I came across this simple twist on a traditional hearty meal that is good all year round, but makes those chillier Autumn and Winter evenings just a bit more comfy. I also have an amazing recipe for this yummy comfort food in it's traditional form, but today I want to share a new perspective. And it may just be a bit more convenient too!

Lasagna Roll Ups

Serves 12
 
Ingredients
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 tbsp buffalo sauce
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/4-1 3/4 cup almond milk
1 cup whole raw cashews
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 jar mixed vegetable pasta sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 large diced portobello caps
1 package extra firm tofu

Cheeses
Trying to be a healthy vegan, I went the long way around with the cheese. I could have very easily used some of the Daiya cheese shreds that I have in the fridge, but I decided to make my own cheeses!


1. Almond cheese- Blend almonds, buffalo sauce, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, onion powder and 3/4-1 cup almond milk until slightly lumpy.

2. Cashew cheese- Blend cashews, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, minced garlic, white wine vinegar, and 1/2-3/4 cup almond milk until creamy.


Sauce
I will admit, I did take a little shortcut with the sauce; it isn't completely homemade. I justify this with the mentality that taking a shortcut with the sauce is healthier than taking a shortcut with the cheeses. And it's a bit hard to watch a baby and spend the whole day in the kitchen.

3. Combine the mixed vegetable pasta sauce, crushed tomatoes and portobello mushrooms.

Tofu filling
I don't usually add tofu when I make lasagna, but I did so just to plump these up a bit and it actually gave them an amazing texture.



4. Crumble the tofu and sprinkle in salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Assembly
This part took a bit of practice, but it turned out to be fun once I got the hang of it. And assembling it as roll ups rather than as layers in a casserole dish makes it easier to serve later on. Instead of trying to cut each piece individually and watching the middle layers slide a part, just scoop out a roll up!


5. Layer the bottom of a 13 x 9" backing dish with sauce.



6. Lay out several wet noodles on a slightly damp surface.


7. Drop bits of each filling (sauce, cashew cheese, almond cheese, tofu mixture, sauce) onto the pasta.


8. Roll each one up and place them in the dish on top of the sauce. Don't worry about them looking neat or fitting perfectly. Just squish them in there!


9. Cover the roll ups with the remaining sauce. Be sure to cover the sides as well as the top. Sprinkle with some Italian herbs and finally, top each with any remaining cheese.

Baking
This is the part where you get to relax and go spend some time with your child that was probably bugging you the whole time you were in the kitchen.


10. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. The cheese should be slightly browned and the roll ups warm throughout.

Eat it!
The best part! Use a spatula to simply scoop out a roll up, and enjoy!


Let me know if you try out this recipe by using #RecipeByDanielle on facebook, instagram, or twitter.

With Winter lurking just around the corner, the temperature has [literally] dropped over night. As I sat in front of the stove watching the flames with Liana all bundled in my arms, I wished I had something to eat or drink to warm me up. My first thought is always hot cocoa (because I love chocolate and who doesn't have hot cocoa as a staple item in the colder season?), but then I began day dreaming about hearty soups and oh! I had the best idea ever. Let's come up with a new chili recipe!

So of course, I consulted a few of my friends for advice (I googled foodie websites) and borrowed a few tips to make a unique and quite tasty recipe. I don't have a proper name for it so I'm just calling it sweet and spicy chili, which is fine by me because it tastes absolutely divine.


If you've made chili before, you'll know it's actually super simple. There's about five minutes of prep work (unless you're 7 month old is helping, then it's about 30 minutes) and the rest of the time your dish is just chilling out in a crock pot all day.

Let's get to it then, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
28 oz can chili beans with sauce
15 oz can roman beans, drained
28 oz can chunky tomato sauce
28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
Two 15 oz cans diced white potatoes
8 oz jar hot fire roasted green chili peppers
15 oz apple juice
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tsp cumin
1/2 chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a crock pot, stir and cover (yes, it is that simple).






Cook on high for 1 hour and turn to low for at least 3 more hours. I kept mine on for another 30-40 minutes until we were ready to eat dinner, but you can always switch it to warm after that.

Enjoy with some shredded cheese on top, or a dinner roll (which I did-- before baking them I melted butter over the top and sprinkled them with a bit of habanero salt). I added in the potatoes to make it more hearty (as stated earlier, I was dreaming of hearty soup!), but next time I might also like to add some tofu.


Try out this recipe and use #RecipeByDanielle on facebook, instagram, or twitter! :)

I would like to take this time to officially welcome the Autumn season... I think. You never really know with this New England weather. Anyway, it's always been a toss up for me on whether Summer or Autumn is my favorite season. Growing up it was always Summer hands down, because I despise being cold and will go to great lengths to avoid it, and I love soaking up the summer sun and getting an amazing tan out of it (and the fact that my birthday is in July helps a bit too!).

As I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate nature's Autumnal beauty. The colors can be breathtaking and I've found much solace in leaf peeping as soon as foliage turns (I'm sorry if you're not from New England and have no idea what "leaf peeping" is, you are surely missing out). I can't wait to get Liana outside for walks in the Autumn air (all bundled up of course) and watch her gaze at the new leaves.

In addition to leaf peeping, Autumn also lets us break into our fabulous boot collection and cozy up in our oh-so-soft scarves and sweaters while sipping on some warm apple cider. And it goes without saying that our recipes are now trending with apple and pumpkin deliciousness and spiced up with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Yum!


I have been trying to plan for the past few weeks what my first Autumn recipe would be and I almost settled on baking an apple pie for the first time when I saw Hannah Maggs' home baked apple pie recipe (I was only slightly disappointed that she used store bought pastry crust instead of homemade), but I decided to try out something a little different. You may have had apple crisp baked in the oven, but have you had it cooked on the stove top? Neither had I... Until now.

Today's amazing creation is brought to you with the help of Julie Johnson from the cooking station at Whole Foods Market in South Weymouth! This scrumptious appley dish is the perfect dessert to end my no sugar challenge (there is no added sugar in this recipe!) as well as welcome the beautiful crisp Autumn season. --- See what I did there? Crisp? I know, I'm spending too much time around Ashton...


Let's gather our ingredients!

1 1/2 cups apple cider
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups vanilla granola (I had vanilla almond on hand)
3 honeycrisp apples, cored and sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

First we'll need to core and slice the apples.


We can put these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for now, so they don't go brown.

Now mix 1/2 cup of the apple cider with the corn starch in a small bowl and set aside.


Next let's heat our skillet over medium high heat and toast the granola. We have to first melt the coconut oil, and then add the granola. We'll stand by stirring continuously until our granola is toasted and golden brown.


Smells good already!

Next, we move the granola to a bowl and set aside. Let's add our apples, the remaining apple cider, vanilla and cinnamon.


We'll turn the heat down a bit and pop on a lid to let it simmer. As the apples become just tender, add the cornstarch slurry and heat until the mixture is thickened.


I bet your house is filled with a warm Autumnal scent by now!

We can now transfer our skillet of deliciousness to a serving dish or storing dish.


Sprinkle the top with the toasted granola and enjoy!


This apple crisp would be delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or my current favorite, Almond Dream's Praline Crunch ice cream. Mmmm. If you don't happen to finish it all in one sitting (kidding, kind of..) it can be stored at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days. I know some people swear by refrigerating it, but I don't since the 'crisp' might get soggy (I think apple crisp with added sugar should be refrigerated due to the bacteria that can grow from the combination of the apples and refined sugar).

Now that I've mentioned it, you probably only just noticed that this recipe does not call for any additional sugar. Although I officially ended my 'no sugar challenge' yesterday, I still think it is important to avoid large amounts of sugar when I can. Apples already have natural sugar, so I didn't see a necessity for added sugars--and it is still mouthwatering without it!

Do let me know if you try out this recipe in the comments or by using #RecipebyDanielle on twitter or instagram! xx