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. [...]]]>

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.

In my pantry post, I highlighted what I generally have in my pantry on a regular basis. The list is long and varied. The staples are tofu (only buy Organic soy products), Basmati rice, lentils, soy and nut milk (organic), oatmeal, grits (polenta), brown rice (for waffles), coconut and soy yogurt, rice cakes, and agave. Keep a rotating stock of in season fruits and vegetables and you’re good to go.

Infants
As a rule, I breastfeed. My children get introduced to food at about six months. I start with liquids. See the sesame seed milk post. I introduce a small bottle with water and a couple tablespoons of molasses. I make fenugreek cereal. It’s a mush that my 4 year old loved as a baby and my daughter refused to have any part of it. Babies know what they like, even at that age. I would also grind up whole oats (organic, bought in bulk from whole foods) and then make a slurry with the oats and liquid (the liquid can be your breast milk, water, apple juice or the sesame seed milk). I also begin to incorporate fruit, mashed bananas mixed with cereal or alone, apple sauce, stewed prunes, rice with coconut milk (my daughter loved it), also so delicious coconut milk yogurt. It’s not necessary to buy baby food. It is so easy to make baby food. Get a coffee grinder. This cheap one has lasted me about 8 years or so. I use the coffee grinder for grinding up oatmeal, fenugreek, and even rice for baby cereal. When their teeth come in or they are screaming with angst every time you lift a fork to your mouth. Expand their repertoire. Cut up fruit into bite size pieces, apples, grapes, strawberries, bananas, peaches, melons, it’s all good for the baby. Don’t forget about grits. All of my children love grits (polenta).

Toddlers

My daughter will be two in February. She is probably the pickiest of all my children. However, my daughter still eats a large variety of food. I make sesame seed milk for her, every other day. She loves coconut milk yogurt, she will eat rice and lentils,whole grain waffles, strawberries (fresh and dried), sliced apples, pineapple, bananas, mango, raisins and cereal.

My 4 year old would live off of our macaroni and cheese if it was possible to do so. However, he too loves grits, rice and beans, yogurt, all fruit (especially blueberries), soup, cornbread, waffles (without the syrup), nuts, pasta and oatmeal.

This is just a sample of what the toddlers eat.

The Big Kids

My older children are 11 and 9 year old boys. They have never been picky and eat what my husband and I eat. I don’t get requests for fast foods because we rarely if ever go to fast food places. We may have an Asian inspired meal one night and then pizza the next night. We may do soup and cornbread and then do raw the next night. They like to eat and almost every meal they eat is homemade. My 11 year old likes to help out in the kitchen too. Some of his favorites are spaghetti, pizza, rice and beans, lasagna, greens simmered in coconut milk. He absolutely loves tomatoes and raw vegetables. My 9 year old loves pretty much the same foods, he just doesn’t share his brother’s same fondness for vegetables.

Do you guys have any specific questions you want to ask me? I will be talking about supplements and recipes next.

This is just a ploy to get you to ignore the fact that this is not a recipe post. Don’t worry, we didn’t run out of vegan recipes that will make your inner thighs touch (unfortunately I know this as fact). This month went by so quickly. Where does the time go?

I made waffles. It’s serious… I’ve made waffles before, but they were never good. They were blah. I knew I could do better, I just didn’t know how. Sue Gregg has entered into my life and I am a changed woman. She has shown me the way. I was kind of skeptical at [...]]]>

I made waffles. It’s serious… I’ve made waffles before, but they were never good. They were blah. I knew I could do better, I just didn’t know how. Sue Gregg has entered into my life and I am a changed woman. She has shown me the way. I was kind of skeptical at first. But, blender waffles are the ONLY way to do waffles. They must be done the Sue Gregg way and you will become a believer too!

Yes, what you see above will create waffles, I promise.

Start with dumping 2 cups of brown rice in the blender. Yes, I said brown rice.

Dump in 2.5 cups of vegan kefir yogurt OR 2.5 cups vegan yogurt thinned with vegan milk of your choice OR 2.5 cups of vegan milk with 1 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (this makes vegan buttermilk).

Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Blend. Let everything get all incorporated and then go to bed. Well, you don’t have to go to bed, just leave the waffle batter in the blender covered, on the counter overnight. Sue Gregg explains this as the two step process. I just call it planning ahead. The grains get to soak and get all softened up and break down from the acid in the yogurt OR buttermilk. So in the morning, all you have to do is add some last minute ingredients…

Add 2 tablespoons of flax seeds and blend.

Add a enough milk to open up your vortex. Once that hole is open, dump in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Quickly turn off blender. You don’t want to overwork the batter once the baking soda has been added.

Make sure you have plugged in your waffle iron and coated it with oil.

You might want to hurry up and make these before she chews off her fingers.

Drool. Moan. Repeat.

It’s more than okay to top these with So Delicious coconut yogurt, maple syrup and nuts or nothing or jelly or berries. It’s up to you.

Even toothless babies can eat these nutritious delicious whole grain waffles.

Awww. She wants to share. Not really.

Disclaimer: I did this in a Vitamix with double the recipe of what Sue Gregg has on her website for blender waffles. She states that a regular Oster with the glass container will do. I have a Vitamix and I have four children. Doubling the recipe was necessary.

Here it is…Tortilla chips, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro…Nacho cheese sauce. The tasty glue that brings all of the aforementioned together. Look at it! Drippy, mouth watering fabulousness! Forget the runway, give me a seat and some nachos!

My oldest daughter came to spend the winter break with me and this is the first [...]]]>

Here it is…Tortilla chips, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro…Nacho cheese sauce. The tasty glue that brings all of the aforementioned together. Look at it! Drippy, mouth watering fabulousness! Forget the runway, give me a seat and some nachos!

My oldest daughter came to spend the winter break with me and this is the first meal/snack we had. It was midnight, but the glory of these nachos lit the sky.

I could blab on and on about these, but let’s get to the recipe so you can start blabbing (where did that word come anyway…blab?).

Veggies:
8 cloves garlic, slice thin or minced
1 jalapeno (2 if you aren’t scared), diced
2 green onions, diced

Cheese:
No other than our Ste Martaen Colby and Olive (8 oz of each). However, you can pick whatever combination you desire

Spices:
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt and more to taste

And:
2 cups of unsweetened soy milk

Let’s start the madness!

Heat 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium. Add veggies and saute for 5 minutes.

Add one cup of milk and heat to near boil.

While the milk is heating. Get the vegan cheeses ready. As seen above, we are using the Colby and Olive styles.

Rough chop the cheeses.

Add one half of the chopped cheese.

Whisk until smooth. Add the second cup of milk, heat, add the last half of cheese and whisk again until smooth.

Add the spices.

Whisk again.

This is the type of whisk I am using. I don’t know if it has a technical name, but the bottom is flat versus the traditional rounded bottom. This helps act as a masher. When the cheese is added, I mash the cheese in order to help break up the chunks. If you’re using a different kind of whisk, work it out.

There it is, creamy cheesy goodness. Now, stop admiring your nacho sauce and get some chips together. I emptied a whole bag on a pastry board. And let the magic begin…

Pour your sauce all over the chips. Don’t be stingy.

Yeeeeaaaah. Nice and covered.

Top off with some diced tomatoes and avocado. Maybe a little chopped fresh cilantro and your in there.

Right at ya!

How did the crowd react?

Deep concentration…

And happiness (that’s my daughter on the right…isn’t she lovely?) The elated guy on the left you ask…my friend, the Soul Veg East juice bar extraordinaire.

After 5 minutes…the remnants still being gobbled up!

OK, one more beauty shot.

UPDATE: The recipe above no longer applies, since the recipe to the cheese has changed.  I will redo this recipe.  Stay tuned.

Make it right, you’re a star. Make it wrong, the whole meal is ruined. So much rides on this seemingly basic bread. There’s just something about cornbread that just makes or breaks a meal. And it’s amazing how many variations there are. I’m not talking about adding this or that, onions, cheese, or [...]]]>

Make it right, you’re a star. Make it wrong, the whole meal is ruined. So much rides on this seemingly basic bread. There’s just something about cornbread that just makes or breaks a meal. And it’s amazing how many variations there are. I’m not talking about adding this or that, onions, cheese, or jalapenos; just different formulas for plain cornbread. Then I solved the puzzle. I figured out a perfect recipe for cornbread just this year. And when you have great cornbread, your meal is skyrocketed to another taste dimension. Now, my wife won’t attempt to make it because “it doesn’t compare” to mine. Nice compliment, but I think it is part of her continual plan to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. I’m on to you love! With great cornbread, you can serve Army slop and guests will rave about you all year long. In fact, when serving cornbread, the cornbread is really the main dish and what ever else is served becomes the compliment. I’ll stop rambling and let you give it a taste test. This cornbread goes great with any beans and really well with the Thai Curry Orange Lentil soup I recently made.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Add two sticks (or 1 cup) of vegan margarine to a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Throw the dish in the oven while it is preheating to melt the margarine.

The dry ingredients:

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons turbinado or raw sugar

Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Check on your margarine. Once melted, take out of the oven and pour over the dry ingredients.

Also add 2 cups of soy milk.

Mix it all together with whisk.

Pour your mix into your baking dish.

Scrape all the glory out. Like momma said: “It’s not good to waste.”

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Now you have to wait. Always the hardest part.

It’s always fun to have the children do some chores while you wait. In our family, the boys must work for food. No freebies around here. Especially when they eat like grown men! My boys can demolish some food. I have no idea how their stomachs fit it all. Then, after 3 servings, they ask for dessert. Yeah right, you’re lucky you don’t get a check.

DING!!! The best sound ever. Take out your cornbread.

Let it cool for about 5 minutes. Then serve it up.

Add another pat of margarine ’cause there wasn’t quite enough in the recipe and get to smackin’!!!

And if your mouth winds up looking like his…don’t worry, I understand.

Back in the recesses of my mind is a memory of a Broccoli Burger served by Whole World Natural Bakery & Restaurant that I can still taste. I haven’t been there since the early 90′s when I was a much darker haired, newly turned vegan, college student. However, unlike my brown hair, the [...]]]>

Back in the recesses of my mind is a memory of a Broccoli Burger served by Whole World Natural Bakery & Restaurant that I can still taste. I haven’t been there since the early 90′s when I was a much darker haired, newly turned vegan, college student. However, unlike my brown hair, the taste has stayed with me all these years. Since I’m not going to be in Columbus, OH anytime soon, I decided to tap into my creative side and see if I could concoct a recipe of my own. And you know what? I think I nailed it! This 3-Grain Veggie Burger has a light, fresh taste yet very filling…just like I remember. So let’s give this a whirl and let me know how they turn out for you.

The Grains: Basmati Rice, Quinoa and Hard Red Wheat Berries

Start of by cooking each of the grains separately and according to your packaging directions. I have included a link for the general cooking time for each grain in the parenthesis after the quantities. However, I often find the packaging may call for a different ratio to cooking time.
This recipe calls for:
1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice (see eHow)
1 cup Quinoa (see savvy vegetarian)
1 cup Hard Red Wheat Berries (see Purcell Mountain Farms) – Yes, it takes a long time for these, so start early.

After you have cooked each grain, dump into large mixing bowl and let cool.

The veggie potpourri:
2 Carrots
1/2 Red Onion
1 cubanelle pepper
1/2 bulb of Garlic
3 stems of Broccoli (not pictured)

Rough chop all the veggies and add to a food processor. If you do not own a food processor, then finely dice all your veggies.

Process the veggies on high for a few seconds until you are left with small diced pieces.

Warm a cast iron skillet with 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium heat.

Add the veggies to the skillet w/ 1 Teaspoon of Kosher Salt and saute for 7 minutes or until tender.

After sauteing, dump the veggies into the bowl with your grains and get ready for your spices.

The spices:
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Mexican Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Coriander
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 Cup bread crumbs

I don’t have a pic of the dry ingredients but I did snap one of the Vegan Worcestershire Sauce in case any of you didn’t believe there was such a thing. See…no Anchovies!
Add all the spices to the mixing bowl and let those hands get to workin’. Mix all the ingredients well. Give your mix a taste and add salt if you deem necessary.

To form your patties, you can free hand it or, like me, use a canister lid wrapped in saran wrap to make nice even patties. I used a 4 inch diameter lid that is approximately 3/4 of an inch deep. This yielded me 11 veggie burgers.

You have a couple of options here. You can directly cook the burgers in a skillet on medium high heat until brown on both sides. I did a two step process. First, I placed the patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Lightly brush the top of each patty with some veggie oil. Bake the patties for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Your patties will be “pre-cooked” so you can freeze some for a later date.

For the ones you are going to eat now, cook in a lightly oiled skillet until browned on both sides. For the ones you stick in the freezer, let them thaw before you brown them.

Assemble your 3-Grain Veggie Burgers and eat up. I think they go perfect on a Kaiser bun that is lightly toasted. Nothing like that thin crispy crust and warm soft delicate interior as the perfect chamber for your burger. Slather some Vegenaise and ketchup on the bun, add the burger trinity of lettuce, tomatoes and onions and you are good to go.

Man, I’m getting hungry all over again!

Yea, they enjoyed it too. Knocked out…nothing like the power of a full stomach.