tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82897338852947236782024-03-13T04:18:50.750-04:00Cows Not Requiredthe culinary adventures of a vegan working mamaKristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-62727511289899848032012-09-12T20:34:00.001-04:002012-09-12T21:25:19.633-04:00Lunches for Aji's First and Second Days of School<div style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<u><b>Tuesday</b></u></div>
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The first day of playgroup/school for my baby, who is now a big 3.5 year-old! She asked for green noodles for lunch. I asked if she wanted spinach linguini, what I normally make the girls, or green tea soba noodles. She chose the green tea sobas!</div>
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<b>Lunches:</b></div>
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Green tea soba noodles (cook according to package, then rinse under cold water)</div>
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Stir-fried "duck"-style seitan (not really sure what made it veggie "duck," seemed like pretty standard seitan) and chopped yellow pepper</div>
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Raw cucumber wedges and yellow pepper slices</div>
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Sauteed cremini and shiitake mushrooms </div>
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Organic cherries</div>
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<b>Prep:</b></div>
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I chopped and sauteed the mushrooms the night before in organic extra virgin olive oil and organic canola oil. I also cut the cucumber wedges and pepper spears.</div>
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In the morning, I cooked the noodles, chopped the seitan and pepper, and stir-fried the seitan and peppers. I kept everything separated (sometimes the girls are picky about mixing food or like to mix their own) when I packed with little silicone containers. I put the cherries on top of the noodles.</div>
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I tried making a little smiley face out of a cucumber and tofutti cheese slice for Aji, but by the time we got to school, her backpack had taken several tumbles down stairs and around the car, so it was no longer a smiley face. Have to work on the cuteness factor! Need to read up on those tutorials. ;-P</div>
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I mixed everything together (except the cherries) for my lunch. Thought it was pretty good, but whatever spices were used in the faux duck seitan were a little weird. Jacqui liked the seitan better than the mushrooms, which just didn't make any sense to me at all. (She's had no school since her first day, so has been eating lunch with me every day.) Aji ate most of the noodles at school and two of the cherries, and then we finished the rest off at home. Noodles were a definite success. Not sure about the seitan though. </div>
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<u><b>Wednesday</b></u></div>
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For lunches today (Wednesday), Aji asked for tofu scramble. I love tofu scramble lunches because I know they will eat everything! Any veggie can go in and it will be eaten, even if it is *gasp* a mushroom!!!</div>
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<b>Lunches:</b></div>
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Tofu scramble</div>
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Organic grapes</div>
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Yellow pepper slices</div>
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Pitette (small pita)</div>
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<b>Prep: </b></div>
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Had I not fallen asleep when I put the girls to bed last night, I would have actually prepped all the veggies, especially the broccoli that needed to be used today. But alas, I needed SLEEP, so everything was done this morning, except for shredding the zucchini, which I did over the weekend. </div>
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The nice thing about tofu scramble is that you can really make it with whatever veggies you have and it will taste delicious. You just have to take care with the order in which you add things to cook so that the harder veggies, like onion and sweet potatoes, have longer to cook than the shredded zucchini.</div>
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<b>Ingredients for tofu scramble:</b></div>
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Extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or safflower oil</div>
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1/2 red onion, chopped</div>
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1 medium sweet potato, cubed</div>
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1/2 cup chopped red, orange, and yellow peppers</div>
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1/2 cup shredded zucchini</div>
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1 cup chopped mushrooms</div>
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1 block firm tofu</div>
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Tumeric</div>
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Sea salt</div>
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Nutritional yeast</div>
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1-2 plum tomatoes, chopped</div>
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<b>What to do: </b></div>
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Heat the oil over medium heat, add onions and saute while cutting the sweet potato. Add the sweet potato and continue to saute as you cut the peppers and chop the mushrooms. Add the chopped pepper and mushrooms and saute. Add the shredded zucchini, saute. Drain the tofu (but do not press) and crumble into the pan, saute. Add the tumeric, to get to the color you want. Add sea salt and nutritional yeast to taste, continue to saute. Check that sweet potatoes and mushrooms are cooked and turn off heat. Add the chopped tomatoes. </div>
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The tofu scramble took about 30 minutes to cook today, with all the different veggies. Cooking time varies based on the amount of prep you've done and the types and sizes of veggies that you are using.<b> </b></div>
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<b>To pack: </b></div>
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I put the tofu scramble into the large (bottom) part of the girls' bentos today. Wished I hadn't for Aji because it came home with tumeric-colored liquid all in her lunch bag. [Note to self: Aji's lunches have too much motion involved to be unsealed or too cute.]</div>
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Top section had a pitette cut in half (in which to stuff the tofu scramble for easier eating), two slices of yellow pepper, and organic grapes. </div>
Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-76832760268248737352012-09-09T22:10:00.001-04:002012-09-09T22:10:45.631-04:00Muffins and Bean Patties<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Today was a full day for us. Lots of playing, library trips, playing, house hunting, and more playing. We added in some baking and a lovely end-of-day story from Jacqui's former teachers and Aji's new teachers. Great day, but I'm officially exhausted. Vacation is hard work.</div>
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<u><b>Pumpkin muffins</b></u></div>
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I know that I have my own recipe for pumpkin muffins, but I recently treated myself to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Let-Them-Eat-Vegan-Plant-Powered/dp/0738215619" target="_blank">Let Them Eat Vegan</a> by <a href="http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/about-dreena-burton/" target="_blank">Dreena Burton</a>, and could not resist trying her pumpkin muffin recipe. </div>
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I hadn't made them yet, despite the girls' requests for muffins, because the recipe calls for oat flour and I didn't have any. A few nights ago, I realized that I could just make my own! I put 1.5 cups of rolled oats into my food processor (I wanted to make sure I had 1 cup of flour) and processed on high until it looked sufficiently flour-like. This made more than the 1 cup I needed, but I will use the rest at some point. ;-) </div>
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I also couldn't find my nutmeg, so I subbed that for another of the lovely fall/winter spices and used the 1/4 tsp ground ginger suggested for adults.</div>
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The muffins turned out well. The recipe made 17 muffins for us (my tins are really on the small side and I tend to underfill rather than overfill). </div>
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The girls worked very hard on these and we only ended up with a little bit of sugar on the floor. We ate these as part of our dinner tonight.</div>
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<b><u>Bean cakes/patties</u></b></div>
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For the main part of dinner, I had in my head to use up leftovers and make a bean burger or bean ball. Into my food processor went ~1 cup of leftover steamed veggies and kidney beans, ~1 cup of leftover rice, ~1/2 tsp sea salt, ~1/2 T nutritional yeast, ~1/2 tsp organic seasoning, and ~2-4 T oat flour (see, I'm already using the extra!). Process on high until everything is mixed together well. Unfortunately, this was much wetter and stickier than I has expected, so I added panko to thicken it up and make it possible to form some sort of ball. When I transferred the balls to the frying pan, the transfer process did not work out. I ended up flattening the balls and breaking them into smaller pieces to fry. That worked out well and they ended up with a nice brown patina. We ate them with organic ketchup for dinner.</div>
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Aji ate her portion right up. Jacqui exclaimed how wonderful it was, but then stopped eating halfway through and decided she didn't like it anymore. I think she got to a thicker area of the patty that was not as crispy. Next time: thinner, smaller patties so that everything gets nice and crispy.</div>
Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-17722049388090412862012-09-08T23:41:00.000-04:002012-09-08T23:42:00.165-04:00Inarizushi and Cucumber Sushi<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Today was meant to be the welcome party for Aji's playground, but the weather interfered and the party was rained out. But not until after I had made inarizushi for the party. I did not manage to take any photos of the inarizushi, but I am sharing how to make it. For dinner, I used the same rice and made cucumber sushi, which was a big hit with the girls.</div>
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<u><b>Step One: Rice Mixture</b></u></div>
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I make a brown rice mixture. I always use brown rice, hijiki seaweed, and a vegetable. Sometimes I add millet, quinoa, sesame seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, you get the idea. Adjust the amount of water to the amount of rice, millet, quinoa that you are using.</div>
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2 (rice) cups brown rice</div>
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1-2 T dry hijiki</div>
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1 cup shredded zucchini (or other vegetable)</div>
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4.5 (rice) cups water</div>
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I set this in my rice maker with a delay start so that it is ready in the morning.</div>
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<u><b>Step Two: Making Inarizushi</b></u></div>
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You need to purchase inarizushi-no-moto (like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hime-Seasoned-Fried-Bean-Inarizushi-No-Moto/dp/B00013YMVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347160139&sr=8-1&keywords=inari" target="_blank">here</a> from Amazon) or make your own from auberage. I haven't been able to find unseasoned auburage, so I buy the seasoned cans of the inarizushi-no-moto from the local Korean natural grocery store. </div>
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When I'm making a large batch of inarizushi, I use the liquid from the can to mix with my rice mixture. When I'm just making a few for my kids' lunches, I use a reasoned rice vinegar (sushi vinegar). Not much is needed, enough to mix with the rice to add a little flavor, and let the rice cool a little bit so that you don't burn your hands stuffing the inari.</div>
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After mixing the liquid with the rice, then to make the inarizushi, you take one piece of the inarizushi-no-moto out of the can, and gently open it, taking care not to tear it, making it into a little pocket. Then, you take some of the rice mixture and stuff it into the pocket. You can either stuff it to the top or stuff it a little less and fold over the edges of the pocket. I always leave edges to fold over. If you stuff the rice to the top, you can add sprinkles of gomassio or something else to the open rice.</div>
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When I make inarizushi for the girls' lunches, I use two stuffed pockets for each lunch. Today I made 10 pieces for the party, which we ate for lunch with friends.</div>
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<u><b>Step Three: Making Cucumber Sushi</b></u></div>
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One large cucumber makes four large pieces for the girls' dinner</div>
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I take the cucumber and partially peel it, but you can leave the skin on or peel it completely. The girls and I like the stripes from the partial peel. Then, I cut the cucumber into four sections that are 1.5-2 inches long. Using a spoon or a knife, cut out the center (seeds) of each cucumber piece. Take some of the rice mixture and stuff the cucumber. Sprinkle black sesame seeds gomassio on top and serve. Yum!</div>
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I served this with pecans and avocado for the girls' dinner tonight. They had a lot of fun eating these, although I may make the cucumber pieces a bit shorter next time. :)<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-45191161749917852852012-09-06T21:35:00.000-04:002012-09-06T21:35:38.130-04:00New school year, new school lunches<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacqui started kindergarten today. It's an all-day affair here in New York, five days a week. So that means that I have lunches to make six days a week for two kids now. Last year was four days a week, three days of playgroup and one day of Chinese school. This year five days of school and one day of Chinese school. I'm going to try to post a few days a week the lunches I make them. Wish me luck!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lunches so far this week</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3;">Wednesday</span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">trip to the aquarium</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spinach linguini with soy vinaigrette</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">G</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">reen olives</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Veggie spring rolls</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honest Kids juices for both girls </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKeU8bg0DDk/UElNPdx9sbI/AAAAAAAABsU/BLstksj3i38/s1600/2012-09-06" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKeU8bg0DDk/UElNPdx9sbI/AAAAAAAABsU/BLstksj3i38/s320/2012-09-06" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #8e7cc3;">Thursday</span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jacqui's first day of kindergarten</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cold soba noodles (with ponzu sauce for Jacqui)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cucumber half moons</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cherries</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Green olives</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tofu cats (tofu coated in my mix and fried in safflower oil -- see below)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reusable container of vanilla soy yogurt for Jacqui</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Honest kids apple juice drink for Jacqui </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh_G3D8BN9M/UElNYxw84pI/AAAAAAAABso/ePpsBlw6kgs/s1600/2012-09-06" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh_G3D8BN9M/UElNYxw84pI/AAAAAAAABso/ePpsBlw6kgs/s320/2012-09-06" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coating mix</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spelt flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Organic cornstarch</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whole wheat pastry flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sea salt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nutritional yeast</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Black sesame seeds</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">White sesame seeds</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>Method for Tofu Cats (or other shapes)</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
I slice a block of extra firm tofu into four equal slices and then use cookie cutters to make shapes for the girls. We have a huge assortment of shapes (thanks, Mom!. The girls' favorites are the cat and papillon (butterfly). Hearts and stars are big hits too. After cutting out the shapes, I coat the tofu in my coating mix (front and back) and then fry the tofu on both sides in organic safflower or canola oil. I generally also make standard rectangles out of the tofu and fry those up for the girls' lunches, but today I decided to give them each two tofu cats and I kept the rectangles for my own lunch.</div>
<br />Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-18775805020724807822012-06-11T12:06:00.000-04:002012-06-11T12:06:42.476-04:00Strawberry Muffins<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Sunday morning, Aji asked to make cupcakes. But cupcakes are too sweet, and my kids never actually eat more than a bite of them. Muffins, on the other hand, have all the benefits of cupcakes (small size, muffin pan, liners!) without all that unnecessary sweetness that makes my kids not eat them. Saturday night I bought one of those HUGE containers of strawberries, which I had cut up after the girls went to bed and stocked in the fridge. (This is one of my recently-set goals: cut up fruits and veggies when I buy them to increase the likelihood that they will be eaten before going bad.) So, <b style="color: #741b47;">strawberry muffins</b> were born (based on a strawberry cupcake recipe from Joy of Vegan Baking):</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
3/8 cup all purpose flour</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup spelt flour</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 tsp baking soda</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup vegan sugar </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
~1 cup fresh strawberry puree </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup canola oil</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 T white distilled vinegar </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 tsp vanilla</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #351c75; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>What To Do</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Preheat the oven to 350F. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Line the muffin pan. (The girls did this while I went out for a cup of coffee and the oven heated up)</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Mix up the dry ingredients. (Jacqui's task)</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Puree the strawberries in a 2 cup glass container. (immersion blender!)</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Add the oil, vinegar, and vanilla to the strawberry puree and whisk to combine. (Aji's task with my help)</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients (Jacqui) and pour the wet into the dry (Aji). </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Mix thoroughly, but not too much. (All of us!) </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Spoon batter into the lined muffin pan. Note that this is a sticky dough. I used two spoons to get the batter into the pan. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
I may have overfilled my individual muffin holes, but this amount of batter filled only 9 of my 12. So I added water to the other three (to keep everything moist) and put the pan into the oven.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
30 minutes and a sweet smelling apartment later, we had soft, moist, strawberry-scented muffins. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>Thoughts </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
These muffins make a great snack -- the girls had them before we went to Coney Island yesterday -- and a lovely breakfast -- this morning, fact! We are down to just two left though, so we will have to make these again. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-20150370600903052222012-05-30T18:01:00.000-04:002012-05-30T18:01:44.172-04:00Baked Rice and Lentils<span style="font-family: arial;">from many months ago...written but never remember to hit publish...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Taking inspiration from the Mothering November/December issue's <a href="http://www.mothering-digital.com/mothering/20101112?sub_id=YGZTqMAUfqdf#pg62">potluck article</a>, I made baked rice. I mostly used the recipe provided there, but made a few changes, mostly to veganize it. :)</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">1 T extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">1 medium red onion, chopped</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />2 garlic cloves, minced</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />3 stalks celery, chopped</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1 large carrot, peeled and chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">3/4 cup brown long-grain rice</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />3/4 cup dry French lentils</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">1 tsp ground cumin</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />2 cups vegetable broth</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />15 oz diced tomatoes with juices</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1-2 cups frozen greens, defrosted and chopped</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1/2 cup Daiya (mozzarella style)</span> <span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />What to do</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Preheat the oven to 350. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Warm your Dutch oven over medium heat. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;">While it is warming, chop the onion. When the pot is warm, add the olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the onion and saute for five minutes. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;">Mince the garlic and chop the carrot and celery. Add them to the onion and saute for another five minutes. (Add a little water if everything starts to stick.)</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Add the rice, lentils, and cumin and stir and cook for approximately one minute. <br />Add the broth and tomatoes with juice. Stir well. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Remove from heat and place in oven, uncovered. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Defrost and chop the greens (or use fresh). <br />Add the greens and Daiya to the casserole, stirring well to combine. <br />Place back in the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, uncovered.</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-16652170927956887882012-05-30T11:05:00.001-04:002012-05-30T12:07:49.457-04:00Hot! Pink! Noodles!<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<b style="color: #ff6666;"><span><span><span class="il">Hot</span></span></span> <span><span><span class="il">Pink</span></span></span> <span>Noodles</span> <br />
<i>(or <span>Noodles</span> with Beet Greens and Tofu or Garbanzos)</i></b><i><br /></i><br /><u style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />1 package of <span>noodles</span> (quick cooking Asian <span>noodles</span> are best for this recipe)<br />
1 bunch beet greens (2 cups chopped) [any greens will work, but the beet greens will make the <span>noodles</span> <span><span><span class="il">PINK</span></span></span>!]<br />
1/2 - 2 cups cooked garbanzos or 1 package of tofu<br />canola oil<br />1/4 cup natural peanut butter<br />2 T organic sugar
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
1/3 cup lime juice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
1/4 cup Bragg's or other soy sauce</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
pinch red pepper flakes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<u><b>To make</b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Fill a large pot with water, and place it over high heat to
boil. Wash, then chop or tear the beet greens into bite-sized pieces.<span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dice the tofu and toss it into
the pan. Saute it until the pieces are
golden and crispy. If using garbanzos, just saute for a few minutes, then set aside.</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
To make the sauce, combine the peanut butter, sugar,
lime juice, Bragg's, and red pepper flakes in a bowl<span></span>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
By now your water should be boiling.<span> </span>Add
the <span>noodles</span> and greens -- you may need to stagger depending on the type
of greens and <span>noodles</span>. You want them to be finished cooking at the
same time. For the <span>noodles</span> I generally use, they take 5-6 minutes,
which is about the same time that I use for the beet greens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Once they are cooked, drain the greens and <span>noodles</span> in a strainer, and
return to the pot.<span> </span>Add the sauce,
and toss to coat the greens and <span>noodles</span>.<span>
</span>Add the tofu or garbanzos, and gently toss.<span> </span>Serve the <span><span><span class="il">hot</span></span></span> <span><span><span class="il">pink</span></span></span> <span>noodles</span> immediately, and refrigerate any
left-overs.</div>
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-26198622572494353272012-05-20T13:19:00.000-04:002012-05-30T12:08:11.918-04:00Banana apple pecan muffins<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Jacqui had been asking to make muffins for the past few weekends, but we just haven't had the time to. I promised her last night that we would make muffins this morning for breakfast. We are lacking in fruit and veggies at the apt right now, so I looked around and decided to make banana and apple muffins. The muffins were soft and delicious, a perfect breakfast. And the girls loved actually making the batter and the muffins. Feels like a long time since we've done that together. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>Ingredients </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
2 large ripe bananas </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
3/4 large golden delicious apple, finely chopped </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/4 cup applesauce </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/4 cup organic canola oil </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/3 cup vegan sugar </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup spelt flour </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
3/4 tsp baking powder </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 tsp sea salt </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup chopped pecans </div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>What to do </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Preheat oven to 350. Gather ingredients and children. Have girls peel bananas into a large bowl. Given the forks and show them how to mash the bananas. Mash. Add the applesauce, oil, and molasses and mix well. Then add the sugar, flours, baking powder, and salt, and mix well. Mom or dad may have to help with this mixing to get everything combined. Add the chopped apples and chopped pecans. Have the girls put the liners in the muffin pan. Spoon the batter (after the girls have tasted it, of course) into the muffin pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Enjoy!</div>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-20204413288382586282012-05-20T12:52:00.001-04:002012-09-04T14:34:32.557-04:00Asparagus risotto<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Last night I made an asparagus risotto for the girls' dinner. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>Ingredients </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 bunch fresh asparagus from the farmers' market, trimmed </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Olive oil </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Coarse sea salt </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Freshly ground pepper </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 red onion, finely chopped </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
2 T extra virgin olive oil </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1 1/2 cups arborio rice </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
1/2 cup reisiling (also from farmers' market) </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
3 cups organic vegetable broth </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Salt </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>What to do </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Preheat oven to 425.
Wash and trim the asparagus. Then toss with evoo, coarse sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. Roast for ten minutes. Let asparagus cool, then cut into one inch pieces.
Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom pan, heat the 2 T evoo and cook the red onion. When it is soft, add the arborio rice and cook for two minutes. Then add the white wine (I used reisiling), stirring constantly. When the wine is cooked in, add the veggie broth, one or one-half cup at a time, constantly stirring. With last cup or half-cup, add the roasted and cut asparagus and salt to taste. Serve with salt And nutritional yeast.
Relatively easy dinner, except for the constant stirring. Jacqui complained about the asparagus, but ate everything up. Aji ate a bit more than half her portion, but had gorged on coco bread right before, so she may have been legitimately full. I liked it too. Leftovers for lunch this week!</div>
Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-3138438923294469122011-08-16T15:37:00.003-04:002011-08-16T15:47:36.888-04:00Mujadara<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Ingredients</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 cup long grain brown rice</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 cup green lentils</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/4 tsp ground cumin</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/4 tsp ground cinnamon</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1-2 T extra virgin olive oil</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">2 T nutritional yeast</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1/4-1/2 cup cooked onions (1 medium to large size red onion, diced, cooked in olive or canola oil for 15-20 minutes, until reduced, slightly browned, and sweet)</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Tools that you need</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">skillet/pan for cooking onions</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">sharp knife to cut onions</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">measuring spoons/cup</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">rice cooker with brown rice setting with rice paddle</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);font-family:verdana;" >What to do</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Cook onions if not already prepared -- see directions above.</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Rinse rice and lentils, if desired.</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Put everything into the rice cooker, stir with rice paddle to combine, and set for brown rice cycle.</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Enjoy! </span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">You can top with additional fried onions, olives, etc. :)</span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">Thoughts</span>
<br />I set this last night for delayed start to make for the girls for lunch today. It made 4 servings: 1 for Jacqui, 1 for Aji, 1 for me, and 1 for leftovers. I packed the girls' portions with an assortment of colored olives and sweet yellow pepper slices. I will report later with the girls' assessment of their Tuesday camp lunch. But, it had rice, lentils, and cooked onions, three of Jacqui's favorite foods, so hopefully she liked it! :D And they got to have their cool yellow sporknives with lunch today.
<br /></span>
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I ate mine as an early lunch (1130 today). I meant to have a few bites because I hadn't eaten much breakfast, but ended up eating the whole container. SO GOOD. I think I could add a bit more olive oil (some recipes I saw had A LOT more olive oil), but as this was my first time putting olive oil into my rice cooker, I didn't want to overdo it. Might try some more next time.</span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-62936364414680267622011-03-03T18:51:00.004-05:002011-03-24T19:32:15.914-04:00Cupcakes!<span style="font-family:arial;">Yesterday was Adrianna's second birthday -- TWO YEARS ago she was born in a March snowstorm in Brooklyn. I'm not sure where those two years have gone, but she's really grown up the past few weeks. She's talking a lot more and jumping and skipping around.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We made cupcakes for Adrianna's birthday last night. I mostly used the vanilla cupcake recipe in <a href="http://www.joyofveganbaking.com/">The Joy of Vegan Baking</a>, but made a few changes: I used organic canola oil instead of the melted vegan margarine. I added 1 T of beet powder to make the cupcakes a deep pink. (We made these cupcakes for Jacqui's birthday in January and only used 1 tsp of beet powder. The batter was pink, but the baked cupcakes were just plain vanilla.) I used <a href="http://www.livingharvest.com/products/milk">vanilla hemp milk</a> for a little extra vanilla and lots of omega 3s and 6s. Yum.<br /><br />The recipe always makes more than 12 cupcakes for me. This time, we had 18 lovely pink cupcakes.<br /><br />The girls sprinkled organic powdered sugar to top the cupcakes before we stuck a number two candle into Adrianna's, sang happy birthday, and ate our cupcakes! </span><br /></span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-4021116194402137482011-01-05T14:42:00.002-05:002011-01-05T14:46:36.517-05:00Today's lunch - soup!<span style="font-family:arial;">Today I ate the rest of the leftover <a href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/applesauce-garbanzo-lentil-soup-and.html">Garbanzo/Lentil soup</a> from Sunday. Yumm.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNGTV-50vG1RdDvGKFl7WiAa2sNINfnZDVZjHCCO3Ms68gQJI_saSWZnyaflh8Uz6hXpiiN8lvL1e3rRLwfRIn0XNP-wdrPP0AhZ5QSFMCAQK_Kuqk-v3BYXhfr85QQOw9Orvr9NHwd0N/s1600/small+gl+soup.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNGTV-50vG1RdDvGKFl7WiAa2sNINfnZDVZjHCCO3Ms68gQJI_saSWZnyaflh8Uz6hXpiiN8lvL1e3rRLwfRIn0XNP-wdrPP0AhZ5QSFMCAQK_Kuqk-v3BYXhfr85QQOw9Orvr9NHwd0N/s200/small+gl+soup.jpg" alt="soup" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558790418615077762" border="0" /></a><br />The picture does not do this soup justice.</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-38457577781357434482011-01-05T12:42:00.007-05:002011-01-05T13:01:46.547-05:00Lentil and Sweet Potato Burritto Roll-ups<span style="font-family:arial;">Dinner last night was lentil and sweet potatoes. In burrito/roll-up form. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I started a baked rice dish (which I will post about later), but by the time it was in the oven for its 1/5-2 hour baking time, it was less than 30 minutes from when I wanted the girls to eat dinner. So, I looked at what I had in the kitchen and decided to make something with the few orange sweet potatoes and one large yellow/white yam that I had remaining. I used French lentils in the baked rice, so they went into the dinner too.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >Lentils</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup dried French lentils</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup water</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">sprinkle of ground cumin</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >Sweet potatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 small orange sweet potatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 large yellow/white yam (sweet)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 tsp ground cumin</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 tsp chili powder</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/mozza.asp">Daiya cheese</a> (mozzarella style)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">salsa (optional)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4 long flax/whole wheat flat rectangular wraps</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">First, cook the lentils with the sprinkle of ground cumin. Adrianna helped by measuring and adding the lentils and water. This was the step that took the longest for us last night in dinner-making land.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At the same time, cook the sweet potatoes. (I used the microwave because I was using the oven to bake rice, but you could use the oven.) When they are cool to touch, peel and mash with the ground cumin and chili powder. (You could use more of both the cumin and chili powder if you want - I was keeping it on the less spiced side for the girls.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To prepare the burrito-roll-ups:<br />Spread some of the sweet potato mixture onto a wrap. Add some warm lentils. Top with Daiya cheese (and salsa if you want -- I didn't include it for the girls). Roll up. For kid-sized burritos, cut the wrap in half before making the burrito. If the lentils aren't warm enough to melt the cheese, you can put everything in the oven for a few minutes to warm and melt. If the lentils are still warm (as ours were), they will melt the cheese.<br />Eat and enjoy! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jacqui topped hers with the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/applesauce-garbanzo-lentil-soup-and.html">applesauce</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> I made on Sunday, despite my warnings that it would make it hard to eat. It was. She ended up using a spoon to eat her roll-up, but the applesauce was a sweet addition to the sweet potatoes, spices, and lentils. Adrianna ate 1/3 of her roll-up with big bites, then needed the rest by spoon. The girls each ate 1/2 of a large burrito. I ate one large, and Dave had one large when he got home later. And we had one leftover (for someone's lunch or a snack). They were warm, easy to make, lightly spiced, and filling. </span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-71815628978459042932011-01-03T13:41:00.005-05:002011-01-05T13:53:27.484-05:00Danish Rye Bread<img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px; font-family: arial;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAnKNQ7t1Z7d5WmtFG3C1XR_NA2WRZi-MzFZlQeVzsYh1C-UEeh3sdxC7_lAV5uhQaFHXSccc7jsj0FoOmCP9ACU9SexhVJX_PXMvHHmbzThYek5WO82lpdaN0rzbzt7Z9BHVxBLgyF8s/s200/danish+rye+bread.jpg" alt="Danish Rye Bread" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm working on perfecting this bread. It's a Danish Rye bread.<br /><br />My problem right now is getting the insides to fully bake without conflating. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The bread tastes wonderful, even when the insides compress a bit. Aji and I really like it. Jacqui is not such a fan. Can't please them all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The photo is of a round loaf that I made in a cake pan. Taste was great (and the bread was devoured within two days), but it was too much dough I think to fully bake. Second time I made two long oblong loaves - reason #1: fully bake; reason #2: sandwich bread! That worked better, but the time to bake fully meant that the crust was a bit more crusty than I wanted. We've finished the first loaf (with dinner last night) and I froze the second loaf because I made <a href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/applesauce-garbanzo-lentil-soup-and.html">wild rice bread</a> yesterday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> As soon as I perfect the recipe, I will share it! :)</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-43419018673868643362011-01-03T01:15:00.010-05:002011-01-05T13:58:12.150-05:00Applesauce, Garbanzo Lentil Soup, and Wild Rice Bread<span style="font-family:arial;">Happy New Year!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We finally returned home to Brooklyn Saturday night and I made a few things for eating Sunday. The new thing: applesauce! The old thing: a version of my garbanzo/lentil soup. Yum. Oh, and one more new thing: wild rice bread.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);font-family:arial;" >Applesauce</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We had a bunch of apples that were near the end of their lives, so I made them into applesauce. It was much easier than I had expected, and quite tasty. The recipe is easy: take the apples you have, peel, core, and chop them. Add them to a big pot (I had Aji do this step) and then add water, some vegan sugar, and cinnamon. For eight apples, we added approximately two cups of water, 1/4 cup natural sugar, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Cook, covered, until the apples are soft. Then, puree with a handheld blender or mash with a fork. Et viola, applesauce!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);font-family:arial;" >Wild rice bread</span><br /><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sx13z_RvoeDlj5pA9AyQUrYuFuRGOt5lol5nD8zIpGbSw1H0XQjEtC9Ghh0f3oQVRfwadF5PPadZCvCEgLPj-XJ7vdFiRFCP_-5TQZ-yeZOx5cG_69myqqSPm2wpb5CprpgxLrLp9NBa/s200/wild+rice+bread.jpg" alt="wild rice bread" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">I've been on a bread making kick lately. I dug out the breadmaker from storage and I've been making loaves at least once a week. I have a rye bread that I really like (but Jacqui doesn't). As soon as I figure out the water content for it, I will post that recipe. I've also been making a teff bread at my mom's that Jacqui loves. It keeps inverting though, so I need to work on it a bit. :) This bread turned out lovely and was relatively easy to make. Enjoy it sliced, with applesauce, with butter, with jam. :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 1/3 cups cold water</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3 T canola oil</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3 T agave nectar</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 tsp sea salt (finally got iodized sea salt!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/3 cup rye flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/3 cup rolled oats</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup whole wheat flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3 cups bread flour (+4 T)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 tsp bread yeast</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup wild rice</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">little bit of soy milk</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4 T sunflower seeds</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I made the dough in the breadmaker and then shaped the bread and baked it in the oven. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To make the dough, out the water, oil, agave in the bread maker. Then add the salt, rye flour, oats, whole wheat flour, and bread flour. Make two indentations for the yeast. Put it on the dough cycle. When it beeps to add ingredients, add the wild rice. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When the dough is finished in the breadmaker, if it is still wet, add the extra bread flour one Tablespoon at a time (I needed to add 4T) and knead. Shape the bread into a round or oblong loaf (or you could get fancy and make three strands and braid it together, but I didn't!). </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Cover with a cloth and place in a warm spot to rise. Preheat the oven to 375F. (I put the bread on top of the stove to rise using the heat of the oven as it warmed up.) </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When the bread has doubled in size, brush the top with the milk and sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bake it for 25-30 minutes (or longer, as needed) until it is golden, a knife or skewer stuck in the middle comes out dry and not sticky, and the bread sounds hollow if you knock it on the bottom. My bread took about 45 minutes because my oven never made it to 375. But it was delicious once it came out! :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);font-family:arial;" >Garbanzo Lentil Soup</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This is a version of this <a href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2010/07/moroccan-garbanzo-and-lentil-soup.html">soup</a> and this <a href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2010/04/lentil-soups.html">soup</a>, made on the stove (instead of the crock pot) and with orange sweet potatoes and white/yellow yams. I love this soup.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2 tsp extra virgin olive oil<br />1 medium sweet onion, chopped<br />6-8 tiny sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped<br />1 large white/yellow yam, peeled and chopped<br />3 garlic cloves, minced<br />1/4 tsp ground ginger<br />3/4 tsp tumeric<br />3/4 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1/2 tsp ground cumin<br />1 cup dried green lentils, picked over<br />1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice<br />2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked organic garbanzos (with liquid)<br />6 cups warm or hot water<br />2 low-salt vegan bouillon squares<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);">What To Do</span></strong><br />Heat the oil in the soup pot while chopping the onion. Saute the onion for 5-10 minutes, letting it brown a little. Chop the garlic, and add it for one - two minutes. Then, add a bit of water to de-glaze the pan (get all the good brown stuff off the pan). Let this simmer while you put all the other ingredients in the soup pot.<br />Add the water and bouillon. Add the cooked garbanzos, chopped sweet potatoes and yam, and green lentils. Add the ginger, tumeric, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamon. Stir everything well.<br />Cook and cook over medium-high heat; let everything come to a boil. Reduce the heat, and let the soup cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring every so often.<br />Serve warm with slices of bread (you can use the bread I made or any other bread). It's also good with rice or couscous.<br /><br />Happy New Year!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" ></span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-49060909554231395822010-11-15T12:57:00.005-05:002010-11-17T14:43:14.146-05:00Dulse crackers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=104260"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.edenfoods.com/store/images/products/main/104260.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dulse-Flakes-4-oz-Multi-Pack/dp/B003NQRFPQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1289847675&sr=1-4"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TEhuOwXwL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" alt="Dulse flakes" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I really wanted crackers last night. I scoured my apartment, but didn't have any besan/garbanzo flour. (And I discovered that my spelt flour had new inhabitants -- weevils! Argh!) So, lacking besan, to make the crackers more exciting, I used seaweed gomasio and dulse flakes.<br />(You can buy the dulse flakes on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dulse-Flakes-4-oz-Multi-Pack/dp/B003NQRFPQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1289847675&sr=1-4">amazon</a> and the gomasio at <a href="http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=104260">eden</a> if you can't find them at a local store.)</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOZxQkkHzlQsBNoIeBsqlCMMKgIjK8ZLo2cjMzdZkWgpuq6hrfK6xbEgUU3fuMbCDDquYOBR5hVqqBiDfUvHUckHlWZIcno_WVHqw7KEzehJzEU3grZoFNykqVPWZW_9HFueb9Ca34pvy/s1600/dulse+crackers.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOZxQkkHzlQsBNoIeBsqlCMMKgIjK8ZLo2cjMzdZkWgpuq6hrfK6xbEgUU3fuMbCDDquYOBR5hVqqBiDfUvHUckHlWZIcno_WVHqw7KEzehJzEU3grZoFNykqVPWZW_9HFueb9Ca34pvy/s200/dulse+crackers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540606467283806434" border="0" /></a>Ingredien</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" >ts</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup organic white flour </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />3/4-1 cup nutritional yeast</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 tsp sea salt</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />4T red/purple dulse flakes</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2T seaweed gomasio</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 tsp black pepper</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1/2 Earth Balance (1 stick)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1/2 cup organic original hemp milk</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">some GF AP flour for rolling (why? b/c it's what I had available)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" >What to do</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Preheat oven to 385 (which is probably 365F).<br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Mix the dry ingredients together.<br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Cut in the Earth Balance until the mix is mealy. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Then add the hemp milk and mix together with your fingers. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />When everything is well combined (you have a nice not-tacky ball of dough), get your rolling surface ready.<br />Spread a little flour down and on your rolling pin. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Roll out small portions (as thick or thin as you'd like your crackers) and cut into the shapes you want for your crackers. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Place crackers on a cookie tray. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Bake for 10-12 minutes (less time for thinner crackers).<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Cool. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Eat. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Verdict: </span>needs more salt without the besan. But still good. :) I ate a bunch for dessert last night and left the rest for the girls to munch on this week.</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-10659920673822474002010-11-15T12:28:00.003-05:002010-11-15T12:52:07.379-05:00Sweet Potato Squash & Garbanzo Soup with Kasha<span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday's dinner was a hearty, thick stew. I made the soup separate from the kasha, and served them together, making a thick, stick-to-your-ribs stew that was quite filling. I had forgotten how much I liked kasha. You could always cook the kasha with the soup, but I liked the separateness of the two. I think it led to the vibrant colors: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This soup was very brightly colored -- yellow and orange vegetables in deep yellow broth, bright greens, red kasha.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Soup:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (from the farmers' market)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 sweet yellow onion, chopped (from MOM's)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 head of garlic, minced (from the farmers' market)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 long delicata squash, cut in half, seeds scooped out, and chopped (ditto)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 large gold potato, scrubbed and cubed (not Yukon, I can't remember the variety that we picked at the market on Saturday)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 head of greens, thinly sliced (from Kira's farm stand. She said to use it like spinach, so I did)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup vegetable broth</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 T extra virgin olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3 cups water</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup garbanzos + 1 cup garbanzo cooking liquid</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 tsp dried rosemary</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 tsp dried thyme</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 tsp poultry seasoning</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">Kasha:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup dried kasha</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 cups water</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/4 tsp sea salt</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">What to do</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial; color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">For the soup:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As you cut the sweet potatoes and potatoes, put them in a large soup pot with the water and vegetable broth. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Add the garlic and onions as you cut them. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Add the garbanzos and cooking water, the olive oil, and the herbs. (Because I knew that I was going to use some salt in the kasha, I didn't put any in the soup. You might want to put some in the soup.) </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cook, covered, over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and the broth is a lovely deep yellow. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When the vegetables are soft enough for you, turn off the heat and add the greens. Cover the pot again and let the soup cook the greens for you. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Keep the pot covered until you are ready to serve.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">For the kasha: </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Rinse the kasha well and remove any blackened grains. Place in pot with 2 cups of water and seal salt. Stir, cook until all the water is absorbed. I did this right before serving, so that the kasha was warm. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;">To serve:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Place some kasha in a bowl, then ladle soup on top. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast. You can serve it like that or mix the kasha into the soup, making it a stew.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy!</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-88616092612185962412010-11-08T13:12:00.005-05:002010-11-08T13:35:38.666-05:00Squash with Root Vegetable Lentil Stew<span style="font-family: arial;">Sunday dinnertime. My favorite squash and Jacqui's root vegetables, all carefully chosen at the farmers' market, come out to play for dinner.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">First, the squash. Second, the stew...lots of white vegetables. with brightly colored skins and some gold beets to color the broth.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: arial;">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 large blue-skinned (orange flesh) squash</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup live oat groats</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup green lentils</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">8 cups water</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3 small white onions, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3 small yellow beets, peeled and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3 small Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 purple turnip, scrubbed and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 purple daikon, scrubbed and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 black turnip, scrubbed and chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 cloves garlic, pressed</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/2 tsp sea salt</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">dried sage</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">dried rosemary</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">dried thyme</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 bulb roasted garlic</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1/4 cup (or more) nutritional yeast</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: arial;">What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">First, I cut up a large squash. Jacqui helped me scrape the seeds out. Then, we placed it in the over at 400F for 40 minutes (until soft enough to be pierced with a fork). Jacqui asked why I was making holes in it -- to see if it's ready to eat! :D If you don't have roasted garlic on hand (for the stew), cut the top off a bulb, wrap it in aluminum foil, and put it in the oven with the squash. It will be ready when the squash is done.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The squash will be finished baking before the soup is done cooking, so it makes a great first course/appetizer. Jacqui and Aji, like their mother, *love* all things squash, so they really ate it right up. You can add some vegan butter if you want. Jacqui actually ate almost the whole squash (and seriously, this was a large squash) by herself. Squash lovers outnumber the non-squash lovers in my home! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Second, while the squash was baking, we started the stew. In a large soup pot, add the water, lentils (rinsed), and live oat groats. (Any whole grain will do here. I used the oat groats because that's what I had on hand, fresh from the farmers' market.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">While the lentils and oat groats start cooking, wash and chop the vegetables (onions, beets, turnips, daikon, potatoes). Add them to the soup pot as you chop them. Chop as large or as small as you'd like and your kids will eat. :) Add the pressed garlic at this point too. (But not the roasted garlic.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Add dried sage, rosemary, and thyme. I used fresh herbs that we bought a few weeks ago at the farmers' market and dried. I took the dried leaves off the stems and crushed them in my hands before adding. Jacqui became an expert at this. Add as much or as little of the herbs as you'd like.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When the vegetables are soft and the lentils and oat groats fully cooked, add the roasted garlic (just squeeze the cloves right in) and the nutritional yeast. Reduce the heat, stir to combine, and let the stew cook on low for a few minutes to combine the flavors. If you want some more herbs, add them now. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Serve in large bowls and enjoy! </span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-3331904933839692412010-11-05T11:20:00.004-04:002010-11-05T11:35:25.497-04:00Red Beet and Lentil Soup<span style="font-family:arial;">Last night I made a very </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" >RED </span><span style="font-family:arial;">soup for dinner for me and the girls. I used </span><span style="font-family:arial;">yellow and orange carrots, red onion, red beets, and purple-skinned potatoes </span><span style="font-family:arial;">from the farmers' market, red lentils from bulk (Fairway or MOM's), yellow lentils from my mom (she gifted me with these two really cool lentil packages -- yellow and beluga -- last time I visited), and left-over brown rice for the soup. The girls both ate it for dinner and I had two bowls (one with rice and one without). It was so nice to get to cook again. And use up some of the lovely produce that's been living in my fridge, neglected, while I work away the days. </span><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRZyxoutBlaFRgvUmFI-mHuZA7mBP226Gj5LLLbURYtMfFGWnuC4xmOLHCZ8Uq3qT_O9pRbVNTOKg35EsTCvkIpiQ6-qLP5kBphgUgSTvNPev5bRzVCl1LpPcPXtzJfmnI9K6eN0hwQN7/s1600/red+soup+2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRZyxoutBlaFRgvUmFI-mHuZA7mBP226Gj5LLLbURYtMfFGWnuC4xmOLHCZ8Uq3qT_O9pRbVNTOKg35EsTCvkIpiQ6-qLP5kBphgUgSTvNPev5bRzVCl1LpPcPXtzJfmnI9K6eN0hwQN7/s200/red+soup+2.jpg" alt="red soup" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536088956787097922" border="0" /></a></p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" >Ingredients</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />10 cups hot water</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 cup red (orange) lentils</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup yellow lentils (or another cup of red lentils)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 orange carrot (peel left on)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 yellow carrot (peel left on)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 red (purple) onion</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2 red beets, peeled</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />3 purple-skinned potatoes (peel left on)</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1 tsp dried minced garlic</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 tsp dried dill</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 cup cooked brown rice</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-family:arial;" >What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This soup was souper easy.<br />In the food processor, chop up the onion and carrots together.<br />Dice the potatoes and beets on a cutting board.<br />Then, in one pot, add: water, lentils, potatoes, beets, carrots, onion, garlic, and dill.<br />Cook until the vegetables are soft and the lentils have fallen apart.<br />Puree the soup.<br />Stir in the brown rice and serve! </span><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8SZl_xbkPTjoOUbTRw2YbU34PMHrB07xnWcM4Hk6NyC81Rg4EyHk2tLKlIbWhQI1V6hC-uPwKK_ZnH8M2dQ8hin6m9xJ6cDr85IVgupKxtQgEOHajb21W5MCmz-UlEp17w2vh0y8JJ6r/s1600/red+soup+1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8SZl_xbkPTjoOUbTRw2YbU34PMHrB07xnWcM4Hk6NyC81Rg4EyHk2tLKlIbWhQI1V6hC-uPwKK_ZnH8M2dQ8hin6m9xJ6cDr85IVgupKxtQgEOHajb21W5MCmz-UlEp17w2vh0y8JJ6r/s200/red+soup+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536088952915329282" border="0" /></a></p>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-67885434901026975962010-07-19T15:22:00.004-04:002010-07-19T15:32:10.382-04:00Polenta Dinner<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWL1oFhJd_vie4B7kBfFzho4hAy0uZaryqWBQsLPkVzeAwvjgsw3qqrOYPqKpbr4lBGrXsj5uvc51ETvsyyAg3yz76C2cmA2TnPkDhGQ-BfKDtQw1urz_Brx-fDqembdESVhVXYEwgde8/s1600/polenta+cukes.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWL1oFhJd_vie4B7kBfFzho4hAy0uZaryqWBQsLPkVzeAwvjgsw3qqrOYPqKpbr4lBGrXsj5uvc51ETvsyyAg3yz76C2cmA2TnPkDhGQ-BfKDtQw1urz_Brx-fDqembdESVhVXYEwgde8/s200/polenta+cukes.jpg" alt="polenta dinner" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495700494907995538" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Friday night before we began our long long car trip to Maryland (i.e. Grammy and Gung-gung's house), I made up a polenta and beans dinner for us all (me, the girls, and Dave). We ate all the polenta. Adrianna couldn't get enough; Jacqui ate pretty quickly; and Dave and I ate up our full portions (plus an extra one for Dave). I gave each of the girls 1 1/2 pieces of polenta, giving Jacqui beans only and Adrianna beans and sauce. Two pieces each for me and Dave, with an extra piece waiting for Dave when his plate was clean.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMiM4Oz79niYjc2WgARgjmJmo-uJkPQBC7J65OIlj8_R1DFK5gs84Blx5f9RiCLs3un76hMBGezu3oyuZu8BaNkC13Oc67oD6UpMAVwOH1g2yreDd-Ft2WlbBJNNqBt7tPegAgzOSwCB5/s1600/j's+polenta+cukes.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMiM4Oz79niYjc2WgARgjmJmo-uJkPQBC7J65OIlj8_R1DFK5gs84Blx5f9RiCLs3un76hMBGezu3oyuZu8BaNkC13Oc67oD6UpMAVwOH1g2yreDd-Ft2WlbBJNNqBt7tPegAgzOSwCB5/s200/j's+polenta+cukes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495700488739082370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The polenta is from my earlier-in-the-week </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://tripflip.blogspot.com/2010/07/marinated-tempeh-and-cauliflower.html">cauliflower and polenta</a> effort. For the bean sauce, I used some mushroom and olive marinara sauce mixed with coco rose beans, heated slightly and spooned on. On the side, farm fresh cukes. I fork-cut up Jacqui's and Adrianna's portions to make it easier for them to eat by themselves. It was a quick and easy dinner, perfect for getting the girls to eat quickly so that we could be on the road before 8pm.Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-90584572620002067372010-07-15T11:17:00.008-04:002010-07-15T12:03:55.375-04:00Marinated Tempeh and Cauliflower Polenta<span style="font-family:arial;">When I got home last night, I made up a quick marinade for some </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.soyboy.com/tempeh.htm">SoyBoy soy tempeh</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (cut into four triangles). After the girls were finally asleep, I cooked the tempeh, and started chopping cauliflower for my polenta.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jacqui is in the final stages of potty-training. She wears underwear during the day and hasn't had an awake accident in more than a week. Yay! The last stage is sleep. Some days she wakes up dry from her nap, some days she wakes up wet. Of course, the days she wakes up wet are the days I foolishly allow her to nap without a diaper over her underwear. Sigh. She has yet to wake up dry from overnight sleep. And, over the last week, her body has determined that she needs to poop between 8:30 and 9:00 pm. When she should be in bed, going to sleep. Instead, she is sitting on the potty, pooping. "Mommy, I want to be a big girl, I don't want to pee and poop in my diaper." What can you say to that entreaty? "Ok, ok, go sit on the potty." Even if it's the third time since going to bed that she's asking to go. Even if I'm the only one home with the girls and Adrianna is on the verge of falling asleep. Even if I'm starving because I haven't gotten to eat yet. I just can't say no to the "I don't want to pee or poop in my diaper because I want to be a big girl" plea. Bedtime is just becoming later and later and dinner time for me is becoming much more of a Spanish-time dinner... but I don't get an afternoon siesta. Sigh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I based t</span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySn3BfUHAQWsu8urV970rknsGLh33JYa6lZAPd5bmCTwtntqZenTHCUsF0JKrpanIaZKlDVC5zop_zzWQ9yisM0iktTJa4kS7x1XF493l99MuwesJYC8cvJUjmdKxC7lsDien5MdBN4Mf/s1600/marinated+tempeh.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySn3BfUHAQWsu8urV970rknsGLh33JYa6lZAPd5bmCTwtntqZenTHCUsF0JKrpanIaZKlDVC5zop_zzWQ9yisM0iktTJa4kS7x1XF493l99MuwesJYC8cvJUjmdKxC7lsDien5MdBN4Mf/s200/marinated+tempeh.jpg" alt="Marinated Tempeh" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494161624615536290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">he marinade on a<span style="font-weight: bold;"> tempeh marinade</span> recipe from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.theppk.com/nomicon.html">Veganomicon</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. I omitted the maple syrup (didn't have any) and only used 1/2 the liquid smoke. I used 1/3 of a bouillon square plus 3/4 cup hot water to make the vegetable broth. The tempeh marinated for a bit more than an hour, then I cooked it in my handy dandy (but a little too large) non-stick skillet. I used some of the marinade to cook with the tempeh, but saved half of it to use again for marinated tempeh sticks. (I cut up another block of tempeh, into small finger-sized strips, and put them into the marinade and the whole container into the fridge last night. I'll cook them up tonight, so the girls have something new for lunch on Friday.)</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As I cooked and ate my tempeh (yum yum), I started the polenta. I've been dreaming of making polenta for some time now. (Is is odd that I dream of making certain food? I don't think it's too odd...much better than some of my other dreams!) My first attempt to cook polenta was thwarted when the polenta had grown a thick layer of green mold on the top. Eck! I took it back to the farmers market and got a new bag. No mold on this one. Phew!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDt6kgWHlFqW-q8ls1tVvPjQp8g_AQqEuhdd1pC_-nd8TLY18vqXEUimWriJMCG5my2wtiOSyyBNpolLE9uOPhoiOxYWd68wW9SeZdm_UTK9owE3-vvhBW533Hig8bLe78Xgp897VBcHD/s1600/polenta+w+cauliflower+in+bowl.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDt6kgWHlFqW-q8ls1tVvPjQp8g_AQqEuhdd1pC_-nd8TLY18vqXEUimWriJMCG5my2wtiOSyyBNpolLE9uOPhoiOxYWd68wW9SeZdm_UTK9owE3-vvhBW533Hig8bLe78Xgp897VBcHD/s200/polenta+w+cauliflower+in+bowl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494163179263088338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I based the polenta on a recipe from Veganomicon (Broccoli Polenta). I subbed cauliflower for the broccoli -- although I didn't have any broccoli, I had a huge head of cauliflower waiting to be eaten in the fridge. :) Four cups chopped and I still had enough for 3-4 more. Instead, I ate maybe half raw while cooking the polenta. So I've got a little bit of raw cauliflower left in the fridge for another night. I chose to use my brownie pan for the cooked polenta -- after taking out some of the polenta-cauliflower slop to eat immediately! I topped it with some large sea salt and nutritional yeast. Yum!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AuJOEH0Ke94KT2nAf_sVYVISapiSyzwyxAtPqrz54fJSR-WI2lNHQ-l8dlufkPWkFEwLohSc06CapHTosUck0-nkS8eBXCp-k0TM9W1C-j3DTVAAKzhVSFDdGbUOn5O8OBJ9rVxFMgL5/s1600/polenta+w+cauliflower.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AuJOEH0Ke94KT2nAf_sVYVISapiSyzwyxAtPqrz54fJSR-WI2lNHQ-l8dlufkPWkFEwLohSc06CapHTosUck0-nkS8eBXCp-k0TM9W1C-j3DTVAAKzhVSFDdGbUOn5O8OBJ9rVxFMgL5/s200/polenta+w+cauliflower.jpg" alt="Pan of Cauliflower Polenta" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494161785087733602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's my pan of <span style="font-weight: bold;">cauliflower polenta</span>. It looks eggy, no? The bowl of freshly cooked polenta really looked eggy to me. After the pan cooled a bit, I put it into the fridge to firm up. This morning before I left for work, I cut into squares and gave Dave directions on how to make it for lunch. Fry 2-3 squares in the skillet, add a little olive oil if necessary. Top with tomato sauce and coco rose or white beans (both are sitting cooked in the fridge). The girls will have a yummy lunch!</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-58761268888981154522010-07-10T10:32:00.005-04:002010-07-12T12:37:06.435-04:00Lavender Pancakes<span style="font-family: arial;">I found a </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://veganguineapig.blogspot.com/2010/07/lavender-pancakes.html">recipe</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> for lavender pancakes earlier this week. The girls and I had bought a bag of baking and tea-making lavender from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.lavenderbythebay.com/">Lavender By The Bay</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, a farm out on Long Island that sells on Saturdays at our farmers market. It's been sitting in our kitchen, waiting for something wonderful to make. I decided that this morning was the morning to try the lavender pancakes for breakfast.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC8WJbnlBsQSltVd9GVY6eAekTCoNDR-Rdnf9KM7sNTbllDhOLiPFraZeTSbyFf8QKqkH2pbKBWXhFRhqCRRM9tDV-i_jJNGFiQjBhYQ6oTwrU8zm9lE59OqBXbbwYjgNnVelKO3L570E/s1600/07102010148.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC8WJbnlBsQSltVd9GVY6eAekTCoNDR-Rdnf9KM7sNTbllDhOLiPFraZeTSbyFf8QKqkH2pbKBWXhFRhqCRRM9tDV-i_jJNGFiQjBhYQ6oTwrU8zm9lE59OqBXbbwYjgNnVelKO3L570E/s320/07102010148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492288527250132162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I made some adjustments to the original recipe. My sister and niece had gone through a gluten-free (GF) phase. When it ended, I inherited their leftovers, including a HUGE bag of GF all-purpose flour. I didn't have any wheat all-purpose flour, so I used the GF AP flour. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Probably because of the GF AP flour, I found that I needed to add quite a bit more milk, and the batter still wasn't as runny as I expected it to be. When I spooned the batter onto the pan, I had to spread it out to make the pancakes. The batter was too viscous to go anywhere on its own. You can see in the photo above the results of not immediately spreading the batter as I spooned it onto the pan...the center circles are the plops of batter, the rest is the result of my expert spreading. :).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Still, the pancakes were yummy, if a little stretchy (again, I think a result of the GF AP flour). The lavender flowers added a subtle flavor when the pancakes were eaten right after cooking. The flavor was much stronger and more pronounced at lunchtime/dinnertime when Jacqui and I finished off the remaining three pancakes that weren't devoured by us and Dave at breakfast.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's my version of Vegan Guinea Pig's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://veganguineapig.blogspot.com/2010/07/lavender-pancakes.html">lavender pancakes</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 ¼ cup gluten-free all purpose flour</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 T dark brown sugar</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 T lavender flowers</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">¼ tsp fine sea salt</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4 tsp baking powder</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">¼ cup plain soy yogurt</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">¼ cup strawberry applesauce</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 ½ cup vanilla hemp milk</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">¼ cup organic canola oil</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. (I had to smash up the brown sugar by hand because it had started to gel into balls, probably from the humidity in NYC.)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In a separate bowl, whisk the well ingredients together well.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing well until you have a smooth batter.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Heat your pancake pan over medium heat. Using a ¼ cup, spoon the batter onto the pan. I had to then spread the batter out with the back of a spoon to make pancakes. (Otherwise, these would have been more like drop biscuits or scones.) Cook until the top is all bubbly and starting to dry, then flip over. The bottom should be a lovely golden brown. If it's still pale, then let it cook a little longer on that side before flipping.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Serve the pancakes with maple syrup for dipping or all alone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The recipe made 15 4-in diameter pancakes for me, all of which were promptly eaten, leaving none to freeze for another day. </span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-88241443689237897222010-07-07T14:13:00.004-04:002010-07-07T14:22:51.304-04:00Smoothies<span style="font-family: arial;">We are loving smoothies in the hot heat of New York this summer. I'm sharing a few of our recent recipes below. Each makes enough smoothie for the four of us to enjoy for breakfast or lunch. :) Just blend all the ingredients together, pour into glasses, and enjoy with or without straws.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">Strawberry Banana Hemp Smoothie</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102); font-family: arial;">This is a lovely pink smoothie with a bit of a tang from the cranberry pom juice.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup vanilla hemp milk</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup cranberry pomegranate juice</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 frozen bananas</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup frozen strawberries</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 heaping spoonfuls ground golden flax</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 avocado</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">Blueberry Banana Green Smoothie</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153); font-family: arial;">This is a beautiful purple smoothie with lots of protein and vitamin C.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup vanilla oat milk</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup green juice</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 frozen bananas</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 frozen kiwi</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup frozen blueberries</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 heaping spoonfuls ground golden flax</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 heaping spoonful soy protein powder</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 avocado</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-3950332604917751632010-07-07T13:38:00.003-04:002010-07-07T14:12:02.634-04:00Pesto!<span style="font-family:arial;">On Saturday, we used the large (and I do mean LARGE) bunch of basil we bought at the farmers market to make PESTO!!!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Pesto is so easy to make, and so tasty. Store-bought pesto always has cheese in it, so if you want vegan pesto, you've got to make it yourself. All you need is a food processor (or high powered blender) and some ice cube trays, and you're ready to put some pesto away for later.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/images/green%20basil" target="_blank"><img src="http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l92/Ruas_2006/PDSinger%20Meme/511277_basil.jpg" alt="basil Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">(image from <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/green%20basil/Ruas_2006/PDSinger%20Meme/511277_basil.jpg">photobucket</a>)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6 cups loosely packed basil leaves (rinsed and patted dry)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3/4 cup pine nuts</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6-8 garlic cloves</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1/4 cup nutritional yeast</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast, and olive oil in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. (I tried to make this in the blender first, but the blender didn't cut it. Literally.) Process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides to ensure everything is processed.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Using a spatula, fill ice cube trays with pesto and cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Keep enough unfrozen for whatever meal you want to make with it immediately. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This recipe can be halved or doubled, depending on how much basil you have on hand. You can also add more or less of the salt and nutritional yeast, as you prefer the taste.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> You will also notice that my recipe has lots of garlic. I love garlic. Jacqui's first comment was that the pesto was spicy. Not so spicy that she didn't like it, but spicy enough that she let Adrianna have the next three spoonfuls while she thought about the spiciness. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Saturday night, I mixed pesto with brown Basmati rice and garbanzos for dinner. Yum. The girls loved it, and it was such a quick and easy dinner for them.<br /><br />Last night, we made pasta (brown rice pasta for the girls and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.house-foods.com/tofu/tofu_shirataki.aspx">tofu shiratake</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> pasta for me and Dave) with white beans and pesto. The brown rice pasta was delicious with the pesto, as were the beans. I threw some grape tomatoes in with Dave's and my meal. The tofu shiratake pasta was not very good. It was rubbery and made me want to gag. I ended up eating around it -- just eating the tomatoes and beans with pesto -- and filling up on the fresh gigantic head of cauliflower that I steamed for dinner too. I think I ate half of the cauliflower myself. It was probably a foot across. I had to steam it in three batches last night. So delicious. Fresh vegetables from the farmers market just taste better. Ahh...</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8289733885294723678.post-38932999559069669552010-07-04T08:36:00.004-04:002010-07-06T17:48:28.199-04:00Smoothies and Farmers Market Lunch<span style="font-family: arial;">Saturday is my day with the girls. Dave was out at kung fu all day long.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: arial;">Breakfast</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">For breakfast, we made strawberry banana smoothies. Jacqui has been asking for smoothies for breakfast every day lately. I think it's the heat. We had been making banana smoothies with whatever type of juice we had around for a few days because we didn't have any other frozen fruit. But Friday, we made a special trip to the store to pick up some frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, so yesterday we were prepared for yummy smoothie goodness.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">5 pieces (1/2 banana each) frozen banana</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup oatmilk</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup orange-pineapple juice</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">two heaping scoops soy protein</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3/4 avocado</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Place the milk and juice in the blender first, then the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and serve in glasses (plastic for the little girls). Enjoy!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-family: arial;">Lunch</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After breakfast, we took our regular Saturday trip to the market. (When I ask Jacqui where we should bike to, the market is always her first-choice destination, every day of the week. Too bad our market is only on Saturdays.) The organic woman-run farm we love (Evolutionary Organics) had the cutest selection of fresh, small zucchini and summer squash. I made the mistake of letting the girls pick some, and ended up spending $10 on squash. We also picked up a napa cabbage head and some vitamin greens. At another farmer's stand, we got lots of fresh berries (raspberries and blackberries) -- on special for 4 boxes for $10. Adrianna and Jacqui stuffed their faces with the berries before we even bought any. For the rest of our trip around the market, Adrianna's face was stained black and red (as were her hands) from all the berry goodness.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After purchasing the delicious berries, we went to play in the park for a bit. And eat more berries. And play. After playing for a while, we walked back through the market, picking up two humongous heads of white cauliflower (they barely fit in the fridge last night), a peach for lunch, two greenhouse tomatoes, and a large bunch of fresh basil. Homeward!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCnhr9x5SglqmHcJHsEcXVBPxzUtYPMma28ikjTmv20JzpkL2I4wJcmja1rT7bPq6b_FoUbTFpxsvW7-LuSKY4H1b-FkJPSLk5rw0Hj7EaqQaex3-hjG58Mo4Pmha8XruMdMKZDgSkPk1/s1600/Copy+of+farmers+market+lunch.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCnhr9x5SglqmHcJHsEcXVBPxzUtYPMma28ikjTmv20JzpkL2I4wJcmja1rT7bPq6b_FoUbTFpxsvW7-LuSKY4H1b-FkJPSLk5rw0Hj7EaqQaex3-hjG58Mo4Pmha8XruMdMKZDgSkPk1/s320/Copy+of+farmers+market+lunch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490911777263388434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">Farmers Market Lunch</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">Ingredients</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4-5 small summer squash, sliced into rounds</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 large fresh tomato, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 T extra virgin olive oil</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">sea salt</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">black pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 small red spicy pepper (from our window garden!)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 cup cooked garbanzos</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">What to do</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">heat the oil and then saute the sliced squash. Add the red pepper, tomato, salt, and black pepper. Then add the garbanzos. Saute and cook until the squash is soft. Serve!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It's so easy and Jacqui and Adrianna loved it! So much fun picking your own lunch at the market and helping mom make it up.</span>Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16641703836864167405noreply@blogger.com0