Kitchari Recipe Tri-doshic for gut health

Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic tri-doshic recipe, which means it is good for everyone! 

First, let's quickly establish what even is kitchari!

Kitchari is a dish used in ayurvedic cooking and is a staple in this way of life. The word kitchari means, mixture. This meal is full of protein and fiber and is considered to be healing for gut health and an overall comfort food. 

Traditionally kitchari is made from a blend of basmati rice, mung dal, healing spices and vegetables and has been perfected over the ages  to be very gentle on digestion while still being very flavorful. There are iterations of this recipe that extend back thousands of years.

While I could write a whole essay about kitchari I will just drop the recipe below.

_______________________

The prep time on this is really only about 15 minutes, but you will want to let it simmer for an hour. You could also cook it in an instaPot if you are short on time.

Serves at least 8 freezes well!

Ingredients

*First*

2 Tbs coconut oil

2 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp fenugreek seeds

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

*Next*

1 Tbs. chopped garlic (3 cloves)

1/2 c. chopped onion

*Last*

2 c. split mung bean dahl/ can sub golden lentils

1 c. white basmati rice

3 - 5 c. chopped vegetables (I used carrot, cauliflower, pepper, potato—-use what you have)

4 c. vegetable broth

4 c. water

2 bay leaves

****Optional garnish: coconut yogurt (unsweetened) cilantro

Instructions

*First*

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Once melted, add the spices. Cook the spices in the oil until they start to become quite aromatic, about 2 - 3 minutes, stirring regularly and watching as we don’t want them to smoke/burn. 

*Next*

Add the garlic and onion and cook for a couple of minutes.

*Last*

Add the mung beans, rice and chopped veggies and stir to coat veggies with spices. Pour in the liquids and stir in the bay leaves.Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover and cook for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, give the mixture a good stir and add a touch more liquid if desired. Remove bay leaves.

Serve with cilantro and coconut yogurt if desired.

Vegan Recipe: Banana Walnut Muffins

 

I love vegan banana bread muffins, a lot. Who doesn't? Nobody that's who! Now you can make your own vegan muffins and pretend they are healthy because they have fruit and are vegan. Spoiler alert they are more like what we tell the girls is "a sometimes treat." 

You will need:

• 1.5 tsp Ener G Egg Replacer (easy to find at health food store or online) mixed with 2Tbs warm water

• 1tsp vanilla

•1/2 tsp salt

•1 tsp baking soda 

•1/3 c vegan margarine 

•3/4 c sugar

•1.5 c flour

•3 ripe bananas (when I have a banana that starts to turn I put it into the freezer where it will turn black and look like the limb of a bog mummy, don't panic it is edible and it tastes super sweet---just thaw it first) 

*optional 1/4 c walnuts, raisins, chocolate chips

1) Heat over to 350F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2)Mix all of the ingredients together. Make sure you separately mix the egg replacer and water before combing with other ingredients. Otherwise I don't think it really makes much difference which order you add things, but I generally add them in the order listed above.

3) Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until you can put a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean.

Eat the muffins.

Vegan Recipe: Hummus is Yummus

 

Alright, so you probably didn't give my hunt for the perfect hummus another thought...but I did! I am onto my next hummus recipe. This one is super basic and it was ok, could be great with addition of spices, but it is a good start if you are not familiar with hummus. Cordelia is normally put off but hummus with a robust flavor and she really liked this more mild version of hummus.

1/4 c tahini

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

 2 cans chickpeas plus some reserved liquid

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice

* paprika and a drizzle of olive oil on top

Put it all in a food processor and blend until creamy. Pour in a little reserved chickpea liquid as you blend for a creamier hummus. Just a little as you go along, testing the consistency until you are happy. If you want super creamy hummus you need to shell those chickpeas, but I don't have time for that. When you are done drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

A fine basic, but I know there is better. Send me your recipes and I shall try them.

Vegan Recipe: Rosemary Lemon Potatoes

This is a super duper easy recipe, and you have probably had some version of this before, but maybe you have not had this before. If you have never had this or simply forgot about it, here is a little reminder for you.

Ingredients

•potatoes I usually have one or two potatoes per person. Slice the potatoes how you like. I tend to just go for a general thickness of about 1/4-1/2 inch...but sometimes I go more thick or thin. I like variety.

• a lemon. For four servings I use the juice from about 1/3  a lemon and save the rest for another use.

• fine grain sea salt. I spread about a half a teaspoon or maybe a bit more if I am feeling salty. 

•about a tablespoon of olive oil

• a few sprigs of rosemary. Break it up, removing the woody stem I just had Cordelia get some from the garden.

Directions. Toss it all in a bowl and make sure that ingredients are evenly distributed. Plop it on a cookie sheet and pop it into an oven 420F for about half an hour. Then I broil it for a few minutes to crisp it up at the end. You can add a little more Rosemary, salt or lemon juice to taste. Enjoy.

Sneaky Shakes for Picky kids

Look, my kids are in a seriously picky phase right now. One day carrots are the bomb dot com (yes, I just wrote that) and the next day Cordelia pukes them up. Girl can puke on demand; it would be pretty impressive if it were not so very disgusting. Anyway, I am always working to find new and sneaky ways to cram their sweet little faces with healthy food.



Each ingredient in this recipe has loads of healthy benefits.
Banana is an amazing source of potassium. Pineapple is a great source of vitamin C. Spinach well, just read this link to see how great it is for you. Blueberry and strawberry are full of antioxidants!Wheat Germ is a great source of fiber and it will keep you regular (wink, wink), not that that's a major issue for vegans (wink, wink). Almonds and almond milk are vitamin rich too!

1 ripe banana, roughly chopped
1/4 c pineapple
1/4 c strawberries
1/4 c frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup of blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 T wheat germ
1 c vanilla almond milk

1. Toss everything into a blender.
2. Blend
3. Enjoy

Makes 1 large or 3 small glasses

Vegan Recipe: Vegan Pan de Muerto

For the Day of the Dead event, today, I made traditional pan de muerto. Well, traditional-ish, in that it is a veganized version. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients

•2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

• 1/4 c warm water

•1/4 c vanilla soy milk +2tsp.

•1/4 c softened vegan margarine

•1/2 tsp anise seeds 

•1/4 tsp salt

•3 tsp EnerG egg replacer +4Tbs warm water (whisked together in separate container) or vegan alternative to two eggs

•2 1/4 c flour

•1 Tbs each margarine and sugar for coating the baked bread

Directions

1) Combine yeast, water and sugar. Let sit for ten minutes.

2) Add milk, anise seeds, margarine, Egg Replacer and salt.

3) Slowly add in the flour and mix until you have a nice dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm dry place for an hour.

4) After an hour punch down your dough and separate into three balls: large, medium and small in size. Your large ball forms into a round loaf. Break your medium balls into two even pieces and roll into long thing tubes. Lay them in and x across the large loaf ball. Finally form your small ball into an oval and press on top of the x. You can poke in eyes, nose and mouth. You have made a crude skull and crossbones.

4) Let rise in a prepared baking sheet for 30 minutes.

5) Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Take out and brush with half of the margarine. Pop it bake in the oven for 25 more minutes. When it is done it should sound hollow as you thump it.

6) Brush with the last of the margarine and sprinkle liberally with sugar.

Vegan Recipe: Smores

Here is a recipe moved from Rooted Vegan


Sometimes it hits me that my vegan children will be really out of the loop on certain things that are cultural tradition or rites of passage here in the US. Honestly, this makes me mostly proud and happy. My kids don't go to rodeos or circuses. They will never eat greasy dogs at a ball park (unless they are vegan veggie dogs). I am proud to be breaking a cycle of rather mindless eating and traditions that are built upon the suffering of animals.

There is another side, a side that I feel a little bummed about. Grabbing an ice cream cone from the ice cream truck is not an option.  They can't just grab a bite of food with their friends without first ensuring that there are vegan options.  The girls will never get a carefree attitude about food, which is both good and lame. Unfortunately my three year old has long understood that she needs to inquire about whether or not a given food is vegan. While I like that she is considering food and its sources I don't want food thinking to be the central factor in their lives.

While this isn't a big deal I do try and give the girls some normalcy so that, when they are grown, they have some of those same touchstones as others. Shared or common experiences are so often a great conduit to genuine connections. So, with that in mind I set to creating vegan smores! (Honestly, this was all about my children, not at all about my obsession with chocolate...).

So you're probably going, "Yeah genius smores are literally three ingredients. We don't need a recipe." To that I say, some folks don't realize that they can veganize this treat. Let me guide you on this journey!

First I discovered vegan marshmallows! Here are several.

I also found graham crackers. Check here. If you aren't hung up on the ethics of supporting non-vegan companies Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are accidentally vegan (check out this site for tons of accidentally vegan products)

Then I grabbed some chocolate. There are so many vegan chocolates out there in the world! Thank goodness.

Next, I showed my oldest daughter how to roast a marshmallow. We roasted and assembled our smores like people have been doing since the dawn of time, or whatever. Graham cracker, chocolate, roasted mallow, graham cracker. Of course you can always jazz things up by adding fruit. We like raspberries and strawberries. Enjoy the time honored tradition with a vegan twist!

Seattle Part 4

Our final day was a doozy! We awoke in Poulsbo and hung out at our hotel until catching the 10:25 ferry back to Seattle. The ferry cruise was lovely as we stayed up top and enjoyed the fresh air and the sunny day.

When we arrived in Seattle we piled back into our rental car and browsed around the area before heading down to Pike's. We grabbed a quick lunch at a vegan restaurant called Veggie Grill. The food was great! The girls had macaroni and cheese. I had a vegan cheeseburger with coleslaw. Eric had some sort of cutlet with fresh beans. We were struck by how busy the place was as well as the variety of people who were eating there, all walks of life! I love seeing people who are either vegan or just receptive to vegan food. Living in Wyoming we can feel pretty isolated, but being in the city it sure was nice to see people who were considering what they ate on a deeper level.

After lunch we hit up the market for a bit and then became overwhelmed by the masses. We are definitely used to the wide open spaces and limited population of Wyoming. We retreated to the Japanese Gardens for a little peace. The gardens were absolutely beautiful! The whole family enjoyed meandering along the pathways in the dappled sun. A beautiful conclusion to our time in Seattle.

 

 












We returned our rental car, caught the shuttle, and checked in at the airport. A lovely security guard ushered us through the VIP line at security because we had young kids. When we settled in at the airport we grabbed dinner (dinner consisted of fries a granola bar and a fruit cup---not a vegan friendly terminal). Our flight left at 8:30, way past bedtime for the girls. Elise stayed awake just long enough for take-off before she fully passed out for the duration of the flight. Cordelia followed soon after. 

The flight was nice and easy until a very hard landing in Denver. It was late, the girls were tired. I carried a very limp and sleeping Elise. Cordelia was able to walk. We gathered our luggage and then Eric grabbed the car. We made it to our hotel by 1:30 in the morning, exhausted.

The next morning we awoke late and then grabbed brunch at Watercourse. Then we left the city and headed North and home to Wyoming. Nothing beats the feeling of returning to Wyoming after a crowded city trip, open spaces, fresh air, no traffic. Ahhh!

Vegan Recipe: Roasting Perfect Veggies/ Rescuing Wilting Veggies

My friend Kate wrote this great guide to roasting perfect veggies!

I opened my refrigerator Saturday morning and peeked into the vegetable drawer. The gorgeous veggies I bought Monday stared at me, lifeless and wilting.

I had every intention of making massive salads out of the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and peppers. However, the reality of life trumped my desire to cook anything more complicated than a bowl of pasta and sauce.

It was time for a mass roasting. Saturday my kitchen looked like a vegetable butcher shop. Scraps of wilted produce in one corner, carrot tops and romaine lettuce ribs in another.

In a couple of hours that pile of on-its-way-out veg was transformed into a crispy, tangled mess of caramelized goodness. Tossed with pasta or quinoa or eaten on their own with a light vinaigrette, roasted vegetables will keep for up to a week in the fridge and you can freeze potatoes and carrots for a couple of months.

If roasting seems like more of a hassle than it is worth, you aren’t doing it properly. Here are the four secrets to roasting perfect vegetables:

Size, Fat, Heat, Time.

Size: Whoever said “size doesn’t matter” didn’t roast carrots or potatoes. The first secret to roasting perfect root veg is to cut everything the same size. Carrots, potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips, kohlrabi should all be cut into about 1/2-inch pieces.

Fat: Olive oil, canola oil and grapeseed oil are my favorites. Don’t skimp on these healthy fats. They give the veg a crispy exterior and seal in the flavor.

Heat: High heat is another key ingredient that produces a crispy exterior and melting interior. High heat beautifully blisters the skin of your peppers, and gives roasted lettuce a characteristic smoky flavor.

Time: Be patient. It takes time to make a meltingly soft roasted potato or caramelized carrot. The only veggies I don’t roast for a long time are tomatoes, romaine lettuce or kale, but everything else can sit in the oven for as long as it takes to get a sheen of brown goodness.

How to Roast a Pepper

3 bell peppers

1 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

3. Drizzle peppers with olive oil.

4. Roast peppers for about 20 minutes.

5. Turn over and roast for another 15 minutes.

6. Turn a quarter turn to one side and roast until the skin blisters, another 15 minutes. Turn a final time to the other side and roast until the skin turns black in a few places.

7. Remove the peppers from the oven and immediately wrap in aluminum foil. This is an important step because this helps steam the skin so it easily peels from the outer part of the pepper.

8. After about 5 minutes remove from the foil, then peel the membrane away from the pepper leaving the soft flesh behind.

9. Blend into dressings, soups, sauces, or just keep on hand covered with a little olive oil for snacking with crackers and vegan cheese.

How to Roast Perfect Fingerling Potatoes (carrots too)

3 lbs large fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup olive oil

Coarse kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Toss potatoes in olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Sprinkle with salt and ground pepper.

4. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, about 75-90 minutes or until lovely and brown in color.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I love tossing these with pasta, arugula, herbs and lemon for the perfect summer dinner.

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 pinches black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Toss all ingredients together and spread in a single layer in a roasting pan or baking sheet.

3. Roast until the skins begin to split, about 10-15 minutes.

Roasted Romaine Lettuce

Don’t turn your nose up at this. I was skeptical the first time I tasted it, but I immediately fell in love. When the heat hits the lettuce it makes it instantly sweeter with a smokey overtone. Such a nice change from the basic salad.

3 heads romaine lettuce halved lengthwise

1-2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Drizzle olive oil over lettuce, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for about 5 minutes or until it begins to wilt and is browned around the edges.

{Kate}

Vegan Recipe: Pesto Pizza

I am crazy for pizza. Why, you ask. Well, the answer is simple. I am a human being. I sincerely have never met a single person who does not like pizza. If you do not like pizza then perhaps you should investigate the possibility that you are a non-human. Just sayin'.

Anyway, even the best pizza sometimes needs a little update. Here is a simple white pizza. I swear my daughters, who avoid all greens as a general rule, even ate this pizza.  Feel free to mix 'n match the veggies to your liking. It's pizza people, not rocket science.

Pizza dough
1/4 c basil pesto (vegan, obviously)
1/4 c spanish olives, roughly chopped
1/4 c kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, oil drained and roughly chopped
1/4 c quartered artichoke hearts
1 c Daiya jack cheese ( I cut mine in slabs, but shredded would work fine too)

1. Preheat your oven to 410F.
2. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and press the dough into place.
3. Cover with basil pesto. Add the veggies and top with the vegan cheese.
4. Pop it into the oven for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

Vegan Recipe: Petit gâteau aux bleuets

Wow! French proficiency (not fluency mind you) finally pays off in the title of this post!

No, seriously this cake is for those of us that don't have hordes of people to feed. It is a petite blueberry cake that answers the call for something that isn't coated in frosting or too gigantic to get through. Generally we like to have a piece of cake in our house once, or perhaps twice...but those big cakes are usually just too much for us to get through. This delicious and dense cake is just the right size for a small birthday celebration.

4 T vegan margarine
1/3 c + 3T brown sugar
1 c frozen or fresh blueberries
3/4 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Ener G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 T warm water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c vanilla almond milk



1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a small cake or souffle pan with vegan margarine.
2. Melt 2 T of vegan margarine. Pour into the bottom of the cake pan, add 3 T brown sugar and 1 c blueberries.
3. In bowl combine the flour and salt.
4. In a separate bowl combine the egg replacer mixture, vanilla, 2 T soft margarine, and almond milk. Combine with dry ingredients and mix.
4. Pour the mixture on top of the blueberries. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Immediately flip the cake out of the pan by placing a flat plate or serving dish on top of the cake pan and flipping in one quick move.
Serves 4


Enjoy!
~Maria Rose

Vegan Recipe: Thai Green Curry with Cashews and Homemade Curry Paste

 Here is a recipe from my friend Kate

This Thai curry is so easy to make I almost feel guilty writing up a recipe. But, it is so mind blowingly tasty that I have to share it.

The most difficult part is chopping up all of the veggies and blending up the curry paste. Use whatever veggies you can find. I like carrots, red peppers, sugar snap peas, kale and onions, but you can use sweet potato, green onions, baby bok choy, zucchini--whatever is tasty and in season (or whatever is wilting in your fridge).

Make sure you chop all the veggies in thin slices about the same size so they can cook at the same rate. I detest veggies chopped up in little cubes, but if that’s what you like, go for it.

It seems like every time I make a curry I start cooking in my saute pan but end up with sauce, veggies and other bits all over my stove. After cleaning up many a sticky mess I realized that these dishes actually work better in a large pot with tall sides. Try it, you will wonder why you didn’t think of it before.

Homemade curry paste is divine, but this works equally as well with store bought. In a pinch I use Thai Kitchen.

Oneof the great secrets about curry paste is that you can use it for a whole host of other things. I like using it in places you wouldn’t normally find curry paste: soups, stews, swirled into coconut ice cream (seriously), salad dressings, tossed into roasted potatoes...endless opportunities for deliciousness. 

serves 6 to 8 (freezes well)

3 pounds veggies sliced into long pieces
(red peppers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, yellow onion, green onion, sweet potato, carrots, kale)
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup green curry paste
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup whole cashews
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime

1. Chop all vegetables in long slices.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet or sauce pot.
3. Add onions and saute on medium low or until they begin to soften. Add curry paste and saute, stirring constantly on low until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add veggies and cook stirring occasionally until they soften and kale wilts.
5. Add coconut milk, cashews, soy sauce, vinegar and lime juice and turn to medium high.
6. When curry begins to bubble turn to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the veggies are soaked with the sauce.
7. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little extra salt if needed and black pepper.
8. Serve with rice or udon noodles (I even eat it with bread if that’s all I have time for). Tuck the rest away in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze it.

Thai Green Curry Paste

1 large bunch cilantro
3 jalepenos, seeds removed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
2 limes, juice and rind
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs olive oil (or sesame oil if you have it)

1. Wash and roughly chop the cilantro and put in a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the smoothest paste possible.
2. If the paste gets too thick add a little extra oil or lime juice. If you want it a little hotter add another chile.
3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Will keep about 3 weeks.

Vegan Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Cups

I am absolutely in love with artichoke dip. I mean who isn't?




These are a personal take on traditional artichoke dip. They are super simple and fast to make.

You will need:
24 mini phyllo (or fillo) cups (easily found in the freezer section, most are vegan)
12 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 c of vegan parmesan
1/3 c vegan mayo of your choosing
1/3 c vegan cream cheese
1/3 c chopped frozen spinach, thawed
juice and zest from half a lemon
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
 *Optional garnish, itty bittty lemon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Set the phyllo cups on a cookie sheet.
2. Put everything else into a food processor and process until creamy.
3. Fill the phyllo cups with the mixture.
4. Bake for 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Maria Rose

Vegan Recipe: Roasted Asparagus Spring Salad

Asparagus just screams spring to me; even though it isn't officially here yet we are starting to get the produce in markets. I love to buy bunches of asparagus this time of year when they are cheap and affordable. This salad is absolutely delicious and takes 10 minutes to prepare!




For the Salad
Olive oil
Sea Salt
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
2-3 cups mixed baby greens
gomasio, as desired

For the Dressing
1 T white rice vinegar
Juice from one lemon
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 T grape seed oil
1/4 tsp ground ginger



1. Preheat your oven to 500 F. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with olive oil. Brush the asparagus with oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in the oven and roast for 8 minutes. (Side note: the asparagus just roasted can stand on its own as a side)
2. Let the asparagus cool to room temperature or colder if you prefer.
3. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Toss with mixed greens to coat.
4. Lay a small mound of mixed greens with dressing. Top with some of the asparagus, 3-5 pieces. Sprinkle with gomasio or plain sesame seeds. Enjoy

Serves 4 with leftover asparagus to nibble on.



 

 ~Maria Rose

Vegan Recipe: Vitamin Packed Smoothie

I am a parent who is always trying to find ways to pack the most into each feeding. Smoothies are a great way to jam a zillion things into something enjoyable for kids. They understand a smoothie, it is a sweet treat. They don't need to know that you packed spinach or beets into it, no need. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we should lie to our kids or trick them, but they also don't need to know every ingredient that they eat. Cordelia would lose her mind if she knew that she had to eat spinach, or as she calls anything leafy and green "lettuce." Seriously the girl has a freakish gag reflex and will vomit if I so much as tickle her lips with a piece of spinach.

She recently asked me to sneak veggies into her food to keep her healthy. What?! Who asks that? So this smoothie makes a great afternoon snack. The recipe is totally basic and very versatile. You can add or subtract to your taste. I just make sure to have lots of fruit sweetness to counter the veggies if you are trying to appease the younger crowd.


Each ingredient in this recipe has loads of healthy benefits.
Banana is an amazing source of potassium. Pineapple is a great source of vitamin C. Spinach well, just read this link to see how great it is for you. Blueberry and strawberry are full of antioxidants!Wheat Germ is a great source of fiber and it will keep you regular (wink, wink), not that that's a major issue for vegans (wink, wink). Almonds and almond milk are vitamin rich too!

1 ripe banana, roughly chopped
1/4 c pineapple
1/4 c strawberries
1/4 c frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup of blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 T wheat germ
1 c vanilla almond milk

1. Toss everything into a blender.
2. Blend
3. Enjoy

Makes 3 small glasses
***Bonus: As you experiment with this recipe you can increase certain ingredients (spinach) as your child gets used to it. Add any mild tasting pureed veggie as you change things up a bit. My health food store has all of the veggies pureed and frozen and I would imagine yours does too, if you don't have time to do that on your own.

Vegan Recipe: Broccoli Bites with Avocado Cream

Now let me start off by saying that I enjoy broccoli, but even I was skeptical about my own recipe. I mean...putting it into the oven I was concerned. I just thought that I had created some freaky gunky Frankenfood. I expected to pull it from the oven, take a bite and gross out. I am not sure why. Perhaps because it looked UGLY.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when this tasted sooooooooooooo goooooood! Like for really yo!


Try it. I insist.

2 medium-sized broccoli heads, florets only
EnerG Egg Replacer Equivalent to 4 Eggs (1 1/2 tsp replacer +1T warm water= 1 egg)
1 c your favorite vegan cheese (I used Daiya)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 c quick oats
1/4 c sunflower seeds

For the Avocado Cream
1 avocado
1/4 c vegan sour cream
juice from 1 half lemon

1.Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil a muffin tin.
2. Toss the broccoli into a food processor and process. Add the cheese, sunflower seeds, oats, garlic powder, nutmeg. Process, scrap down the sides, until well mixed.
3. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin filling about 2/3 full, gently press down. Place into the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until lightly golden on top. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. For the avocado cream put the avocado (skin and seed removed) , sour cream, lemon juice into the cleaned food processor. Process until creamy.
5. Gently remove the broccoli bites. You may need to loosen by running a knife around the edges.
6. Serve with a dollop of cream. BOOM!


 Enjoy!
~Maria Rose

Tofu Confessions

Recently while out for a jog with a friend we were talking about tofu (like you do) and she suggested that I confess to you a few of my major tofu mistakes. I thought this would be the perfect place to confess my mistakes and to tell you what I should have done instead. Hopefully you will learn something or at least get a good laugh. Please feel free to share your best tofu mistakes.

1) The Story: I had some random hippie cookbook that suggesetd 1/4 c of tofu would be a perfect replacement for an egg in baked goods. Great! I tried it out on a birthday cake for a friend! I used a blender to liquefy that 1/4 c of tofu and followed the recipe. I put it into the oven, confident that all would be well. When the timer rang out I took a look, toothpick ready to insert into the center as recommended, and I came upon a chocolate soup. I baked it for hours. I was 20, let's use that as an explanation. Anyway. We ended up with a goopy chocolate nightmare. My friend was so sweet and spooned it into her mouth, but come on!

What I should have done: I should have bought Ener G Egg Replacer or looked into a baking substitution guide online! I also should have burned that cookbook instead of inflicting it on a thrift store.

2) The Story: A casual acquaintance told me about scrambled tofu. She said she just crumbled extra firm tofu into a skillet and treated it exactly like scrambled eggs, a little oil, a little salt and pepper. I tried it and the result was so bland.

What I should have done: I should have added veggies, garlic, salsa, nutritional yeast, turmeric, soy cheese, anything!

3)When I first went vegan I had never ever EVER tried tofu. I didn't know what it looked like, how it tasted, or what it was made from. In spite of that fact I took myself to the grocery store and bought my very first block of tofu. I chose poorly. I grabbed a block of soft silken tofu. I had intended to do some kind of marinating/baking thing. For those of you that are new to tofu, silken tofu is different that regular tofu. Silken tofu, as it's name suggests, has a silky smooth texture. Silken and soft tofu does not hold a shape. It is good for things like smoothies and baking---definitely not marinating/baking. So, things did not go well for me there. Not at all. It was too gross to even eat.

What I should have done: I should have used extra firm regular tofu, pressed the tofu, marinated and baked.

4) The first time I tried to make sweet and sour tofu I cubed my tofu before draining and I plopped those cubes into a skillet with oil. I let them cook for about 10 minutes and then called it good. It was not good. The tofu was flavorless, goopy and nasty.

What I should have done: I should have pressed the tofu before cubing, cooked the tofu in a smidge of olive or sesame oil and flavored it with a sprinkle of garlic powder, onions, or almost anything. I should have let that tofu sit until it was golden.

5) OK, this one is bad. For the first Thanksgiving as a married woman I was dead set on making my own tofu turkey. I used some random internet recipe that involve shaping tofu with cheesecloth. It did not work. It was so gross and I hadn't even given it a trial run so we were stuck eating sides (thank goodness those were OK) for our first Thanksgiving. To add insult to injury we were without a kitchen table at the time so my husband of 5 months sat one one end of our coffee table, cross legged on the floor, while I was at the other.

What I should have done: I should have purchased a tofurkey or made a stuffed butternut squash. There was no saving that crazy recipe

Time Machine Thanksgiving Review

 



Thanksgiving was a bit different this year. My parents were out of town. One brother was in Michigan and the other works the night shift and his girlfriend had to work at 4:30. We didn't have any real plans so we decided to make this a fun Thanksgiving, as the historical tradition is nonsense. So, we thought why not do a Time Machine Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving morning was spent baking pie and preparing a time machine. We then dressed up. Eric went as an 80s rocker. I went as a 50s housewife. Cordelia went as a princess. Elise did her own thing... Sam inexplicibly dressed in our father's coat and hat. His girlfriend Alaysha went as a modern girl.


The time machine











Sam and Alaysha


This is the outfit Elise carefully chose. Note the shoes, flag, helmet, pirate dress.


We had food too.


Tofurkey