Feeding The Whole Family

One of my hobbies is to constantly check out cookbooks at the library. I feel the urge to buy a new cookbook at least everything six months (cookbook budget is unfortunately quite limited.) I am thankful for living in a city so large that it has an enormous cookbook selection and is willing to purchase most every book I ask them too. Yea for libraries!!!

Feeding The Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is so wonderful to me that it is a definite "buy" by my standards. It is a fantastic resource on wholesome family eating, and I believe the recipes are easy for the less-advanced or least-interested cooks. Yet, the tastes have proven to be great for those more-advanced and very-interested tastebuds.

I cook and bake our family meals strictly vegan, and this book has a wide variety of recipes to accommodate. There are recipes that call for meat, but there are very few. The recipes that include dairy seem easy to translate into vegan.

Recipes we've come to love: French Lentil and Potato Stew, Split Pea Soup with Fresh Peas and Potatoes (minus the ham bone), and Pumpkin Pecan Muffins (vegan style).

Here are some of her recipes published on mothering.com and also included in the book, as well as an article she wrote:

Winter Fruit Compote with Nut Cream
Becky's Braised Greens
In The Kitchen with Baby
Summer Fruit Ambrosia with Vanilla Nut Cream
Golden Mushroom Basil Soup
Luscious Beet Green Salad

Sweet Potato Maafe

This recipe was delivered to my door last fall in a co-op newsletter. I made it once last year and received a so-so reaction. It took me a year to try it again, and this year it was LOVED. Not sure what made the difference, but it is very well-liked by me, my husband, and our one-year old. The three-year old was still a bit luke-warm. This is a easy one-pot meal that can take under an hour. I enjoy serving it with basmati rice - a treat in our usual brown rice home.

My alterations - I used potatoes rather than turnips, because I just received a mother-load of potatoes and no turnips from our CSA Thanksgiving box. I also omitted the cayenne pepper. I get nervous the babe will get the hot-spot and be mortified. I just put red pepper flakes on the table for individuals to add heat. I also did not use tomato paste, because what I had on-hand had turned moldy!

Just click here, and enjoy!

Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares a la Erin

While reading SouleMama one day I came upon this Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Square recipe she referred to to celebrate autumn. I was thrilled, because it was yet a new "pumpkin" recipe for me (quotations, because a pumpkin recipe in my home usually means some random winter squash). I took some liberties to make the recipe vegan and to accomodate what ingredients I had on hand. They turned out magnificent - super yummy.

Follow the directions just as stated on Martha's website, but here are my alterations:

- No pumpkin pie spice. Used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, as listed in the heading.

- No butter. Used 1/2 cup Earth Balance (way AWESOME - better than butter) and 1/2 cup sunflower oil (or canola oil).

- No egg. Used 1/3 cup applesauce. GREAT egg replacer for cakes and breads - especially with pumpkin recipes.

- No canned pumpkin puree. Used 1 cup roasted squashed.

- Used 1 and a 1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips. Don't be scared. There are AMAZING non-dairy chocolate chips. I get mine at Mississippi Market in the bulk section. Can't remember exact name - but it's obvious. I'll try to update after my next trip.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Hummus

Hummus is a much-loved food in our home...mostly adored by my husband. I do my best to have it on-hand as much as possible, because it is one of his snack standards. Our three-year-old Finn has also become quite the fan. This recipe was inspired by Minneapolis' outstanding bakery and deli Holy Land which has an incredibly, creamy jalapeno hummus. Although I LOVE Holy Land, it's hard for me to spend money on hummus every week when it's so cheap AND easy to make at home.

The picture above is my jalapeno hummus as a condiment to a mighty trio of Indian foods we love. Lentil Puree (Dahl) over brown rice (I add spinach before pureeing) from Cathe Olson's Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family; Indian Turnips from the wonderful Driftless Organics; and, jeera alu from Mothering magazine's January-February 2009 issue. We love eating it with this type of meal but also devour it with carrots, crackers, pretzels, and bagels as a snack.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
3 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water (use more or less for your desire consistency)
2-3 jalapenos, sliced with seeds

Place garlic cloves in food processor. Run until minced. Add beans, tahini, salt, lemon, and olive oil. Run processor. Add water through tube while processing other ingredients. Run until smooth.

Remove 1/4 to 1/2 cup for a non-spicy batch for the kids. Then place jalapenos in processor. Run until well chopped and combined. The number of jalapenos you add depends on your taste and the spiciness of the peppers. I often add one pepper at a time and then taste.

Potato Leek Soup

The first batch of soup of the season! It has really cooled down outside, and soup sounded perfect. This soup is SUPER easy, and it is deeply loved by my three year-old. He asked for seconds last night which rarely happens these days. He's too eager to talk or play (or eat ice cream).

This recipe was inspired by Cucina Nicolina's Potato Leek Soup with Bay Leaves. I've altered it just a bit. Serve with a baguette and a simple fall salad. Makes 6-8 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
2 leeks, sliced and rinsed in a colander
5-6 yellow potatoes, scrubbed then thinly sliced
small head of garlic, minced (5-6 medium cloves)
5-6 cups of water, depending on how thin you like your soup
2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste (set on table for adults to load on the pepper - super good)

Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a soup pot. Add leeks. Saute until soft. Add potato slices. Cook for two minutes or so, stirring occasionally to coat with oil. Add a bit of water to prevent scorching, if needed. Add garlic and stir. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Put on the lid and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Cook about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. With a hand blender, blend the soup just a bit. You can serve right away. Yesterday I mad this mid-afternoon while the dudes were still napping. I then added it to the crock-pot and set to low, so the flavor deepened. Then you can also forget about dinner until just before you eat!

Super easy to make with local ingredients right now!

Squash Bread

Well, the delicata squash plant I grew in my garden this year was a MONSTER! I guess that's a good thing. It was healthy and HUGE! I've begun reaping the benefits by beginning my fall baking. It almost seems too early for pumpkin-esque treats; it's been so warm here in St. Paul. However, yesterday marked the beginning of fall, and today it is truly a beautiful autumn day.

Here's a recipe that my dear friend Sara shared with me last year. It's FatFree Vegan's Pumpkin Bread. I quite rarely use actual pumpkin when I make recipes like this. I like to use my butternut squash or delicata squash in its place, because I tend to always have one of those on hand in the fall. Currently, I have an entire basket of delicata squash! Below are my variations on FatFree Vegan's recipe and my directions to preparing and freezing squash.

Pumpkin Bread Variations:
Replace 1 cup of pureed pumpkin with 1 cup of pureed winter squash
*Use 1/2 cup of applesauce rather than 1/4 cup. This way you can eliminate the Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with water.

*I never use Ener-G Egg Replacer, because I simply don't see the need for one more product in my pantry. I either use applesauce or banana as an egg replacer when it makes sense, OR I blend 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons of water (per egg you are replacing) until it's incredibly thick and creamy; I recommend using a hand blender for best results. Here is a simple reference guide to egg replacements from one of my fave sites theppk.com.

PREPARING SQUASH:
Cut squash down the middle, length-wise
Scoop out all the seeds
Place cut-side down in a 9x13 baking pan
Pour small amount of water into to pan, just to prevent scorching

Bake at 350 until squash is tender when poked with a fork...about 30-40 minutes for delicata squash. Remove when done and leave to cool enough to handle. Remover skin - should fall write off. Place the soft squash into a food processor and run it to create a more creamy squash. I then like to freeze it in 2 cup portions. Then you can easily take it out when your in the mood for pancakes or bread!

Earth Salad

I'm back! August proved to be outrageously overwhelming but now I'm thrilled to share more of what's going on in my kitchen. As summer nears its end, the food growing in Minnesota and Wisconsin continues to be oh so beautiful. This is one of my newest fave ways to eat the plentiful root vegetables given to us from Driftless Organics. Overall cooking time is long due to roasting the beets, but you barely lift a finger to make this. Hands-on time is very minimal and easy to do while the rest of dinner bakes or grills.

We enjoy this with grilled corn, portobellos, veggies burgers and zucchini (grilled zukes are the BEST!). Get those grills going while you still can. Vegans and vegetarians can rock the grill, too!

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 beets, rinsed and ends trimmed
4 yellow potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size pieces
4-5 carrots, scrubbed and cut into bite-size pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Individually wrap beets in foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 90 minutes. Let them cool while you prepare the potatoes and carrots. Place potatoes in a medium-sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes (don't overcook the pots...don't want them mushy) then add the carrots and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes (until the carrots are barely tender). Drain in colander when finished. Unwrap beets and remove the skin - it will easily fall off with barely a touch. Cut into bite-size pieces. Add all the veggies together in a serving bowl. Cover with below dressing. Serve immediately or chilled. Delicious either way.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons of sunflower or olive oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar (balsamic, apple cider or red wine)
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together with a fork and pour over veggies. I prefer to eyeball my measuring of dressing ingredients. I think it always turns out tastier and obviously unique each and every time.

OPTIONS:

Add a few handfuls of arugula or spinach, OR throw in some rinsed and roughly chopped beet greens to the end of the potatoes and carrots cooking time. Just barely blanche them in the hot water.