Another weekend flew by too fast and today seemed to drag at work even though it was busy. Or maybe I just had a case of the Mondays after such a nice-weathered weekend. Meanwhile the dogs are having a totally relaxing Monday.
Rough life.
Last week I got a cute little butternut squash in our farm box that I decided to turn into a sweet main dish for dinner last night baking it and creating a simple hemp seed cinnamon sauce to drizzle on it. The sauce came out nicely with a slightly sweet hint of maple and strong cinnamon flavor, perfect for the squash.
Creamy Hemp Cinnamon Sauce
- 1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 cup water
Place all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend to a smooth and creamy texture. Great to top winter squash with or for dipping apple and/or pear slices. Makes 2 servings.
I paired the squash with a collard green and sprout salad for a simple and filling dinner.
The sauce blended perfectly with the squash adding a sweet and creamy texture with a nice cinnamon kick.
Tonight I was craving quinoa since it seems to be an energizing, pre-run dinner for me and I felt a little guilty for neglecting the huge bag of quinoa in our pantry for the last few weeks.
I simmered a couple of servings in veggie broth on the stove top and added some random bags of mostly used frozen veggies to the mixture to use them up and free up freezer real estate. Then I seasoned the mess with pesto paste to keep things simple.
Yum, the pot filled the kitchen with a strong basil and garlic smell.
And was ready in 15 minutes, perfect for a weeknight. I topped a serving with Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella Shreds for dinner and stashed another serving for lunch tomorrow.
It was a great light, energizing, and filling dinner to have before an evening run. And I’ve been trying to get in a lot running this month so far with a fast 3.5 mile run yesterday and average paced 3.1 mile run after dinner today. I’m hoping to replace as many of my indoor elliptical workouts with outside runs as possible to enjoy the nice weather while we have it and get better workouts ultimately getting to where I can run 3+ miles 6 days a week without feeling too tired or sore by the end of this month. We’ll see if that happens!
this sauce looks fab! where do you buy your hemp seeds? they seem so expensive!
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Thanks. True hemp seeds are pricey, but so nutritionally dense and great for creamy blender sauces and smoothies. I order this 5 lb. bag from Amazon every 6 months:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GAT6MM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000GAT6MM&linkCode=as2&tag=therawpro-20
On a subscribe and save shipment to save an extra 5%. They store nicely in the freezer and can be used right out of the freezer in recipes, no thawing or soaking needed.
Okay! YOU are AWESOME! This is my first visit to your blog and am already HOOKED! It seems we have a lot in common, too! I am veg*n as well as a Chihuahua House Hold!!! Your Dogs are so cute! I have Hulled Hemp Seeds in my frig and sooooo NEED to try this! Thanks for posting and for your terrific blog! Mind if I add you to my “Other Stops” Tab? Where I store my Links? Swing by and let me know!
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Awe, thanks! :-) So excited to find another great vegan blogger with chihuahuas! Hemp seeds are great to have around, I use them in so many sauce and dressing recipes, Feel free to add my blog to your links and I will add yours. :-)
This sounds like a wonderful sauce that I’d be all over! Sweeter with cinnamon and maple!
I bought hemp seeds last summer.. but I only every really used it to add to my yogurt. thanks for sharing! Such Great inspiration!
The Real Person!
The Real Person!
Thanks, I use a lot of hemp seeds! Thankfully they can be bought in bulk from Amazon. :-)