Reflecting on my 30 Day Vegan Challenge + 3 tips for how to do your own ...

Creamy Coconut Spinach

Creamed spinach is a classic side dish that is one of my favorites. I even find myself craving it at times. So tonight I decided to come up with my own vegan recipe for creamed spinach. 

I've seen quite a few different recipes for creamed spinach but of course I never have all the ingredients for them in hand. So I just pulled whatever I had in my fridge and cabinet that I thought would taste good with spinach and low and behold it was AWESOME!!! It also includes an extra veggie that is easy to find at local grocery stores. The chayote squash add extra flavor, thickness, and texture to the dish.

Creamy Coconut Spinach

Serves 4

Ingredients

Bag of fresh spinach

1 chayote squash

Onion

Garlic

3/4 of a can of coconut milk

1tsp of Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Dice onion and garlic and add into a hot skillet. Cook until they soften.

2. While the onion and garlic cook, peel and chop the chayote squash. Add to the skillet. 

3. If desired, add salt and pepper to the veggies. 

4  Once the veggies have cooked for about 10 minutes add 3/4 of a can of coconut milk. Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

5. Add the coconut milk and vegetable mixture to a blender and blend till smooth. 

6. After blending, return the coconut mixture  to the skillet. 

7. Add the bag of spinach to the coconut mixture, simmer for about 5-10 minutes. 

8. And your done! Enjoy!!!

Spiced Carrot and Ginger Soup

When the hubby's away...Mama relaxes by cooking! Just kidding, I cook everyday even when the hubby is home. Cooking has and will always be a form of relaxation for me. So on this quite night at home, I love to take some time out for myself and prepare a comforting meal. Today I choose to make one of my favorite soups. I can't take all the credit for this recipe tho...my sister made a recipe similar to this for me a few months back. I believe when she made this she made it with some sort of milk to make it a bit creamy. I did not add  any milk so this recipe is also VEGAN!

I love simple and tasty vegan recipes and this soup is exactly that.

Spiced Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

1 red onion

2 pounds of organic carrots

Ginger, as much as you desire

1 carton of organic vegetable stock

4 cups of water

2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter (or you can just use olive oil spray)

1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika

1/2 tablespoon of cumin

Directions

1. Dice the onion and ginger and add to a heated stock pot.

2. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/4 inch rounds.

3. Add the carrots to the onion and ginger.

4. Cook the vegetables for about 5- 10 minutes, until the carrots start to get soft.

5. Add in the paprika and cumin. Cook for about a minute.

6. Add in the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil.

7. Once the carrots are completely cooked, turn off the heat. 

8. Add the cooked carrots and some of the broth into a blender and blend until smooth. 

9. Add the purée back into the rest of the broth and enjoy!