So Many Veggies, So Little Time

Meal Plan Monday

2012-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday to you all! This weeks focus is quick meals. We aren't super busy or anything (although I did just rejoin the gym). But it's been a hectic few weeks and I'm giving myself a break this week. Not having to make anything super fancy affords me more relaxed time to rock my baby, or cuddle with my kids and read them stories, or even listen to my oldest read to me (I can't get over the fact that she's reading, it's amazing. I think it will shock me over and over until she's 25).

Monday- Leftovers. Yum!

Tuesday- Black bean and avocado tacos/nachos (I already have the beans for this so it will come together really quickly)

Wednesday- Spaghetti tossed with garlic and artichoke hearts, and some steamed broccoli

Thursday-Earth Fare (kids eat free night)

Friday- Sandwiches of some sort. I guess it depends on what I have in my fridge at the end of the week. For sure some spicy Field Roast sausage, and possibly some sauteed peppers and onions.

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday - Soup!

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

I made a fabulous pizza last night. The best part about it being that the dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas, and I only used half of my "sausage" so now I have a super easy meal to throw together later this week, and I'm oh so excited about that. You have no idea. It was really (really) good. Do you have a favorite recipe that you like to make a double batch of?

Monday - Leftovers. We have quite the variety to choose from, various curried vegetables, rice, Beans (do I hear nachos?). I love leftover night.

Tuesday- Taquitos and guacamole

Wednesday- Lentil loaf

Thursday- Earth Fare night

Friday- Animal lovers pizza and artichoke casserole

Saturday- Chickpea tagine

Sunday- Tempeh unmeatballs

What's on the menu at your house? Have a vegetarian meal plan Monday up at your blog? Let me know so I can add your link!

Other vegetarian meal plan Mondays

Lilac Barries

A Movie and Some Fun Food

2012-01-29T10:07:00.000-08:00

Meet Tim. Tim was very tasty. Last Sunday the kids were recovering from a cold, so we had to stay in (because they like to take it upon themselves to build other children's immunity by licking walls and nibbling furniture). We watched "Turtle: The Incredible Journey", and made some fun food.

I think there is a misconception that kids who eat healthy foods are missing out. Yes. They are. Missing out on chemical flavorings, preservatives, and food dyes that can all have scary side effects (including allergic reactions in our family) on their little bodies. Missing out on fun? Never. Sure, I may have to be more creative. It takes a little more work to make fun foods from scratch. But we still do have fun. We don't sit around moping about what we can't eat in this house, we make it work for us. Like Mr. Turtle here. He is simply a double crust recipe of pizza dough, formed into balls, and then shaped into a turtle. I baked him for about 20 minutes at 350, then I pulled him out and brushed him with garlic, and olive oil. I sprinkled him with a little salt and stuck him back in the oven until he started to brown. Then we slathered him with pesto and my daughter ate his head. Good times. I think I probably would have made Tim here even if I didn't have kids because he is a.) tasty, and b.) I have the maturity of a five year old, things like fun food just make me happy.

Vegan Entomatadas

2012-01-26T10:10:00.001-08:00

My entomatada sauce on top of an open face taco with

black bean cakes, corn salsa, and fresh avocado

I've put this post off for too long. You simply must make this sauce. The only excuse you have not to is if you are allergic to one of the ingredients. Otherwise it is mandatory, and may in fact be crucial to the future of the *insert country of current residence* that you try this recipe. I might be exaggerating, but only mildly so. This sauce is intended for entomatadas (basically an enchilada, but instead of a chili based sauce it's tomato based), but also fabulous on burritos, and nachos.

Take note, two things will greatly affect the flavor of this sauce. The first is my new found love, Not Chicken Bouillon Cubes. You will not get the same flavor if you substitute veggie broth. These tasty little cubes of happiness and delight are worth going out of your way for. And they are egg free, dairy free, and gluten free to boot. The second thing that has a profound affect on flavor is the fire roasted tomatoes. Depending on the brand you use you may have to add more heat or salt than my recipe calls for. Because my daughter is not really big on spicy food I found that one can of fire roasted tomatoes and green chilis from Trader Joe's provided enough heat (for her) in this sauce. If you like more heat you can definitely add more chilis, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.

What you need

A large cast iron pan

Oil of choice to coat

2 onions sliced or diced (depending on how quickly you need this to cook)

2 tsp chili powder

1 Not Chicken Bouillon Cube

1/4 tsp oregano

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes and green chilis

I can worth of water

Salt and cayenne/hot sauce to taste

What you need to do

Heat the oil in the cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onions, chili powder, oregano, and crumbled boullion cube. Cook until onions are cooked through and browned.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the garlic (taking care not to burn) and tsp of sugar. Cook for two more minutes, stirring often.

Carefully add the can of tomatoes and water. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes and then remove from heat.

Let the sauce cool and blend it until smooth in blender or food processor.

We actually ate this sauce on our burritos Christmas day. My husband said it was the best burrito he'd ever eaten.

Meal Plan Monday....oh look shiny stuff!

2011-12-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Who else is kind of overwhelmed with the holidays this year? We have so much fun stuff going on, you probably won't see too much of me until January, I just keep getting distracted. The next few weeks are going to be dedicated to pantry meals, clearing out the fridge, and keeping it cheap. In short.....lots of beans, pasta, and rice. Here is a little of what I've got planned in no particular order....

Cabbage curry, curried lentil dip, toasted pitas and brown rice

Pita pizzas and steamed veggies

Apple soup and the best ever skillet jalapeno cornbread

Spaghetti and a warm spinach salad

Pupusas and refried beans

Stuffed shells

Battered n' baked chickpeas with rice

Chickpea pot pie

Wild rice stuffed portabella mushrooms

Throw in some leftover nights and a few Christmas parties, and there's are menu up until Christmas. I still have not figured out the Christmas menu though....I'm really slacking. What are you making for the holidays?

Meal Plan Monday:Operation get rid of those holiday lbs....oops

2011-11-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

Did you know that I'm a naturally thin person? *snickergigglesnort** Ok, so that's not true at all.

I've fought long and hard to keep myself in a healthy weight range. The only things I drink on a daily basis are coffee, water, and tea. I don't eat second helpings, and I try to fill my plate with mostly veggies. When I lose weight nowadays it usually averages out to about a 1/4lb loss per week....that doesn't even register on some scales. Pretty discouraging, especially when a lot of my friends post-partum pounds just "melt off ". That's why I say 'fight', it's an on going battle with myself because even though I eat whole, healthy foods for the most part I have my weaknesses.....still....after eight years of deciding to eat healthy, sometimes I slip.

The battle is much easier than it was at first, I don't ever crave fast food, or processed box meals, or pop. In fact, when I'm on the road I get pretty antsy for fresh fruit and veg. However, I do find myself longing for foods that I really should limit, like fried corn tortillas, big heaping bowls of pasta, and sweets. And there are all sorts of foods I just downright should-not-eat! For example, potatoes.

Guess what I had a lot of this past week?

Did you guess potatoes?

Very good. Let us try another.

Guess who gained 4lbs this week?

So......today is a new day, and this week is all about filling my body with lots of good foods that will be much kinder on my system than last weeks menu.

Monday- Red beans and rice with leafy greens and steamed veggies

Tuesday- Tortilla soup (soups are fabulous because they can be low calorie, and yet doctored up with toppings and biscuits for my kiddos who need the extra energy)

Wednesday- leftovers! As well as some jalapeno cornbread

Thursday- More soup, I haven't decided what kind

Friday- Pupusas and fajitas made with whatever veggies I have lying around

Saturday-Pizza and steamed veggies, maybe some sort of chickpea salad this dinner will be served on a picnic blanket in front of the tree for night feast so there will probably be other picnic goodies involved, I just don't know what yet.

Sunday...I don't remember....I'm currently typing this while seated on my couch, there is a little boy halfway onto my lap who crawled up here a good hour ago, asked to cuddle, and promptly fell asleep. My original meal plan is entered into my phone....which is somewhere....Due to the cuteness factor of aforementioned toddler, I'll not be getting up to retrieve it.

Well now that you know a little more about me I'd love to hear about you!

Have you ever felt like you are battling yourself to get healthy? Who wins.....live to 110 self...or I want another handful of chocolate chips and peanut butter self? Do you get right back up on the wagon? Any tricks to coax chocolate chip lady on up there?

I like to write lists, so when I'm lacking motivation I think of all the reasons I should be good to my body. Watching my kids grow, having more energy, less back pain, and sleeping better at night are great motivators. Even when the numbers on the scale don't budge.

Other Meal Plan Mondays:

Lilac Barries

**I do in fact snort when I giggle. Truth.

Meal Plan Monday: Operation clear out the fridge!

2011-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

This week will be full of eating, traveling, packing, unpacking, family and fun. What it will not be full of is cooking. I'm actually very excited. This will be my second year traveling up to Indiana to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. I'm going to bring some pumpkin pie filling that I have already made and frozen (I'll make the crust and bake the pie up there), and some cookie dough truffles. I'll also be bringing a bunch of our favorite pantry foods and snacks. So most of this week I'll be trying to clear out the fridge, that's about as exciting as it gets I'm afraid.

What are you making this week? Are you hosting or traveling? Do you have a meal plan up on your blog?

As always I'd like to extend an invitation to the other meal planners out there. If you do a vegetarian meal plan Monday and would like my blog to link back to yours please let me know! The more the merrier! I'd love to have a long list here of vegetarian meal plans for people to peruse....I just love that word...don't you? Peeeeruuuuse....In addition, I also really love to peruse things...It's a word, and an action that I genuinely like.

ok...

I'll stop now.

Sorry for wasting your time.

More meal plans from blog land

Lilac Barries

Meal Plan....Tuesday

2011-11-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday, but it totally feels like a Monday so that is how I'm justifying this being late. :) This morning I didn't have my baby carrier so I had to hobble a long carrying a baby, pushing a stroller and managing a five year old who likes to play hide and seek on walks. It made me really appreciate my baby carrier, especially when my two year old decided he wanted to get out of the stroller and fell into a large pile of duck poop. When we got home my potty trained though poor at aiming two year old managed to pee on almost every surface of the bathroom, including himself. We also got some super bad news today. Definitely feels more like a Monday than a Tuesday. However, there is one way that this is incredibly, fantastically, above and beyond better than a Monday....Tuesday means Mexican food night, and that pretty much cures all manner of minor aggravations.

Monday: We had spicy eggplant unmeatballs. They were fabulous.

Tuesday: Taquitos

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Tortilla soup

Friday: Indian spiced sweet potatoes and peas, pitas, curries broccoli and basil, and lentil dip

Saturday: Leftovers/pumpkin pie

Sunday: Cornbread and sourdough stuffing, and a field roast of some sort

Other vegetarian meal plans

Lilac Barries

Meal Plan Monday

2011-11-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

Last week didn't go exactly as planned. I ended up getting sick, and not having lentils...those two things really have nothing much to do with each other. However, when I was supposed to be making lentil croquettes I ended up making curried pea patties instead, and when I was supposed to make stuffed jumbo shells I ended up whining and groaning like a pathetic little wimp on the couch until my husband picked up takeaway. That in mind I'm still not at my best, let's all just pretend like I wrote something witty and informative here ------------->

aaaand pause for laughter/critical thinking

Monday: Leftovers, if I have time I'll work on taquitos

Tuesday: Taquitos

Wednesday: Chickpea pot pie

Thursday: Pasta bake

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Soup and rolls

Sunday: I don't know.......honestly.....my head hurts /whimper *aaaachooo*

Other Meal Plan Mondays

Lilac Barries

Meal plan Monday

2011-10-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well last week was a success, I stuck to the meal plan and everything went pretty well. The froggie face pizzas were a hit! My son insisted on giving his pizza a mask so that he could be a super frog (not pictured), and it looked not unlike a certain group of martial art using young adult turtles that I remember fondly from my youth. Perhaps when they are old enough to watch said show I'll make these again. Along with the food listed in last weeks meal plan I also made time to make a caramel apple spice cake, and two batches of empanadas which are now in my freezer....minus the one I had to test.....to make sure they would be suitable to eat. ;)

Alright...so on to this weeks vegetarian meal plan. I had some super fancy stuff planned out for this week, but then I realized that the holidays are fast approaching and I'd rather put money into our holiday meal, also there's all sorts of fun goodies to be baked around this time of year and I know that if I have a simple meal plan it will enable me to have time for that.

Monday- Leftovers!!! Leftover chili, cornbread casserole and broccoli. I might make some rice too.

Tuesday- Empanadas or tacos, I haven't decided yet, and succotash on the side.

Wednesday- Lentil croquettes and a spicy tomato dipping sauce. Maybe some roasted root veggies if I have time.

Thursday- leftovers if we have a bunch....oooor...kids eat free night at Earth Fare (I'm not so secretly secretly hoping we run out of leftovers and get to go to Earth Fare, I know the kids are too). Make chickpeas

Friday- Falafel Friday! Falafel in a pita pocket with leafy greens chopped cucumber and a spicy sauce.

Saturday- Pumpkin stuffed jumbo shells with a creamy sun dried tomato sauce. I'm making a double batch to freeze. (Soak black beans)

Sunday- For lunch white bean sandwiches with sun dried tomato aioli, and for dinner black bean taquitos with a creamy tamatillo dipping sauce.

Other vegetarian meal plans in blog land

Lilac Barries

Meal Plan Monday

2011-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

Are you the type of person who falls off of a horse and gets back up again? I'm the type of person who falls off of a horse, and realizes I've lost my keys. I will go look for my keys and on the way maybe notice some flowers. The flowers may be purple, this will remind me of a friend who I would love to have coffee with...mmmm....coffee....must go make some coffee.....

wait....

what horse?

By this point it is eleven o' clock at night and I have neither the time nor the energy to ride horses. So I shall leave it to another day.

In this scenario the horse represents being organized, the friend is Lilac Barries, and the coffee is coffee. We are in the process of (trying to) selling our house and in the midst of projects, and decluttering I've forgotten my meal planning and list making. It's been kind of disastrous. Well that's where you come in Blogland*. I'm going to start putting my vegetarian meal plans on the web for the world to see. I'm hoping this will keep me accountable to start actually making weekly meal plans again. I also truly hope this will inspire others to make their own meal plans. Or supposing you are just starting out down the vegetarian road, I hope this helps you to get an idea of what I eat on a weekly basis (hint...it's rarely salad!)

If you have your own vegetarian meal plan up at your blog feel free to leave a link in the comment section. If I have time I'll start putting links in the actual blog itself. I'd love for people to be able to come to this site and look over lots of ideas for a typical week in the life of a vegetarian or vegan. If you don't have a blog you could also leave your meal plan in the comments section, or maybe just one or two ideas you have for the week. I'm excited about this....so let's get started!

Monday

Chickpeas and veggies in a spicy tomato and onion gravy served with rice and pitas

Tuesday

Fajitas in the crock pot? I don't know how this one will work out, but I've got a class that night so I need a crock pot recipe to keep me from going loco.

Wednesday

Beans, apple wasabi slaw, and rice

Thursday

Leftovers...yay

Friday

Froggie face pita pizzas (if these work I'll post pictures) and pumpkin rice balls

Saturday

Soup, pumpkin pull apart rolls, and roasted potatoes

Sunday

Chili and cornbread casserole

Other vegetarian meal plans:

Lilac Barries

*Yes we are still in the midst of one of my delusions......errr...scenarios, in it I am the Empress of Blogland and I get to wear a pretty pretty dress.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-10-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Mmmmhhhmmmm.....That's what I said.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I was eating pretzels outside of my cookies like an idiot. What was I thinking? Now I'm eating pretzels in my cookies and it has literaly been life changing. They add just the right amount of crunch, salt, and solve the ever difficult problem of trying to decide between a sweet or a salty snack.

Now......I have to make a confession, the title is a lie. I made these with sun butter not peanut butter. I did use a peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe for reference, but being a nut free household I substituted with sun butter. The chocolate chunks were from Enjoy Life, and I must say it was nice to have a chunk of chocolate that I didn't have to chop off of a candy bar. It made the process much easier.

All I did was take the peanut butter oatmeal cookie recipe from "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" and add one cup of chocolate chunks, and two cups of broken pretzel pieces. Please don't spend another day restricting your pretzel eating to a sometimes snack. Pretzels want to be loved, they want to be liberated, they want to be in cookies.....ok, perhaps that's a bit overboard.....but you really have no idea how seriously I take cookies. It's one of my things that I do a lot...eat cookies, and take them seriously that is. And if you want to be a cookie serious taker person too (blarg with the English language and the writing bad and such) I highly suggest you check out this book. We all know how incredibly bad I can be at baking when left to my own devices, but Isa and Terry's books have given me confidence and the ability to troubleshoot when I'm baking. And people aren't scared anymore when I say, "I've made cookies!". I leave them wondering not what I left out of my baked goods, but what I've put into them.

Slow Cooker Sweetpeatato Chipotle Soup

2011-10-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of shocked I haven't posted this yet, it's a super easy vegetarian crockpot recipe that I've made 3 or 4 times since baby sparkles made her grand entrance. Not only is it easy to make but it freezes well too and contains some of my favorite things sweet potatoes, chipotle chilis, and cilantro.

What you need

1 1lb bag of dried peas

2 onions peeled and diced

2-3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp turmeric

1 1/2-2tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2-1 cup cilantro washed well

1/2-1 chipotle chili in adobo with seeds removed

6 cups of water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar or honey

1 can of coconut milk

What to do

Rinse and drain the peas and add them to the crockpot along with everything EXCEPT the tsp of lemon juice and the tsp of sugar. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until everything is mushy. Add the lemon juice, sugar, coconut milk and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves. If desired, let cool and puree in a food processor. My kids would not eat this lumpy, but happily gobbled it up after it had been pureed and served alongside rice.

Citrus Ginger Winter Squash with Green Curry Sauce

2011-09-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

This post is for Grace over at Going Green. I've come away from this past year and a half of blogging with a lot of things. But the best thing by far has been the friendship with other blogging friends. A while back Grace asked me for a recipe for green curry, but then I got pregnant......and then I moved....twice....then I had a baby. It's been kind of a crazy year, and Grace has been more than patient. This recipe went over very well with my husband and I hope it was worth the wait.

For this recipe I marinated (read lots o' prep time) acorn squash in a zesty marinade of citrus, soy, and ginger and pan fried it (mostly because it's too hot to roast). Then I used the leftover marinade to make a creamy sauce. I bet pumpkin could be used to replace the acorn squash, and you could always toss in a protein such as tofu or tempeh but you might need to double the marinade. I served this over rice.

What you need:

1 acorn squash

3tbs soy sauce

3tbs oil divided

1tbs orange juice

1tbs plus 1tsp lemon juice divided

2tbs plus 1tsp brown sugar

3tsp minced ginger divided

1/4tsp-1/2tsp red pepper flakes

2 cloves of crushed garlic

3 heaping tsp green curry paste (more to taste)

1 can coconut milk

3tbs chopped cilantro

3tbs chopped basil

salt to taste

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out all the seeds and goopy stuff. Then carefully slice the squash.

In a large ziplock bag combine 2tbs oil, 3tbs soy sauce, 2tsp minced ginger, 1tbs orange juice, 1tbs lemon juice, 2 tbs brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Squish the bag around a little to mix the marinade. Add the acorn squash, seal tightly and refrigerate for 2 or more hours.

After two hours take the squash out of the fridge. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. After getting the pan nice and hot lower the heat to a little below medium and add the squash plus four tablespoons of the marinade and 1tsp of ginger. DO NOT THROW OUT THE REMAINING MARINADE. You will be using that in the sauce. :) The squash is going to spit and sputter and possibly steam, and that's ok. You want all the sugars to start caramelizing, just don't burn it to a crisp. I cooked my squash for about 25 minutes. Ten minutes, then I flipped the squash, then ten minutes on the other side, then a final five minutes covered.

Turn off the burner and remove the squash and set it aside in a covered dish taking care to leave any liquid in the pan (we're about to get all fancy up in here).

Now we are going to deglaze the pan......mmhhmmm you heard what I said...someones been watching food network, and that someone is me. Add the rest of the marinade to the pan and heat over medium heat for a few minutes or until all the wonderful caramelized bits of goodness come off of the bottom of the pan.

Now add the curry paste, 1tsp sugar, 2 cloves of garlic and cook stirring frequently for two minutes.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer for ten minutes and stir in the basil and cilantro.

Remove from heat and add the last 1tsp of lemon juice and salt to taste (I added about 1/4tsp).

You have two options here, you can peel the acorn squash and plate it up that way spooning the sauce over the squash. Or you can do the pretty (ehem jerky) thing that I did and plate it all up with the peel on. Very aesthetically pleasing, but it forces those you are cooking for to peel the squash on their own.

Sweet n' Spicy Chili with Blackened Onions

2011-09-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

My husband says this is the best chili ever. Not the best vegan chili, or the best soy free chili,

but the...

best...

chili.......

...ever

My two year old says, "Mama can I has some more chiwi please." (He's unbearably cute and loves his chili). My daughter says, "can I just have beans and rice"......she's not a chili fan. I don't know about best chili ever, but this is a darn good recipe and you can certainly add (or subtract) things to adjust to your personal tastes. It's also easy to make, vegan, and soy free (check your ingredients carefully), and I've fed it to carnivores with good results. I topped mine with avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and cilantro, and I really wish I'd snapped a picture beforehand because it is a lovely chili. I guess you'll just have to make it to find out for yourself. :)

What you'll need

1tbs oil

2 onions sliced

3 cups cooked (seasoned to your liking) black beans

1 28oz can of baked beans

1/2 cup soy free BBQ sauce

1 package of Field Roast Mexican chipotle sausage crumbled

2tbs plus 1tsp chili powder (divided)

1/4 tsp salt plus more to taste (optional)

cayenne, jalapenos, or other spices to taste

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions 1/4tsp of salt and 1tsp of the chili powder. Cook for 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally until desired doneness. I like them almost burnt, but you could lower the heat and go for a more caramelized (browning) effect. Now add the onions to a large pot and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Heat through. It's that simple. Add whatever toppings you like.

What are your favorite chili toppings?

Kind of a Jerk Tacos: Spiced Sweet Potatoes, Black Beans, and Jerk Sauce

2011-08-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Because I didn't have all the ingredients that normally go into a jerk sauce these are only "kind of a jerk" tacos. Grilled sweet potatoes, seasoned black beans, jerk sauce and lettuce tossed with some chopped up cilantro and a little lime juice* make up these tacos. Feel free to add avocados, onions, cheese or cheeze and to replace the lettuce with slaw if you're feeling really ambitious.

This dish was inspired by a trip to Taco Mamacita on a recent vacation. Their taco uses fried plantains, a mango salsa, and flour tortillas and was delicious. I prefer the crunch and lighter flavor that corn tortillas bring to the dish. I've also omitted the mango salsa because I am not a chef in a restaurant, I'm a mom of three and have to fit all my dinner prep in between things like nursing babies and cleaning poop off of the walls (don't ask).......

oookay then....

All good and hungry? Let's start on that recipe.

This is actually pretty easy to make if you already have seasoned black beans in your freezer like I do. If not, then I think you could heat up a can with some garlic, cumin and chili powder and get a similar effect. Long term though I really think everyone should have some seasoned black beans in their freezer, they are great for so many things, nachos, soups, tacos, black bean burgers. This recipe could be further simplified by using premade taco shells. Garden of Eatin' is a good brand for taco shells. :)

What you need:

Seasoned black beans (about 2 cups)

jerk sauce (I had no rum and baby sparkles doesn't like it when I eat chili so I omitted those and still had a yummy sauce)

Taco shells (I made my own out of corn tortillas)

2 cups chopped lettuce tossed with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste

3 large peeled and sliced sweet potatoes

1tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

dash of cayenne

Large Ziplock freezer bag

Add the olive oil and spices to a large Ziplock bag and add the sweet potatoes. Close and shake until sweet potatoes are evenly coated with spices. Grill (or pan fry..mmmmm) until cooked throughout, flipping once. Take care when adding sweet potatoes to the grill to not inhale the spices like someone I know who shall remain nameless (**cough**) . Assemble the tacos as desired.

The hubster and I ate these with the works, I omitted the jerk sauce for the kids. These were the best dang vegan tacos I've ever made. They hit all the right notes for me, the crunch of the shells the sweet spicy contrast of the sweet potatoes and the jerk sauce. Definitely a winner.

*Big thanks to my friend Kelli who suggested adding cilantro and lime to the taco lettuce, it really gives it a pop.

Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in our house. Any occasion that permits me to eat Mexican food is a big deal, so Cinco de Mayo, Tuesdays, and every third Sunday or so rank pretty high on my list of good days.

Originally I was to be spending tomorrow evening at an appreciation dinner. Due to sick contagious kiddos I will instead be spending tomorrow night at home, much to my husbands delight. Unfortunately I had nothing planned out, but a plethera of old recipes to choose from, so I think we will be ok.

Vegetarian or vegan burritos

Vegetarian tortilla soup, with spicy unmeatballs

Oh my! I almost forgot about this dish, it was so tasty! I can't believe I haven't made it since.

Vegetarian bean and potato tacos

These are so simple it's ridiculous, even my super A.D.D sleep deprived self can make them.

Avocado and black bean tacos

These are very tasty, and another great taco for hot days. Great for avocado lovers, and well received by those who have tried them.

Drunken Veggie Fajitas

After having some fajitas in California with just a hint of tequila in them I couldn't resist but try them out on my own. You could most certainly omit this ingredient if you like.

Pumpkin and black bean enchiladas

This enchilada sauce is super simple and (check your ingredients) gluten and soy free! Winning! You could use it as a substitute for any enchilada recipe you like.

Looking at this I am thinking I will be making ALL of these in my near future....perhaps I shouldn't blog while hungry.

Other ideas....

Nachos - This is another really simple idea, use beans you've made or if you must use canned check out Amy's brand organic refried beans. Let family members add their favorite toppings, jalapeños, avocados, olives, diced onion, grilled veggies....you get the idea. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like.

Seven layer bean dip....or seven layer bean dip casserole Once again, you can totally customize this to suit your families needs.

Tamales! If you have access to tamales go for it. Be they from your freezer, your favorite restaurant, or your local farmers market (If this is the case I don't wan to hear about it, I'm so jealous you don't even know). Serve with beans and rice.

...No fooling.....I seriously just took a break to make some chips and dip....alright...I'm settled again...

Mexican "pizza"

You can easily make your own Mexican pizza in the toaster oven. Brush a corn tortilla with olive oil and toast until crispy. Add toppings such as refried beans, salsa, cheeze, cheese, and olives. Heat again until warmed through. Add more toppings such as chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onion, jalapeños...etc. This has always been a favorite in our house, it's quick, easy, and an excellent meal on a hot day as it doesn't require the use of an oven.

Now that I've made the decision that much harder for myself, I'd love to know what you are planning on making.

To my readers

2011-05-03T07:40:00.001-07:00

Dear neglectarinos,

My poor blog, my poor readers. You all deserve a big apology, sprinkled liberally with some explanation (and a smidgen of excuses). I've been pretty absent ever since the start of this pregnancy, and I'm grateful beyond words for those of you who have continued to stop by and read my recipes. Thank you so much.

When I started this blog I was unsure of what I wanted to do with it, and where I wanted to go. I can tell you the sirens call of advertising and racking up readers has tempted me more than once. Neither of those are bad things, but I felt I should have an idea of where I was going before I started on that road. I think I mentioned that in my early blog days I was contacted by a website that wanted me to do an online vegetarian cooking show. I am not what you would call 'camera friendly'. I sweat and shake profusely when forced to talk in front of people, even in casual settings. If you are lucky I would make it off camera before vomiting......that would be a lot of luck. As much as "girl who makes a curry then vomits" would be a youtube hit I'm sure, I just didn't think I was ready for that kind of fame. Before coming to any conclusion on the matter one way or another, I deleted the email on accident......sigh.

The point of that confession being this, as much as having a cool company to back me in advertising, or the fame that would come with being "that vegetarian girl that vomits while cooking", what really warms my heart, and what makes me feel like I've accomplished something is hearing from you! When I hear that a child has tried a new veggie as a result of my blog, or that someone has made and liked one of my recipes or discovered a love for a meal without meat I'm overjoyed. That's why I will continue on with my blog, sporadic as it may be.

I'm not sure if I've complained about it on here or not yet, but we've been busy. After being away from home for quite a while we came back to pick up the pieces from stormageddon 2011. Our losses were nowhere near as much as some of our neighboring towns in the recent storms, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes and their family members. We did however loose part of our chimney, a little of our fence, and our ENTIRE fridge and freezer contents. Anyone with children with allergies knows you need freezer meals, especially with a new little one on the way. So I have been busy in the kitchen restocking our freezer, and hoping, and praying that we don't lose power again before baby number three makes it's appearance. Meanwhile my two big kids are fighting off a stomach flu, and pneumonia/sinusitis, I fully expect them to trade illnesses by the end of the week. In short, I've been cooking, but not uploading photos, or properly documenting, and I don't expect to have any consistent blog routine set up again anytime soon as there are more pressing matters at hand.

I'd like to once again thank all of you. I have plenty of old recipes I'd like to invite you to try out, as well as the lovely ladies over on the right somewhere who have their own blogs that they post on quite a bit more frequently than I do. I'd also like to say that I'm working through about 600 emails in my inbox right now, I'm working on those as well. I do plan to continue when time allows. Baby sparkles is due May 25th, and you may see me once or twice before then, most certainly once in a while after that.

Sincerely,
Mama

Creamy Garlicky Asparagus Soup

2011-04-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

No picture tonight, but I wanted to get this recipe up before Easter because I think it would make a super yummy addition to any Easter dinner. This soup was souper (hehehe) flavorful, and other than that, what sets it apart from other asparagus soups? For one it's vegan, and two it pairs really well with homemade croutons or garlic rubbed crostini. I think next time I make it, I may prepare it like french onion soup with the big hunk o' crusty bread on top. Usually I would have used olive oil, but I bought some soy free Earth Balance to use for baked goods, so I decided to use some in this soup.

What you need

1 bunch asparagus washed and trimmed

1 peeled baked potato

2 tbs butter, "butter", or olive oil

1 diced onion

3 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cups veggie broth (I used low sodium)

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add trimmed asparagus and boil until tender. Mine took about 6 minutes.

Drain and set aside.

In the now empty pot melt two tablespoons of "butter" or olive oil over medium low heat and add the diced onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook one to two minutes more, taking care not to burn.

Remove from heat.

Place asparagus, potato, and onion mixture into your food processor and blend until smooth slowly adding veggie broth.

Pour into a pot and stir in coconut milk, salt, and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve along side crusty bread.

I'm an asparagus purest. I usually like it grilled, or sauteed with light flavors like butter and lemon. I was truly worried that I wouldn't do the asparagus justice and would regret pureeing the daylights out of it. However, I really enjoyed this dish, and so did the hubster and kiddos. I will be making it again.

What's on your menu this Easter?

Drunken Veggie Fajitas

2011-04-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here you can see that I used mostly sweet potatoes and onions for these fajitas. Also pictured; refried black beans, smashed avocado, and the fact that I still don't know how to work a camera in a way that results in aesthetically pleasing food.....a fact that I'm not all too concerned about to be honest.

These veggies came out very flavorful, a lot of tang from the lime, some sweetness, a little heat from the cayenne, and a bite of tequila. The marinade makes quite a bit because I had to add more lime juice and tequila after a rather unfortunate kitchen catastrophe...you will understand when you get to that part of the recipe. Still it came out rather good in my opinion. The only thing I would change is to maybe add a clove of garlic next time. Served with some corn tortillas (you can use flour if you like), black beans, Spanish rice, mashed up avocado, and some lime and cilantro sour cream this was a complete and super tasty meal that was thoroughly enjoyed.

Fajita Marinade

What you need

3/4 cups lime juice

4 tbs tequila

1 tbs bruised cilantro (press the cilantro with the back of a spoon to bruise and infuse cilantroy goodness into the marinade)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbs brown sugar

more salt and cayenne to taste

What to do

Whisk together all ingredients and pour over veggies. Stir to coat. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. Using a slotted spoon transfer veggies from container to grill or frying pan and cook until done. Add salt and cayenne to taste a few minutes before veggies are fully cooked.

What I did

Whisk together all ingredients except 1/4 cup of lime juice and 1 tbs tequila. Pour over veggies in a sealable* but non airtight container you friggen idiot. Proceed to shake, and turn container upside down.....aaaaahhhhnd panic a little as you watch your marinade run all over the counter. Collect yourself, add an extra 1/4 cup lime juice and an extra tablespoon of tequila. Breath.....it's going to be ok.....dinner will be super tasty anyway.

I'm not going to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do here, but I'm going to strongly recommend you try this recipe out by following the first of the two examples.

*Why isn't that in the dictionary? It should totally be a word, I know what it means...I should add it. Also on my list 'cilantroy', both are pretty high priority to be scrabble valid words if you ask me.

P.S. I missed you. :)

P.P.S. Formal apology, hormonal ranting, and gushy complimenting to follow.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Dessert Quesadilla

2011-02-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

I <3>

You will need fresh tortillas for this, they are not super easy to find everywhere. Though these are cooked, they will need to be cooked again to achieve the brown "puffy" look of regular store bought flour tortillas. If you are in California you will probably be able to find them in your supermarket, in other states try a Mexican grocery store if you have access, check out local restaurants, or complain, whine and moan at your grocery store manager until they give in and find some for you.

I used a dark chocolate spread that I got at World Market for this dessert quesadilla. I like it because it happens to be dairy free, and peanut free... and delicious. You may remember it from an earlier (not so nut free) post of mine.* The jar says it may contain traces of some nuts, but thankfully we don't have to worry about trace amounts. You can use Nutella if you like, but I'm pretty positive Nutella contains nuts and dairy......so that's a no no for us right now.

All you have to do is heat some butter or "butter" in a pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted and hot add the tortilla, it may sputter and bubble a little, that will give it some nice golden brown spots. If your tortilla starts to burn, or you have molten butter flying all over the kitchen, please turn down the heat. Add a spoonful or two of dark chocolate spread (or whatever you happen to be using) and as it starts to melt spread it out to cover the tortilla. If I had chocolate chips I might have tossed a few in there for extra chocolaty goodness at this point. When your tortilla is cooked, and your chocolate is melty and gooey add strawberry slices to one half of the tortilla add a drizzle of honey (optional) and fold in half. Viola, you are ready to dig in.

This was enjoyed by all (was there any doubt?). I can't wait to use other filling combinations. I love the fact that it's a super quick, super tasty, egg free dessert that we can all enjoy. If you want to fancy it up a bit you could serve it with ice cream, or coconut ice "cream". This is one circumstance where I would opt for fake butter instead of an olive oil substitution to make this vegan. Also important to note you should be looking for tortillas that don't contain lard.

Update: Oops! Upon further examination I didn't use this chocolate spread in my earlier recipe. I used chunks of chocolate...still a good recipe though, and worth checking it out. I'm leaving the link in. :)

I will not get sick(er) sandwich : avocado, artichoke, and spinach oh my!

2011-01-15T13:42:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive. I'm still cooking. We have just been in transition mode for a while. First off we had to clear out the fridge for a vacation. Now, actually on vacation, I've been doing much less cooking. Above and beyond that, I have been doing next to no picture taking, which results in (as you may have noticed).....no blogging. For those of you here to hear about the sandwich feel free to scroll to the last paragraph where you will find what I'm sure is at the forefront of your mind (as it is usually in mine)...food.

Also.......have I mentioned this....

Certainly not the finest picture of me on the interwebs.........certainly not the worst. Yes amongst the packing, traveling, unpacking, settling in, getting sick and getting better I have also (not so) patiently been biding my time awaiting the day when I can bend freely and cough without wetting myself...in other words, I'M HAVING A BABY!!!!!! :)

Perhaps you remember back in October when I hurt my arm. This was directly followed by morning sickness of doom and a sharp decrease in blogging. Well I'm feeling better now, but I'm not in my kitchen. I am not sure how much blogging you will see in the next few months as I rely on things I can make with few ingredients, but I felt you all deserved a heads up. Thank you so much for reading! You have no idea how it warms my heart to hear of people cooking and enjoying my recipes or discovering new veggies they thought they didn't like. Please hang in there while life happens and expect to see me getting back into the swing of things after the little nursling is born and has started eating only 10 times a day instead of 12....should be somewhere around October.

Now for that sandwich. My little ones had been booger faced (you are hungry now right?) and cranky for a few days when I determined not to get sick......I failed....however, the cold didn't hit me nearly as hard as it did everyone else....that may not have anything to do with this sandwich, but it sure was tasty. Definitely worth a try. I also ate plenty of citrus and loaded up on water.*

I took two pieces of bread and toasted them in the toaster oven. If you are using butter (or "butter) you will want to add it after the bread is toasted. If using olive oil you can brush it on ahead of time. I sprinkled one clove of fresh (not jarred) chopped garlic on the bread and spread on some artichoke spread. Then I added thick slices of avocado, seasoned with salt and pepper, and topped the whole thing with heaping handfuls of baby spinach. Voila. If you are not sick, and would prefer a more understated sandwich you could certainly add the garlic before cooking so that it cooks up a bit and you don't get that raw garlic bite. Add cheeze or cheese if you like, but I think this veggie filled sandwich is pretty good as is.

*I am not a doctor....(though you might find me dressed as one at Sci-fi conventions but that's besides the point) more importantly I am not your doctor. I am not qualified to diagnose or treat you, I am qualified to make you a super tasty sandwich. Though I don't feel this needs to be said, if you are dying go to a doctor......you can read my blog later.

P.S. I did notice all the horrific run on sentences and other errors when I read through this. I felt since it has been a month since I last posted, and because I don't know when I'll get another long stretch of free time....I had better just hit that publish button now, and work on that later (maybe...you know me). So here we go....

A Very Merry Sandwich

2010-12-25T17:20:00.001-08:00

I had a wonderful Christmas, and looking over the pictures I couldn't help but feel blessed. I got to spend Christmas with a man that I love and two kids who make me smile and laugh every day. I can't think of anything that you could put under a tree that would even give me even a fraction of the joy that these people do, they, themselves, are a wonderful gift....but this is a vegetarian food blog right? So back to the vegetarian food...

I cook a big dinner on Christmas eve day, that way I can spend the entire Christmas day enjoying my family, playing games, watching my kids faces light up, and not worry about putting something in the oven or burning something on the stove top. We had acorn squash soup, cooked and served inside an acorn squash, cauliflower gratin, roasted potatoes (such a simple recipe and oh so tasty, I'll have to get around to posting that soon), biscuits, and gravy. Everything was delicious if I may say so, I will definitely be serving cauliflower again in the near future, I had forgotten how much I liked it....maybe in a stew or curry...hmmm. For Christmas breakfast we had cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, and leftover biscuits and gravy. Lunch was tacos, though they didn't take long to make, and weren't fancy or fussy they were enjoyed by all.

...But you're here for the sandwich right?...ok...I'll get on with it then. This sandwich was oh soooo tasty, but don't take my word for it, you should really make it yourself. It also looked so festive I highly suspect it will show up in our house next December. I think it would even make a great appetizer on a smaller scale to serve at parties, I can almost guarantee you it would go over well with carnivores too.

The sandwich is simply ciabatta bread smeared with garlic aioli, roasted red pepper dressing, and stuffed with chopped hearts of romaine. So good...give it a try...just make sure you have breath mints handy.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season.

Roma Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

2010-12-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

I have been craving a tomato sandwich ever since I saw this post over at Veg Obsession. I try not to make special shopping trips, so the sandwich had to be postponed until today....well worth the wait. I simply toasted two slices of whole wheat bread, and spread both slices with roasted red pepper and shallot dressing, and one slice with vegenaise (optional). For the filling I diced one roma tomato and tossed it with half a clove of chopped garlic, and a pinch of salt. Please don't be fooled by the cell phone picture, this was actually really tasty. I served it along side a wilted spinach salad. I can't wait to try this in the summer, I bet it will be killer with some freshly picked tomatoes and a little basil. I could also see this being really good on ciabatta bread with a little garlic butter spread on there before toasting....mmmmm

Black Bean Burgers with Green Chili Gravy, Avocado, and Cilantro

2010-12-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

This was my lunch today. It was simply a couple of black bean burgers that I had in the freezer, topped with green chili gravy, some sliced avocado and cilantro....because I love cilantro deeply. Those of you on my facebook fan page know that I made a big pot of this last night. Or rather as close to the recipe as I could get with the ingredients I had on hand. I had no fresh tomatoes, so I used canned, and because I didn't want to waste I used the whole can. This made the sauce a little tomato heavy, but still very very tasty. Also, I didn't have to add any salt this way. I will be making it again when I have fresh tomatoes.

I'm using the leftovers (ha! if there are any) later this week for enchiladas. This sauce would also be excellent on polenta rancheros, or burritos. I also have a work in progress idea for a pizza involving this sauce. I know I won't be buying enchilada sauce in a can again any time soon.

Roasted Red Pepper and Shallot Dressing/Sauce

2010-12-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

I made this yesterday long before dinner time so that when the kids woke up from nap all I had to do was throw dinner together and throw it in the oven....big mistake...it was sooo good. I spread some on a slice of bread to make sure I got the flavors right, then I had another slice....and another...never adjusting the recipe one bit, just some good old fashioned stuffing my face with a savory sauce that was meant to be for dinner.

Now when my husband came home with a jar of roasted red peppers I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but when I saw portabella mushroom caps in the store I was inspired. I cleaned and degilled the mushroom caps then stuck them in a bag with a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of oil, a little salt, and one tsp of sugar. I let this mixture marinate until dinner. If I'd had, a clove of garlic I would have crushed and tossed that in there as well. When dinner time rolled around I put the mushroom caps in a baking dish and stuffed them with quinoa that I had cooked in veggie broth, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked this covered (to keep the quinoa from drying out) at 350 for about 45 minutes. Then I pulled them out and served them with the red pepper sauce over the top. I have a horrifically bad photo of this somewhere on my cell phone, I'll see if I can't get a better one when I make this again*. I'll follow with more serving suggestions after the recipe.

What you need

3 cloves shallots peeled and thinly sliced

oil for sauteing

dash of salt

2/3 cups roasted red pepper strips (don't drain, but try not to get a lot of liquid in the mix)

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp brown sugar

2 tbs coconut milk...or more for a creamier sauce

Heat the oil in a pan over medium low heat, add the shallots and salt and cook until transparent. You could probably caramelize these with tasty results, however I did not this time around.

Put the shallots and the rest of the ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth. Adjust to suit tastes.

This recipe doesn't make a lot of sauce, it was enough to cover our mushrooms (ehem...and a little extra), but if you are thinking of using it on a larger scale...say over a pasta dish, you may have to double the recipe.

Serving suggestions

Try this on a sandwich (tomato and mozzarella maybe? Yum!)

On toasted bread (rubbed with garlic?)

Add more coconut milk to make it into a cream sauce and add to pasta

Over stuffed portabella mushrooms

On top of salad

As a dressing for pasta salad

A dip for raw veggies

Smeared onto puff pastry with some cream cheese and crushed garlic, then rolled up for a pesto pinwheel style appetizer

pour over grilled veggies

*I will be making this again

Lentil "Stew", Chickpea Tagine, and Roasted Potatoes tossed with Chermoula...

2010-12-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

....i.e. things I don't have a proper recipe for. This lentil "stew" was really more like potatoes, lentils, and noodles with a little bit of broth. It was really tasty no matter what you call it. I cooked one diced onion with three red potatoes, some salt, a bay leaf, a few cloves of chopped garlic, and a generous amount of red pepper flakes. It smelled fantastic, and I could have eaten it as was....but it wouldn't have been a very complete meal....not that that always stops me.

Yummy right? Next I added some rinsed lentils and stock and boiled it for about ten minutes before adding the macaroni noodles. I cooked it for about 9 minutes more and served it with whole wheat rosemary garlic bread. If I had some baby spinach I would have tossed it in at the end. I added extra red pepper flakes to mine and my husbands bowl. Everyone really liked it.

This lovely meal is a chickpea and carrot tagine that I made to suit what I had on hand. I added some frozen spinach to the mix for an extra veg, and I doubled the chickpeas and spices.

The potatoes were simply roasted and then tossed with chermoula. I liked both dishes, but felt they didn't go super well together. The next day I tossed the chermoula with rice and it was a much happier pairing. Don't get me wrong, the potatoes were fantastic, I just think they would have been better paired with something else. I am thinking it would make for a lovely lunch if I added some chickpeas and turned it into sort of a potato salad and stuffed the whole mess into a pita.

Pasta Salad With a Kick, Another Eggless Cookie, and Night Feast

2010-12-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my daughter came up to me and asked if we could have a "night feast". Of course my first question was "What is night feast?" She explained that it was a picnic held by the light of the tree. I thought that sounded like a fabulous idea. She then informed me that hot cocoa and cookies were essential to night feast......she always comes up with the best ideas.

I made these egg free candy cane cookies and they were fabulous! I skipped on the white chocolate as I couldn't find any allergen free, and we frosted them with home made mint frosting. The cookies themselves were very tasty, which I find is not always the case in novelty cookies. I've made these twice now and enjoyed them both each time. The first time I shaped them into the letter C as I am working on the alphabet with my youngest.....learning with food is always fun.

Back to night feast, we held our first annual night feast on the first day of Advent. We ate peanut free Chex Mix, cookies, hot cocoa, and pasta salad. I really liked the dressing on this pasta salad, I don't think the noodles were really necessary. Next time I will turn it into a chickpea salad.

Honey Mustard Wasabi Pasta Salad

1 cup honey mustard dressing (look for one without high fructose corn syrup, and obviously an egg free one)

1 clove crushed garlic

1-2 tsp prepared wasabi

1 tsp minced ginger

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 cups cooked noodles

Whisk together the first four ingredients and add extra wasabi to taste. Stir in the chickpeas and noodles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Enjoy. I can't wait to try this recipe out again during the summer.

Creamy Cabbage and Mixed Veg Curry

2010-12-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

This was very tasty (note the spoon, poised and ready to attack). I wish I had a better picture for you, but I was hungry, we all were. I served this over rice and everyone gobbled it up.* The hubster and I love cabbage, I realize that there are a great many people with the opposite opinion. As always though, I urge you..if you don't like a vegetable....make it into curry. :) I haven't found a vegetable yet that I didn't like in curry. This dish is also creamy due to the coconut milk in it, and for me that makes it a comfort food. I've made it in the crock pot before and the smell of it cooking on a cold night drives me nuts.

What you need
1 TBS oil

1/2 tsp turmric

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

3 potatoes scrubbed and diced

1 tsp minced ginger

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 bag shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)

1 cup mixed peas (or mixed frozen veggies, I prefer all peas)

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup of water

1 can of coconut milk

dash....or two of nutmeg

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the next six ingredients and cook for one or two minutes until fragrant, stirring to avoid burning.

Add the potatoes and cook for five minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook another five minutes.

Add the cabbage, veggies, chickpeas, and 1/4 cup water. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered for 15 minutes. Stir and cook another 15 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and nutmeg and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Taste and add more salt and cayenne as desired. Serve over rice.

*To be fair, my daughter only gobbled up her portion after throwing herself on the ground, covering her eyes and exclaiming that (horror of all horrors) there were cooked carrots in her dish........she doesn't like cooked carrots (obviously). We discussed the proper and improper (ehem...tantrum) way of dealing with foods we don't like. After picking out all of the carrots and trying a bite she declared the curried cabbage very tasty.

Why even mention it? Because, while my kids do eat a variety of foods, there are also foods they don't like, and I respect that. Can my daughter still get a very balanced diet without cooked carrots? Certainly! Now if she starts avoiding an entire food group I'll reevaluate our tactics. For now, the try a bite rule works very well. Also, I've heard it said before, "but your kids eat everything"....oh so far from the truth! My kids try everything, when it is healthy and they like it, I encourage them to eat more of it. It also encourages me to keep putting the healthy foods on the table that they actually like.

Cranberry Chutney in the Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

2010-11-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

I used organic produce for this. I am only specifying because choosing organic makes me better than you.......HA......I'm totally kidding.......please don't leave me*. Organic fruits and veg are sometimes smaller than their conventional counterparts. The two organic apples I used would probably be equal to one standard granny smith apple, and I only used about 7oz of cranberries, if memory serves most cranberries are sold in 12oz bags. You could always use half a bag, or double the recipe......which I intend to do later this week. :)

This recipe works very well in a small dip style crock pot, but you can use anything. Watch your cook time, it will cook down and become an ugly tasty mess, but you don't want it to burn.

I used

7oz cranberries

2 apples washed and diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp cardamom

1/16 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup water

Mix everything together in the crock pot and cook on low. All of the cranberries should burst and the dried fruit should plump. You can add more water if you need too. I cooked this for about two hours on low and then removed the lid for another hour of cooking. All crocks cook differently though, so I am hesitant to say exact cooking times.

You should totally make this. The chutney smelled wonderful cooking, and it's much better than a scented candle because you get to eat it afterwards......

you shouldn't eat scented candles.....

they taste a lot like wax......

and 409.....

this is totally better.

Also it's yummy on sandwiches. My husband thought so too, so you don't have to take the word of a girl who licks scented candles. You could even try it on top of an unmeatloaf!

*Sometimes I think I may have no social life because I'm a jerk, then I remember how awesome I am and realize that surely this isn't the case.

Fall Treats and Tricks

2010-11-15T15:46:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I haven't posted these yet! We went to a fall festival a couple weekends ago, and when we got home we had a family fun night. I made these French bread pizzas. Simply pesto, roma tomatoes and cheese. Great because you can make extras and freeze them for later. Great for lunch the next day too.
Pesto free version for my little man. Butter and garlic replace the pesto, and I chopped up the tomatoes for easier chomping.

These are cheesy pumpkin rice pumpkins. Bell peppers for the stems. I
believe I got the idea for these from Family Fun magazine.

These are (less convincing) pumpkin wraps. Wraps made with sun dried tomato wraps and garnished with parsley. Also an idea from Family Fun.

What is any party without pie? Egg free key lime pie. This was very tasty, I can't even believe I'm typing a blog right now and not in the kitchen making more.

Now for the trick portion.........

This..........

is the candy my kids brought home. Yikes!! I get kind of jittery just looking at it. I helped the kids pick out a couple pieces of candy to keep and they left the rest out overnight. It was replaced in the morning with a new microscope for my little girl and a new game for my little boy.....a game that had a piece missing....and has been discontinued so they can't send me a new one....sigh. Luckily the other pieces were exciting enough that they are now being used as action figures.

Well there you have it. We had a lot of fun eating and crafting. I am going to try to get my Thanksgiving pictures and recipes up before Christmas, but at this rate who knows! Hope you all are enjoying the holidays!

"Cream" of Broccoli Soup

2010-11-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

This soup was plain but tasty, and very similar to a lot of other green soups I make for the kiddos. they gobbled it up and asked for more. It makes a very nice compliment to a sandwich on a cold day. It's souper simple (hehe sorry), and requires few ingredients. It gets most of it's creamy texture from potatoes. You can use 1/2 cup of any sort of milk I suppose, whatever tickles your fancy or doesn't happen to turn members of your family into an anaphylaxis mess. :)

4 cups cooked broccoli florets

4 baked potatoes with skins removed.

1/2 cup milk (I used rice)

Veggie stock to desired consistency

Salt, pepper, seasoning salt to taste

Put the broccoli, potatoes and milk into your food processor and blend, add stock and blend until desired consistency. Pour the whole mess into a pot and heat through on the stove, adding salt, pepper, and seasoning salt to taste. I added a good bit of salt to ours. I added cheese and sour cream to the tops of the kiddos bowls, and I think they also had toast with theirs. This was even better the next day as leftovers.

Make Ahead Soy Free Taquitos

2010-11-09T04:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished product, golden brown and a sprinkling of salt..mmmmm...I know what I'll be having for dinner tonight.

Here are the taquitos out of the oven and ready to be frozen. My kids each ate two just like this and had no complaints....I wouldn't necessarily recommend that though. My four year old has also been known to eat paint.

This recipe is really simple 3 ingredients (four if you choose to add cheese or rice cheese) and I'm giving you a vegetarian and vegan option for the taquitos. I made half with cheese for the kids, and half without for myself. I've made taquitos on this blog before, I really enjoy having taquitos in the fridge to make for lunch or a super quick dinner alongside a mashed up avocado and some diced fruit. For these I use the same process, but the ingredients are even simpler. All you need are corn tortillas, vegetarian black beans, and hot sauce. For the vegetarian option you can add cheese.

All I did was mix together refried black beans (make sure yours are vegetarian as well as soy free) and hot sauce to taste. I laid the corn tortillas on a baking sheet and made a thin line of beans down the center. I was going to take a picture of this stage, but it looked a lot like poo on a tortilla and I was feeling too nauseous and immature to take a picture of that. If you want cheese on these you need to sprinkle the cheese FIRST then add the beans. I baked this (do not roll them up yet) for about 5 minutes at 350. The tortillas should be softened and easy to roll without tearing at this point. If not stick the whole mess back in the oven for a couple more minutes. Roll from one end to the other and place flap side down on the cookie sheet. Pop them back in the oven for another 7 minutes or so. I was making these to freeze so I didn't want them cooked to a golden brown. I just cooked them long enough that the tortilla became crispy and maintained it's rolled up shape when moved about. When I'm ready to eat these I will either pan fry them, or brush them with oil and bake them until they are golden brown. I have even been known to stick a bunch into a casserole dish, cover them with enchilada sauce and call it dinner.

The kids as it turns out were very hungry as these came out of the oven, their little pleas for "kitos" were just too much to stand and I gave them some as is. They gobbled them up and asked for more. These are a favorite in our house, and a great example of how to make your own convenience foods.

As a side note...I've tried making taquitos the recommended way, by heating all the tortillas first then filling and rolling them and it has never worked for me. If you have mad tortilla making skills (I bet you do you lucky duck) do whatever works for you. This is just the way that I have found that works for me.

Do you make and freeze any foods? What's in your freezer?

P.S. Please be sure to check ALL ingredients you are using if you are on a soy free diet for allergy or intolerance reasons.

Our Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

If I were a good blogger, I might already have an abundance of side dish recipes tested and pictures taken......but I haven't done that. In fact I have nothing for you but a link and a list. Maybe that will help to get your creative juices going though.

This is my first year blogging through the holiday season and I'm quite excited. Not only am I thrilled to share with you our favorites, but I can't wait to see what you all are cooking up in your kitchens!

I've done many different things over the years on Thanksgiving since becoming a vegetarian. One year I made acorn squash ravioli in a gorgonzola cheese sauce, grilled zucchini, and onion bread....this was of course the Thanksgiving before we had children and I had time to do things like shower on a regular basis, and make my own ravioli. One year we had an Indian feast, and a few of the years we have dinned at friends houses and I have brought a side dish. I toyed with the idea of making Persian food this Thanksgiving, but as the day has drawn closer I am once again leaning toward a "traditional" menu, and this had better be my last leaning because the day draws near.

So what might the main dish at this vegetarian Thanksgiving be? Well, in my humble opinion, the celebration roast from Field Roast Grain Meat Co. is the only way to go. It's tasty, soy free, complex in flavor, and goes perfectly with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. I would love to hear if you try it out, especially if you happen to be a carnivore. Let me know what you think.

The rest of our menu

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Cranberry Chutney

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Baked Carrots

Broccoli Soup

Struessel Topped Sweet Potatoes

Sourdough, Caramelized Veggie, and Cornbread Stuffing

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Cran-Raspberry Pie

What does your Thanksgiving menu look like?

Mujadara in a Pita with Spicy Eggplant Sauce

2010-11-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

I saw mujadara over at The Vegan Mouse, and my first thought was why have I never made this?? Lentils.......onions....rice??? This is cheap, this is easy, this is flavorful........it will help if you like the flavor of onions, and I really really do. You will find recipes for mujadara all over the web, I chose a simple one that involved only rice, lentils, salt, pepper, cumin, and onions...I added a bay leaf while it all cooked up, but other than that I followed the recipe pretty closely....I wish I could find that recipe now. It is bookmarked on my other computer. I will add it when I get the chance.

Mujadara is very tasty on it's own, but I wanted a little zing to make it into a pita sandwich the next day for lunch. I thinly sliced an eggplant and pan fried it in about 1tbs of oil over medium heat, along with one onion also thinly sliced and 1/2 tsp of salt. I cooked the eggplant for ten minutes, then flipped and cooked for ten more minutes. Then I added a jar of tomato paste mixed with one cup of water (make sure you lower the heat before you add this as it will splatter a good bit). I simmered this covered for about 20 minutes until the eggplant cooked into a mush (mmmmmmm eggplant mush). I removed it from the heat and added about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, more salt, and a generous amount of cayenne. I actually think this sauce would be quite good on it's own as a dip for pita bread, or over rice. I was inspired by a Persian eggplant dish that I have been wanting to make for a while. However I was missing some key ingredients, so this was my compromise. You can use 1/2 cup of coconut milk to replace the heavy whipping cream.

In short this dish will be making the rotation, it is warm and comforting and I imagine it would be quite good in the summer months with some sort of cucumber yogurt sauce. Most of the onions are on the side, which appealed to my daughter, and it's super cheap which appeals to all of us. I heart lentils, how about you?

A Very Veggie Burrito

2010-10-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Burrito leftovers pictured in a bowl the next day for lunch. This was my lunch two days in a row. The burrito bowl, the lower cal, gluten free version of the ginormous burrito. Both have a proper time and place.

If you currently live in California this is not the post for you. Why don't you just wander on down to the corner taco truck and get yourself a big ol' burrito wrapped in tin foil and go eat it on the beach. Just don't tell me about it because I will more than likely have a mental breakdown. Really I'm jealous. I've done my fair share of complaining about the Mexican food I've eaten since moving here (instant mashed potatoes on a flour tortilla with some American cheese anyone?). This week I decided to quit my complaining and make my own dang burrito. So that's what I did. And now I'm here writing this post to encourage the other wandering Californians that I know are out there to go do the same. This was not quite the same as what I'd get at my favorite places back home, but it's a suitable replacement when the other option (eating out) happens to include frozen spinach and processed blocks of orange cheese (you all know what I'm talking about).

All the prep work (making the refried beans, Spanish rice, and grilling veggies) was done ahead of time. Thus I was able to throw this together in a jiffy. This burrito is vegan, and can easily be adapted to suit personal tastes, for instance........I like hot sauce, and onions............a lot. You may not........I believe we can still be friends.

First a layer of mashed up avocado, some fresh diced onion and some cilantro

grilled peppers and onions on top of that

Some homemade Spanish rice

Homemade refried black beans, I know...they look gross...that's ok though because they taste great. You can use some other sort of refried beans if you like, I just really like how flavorful these are.

A little hot sauce.

Wrap that baby up.

You may have to struggle a little to pick the burrito up......that's only natural. There is a reason these things come wrapped in foil, at home I like to eat them with a fork.

Corn Chowder Topped with Biscuits

2010-10-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Corn chowder makes the rotation quite often in our house. It's creamy rich flavor is perfect for a rainy evening, and topped with a biscuit it makes for excellent comfort food in my humble opinion. On top of that the majority of the ingredients are pantry staples so it's a great go to meal when there is "nothing to eat".

What you need

1 tbs oil

2 potatoes scrubbed and diced

1 bag of frozen corn (10 oz)

1/4 tsp salt

4 cups stock (such as corn)

2 tbs cornstarch

2 tbs water

1 cup of milk

1 tsp creole seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup of milk

salt and pepper to taste

your favorite biscuits, I used half whole wheat, half white wheat drop biscuits that I made with the kids. You will note that while they are not very pretty, they were made with little hands, lots of love, and lots of pride. My daughter loves to be a part of the dinner process.

What to do

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the potatoes and 1/4 tsp salt, cook for five minutes. Stir and cook five more minutes.

The potatoes should be tender and almost cooked through. Test one.

Add the bag of corn, and the stock.

Mix together the cornstarch and the water in a bowl and add. Stir well.

Bring chowder to a boil. Boil for about 8 minutes. The potatoes should be done, and the soup should have thickened.

Remove from heat and add the milk, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with biscuits.

You can find my recipe for smokey corn chowder with sweet potatoes and baby spinach here.

More Egg Free Holiday Baking: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

These are good, these are really, really good. I am eating one right now as I type. I've called upon all of the one handed typing skills I perfected while nursing and blogging, and now I am utilizing them for another very important purpose........cookie eating and blogging.

I used this recipe for mint chocolate chip cookies and only played with it a little. Instead of chocolate mint chips (which are divine by the way) I used a chopped up mint Theo bar. The Theo bar was a little less minty than mint U.F.O.s (which is of course the name of the mint chocolate chips that you can buy at Trader Joe's) would have been, but still fantastic. The only other addition I made was about a tbs of applesauce for a moister dough.

My daughter and I made these together and we had so much fun. As you can see from the picture, I barely had time to get my camera out before the cookies started disappearing right off the pan. They are very chocolaty, and very tasty, I doubt anyone would guess they were vegan. More importantly though, I think they would be enjoyed by anyone who tried them...........except for chocolate haters........but, you know, there's something wrong with those people anyway. ;)

Aioli Spread Or Dip and Serving Suggestions

2010-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Pictured here on sourdough bread next to some baby carrots and a glass of 100% cranberry juice mixed with seltzer water....and I know what you are thinking, why would I trust the tastes of someone who drinks 100% cranberry juice...you probably shouldn't for the most part. However in this case you would be missing out. Over the years I've made this with many types of mayonnaise, real, vegan, canola, olive oil, and some are better than others. My current fave is grape seed vegenaise as it is not too sweet, if the flavor of your mayo is off that will greatly affect the end product. I would not suggest using anything light as it often has a sweet aftertaste, beyond that use what tastes good to you. The only unfortunate thing about this recipe is that I have not yet figured out how to make it soy free so that little man can enjoy it, almost all mayonnaise type spreads use soy in them. I have some ideas though and I will get back to you on those.

Aioli is traditionally a blend of garlic, olive oil, eggs, and lemon juice, and it is fantastic. Mostly in america you will find that the process is shortened by using mayonnaise, this makes it super simple to veganize. Here is my version, it isn't really revolutionary, you will probably find similar recipes elsewhere on the interwebs, but if you have never tried it you simply must! It takes three ingredients to make this....are you ready?? It's super simple, why not give it a go?

1 cup mayonnaise (of your preference)

5-8 cloves of garlic peeled and pressed (I think I used 7 this time....we REALLY like garlic)

2 tsp lemon juice

Stir everything together and chill.

This is fantastic spread thinly over GOOD sourdough bread. It also works very well as a dip for veggies, and pretzels. My husbands favorite pasta salad is simply pasta tossed with aioli, and he will tell you it is one of the dishes that made him decide he wanted to marry me (yes, we both love garlic that much).

This is also the spread that I use on my famous summer wraps and for some of my favorite sandwiches. For the summer wraps I spread it onto a large tortilla (usually spinach) add roma tomatoes, spinach, and thinly sliced basil leaves, so simple....soooooo tasty. Sometimes shredded cucumber and carrots work their way into the mix. Or a hunk of aged parmesean cheese. For a fantastic portabella veggie burger experience cook a portabella mushroom burger according to directions and instead of placing on a bun slather some ciabatta bread with aioli and add spinach and roma tomatoes. Another super simple, but tasty favorite of mine is an aioli and avocado sandwich......which is just what it sounds like....aioli and slices of avocado...yum!

Holiday Baking Egg Free:Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Who needs a holiday to eat chocolate chip cookies? Certainly not me. Tuesday is fine enough of an excuse for me to get to baking. However, I'm trying to compile a list of egg free, nut free recipes that we will be using over the holiday season. Hopefully this will be of use to some other weary eyed cookie craving mother perhaps thrown (as I was) by diagnosis of food allergies in the family. Or possibly someone who has given up on eggs (So many good reasons to do that, but that's another post) but is determined not to give up on baking.

After my last adventure in egg free baking I thought maybe (since you know I'm bad enough at conventional baking) it might be a good idea to look at this adventure more like a guided tour and look up some recipes. I found this recipe for egg free chocolate chip cookies and I followed it very closely.
I have to admit it was kind of scary because....well...look at the batter. At this point I was thinking, "These things will never hold together." However, I think by this point we have established that I am no knowledgeable authority on baking, so I continued. I packed the batter into a 2tbs measuring spoon and dropped them onto a baking sheet.

Again I followed the recipe and took them out of the oven before they looked done. They were a hit. Of course the texture is different than the average chocolate chip cookie, so don't expect them to taste like grandmas....unless...you know...your grandma is a vegan. It was nice to have freshly baked treats in the house again.

Broccoli Two Ways....and then some

2010-10-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Happy broccoli season everyone!!!! Are you excited? Yes? No? Not so much? Well we are!

My kids love broccoli. I have been known to hide it until the end of the meal to ensure that the rest of their food gets eaten. Sayings such as "finish your pizza or you won't get any broccoli" have actually been uttered in my house. Because my kids love it so much I serve it often.

Most of the time I serve it simply, steamed and tossed with garlic ginger butter and a pinch of salt. Everything is done to taste, nothing revolutionary. However there are so many food combinations that I would not have thought of if I had not seen someone else do it so I am passing this onto you. I've even had broccoli haters enjoy broccoli in this manner.

The second Broccoli dish is again done to taste, and again very simple (simple suits me well right now). I toss cooked or raw broccoli with teriyaki sesame dressing and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Yum! I love the crunch of the almonds and the salty teriyaki dressing.

Then of course there is always the traditional broccoli with a dip. Might I suggest Avocado Dip? Then there is broccoli soup, casserole, grilled broccoli, broccoli with pasta, broccoli stuffed in twice baked potatoes, broccoli stir-fry, broccoli tempura.......oh I could go on and on.

Do you have a favorite Broccoli dish? Do your kids have a favorite vegetable?

Easy Vegan Spanish Rice

2010-10-05T10:27:00.001-07:00

Hello, miss me? I missed you, truly, wholly, and completely. I am feeling...meh....ok, but ok is a marked improvement from miserable so I'll take it. What did I do when I started feeling better you may ask? Clean the bathrooms? Wash the windows? Do the laundry? Of course not! I made muffins, I will post that recipe soon.

For now though, I wanted to share with you a super easy recipe for Spanish rice that is a favorite among the wee members of our household. There is a recipe for Spanish rice that has been passed down through the generations in our family.........and this is not it (sorry Dad). That recipe involves el pato, and I believe lard.....and it has a little kick to it. My daughter doesn't like kicks. So this is what I have been making. To my knowledge a lot of Spanish rice recipes use oil and are vegan, and I've never come across a recipe that is too difficult, so while this could probably also be called "pretty much like every other Spanish rice you have ever had" I thought "Easy Vegan Spanish Rice" had a much nicer ring to it....don't you? You can use brown rice, I have in the past. The cook time will be longer, but it will still be just as tasty. My wonderful husband has been doing more than his share this past week, including the grocery shopping. I used what we had in the cupboard, white rice, cooking times will reflect that.

2 tbs oil
1 diced onion
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup uncooked rice
5 cloves garlic that have been peeled and finely chopped
1 14.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 can worth of veg stock, or corn stock*
garlic salt and salt to taste

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, chili powder, oregano, salt, and cook for about two minutes.

Add the rice and chopped garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. The Onion should be tender and the rice should start to become a golden color. Stir to keep the garlic from burning.

Lower the heat to medium low and stir in the tomatoes and stock. Stir to prevent tomatoes from burning.

Bring to a light simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until all of the liquid is gone.

Remove from heat and add salt and garlic salt to taste.

I've also been known to add bell pepper, corn, cayenne for heat, spinach and jalapeno. This is quite lovely when served with refried beans and grilled veggies (bell peppers, onion, mushroom etc). Pile it all into a tortilla for a fantastic burrito that is full of flavor and dairy free.

*When I buy stock I like to buy it in boxes. You'll not find (to my knowledge) corn stock in the stores, but I keep some in my freezer. Simply pour stock into the empty tomato tin and voila one can worth of veg stock. :)

Hello out there

2010-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Oh what a week. If there were a title to this week it would be, "week of acquiring various illnesses and injuries predominately seen in middle aged men". It's a long title, but highly appropriate. Due to the nature of my week I have had to take a short break from blogging. I miss you guys, and I hope to be up to 100% soon. I can't wait to get back to cooking and blogging and reading.

I really miss reading your posts. However I tore my rotator cuff and it hurts when I laugh. So I have had to abstain from all things humorous in nature, and I find some of you hilarious. It is especially sad for me personally because I love to laugh. I have had to develop this sort of throaty wheezy laugh as to not hurt myself further, Not only does it annoy me, but it frightens small children.

So don't worry (you were worried right?) I'll be on here again soon enough. I miss you, thank you so much for following along. I promised real life mommy stuff and here it is.

Mommy Tip Monday: Snack Time!

2010-09-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! I think this post applies to everyone, because who doesn't like snacking right? Well if you like to snack, I know you will get just as lost as I always do on this site. Check it out.

Fix Me A Snack

Don't leave without checking out Yogurt 101!

Thai Inspired Soup

2010-09-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

I am working once again on very little sleep. I called in this morning to see if I could take a personal day and the girl who answered the phone clearly didn't know what she was talking about.

"Hello"

"Hi, Mommy"

"Hi, I was just calling in because my kids kept me up all night, and seeing as I've worked nonstop for the past four years I was wondering if it was ok if I took the day off to get some rest"

"Mommy do you know what sound a bagpipe makes? It goes...beeeeeeeeeeaaawwaaaarrrrraaaaaaaaaaaahhh. It's pretty much my favorite sound"

this is where I started suspecting that she may have no authority to give me the day off

"Do you have a manager I could speak too"

"Bagpipe starts with B...buh buh Beee"

*crickets*
At this point I noticed the girl in question was talking into a plastic banana instead of a phone, clearly this conversation was going nowhere.

We reached a compromise though. I get to wear my pj's all day, and we are going to have canned soup and sandwiches for dinner because they require minimal effort. Also there will be much time cuddling on the couch with a story book. This job has it's perks.

What does that have to do with this soup....nothing. Thanks for putting up with it. I guess what I'm saying is if you notice extra typos, grammatical errors and confusing steps, it's only because my editor** has taken a leave of absence due to lack of sleep. :)

Here's that recipe you have all been waiting for.....right? It's a mild flavored soup that is full of summery ingredients like corn, yellow pepper, lemon and cilantro. It has almost no heat, you can surely up the amount of curry paste if you want a spicy soup. This recipe makes a lot, but I think it tastes even better the next day. It's excellent over cilantro rice. There are a lot of ingredients in here, don't be alarmed, you may be surprised just how many you have on hand.

served over cilantro rice. Yum!

1tbs oil
6 cloves of pressed garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
2 tbs vegetarian oyster sauce*
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs Thai green curry paste
1 yellow bell pepper sliced into strips
1 potato scrubbed and diced
8oz extra firm organic pre-diced tofu...It will be packed in water, drain it thoroughly
1 cup frozen corn
4 cups of veggie stock
1 can of coconut milk
1 handful of baby spinach
1 handful of cilantro chopped
2 Meyer lemons
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the next six ingredients (from garlic to curry paste) and stir.

Add the pepper, tofu, and potato. Cook for five minutes. Then flip and cook for five more minutes. The potatoes should be tender.

Add the corn and veggie stock. Bring it to a boil.

Boil until the potatoes are done.

Lower the heat and add the coconut milk, spinach, cilantro and the juice of the two lemons. Heat through and add salt to taste.

Serve over cilantro rice if desired. I made this recipe and switched the white rice for brown, so the cooking times and proportions were different, but the flavors were still the same. It was fantastic, use whatever type of stock you desire. I think I may have also doubled the garlic....I do that.

*This is vegetarian oyster sauce, I believe I have also seen it called mushroom stirfry sauce. I'm not thrilled with all of the ingredients. Definitely a sometimes food. It adds a depth of flavor to Thai dishes that I have not been able to duplicate without using it. Find it Asian grocery stores.

** Editor, being my brain....she isn't really that great of an editor to begin with, but she's better than nothing.

Sorry about the funky font sizes, I was having trouble editing this. All the computer's fault I'm sure. In no way has to do with my lack of sleep. :)

Marinated Bean and Potato Tacos and a Choose Your Own Adventure

2010-09-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Remember the "choose your own adventure" series? I loved those things as a kid, a book you can read again and again! What more would any eight year old girl want (I don't know friends maybe).

Anyhoo, this is a super simple recipe so I thought I'd turn it into a behind the scenes peek at what goes on in my kitchen when I am cooking and running on very little sleep. I fully intend to get seven hours tonight. With luck there will be no broken night lights, 2 am "frow ups", or 5am "I just decided I really like the sun and I want to sing about it.....loudly". It does make the recipe a little more confusing, however it is like I said a super simple recipe and I totally have faith in you.

What you need

2 cloves of garlic finely minced
12 oz jar of Mango Peach Salsa
2 baked potatoes cooled and diced
1 can of beans drained and rinsed. I suggest pinto beans, I did not have them and used butter beans. I think pinto would have worked better.
hot sauce and salt to taste.

tortilla shells

Add the salsa to a large mixing bowl one tablespoon at a time (no not really) until you realize you want to use the whole dang jar and dump that in.

Take a moment to look at how pretty the salsa jar is. Isn't it lovely? It vaguely reminds you of the cover of a book you once read.....you liked that book.
At this point you can either

1.) add the garlic, diced potatoes and beans to the bowl.
or
2.)contemplate the jar some more.....yes you could recycle it, but you could also get crafty with it...it's the perfect size for a candle isn't it?

If you chose 1 continue on with the recipe. If you chose 2 scroll to the bottom.

Carefully stir in the potatoes and beans and add hot sauce and salt to taste. Cover and put the bowl in the fridge.

Leave it there for about a half hour, while it is marinating you can fry or bake up some tortilla shells.

While your tortilla shells are frying (let's just say you fried them ok) your phone will beep.
You....

3.) Dutifully remain in the kitchen and dice taco fixings next to the stove where you can keep a watchful eye on your tortillas.
4.) Go check , and update, and otherwise get lost on facebook.

Those who chose 3 may proceed.....4....scroll to the bottom.

When your tortillas are done salt them and let them cool. Pull the taco filling out of the fridge and fill your tortillas with the marinated potato mixture, lettuce, bell pepper, cilantro, cheese, rice cheese or whatever else you like to put on tacos. As is this recipe is vegan (double check your ingredients). However I don't know enough about protein combinations to tell you whether or not it is a complete meal....perhaps someone out there can enlighten me?

After all of the tortillas are done, and your tacos are filled, take a picture for your blog. Because there is nooooo way you could have possibly done that while you were facebooking or waiting for the tortillas to cook.

Eat, enjoy, and be thankful that even in your current scatterbrained state there are still recipes that are pretty darn fool proof.

2.) Grab everything out of your craft closet (you have been wanting to organize it anyway). You are looking for candle wax or other things that might help you re purpose this jar. The end result being that your tacos will not be ready until eight o' clock at night.

4.) While on facyspace you lose track of time. Your taco shells are burnt and they won't open properly so you won't be able to get a lot of filling into them. You will say a quick prayer of thanks that your husband actually likes burnt food, and when no one is looking you will eat extra taco filling out of the bowl with a spoon........don't be ashamed, we've all done it.

Well I hope that all made sense, I'm about to go to bed as we speak. These tacos were tasty, and super easy to make. They will definitely be a go to meal in our house. I recommend the mango peach salsa, because a regular tomato salsa won't have as much flavor to it. Also I really like the sweet and spicy combo....could you tell?

Indian Spiced Potatoes and Peas

2010-09-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely side dish, not really spicy hot, but very tasty. You may add cayenne or hot pepper if you desire a spicy dish. And yes I totally pan fried these potatoes....in oil...then I wrapped the whole lovely mess in rice paper...and I fried it some more. So clearly this is not an every day food. Really tasty, and full of healthy veg, but I am willing to wager it's not low calorie. I am ok with that. I would have loved to add some more protein to this and have made it into a full meal. Chickpeas would be nice, or perhaps some diced firm tofu? Let me know if you try it out.

What you need

2 tbs oil
2 sweet potatoes (washed, peeled, diced)
1 regular potato (washed, peeled, diced)
1/4 tsp of salt

1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt

4 cloves of pressed garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced potatoes and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook for five minutes on medium.

Add the rest of the spices and salt (from turmeric to salt) stir them in, and cook for another five minutes. At this point my potatoes were fully cooked, if yours are not then cook them a bit longer.

Add the garlic, ginger, and frozen peas. Cook for five minutes more, stirring and lowering heat if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.

I've divided the ingredients up into groups by when you add them. Let me know if this makes it easier or more confusing. I love the feedback, and I am also in total shock that people are actually following my recipes. :) It makes me super happy, but also makes me want to make it a little easier on you, the reader.....because I love you the reader. :)

Here are the potatoes and peas being used as an appetizer of sorts, rolled in rice paper, fried, and served with a dipping sauce. The sauce is a mixture of yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cilantro leaves. Not very pretty, but very tasty.

Mommy Tip Monday:Holidays with food allergies and dietary restrictions

2010-09-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

October is coming up, and I was kind of in a dilly of a pickle. What to do about Halloween? There is going to be candy EVERYWHERE. It doesn't matter if we trick or treat or not, they give out candy in stores, at harvest festivals, even some library functions. Should we hide from now until January second? Do I let my children participate, and then snatch their candy away after the festivities?

If you have been reading my blog for some time (or if you know me), then you will know the reason for this conundrum is due to our collective allergies. When you take away soy, nuts, eggs and food dye, you end up with very few options at most holiday parties. Throw in the fact that one child can have nuts and soy while the other can not and you see where my problem lies. I am sure this is a problem for other parents out there so I thought I would share what I am going to do with you.

There are a few things I am passionate about, giving my kids food home cooked meals, eating together, and despite the differences in the way we may eat and live I want them to be kids! So we are not hiding out, nor am I devising a stick like weapon to bat away the onslaught of sugary allergen infested treats! I got this wonderful idea from a mother at story time, who does not to my knowledge have a blog, but deserves the credit for this. After trick or treating her children leave their candy out overnight and in the morning it has been replaced by a toy! Excellent idea right? The kids are happy, they get to participate in fun, and they don't feel deprived of their sweets. Problem solved!

Lentils In a Creamy Spicy Tomato Sauce

2010-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I am a lean (kind of) mean (not on purpose of course) meal freezing machine!

Little man had a stomach bug that totally caught me off guard. All he wanted was to be held and cuddled 24-7, and while I in no way mind doing so it made me aware of the fact that we are getting low on freezer meals. Anyhoo, you may see a little less of me in the next few weeks as I build up my reserves. In the mean time, we are also still working on squirrelling away money to put into savings. And what is cheaper than lentils?? Right? Well I served this dish over rice, and you could use any type of beans you like in place of lentils.

This meal is the perfect example of why I like to have lots of spices on hand. This is really a quite ordinary dish...garlic, tomato sauce, beans, not very exciting at all. By using some spices that I always have readily available, garam masala, cumin, paprika, it turns into a scrumptious dish that the whole family enjoys.

What you need:

2 tbs butter (or olive oil)
3 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1 tsp chili powder
dash or two of cayenne
5 cloves of pressed garlic
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can coconut milk
Salt to taste
2-4 cups of cooked beans (I used lentils, kidney beans might work well in this too)
If you want to go with canned beans, be sure to drain and rinse them well.I used a lot of beans, I was going for a high protein high fiber meal. Add the beans to your liking and tastes.

Melt the butter (or heat the oil) over medium heat and add the spices (garam masala, paprika, cumin, ginger, chili powder, and cayenne). Cook about a minute and a half until fragrant.

Add the garlic and cook one minute more.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Lower the heat if necessary, tomato products are quick to burn (if memory serves me this is because of their high sugar content, anyone know for sure?)

Slowly stir in the tomato sauce and the coconut milk.

Add salt to taste and heat through.

Add the beans and cook until heated through once more.

Adjust to suit tastes (more cayenne, salt etc) and serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro.

Although this lovely dish looks kind of like dog food it was quite tasty, and we all enjoyed it very much. I hope you do as well.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Curried Rice and Chickpeas

2010-09-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

When I saw Astra put squash into a slow cooker my world was changed. Just because squash and pumpkins start showing up in the produce section in no way means that the weather has started to cool down here. In fact this next week we are looking at a lot of 90 degree plus days. This is one of the many reasons I love my crock pot, it gives me the ability to enjoy the foods I love without turning my house into an oven. Thank you Astra.

This recipe was pretty tasty, I think next time I will replace the 1/4 cup of yogurt with coconut milk and add a can of diced tomatoes....I don't know why it just sounds good. I will let you know how those modifications turn out. I served this along side some curried potato patties. I will hopefully get around to posting that recipe soon. What you see in the middle bowl is simply a mixture of plain yogurt thinned out with vinegar, and a smidgen of sugar.

This recipe makes four servings

2 acorn squash washed, halved and degooped (pull out all of the seeds and etc)
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
5 tsp hot curry paste (like Pataks) divided
1/4 cup plain yogurt
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 small box of raisins (1.5 oz)
1tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp salt...or more to taste

Using 1tsp of the curry paste rub the insides of the acorns and sprinkle with salt.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients and distribute this filling evenly between the four halved squashes.

Cook on low, until squash is fully cooked. It took me about six hours, but will vary depending on the size of your squash and the crock pot you use. I had to stack my squash, they seemed to cook well regardless.

My daughter even pitched in on this meal by making dessert. Chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. She was so proud to present them at the end of the meal.

Easy Peasy Mac and Cheesy

2010-09-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was going to call this "easy as box mac and cheese".....but I over think things....I'm not sure if it really is as easy as box...It takes about the same amount of time as the box mac and cheese.However, instead of waiting around for the water to boil and the noodles to cook you need to be grating cheese. So really it's only "takes the same amount of time as box mac and cheese", not quite the same ring to it.....

I told you I over think things.

It worked out well though, because I got to use rhyming words. I like rhyming words, they make me giggle.

Anyhoo, this is the only mac and cheese my kids will eat, and I have to thank my friend Stefanie for giving me the idea. She served something very similar for Easter one year and when she told me how simple it was (1lb noodles, 1lb cheese, butter, garlic salt, and pepper) I had to try it out. Of course I added a 16oz bag of frozen organic veggies, and sometimes I add other things*.

What you need:

1lb dried noodles
4 cups of shredded cheese (shred mine while I'm waiting for the water to boil)
16oz frozen organic veggies of any kind. (I have used broccoli, peas, mixed veggies, and even a bag of stir fry veggies.)
3tbs butter
garlic salt and pepper to taste

Here's the tricky part. Depending on the type of noodles you use and the type of veggies you use your cooking times/when you add the veggies will vary. I am calculating this for the cook times on the organic penne I bought, and the pea/carrot/corn mixture I bought. Please do your own math to adjust for different types of noodles and veggies. The penne had a 12 minute cook time and the veggies had a 6 minute cook time, so I just dumped the veggies in half way through. Twelve minutes might be too long for regular elbow macaroni noodles.

Boil the water and shred the cheese.

Add the noodles and cook for six minutes.

Add the veggies and boil for six more minutes.

Drain and return to pot.

Add the butter one tbs at a time and stir in the cheese a little at a time so it melts and doesn't turn into one big clump o' cheese.

Add garlic salt and pepper to taste.

My kids love this. I've even given it to their veggie hating friends with success. My kids won't eat box mac and cheese, so when I'm tired this is a great go to meal. It's easy, fast, cheap, and I usually have everything on hand. Make sure to use garlic salt instead of plain old salt, I believe that's what gives it flavor and turns it from noodles and melted cheese into a real dish.

*Variations include "chili mac", where I stir in leftover chili after I add the cheese, and "baked bean mac"....you get the picture.

Mommy Tip Monday: Fun Food, and Questions

2010-09-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

When I look at bento boxes and the other fun lunches that my friends make for their children I get inspired. I don't know that the inspiration will ever lead me to as awesome of a creation as the ones they make, but it is there none the less. It often results in a smidge more effort on my part put into the little ones lunches.

When my daughter was younger, she could not be tricked or persuaded into eating. All my attempts were fruitless (haha get it, we are talking about food). She was a 42 year old New York City food critic trapped in a non verbal 23 month old body. Her looks said it all...."will not touch it, do not like it, don't even think I believe that pancake is supposed to be Mickey Mouse....because I'm not fooled". The look was often followed by a grunt and a tossing of food....sigh. Now that she is older I believe there is a direct correlation between the amount of food she eats and how cute/cool it is. So even if this method has not worked on your little one in the past, I encourage you to try try again.

I made this for her as a play on one of her favorite shows, Blues Clues. In one of the episodes Steve and Blue are shape searchers. I thought it would be fun to look for shapes in our lunch. Circle olives, circle pizzas, triangle cheese, square pretzels. Ohhhh and what's that I see over there.....
A clue!!! A clue!!!! What....you don't see it...that is clearly a paw print made of blueberries in a blue berry yogurt smoothie...aaah ok, now you get it. Good. My daughter was quite delighted to have a shape searchers lunch.

The smoothie is simply vanilla yogurt, blue berries, and lemon juice. It was thick enough to plop five blueberries on top and give it enough of a paw print shape that the kids were very excited to find it. I may have made some subtle subliminal suggestions to aid them ....."Oh look, a clue!"

Along these same lines, we also took a shape searchers walk. I let my four year old take her camera on the walk so we could take pictures of all the shapes we found. Also a blast....and also (if not food related) health related, because it got us out of the house and moving.

Do fun shapes encourage your kids to eat more? Any flops? What has worked to make your kids excited about food?

Black Bean and Avocado Tacos

2010-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is another cold taco filling. It is very simple, and I encourage you to play around with the ingredients to suit your own tastes. It's still really hot outside here, so these were a refreshing break from warm food. I would write more, but I think my brain has already left for the weekend. Hope you are all having a great Friday.

2 cups black beans
1 washed peeled and diced avocado
2 tbs chopped cilantro leaves (or to taste)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar (apple cider)
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup shredded cheese or "cheese"
1/2 diced onion (optional)
1 clove pressed garlic
salt, pepper, and hot sauce* to taste

Mix everything together in a big bowl and spoon into taco shells. Add extra taco fixins as desired. The hubster and I thought these were great plain. The filling tasted even better the next day.

*My personal belief is that you can never have too much hot sauce....unless it's in your eye. Then pretty much any amount is no good. Hot sauce haters may leave it out of this recipe if they so desire. :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2010-09-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

I don't think my daughter sleeps at night.....I think she lies in wait. The slightest post 3am sound will have her springing to feet and ready to start the day, complete with list of requests of things she would like to do do today (color a picture, eat some yogurt, ride a llama??). She does not get this from me. I roll out of bed and crawl to the kitchen where my automatic coffee maker has (hopefully) brewed me a cup of industrial strength coffee. In the event that the coffee pot has not begun it's daily duty I press the button, grab a mug, and lie on the floor in the kitchen groaning and mumbling to myself.

All that to say that today I am having a friends toddler over and I wanted to get my morning routine in before they got here. So I woke up at 5:30. I got in a devotional, one load of laundry, and 20 minutes of yoga before my daughter awoke and began to tell me her list....chocolate milk? Blues Clues? Play outside?....No, No, and maybe after bubby wakes up. I'd like to tell you what all this has to do with rhubarb Pie, but I can't....You see I started writing this at 6 this morning...that was two cups of coffee, three loads of laundry, 20 make and freeze veggie burgers, one craft and story time, and seven hours of babysitting ago.....I'm kind of lost as to where I was going with this...so who wants a vague outline on how to make this delectable dessert eh?

I use Alton Browns pie crust recipe, but I use all butter....instead of butter and lard....I can almost hear my father shouting all the way over in California "What's wrong with lard? Nothing, you were raised on it. I was raised on it, and your grandparents were raised on it too". If you can hear him just ignore him, replace the lard with butter. No offense taken I hope Gramma and Pop.

Instead of a pie tin, I put this into a greased 8x8 casserole dish.

Then I stir together 3 cups chopped rhubarb (make very sure that you don't get any leaves in there), 2 cup sliced strawberries, 1 cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and 6 tbs flour. This goes on top of the pie crust.

On top of that I mix up this strueselly stuff...about 2 tbs flour, mixed well into 4 tbs brown sugar, and I cut butter into it until it gets all crumbly looking. This is sprinkled on top. Cover with foil and it goes into the oven for about 50 minutes. Check it at 30 minutes though, I have been using frozen rhubarb, which I'm sure increases the cooking time. It will be bubbly and oozy and smell delicious.

You are supposed to let a pie cool.....that is the hardest part about making a pie, in my humble opinion. You can eat this straight away if you would like, I won't tell. :)

I made this for my husbands birthday. We also ordered takeaway from a Turkish restaurant. I thought you all might enjoy some pictures of our meal.

These were filled with cheese and fresh herbs, they came with a tangy yogurt sauce not unlike raita. I will try to recreate it soon.

I ordered a couple of appetizers as they had no vegetarian main course....this was their fried vegetable dish. It had a nice mild flavor, and lots of eggplant and onion. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
This was an eggplant relish of sorts, it was very tangy and salty. I mixed it with the veggies and stuffed it all into a pita.

Vegetarian Sushi Filling

2010-09-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

The video card on our desktop is down, so no pictures today. But it got me thinking about what I could write about that I don't have pictures for. Sushi is a summer staple in our house. I used to make fancy sauces for it as well, but now with little man's soy allergies less so. There are many reasons for eating vegetarian sushi, pregnancy, allergies, avoiding unsustainable fishes. Whatever your reasons you need not be limited (although it's still tasty) to cucumber and carrot matchsticks.

Here are a few of my favorite sushi fillings, mix and match them as you like.

Spicy Thai cashews from Trader Joes

Green onion

Avocado

Tempura fried tofu

Tempura fried jalapeno peppers

Hot peppers of any sort

Tempura fried veggies

Cucumbers that have been marinated in rice vinegar

Spicy cucumber salad (diced cucumbers mixed with a dressing of yogurt, cayenne, rice vinegar and a smidgen of sugar....I will post a recipe for this later, you can also add diced jalapeno to this)

Cream cheese

Cream cheese mixed with wasabi

Cream cheese mixed with Thai sweet chili sauce

Lemon pepper tofu

Lemon pepper asparagus

Marinated tofu (in a mixture of teryaki sauce garlic and cayenne)

Spicy nuts (either cashews or macadamia) Nuts that have been chopped and mixed with salt and chili oil....yum!

Veggies! Of course of any sort, matchstick, marinated, grilled, fried, whatever you like...then mix them with any of the other above ingredients.

Some of my favorite combinations....

Fried tofu, jalapeno, cream cheese

wasabi cream cheese, green onion, avocado

cream cheese, green onion

avocado, jalapeno

Marinated tofu, grilled bell peppers

Garlic Ginger Grilled Zucchini Roll-ups

2010-09-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

I would recommend this to a zucchini hater. I myself used to be a zucchini hater, but this recipe helped me change my mind. What I hated was the taste of raw zucchini, something about it totally grossed me out as a kid. Now that I have learned how zucchini caramelizes on the grill, and how well it works in veggie pancakes, I've been won over. If you are super zucchiniaphobic, you might want to start out by trying them in veggie pancakes and working your way up to these.

I made two types, one with feta for us adults, and one with cheddar for the kids. I'm not going to recommend the cheddar ones, the kids were ok with them.....but they don't know how wonderful feta is. However, because I didn't think to take pictures of the process until I had already rolled all of the feta ones, you will get pictures of the less tasty cheddar version. You can also add diced roma tomatoes, and chopped fresh herbs to the filling with very tasty results.

You will need one recipe garlic ginger butter , zucchini, and feta cheese. It's that simple!

Melt the garlic ginger butter.

Wash off the zucchini and chop off both ends. Slice it thinly lengthwise and brush it with the garlic ginger butter. Throw it on the grill until it has these little liney thingies, and is pliable...see picture below....
Line those babies up and sprinkle feta, diced tomatoes and whatnot over the top half of the zucchini.
Roll them up and serve immediately! Here's what the kids version looked like....
I served these along side manicotti. I found 1/2 of a box of manicotti noodles in my cupboard, and though I didn't have all the ingredients I normally use I improvised.....and it was a hit. My daughter raved that she loved "circle shaped spaghetti".....do you want to know what I did? I replaced the mozzarella with cheddar...not a huge leap, and I replaced the ricotta with.....beans....white beans.....and it was delicious. My husband said he liked it better than regular manicotti. All you do is drain and rinse one can of white beans, and throw it in the food processor. I added one clove of pressed garlic and seasoned it as I would ricotta (salt, pepper, oregano, and a dash of nutmeg). It was a little thinner than normal manicotti filling, but it was pretty tasty. I didn't get any good pictures (again I wasn't thinking) but I got a picture...which is about all you really expect from me by now isn't it? That's the game, set the bar low.;)

I made this dish out of mostly pantry and staples so I'm labeling it a pantry meal......because I can, because it's my blog. :)

Mommy Tip Monday: What your little ones should NOT be eating

2010-09-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of plans for today. None of them involved a teething little man waking up at 5:30 and permanently attaching himself to my hip....but here I am. So here is the extremely abbreviated version of my blog.

Most of you probably know that it isn't safe to feed your children honey under the age of one, but did you know that maple and corn syrup fall into that category? This link will tell you more about why that is, and lists other foods that can be dangerous for your little one.

Here is a list of the top ten edible choking hazards for kids. Not included on the list, but also worthy of note are dried fruits, marshmallows, gummy candies, nut butters, stringy foods, whole olives, and melted cheese. Popcorn is especially dangerous, and there are so many other choices for healthy snacks, it's not worth the risk.

Other foods that you should avoid are sprouts, and obviously undercooked meats and eggs.

This is by no means a complete list, and foods to avoid/how long to avoid them can vary from child to child based on family history of allergies, among other things. So check with your pediatrician if you have any concerns.

Have a great Monday.

Chocolate Maple Pudding and a bakefail of epic proportions

2010-09-04T17:42:00.001-07:00

When someone experiences failure of extremely epic proportions, there is nothing more natural that said person can do than to photograph the failure and mock oneself on the interwebs for the masses to chuckle and guffaw at.

These......

are eclairs.....

I know, I don't believe it either and I made them. I promised my facebook fans that my next attempt at egg free baking would be eclairs. Attempt was certainly the word here. Why post pictures? Well, I'm not quite sure. I am not the type of person to pretend I don't make mistakes, I am the type of person to laugh at my mistakes, and now I would like to invite you to laugh along side me. When adjusting to a new diet we all have bakefails. I am determined to figure out a breakfast that we can all eat on Christmas morning......egg free, soy free eclairs will apparently not be on the menu.

Let's backtrack shall we. They started out so promising.....

See, at this point I'm thinking....this is so easy, I have mastered the secret to egg free cooking....I'm full of all the confidence and sense of accomplishment of someone who has not yet seen this....

Oh snap!!!! At this point there was not much to do with them, I put them back in the oven hoping something would happen (maybe they would reflate) like they would crisp up or something.

Yikes!! I know what I did wrong. One, I messed with a french pastry recipe, and two, I used too much oil. I hope this has been educational for you all. Perhaps someone browsing the interweb for egg free baking recipes will find this and bake with confidence knowing that they can not mess up this badly. They were still tasty mind you, my husband loved them. I sandwiched them with chocolate maple pudding that was super tasty, which is why I am sharing that recipe with you.

Maple Pudding and Chocolate Maple Pudding variation

1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
pinch o' salt
6tbs maple syrup
2 cups milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk thoroughly.

Add the maple syrup slowly about 1tbs at a time, whisking between each addition.

Cook stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved (about three minutes).

Add the milk slowly whisking as you pour and let the milk come to a light simmer (no boiling please). Everything I've read says you are supposed to constantly whisk....but I don't, and I've never had a problem with lumps.

Once the pudding has thickened turn off the heat. At this point you can either just stir in the vanilla for maple pudding...or...you can stir in the chocolate chips, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir until all of the chocolate chips have melted.

Enjoy!

Avocado Sandwich Spread or Dip

2010-09-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am not going to call this an egg free substitute for mayonnaise, because you couldn't really use it to replace mayonnaise in recipes. It does make a very tasty sandwich spread though. So in our house we will be using it as an egg free, soy free mayo/ranch alternative. It also works great as a dip. This isn't so much of an actual recipe as a, "here is a vague outline of what I did, with some pictures and witty banter thrown in". So now go out there and adjust it to your own taste preferences and dietary restrictions.:)

The only downside to this is that avocado turns brown and I didn't add enough lemon juice to prevent it. If you make this, you have to use it quickly, or you have to get over that lovely shade of greenish brown (that always reminds me of Linda Blair) being on your sandwich or quesadilla.

All I did was throw 2 tbs of yogurt, two avocados (washed, peeled, pitted) and the juice of one lemon into the food processor. Then I added ranch dressing mix to taste. I've found packets of ranch dressing mix on the shelves that my met our dietary restrictions before, however....I did not love them. I wanted to...believe me, but it was just not meant to be. Try making your own, you can adjust the sodium, spices, and there are even dairy free recipes out there.

This made it's way into the kids muffin tin snacks the other day, check it out....

The theme was "A". A is for apple slices, avocado dip, and ants on a log. The kids gobbled this whole tray up in no time flat. I got the idea for serving it in a muffin tin over here, at Mama to 4 blessings, our homeschool blog.

Might I also suggest you try it on a veggie burger....good stuff!

Cranberry Salsa

2010-09-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Cranberry salsa on top of plain yogurt....surrounded by black bean and cheddar quesadilla "petals"

I love sweet and spicy....I think I've established that pretty well at this point. One of my favorite places to eat in town has this mango habenero salsa that is sooooo good. Well it got me thinking about other fruit salsas, and I thought how about cranberry? You could actually chop all the ingredients up really small and mix them together with lemon juice for a chunky salsa, but I can't do that....because then my daughter would know there were onions on it....and then she would have to vomit at the dinner table....again.

I used this salsa to make a cute quesadilla flower for my daughter with the salsa in the middle and quesadilla "petals" surrounding it. This recipe can easily be adjusted to suit your own taste, try more or less jalapenos or different types of peppers....you could even substitute a different type of dried fruit...apricot, mango....whatever. This salsa is also really good on nachos, spread on a sandwich, as a dip, or poured over cream cheese.

Oohh and in other cool news, I'm adding a "football" tag. So you will be able to browse through my site for recipes that (I think) would be great to munch on during a game.

1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 red onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (washed really well)
1 clove of garlic
2 tbs sliced jalapeno or other pepper to taste
1 lemon worth of juice

Put all of the ingredients into food processor and process until desired consistency.

Lentil Croquettes

2010-09-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

We are about to spend 450 dollars on a plumber. It is going to be ok though, because I will just take it from our food budget for the month.....let's see...
wait a minute, let me do the math.....
Yes, we will still have -50 dollars for groceries....

...

craaaaawfish

And my husbands birthday is coming up....

double craw fish.

Ever have a month like this? We will actually be ok, the money will come out of our emergency fund. However, I like to replace that fund as quickly as possible. So I am hoping to cut down on our grocery bill this month in order to pay our savings back.

One of the recipes I turn to when money is tight is lentil croquettes. They are filling, tasty, and cheap. You can dress them up with Indian spices, or sauces, such as tomato chutney.

Lentil croquettes are basically caramelized onions, lentils and bread crumbs shaped into patties. The full recipe is from the book "Vegetarian Cooking for everyone". I think this book is another must have. It's really quite fantastic. So once again I have no recipe (sorry) or picture.....all I have is this horrible heat induced migraine and a cup of chamomile tea...mmmmm.

Perhaps while I'm recovering you could keep yourself busy by telling me your favorite super cheap go to when you have to drop half a thou on pipes of all the stupid things, when what you really need is pants that fit.....hmmmm....just tell me about your favorite cheap dinner. :)

Or you could check out some of my other posts that include recipes and photos....here are some of my faves!

Curried Pumpkin Soup
Apple Cinnamon Dessert Pizza
Creamy Indian Spiced Spinach
Garlic Ginger Butter
Roasted Eggplant Unmeatballs

Egg Free Soy Free Sourdough English Muffins

2010-08-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

Why haven't I ever made English muffins before?? And also important, why aren't you making them right now? Sometimes bad things in life (my son's egg and soy allergy) bring about fantastic things, like these muffins. I don't know that it will make up for a lifetime without Chinese food.....but it's a start. Not only do they avoid all of our collective allergens, but they are wicked tasty, and cook on a griddle. So unlike biscuits, there is no need to heat the whole house.

I modified the recipe from the "Sourdough English Muffin" recipe in this book.....I love this book. Not only are there tons of recipes for bread machines, there are tips on what to do with stale, leftover bread.

Unfortunately, since I got the recipe from a book....and....you know.... copyright laws and stuff, I didn't feel like it would be a good idea to post it on the interwebs. However, I will tell you the modifications I made, and you can either buy the book.....or modify another recipe that you already have.

All I did was use 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1tbs oil to replace the egg. Also I replaced half of the flour with whole wheat flour. These smelled great, tasted great, and went fast! They will be on our breakfast table this holiday season.

Someone (other than my mom) Thinks I'm Special

2010-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

I got a blogger award. Isn't it cute? Thank you Grace!

In order to post this on my blog I have to answer ten questions and then have six of you do the same. Then you have to answer the questions...tag...etc...etc....

Here goes nothing....

1.If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

I started out anonymous, and it's not like I go around shouting from the rooftops that I have a blog. I'm happy where I'm at.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

One?? Inner??

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Me! And I'm happy with that.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Ginger lemonade

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I like to drink tea and listen to the sound of silence.....it rarely happens.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

I want to raise my children to be healthy, joyful, loving adults, who are content. I think contentment is better than being famous, or rich, becoming a lawyer, or a mother of 20 children....go get some....errr...contentment that is...

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school?

Oh my goodness...what year? I went to a school for the gifted in elementary school (ya, I don't know what happened there) so we were all overachievers. I don't think I was ever shy, I may have been a little of a clown.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

Holding my children. There have been several moments throughout my kids lives where I have held them in my arms and thought, "This is it, if I die and look back on my life, I doubt I will have any moments more wonderful than this on earth." It's a feeling of overwhelming thankfulness, joy, and contentment.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

Oh heck no...I have trouble sharing my true self with people I have known for years. I actually have an easier time on my blog because I can read over my words. I'm not the spill emotional vomit all willy nilly sort of person. You will see one or two personal blogs, but there is a reason I have a food blog. I do try to be truthful. I share what I liked, didn't like, what worked, didn't etc...however I think truthful, and true self are two different things.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Let me tell you a secret....I absolutely hate talking on the phone. I only do it because distance necessitates. If I talk to you on the phone it is because I love you more than I hate talking on the phone. . It goes back to the willy nilly emotional vomit thing, coupled with the fact that I am almost always doing something. I would much rather see someone in person. I love to read though. When I'm on bed rest I usually go through quite a few books.

Ooooh, almost forgot to tag people. I was so in awe of the awesomeness of some of my answers.

I'm going to choose a few people who I haven't seen blog in a while....because I miss reading your blogs. If you aren't blogging because you don't wish to, feel free to write me an email and kindly tell me to get lost. I struggled to pick out people who a.) actually read my blog, and b.) will actually respond. There are quite a few people out there with blogs I adore. I would give them all an award if I could....in fact...hmmm...ok, keep me accountable to this....By the end of September I will update my blog to show more blogs in the "stuff I like" section. Keep an eye out for that. For now, here are the winners.

New Veginings (Toni)

Lilac Berries
The Tinker's Muse
Good Food, Clean Cooking, My Life
Food = Bad (Sarah, I want to see you blogging again. I heart you)
Bare-Breasted Gaming (don't worry it's G rated)

For some other awesome blogs that deserve awards check out the "stuff I like" section.

Mommy Tip Monday: Picky Eaters

2010-08-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Picky Eaters Part One
(our story, SPD and eating)

That's right, part one....I have a lot to say on the subject. The little lawyer birdie on my shoulder* has reminded me to inform you that I am not a doctor, or an occupational therapist, or an allergist. Many things can cause picky eating besides just being strong willed and holding out for chocolate. And I am neither qualified to diagnose, or treat your child....I'm not qualified for much of anything except to give you a rockin' Swedish massage in the great gem state, oooh and also I have Jr.whale trainers pin...but I think that's only valid at Sea world.

The point being, an unbalanced diet can cause all sorts of nasty things, vitamin deficiencies, weight loss, failure to thrive etc. So if after reading this you feel there may be a sensory issue causing your child's picky eating, take them to the doctor. Speech and occupational therapy have helped us.....more on that further down the line...

Hi they call me Mama, and my daughter is a picky eater....

"Hi Mama!"

My daughter was born early weighing only 3lbs 8oz. She was what some would refer to as colicky. She screamed in the early evening....and again in the early morning...when she was held too tight...too loosely....or if she didn't like the fabric of the blanket she was being swaddled in. She was referred to as "sensitive". And that she surely seemed to be. She hated the fabric on our couch and would protest loudly if either myself or my husband had the audacity to place her down there.

Words of advice from friends and family were "all babies cry"...uh huh. Let me tell you when I had my son it was night and day! Sleeping through the night within weeks, the only time he cried "without reason" was when I had eaten soy, which we found out really quickly did not set well on his tummy. I wish I had known then what I know now. Which is that my darling daughter senses, the world slightly differently. She has something called sensory processing disorder . Not only that, but at the time she was born a nurse informed me that nothing I ate would affect her colic......well it seems now that doctors are a lot more sensitive to the fact that a baby can truly be allergic to something in Mums milk. Anyhoo...let's bring this back to picky eating.....

Her problems became more apparent as we started her on solid foods, it seemed as though taste had absolutely nothing to do with what she would eat. She loved very crispy things, carrots, crackers, and very smooth foods, plain cubes of silken tofu (yes I said plain), refried beans, cream cheese.....butter...also plain. And she shunned some of the normal toddler staples, like pasta dishes, and grilled cheese. The texture in her mouth was truly displeasing to her, and regardless of how salty or sweet the dish was, she wasn't touching it if it didn't feel right.

Once I figured out it was a texture issue I was able to accommodate so that she had a balanced diet. She has never had an iron deficiency, and she has always been tall (even if she is thin). So though she is on the low end of the b.m.i. she is healthy. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for her to finish a big bowl of baby spinach salad, but I will watch happily as she slurps up a green smoothie and asks for seconds.

Now that she is older and can speak for herself I ask her what it is about a food she doesn't like...and she usually makes up words. "This spinach is too skrunkely" she will say......I look forward to the day when she uses words that can be found in Webster's. But for now it's a step in the right direction. I want eating to continue to be an enjoyable situation for her, so I try to keep a patient tone at the table when I ask her to elaborate on "skrunkely". And then I thank her for trying the skrunkely spinach.

I'm going to go into some bulleted madness now, to keep this from getting way too long. If you would like me to elaborate, or have more questions on sensory issues feel free to comment or drop me an email...I will probably refer you to someone who knows a lot more than me...like these guys. I plan on writing a part two....at some point. Maybe not next Monday, but eventually. I want to include a little bit on food allergies, and how to make offending foods more palatable.

Identify the foods your child is refusing to eat, is there a pattern to it? A certain texture that is avoided?
Does your child meet any of the criteria for an oral sensitivity one way or the other? I know I just discussed my daughters aversion to food.
Have you noticed any other indicators of SPD?

How we deal with it

Get help! I felt like I was failing my daughter, how could a child not like food? How could anyone not like food...perhaps I was not a good chef, maybe there was a game or trick or some other mealtime secret that I should know. Once we had her evaluated by an occupational therapist all of the pieces fell into place.
Know when to pick your battles. There are foods that I will never force her to eat, it's a small list, but a memorable one....because these are the foods that cause a gag reflex and have been vomited into my hands. Since it is such a small list I know that she will lead a completely normal and healthy life without these foods.
Evaluate your goals. Mine are, healthy, growing kids. So as long as she is getting a balanced meal, and trying one or two bites of a "scary food" I'm happy.
Use a calm, cheerful voice.....and be patient. My daughter eats more when she is allowed to take her time, and doesn't get ultimatums right off the bat.....she's stubborn...no clue where she gets that from.
This is a very REAL disorder. It may not make sense to me why my daughter will refuse to eat a black bean in an enchilada complaining that it is "mushy mashy" and then sing praises of a black bean burger ten minutes later. However that doesn't make it less real to her. And although I feel the eye rolls and the sceptical gazes of others when I try to explain why you should probably not force her to try those mashed potatoes unless you have a steam cleaner, I can't let others opinions of my daughter affect how I treat her.
Regardless of whether or not others see the things you see in your child it's still important to talk to a doctor. We had so many people tell us that there was nothing wrong with her, and try to explain away her quirks....and you know what, there isn't anything wrong with her, but there is something different about her. And now that we know what it is, and that sensory processing disorder plays a part in it we can help her.

*Never to be confused with the little elf on my shoulder.....he mostly tells me to light things on fire.

Spicy Pan Fried Chickpeas

2010-08-28T09:45:00.001-07:00

I promised this recipe a while back . Sorry it took me so long. I was hoping to find the original recipe where I got the idea, so that I could link back to it. Alas, I could not. I can tell you it was in a magazine, and that it went along with a really yummy soup. Also worthy of note, I've changed it up a bit...I believe they used AP flour and I use whole wheat, there was also turmeric in the original recipe, which I loooove....however I didn't feel like cleaning up after little turmericy hands the other day. Maybe next time.

2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder.
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste preference

Oil to coat pan

Put all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag (except the oil) and shake.

Heat the oil over medium heat, and using a slotted spoon (to ensure you aren't frying gobs of flour) scoop out the chickpeas and place them in the pan. Pan fry over medium heat until golden brown.

Occasionally I add a clove of pressed garlic in the last minute of cooking time, very tasty!

I add these to soups, salads, rice, pasta dishes, alongside roasted root vegetables.....that is if I can keep my hands off them long enough for them to make it to the plate, as they are also quite tasty plain. :)

Look Ma, I'm Coding!

2010-08-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me, you will know that I am not a huge fan of the latest and greatest technology. I still have (and use) my VCR. It's not that I'm a pack rat it's just that VHS tapes are so dang durable, and my VCR still works so I haven't taken the time to switch completely over to DVD. Plus I haven't found "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" on DVD yet.
So it should be completely shocking to most of you that I was able to create this button and somehow attach it to my blog...You will note it off to the right somewhere...
I'll pause for applause......
.....
....
....
No takers? Well anyway....Yes, I made this in paint, and yes half of the eggplant is missing. The carrot also appears to be floating in mid air, not because I didn't know how to fix it...merely because eating carrots will give you night vision and other powers, like apparently levitation. I had made another button, and the lettering was too small to read so this is what I came up with. You will see my old design now at the top of my page (how about another round of applause...no... ahh lady in the back, you are too kind*).

You will also note that the button is attached to some stuff, which you can also copy...and put somewhere. Don't ask me where, I barely know how it got on my blog to begin with.

I'd like to thank Grace, who has been encouraging me and giving me ideas over the past two weeks. I'd also like to thank my husband, who told me that my levitating carrot button looked "great"....if only to get me to go to bed.

*I am aware of my need for therapy.

Taco Tuesday (I know it's Wednesday...shhhh)

2010-08-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Question:
When is an appetizer an entree?

A.) When I say it is, because I'm the mom.
B.) When you serve it in a 9x13 casserole dish
C.) When I say it is, because this is my blog.

Answer:
All of the above.

This dish can be eaten as is, or in taco shells (as we prefer it). You can mix it up quite a bit, spinach in place of the lettuce, add jalapenos, bell peppers, or whatever else strikes your fancy. It's basically seven layer bean dip, but I put it in a really big casserole dish and call it dinner.

I make my own refried black beans, so the measurement of three cups might not exactly equal a full two cans of the canned stuff....but this is bean dip...for dinner...I don't think you have to follow the recipe too closely. Omit what you like, keep what you like, serve stuff on the side that causes your children to vomit on you.....which reminds me of a story.......

A story that should probably wait for my picky eaters post.....
I should probably just get to that recipe.

3 cups of refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
1 can of sliced olives that have been drained
1 bag shredded lettuce (or baby spinach)
1 chopped roma (or other) tomato
1 diced avocado
1/2 cup cilantro (washed well, with the majority of the stems removed)
1 diced onion if desired

Corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the refried beans into a 9x13 baking dish.

Spread salsa on top of beans.

Sprinkle cheese and olives on top.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until it's hot and bubbly.

I used the time to prep my toppings....
Also, if you are using corn tortillas you will want to take this time to heat them according to the directions on the package.

Once the beans are done you have a "blank" canvas of sorts......the best kind of blank canvas, one that's made of cheese!

Layer your lettuce, avocado, onion, tomato, and cilantro over the top. Add whatever else you want. Add heaping scoops of this cheesy goodness into your corn tortillas and eat!

Mommy Tip Monday and a survey

2010-08-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here we get a whole variety of weather.....most of which requires we stay indoors. That, combined with a recommendation from my daughters occupational therapist that she do hand strengthening crafts makes this activity perfect for our family.

I almost always have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe for homemade playdough. And although we usually leave ours white, after finding this recipe for natural dye I may have to change that.

What to do once you have made the playdough??? Well of course if your children are old enough they can make sculptures that resemble things. However littler hands might have fun just mashing, poking, stamping, or rolling. We make balls, and snakes, and I break out all of the cookie cutters to make shapes. This will seriously keep the kids busy for hours.

Now for the part of the show where I come out and ask a question...

What would you like to see in my Monday posts? I've listed several options, feel free to comment here, on my facebook fan page, or by email. I read, and respond to all three.

a. crafts
b. sensory processing disorder
c. picky eaters
d. product reviews
e. family planning (infertility, natural birth control, etc)
f. shut up and get back to posting recipes
g. other (specify)

I welcome your suggestions and ideas. I have a few up my sleeve, but I would really like to hit topics that you all find interesting and informative. A big thank you to all who take the time to read and or comment on this.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2010-08-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so simple and tasty. It only has four ingredients........well, plus the two pantry staples (oil and salt)...so really six. But you know, who's here for math? You want a recipe right?

The other great thing about this soup is that it's a hit with every single member of our family. The kids each ate two bowls garnished with spicy fried chickpeas (recipe will be posted soon).

You don't have to use pumpkin, any butternut squash would also work nicely I think. But we covered this, I'm in love with pumpkin....as in love with a squash as someone can be within the boundaries of sanity of course.

oil to coat pot
1-3 tbs Indian curry paste (like Patak's)
1 can of pumpkin
1 can of coconut milk
2 cups of broth
Salt to taste

Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and heat over medium heat.

Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant. I used 2tbs of mild curry paste. I could have done with another tbs, but I ran out. If you have a hotter variety of curry paste than it might be wise to use less. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't know how universal flavor/heat is when it comes to curry paste......so use your own taste buds as a guide, you can always add some cayenne to spice things up if there isn't enough flavor in the end product.

Add the pumpkin and stir well. Slowly stir in the coconut milk, and the stock. Heat until warmed throughout.

That's it, simple, delicious, warm. Enjoy!

Egg Free Pumpkin Pie Bars

2010-08-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

I love autumn with the same passion and intensity that I hate the summer. The weather cools, the humidity dies down, and I can finally venture outside and breath simultaneously. One of the things I love most about fall is pumpkin! I am a pumpkin fanatic, I love EVERYTHING pumpkin. Sweet dishes, savory dishes, candles, soap, serving platters, pumpkin patches...if it has to do with pumpkin I am all over it. So you will be seeing a number of pumpkin dishes in the near future.

The challenge this year being that little man has an egg allergy. I figured if I wanted time to perfect an egg free, soy free pumpkin pie filling I better start now. I didn't go to the trouble of making a pie crust because I wasn't sure it was going to work. I just crushed up some organic graham crackers and made a graham cracker crust in the bottom of my 8x8 baking dish. This worked fabulously. It is more creamy and less spicy than your average pumpkin pie (probably also higher on calories...shhh), but it held it's shape and we all enjoyed it. So it was a success in my book.

I can't wait to try this filling in a pie crust now that I know it works. Baking times are for the 8x8 dish. Use any sort of crust you like. I didn't really measure....or pay attention to how I made the crust. I'm great at this whole food blogging thing, aren't I?

2 packages of cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Slowly stir in sugar.

Stir in pumpkin and spices. Adjust spices to taste preference.

Pour into crust. I baked mine for 50 minutes at 350. Let cool.

I'm so excited that our little man will be able to enjoy egg free, soy free pumpkin pie this year. If your intent is to make this dish egg free, soy free, be sure to check all the ingredients you use carefully!

UPDATE: I've made this quite a few times now, and this should definitely be made ahead of time to ensure time to set in the fridge. Also, while not absolutely necessary, using an electric mixer will produce the best results.

Quinoa with Peppers and Onions

2010-08-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple dish that we all loved. How can you go wrong with peppers and onions eh? Little man loved it too, and learned a new word, "peppa"....as in "More peppa, more peppa now. Now. NOW."....Toddlers are so endearing. :)

Here the quinoa is pictured on top of some very over cooked hearts of romaine. They certainly did not add anything to it as I threw them in a pan and walked away....and then forgot about them...for a good long while. I was probably doing something important like updating my facebook status. I think next time I might prefer this with a little marinara on top, or with some slightly less cooked hearts of romaine.

2 cups cooked quinoa*
2 onions, peeled, washed, and sliced
3 bell peppers washed and sliced
2 tbs butter
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic
grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium low heat until melted.

Add the peppers, onions, salt, and vinegar. Stir together and walk away....set a timer for ten minutes, and try to avoid facebook. Check occasionally to make sure they aren't burning and lower heat if necessary.

Stir, set timer for another minutes.

When the peppers and onion are done to your desired...umm...doneness?...that doesn't sound right. Well anyhoo, when they are caramelized and tender remove them from the heat and toss in the quinoa, more salt, and pepper to taste. Add extra butter, and parmesan cheese to individual servings if desired.

*Make sure to rinse your quinoa before you cook it.

Recipe Remix and Giveaway WINNER!!!

2010-08-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

Using a random number generator Krissie was picked as winner for my CSN giveaway! Congrats Krissie! I know you are going to have fun spending your gift card! A big thank you to everyone who entered, and thank you to CSN Stores!

I thought I might share this recipe for vegetable pancakes again as I've modified it to be egg free. I used 1/2 cup pumpkin puree to replace the eggs. It adds a bonus veggie, and still holds it's shape beautifully. With Fall nearing I thought it might be important to post as replacing egg with pumpkin would work for any latke recipes as well. Also worthy of note, you can use any sort of veggies you have lying around. For this batch I used a sweet potato, and also some spinach (love my leafy greens). Another modification that I made was to use Greek yogurt for the dipping sauce, as it it is much thicker. Hope you enjoy revisiting this recipe, we sure did!

Fillo cups two ways (sweet and savory)

2010-08-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Remember these beans? Remember when I said they would be back. Well here they are on whole wheat tomato and feta sourdough bread. This was not what I had in mind, it was just a happy accident that I needed to use my starter, and I happened to have these beans. So good! I had to take a picture and share, these beans are quite versatile.

Back to the filo cups though. I thought it would be fun on a hot day such as today to feast on cold appetizers and have a game night. We ate these garlic bean filled fillo cups as well as the "yummy pink cups" as my daughter dubbed them, along side some homemade salsa and chips. Everything went over really well. Both children were hesitant to eat the cups at first, because I've told them that cups aren't for eating.

I am marking these as make ahead, even though in the strictest sense they are not. You can make the filling ahead of time, but I would recommend filling them right before eating as they might get soggy otherwise.

The "pink yummy cups" are really an adaptation of learning to live egg free. I used to fill fillo cups with a combination of lemon curd and yogurt, and top them with fresh raspberries (YUM!). No longer an option in our household. This new recipe was not only a hit, but a suitable substitute. If I ever figure out how to make an egg free, soy free, lemon curd I'll post it on here.

Garlic Basil Bean and Roma Tomato Fillo Cups

1 recipe garlic basil beans
2 diced roma tomatoes
1 tsp vinegar (balsamic or otherwise, I used raspberry basil vinegar)
30 mini fillo shells (2 boxes)
shredded cheese (optional)

Thaw filo cups according to directions on box. Mix together the garlic basil beans, roma tomatoes and vinegar. Distribute evenly into the filo cups. Sprinkle cheese on top if desired. You could heat these if you like the bubbly cheese element. They were very tasty cold though, especially on a hot day.

Pink Yummy Cups

1 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt
2 tbs fruit preserves (I used this)
15 mini fillo shells

Thaw mini fillo cups according to directions. Soften the cream cheese in a bowl. Stir in yogurt and preserves. Distribute evenly (about a tsp to each) into fillo cups. Chill and serve.

Mommy Tip Monday: Cooking with Toddlers

2010-08-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

...and I use the term "cooking" loosely. Really at this age I suggest you keep little ones AWAY from the stove, even if it's just for a peak, and even if you hold their hands back. You never know when a little hand is going to wiggle or dart out. I'm all for getting kids interested in cooking and eating, but safety first, and use common sense. Most of these suggestions are for teaching kids about where food comes from, and getting them interested in whole foods. There are a few actual recipes tossed in.

I am going to focus purely on the things we do (have done) for our kids between the ages of 12 and 36 months today because otherwise I will go on forever. I'm using bullets because they are awesome. I'm telling you everything I'm doing before hand...for...I don't know what reason. Please feel free to add suggestions in the comment section. I'd love for this to be a resource for people to visit and get ideas, and I am in no way under the impression that I know it all .

This is a fantastic age for taking your kids to a garden supply store or nursery. Name the plants, and let them smell the herbs. When my daughter was one I took her with me to pick out what we would plant in the garden. Name the colors you see, the things you smell, the plants at various stages...i.e. "Look we are buying seeds, one day they will grow into these plants over here".
Take a visit to a farm, weather it be for berry picking, or a pumpkin patch, or even a small animal farm. Visiting someone who owns chickens would also do the trick nicely. We have gone berry picking, but I must confess we have never been to an animal farm. I haven't found one yet in our area that I would like the kids to see. The idea is to see where the food we get from the store and farmers market comes from.
A trip to the store is a great place to learn at this age! For younger kids just naming the items as you put them in the cart is great. As young as 18 months my daughter had a preference as to what we brought home "BROCCOLI!!", she would scream if I passed them by....maybe it's best to do this on a week day when there aren't a lot of shoppers about. I let them put items into bags and count how many potatoes, carrots, bags of rice that we were buying. Now that my daughter is older I ask her what food group each item fits into.
Name everything as you cook with it! Did everyone see the Jaime Oliver special where the kids didn't know what tomatoes and eggplants are? That will not be my kid (I hope). My daughter used to love watching me do things in the kitchen, from sorting herbs from the garden, to chopping to stirring. Before she could even comprehend what I was doing I was telling her all about it. I felt silly at first, but now I'm in the habit of talking to myself all the time....it's not insanity, it's a teaching tool.

Ziploc bag "cooking"

Make homemade croutons. Cube stale bread and pour dried herbs, salt, and a bit of olive oil into a Ziploc bag. Add the bread to the bag and let your children shake it about until the bread is coated evenly. Cook these in the toaster oven until crispy.
Make guacamole in a bag. I add avocado, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic to a bag and let my kids squish it around as long as they want. This is a great recipe, because not only do the kids love making it, they love eating it.
Two nights ago we made trail mix as a family. My daughter helped me read the recipe (that I wrote), find the appropriate measuring cups, and pour them in to a large bag, which we then all took turns shaking.

Appliance cooking, stirring, smashing, pouring, etc...

If it needs to be poured, smashed, or stirred, and you aren't in a hurry let your kids take part. Mashed potatoes, any sort of batter (Even before we knew about dear sons egg allergies I like to use egg replacement, because I didn't like the idea of my kids getting into raw eggs), dips, all beg for little hands to stir and smash.
I love cooking with small appliances because they cut down the time I spend in the kitchen and they don't heat up the house like an oven. Let your kids count the number of cups of rice you put in your rice cooker, or pour the ingredients into the bread machine.
Let them serve themselves. When my kids pick out (put on) their own pizza toppings, baked potato toppings, and taco accessories (yes, that's the word) not only do they eat more, but they get super excited about having "made dinner".
Make Popsicles! Chop up various fruits and let your kids place them in an ice cube tray, pour juice, yogurt, or a combination of the two on top.

Some recipes I've made with the kiddos

Cake in a mug
Cupcakes for dinner
Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Butter!!!

Organic Tomato Bisque with Garlic Basil Beans and Croutons

2010-08-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Whew...that was a long title. And guess what, I spelled "bisque" right on the first try. Go me! Really it's everything in the title....plus a variation on the soup. The tomato bisque is canned...shhhh don't tell.

The hubster and I eat it straight out of the can (pictured), but I kick it up a notch (calorie wise) for the kids. So I'm including the recipe for the garlic basil beans, and also the recipe for the creamy version of the soup that I make for the kids. The creamy version is actually really, really, really, really, good....but I don't need all of those calories, because I'm not growing (on purpose that is). The croutons are simply whole wheat rosemary bread that I cubed and toasted in the toaster oven.

Garlic Basil Beans

1 can of white beans
1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 tbs chopped basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil

Drain and rinse the beans really well.

Combine the beans, oil, pressed garlic, basil and beans in a bowl.

Add salt if desired. I felt like it wasn't needed because I used canned beans, but that was my preference.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

This will be making a comeback again later this week...keep an eye out for it. :)

Creamy Style Organic Tomato Bisque

1 package cream cheese
1 can of organic tomato bisque
2 tbs butter
1 clove of garlic, pressed

Combine the cream cheese and soup in your food processor and process until smooth.

Meanwhile in a pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook one minute.

Slowly add the soup to the pot, stirring and lowering heat as necessary to avoid burning.

Heat through.

Enjoy!

Little man ate two bowls of this, and little girl (who didn't nap) insisted she didn't like soup.....because it was too soupy....even though soup is her favorite dish...go figure. After being persuaded to try a bite, she finally confessed it was indeed good and ate the whole bowl. There was much rejoicing and merriment in all the land....err...at least our house.

Sushi Rice Bowl

2010-08-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

The weather here lately has been sooooo nice*. And by nice I mean you just want to get up in the morning, run outside, and DIE of heatstroke. The last thing I want to do in this sort of weather is cook.....the first thing I want to do is lie half naked under a ceiling fan sipping on a Jamba Juice....but since we don't have Jamba Juice here, and I live with other people that's not going to happen....Everybody good and hungry? :)

Back to the point (I totally have one)....which is, this is a super yummy cold dish that I've eaten two days in a row for lunch. It's basically brown sushi rice mixed with chickpeas, sauteed peppers and onion, avocado, and then I drizzled mustard wasabi dressing over the whole thing. Today I garnished mine with pickled ginger, and green onion.

Three fantastic things about this dish, you can make as much or as little of the components as you want and serve it several days in a row. You can change it up quite a bit and still have it taste quite good, throw in whatever you have on hand, leftover steamed veggies, maybe some carrot or cucumber sticks for more of a salad feel. And you can serve it without the dressing to keep it soy free, as I did for my son. Short on time? Try using a store bought organic salad dressing such as this.

Mustard Wasabi Dressing

5 tbs oil (I used canola)
3 tbs seasoned rice vinegar
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp mustard
1 1/2 tsp + more to taste prepared wasabi

Whisk all the ingredients together. This doesn't make a lot of dressing, but considering how little of it you need (I used about a tbs) it should do the trick.

*It's called sarcasm...love it, embrace it.

Chocolate Covered Berry Cake In A Mug

2010-08-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

My husband said I should name this "lawlberry chocolate cake", because I used Olallieberry preserves. I think we may actually call this "lawl cake" at home, however....should you not be a pack of sci-fi loving, gaming on a Friday nighting, never got a date to a real prom sort of person (speaking of which this cake would have been perfect for my prom night as it serves one), you can call it something else.

I used Olallieberry Preserves from Linn's Fruit Bin for this cake....what's that? You've never heard of Olallieberry? How sad for you! I grew up on them, Olallieberries are kind of like a blackberry, maybe a smidgen tarter, very excellent. Especially in pie...mmmmm....lawlberry pie. Well since I couldn't bring home a pie from California, I brought home these preserves. They are tart and fruity. Not too sweet. And eating them on toast, or in this cake, reminds me of my childhood.

The preserves have seeds. So if you don't like the idea of a seedy dessert feel free to use seedless raspberry or strawberry as they would also provide a hint of berry flavor. If you feel like being really fancy, mix up the batter in a separate bowl, pour half into the mug. Then add a tsp of preserves, a tbs of chocolate chips and then the other half of the batter. If you are making a vegan version of this cake make sure your chocolate chips are vegan...and use rice milk...huh duh.

Lawl Cake in a mug....

5 tbs flour
4 tbs sugar
2 tbs cocoa powder
3 tbs oil
3 tbs milk (rice, soy, almond...whatever you have)
3 tbs Olallieberry preserves
4 tbs chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, sugar and cocoa powder in a large mug.

Stir in the wet ingredients, mix thoroughly.

Stir in the chocolate chips

Microwave for three minutes.

Let cool

Eat

Hate me for telling you how to make a cake in less than five minutes. :)

This was received well by all, gooey and chocolaty with a hint of berry flavor, and without any thing to make my dear son turn red and puff up like a blow fish. Success! It is nice to be able to make a cake and not have a whole cake just sitting there....taunting ...and teasing. And even though this is supposed to be one serving, we all made and shared just one cake in a mug. A nice treat on a day when it is definitely too hot to be turning on the oven.

I feel I should also note, I am not being paid or compensated by Linn's fruit bin or any of the products I've reviewed thus far. It's just a brand that I really like....and should they happen to want to send me oodles of yummy goodies I wouldn't turn them down. However, as of this point that has not happened.

What sort of flavors remind you of your childhood or your hometown?

Giveaway reminder and a Momentous Occasion

2010-08-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet click here. Time is running out for that 40$ gift card!

In other news, I have arrived! To commemorate this occasion (I'll let you know what it is at the end of the blog) I would like to do a brief overview of other such important moments in my writing *ehem* career.

1.) At the age of six, I write a poem detailing the horrors of school cafeteria lunches and win an award. I get to read the poem aloud at assembly, laughter and general mayhem ensues.

2.) At nine I write a poem on the waves of the ocean, I win the state writing contest and am published at last.

3.) Eleven......my dark period, various disturbing short stories that end in death or demonic possession.(seriously though who let me read Stephen King as a preteen?) I am the envy of my peers......or at least that's how I remember it.

4.) At twelve I turn back to my comedic roots and write a series of comic books entitled "Super Pickle" wherein our heroic leader DP (dill pickle) defeats the evil villain, a cheesy poof that closely resembles Elvis. Once again, the envy of my peers. And though my teacher notes that "a writing journal should not be used as a sketch book", I know deep down she was laughing.

5.) In my teen years I pretty much went back to the dark crap, but in poetry form, and with a lot more angst. There were no awards...and alas, even I can not pretend that there was anyone envious of me.

Which brings us to present day....

If you google "evil chocolate clown" my blog is at the top of the page! Exciting right? Pretty much anything that happens with this blog from now on will pale in comparison.

evil chocolate clown, evil chocolate clown, evil chocolate clown.....you know, just in case I get competition.

Mommy Tip Monday

2010-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am starting this feature for somewhat selfish reasons...

1.) I don't want to start a completely new blog.

2.) I still want to have a place where I can write down all these things as I do them, for reference. So that when a friend of mine says, "what did you do with your kids at such and such age", I don't have to stand there gaping like a slack jawed yokel.....which is what I do when I get put on the spot, that and develop a nervous rash...but that is neither here nor there.

Back to the topic at hand....

I hope to keep this up, but I don't want to alienate those of you who are looking for a food blog...not a mom blog. I'm going to try to keep these sorts of things with a telling title, and you are more than welcome to skip them over completely if they are of no interest to you. I will continue to blog my recipes too. Don't worry.

Today's Mom Tip....

What educational bath toy do you already have hiding in your house? It's a great tool for teaching more, less, empty, full, and even fractions. Plus they are easy to sanitize! Any guesses?
Maybe you've already used this one.....

Measuring cups! I am not suggesting you put your toddler in the tub with a lesson plan, but let them discover things like filling, and of course dumping out measuring cups. My daughter had speech delays and this was how I taught her empty and full. She needed one word cues that were clear. We would also talked about which cup holds more water.

Now that my daughter is four we talk about things like how the 2 on the 1/2 cup measuring cup means that it takes 2 of them to make a cup. She also now has the sight word "cup".

Smokey Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes and Baby Spinach

2010-08-08T04:54:00.001-07:00

This was good....really good. I started this blog not only to share, but to learn. And what have I learned? That corn stock ah-maize-ing...heehee, see how I did that? Seriously now, it is a tragedy to throw away your corn cobs before you have used them for stock. I didn't follow an exact recipe, I just threw what veggies I had (4 corn cobs, and 4 carrots) into a pot, covered them with water, added 2 bay leaves, salt, and crushed garlic, and I boiled it....forever...voila...rich flavorful broth. Feel free to use an exact recipe, if that kind of thing floats your boat.
I am certain this recipe is still good without the corn stock, but I hope you do take the time to try and make some if you get the chance. The sweetness from the fresh corn and the sweet potatoes combined with the creamy Gouda, hint of spice, and the smoke flavoring created a winning dish that everyone enjoyed. It was nice to see my kids chow down on so many different veggies without any complaints.

What you need...
oil to coat pot
1 onion peeled, washed, and diced
2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
1 sweet potato peeled, washed, and diced
1 potato peeled, washed....and you guessed it...diced.
2 dashes red pepper
1/4 tsp Creole seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 ears worth of corn kernels
6 cups of corn (or other veggie stock)
4 tbs cornstarch
4 tbs water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 lb shredded cheese (I used Gouda, but I think smoked cheddar would be equally nice)
2 handfuls of washed baby spinach (optional)
1 tsp smoke flavoring
salt to taste

Pour enough oil to coat the bottom of a large stockpot and heat it over medium heat.

Add the onion, potatoes, carrots and Creole seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions are translucent and the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Mix together the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl

Add the corn, pepper, stock, and bring to a boil. Cook for ten minutes.

Add the cornstarch and water and cook until potatoes are done and soup is thickened.

Lower the heat, and stir in the baby spinach, cheese, and milk. Heat through.

Stir in the liquid smoke, and add salt to taste.

Enjoy!

This is my submission for September 2010 "No Croutons Required". The theme is corn. Wish me luck!

Bordeaux Bar vs Clown of Great Evil

2010-08-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

I know my fellow Californians will be shocked and amazed when I tell them that there are NO See's Candy Stores where I live. And along with being amazed (and slightly disturbed), they will be totally understanding of why I packed Bordeaux Bars and other chocolaty treats into my car for the 50 hour drive across country.

What I'd like to present to you today is an oddity, nay....a mystery which I can only guess at the meaning of.

This.......

is what happened to my Bordeaux Bar when we drove across country with it tucked away in a bag amidst suitcases and trinkets....expected, no?
Well....This....

...is what happened to the chocolate clown my kids picked out to bring home. I know what you are thinking, well it's wrapped...so clearly on the inside it's a melted mess of chocolatyyyy.....

AAAAHHHHHH!!!! Further proof (as if we needed any more) of the evil nature of clowns. Even when sculpted of something pure and sweet as See's chocolate, their evil powers prevent them from destruction when exposed to the humid heat of the deep south. So I ask you....merely a chocolate clown....or a sign of the impending zombie apocalypse.

One more for comparison....I'll let you decide.

P.S. Despite it's appearance you will be happy to know my chocolate bar still tasted fantastic.

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast "Bars"

2010-08-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

These were a little sweeter than we normally go for breakfast, but they are filled with good things like local organic blueberries and yogurt....so the justification was made. :) I am not normally a fan of blueberries, something about the texture throws me off. But I could eat this dish every day. It doesn't necessarily set into a real bar, but as you can see it holds it's shape. I guess you could put it under the category of a trifle. Whatever it is...it's good!
I got the idea from My Stepmother, who served a similar dish while we were in California. Very light and refreshing, perfect on a hot day. I knew instantly I wanted to recreate it when we got home. My version is egg free, and soy free (check your ingredients thoroughly), and it's mostly organic. It was so easy to make that I let the kids help. Not only did they help make it, but they helped gobble it up. I will be making it again today.

1/2 package Bunny Grahams
1 Pint organic blueberries divided
6 tbs Sugar divided
1 package cream cheese
2/3 cup plain organic yogurt
2 tbs organic butter melted
2 organic lemons

Crush the Bunny Grahams and mix with 1/2 pint of blueberries, 2 tbs sugar, and the juice of one lemon. Stir together and pour into an 8x8 baking dish.

Soften the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.

Whisk in the butter slowly, then whisk in the yogurt slowly. The mixture should be creamy and smooth.

Stir in the juice from the second lemon and stir in the remaining 4 tbs of sugar one at a time, adding more or less to taste.

Pour the yogurt over the berry graham cracker mix and pour the second 1/2 pint of berries on top.

Refrigerate overnight to help it set....or eat it right away if you can't handle the wait....
Guess which one I did?

World Breastfeeding Week

2010-08-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

"So what's new on the interwebs?"

"It's world breastfeeding week"

"which means...."

"hmmmm...don't know, I guess it's like an effort to encourage women to breastfeed, let them know all the benefits of nursing, and to educate society as a whole that there is nothing dirty or shameful about it"

"So it's kind of like Le Leche League's version of Boobquake"

/rolls eyes
"Yes sweetie, that's exactly what it is"

This post does not include a recipe....*pause for relieved sighs*.....But since nursing is how a baby eats, I feel it is relevant to include in a food blog. How is this important in your life? Well one day you may be faced with the decision of nursing or bottle feeding, you may have nursed a baby in the past, and everyone most certainly (unless you restrict yourself exclusively to bar hopping...and why are you reading my blog?) will one day be faced with the controversial mum nursing in public.

What do I want you to learn from this blog? Well if you are in group A (one day hoping to have children), know that breastfeeding can be difficult, but soooo worth it. As most things in life that come with work, there are many rewards to making the decision to nurse. Not only to you and your child, but think of all that trash that comes with formula feeding for a year! Not to mention the dishes you create, the water you use, and the money you spend. Really do try to nurse if it's an option for you, and if you can't make enough milk to feed the whole nursery like Sally down the street, don't stress! It doesn't come easy to everyone, and Mothers need not be graded by their milk supply.

Group B....Kudos to you! What a wonderful decision to make! I'm sure you will all agree that it's not always easy, sometimes comes with pain, and most certainly comes with some loss of sleep. My stance on this is giving it your all when it comes to nursing deserves credit wether it gets you to the 6 month, 1 year or beyond....My philosiphy with nursing is the same as with feeding my children of any age, I try to think "more healthy food" instead of "less bad food". Not that there aren't foods that I keep away from my kids, and I certainly avoid formula, but I think focusing on figuring out how to get more healthy foods into them gives them a more positive outlook on food (and hopefully less food issues) than always telling them how bad food is for them. Or forbidding entire groups like carbs, fats, or sugars....but back to nursing.

This last group is all inclusive. If you've eaten at a restaurant, gone to Disneyland, or hung out at the park for long enough you may have (or someday soon will) seen the elusive and controversial woman nursing in public.....you may not even have realized it at the time. What is important for you to know about nursing? That it's legal, good for the baby, and it's just food! Babies need to eat every two hours after they are born, day and night. It would be crazy to expect a new mother (especially one with older kids) to drive home and hide in their house to do something that can just as easily be done discretely anywhere else. Another argument I have heard is that women should bring bottles with them when they go out in public...well guess what, not all women can pump enough to fill a bottle on top of nursing every two hours. I couldn't. So don't stare, and don't glare. Oh and if it bothers you to know what's going on under a nursing cover, or if the noise bothers you.....then you clearly you are sitting too close and have some issues going on so feel free to leave, or put a blanket over your own head. :)

CSN Stores Giveaway!!!! CLOSED!

2010-08-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

See all the exclamation points? They are no front. I am super excited about this. Anytime you see that many exclamation points in a row, you can bet that I have the chorus of "I'm so excited" by the Pointer Sisters running through my head....and you should too. Because you stand to win stuff here....

free stuff....

cool free stuff.

Enter for a chance to win a 40$ gift card to any of the CSN Stores websites. Why is that so cool? Because they have everything from dining room sets (I mean look at this, do you know how hard it is to find a table that seats 8? And this one has a Lazy Susan built into it*) , to kids toys, to solar powered garden gnomes**!

When CSN contacted me in an email asking me if I would like to do a review or giveaway I was kind of overwhelmed. There are so many things to choose from on their sites that I just couldn't decide.....so I am leaving the burden up to you, my readers. I know some of you have expressed the need for a waffle iron, food processor, or immersion blender...well here is your chance to win one.

What would I do with the gift card? Well I am absolutely positively in love with the Flirty Apron collection. This one is my favorite.

To enter....

1.) Check out the CSN Stores website and tell me what you would do with your gift card in a comment.

Or....

2.) Check out the CSN Stores website and write a blog about the giveaway, and what you would do with the gift card. Link back to me, and put the link to your blog in a comment so that I know you are out there.

You don't have to follow my blog to enter this contest....but you know...if you want to, that would be cool....and well...you're here anyway....

Make sure you have an email contact on your profile. If I choose a winner who does not have an email contact on their profile, or in their comment I will have to choose a new winner. I won't sell your address, I just need a way to contact the winner.
I will be choosing a winner next Wednesday, August 11th. This contest is unfortunately only open to those in the U.S. and Canada.

*Yes hun the table link is a hint
**Also a hint

Corn two ways....and a sick day

2010-08-01T18:03:00.001-07:00

"Oooh honey, what are you cooking"

"It's just leftover enchiladas. Do you want a bite, or are you going to be sick?"

"I don't understand why there had to be an "or" in that sentence."

Even while sick, I'm hungry. As far back as I can remember I've been hungry. Once as a child I noted pine needles on a poster of edible plants, so while out and about hiking and whatnot I ate them as snacks. Unfortunately being six....and not a botanist I must have mistook one plant for another, and ended up violently ill. I can tell you one thing I've learned from this experience. The only texture more unpleasant than eating pine needles is having them come back up. I can laugh at it now, but just in case my children ever start resorting to eating wild flowers I always keep a few extra snacks in the diaper bag or car. Because....you know...it could happen.

I don't know what any of this has to do with soup except that I am sick today and I made a a huge pot of soup inspired by The Ordinary Vegetarian. The idea of Thai flavors, paired with fresh sweet corn sounded delish. And I knew the ginger and cilantro was just what my tummy needed. I added baby spinach and grilled orange and green peppers, because I had them on hand. Though the hubster ordered pizza for the kids (before we knew I would be feeling well enough to cook) my son opted for this soup.....I am not even lying.
Thai Coconut Corn Bisque with Peppers and Spinach

The second dish I made from fresh corn was a smokey corn chowder that was....so so good. I highly regret not writing down the recipe as I was making it. I took my basic corn chowder recipe, and replaced one of the potatoes with a sweet potato, added a few handfuls of organic baby spinach (more is always better where veggies are concerned in my opinion. And at the end shredded in 2 cups of Gouda and seasoned with liquid smoke to taste. The result was fantastic! Salty and creamy, smokey and cheesy. With a pop of freshness from the corn right off the cob, and a little sweet from the sweet potatoes. This went fast, and I relished watching my kids chow down on so many different veggies. No picture for that one, but I hope to make it again soon. Keep an eye out for the full recipe.

Sauteed Veggie Enchilada Casserole

2010-07-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

My father happened to call me today while I was preparing this dish and informed me that if I were to ever use processed cheese in my enchiladas my ancestors would come back from the dead and strangle me in my sleep.....no foolin', he's charming like that.

Luckily for me, because of the whole mid-night throttle thing (and lucky for you) globs of orange colored dairy and emulsifiers were the farthest thing from my mind when I was concocting this dish. I wanted something light, yet flavorful. Something that would utilize the fresh produce I picked up at the store this morning. This fit the bill quite nicely.

I took about 4 cups of chopped veggies + one bell pepper and six cloves of chopped garlic, and sauteed them in 2 tablespoons of butter. Tossed the whole shebang with 1/2 tsp of garlic salt and 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Then I layered like so.....corn tortilla, green enchilada sauce, veggie mixture, corn tortillas, sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella, corn tortillas, the last of the sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, olives. I baked it at 375 until it bubbled.

Served this up with homemade salsa and sour cream. If anyone wants more a more detailed instructions let me know. I'd be happy to post them.....for now though I am trying to get off the computer before the storm gets here.

Goodnight all!

Chaparral Gardens Update

2010-07-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

I posted here about the raspberry basil vinegar that I picked up in California. Well I have good news. Even if you aren't lucky enough to live on the central coast you can still try it out. Chaparral Gardens has a website where you can order online! Go ahead and check them out. Next on my list to try are the "Roasted Red Pepper Blackberry" and the "Pacific Spice".

Egg Free Pumpkin Spice Waffles with Maple Yogurt Dipping Sauce

2010-07-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of yogurt. I eat it every day. Sometimes as a breakfast food, other times I mix it into sauces, dips, desserts or use it as a garnish. You should never feel like you have to sit down and eat an entire bowl of yogurt to reap it's benefits, and neither should your kids. Even though my kids eat yogurt by itself, I still work it into their food other ways. It's packed with protein and probiotics that I feel good about giving them. This dipping sauce would also be fantastic with french toast, apple wedges, or even just licked off of the plate....as my son did. Seriously though if you saw how cute he was you would understand why I let him get away with it. While this is a great dish for toddlers, I feel I should note that you should never give maple syrup to your child before the age of one.

Here is the recipe for my pumpkin spice waffles.

And here is the recipe for maple yogurt dipping sauce

2/3 cups organic vanilla yogurt
2 tbs maple syrup
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Just mix it all together and have at it.

Carrot and Lentil Salad

2010-07-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am not going to lie, my daughter wouldn't touch this stuff. My son ate it up and asked for more...which I denied him, feeling he needed a more rounded diet than fiber and fiber. You see, I may not wear the pants in this family*, but I do change them. So until little man is potty trained I limit his consumption of lentils.

Well now, if all that potty talk wasn't enough to get you in the mood for this salad I just don't know what more I can say. This was light and refreshing with a hint of heat, and oh so good stuffed into a pita and drizzled with yogurt.

2 cloves pressed garlic
5 tbs vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp minced ginger
3 tsp sugar
cayenne to taste
1 cup cooked lentils
6 chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Whisk together the first nine ingredients. Then stir in the carrots, lentils, and cilantro. Marinate overnight.

I am trying to build my repertoire of dishes to make on hot days. I think this chickpea and rice salad is still my favorite, but it's always nice to have variety. And of course serving cold dishes is a much better way to beat the heat than say, lying naked under a ceiling fan....which is only a really good option if you don't have kids....or roommates.

*I don't like pants. They are confining and that displeases me. I believe I have expressed this before.

Tomato Chutney Pita Pizza

2010-07-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

The title kind of says it all. This is just a whole wheat pita smothered in tomato chutney, with mozzarella and chopped cilantro leaves. This would be another fabulous pizza on chapati recipe. But without the time to make chapati today (read...it's too fricken hot to stand over a stove for any length of time) a whole wheat pita made a fabulous replacement. The kids loved these.

Slow Cooker Tomato Chutney

2010-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Every summer amidst the abundance of fresh ripe tomatoes I dream big dreams. I always want to make new and exciting dishes.....and I always* end up with bruschetta. Why? Because bruschetta with roma tomatoes and basil from your garden is the bomb diggity. Plus it is quick to make and I usually can't stand the temptation of sweet, juicy, tangy, mouth watering tomatoes on the counter long enough to do anything else with them. So this recipe was a success on several levels. I broke my bruschetta habit (go me). It was fantastically tasty. And I now know that I can make chutney in a crock pot!

Mine was a little more watery than the jarred stuff, but I've changed the recipe to adjust for that. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are you may have the same problem, if it bothers you the chutney can always be thickened in a pan on the stove top. This works great as an appetizer with toasted pita chips, over rice, as a pizza sauce, or on grilled cheese. Pictured served over chickpeas, with pita wedges, and cilantro for garnish.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (I used six)
Oil to coat pan
2 small onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbs minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
cayenne to taste
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbs if sugar (more to taste depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes)

Chop off the end bits (or stems, whatever) of your tomatoes and place them cut side down in the crock pot.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Wash peel and dice the onions and throw them in the pan. Cook for about three minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, and salt. Cook for two minutes more taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the rest of the spices and cook two minutes more.

Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the vinegar, sugar, and raisins.

Dump the whole mess into your crock pot over the tomatoes.

Cook on low until the tomatoes start to cook down. They will kind of crack, and wrinkle.
Like this. Beautiful eh? Turn off your crock pot now.

The next step is a matter of taste....or texture rather.

Pull the tomatoes out and let them cool. At this point you can either puree these bad boys, mash them, or some combination of the two. I did half and half.

Add the mutilated tomatoes back to the pot and stir them in.

Enjoy!

*Ok.....I'm lying, not always. But darn near every time.

Update: Taking the lid off for the last hour of cooking will reduce the watery issue! Remember though, if you use a less juicy variety of tomato (roma etc) you may not have to.

Cool and Spicy Chickpea Tacos

2010-07-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Too hot to make tacos?? Never! This vegetarian taco filling is served cold. And when separated from the tortillas, it would make an excellent lunch to take to work as it doesn't need to be heated. And what would a taco be without fixins'. I filled mine with spring mix, avocado slices and freshly made salsa! YUM!
I also wanted to show you how this meal is easily turned into a lunch the next day for my kids. Chopped up chunks of cheese, avocado, sweet potatoes, and taco filling. Little man ate all this and a bowl of rice. Baby girl ate most of it....but insisted she didn't like "sweet tatatoes"...even though she had eaten them the night before. Thus is the way of a four year old.

Ingredients

2 cloves pressed garlic
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbs sour cream
1tsp lemon juice
2 tbs taco seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 can El Pato tomato sauce (spicy or with jalapenos whatever floats your boat)
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1lb bag of chickpeas cooked according to package drained and cooled
tortillas and whatever you like to top your tacos with...onions, salsa, avocado, leafy greens, olives, sour cream....pickles? I'm not here to judge.

Whisk together the first nine ingredients.

Stir in the chickpeas, cilantro, and add the salt pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Fill taco shells as desired....easy peesy...peasy??....pesey?....

Black Bean Chipotle Burgers with Pan Fried Sweet Potatoes and BBQ Sauce...

2010-07-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by Debbie. I love her blog, even though she isn't a vegetarian she frequently posts meatless recipes, and she posts the caloric content. Fabulous! This recipe for sweet potatoes and black bean burritos reminded me that...well...I love sweet potatoes and black beans. I am still kind of worn out from the trip so in figuring out how to satisfy my craving without a trip to the store I came up with this.
It's simply one of my make ahead frozen black bean burgers (you could always use your own recipe, or buy them) which I thawed and cooked in a pan on the stove. I topped it with thinly sliced and pan fried sweet potatoes, organic BBQ sauce, and served it on a whole wheat bun. It went over well with the fam. If I had thought of it ahead of time I could have grilled the sweet potatoes and burgers side by side. Which is what I will do next time I make these.....and there will be a next time!