Chilly night and a yummy meal

Its been raining for days, and the wind is chilly. Last night we got our wood stove up and running. It was really nice to sit on the couch and feel the house warm up. Leeluu loves getting the fire going with her dad, its pretty cute. They go outside and chop wood and then bring it in and declare themselves "fire buddies", while they get it going.

I make a rice bowl meal once a week. I really like brown rice and the veggies are basically all raw (except I steam up some broccoli). There are a bunch of good restaurants that make rice bowls but we live SO far away that I recreated my own.

The key to a good rice bowl is a good sauce! Sometimes I make a peanut sauce, and other times I make a tahini sauce ( I add a garlic clove and some miso) I really like the  reFresh cookbook  tahini sauce too!

Basically for a rice bowl you need to cook up a pot of rice, shred up your favorite veggies. Make a sauce and sprinkle seeds and nuts on, add tofu or tempeh if you like.  Really easy and super yummy!

Veggie pot pie

Pot pie is one of Ocean's favorite meals, since she was 4 ( she will be 15 next month!). I made this last night using Pillsbury biscuits for the crust. I only used 4 biscuits for the tops of the pies, I baked up the rest and we used those to dip! I originally wanted to find some puff pastry, but I couldn't find any that was vegan. 

Although not all Pillsbury products are vegan, I was happy to find something that was. You have to read the ingredients cause it tends to change in different countries. 

Veggie Pot Pie

2 tbsp earth balance butter

1 onion- small diced

3-4 carrots- peeled and small diced

3 stalks celery- small diced

1 tsp summer savory

2 bay leafs

3 cups veggie stock

2 medium potatoes- peeled and small diced

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 cup broccoli florets

2 tbsp tamari

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp sea salt

freshly ground pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp water

1 package Country Pillsbury Biscuits

In a large saute pan, heat butter, add onion and cook until soft.

Add carrot, celery, savory, and bay leafs. Saute for 3-4 minutes

Pour in veggie stock Add the rest of the ingredients except the cornstarch.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft. 

Add the cornstarch to thicken. Season to taste.

Scoop into individual ramekins. Roll out the biscuits to fit the top.

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 until golden. 12-15 minutes.

Sugar cookies

This is an exciting month for vegan food bloggers everywhere because its VEGAN MOFO! I am super stoked to find a bunch of new blogs to read and recipes try out, along with the old timers. I don't have a theme because I am not that organized.  Just going to wing it and post as much as possible. I am having a baby in two weeks so hopefully everything goes well and I am able to post about my experience in raising a vegan family.

Leeluu has been bugging me to make some pumpkin cookies after she found the cookie cutter in the drawer. I could of eaten them without the icing... the cookies sorta taste like shortbreads. There is a basic sugar cookie recipe floating around, so I made it without the tofutti cream cheese. I just cut back on the flour a bit, so that the dough wouldn't be too dry.

1 cup earth balance butter
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg replacements
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, add vanilla and egg replacement. Continue beating until mixed up.
Mix flour, powder and salt together in a bowl. Add it to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Mix until cookie dough is formed. Place dough on floured counter top, form into a big ball, cut in half and press into patties.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or so. Roll onto floured surface, cut out shapes. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.

For the icing.

Mix up 1 cup of icing sugar with 2-4 tbsp almond milk. Stir it up until it is smooth. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a 1/2 tsp of almond extract. I used an orange gel food coloring, a very small amount goes along way! Dip a toothpick or the end of a sharp knife and run it through the icing mixture. Stir that up. Spoon onto cookies. The stem is a chocolate chip!

Dal, rice & swiss chard with garlic

Is what we had for dinner tonight, I like this meal a lot. It must have something to do with the weather because I have been loving the leafy greens. I have a recipe on my blog for dal already, but I didn't have the same ingredients this time, so I changed it :)

1 1/2 cups red lentils- rinsed until water runs clear (about 4 times)
6 cups water
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion- small diced
2 stalks celery- small diced
3 cloves garlic-minced
1 thumb of ginger- peeled and minced
2 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Bring lentils to a boil and cook until soft. Keep simmering
In a saute pan- heat oil add onions and celery- saute until soft
add garlic and ginger, continue sauteing.
Add spices. coat onion mixture allow spices to absorb.
Saute for 4 minutes on medium heat
Add onion mixture to pot of lentils.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Season with cider, sugar, salt and pepper.

Serve with brown rice & sauteed greens

My little helper

future vegan chef

My little helper, she loves cooking. I think its funny when I am on the computer looking at food pictures reading other peoples blogs and she comes over and points "mama made that". It's great to start them early, knowing how to cook or participating in the kitchen duties.

Through Vegan MOFO I have discovered cool new blogs, I have yet to see something I don't want to try eat. It just so happened that I bought some tempeh last week and GoVeganMeow, uses it in her Goulash recipe. I am usually not a big fan of tempeh but this was YUMMY. I know its better for us then regular soy products (I think it has something to do with the fermentation of it). The only thing I did different was grate some zucchini in to the sauce and added a splash of balsamic vinegar.

So far, no snow. Which means we still are hanging out at the beach...even if we have to wear toques and mitts. I am hoping that I won't have to shovel my drive way until the end of December :/ Hope you had a great weekend!

There is still a few days left to enter the CSN gift card giveaway!

Sloppy joes

 
This weekend was nice, we had some beautiful sunny days and my dad is visiting. We did a few things around the house ( installed a programmable thermostat and a new outside light fixture), my dad took me out for dinner, we also drove to our favorite beach in Nova Scotia.

"THE beach"

my girls playing on a buoy

 banana bread

I didn't cook much this weekend mostly we ate leftovers and spaghetti,  but I did make those owl cupcakes and a mean loaf of banana bread :)

I wanted to start the third week of Vegan MOFO with some kid friendly food and my daughter asked me to make sloppy joes. I checked the web for some ideas and found some great lentil recipes.  I think that this is great if you have a bunch of vegetables that need to be used up. I used carrot, celery and green pepper, but you could use grated zucchini, sweet potato, etc. The great part about sloppy joes is that you can add anything!

3 cups cooked  lentils ( I used green)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion- small diced
2 cloves garlic- minced
4 stalks celery-small diced
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 green pepper- small diced
2 carrots- peeled and grated 1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp black strap molasses
1 can crushed tomato
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
sea salt ( I used about 1 1/2 tsp)
freshly ground pepper

Sesame seed buns


In a large pot heat oil add onions
Saute until soft. Add garlic, celery saute until soft
Add spices. Stir until absorbed
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low heat.
Season to taste.

Toast buns, scoop on lentil mixture. ENJOY! yumyumyum

  This use to be just a light bulb sticking out of the wall, my dad is AWESOME!!

Coconut banana flax waffles

It is my daughters 14th birthday, and we are celebrating this morning with waffles! She loves pancakes, but I thought it would be fun to dust off the waffle machine ( I haven't used it for years). I am planning on making some owl cupcakes for her...check them out at happy vegan face.

I am loving all the new blogs I am discovering because of Vegan MOFO. There is so many recipes that I can't wait to try. It is challenging trying to post something everyday, but it is also fun trying to come up with recipes.

I had a poll on my blog asking my readers what they would like to see/read more of? Kid friendly was voted for the most, so that is what my goal is for a little bit trying to  making fun vegan food for kids.

1/2 ripe banana-mushed
1 cup non-dairy milk ( I used rice)
2 tbsp coconut oil melted + 1 tbsp for brushing on waffle maker
1 tbsp ground flax seed- mixed with 3 tbsp boiling hot water

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Mix up wet add to dry.
Use waffle machine according to direction.
Brush a some melted coconut oil on the griddle before adding the batter.

Black bean & rice enchilada

I can hardly believe it....my daughter is going to be 14 tomorrow! That is crazy. I suppose some of you may wonder why I never post any pictures of her. She is very particular on which pictures I can share with others, and she is a full-fledged teenager :/ Where as my 2 year old couldn't care what photo I post of her, that is until she reaches grade school :P My dad came to visit us too and is here for her birthday.


We are in the middle of week two of Vegan MOFO, and this is what I made for dinner tonight. Everybody gobbled it up :) I am not a fan of spicy food, J said he could of used some jalapenos in his...so if you like it spicy, then do it up.

Filling

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion-small diced
2 tsp cumin powder
2 cloves garlic-minced
1 green pepper-small diced

3 cups cooked black beans
1 tomato- chopped
1 cup water
sea salt

In a pot heat oil, add onions, garlic saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 10 minutes, until thickens. (mush some of the beans with a fork).Season and set aside.

2 cups cooked rice


Red sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion-small diced
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
sea salt
1 tbsp cornstarch-mixed with 2 tsp water

In a pot, heat oil add onion garlic. Saute until soft
Add spices, stir until combined
Add water and tomato paste.
Bring to boil. Add sugar
Season to taste
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add cornstarch to thicken.



Assembly


Using flour tortillas, wrap up the filling and rice. In a baking dish spoon a little of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Place enchiladas in and spoon over some more of the sauce. Bake at 375 for 20 minute or until bubbling. Save some sauce for spooning on top when you serve it :)

And the survey says.....

There is a survey floating around the vegan blog world, and since I am being lazy today I thought it would be fun to fill it out.



1. What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?

Fish

2. What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?

Squash, made me gag

3. What vegan dish or food you feel like you should like, but don’t?

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I like everything that is vegan

4. What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

Coffee

5. What dish are you famous for making or bringing to gatherings?

I am not know for any particular dish

6. Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

Nope

7. What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

We like vegan sandwich meats, and I really love potato chips!

8. What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?

granola, dips, baked goods

9. What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get the good stuff?

Olive Oil

10. Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?

YES! COOKIES :)

11. What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?

pineapple, mushrooms, and green olives

12. What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?

For veggie...broccoli

For fruit....avocado

13. What is the best salad dressing?

balsamic vinegar, olive oil & maple syrup with a squeeze of Dijon

14. What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

Its a toss up between peanut butter or tomato & vegenaise

15. What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

Carrot & Ginger

16. What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?

Chocolate and Chocolate

17. What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Chocolate chip

18. What is your most-loved weeknight meal?

breakfast for dinner

19. What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

Kale

20. Favorite non-dairy milk?

I don't really have a favorite...I like to switch it up, rice, almond, soy.

21. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

This week I made some apple spice muffins that turned out like rocks. I was out of baking soda and substituted baking powder. Lesson learned : /

22. Favorite pickled item?

dill pickles

23. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

Beans, Pasta & Cookies

24. Most loved kitchen appliance?

Toaster

25. Spice/herb you would die without?

Cumin

26. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

blueberry

27. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

Seitan

28. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

breakfast for dinner

29.  Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

frozen blueberries, bread, peas

30. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Eggplant Parmesan

 

one happy vegan

White bean & swiss chard quick cassoulet

We are on day 2 of Vegan MOFO and I noticed that some other vegan bloggers have a plan of action, which is probably a really good idea. I started to think up a bit of a menu plan for the rest of the week. I have been craving leafy greens lately...I thought I would act on it so another soupy stew it is!


Traditionally a cassoulet is loaded up with meat, cooked slowly in the oven and it originated in France, but I am not a traditional kinda girl so I changed it to be vegan and cooked quickly in a pot on the stove. I guess it would not be a cassoulet but I like how it sounds, so I am going with it :P

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion- small diced
2 stalks celery-small diced
1 carrot- peeled, small diced
3 cloves garlic- crushed
5 springs of thyme
1 bay leaf
5 cups vegetable stock
1 tomato- chopped
1 medium potato- peeled, small diced
2 cups white beans- I used kidney
4 cups shredded swiss chard
splash of balsamic vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

In a large pot on low medium heat add oil and saute onion until soft, add celery,carrot, garlic, thyme( left on the stick), bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, continue cooking on low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, tomato, potato, beans. Simmer on low heat until thickens, about 20 minutes.Add swiss chard. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Serve with fresh bread.

The bowl in the picture my daughter painted when she was 4. She painted a set of dishes for me with little monsters and creatures, every one is different... I love them.

Vegan MOFO 1.11.10

The time has come for VEGAN MOFO, for all those who don't know about it. Its where vegan food bloggers celebrate through the month of November posting as much as they possibly can about all things vegan! Cool huh?

There is still one day left to sign up...go do it!! HERE

For my first post....SOUP! I make a pot a soup at least 2 times a week, its simple and quick. Plus the kids love it. It makes a great lunch, or dinner if you add a salad and baguette :)

Carrot & Coconut Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion- chopped
1 celery stock-chopped
6 carrots-peeled and chopped
1 large white potato- peeled and chopped
7 cups water
pinch of cumin powder
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
3/4 can coconut milk

In a large pot heat oil add onions and celery, saute until soft.
Add carrots and potato cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Simmer until veggies are soft. Blend in batches.
Pour the coconut milk in after and give it a stir
Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

Garnish with fresh cilantro.