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I decided to stop vegan delicious, which is a recipe only food blog, to make a new healthy living blog. I wanted to write and share more. I will now share my recipes on this blog:

http://www.sweetsaltyspicy.net/

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Morgan's Baked Oatmeal is now a breakfast staple for me. It is so good and satisfying! I often make it with sliced almonds and one chopped apple, but this morning I had a craving for carrot cake. No, I didn't have cake for breakfast... but I decided to try a carrot baked oatmeal and it was absolutely delicious!

Ingredients (1 serving):

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (and more to garnish)
  
• 1-2 dash cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried raisins
• 1 tsp chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp cream cheese (regular or vegan)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
   
2. Stir the oats, milk, cinnamon and maple syrup together in a small oven-safe dish.
3. Add the carrot, raisins and walnuts and stir again.
4. Put little drops of cream cheese all over the top.
5. Put in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let cool a couple of minutes before eating and drizzle with maple syrup if you want to.

Adaptation of this recipe.

Oatmeal, raisin, walnut and flax seed cookies

I LOVE oatmeal cookies. These are really good without being too sweet, which is perfect for me!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup spelt flour
• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1/2 tsp maple extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp molasses
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flax seeds in a bowl.
3. In an other bowl, whisk the maple syrup, safflower oil, maple and vanilla extracts and molasses.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
5. Line a baking sheet (or 2) with parchment paper. Wet your hands and form tablespoon-sized balls of dough and flatten the top of the balls. Wet your hands every 2-3 cookies.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden.

I made 20 cookies with this recipe.
Adaptation of "Oatmeal, Walnut, and Dried Plum Cookies" in The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.

Maple, Cinnamon and Vanilla Caramelized Peaches

These are great by themselves but you can also serve them with vegan ice cream, as a topping on pancakes or french toasts or rolled up in crepes!

Ingredients (1 serving):

• 1 peach, cut in quarters*
  
• 1 tsp earth balance buttery spread
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp orange juice
  
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Cinnamon

1. Put butter, maple syrup, orange juice and vanilla extract in a skillet.
2. Put over medium heat. As soon as the butter is melted, add the peach quarters and toss to coat well. Sprinkle cinnamon on the peaches and turn them.
3. Cook, tossing continually for 1-2 min, until the peal starts to come off the peaches.

*The easiest way to cut peaches in quarters is to cut them around the seed (like you would with an avocado).

Mashed Red-Skinned Potatoes and Carrots with Rosemary

When making mashed potatoes, most people peel them but this unnecessary step get rids of many nutrients. Keeping the skin also adds a nice visual effect when you use red potatoes! Also, if you don't have time to steam your vegetables, you can boil them, but don't forget that they will lose much more nutrients.

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• 2 small or 1 big red potato(es)
• 1 medium carrot
• 3 tbsp milk (I used rice milk)
• 2 tsp earth balance buttery spread or margarine
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Paprika
  

1. Wash the potatoes and peel the carrot.
   
2. Cook the potatoes and carrots either by steaming or boiling them. (Add the carrot 10 minutes after the potatoes). You can cut them before if you want to.
3. In a bowl, put cooked potatoes and carrots along with the milk, butter, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher.
4. Put in a plate or a bowl and garnish with paprika.
   

Spaghetti Squash Baked with Butter and Sage

If, like me, you love spaghetti squash, you will love this flavorful yet easy version. And if you never tried this squash, please do: it is an incredible substitute to pasta! This is a perfect main dish if served with an appetizer or a side dish.

Ingredients (1 person):

• 1/2 small spaghetti squash (cut lengthwise)
  
• 1 tsp Earth Balance buttery spread (or other butter-flavored margarine), melted
• 3 big fresh sage leaves
• 2 tbsp tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
• Salt, pepper to taste
  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Drizzle the flesh of the squash with the melted "butter". Place the sage leaves on the flesh.
3. Put on a baking dish, flesh to the top and bake until tender, about 40-50 min. You should be able to pierce the squash with a knife with practically no resistance. Heat pasta sauce.
   
4. Remove the sage leaves. Using a fork, remove the flesh of the squash.
   
5. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and top with pasta sauce, salt and pepper.
   

Gingered Carrot Soup with Sage

This soup is so good, it is one of the only recipes I have made many times! It is good as a hot or cold soup, so it is as great in summer as it is in winter.
It can be frozen, so you can make a big batch and just keep it in the freezer for later!

Ingredients (6 servings):

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then in 1 1/2-inch pieces crosswise.
• 1/2 white onion, cut in pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or crushed
• A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut in pieces
• 10 fresh sage leaves (more to garnish)
• Olive oil
• 1 cube of vegetable broth (or 8oz can)
• 2 tbsp earth balance butter
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2-3 pinches of sugar
• Salt, pepper to taste

1. Pour enough oil in a 5.6L (6-quart) pot to coat the bottom and put on medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots and onions and stir to coat the vegetables with oil. Cook, stirring often.
3. When the onions start to be translucent, add the garlic. Continue cooking and, when the carrots start giving out their color, add the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour enough cold water to cover the vegetables by about 2-3 inches. Add vegetable broth (if using canned broth, add it before the water) and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low. Add the sage leaves and cook for 45 minutes, until the carrots are tender (don't cover).
   
6. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. If you are using a regular blender, you have to let the soup cool for 20 minutes before blending. If the soup is too thick, add some water.
   
7. Put back on heat. Add the butter, sugar and lemon juice and stir until the butter melts completely.
8. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with sage leafs.

Adaptation of "Gingered Carrot Soup with Sage" in Young and Hungry by Dave Lieberman