In with the seed butters and all kinds of beans!

It seems like there's an increase in the number of children with peanut allergies these days.  More and more schools and childcare programs are introducing no-nut policies.  Such is the new rule at the daycare that  Preciosa attends, which makes things a bit more difficult when I'm trying not to rely too much on soy products for  protein.  Gone are the days of cashew sauce on pasta, and almond butter sandwiches for lunch.

It's completely understandable, as two of the children at the center have severe allergies.  Now, if only someone could have a meat allergy...all joking aside, there's still plenty of acceptable protein sources out there.   In with the seed butters and all kinds of beans! 

Today I sent Preciosa on her way with french toast on freshly baked whole wheat & rye bread, with organic maple syrup, rice vermacelli with teryaki tofu & veggies, strawberries, and soy yogurt.

And also I wanted to show you this crazy beautiful weird heirloom tomato I found at Whole Foods recently. Isn't it amazing?!  I've never seen anything like it.

Steamed banana bread with chocolate pudding

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Suet far from a vegan ingredient - I can't even describe it for you because it grosses me out.  But I didn't let that stop me from finding a way to make a super delicious pudding cake!  Instead of baking in the oven, British pudding cake is steamed by placing a heat proof dish in a saucepan of water and covered with a lid.  It was my first time cooking a dessert this way, and it does take a lot of paying attention so that the water doesn't all boil away to nothing. But the result is soo worth it!

I definitely got my chocolate fix from this challenge, and little Preciosa got a nice suprise in her lunch when I gave her some leftovers the next day.

Steamed banana bread with chocolate pudding:

Easter Weekend: Bunnies and Egg Hunts

The Easter Bunny visited our house this weekend!  Our bunny brought healthy treats like raisins and organic animal cookies.  Gordita is two years old now, finally old enough to search and find the hidden treats.  We shared her delight as she gingerly opened each plastic egg to take a peek at what was waiting inside.

After an egg hunt around the house, we joined in the local Easter parade, walking alongside the bagpipe players (or in Gordita's case, riding her tricycle).  The parade ended at the park where we took photos with the Easter bunny.

I baked a big delicious loaf of PPK banana bread in the afternoon, and cooked a huge veggie stirfry with brown rice and spicy peanut sauce for dinner.  It was a yummy happy Easter for us, and I hope it was for you too!

Mashed Yam and Potato Shepherd's pie

When the cherry blossoms bloom, you know spring has arrived.   Crisp morning air and warm afternoon sunbeams greet me as I commute to and from work.  And then there's the rain.  Unpredictable and inevitable, it is virtually synonymous with the Pacific Northwest.  It rains here more often than not, and on those cold, clammy evenings, I find myself craving a hearty home cooked meal. 

Enter vegan Shepherd's pie.  Underneath the mashed potato crust, it barely resembles the Shepherd's pie (also called Cottage pie)  that my English ancestors once baked.  I don't think I've ever made the exact same shepherd's pie twice, because it's always a mish-mash of whichever vegetables happen to be in the crisper.  That's one of the things I love about it.   But one thing you do need is potatoes.  Unfortunately I was well on my way to assembling my pie when I realized I only  had 3 red potatoes - not quite enough to cover the vegetable layer.When I remembered that I had a large yam that I had bought with the intention of making yam fries, the rest is history.

There's three parts to this recipe:

• mashed yam/potato crust
• sauteed vegetable filling
• cheez sauce.  

Mashed Yam Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients for mashed potatoes
3 red potatoes, cubed and boiled with skin on
1 large yam, cubed and boiled with skin on
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp Earth Balance (or other vegan margerine)
- Make mashed potatoes with these ingredients.  I'll spare the details on how to do this as I'm pretty sure you already know how to make mashed potatoes.

Recipe for Cheeze sauce
"Cheez" Sauce from Get Sconed's Adapted Version of the New Farm Macacorni and Cheez

Ingredients for vegetable filling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, sut into bite-sized pieces
2 cubes frozen spinach
1 tomato, diced
(use whatever veggies you have on hand, be creative!  I've also used mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots and wax beans)

Directions
Saute the onion with olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat.  Once onion becomes translucent, add the corn, peas, broccoli and spinach.  Cover, and let steam for 5 minutes.  Remove lid and stir occasionally until all of the vegetables are al-dente.

Pour cheez sauce over vegetables, add tomato and stir gently until combined.  Pour into casserole dish.  Using a spatula, spread mashed potato over the cheezy vegetable mixture.  Grind some sea salt and white pepper if desired, and bake in 350 oven until mashed yam/potato cover is slightly golden (about 30 minutes)

Enjoy!

Avocado Haiku

Avocados have such a pretty color, don't you agree? I think it's one of my favourite colors in Mother Nature's rainbow.  Though I've tried several different varieties of this little power-nutrient fruit, the only kind that seems to be available in my area is the Hass variety.  When you look at the knobbly brownish-green skin, it's hard to believe that there is something so creamy, rich and smooth inside.  It's like another example of the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover."

I made up a haiku about Hass avocados the other day while I was cutting one up to add to a salad.
 

Hass avocado,
rough alligator skin with
rich buttery flesh

Haikus are fun, I think I might try to make up some more!

I Heart Tofu!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I started of this day of love by making heart-shaped tofu.  There's no telling what sweet treats I'll devour for the rest of the day, so I wanted to begin the day on a healthy note.

Heart-Shaped Tofu
1 block, medium-firm tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Braggs

Directions: Drain the tofu and pat with a paper towel or clean dish cloth to absorb excess water. Slice block of into 4 slabs and use a knife to cut out the heart shape (you could use a cookie cutter if you have one).  Heat frying pan to medium-high and add olive oil.  Using a spatula, transfer the shapes into frying pan.  Sautee 2-3 minutes on each side, using a splash of Braggs after each turn.

Vegan Cupcakes take over a 2 year old's b-day party!

People always make comments about how it works when my vegan daughter goes to a birthday party, and how she's gonna miss out on this and that when she's in school...I don't really think that saving the lives of animals can be looked at like missing out on anything.  I usually let the person know that gordita gets her own treats at birthday parties and she's perfectly happy with it.

I usually bake a vegan cupcake for her to take to the party, and a lunch too, depending on what's being served.  Asking the host/esswhat will be on the menu in advance is always the best way to plan ahead.  In fact, at one party I took gordita too, one of the other kids wanted to eat the lunch I had made gordita instead of the pizza that was ordered.

To celebrate my little one's 2nd birthday last week, I made the Golden Vanilla cupcakes and the Basic Chocolate cupcakes from VCTOTW and they were all gobbled up by children and adults. And why not?  They are so delicious.  I liked the chocolate ones better, but then again, I like anything chocolate - I'm a chocoholic.

I also had made a batch for gordita's daycare group and the children and staff there loved them too.  If you don't already have this cookbook, you should run out and buy it.  Or stay where you are and order it from Amazon.

Cheers to Vegan Cupcakes, they really do rule the world!!