Holidays

It's so easy to get derailed from blogging. A stomach virus had us laid out flat, my husband had a very busy travel schedule, and there were so many school events and holidays and projects to attend to. Suddenly you realize that you are no longer allotting time to blog, but instead posting 30 second bursts of pics on Facebook instead.

We arrived back from Florida just in time for the brunt of the winter holidays.
Here is one of the travel meals I made for the plane, in nestable containers for the kids so they would take up little space when emptied, and the grownup meals were packed in recycled disposable containers. There was sesame tofu, marinated mushrooms, blanched spinach, soba noodles, and pickles.

One thing I don't own is
a crock pot or slow-cooker;
I rely on my rice cooker or
deep Calphalon cookware
for those tasks. But the
Florida house is stocked with
a crock pot, so I used it to
make easy dishes like chili,
so I could spend more time
enjoying the vacation instead
of cooking for the family. I
made sure to plan ahead for the trip, pre-mixing the spices I'd need for various dishes in zip-top snack bags, pre-measured for easy cooking. You don't want to have to go out and purchase half a dozen spices when on vacation just to make a tasty meal!

After spending most of
every day in the pool
(thank goodness it was
heated because the
weather in Florida was
unusually COLD), it
wasn't easy to come back
to New England and want
to jump right into Xmas
and snow.


At least Delta was able
to ease that transition
with free drinks.

Because my husband
travels so much, he is
allowed free upgrades
to business class, which
he graciously passed on
to me for our trip.


Many airlines only serve
non-vegan meals on
domestic flights that must
be purchased onboard
(unlike international
flights where you can order
a vegan meal ahead of time
for no extra charge). But at
least the snacks are often
vegan, like these cookies.

I still had a few more
days of school lunches
to pack before schools
were off for the holidays.
Even if I wasn't in the
mood for fancy face
food, I could still try to
make a simple sandwich
into something festive.

So I got out the holiday
cookie cutters and made
reindeer sandwiches. A
red sprinkle affixed to the
nose completed the face.

For a full sandwich, I just
use a sandwich keeper
from Tupperware or one
from the Target $1 section.
There's usually plenty of
space along one side to add
some crudites.

For a treat for the kids,
and to give away to
family and friends, we
made some sugar cookie
stars. Super yummy as
always, these are one of
my favourite kinds of
cookies ever--slightly
crisp on the outside, but
they stay soft inside for
many days (if they last
that long before being
eaten). I often make sugar cookies for school events because nobody can resist them.

I also made a bunch of
mini loaves of walnut
crusted banana bread.
I must say it's nice to
be able to cook with nuts
when on school holidays,
since almost every school
nowaday is nut-free.




We spent the rest of
the school holiday
visiting with relatives
nearby, playing in the
snow, and even got in
a trip to the local
Danforth Art Museum.

AJ is rather interested
in taking art classes
there some time.

There was an adorable
exhibit from the
children's book
Pocketful of Posies
by Salley Mavor, of
her embroidered
fabric nursery rhyme
scenes.




In between all of the
inevitable holiday
treats I try to infuse
some balance with
healthy snacks. Here
was an entirely green
snack of raw broccoli,
bell pepper, snap peas,
celery sticks, and
cucumber slices.


Shortly after the new
year we celebrate
AJ's birthday. He
requested a chocolate
Mario Bros. cake.
I used raisins for the
eyes, and we served it
with vanilla soy ice
cream.

AJ had a painting party
at Plaster Fun Time.
Again I had to make Mario Bros. themed cupcakes. They were a big hit.

And then came the dreaded stomach virus...slowly making it's way through every family member, my husband twice, and two of the kids THREE times. We were all but quarantined for 3 weeks! We never get flu or strep or many colds, but offer us a tempting stomach bug and apparently we can't say no. Ugh.

And so we passed the rest of January stuck indoors, with near-record snowfall, doing lots of laundry (but little cooking).

I made quite a few
noodle soups, but
mostly we served up
crackers and ginger
ale. At least with
soup I could still
use most of the
vegetables from our
winter farm share.



Otherwise I made
simple dishes like
roasted vegetables,
mashed potatoes,
and muffins. It wasn't
easy to get outside
even when everyone
was feeling better
because of the
extremely
deep snow.

whatever you've got

And then there are those days when you've got little time (or at least it seems that way right after daylight savings time begins) and not much variety left in the fridge.
Leftovers, snack cupboard, and the remains of the fruit bowl!

Ryan's lunch: leftover Italian pasta salad; mixed nuts; orange slices; peach soy yogurt on the side.

I don't believe it when people say their kid had to buy lunch because they had nothing left to make them. Was there any food for breakfast? Then make a brunch bento. Did you eat dinner the night before? Save aside a bit for a leftover bento. Went out to eat the night before because the cupboards were that barren? Leave a bit, get a doggie bag, and put it in a bento. Voila. It might be a challenge, but I like a challenge. And besides, it makes you use stuff up in the back of the cabinets and fridge that often get ignored. And it saves some money!

Off to go grocery shopping...LOL.

Oh yeah, for me yesterday:
9am- sprouted quinoa
tabbouleh over baby
spinach.
10:30am- raisins, dates,
almonds; an apple.
12pm- marinated broccoli
& portobello mushrooms
(in shoyu, olive oil,
balsamic vinegar).
3pm- blueberries; flax crackers.
5pm- Italian salad: , zucchini,
broccoli, tomato, olives, onion,
olive oil, red wine vinegar,
salt, raw sugar, oregano.
8pm- Raw Revolution
chocolate coconut bar.

Enough leaf blowing already!!

Like everywhere I've gone today I've seen TEAMS of landscapers blowing away leaves with hand-held leafblowers, lawnmower-sized leaf blowers, and giant fan ride-on leaf blowers. Talk about an idiotic waste of resources!!! And to top it off, many of the trees haven't even finished dropping their leaves! GRRRRRRRRR.

Anyhow, on to lunch...

Ryan's
lunch:
gherkin
pickles;
dried
apricots;
carrot
sticks;
1/2 a
rice &
bean
burrito
topped
with a
slice of
bell
pepper
& soy
cheese
& nori
"house";
steamed
broccoli; an apple on the side.




And here are a few
more pics of Ryan
on the weekend's
hikes...




























And let's not forget Maia!

Life's Short, Eat Dessert First!

Here's a straightforward
dessert the whole family
loves...

Coconut Rice Pudding

1 cup arborio rice
1 can coconut milk
2-3 cups water
2 T. sugar
1/2 cup almond milk (optional)

Place rice in a large saucepan. Add 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer about 20 minutes, stir, then continue simmering until most of liquid has been absorbed.
Add remaining coconut milk, and as liquid is absorbed, slowly add warm/hot water in approximately 1/2 cup increments, stirring almost constantly. When rice is tender, remove from heat.
Add almond milk or thin with water before serving if pudding has become too thick.
The kids love to top with a little brown sugar or fruit...I like frozen strawberries or ripe banana slices while the pudding is still quite hot. If you want, you can also add fruit during the cooking process if you prefer softer cooked fruit.

I've made a few too many
desserts this week! Finally,
a recipe from Colleen
Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy
of Vegan Baking that I
actually liked, Banana Crumble.
The top was nice and crunchy
and the bananas didn't need
to be overripe.

We ate it with Trader Joe's
vanilla soy ice cream. Their
soy yogurt imitates Double
Rainbow's brand very well.
My favourite flavour is
definitely the Cherry
Chocolate Chip.

But one cannot live on
dessert alone...
Time to roast up whatever
veggies I had on hand in
the fridge. I covered two
baking sheets with onion,
garlic, kohlrabi, broccoli,
potatoes, zucchini & summer
squash, asparagus, & colorful
bell peppers. A little olive oil,
salt, pepper in a 400 degree
oven until tender & browned
and you have a great start
to many meals.

I tossed the veggies with a
can of chick peas, and a
dressing of olive oil, lemon
juice, garlic, salt & pepper.

In the rice cooker I had a
batch of Ina Garten's
Herbed Basmati Rice ready.
The two dishes went
perfectly together. And what
a great way to use a mix of
fresh herbs.

I know some people think
a rice cooker is a single
purpose gadget, but in my
opinion they couldn't be
more wrong. There's a good
reason most asian households
have a rice cooker!

Got leftover rice? I used
a heaping of leftover rice
in this Broccoli Rice
Casserole recipe from the
VegPeople recipe archive.
It traveled well to the park
the following day in a
Thermos too (and of I
forgot to take any photos
of our picnic, oops!).

I love the cheezy broccoli.
This is a quick recipe that
uses a bag of frozen broccoli.
The sauce was a bit salty in
my opinion, which meant my
husband didn't have to add
any to his for once!

Salad Resolutions

I am not a big salad eater (yeah, I know most omnis think vegans eat nothing but rabbit food), at least not the traditional house salad served aside so many entrees in the average restaurant. But if you're trying to boost your greens consumption or increase your raw food intake, a salad is probably a familiar start.
So here are a few I do enjoy...

The first is my take on a
favourite of both myself &
my husband. A caribbean
fusion restaurant named
Ortanique located in the
Paris hotel & casino in Las
Vegas recently closed, much
to our dismay. The restaurant
had become one of our
destination locations strictly because of a simple salad, so that's saying something!!

Tropical Salad a la Ortanique

a few cups fresh mesclun (baby salad greens)
1/2 of a ripe mango, julienned
1 heart of palm (I use the jarred variety), julienned (easy to do as they act like string cheese)
candied pecans or walnuts (you can buy them at stores like Trader Joes, or make your own by toasted nuts in a dry pan, then adding a little sugar to carmelize, but don't let them burn!)
1-2 tsp. citrus-infused grapeseed oil

Pile a plate with greens, top with remaining ingredients in a visually appealing fashion, drizzling the oil over everything at the end.

Chunky Guac Salad

1/8-1/4 of a red onion
1 T. lime juice
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
a pinch of salt

Slice the red onion into a wedges and separate pieces. Drizzle with lime juice. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Slice avocado & tomato. Toss with onion & lime juice.
Top with cilantro and a pinch of salt.

(If you don't care for raw onion, feel free to roast it tossed in olive oil first, or you might prefer a smaller amount of very thinly sliced onion instead.)

Roasted Vegetable Salad

1 head broccoli
2 cups large button
mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 cups salad greens
1-2 T. balsamic vinegar
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Wash broccoli & cut into bite-size florets.
Brush or wash mushrooms & cut into quarters.
Wash cherry tomatoes.
Place all 3 vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle/toss with olive oil. Bake in a 400F oven until broccoli begins to brown and tomatoes burst, 10-20 minutes.
Place greens in a large salad bowl. Top with warm roasted vegetables & drizzle with balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.

This next salad I ordered in
a Korean BBQ restaurant
in Tokyo...I mean, what else
is a vegetarian to do with a
bunch of omnis in a BBQ
joint? As it turns out, there
was also a large selection of
mushrooms brought to me
to grill adjacent to my meat-
eating friends...I kept my shrooms well away from their steak & pork though. The original salad was made with only baby spinach, but I make it often with a variety of fresh greens from our CSA share...

Korean Cold Tofu Salad

2 cups baby greens
1-2 slices firm cold tofu, cubed (the asceptic pack kind)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1-2 scallions (green onions), sliced
1 T. soy sauce

Plate the greens, top with remaining ingredients.

Winter soups

It's snowing. Again. Definitely time for a soup recipe post. A bunch of them. So here are my recipes for a few satisfying yumminesses I've showcased in Ryan's Thermos and at home during the past few months, and an old fave...Happy New Year!

Star Soup

My vegan version of Chik'n & Stars.

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled & diced
1 package Lightife Smart
Strips, chopped
2-3 cups mild vegetable
broth (I like Imagine's Organic
No-Chicken Broth)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 box/bag star pasta

Cook onion & carrots in olive oil over low heat until onion is very soft.
Add broth & salt, bring to a boil.
Add pasta, reduce heat to medium, stirring often.
After about 10 minutes add the chik'n strips. (Add extra water if soup becomes too thick.)
(If you don't want to use faux meat, try adding 1/3 cup of red lentils when you add the broth instead.)

Potato Leek Soup

Creamy goodness. And you can change it up by adding chopped broccoli, parsnip, or winter squash when you add the potatoes.

1 T. olive oil
1-2 T. margarine
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 large leeks, washed and roughly chopped
6 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
a few grinds pepper
3-4 cups milk vegetable broth (I like Imagine's Organic No-Chicken Broth)
1/2 cup plain almond milk or rice milk

Cook onion & leeks in olive oil & margarine over med-low hear until quite soft.
Add potatoes, broth, salt & pepper. Cook about 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Allow to cool somewhat, add milk, then puree soup in a food processor until just smooth.
Serve & add more salt & pepper to taste.


White Bean & Root Veggies Soup

Somehow white beans in soup seem so delicate and delicious. A great way to mix & match your winter storage root veggies.

1-2 T. olive oil (and/or walnut oil)
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water
1 tsp. salt (optional)
1/3 cup dried red lentils
2-3 large carrots, peeled & chopped
1 turnip, chopped
1 parnsip, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled & chopped
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 can cannellini beans (or other white beans), drained & rinsed.

Cook onion & garlic in olive oil over med-low heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add all but remaining ingredients except for the beans and cook until vegetables are just tender. Add beans and cook another 15 minutes.


Spicy Black Bean Soup

Add an extra jalapeno and clear your sinuses baby!

2 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded, diced
2 cans black beans, drained, rinsed
2 T. ground cumin
1 T. dried oregano
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
a few grinds black pepper
1 poblano pepper, seeded & chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
4 cups vegetable broth, plus 1 cup water
1 T. brown sugar
2 T. cooking sherry
2 T. lime juice (lemon will suffice in a pinch)

Cook onion, garlic & 1 of the jalapenos over low heat until soft.
Add black beans, cumin, oregano, 1/2 the cilantro, 1/2 the parsley, salt, pepper, 1/2 the poblano pepper, 1/2 the red bell pepper and the vegetable broth.
Bring to a boil. Cook for at least 1 hour at a slow boil, adding water if necessary.
Remove from heat. Briefly puree soup with an immersion blender, or ladle half the chunky contents from the soup and puree in a food processor.
Return to pan and add remaining ingredients. Cook for another 30 minutes.

Sugar Meltdown

The weekend was spent
eating the treats from the
boys' pumpkin bags.
I left plates of healthy food
around for healthy snacks
& meals.




The 3 boys can wipe out
a platter of food like
this in under 5 minutes.
I can't imagine the
spread I'll have to
make when they're
in their teens.

Monday:
Ryan's lunch: sunflower butter & jam sandwich; carrots; grapes; green beans; broccoli; a pickle.

I'm keeping food simple this week as we really have to use any free time to clean out our basement that flooded last week. I won't post the heartbreaking photos of soggy Hello Kitty puzzles I'd bought in Japan, lots of books, or my husband's first publishing venture that all went into the dumpster.
AJ's snack: green
beans; grapes;
sandwich.






Tuesday:
Nate's lunch: rice ball; baby corn; a pickle; kiwi; sesame tofu; carrot; bell pepper strips; cherry tomatoes.

AJ's snack: rice
triangle; sesame
tofu; baby corn;
a pickle.

No public kindergarten
on Election Day.

Wednesday:
Ryan's lunch: rice & miso chik'n donburi; a pickle; baby corn; steamed asparagus; whole wheat cabbage & shiitake dumpling; homemade raw cashew/tofu "cheese"; kiwi.

AJ's snack: 1/2
sandwich; tamari
flax crackers;
a carrot.





husband's lunch: miso
chik'n donburi & rice;
steamed asparagus;
dumpling; kiwi;
carrots...in a recycled
vegan donut holes
plastic package!

Thursday:

I woke up with a migraine & mastitis, any very few groceries left. It was also Ryan's parent-teacher conference in the afternoon; his teacher said she wishes she "had a room full of Ryans".
Ryan's lunch: sesame tofu; "basketball" rice ball; mini banana walnut muffin; orange slices; cashew "cheese"; chinese green beans & asparagus.

Nate's lunch: rice cube;
orange segments; green
beans & asparagus; a
fortune cookie; tamari
flax crackers; sesame
tofu.



AJ's snack: Veggie
Booty; rice triangle;
green beans &
asparagus; sesame
tofu.



Friday:
Ryan's lunch: wheat flax crackers; smoked almond crackers; Veggie Booty; hummus; peas; 2 meatless meatballs; Annie's fruit snacks; applesauce.