As the mother of four healthy vegan children I get asked a lot of questions. The questions are often specific to what my children eat. If you are a vegan and want your children to be too, its actually quite simple. I will let you in on a little secret. Make good food. I have an 11 and 9 year old who will eat almost anything I make. The reason for this is a)they have no choice b)they have been eating this way since infancy.
I forgot where I found the inspiration for this dish, it wasn’t vegan. We fixed that of course. If you want the recipe for this stupendous treat, you might have to harass my husband on twitter. @stemartaen may be coerced into repeating this dish (bonus for me) and sharing it with the masses (bonus for you). Harassment, coercion, manipulation??? It just might work!
This photo was taken over a year ago, when my daughter was just a wee one. I was sifting through the recipe folder, looking for a recipe to post and finding none, I came across this photo. So much has happened in this year. Our small business has grown and we have celebrated birthdays and cried over the passing of my beloved Grandpa. I want everyone who comes across this to be happy in knowing that love is such an infinite force. It cannot be contained, bottled or canned. I spent two weeks in Georgia with my grandma who had just lost her partner of 65 years. I am so amazed by her strength and her foresight. She was prepared to lose her husband, I wasn’t prepared to lose the man who had stepped in as my father for the past 30 years.
When my grandparents still lived in NYC, they took me everywhere with them. I went on countless road trips from NYC to Georgia. I remember my grandmother always making more food than we could eat and my grandfather always impeccably dressed. He was a proud man and he was always loving, affectionate and proud of me. I was their first grandchild and the only grandchild for ten years. My father being their only child, they welcomed me, an unexpected gift as their daughter. As I write this, the love and positive example that he showed me is engraved permanently in my heart and my soul.
Like my grandfather, I am quiet, choosy even with the folks that I share my life with. However, “I love you” should never be left unsaid. I am grateful that I have the loving memories of the times that I spent with my grandpa. He could always make me laugh. He didn’t miss much and often had colorful observations to share.
As you read this, you must know that love is a powerful choice and it feels so good to have it in your life. If you are out there seeking it, stop, for it is first found within. Everything is already there, just open your eyes. If you are going through a hard time, if there are troubles in your midst, remember to love. Give love freely in kindness to others and receive love through forgiveness.
I am just sharing with you a portion of my journey because I have found that love always wins, the spirit lives on and we are all magnificent beings with an amazing capacity for love.
I took my children to the museum earlier this week. I was shocked by how many obese parents and children there were. If you are obese, I am not in judgment of you, I am more than hopeful that I can help you. I know something is seriously wrong with the way Americans eat when I can actually walk to McD’s, but I have to get in a car to go pick up fresh produce.
This post is by request. I made risotto per the request (sensing a theme here) of my husband and he was so moved he tweeted about it. There aren’t many things that my husband gets emotional about, but when he tweeted that this risotto, had him curled up in a fetal position from utter bliss, one of our readers/customers requested that I go public with this recipe.
There are no pictures because my camera is acting funny and the cost to have it fixed professionally is more than my rent, literally.
Oven Baked Risotto
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
4 cups of water (with 1 heaping tablespoon of Better than Bouillon no chicken base) stirred in
1.5 teaspoon salt
couple turns of fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoon of vegan margarine
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
bunch of chopped fresh spinach or parsley or herb of your choice
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
In a dutch oven or oven proof pan, heat oil over medium high heat.
Add the onions and cook until translucent.
Add crushed garlic and rice, stirring to coat all the grains in oil.
Stir in your liquid, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Cover, transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, over low heat, stir in about a 1/2 cup of water, chopped spinach, vegan margarine.
If the consistency of the risotto is not as creamy as you would like, add a bit more water.
Anyway, on a positive note. We are still making vegan cheese, our children are still healthy and my mom is still awesome.
There are a couple of updates I am going to add, like other stores we are currently in, what new services we are offering and just some all around house cleaning. Things were getting a little dusty around here.
In the meantime; I found the cutest vegan couple: http://www.meettheshannons.net/ Please check them out! In the spirit of Julie and Julia, they are veganizing the Betty Crocker cookbook!
Speaking of veganizing. I have veganized many of her recipes, but I am so unofficial about it…lol
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