Healing Home CounselingAshley Hanna-MorganLCSW, PMH-C

In Her Own Backyard

Marlowe’s Recipes

From Marlowe’s kitchen

Marlowe’s recipes from In Her Own Backyard:

Kale & Cannellini Bean Stew with Crispy Polenta

On a chilly night, we love to cozy up to a bowl of this hearty vegetarian stew. The frozen kale saves time from chopping up two pounds of greens and waiting for them to wilt—a nice weeknight shortcut. Even my little one, who won’t eat much of anything green, enjoys the flavors of rosemary, lemon, and parmesan along with the satisfying crunch of the crispy polenta rounds. We have a hard time not refilling our bowls, but the thought of leftovers for lunch the next day, plus an extra bite of polenta or two, usually does the trick.

  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Bake time 30 minutes
  • Yields 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tubes of polenta, sliced into 1/4” thick rounds
  • 2 16-ounce bags frozen kale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 large sprigs fresh rosemary (or 2 tablespoons dried)
  • 2 smashed garlic cloves, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans with liquid
  • 6 cups vegan stock, or 6 cups water with 2 tablespoons “No Chicken” Bouillon
  • 1 lemon cut in half, juiced into the pot and toss the whole rind in
  • 1 cup vegan parmesan

Directions

  1. For the polenta: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with half the olive oil, and season with salt and fresh pepper. Bake for approximately 15 minutes on each side, or until the edges are crispy. (An air fryer with no oil for 20 minutes is another great option, because they puff up a little bit!)
  2. For the Kale Stew: In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rosemary sprigs and let sizzle for about 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, cooking for 2 minutes, or until it’s soft and golden on the edges. Stir in the kale, beans, lemon and stock. Season with a generous amount of fresh pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cover, and cook until the liquid has thickened, about 20 minutes.
  3. To Serve: Ladle into bowls over slices of crispy polenta, topping with the parmesan. This is also delicious over quinoa too, in my opinion, but it’s hard to beat crispy polenta.

Sweet Pea Muffins

These are my breakfast saviors—full of fruit, veggies, and whole grains to keep a mama energized and satisfied until lunchtime. Make them once, then warm up in 30 seconds for the rest of the week. Despite the green color, I’ve never met a kiddo who didn’t love these once they tasted them! As a bonus: you can eat it with one hand while you hold a baby with the other. Hope you enjoy them, too!

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Bake time 17 minutes
  • Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 large bananas
  • ¼ cup water
  • ⅓ cup agave or maple syrup
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 2 egg whites (or ⅓ cup chia egg to make it vegan)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Dry Ingredients

  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour (or flour of your choice)
  • ½ cup oats

Directions

  1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease them well.
  2. Purée the peas and bananas with water.
  3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the purée with the remaining wet ingredients.
  4. Combine Wet & Dry: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined (be careful not to overmix).
  5. Portion & Bake: Spoon evenly into 12 muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 17 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy warm, with a little vegan butter or a glass of milk.

Ashley first shared these muffins in Sweet Pea Muffins a.k.a. Breakfast, Solved!

Valorie’s 1st Birthday Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Bake time 23 minutes
  • Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 cups pureed red beets (or apricot puree, if you prefer!)
  • ⅔ cup avocado oil
  • 1 cup agave nectar
  • ⅔ cup chia eggs (or 4 egg whites)
  • 1 cup plant milk
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (mixed with the plant milk to make vegan buttermilk)
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups gluten-free (GF) flour
  • ⅔ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt

Add-Ins

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease them well.
  2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the pureed beets, avocado oil, agave, chia eggs (or eggs), plant-milk-and-lemon-juice buttermilk, and vanilla bean extract until smooth.
  3. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Combine Wet & Dry: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined (be careful not to overmix). Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
  5. Portion & Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 8 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 15 minutes (about 23 minutes total), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool: Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting—although they are delicious enough on their own! 😉

Vegan Strawberry Buttercream

  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Yields Enough to frost 12 cupcakes generously

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup Earth Balance butter (softened to room temperature)
  • 1 cup monk fruit powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder (or dragon fruit powder for a more vibrant hot pink color, which is our favorite with the chocolate-apricot flavor cake)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Beat the Butter: In a medium bowl, beat the softened Earth Balance butter with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.
  2. Add Sweetener & Color: Gradually add the monk fruit powdered sugar and the freeze-dried strawberry (or dragon fruit) powder. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high until light and fluffy.
  3. Flavor: Add the salt and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds until fully incorporated and smooth.
  4. Frost: Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled chocolate beet cupcakes and enjoy!

Keep exploring

Step into the backyard

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    Twenty questions for your group, and how to invite Ashley to a book club of ten or more. Contains spoilers.

  • Book recommendations

    The books Ashley recommends on postpartum mental health, relationships, sleep, play, and healing, plus two poems.

  • Resources

    Crisis lines, therapist directories, and support for every part of the perinatal journey.

  • Fun places to visit in Reno

    Parks, coffee, bookshops, and favorite places to eat, if you feel inspired to take a road trip.

  • Listen to the playlist

    Ashley’s playlist for the novel, on SoundCloud and Apple Music.

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Ashley Hanna-Morgan, LCSW, PMH-CCalifornia LCSW #66494 Nevada LCSW #7719-CClient Notices