flavors in this recipe. I added an Italian seasoning mix for my supporting flavors.

Garlic is also used for a nice strong flavor. I used fresh garlic but that can also be substituted for garlic powder.

Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the only molasses I use. It is so rich in nutrients and flavor. From iron to vitamin b, calcium, and copper, magnesium and manganese. So many vital minerals and vitamin are found in molasses that I try to add it to as many recipes as I can. Some recipes its not so good in but it seems to be made for pasta sauce. I can’t even explain how delicious it makes my sauces. When cooking vegan some tend to think you loose a lot of flavor from excluding the meat. I see it as an opportunity to add flavor from different sources making my meal healthier and tasty.

To read more about molasses check out “benefits of blackstrap molasses“.

More Recipes With Blackstrap Molasses:

• Banana Nut Molasses Bread
• Homemade Vegan Chili with Molasses
• Green Spinach & Molasses Smoothie
• Oatmeal Raisin Molasses Cookies

How To Make Vegan Pasta Sauce

Saute Veggies

First step in making sauce is to saute our veggies. With a little oil in your pan first saute the onions. The onions are the most important to get soften before added the liquids (tomato sauce). The onions take the longest to soften so I always add them in first. Next is up to you. I dice my veggies nice and small and sometimes I even grate them for nice fine texture. If you don’t want any chunks in your sauce you can puree the whole sauce once its cooked if you like.

Add Garlic and Herbs

Don’t forget to add the garlic and saute with your vegetables. If you are using garlic powder then just add them in with your herbs. If you are using fresh herbs take the leaves off the stem and mince them nice and small.

Add Tomato Sauce and Molasses

Now you add the base, the tomato sauce and molasses. Mix until combined heat up and taste (without burning your self). Add any need salt or pepper, extra herbs… if you like a little kick to your sauce add some red peppers or paprika.

Let Simmer

Let Simmer for about 10-30 minutes. No need to get it to a full boil but just a light simmer for awhile. Its during the simmering that I usually get my pasta cooked, salad make and table set.

Vegan Pasta Sauce with Molasses

Yield: 1 lbs pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 zucchini
• 2 15oz cans tomato sauce
• 2-3 tablespoon molasses
• 2 small cloves garlic or 1 large
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Saute all vegetables, starting with the onion.
2. Add herbs and garlic
3. Add tomato sauce and molasses
4. Let simmer for 10-30 minutes
5. Taste test and be creative adding more of your favorite herbs and flavors if needed.
6. Cook pasta according to instructions and serve together.

Shop This Recipe!

• Blackstrap molasses (amazon)
• Blackstrap molasses (azure standard)

You can shop local grocery stores and farmers markets for the rest of your ingredients.

The post The Best Vegan Pasta Sauce with Molasses appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Why We Drink A Green Smoothie Every Day

As a mom I’m responsible for my kids health. I responsible to teach them and give them healthy habits to practice that will help sustain them so they can grow and thrive. So I do my best to make this smoothie something they will drink and enjoy without minimizing the nutrients.

I myself have epilepsy, and gut issues since childhood and after my last baby I gained a lot of weight and have had some major hormonal imbalances. So I curated this drink to fit my needs for healthy brain and nervous system, filled with vitamin B’s that help aid my hormonal imbalances, vitamin C and antioxidants that help with mine and my kids immune system and overall health all from real foods.

We’ve make a “healthy drink”, as my kids call them, faithfully every morning for the last month. It has not fixed all my problems but I have notice, in this small amount of time, drinking a green smoothie faithfully has lowered my crazy appetite, improved my PMS mood swings (Thank the Lord!), and given me more energy and better rest. My kids still got the flu that went around, I still get tired after long days, I haven’t lost any weight but I know healing takes time and a lot more work then just 1 smoothie a day.

All that to say, we are embracing our health one step at a time. Without overwhelm, bitter tonics or synthetic nutrients, but real food, easy to make, fun drink that doesn’t cost a fortune. I hope this recipe encourages you and help you embracing your families health with joy and peace.

This smoothie recipe can absolutely be adapted and I think everyone should adapt it in some way or another. My desire is to help you make a smoothie you enjoy and are able to drink every morning in order to add the nutrients you need to keep you strong and healthy.

Ingredients That Will Add High Nutrients To Your Green Smoothie

Chia Seeds 

2 tablespoons of chia seeds are full of magnesium (23% DV), iron (12% DV), phosphorus (20% DV), zinc (12% DV), thiamine (15% DV), niacin (16% DV), calcium (14% DV), fiber, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. Chia seeds are also a great source for Essential Amino Acids. Chia seeds are beneficial to your heart, bones, and nervous system. They are also knows for the reducing appetite and food intake and can be effective for loosing and maintaining weight.

Flax Seeds

1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds has thiamine (10% DV), Copper (9% DV) Manganese, (7% DV), Magnesium (7% DV), Phosphorus (4% DV), Selenium (3 %, DV), Zinc (3% DV), Vitamin B6 (2% DV), Iron (2% DV), Folate (2% DV). Flax seed is a great source for thiamine which is an important vitamin that help with our metabolism and cell function. Copper helps with brain development and immune health and helps our body’s absorb iron. Flax seeds is another great source for Essential Amino Acids.

I like to take both chia seeds and flax seeds together because one of them his high in iron while the other is high in copper. Copper helps iron absorb and along with protein they produce hemoglobin which transports oxygen in red blood cells.

There are so many other good combinations of vitamins and minerals that work together in just these two ingredients alone. We could go on but let’s move on.

Blackstrap Molasses

1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses can be powerful, manganese (37% DV), Copper (29% DV), Iron (25% DV), Calcium (15% DV), Potassium (8% DV), Magnesium (15% DV), Vitamin B6 (10% DV), Selenium (7% DV). These vitamins and minerals aid in the function of your nerves system, brain, blood and heart health, immune system and if you want go in more depth on the nutrients found in molasses read, “Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses“

*My kids will not drink this smoothie without a banana if it has molasses in it. Banana’s are the only thing that I found that mask the strong molasses flavor.

Lemon juice

Lemons are most commonly known as a high source of vitamin C, they also contain fiber and other beneficial plant compounds but lets focus on vitamin C for a minute. Vitamin C builds up your immunity, it strengthens you immune system helping fight off bacterial infections, allergies and even cancer. This vitamin plays an important role in the formation of collagen, helps with arthritis, lowers cholesterol, prevents constipation, keeps blood from clotting… and more. Vitamin C is important and 1 lemon has about 40 mg or 50% your DV of vitamin C. Lemon’s are a great source in vitamin C but not the greatest, Oranges, bell pepper, strawberries, broccoli, kale, have even more. Lemons are more acidic than these other fruits and vegetables and therefore increases urine pH making it harder for kidney stones to form.

Spinach

1 cup of raw spinach includes Vitamin A (16% DV), Vitamin C (9% DV), Vitamin K (121 % DV), Vitamin B9 (15% DV) , Iron (5% DV), Calcium (2% DV), Potassium (4% DV), Manganese (12% DV), Magnesium (6% DV). Raw spinach also contains some Essential Amino Acids but not nearly as much as flax and chia seeds do. Spinach is known for its plant compound, Lutein and zeaxanthin that work together to improve eye health. It also contains MGDG and SQDG both components that help slow down cancer growth. Spinach also has nitrates that moderate blood pressure and improve hearth health.

Spinach also contains calcium and oxalates, too much of these and they can cause a build up creating calcium stones or kidney stones… But don’t stress to much over this, 1 cup spinach in your smoothie should not cause kidney stones. Three reasons why: 1. you are also adding acidic lemon juice making it more difficult for the stones to form. 2. You are blending with water making it easier for you gut to break down and regulate the both calcium and oxalate in a way that’s beneficial to you. 3. Its only 1 cups, that not over doing it. Don’t be afraid to eat healthy foods because of what might happen. Do your research.

Vitamin K can also seem controversy as it is essential in clotting blood. We obviously don’t want blood clots in our arteries or veins but we do want our blood to clot when we get a cut or laceration so we don’t bleed out. Vitamin K keeps us from bleeding out while Vitamin C keeps our blood from clotting when its not supposed to. Its important to have both of them to keep the right balance.

Honey

Honey helps make this drink drinkable. Its sweetness makes life better. Not only that but its full of antioxidants, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Honey helps build up your immune system and aids in fighting off colds and other viruses. Antioxidants protect cell’s from damage and in doing so protect you from cancer and heart disease.

Bananas

I have found my kids wont drink a smoothie unless there are banana’s in it. Bananas mask the molasses and spinach flavors just enough and sweeten the smoothie. One banana’s thankfully also are a great source of Vitamin C (12% DV), Copper (11% DV), Potassium (10% DV), Magnesium (8% DV) and more. Banana’s support your digestive system and aid you metabolism and are full of antioxidants. They are beneficial for heart health and the potassium helps regulate blood pressure.

Strawberries

1 cup frozen strawberries contain, Iron (9% DV), Potassium (7% DV), Magnesium (6% DV), Copper (12% DV), Manganese (28% DV), Selenium (3% DV), Vitamin C (101% DV). Strawberries are great for you immune system. They have lots of antioxidants and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. These sweet strawberries are known to slow down glucose digestion regulating your blood sugar. Strawberries are just one of the many berries that are so very good for you. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and also cherries, are all so very beneficial and can be substituted in this recipe

Learn more…

I hope you are encouraged and enlightened more than overwhelmed by all the information about the nutrients information of these ingredients. I hope adding a daily green smoothie to your day benefits you as much as it has me.

To learn more about the vitamins and minerals, amino acids and antioxidants that are in your foods check out “Healthy Healing” by Linda Page. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to learn more about how food heals the body.

If you want quick way to find out nutrition value of a specific food go to https://www.nutritionvalue.org/. You can type anything in and it will give the nutrition values or you can search for a vitamin or mineral and it will give you foods that are a good source for that vitamin.

Green Spinach Molasses Smoothie

Yield: 1-2 Glasses

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Flax Seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses
• Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
• 1 Cup Frozen Spinach or 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (or to taste)
• 1/2-1 Banana
• 1 Cup Frozen Berries
• Water, fill to cover an 1/2 inch or so over

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to blender
2. Blend thoroughly so the flax seeds are completely ground. If you want to grind those up first you can.
3. Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

other ingredients to try: greek yogurt, orange juice, pineapple or pineapple juice, kale, ginger,During the cold and flu season I also add elderberry syrup

I hope this green smoothie recipe encourages and helps you get the nutrition you need each day. Again, don’t be afraid to adjust the recipe and if you do share in the comments how it turned out!

The post Green Spinach & Molasses Smoothie appeared first on Embracing The Home.

I’ve been experimenting with putting molasses in just about everything, from smoothies, to banana bread to pasta sauce… After learning about how good and high in nutrients molasses is I have been adding it to our daily diet in different types of ways. To read more about the benefits of molasses click here!

Ingredients For Banana Nut Molasses Bread

Vegan friendly alternatives below

Bananas

Ripe bananas are best, they are the sweet and easy to mash up and make into breads. You can use unripe but they are harder to mash so you might end up with more banana chunks in your bread. Bananas are a great source of potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Plain or Vanilla Yogurt

I use Greek Plain Yogurt, I use yogurt in replacement for oils or butter in most of my muffins and bread. It has more vitamins and protein then oils and butter and less fat.

Eggs

Eggs are the binding agent in this recipe also adding 6.5 grams of protein per eggs. Whole Eggs also contain vitamin B12, selenium (anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and stimulates the immune system) and iron.

Blackstrap Molasses

Full of flavor, nutrients and keeps my breads moist and delicious! Oh how I love molasses! It is so rich in so many vitamins and minerals and such a fun ingredient to add to my recipes. Molasses contains, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, copper and more. healthy for your heart and nervous system. Read more on the Benefits of Molasses here!

Flour

I use a combination of organic whole wheat and organic all purpose flour. Whole wheat is full of a wider range of vitamins and minerals such as, manganese, calcium and selenium, then all purpose or even enriched flours. It also has more flavor but is also a bit more dense. So I do half and half whole wheat and all purpose.

Oats

Not just for texture sake but I do love the texture of oats in my breads and muffins. Oats are full of fiber and also contain protein, thiamine, iron, phosphorus and more.

Sugar

You can substitute sugar with honey or maple syrup. Both of those would also add a lovely flavor to this recipe but I typically bake with sugar and save my honey and syrup for smoothies, pancakes, teas, oatmeal and such.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the chosen spice in order to add another layer of flavor to this recipe. Nutmeg, cloves or allspice would also be great additions but this recipe already seem complex with so many textures that I left those out for now.

Salt

Salt is going to help bring out all the flavor in this recipe. You can use table salt or pink Himalayan salt or another sea salt will also works great.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

Both of these are a rising agent. The original recipe just had baking soda but as I adapted and added all these heavy grains I found the baking powder was also needed.

Chia Seeds & Flax Seeds

Chia and flax seeds are small but mighty. The Chia seeds have more iron, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus while flax seeds have more copper, thiamine, a B vitamin that help with metabolism, flax is also full of good omega 3 fatty acids. It is better to grind your flax seeds before consuming but not always necessary. I usually leave them whole for this recipe.

Walnuts

Walnuts are also full of both omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants, they are also full of protein and they just taste delicious. You can substitute most any nut, almonds, pecans, hazel nut would be yummy. In the photos you might notice I added both walnuts and almonds this time.

Chocolate Chip (optional)

I could try to convince you that chocolate chip are a superfood by telling you about all the ways chocolate chips have reduced my stress and given me the endurance I needed that day but I don’t think I have to. I think you all know a little chocolate goes a long way. Although my kids and husband would prefer me to always add chocolate chip I only add it every so often as a treat. My way off making something ordinary, special.

Vegan Alternative Ingredients

• Yogurt/Applesauce.
  You can substitute yogurt for apple sauce at the same ratio and it will turn out the same.
• Eggs/Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds.
  Both of these are already in the bread but you must mix them with 1/2 c water and let them sit for a while before adding them to your batter. If you use the flax seeds for an egg substitute you will need to grind them in a coffee grinder first to get the correct reaction. You are looking to the seeds and water to get thick and gloppy, kinda like an egg.

How to Make Banana Nut Molasses Bread

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Because this bread is so moist with the bananas, molasses and yogurt plus the chia, flax and oats are holding on to water, you will want to bake this banana bread at a lower temperature for longer. Thus If the temperature is too hot you will burn the outside before the inside is done. Therefore this bread bakes for 60-70 minutes. Although a long time it does not dry out but stays moist.
2. Secondly, mash Bananas in a bowl, then add all the other wet ingredients. Eggs, yogurt and molasses. and put aside.
3. In a second bowl mix all your dry ingredients, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
4. Now combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Pour into a 9.5×5 bread loaf pan or you can make muffins by pouring into a muffin tin. When making muffins or cupcakes I like to use these reusable silicone muffin liners.
6. Bake in loaf pan for 60 minutes at 300 degrees.
   Bake in muffin tin for 23-25 minutes at 300 degrees.
7. Check to see if its done by inserting a tooth pick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean it is done.
8. Finally, let the bread cool completely before cutting into it

How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread

This banana bread can be stored in a zip-lock bag on your counter for 3-5 days and in your refrigerator for 7-10 days.
You can also freeze a loaf but putting it in a freezer zip-lock bag. Be sure to remove all the air for save storage. Keep it in your freezer for 3-6 months. In order to thaw the banana bread out simply take it out and set in on the counter for a few hours or rather in the refrigerator overnight.

Banana Nut Molasses Bread

Yield: 1 Loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 Bananas
• 1 Cup Yogurt
• 1 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Molasses
• 1 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Oats
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• 3 Tablespoons Flax Seeds
• 1 Cup Walnuts
• 3/4 Cup Chocolate Chip (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mash Bananas in a bowl, then add all the other wet ingredients. Eggs, yogurt and molasses. and put aside.
3. In a second bowl mix all your dry ingredients, flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Pour into a 9.5×5 bread loaf pan or you can make muffins by pouring into a muffin tin.
6. Bake in loaf pan for 60 minutes. Bake in muffin tin for 23-25 minutes
7. Let the bread cool completely before cutting into it. Enjoy!

The post Banana Nut Molasses Bread appeared first on Embracing The Home.