Our son is dairy intolerant to the point of horrible vomiting and diarrhea. Unfortunately, he loves dairy products. We don't drink milk, but until recently he was eating cheese and yogurt on a fairly regular basis. We added cheese to a lot of things - his pasta sauce, sandwiches, rice, scrambled eggs, you name it.
So now I'm on a quest to find great vegan recipes. As I find winners that have my son asking for more, I'll be sure to share. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
give your slow-cooker some lovin
We're in the middle of a deep-freeze here, and the frigid temperatures are leaving me craving hot, hearty meals. I tried out a new soup in my slow-cooker yesterday, and was quite satisfied with the results. My son and partner loved it, too, and we've got enough left over (after several helpings each) to feed us two more dinners, or several lunches.
Slow-Cooker Tomato & Barley Soup
5 diced tomatoes
30 oz vegetable broth
1 cup barley
Tofurkey "sausages", diced
3 cups chopped spinach
Throw the first four ingredients in the pot. Cook on medium for six hours. Add the chopped spinach one hour before serving.
* I diverged from the recipe slightly and added garlic, onion, cumin, corriander, sea salt and pepper, all to taste.
Slow-Cooker Tomato & Barley Soup
5 diced tomatoes
30 oz vegetable broth
1 cup barley
Tofurkey "sausages", diced
3 cups chopped spinach
Throw the first four ingredients in the pot. Cook on medium for six hours. Add the chopped spinach one hour before serving.
* I diverged from the recipe slightly and added garlic, onion, cumin, corriander, sea salt and pepper, all to taste.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
creative in the kitchen
It's lunch time. The kids are antsy, the fridge is near empty, and it's too cold to bother doing a quick trip to the grocery store. What's a momma to do?
Times like this call for a little improvisation! The pantry currently houses TVP nuggets, bread crumbs, sea weed, and little else. There's cornstarch in the freezer and vegetable broth & leftovers in the fridge. A little creative thinking, and I've got nuggets!
Momma's Yummy Nuggets
You will need:
TVP nuggets
Vegetable broth
Cornstarch
Bread crumbs
Sea weed (dry)
Sea salt
What to do:
Soak the TVP nuggets in vegetable broth. TVP nuggets are flavourless and hard, as they soak they will take on the texture of chicken and absorb the flavour of whatever they are soaking in.
In a mixing bowl, combine one spoonful of corn starch with four spoonfuls of bread crumbs. With a mortar and pestle (or a coffee grinder), grind a spoonful of sea weed to about the same size as your bread crumbs - smaller than flakes, but not a powder. Add the ground sea weed and sea salt to taste to the bread crumbs and cornstarch. Mix evenly.
When your TVP nuggets are soft and moist, coat them with your bread crumb mixture. Bake the nuggets in the oven at 400 until golden, and VOILA! Yummy nuggets :)
Times like this call for a little improvisation! The pantry currently houses TVP nuggets, bread crumbs, sea weed, and little else. There's cornstarch in the freezer and vegetable broth & leftovers in the fridge. A little creative thinking, and I've got nuggets!
Momma's Yummy Nuggets
You will need:
TVP nuggets
Vegetable broth
Cornstarch
Bread crumbs
Sea weed (dry)
Sea salt
What to do:
Soak the TVP nuggets in vegetable broth. TVP nuggets are flavourless and hard, as they soak they will take on the texture of chicken and absorb the flavour of whatever they are soaking in.
In a mixing bowl, combine one spoonful of corn starch with four spoonfuls of bread crumbs. With a mortar and pestle (or a coffee grinder), grind a spoonful of sea weed to about the same size as your bread crumbs - smaller than flakes, but not a powder. Add the ground sea weed and sea salt to taste to the bread crumbs and cornstarch. Mix evenly.
When your TVP nuggets are soft and moist, coat them with your bread crumb mixture. Bake the nuggets in the oven at 400 until golden, and VOILA! Yummy nuggets :)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
momma's power oatmeal
Now that the weather is cold, my son and I have been enjoying warm bowls of power oatmeal to start our days. This delicious oatmeal is my own little creation. It's very nutritious and filling, and one of my son's favourite things to eat.
Momma's Power Oatmeal
You will need:
Almond milk
Organic quick-rolled oats
Organic Quinoa
Flax seeds
Hemp seed hearts
Premium 100% Maple syrup
Cinnamon
Fresh or frozen berries (we like strawberries, blueberries, black berries and raspberries)
Directions:
Bring a ratio of half water, half almond milk to a boil on the stove. How much you use will depend on how many people you are feeding with your oatmeal. I always just eyeball it and have never bothered measuring.
In a coffee grinder, grind several spoonfuls of quinoa to a fine powder. Stir the powder into your boiling water & almond milk.
After a minute or two, add your oats. Stir frequently.
In the coffee grinder, grind a spoonful or two of flax seeds to a meal. (Flax seed is best when freshly ground - it loses it's nutritional value the longer it sits after being ground.) Add the ground flax seed to the oatmeal. Again, how much you will use depends on how much oatmeal you want to make.
Add hemp seed hearts. Stir well.
Add as much or as little maple syrup and cinnamon as you would like. My son enjoys lots of each.
Add your fresh or frozen berries to the mix. We tend to use frozen berries, because they are cheaper and they keep for as long as they are in the freezer. I toss a few handfuls into the oatmeal, cook until completely thawed & nice and hot, and enjoy!
There you have it - Momma's power oatmeal! This is a favourite in our house when the weather is frosty cold.
Momma's Power Oatmeal
You will need:
Almond milk
Organic quick-rolled oats
Organic Quinoa
Flax seeds
Hemp seed hearts
Premium 100% Maple syrup
Cinnamon
Fresh or frozen berries (we like strawberries, blueberries, black berries and raspberries)
Directions:
Bring a ratio of half water, half almond milk to a boil on the stove. How much you use will depend on how many people you are feeding with your oatmeal. I always just eyeball it and have never bothered measuring.
In a coffee grinder, grind several spoonfuls of quinoa to a fine powder. Stir the powder into your boiling water & almond milk.
After a minute or two, add your oats. Stir frequently.
In the coffee grinder, grind a spoonful or two of flax seeds to a meal. (Flax seed is best when freshly ground - it loses it's nutritional value the longer it sits after being ground.) Add the ground flax seed to the oatmeal. Again, how much you will use depends on how much oatmeal you want to make.
Add hemp seed hearts. Stir well.
Add as much or as little maple syrup and cinnamon as you would like. My son enjoys lots of each.
Add your fresh or frozen berries to the mix. We tend to use frozen berries, because they are cheaper and they keep for as long as they are in the freezer. I toss a few handfuls into the oatmeal, cook until completely thawed & nice and hot, and enjoy!
There you have it - Momma's power oatmeal! This is a favourite in our house when the weather is frosty cold.
slow-cooker chana masala (chick pea curry)
Last week I made all of our dinners in the slow-cooker. It worked out so well, I think I may make a habit of doing it. My particular favourite of the recipes I tried was the slow-cooker chana masala, or chick pea curry.
Slow-cooker Chana Masala
You will need:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated OR 1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
1 cup dried chick peas (or 1 15 oz can)*
12 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala
* I recommend using dried chick peas whenever possible. They are much healthier than canned chick peas, which lose a lot of their nutritional value during processing and have an incredible amount of salt added to them.
Directions:
Soak dried chick peas overnight. Drain the soaking water and boil the chick peas in fresh water on the stove until they are soft. (I like to do a large amount at once, so that I have plenty of chick peas available throughout the week for other recipes, snacks, etc. You can put your extra chick peas in a container in the fridge.)
Sautee the onion, garlic, and ginger in the olive oil.
Add all ingredients to the slow-cooker. Cook for 6-9 hours on low.
Slow-cooker Chana Masala
You will need:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated OR 1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
1 cup dried chick peas (or 1 15 oz can)*
12 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala
* I recommend using dried chick peas whenever possible. They are much healthier than canned chick peas, which lose a lot of their nutritional value during processing and have an incredible amount of salt added to them.
Directions:
Soak dried chick peas overnight. Drain the soaking water and boil the chick peas in fresh water on the stove until they are soft. (I like to do a large amount at once, so that I have plenty of chick peas available throughout the week for other recipes, snacks, etc. You can put your extra chick peas in a container in the fridge.)
Sautee the onion, garlic, and ginger in the olive oil.
Add all ingredients to the slow-cooker. Cook for 6-9 hours on low.
Monday, November 10, 2008
time for a grocery trip
With this mama working evenings and Daddy working days, I've been trying to do most dinners in the slow-cooker so we can just sit down and eat when I get home without the hassle of meal prep. So far, so good! I'm in love with my slow-cooker - it only take me 15 mins or so to get all the ingredients ready and thrown in the pot, and voila! I come home to a hot meal.
This week's slow-cooker recipes are:
- Chickpea Curry
- Lemon Chickpea Bulgar Pilaf
- Eclectic Pasta Stew
- Quinoa Vegetable Pilaf
Recipes to come throughout the week!
My last grocery trip was not as well-thought as usual, and we ended up with quite a bit left at the end of the week. That's ok - it just means less to buy this week, and less time in the grocery store with two impatient little ones.
Now that winter is here and it's such as hassle getting the kids out the door with hats and mitts and thick coats, I'm considering renewing my service from the local organic delivery. They carry a lot more than you'd expect a delivery service to offer. http://naturalearthorganics.ca
This week's slow-cooker recipes are:
- Chickpea Curry
- Lemon Chickpea Bulgar Pilaf
- Eclectic Pasta Stew
- Quinoa Vegetable Pilaf
Recipes to come throughout the week!
My last grocery trip was not as well-thought as usual, and we ended up with quite a bit left at the end of the week. That's ok - it just means less to buy this week, and less time in the grocery store with two impatient little ones.
Now that winter is here and it's such as hassle getting the kids out the door with hats and mitts and thick coats, I'm considering renewing my service from the local organic delivery. They carry a lot more than you'd expect a delivery service to offer. http://naturalearthorganics.ca
Monday, September 29, 2008
the cupboard is bare
What to do when hubby is out of town for two days, groceries badly need to be purchased, mama is exhausted, and toddler is hungry?
Improvise!
Tonight's dinner was a mish-mash of things pulled from the refrigerator - broccoli, zucchini, cheese, and a couple of veggie dogs. I sauteed the broccoli and zucchini in olive oil, then melted the cheese onto it and added a bit of salt and pepper, then heated the veggie dogs and wrapped them in rye bread for lack of buns. Voila! Our bellies were filled, the toddler was happy, and I didn't have to make a run to the grocery store with two grumpy children.
Improvise!
Tonight's dinner was a mish-mash of things pulled from the refrigerator - broccoli, zucchini, cheese, and a couple of veggie dogs. I sauteed the broccoli and zucchini in olive oil, then melted the cheese onto it and added a bit of salt and pepper, then heated the veggie dogs and wrapped them in rye bread for lack of buns. Voila! Our bellies were filled, the toddler was happy, and I didn't have to make a run to the grocery store with two grumpy children.
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